September 20, 2007
The Way of the Traitor
By Laura Joh Rowland
I devoured this in a few hours while waiting for a badly-delayed airplane. It's a quick read, with loads of interesting details. I have read several other books in this series about Sano Ichiro, the Shogun's Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People, and really enjoyed them. They're not terribly deep, and they tend toward the melodramatic, but come on! It's a murder mystery, people!
This one starts when Sano is sent off to the port city of Nagasaki by an enemy in the Shogun's court. He finds himself caught up in the dangerous political minefield of Dutch trading with Japan when a Dutch trader goes missing and then turns up dead. Loads of intrigue, excitement, and politics. Good times.
Book 20 in 2007.
July 29, 2007
East of Eden
By John Steinbeck
Man. After Moby Dick, the first third or so of this seemed refreshing and awesome and interesting. Then all the things that annoy me about American lit in general and Steinbeck in particular started bugging the crap out of me. I often get the feeling when reading AmLit (and especially Steinbeck) that the author was sitting there writing with a pretentious "I am a Great Author (tm)" attitude. Steinbeck's work is so dry and spare that it seems self-conscious. Moreover, he creates interesting characters and then doesn't do anything particularly interesting with them. East of Eden appears to be telling me that (whoa!) sibling rivalry exists! And sometimes has bad consequences!
Well, no shit, Sherlock. I'm an only child and I know about sibling rivalry. At least bring something new to the table.
Maybe I just can't get past his writing style. I have the same problem with Hemingway.
Regardless, I finished the damn book, and am now two-thirds done with the summer reading I'm doing for my tutoring student (we're both reading the books together so we can discuss them and I can help her with the essay she has to write about them). Next up: Sophie's World, which I'm about four chapters into. So far, it's written in astonishingly simple language but about very complex things. I like it.
Book 17 in 2007.
July 25, 2006
An Assembly Such as This
Gah. I wanted to like this book, I really did, but ... wow.
If they're going to publish fanfiction, can't they at least publish the fic I like?
This book is basically Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice from Darcy's point of view. Sounds good, I love Darcy. And I heard this was a good book! It was on my list of books to buy at Borders with my free certificates (courtesy of my awesome Borders Credit Card).
Sadly, it is not that awesome. It reads like a twentieth-century gal trying to write like Austen. It's occasionally good, but overwhelmingly mediocre. I found myself rolling my eyes at it. For fanfiction, it's pretty good, but for a published book that cost me $14, it's pretty blech. I gave up when I found it difficult mustering the interest to turn the pages. Life's too short to read boring books. *sigh*
Next up: Patience and Fortitude! I looooove Basbanes, and can't wait to read this one. I've sort of been saving it, the way one might hold off on eating a truly awesome chocolate bar so as to enjoy the anticipation and make the ultimate consumption all the more pleasant. But after An Assembly Such as This I need something that will restore my love of books.
June 07, 2005
Black Sheep
by Georgette Heyer
Hey, everyone needs to read a comfort book now and then, eh? I started reading this again while in the bathtub a while back and am now reading it pretty steadily in what little free time I have. It's a charming book, I know it very nearly by heart, and I absolutely adore the hero, Miles Calverleigh.
He's the black sheep of his family (hah hah), and falls in love with one Abigail Wendover, guardian aunt of a headstrong young girl who is madly in love with Miles' nephew Stacy. Stacy is a fortune hunter after Fanny's fortune, but the girl is too blind to see that and it's up to Abby to figure out a way to keep the youngsters from eloping. Miles is a cynical care-for-nobody kind of guy and is absolutely disinterested in helping Abby until he realizes just how serious she is about saving her neice.
It's cheesy good fun and while it IS a historical romance, it's also delightfully written and not at all trashy. See below for an excerpt.
Upon meeting Miles and learning that he's Stacy's uncle, Abby tries to persuede him to help break up Stacy and Fanny and learns something suprising.
"Infatuated, is she? I daresay she'll recover," [Miles] said, a suggestion of boredom in his voice."Undoubtedly! My fear is that she may do so too late! Mr. Calverleigh, if your nephew were the most eligible bachelor in the country I should be opposed to the match! She is by far too young to be thinking of marriage. As it is, I need no, I fancy, scruple to tell you that he is not eligible! He bears a most shocking reputation, and, apart from all else, I believe him to be a fortune-hunter!"
"Very likely, I should think," he nodded.
This cool rejoinder made it necessary for her to keep a firm hand on the rein of her temper. She said, in a dry voice: "You may regard that with complaisance, sir, but I do not!"
"No, I don't suppose you do," he agreed amiably.
She flushed. "And -- which is of even more importance! -- nor does my brother!"
This seemed to revive his interest. A gleam came into his eyes. "What, does he know of this?"
"Yes, sir, he does know of it, and nothing, I assure you, could exceed his dislike of such a connection!...Pray do not think I exaggerate when I say that I have seldom seen him more profoundly shocked, or -- or heard him express himself with so much violence! Belive me, sir, nothing could prevail upon him to give his consent to your nephew's proposal!"
"I do -- implicitly!" he replied, the light of unholy amusement in his eyes. "What's more, I'd give a monkey to have seen him! Lord, how funny!"
"It was not in the least funny! And -- "
"Yes, it was, but never mind that! Why should you fall into a fuss? If the virtuous James forbids the banns, and if my nephew is a fortune-hunter, depend upon it he will cry off!" He saw the doubt in her face, and said: "You don't think so?"
She hesitated. "I don't know. It may be that he hopes to win James over --"
"Well, he won't do that!"
"No. Unless -- Mr. Calverleigh, I have reason -- some reason -- to fear that he might persuade her into an elopement! Thinking that once the knot was tied my brother would be obliged --" She stopped as he broke into a shout of laughter, and said indignantly: "It may seem funny to you, but I promise you --"
"It does! What a subject for a roaring farce! History repeats itself -- with a vengeance!"
Wholly bewildered, she demanded: "What do you mean? What can you possibly mean?"
"My pretty innocent," he said, in a voice of kindness spiced with mockery, "did no one ever tell you that I am the man who ran off with your Fanny's mother?"
[...]
"When did you run off with Celia?"
"Oh, when she became engaged to be married to Rowland!" he answered, very much as if this were a matter of course.
"Good God! Do you mean that you abducted her?" she gasped.
"No, I don't recall that I ever abducted anyone," he said, giving the matter his consideration. "In fact, I'm sure of it. An unwilling bride would be the very devil, you know."
"Well, that's precisely what I've always thought!" she exclaimed, pleased to find her opinion shared. "Whenever I've read about it, in some trashy romance, I mean. Of course, if the heroine is a rich heiress the case is understandable, but -- Oh!" Consternation sounded in her voice; painfully mortified, she stammered: "I beg your pardon! I can't think what made me say --"
"Not at all!" he assured her kindly. "A very natural observation."
December 10, 2004
The Persian Boy
by Mary Renault
I'm reading this as part of my "learn more about Alexander the Great" phase. It's about the second half of Alexander's life and is from the point of view of Bagoas, the Persian eunuch who was involved with him.
May 12, 2004
The Last Plantagenet
This is a surprisingly good historical novel about Richard III. It was sad to read, of course, because he had such a tragic life, but it was good. You really got a feeling for him as a person, and unlike "The Sunne in Splendour" it didn't make him out to be a saint.
Plust it has an interesting take on what really happened with the princes in the Tower.