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What I Just Finished Reading
The Cruel Prince – Holly Black
A young human raised in Faerie probably wouldn’t be as conversant as Jude with human culture and slang, but once you get past that this is one ripping novel. I loved that none of the characters are particularly likeable, and the individual agendas and shifting alliances are what I expect from Faerie. Several old friends make cameo appearances, which just makes things all the better.
Walking Your Octopus – Brian Kesinger
Kesinger’s illustrations are delightful.
The Stupidest Angel – Christopher Moore
An annual holiday read. Nobody writes dumbfuck males better than Moore.
Lyra’s Oxford – Philip Pullman
This perfect little novella is just what I needed after the conclusion to His Dark Materials. I love seeing Lyra and Pan doing their thing, and the woodcut illustrations are lovely.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever – Barbara Robinson
Another annual holiday read. This book gets at the point of the holiday, and is hysterical while it does so.
What I Am Currently Reading
Basic Japanese Grammar – Everett F. Bleiler
Oh, Tuttle. It doesn’t look too good when your copy editors don’t catch the mistake in the very first example sentence in the book.
The Holy Grail – Malcolm Godwin
This book is an excellent overview of the Grail myth in its various permutations, and the illustrations are plentiful and gorgeously presented.
Veins of Gold – Charlie Holmberg
Holmberg writes bona fide American fantasy, not European fantasy transplanted into an American setting. Forty percent of the way in, I’m not entirely sure whether I’m sold on the love interest, but I’m interested to see where the story—and the social commentary I think Holmberg’s weaving in—are going.
The Truth About Fat – Anthony Warner
In the first three chapters, Warner gives an overview of research into the hormones and physiological processes that lead to weight maintenance and gain. He does a good job of presenting scientific research in terms accessible to lay readers, which not all authors manage. I’m interested in seeing what his overall point is.
What I'm Reading Next
Probably Robin McKinley’s Spindle’s End, or maybe I’ll extend the Arthuriana streak with Gerald Morris’ books.
これで以上です。
The Cruel Prince – Holly Black
A young human raised in Faerie probably wouldn’t be as conversant as Jude with human culture and slang, but once you get past that this is one ripping novel. I loved that none of the characters are particularly likeable, and the individual agendas and shifting alliances are what I expect from Faerie. Several old friends make cameo appearances, which just makes things all the better.
Walking Your Octopus – Brian Kesinger
Kesinger’s illustrations are delightful.
The Stupidest Angel – Christopher Moore
An annual holiday read. Nobody writes dumbfuck males better than Moore.
Lyra’s Oxford – Philip Pullman
This perfect little novella is just what I needed after the conclusion to His Dark Materials. I love seeing Lyra and Pan doing their thing, and the woodcut illustrations are lovely.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever – Barbara Robinson
Another annual holiday read. This book gets at the point of the holiday, and is hysterical while it does so.
What I Am Currently Reading
Basic Japanese Grammar – Everett F. Bleiler
Oh, Tuttle. It doesn’t look too good when your copy editors don’t catch the mistake in the very first example sentence in the book.
The Holy Grail – Malcolm Godwin
This book is an excellent overview of the Grail myth in its various permutations, and the illustrations are plentiful and gorgeously presented.
Veins of Gold – Charlie Holmberg
Holmberg writes bona fide American fantasy, not European fantasy transplanted into an American setting. Forty percent of the way in, I’m not entirely sure whether I’m sold on the love interest, but I’m interested to see where the story—and the social commentary I think Holmberg’s weaving in—are going.
The Truth About Fat – Anthony Warner
In the first three chapters, Warner gives an overview of research into the hormones and physiological processes that lead to weight maintenance and gain. He does a good job of presenting scientific research in terms accessible to lay readers, which not all authors manage. I’m interested in seeing what his overall point is.
What I'm Reading Next
Probably Robin McKinley’s Spindle’s End, or maybe I’ll extend the Arthuriana streak with Gerald Morris’ books.
これで以上です。
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I thought this was pretty inconsistent, and it bothered me.
The book didn't work for me in general (I actually found it very disappointing after enjoying literally everything else by Holly Black that I've read), but the cameos were fun. And I'm glad it worked better for you than it did for me.
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But yeah, I held off on reading this one for so long because opinion seemed so mixed, but honestly, it worked a lot better for me than many of her other recent stuff (Poison Eaters, The Curse Worker series, and Doll Bones, which got the Newbery Honor but left me cold). I think some of it is because Jude is as cruel and manipulative as the faeries, thus avoiding my pet peeve trope of purehearted girl civilizes all the monsters through her goodness.
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I did really like the aspect of Jude being cruel and manipulative, and I do think it could be leading up to something interesting -- I hope it is! But her POV here was just hard for me to enjoy. (And the teenage love drama just plain didn't work for me.)
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