edited
by Chris Duffy: I bought this for Beadboy2 ages ago, but
couldn't resist reading it myself. It's a collection of tales from
around the world (although most are from the Grimm Brothers)
delightfully illustrated by a variety of artists, including the
wonderful Hernandez brothers. The tales have been bowdlerized for
children's sensibilities, something I feel was unnecessary, but it well
suits the happy, whimsical art. My favorite was "The Boy Who Drew Cats"
by Luke Pearson, especially because the boy in question reminds me so
much of Beadboy2. The Knitting Diaries: since I already read novels centered around embroidery, cross stitch, quilting, and baking, why leave out knitting? I heard about the collection from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, and the first two (by Debbie Macomber and Susan Mallery) were meh. The third, by Christina Skye, was both more compelling and more touching (and yet had the fewest references to knitting, interestingly enough). I might check out more of her work.
The Dark Volume by Gordon Dahlquist: I've resorted to skimming these books, because they are far too long and tedious. There are too many action scenes that last quite a while, place our protagonists in certain danger before abruptly freeing them, and don't actually further the plot at all. Not until the end, with the final confrontation, did the story engage me. Still, I want to read how it all turns out.
Heart of Steel by Meljean Brook: The second full novel in the Iron Seas series was a bit of a let-down; there weren't any major flaws (except for the female protagonist constantly telling us how badass she is and the fact that the resolution to the central problem was anti-climactic), but it didn't hold my attention as much as The Iron Duke. I did, however, enjoy the continuing world building. We got to see other countries and cultures, and as I predicted there were scenes that showed the Golden Horde are not a monolithic, faceless enemy.
No comments:
Post a Comment