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Not much to report this week, not much.
What I Just Finished Reading
The Good Fairies of New York – Martin Millar
Over a decade later, I still love this book, even after multiple readings and very little detail forgotten between them. Millar perfectly illustrates that you don't need trilogies with epic-sounding titles or ornate prose to write a damn good fantasy novel.
恋愛年齢 – 直野儚羅 (Ren'ai Nenrei – Naono Bohra)
Final verdict: it was cute, but boy did I wish her publishers had given her more space in which to explore the characters' relationships and backstories. That's true for the main oyaji couple whose story comprises the first several chapters, and especially so for the final two chapters, with their human/nekomata pairings and Edo jidai setting. That stuff is catnip to me, and I would have loved for it to have been spun into a much longer tale.
What I Am Currently Reading
A Darker Shade of Magic – V.E. Schwab
Two-thirds of the way in, it's gone even further downhill. Characters speak to each other in large chunks of expository dialogue that would never emerge in actual human conversation, the POV begins to switch between more and more one-off characters so Schwab can introduce various deus ex machina, and boy does she ever go overboard on the italics, sometimes to the tune of multiple words a sentence. I will be glad to wrap this one up this week.
Indonesian: A Comprehensive Grammar – James Sneddon, K. Alexander Adelaar, Dwi Djenar
This week's sections compared me-, me-kan, and ber- words with the same base. It was good stuff as always, but I will probably have to revise it a few times to remember each word's definition correctly.
What I'm Reading Next
How to Be a Victorian – Ruth Goodman
For reasons.
The Great Suppression – Zachary Roth
I have a personal interest in this book, having almost been disenfranchised by Republican-enacted voter ID laws after years living abroad.
これで以上です。
What I Just Finished Reading
The Good Fairies of New York – Martin Millar
Over a decade later, I still love this book, even after multiple readings and very little detail forgotten between them. Millar perfectly illustrates that you don't need trilogies with epic-sounding titles or ornate prose to write a damn good fantasy novel.
恋愛年齢 – 直野儚羅 (Ren'ai Nenrei – Naono Bohra)
Final verdict: it was cute, but boy did I wish her publishers had given her more space in which to explore the characters' relationships and backstories. That's true for the main oyaji couple whose story comprises the first several chapters, and especially so for the final two chapters, with their human/nekomata pairings and Edo jidai setting. That stuff is catnip to me, and I would have loved for it to have been spun into a much longer tale.
What I Am Currently Reading
A Darker Shade of Magic – V.E. Schwab
Two-thirds of the way in, it's gone even further downhill. Characters speak to each other in large chunks of expository dialogue that would never emerge in actual human conversation, the POV begins to switch between more and more one-off characters so Schwab can introduce various deus ex machina, and boy does she ever go overboard on the italics, sometimes to the tune of multiple words a sentence. I will be glad to wrap this one up this week.
Indonesian: A Comprehensive Grammar – James Sneddon, K. Alexander Adelaar, Dwi Djenar
This week's sections compared me-, me-kan, and ber- words with the same base. It was good stuff as always, but I will probably have to revise it a few times to remember each word's definition correctly.
What I'm Reading Next
How to Be a Victorian – Ruth Goodman
For reasons.
The Great Suppression – Zachary Roth
I have a personal interest in this book, having almost been disenfranchised by Republican-enacted voter ID laws after years living abroad.
これで以上です。
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From:
no subject
Disappointing to hear about A Darker Shade of Magic -- I've been curious to check out that book, but it sounds like it's likely to hit som eof my pet peeves, from your description...
From:
no subject
I really don't recommend the Schwab, unfortunately. At a bare minimum, I would recommend flipping through to random passages to see whether the writing rubs you the wrong way before committing.
From:
no subject
And, yeah, sounds like test-driving the Schwab is a good idea. I've had books ruined by incompatible prose for me before.