Sharp Words

Stronghold, Melanie Rawn - finished Sunday 2nd. Own copy.
The Dragon Token, Melanie Rawn - finished Tuesday 4th. Own copy.
Skybowl, Melanie Rawn - finished Thursday 6th. Own copy.
This is the trilogy that follows the three by Melanie Rawn that I read in February. It’s a lot of books by one author to read in one go, but I find doing so can be very satisfying sometimes. And it saves having to try and remember what the heck happened, at least!
Melanie Rawn’s a fantasy novellist who I rate very highly, anyway - but as mentioned in a previous ‘Read’ post, I just wish she’d finish the last book of the Exiles trilogy.

Jack of Ravens, Mark Chadbourn - finished Tuesday 11th. Library book, re-read.
My review

The Stormcaller, Tom Lloyd [Book 1 of The Twilight Reign] - finished Thursday 13th. Library book, first read.
I really enjoyed this; I’d spotted Tom Lloyd on my Amazon recommendations list, and I’m glad I picked this one up to read. Intriguing fantasy with strong characters and a well-considered world.

Feast of Souls, Celia Friedman [Book 1 of The Magister Trilogy] - finished Sunday 16th. Library book, first read.
Sometimes, fantasy which bills itself as ‘dark’ just isn’t. (Some of Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels trilogy being a case in point.) But this one… well, there’s a definite dark streak that runs through it, not quite verging on horror, but not far off. I found it fascinating and I’m looking forward to reading the next part which I think (hope) was in the library already.

Arabesk, Job Courtenay Grimwood - finished Tuesday 18th (in the early hours!). Library book, first read.
This is a collection of the three Ashraf Bey novels, Pashazade, Effendi, and Felaheen, none of which I’d read before though I have read a few of JCG’s previous books. He’s a writer who stretches his reader’s imagination as well as his own; his stuff can be considered speculative fantasy or cyber-punk as well as fitting into the thriller or mystery genres quite easily. I really really like his novels - they’re challenging reads.

The Book Thief, Markus Zusak - finished Thursday 20th. Own copy, first read.
I’m not going to comment on this book yet except to say that I enjoyed it once I got into it, as I will be putting together a review once I re-read it.

The Song of the Lioness series, Tamora Pierce [Alanna: The First Adventure, In the Hands of the Goddess, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, Lioness Rampant] - finished Sunday 23rd. Own copies.
Back to the YA fiction for easy reading. It’s been a while since I last picked up this series, and it’s one of my favourite young adult fantasy series for girls. I vividly remember eyeing up Alanna in W H Smith when I was about 11 or 12, and finally buying it thanks to a book token (although I can’t remember why I had the book token) after a lot of anticipation. I still have the same copy and it’s understandably a bit water-stained and dog-eared!

The Right Attitude to Rain, Alexander McCall Smith - finished Monday 24th. Library book, first read.
Although I like the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, I’m enjoying this set of Edinburgh-based novels far more. The blend of philosophy and mystery (generally unsolved or ambiguous) interests me a lot, and although the philosophy can get quite heavy, I find it intriguing (and the story compelling enough) to keep me reading.
** This counts as my weather book for my reading challenge. **

The Tenderness of Wolves, Stef Penney - finished Wednesday 26th. Library book, first read.
I was fascinated by this novel. At first, I found it a bit confusing that only one person’s point-of-view was written in first person, but there were reasons for that, and it did work. The ending left me a little disappointed, but at the same time I liked the braveness of the ambiguities.
** This counts as my animal book for my reading challenge. **

The Blade Itself, Joe Abercrombie - finished Friday 28th. Library book, first read.
My review

Stardust, Neil Gaiman - finished Saturday 29th. Own copy.
I just fancied re-reading this; needed something fairly straightforward and comfortable after a couple of big novels and before tackling the next. And I watched the film the week before and wanted to check the differences (again).

Garden Spells, Sarah Addison Allen - finished Sunday 30th. Own copy, first read.
I was sent an advanced reading copy of this by the publisher’s marketing department - since it’s not out till May, I’ll wait another couple of weeks (and read it again) before reviewing it. I read it in one go in the bath though, which is a good sign.

Total for March 2008: 16 + 1 re-read
Ongoing total for 2008: 44 + 3 re-reads