Sharp Words

Unseen Academicals, Terry Pratchett. Own copy, re-read for 2009.
See my October reading list for my opinion of this.

Revelation, C J Sansom. Library book, first read.
I don’t think I liked this much as the previous books in the series. It seemed to be straying too much into modern crime territory, with its tale of a serial killer. Well-written, of course, and I’d still read another Shardlake tale if there is another one.

Alexandria, Lindsey Davis. Dad’s library book, first read.
Dad reckons this had a lot of padding, and I’m inclined to agree – there was a lot of exposition. I enjoyed it nonetheless, but it did feel pretty thin compared to most of her other novels.

Consider Phlebas, Iain M Banks. Borrowed from Dad, first read.
With Look to Windward, the best of Banks’ novels that I’ve read so far. Having read some of the later ones first, I found it fascinating to go back to this one and see the Culture from the outside.

The Penelopiad, Margaret Atwood. Library book, first read.
Hmm. I know this was produced as part of a series rewriting classical tales and myths, but it just felt very light and self-indulgent, and repetitive in parts. An interesting idea, and well-written, but it felt lacking in something.

Between Planets and Podkayne of Mars, Robert Heinlein. Own copies.
I have a troubled relationship with Heinlein, as I may have previously mentioned. A re-read of Between Planets wasn’t too bad, although it was a very lightweight bit of pulp with too much reliance on a McGuffin. But I’d forgotten the ending of Podkayne of Mars – suffice it to say that I was left fuming at the way this sparky little girl was dismissed in the final sections.

For a Few Demons More, Kim Harrison. Library book, first read.
Finally, finally, I’m caught up with all the books in this series that I’d previously missed (and got to find out how some major events, mentioned in later books, happened).

The Dark Volume, G W Dahlquist. Library book, first read.
The sequel to The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, a steampunk fantasy, which I enjoyed a lot. I wasn’t so keen on this novel; it felt too much like the middle of a trilogy; it was very fast-paced and concentrated mainly on action rather than on character.

Succubus Blues, Richelle Mead. Own copy, re-read for 2009.
I needed something easy and fun to read while I was languishing with a bad cold. This fitted the bill nicely. (My original review)

Saturnalia, Lindsey Davis, Own copy.
After reading Alexandria earlier in the month, I found myself back-tracking to this. And apart from a few silly moments (the turnip costume amongst others), it’s a far superior novel.

Magic Strikes, Ilona Andrews. Borrowed from Marion, first read + re-read.
More urban fantasy, and a really good addition to this series. Hence me reading it twice in quick succession.

Total for November 2009: 10 + 3 re-reads

Ongoing total for 2009: 170 + 10 re-reads