Book Reviews
Sep. 15th, 2010 09:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bibliodragonMy consumption of new books has really slowed down, but in my defence I am rereading a lot. Damn you Terry Prattchet and your re-readability!
Jeremy and Amy: The Extraordinary Story of One Man and His Orang-utan by Jeremy Keeling (Author), Rick Broadbent (Collaborator)
Thanks to Animal Planet, I love watching Monkey Buisness/Monkey Life and hearing about the goings on at Monkey World in Dorset, so had to read this. But the book is not all fluffy animal antics, taking in Jeremy's dysfunctional family life, the death of Monkey World founder Jim Cronin, and even the fate of Horace the Tiger. Well written, and while Rick Broadbent is credited as collaborator the voice still manages to sound like the Jeremy from the tv show.
The Tree of Seasons by Stephen Gately
A bit too sweet and twee for my tastes, it definitely has the feel of "kids book" about it, with the plot and characters simplistic and no real surprises but the writing does show potential, sadly because Stephen died just as he was finishing this.
I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett
The end of the Tiffany Aching series, and goes to some dark places. It's easy to forget that this is actually young adult fiction. There are lots of cameos, including Vimes, Carrot and Captain Angua, which are fun, but there is the same sense of melancholy as in his other post-diagnosis books. The "good" death of the Baron, lost in a forgotten childhood memory before death takes on even more poignancy when you read the author's notes at the end.
I did like how Tiffany and Roland did not end up together, as how often is it that childhood romance does not end up in happy ever after *coughJKRowlingcough*, and Roland's fiancee Letitia become a sympathetic character between our (and Tiffany's) eyes is really well done, going from weeping rich girl to giving-teddy-bears-to-ghosts witch. It was a bit convenient that there just happened to be someone else for Tiffany in the shape of intellectual guard Preston, which felt a bit too "and they all lived happily ever after," for Terry, leading to the depressing realisation that he may have wanted to leave her in a good place as he won't have the time to return to it.
Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik
Not the best in the series, and certainly compared to the last book not much happens, but with sections set in Temeraire's point of view like in Victory of Eagles still a joy to read and new dragon's to get to know along with Iskeirka being Iskeirka I still found lots to enjoy. It feels very much like a set up piece, and the hints given about what has been happening in the wider world point to some interesting plots in the future.
Jeremy and Amy: The Extraordinary Story of One Man and His Orang-utan by Jeremy Keeling (Author), Rick Broadbent (Collaborator)
Thanks to Animal Planet, I love watching Monkey Buisness/Monkey Life and hearing about the goings on at Monkey World in Dorset, so had to read this. But the book is not all fluffy animal antics, taking in Jeremy's dysfunctional family life, the death of Monkey World founder Jim Cronin, and even the fate of Horace the Tiger. Well written, and while Rick Broadbent is credited as collaborator the voice still manages to sound like the Jeremy from the tv show.
The Tree of Seasons by Stephen Gately
A bit too sweet and twee for my tastes, it definitely has the feel of "kids book" about it, with the plot and characters simplistic and no real surprises but the writing does show potential, sadly because Stephen died just as he was finishing this.
I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett
The end of the Tiffany Aching series, and goes to some dark places. It's easy to forget that this is actually young adult fiction. There are lots of cameos, including Vimes, Carrot and Captain Angua, which are fun, but there is the same sense of melancholy as in his other post-diagnosis books. The "good" death of the Baron, lost in a forgotten childhood memory before death takes on even more poignancy when you read the author's notes at the end.
I did like how Tiffany and Roland did not end up together, as how often is it that childhood romance does not end up in happy ever after *coughJKRowlingcough*, and Roland's fiancee Letitia become a sympathetic character between our (and Tiffany's) eyes is really well done, going from weeping rich girl to giving-teddy-bears-to-ghosts witch. It was a bit convenient that there just happened to be someone else for Tiffany in the shape of intellectual guard Preston, which felt a bit too "and they all lived happily ever after," for Terry, leading to the depressing realisation that he may have wanted to leave her in a good place as he won't have the time to return to it.
Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik
Not the best in the series, and certainly compared to the last book not much happens, but with sections set in Temeraire's point of view like in Victory of Eagles still a joy to read and new dragon's to get to know along with Iskeirka being Iskeirka I still found lots to enjoy. It feels very much like a set up piece, and the hints given about what has been happening in the wider world point to some interesting plots in the future.
