Nayu's Reading Corner is my book review blog. Please check it out, (and if you like it, please follow it).
No reviews are up yet, but I've got the rough layout up and the first post. You can access it from my profile.
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
Tuesday, 21 April 2009
Book review update # 1
Well, book reviews are happening. I know it may seem weird to some that I give very short reviews on books which aren't for me, but I know that other people reading this blog are after books that would suit them. Having similar tastes to some, I put when a book isn't quite suitable so that people can steer clear of them.
Sunday, 29 March 2009
Book review #3 Any book by Tamora Pierce
I love them all :) Just finished Protector of the Small series. Ahhh adore these. Definitely will collect them in French. I can escape and have fun with these. Well, I can with every book. But I really want to be a knight.
They actually remind me a lot the Valdemar series. I like it when you follow a protag in a school type environment, where they learn something, grow, rebel, make friends - it's all good! Would love to write a series which incorporates all these things. *thinks on wips* I'm sure one of them fits the bill, sort of. :)
Yuna style crit: mostly female protags. Strong willed. They do make mistakes, they do have fears, but people love them all the same. I love them :) Magic involved here. Low smush levels. Lots of fighting, but lots of very ordinary events too. Quite a bit of death in some of the books - so get tissues at the ready! I cry at a lot of things. Thoroughly recommend these books
They actually remind me a lot the Valdemar series. I like it when you follow a protag in a school type environment, where they learn something, grow, rebel, make friends - it's all good! Would love to write a series which incorporates all these things. *thinks on wips* I'm sure one of them fits the bill, sort of. :)
Yuna style crit: mostly female protags. Strong willed. They do make mistakes, they do have fears, but people love them all the same. I love them :) Magic involved here. Low smush levels. Lots of fighting, but lots of very ordinary events too. Quite a bit of death in some of the books - so get tissues at the ready! I cry at a lot of things. Thoroughly recommend these books
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
A book has arrived!
Magic Bites has arrived! I'm eager to read it...but I'm attempting to finish a pile of library books before I go on holiday next week. So it may just have to wait until I get back.
My French books arrived - I'm very excited about reading them. Yay! It should keep me calm on the plane.
Writing = definitely writing more each day now. Muse keeps coming up with more wips. :) It's fine!
Anyone noticed the number of wips have grown?
Hoping people don't notice I've still got Hallie as my character of the week...
Things coming up on the blog:
More book reviews
Possibly blurbs about my wips. I struggle writing short info about them, so it could be painful.
No writing from 1st April until the 13th due to vacation. Yes, total vacation from writing, video gaming....but my Muse will be taking in the sights of America (Annapolis), so she'll be working hard. I don't often do this, taking time off for relaxing without writing, so I'm looking forward to it.
Monday, 16 March 2009
Book review #2 Iron Surprise, Charles Stross
No, I haven't multiplied my reading speed by 10. Unfortunately this book has hit the 'not to be read' pile.
It's sci-fi, which I like. But...I'm not into heavily deatiled sci-fi. I had no interest in the chapters about the destruction of a planet and star. I enjoyed the characters of Wednesday and Rachel, but I just couldn't keep reading. The idea of sentient police dogs had me in giggles. Yes, I realise my own wips have animals that talk but they are spirits, not real dogs, and there is a context for it. I like animals who are sentient - here it just made me laugh.
Good characterization, definitely medium paced as far as action is concerned, huge amount of imagination in this book, but a bit too much science for me to handle. I didn't make it to page 50.
I'm just very particular about what I like :)
It's sci-fi, which I like. But...I'm not into heavily deatiled sci-fi. I had no interest in the chapters about the destruction of a planet and star. I enjoyed the characters of Wednesday and Rachel, but I just couldn't keep reading. The idea of sentient police dogs had me in giggles. Yes, I realise my own wips have animals that talk but they are spirits, not real dogs, and there is a context for it. I like animals who are sentient - here it just made me laugh.
Good characterization, definitely medium paced as far as action is concerned, huge amount of imagination in this book, but a bit too much science for me to handle. I didn't make it to page 50.
I'm just very particular about what I like :)
Book review #1 The Soprano Sorceress by L.E. Modesitt Jr
Admittedly, this is the book I've been struggling with. For this reason, I'm starting with the negative points.
668
I can't place my finger on exactly what I wasn't keen on in this book. In some ways the action was sporadic. I like action, and don't mind books where the pace is slower. There were a few 'oh no' moments, but not nearly enough in a book of this size (668 pages).
The cast: I think this could be why I struggled with it. There were a lot of characters (I'm not against that), and at first it was hard to follow who supported whom, who was 'good' or 'evil' etc. There were several POV's in the novel, again, something which I support. However. I wasn't keen on the switch from past to present tense for the POV's not held by the protagonist Anna. It made for a slower reading. The story behind this work is huge, which made it a little overwhelming for me to follow and keep track of it all. Yes I blame my poor memory in everything other than my own wips.
Having said all that, there were several positive parts.
By the end I'd grown attached to Anna. Initially I read this about 10 years ago. I don't think I was the right age to read it (didn't like it that Anna wasn't the same age as me). Now, with time, I've come to understand teh struggles which Anna has at leaving her grown-up children back on Earth, while she's on Erde. (Oh, sorry, if you wish a summary of this book - go look somewhere else. As you may notice on my previous posts, I am not good at short summarys :) )
Anna's power is phenomenal. When she sings, things happen. She kills a lot of people. Thousands and thousands. She makes mistakes. People look at her disfavourable. I enjoyed all the personal conflict she had, and how she dealt with mistakes. She's not perfect, and admits it. People in the story admire her for that. I admire her for that.
I'm unsure whether I'll read the rest of the series any time soon (if at all) but part of me is interested in what happens next to Anna.
So, I do recommend reading this book, but if it doesn't grab your interest then move on to the next. Life's too short to read every book in the world. Doesn't stop me from trying
668
I can't place my finger on exactly what I wasn't keen on in this book. In some ways the action was sporadic. I like action, and don't mind books where the pace is slower. There were a few 'oh no' moments, but not nearly enough in a book of this size (668 pages).
The cast: I think this could be why I struggled with it. There were a lot of characters (I'm not against that), and at first it was hard to follow who supported whom, who was 'good' or 'evil' etc. There were several POV's in the novel, again, something which I support. However. I wasn't keen on the switch from past to present tense for the POV's not held by the protagonist Anna. It made for a slower reading. The story behind this work is huge, which made it a little overwhelming for me to follow and keep track of it all. Yes I blame my poor memory in everything other than my own wips.
Having said all that, there were several positive parts.
By the end I'd grown attached to Anna. Initially I read this about 10 years ago. I don't think I was the right age to read it (didn't like it that Anna wasn't the same age as me). Now, with time, I've come to understand teh struggles which Anna has at leaving her grown-up children back on Earth, while she's on Erde. (Oh, sorry, if you wish a summary of this book - go look somewhere else. As you may notice on my previous posts, I am not good at short summarys :) )
Anna's power is phenomenal. When she sings, things happen. She kills a lot of people. Thousands and thousands. She makes mistakes. People look at her disfavourable. I enjoyed all the personal conflict she had, and how she dealt with mistakes. She's not perfect, and admits it. People in the story admire her for that. I admire her for that.
I'm unsure whether I'll read the rest of the series any time soon (if at all) but part of me is interested in what happens next to Anna.
So, I do recommend reading this book, but if it doesn't grab your interest then move on to the next. Life's too short to read every book in the world. Doesn't stop me from trying
Book reviews will be here!
Yuna style, of course. I'm not a professional book reviewer. I shall merely explain what I liked and didn't like about the book. Each book review will be in a separate post.
I would like to make it very clear that.
* I am not attacking the author personally.
* I am stating what I feel, in my own opinion.
I mean, I do not like the LoTR films at all. Only ever managed to watch about 1/3 of the first. I got too scared. I'm not silent in how much I dislike those films. I don't want to make any author upset or angry with me. It's just how I feel about the book. Not everyone likes every book. Some books I'll be reviewing I adore. Others - were endured. I don't know the etiquette of book reviews, so hopefully I'm not digging a hole for myself.
Right, now that's done, I can get on with my reviews!
I would like to make it very clear that.
* I am not attacking the author personally.
* I am stating what I feel, in my own opinion.
I mean, I do not like the LoTR films at all. Only ever managed to watch about 1/3 of the first. I got too scared. I'm not silent in how much I dislike those films. I don't want to make any author upset or angry with me. It's just how I feel about the book. Not everyone likes every book. Some books I'll be reviewing I adore. Others - were endured. I don't know the etiquette of book reviews, so hopefully I'm not digging a hole for myself.
Right, now that's done, I can get on with my reviews!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
