This is a problem I have - not so much because I don't want to read them as because THERE ARE TOO MANY BOOKS AND NOT ENOUGH ME.
Librocubicularist
Tsundoku!
Hexed
This is the second of the Iron Druid Chronicles, after Hounded. Atticus O'Sullivan is still a smart-ass, bad-ass, sometime donkey's ass. He's in trouble with witches this time, and there even manages to be a Nazi connection.
What Went Well:
- Still a good sense of humor
- Still enjoying the dog
Even Better If:
- Not that Atticus doesn't have it rough, but things sometimes seem a bit too easy
Hounded
Atticus O'Sullivan is a smart-assed, bookstore owning, herbalist introvert who lives in Tempe. Also, he's the last druid. Also, Aenghus Óg wants his sword back. Atticus' life is complicated. He's survived for a long time by keeping his head down - he might tell you he's twenty-one, but he never said twenty-one what. Too bad that's not going to work this time.
"Well-researched" doesn't begin to cover this book. Kevin Hearne has clearly gone right past research land and on to the valley of the obsessed. There are visits from all the major players in Celtic mythology and cameos from most of the other major world pantheons, besides. The action is fast and the writing is witty, but there's plenty of character development. The book should appeal to men, women, and older teens as long as they don't object to fantasy in general. I enjoyed this, and went straight on into the next in the series.
What Went Well:
- Believable characters
- Sense of humor
- Excellent dog writing
Even Better If:
- Honestly, I have no real complaints
Big Girl Panties
Holly is a sad, fat, unemployed widow who meets Logan - a happy, good-looking man. Holly becomes un-fat under the tutelage of Logan the personal trainer, and then gets a job and a relationship and friends.
I'm probably being a little hard on this novel. It wasn't easy for me to read, and honestly I don't know how much of my annoyance at the book is due to my own identification with the protagonist and therefore anger at her, and how much is due to the fact that I think the book does kind of manage to backhandedly make the point that thin=successful. I mean, author Stephaine Evanovich seems to be going for a diferent mesage but this is the one I'm left with.
This book would be great for a book group, though, for provoking discussion. Does the book reinforce stereotypes of physical beauty? Is Holly's struggle with her weight represented in a way that is truthful to the experiences of real women? Is my own perception of the subject coloring my understanding of the book? Will anybody else have the same questions after reading it? Anyone out there, feel free to weigh in!
I'm going to stay away from plot specifics (unless anybody really wants to discuss them). I read the whole book in one sitting, though, so at least on one level I enjoyed it. In fact, I skipped some of the sex scenes entirely in favor of getting on with the plot.
What Went Well:
- Characters are complex - everybody in the book manages to be a moron and/or asshat
- All major players are treated with equal empathy
Even Better If:
- Make it clear who or what is the antecedent of each and every pronoun
- Stop aggravating my personal issues!
The publisher provided this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Release date 9 July 2013.
Maid of Secrets
Meg, a seventeen year old actress and pickpocket, is forcibly recruited to spy for her queen at the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth I. Along with four other recruits, Meg struggles to come to terms with her new life, new identity, new responsibilities, and first love.
This book is intended for ages twelve and up, and admirably meets its goal. The action is age appropriate without being condescending to the reader, and the romance is sweet and happily devoid of heaving and throbbing. Female friendships are treated honestly, and period details are genuine but not overwhelming. The book is longer than typical (four hundred sixteen pages). I genuinely enjoyed it. This is planned as the beginning of a series; I look forward to the next book.
What Went Well:
- Sweet romantic sub-plot
- Believable, consistent narrative voice
Even Better If:
- Drop awkward colloquialisms ("Verily!")
The publisher provided this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Release date 7 May 2013.
The Great Singapore Penis Panic and the Future of American Mass Hysteria
In October and November of 1967, four hundred sixty-nine people (including fifteen women) were treated for a malady known to traditional Chinese medicine as koro - the shrinking of the penis into the abdominal cavity, resulting in death.
Dr. Scott D. Mendelson has written what reminds me of nothing so much as a lengthy term paper on the subject.
I skimmed approximately 30% of this book. It's extremely unusual for me to do any skimming at all; I'm one of those people who has to read EVERY WORD. If I don't like it enough to read it, I simply abandon a book and move on. This time, I was interested enough in the subject matter to continue reading.
The details of the actual epidemic of koro are related in their entirety at least three times. Chapters cover disparate subjects with no narrative connection. The manuscript is poorly edited and contains enough typos and mechanical errors to be actively distracting. Book design is clunky and awkward, including bibliographical citations at the end of each chapter. The actual information presented, however, is interesting and well-researched. An excellent early chapter covers the basic tenants of traditional Chinese medicine, and a later chapter covers "culture bound syndromes" of various cultures, including America. The book does not otherwise discuss the US.
Due specifically to the lack of narrative flow and the excess of tangential information, this book is only recommended to those particularly interested in psychiatry or, er, penises.
Three stars, because I am interested in psychiatry and penises. Otherwise, two stars.
What Went Well:
- well researched
- historical context extensively covered
Even Better If:
- professionally edited
- rewritten as a narrative as opposed to a collection of facts
- cut to half the current length
Fake review of a random book
(This was a fake review of a random book so I could test how this thing works.)
Here is something interesting to look at in case you stumbled here accidentally. This book bench is somewhere in Germany. Munich? I think?
