Sharp Words

To Green Angel Tower (Part 1: Siege and Part 2: Storm), Tad Williams. Own copies.
This was apparently such a huge hardback that it was split into two separate paperbacks. And since each is well over 700 pages, I’m counting them separately in my tally.
Anyway, it’s been a long time since I’ve re-read this series, and it’s interesting to see how the writing tightens up throughout it. The first book, The Dragonbone Chair has a lot of stuff I think I personally would have cut, but the amount of possibly extraneous material lessens as the story progresses. It’s a fantastic fantasy epic either way, with great characters and an engrossing plot.

The Twelve, Stuart Neville. Own copy, first read.
I really really want to review this. But that means reading it again, and I haven’t been quite ready for that yet. Perhaps next month? It’s a bloody brilliant thriller set in contemporary Northern Ireland anyway, and I highly recommend it.

Lords and Ladies and Maskerade, Terry Pratchett. Own copies.
I needed some comic relief after reading The Twelve. And the Discworld witches never fail to make me laugh.

remix, Jon Courtenay Grimwood. BookMooched copy, first read.
I’m catching up on his earlier novels – this is good and imaginative, but I definitely prefer his later stuff.

Shadow Gate, Kate Elliott. Own copy, first read.
I love getting the next in a series by a favourite writer, and I always hope I won’t be disappointed. And I really really wasn’t.

Dead Witch Walking, Kim Harrison. Own copy.
This is a great urban fantasy series. And I’ve finally started buying them instead of relying on the library.

The Janissary Tree and The Bellini Card, Jason Goodwin. Library books, first reads.
A new author for me. I don’t read many mystery novels, but I do enjoy them (so should probably read more), and Goodwin is a great find. He really brings to life the flavours of mid-19th century Istanbul and Venice.

Once Bitten, Twice Shy, Jennifer Rardin. Library book, first read.
Urban fantasy with a decent bite to it, about CIA assassins and vampires and demon-worship. I definitely want to read the rest of this series.

The Season of the Witch, Natasha Mostert. Library book, first read.
I got pretty confused in the first few chapters of this novel, as it didn’t seem to know what it wanted to be – cyberthriller, supernatural mystery, or psychological romance. It did eventually settle down into an intriguing blend of all three though, and I eventually enjoyed it.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J K Rowling. Own copy.
I watched the film and had the urge to re-read this to see what the film had left out. Not as much as I’d thought, it turns out.

After Dark, Haruki Murakami. Library book, first read.
I’ve had Murakami on my want-to-read list for a while, having heard good things. I didn’t like this novel all that much – it seemed to be all style and no substance, although I certainly applaud the translator for keeping the language so lovely – but I’ll probably try something else of his.

Total for July 2009: 15 + 0 re-reads

Ongoing total for 2009: 116 + 2 re-reads

[Yep, this post is shamelessly backdated.]