rich_jacko (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rich_jacko) wrote2015-07-18 12:59 pm
rich_jacko) wrote2015-07-18 12:59 pm
Entry tags:
Books - first half(ish)
Discworld: Wintersmith through to Raising Steam (Terry Pratchett) - A somewhat bittersweet ending to my two-and-a-half year Discworld marathon, coinciding as it did with Sir Terry's death in March. But there was plenty to enjoy here. Books 3 and 4 of the Tiffany Aching sequence were every bit as good as 1 and 2 (and with number 5 still to come). Moist von Lipwig may not be everyone's favourite character (nor mine) but the civil servant in me loved the biting governmental satire of Making Money. Unseen Academicals was simply genius from end to end. It's sad that the author's illness caused the quality to drift slightly with the last two books - A few characters felt a bit off, the jokes weren't as biting, and he seemed to need to spell stuff out more. That said, they were still a good read and I enjoyed the portrayal of goblins' culture and their gradual acceptance into Ankh-Morpork society which plays out over the two stories.
On the Origin of Species (Charles Darwin) - This was a bargain purchase from The Works - a gorgeous hardback illustrated version of the final edition published in Darwin's lifetime. It was one to read gradually over a few months, since it is a 300-page scientific essay and not the most easy-going of reads. It is, however, very accessible and Darwin keeps you interested. It is a thorough, objective report, citing as many arguments against the theory as for it, and addressing each of them in turn. Some fall away with hindsight - Darwin struggles with the speed of evolution, based on the 19th century idea that the Cambrian period was only 60 million years ago. It's packed full of examples from across the world and I learned a lot.
The Stars' Tennis Balls (Stephen Fry) - An old Stephen Fry novel I'd never got around to reading. It starts off as a biting satire about nasty public school graduates, before taking a massive plot turn when a mean-spirited prank goes badly wrong, and eventually ending up as a darkly tragic revenge tale. It's Stephen Fry, so as you'd expect, it's incredibly witty, clever and eloquently written.
Chicks Unravel Time (edited by Deborah Stanish & LM Myles) - Gillian lent me this series of essays from female Doctor Who fans, each one looking at a different season of the show. They're a mixed bag - rather too many end up judging 1970s TV by 21st century standards of feminism, and I enjoyed much more the essays which didn't go into this topic. But overall, an entertaining read which gives a detailed look at the long history of the show, its strengths and themes, and shares some fresh perspectives and interesting thoughts.
Angel and Faith (Christos Gage / Rebekah Isaacs / Joss Whedon) - I should learn to trust Joss. I put off reading this, mainly because I thought, "Who needs that much angst?" But it turns out the title characters work very well together. They've got each other's backs but without all of the relationship baggage that Buffy and Angel have. Each knows that the other will stop them if they go too far, which - given Angel's plans this season - is good to know. Characters barely mentioned in the TV show get a chance to shine. The series links in closely with Buffy Season 9, and I wish I'd read them alongside one another - something I'm now doing with Season 10 :o)
Angel: After the Fall (Brian Lynch / Joss Whedon / Franco Urru) - Back to 2008 for this old Angel series which I never got around to reading at the time. After the Fall is a direct follow-on from the end of the Angel TV show, and it's a worthy Season 6. It may have escaped the budget limitations, but you definitely get the impression this was where the series was headed if it had carried on. All the characters and themes from the previous season develop further, with newer characters joining the mix too. A special shout-out to Betta George the telepathic (and sarcastic) fish, a character who could only work in the Angel universe.
An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth (Chris Hadfield) - You'll have heard of Chris Hadfield, even if you don't know the name. He's the Canadian astronaut who filmed himself playing "Space Oddity" aboard the ISS. This is his autobiography. As you'd expect, there's lots of fascinating insights into training for and going into space (which served to annoy me about all the things The Big Bang Theory got wrong when I saw the "Howard goes into space" story arc a couple weeks later, but hey...). It's perhaps ironic how down-to-earth Colonel Chris is. He comes across as a humble, practical guy who really can't seem to believe his luck - all traits he says you need as an astronaut. He's very readable and his approach to life is one we can all get behind.
Emperor: The Blood of Gods (Conn Iggulden) - Ten years ago (ish), Conn Iggulden wrote a series of novels depicting the life of Julius Caesar. The series ended rather abruptly, with Caesar still lying bleeding on the steps of the Senate. The author said at the time he might get around to writing the aftermath some day, and he's finally done it. It's another cracking good historical tale in the Bernard Cornwell tradition, covering riots in the streets of Rome to the Battle of Philippi. The only problem is Mark Anthony's rather well-known speech, but I guess it's asking a bit much for it to live up to Shakespeare's version. Iggulden has started a new series on the Wars of the Roses, the first two volumes of which are now on my 'to read' shelf.
Skin Game (Jim Butcher) - Why do the Dresden books take so long to come out in paperback, eh? I wasn't champing at the bit quite as much for this as I was for Ghost Story and Cold Days, but I should have been. It's 566 pages of pure awesome; that's about all I can say about it without being spoilerific. Just when I start thinking Butcher must start to run out of ideas soon, and the stakes can't possibly get any higher, he pulls off a cracking supernatural rollercoaster like this. Roll on the next instalment!
Neverwhere (Neil Gaiman) - I blame Every Black Day. I kept hearing 'Temple and Arch' and thinking, "I can't remember anything about Neverwhere. I must read it again." So I did. :o) Bits of it came back to me as I was reading, but mostly it felt like I was coming to it afresh. I got to enjoy the adventures of Richard, Door, Hunter and de Carabas all over again. It reminded me of how much I love Neil Gaiman's work. Gothic, weird and inventive, he has a Tim Burton-esque view of the world.
On the Origin of Species (Charles Darwin) - This was a bargain purchase from The Works - a gorgeous hardback illustrated version of the final edition published in Darwin's lifetime. It was one to read gradually over a few months, since it is a 300-page scientific essay and not the most easy-going of reads. It is, however, very accessible and Darwin keeps you interested. It is a thorough, objective report, citing as many arguments against the theory as for it, and addressing each of them in turn. Some fall away with hindsight - Darwin struggles with the speed of evolution, based on the 19th century idea that the Cambrian period was only 60 million years ago. It's packed full of examples from across the world and I learned a lot.
The Stars' Tennis Balls (Stephen Fry) - An old Stephen Fry novel I'd never got around to reading. It starts off as a biting satire about nasty public school graduates, before taking a massive plot turn when a mean-spirited prank goes badly wrong, and eventually ending up as a darkly tragic revenge tale. It's Stephen Fry, so as you'd expect, it's incredibly witty, clever and eloquently written.
Chicks Unravel Time (edited by Deborah Stanish & LM Myles) - Gillian lent me this series of essays from female Doctor Who fans, each one looking at a different season of the show. They're a mixed bag - rather too many end up judging 1970s TV by 21st century standards of feminism, and I enjoyed much more the essays which didn't go into this topic. But overall, an entertaining read which gives a detailed look at the long history of the show, its strengths and themes, and shares some fresh perspectives and interesting thoughts.
Angel and Faith (Christos Gage / Rebekah Isaacs / Joss Whedon) - I should learn to trust Joss. I put off reading this, mainly because I thought, "Who needs that much angst?" But it turns out the title characters work very well together. They've got each other's backs but without all of the relationship baggage that Buffy and Angel have. Each knows that the other will stop them if they go too far, which - given Angel's plans this season - is good to know. Characters barely mentioned in the TV show get a chance to shine. The series links in closely with Buffy Season 9, and I wish I'd read them alongside one another - something I'm now doing with Season 10 :o)
Angel: After the Fall (Brian Lynch / Joss Whedon / Franco Urru) - Back to 2008 for this old Angel series which I never got around to reading at the time. After the Fall is a direct follow-on from the end of the Angel TV show, and it's a worthy Season 6. It may have escaped the budget limitations, but you definitely get the impression this was where the series was headed if it had carried on. All the characters and themes from the previous season develop further, with newer characters joining the mix too. A special shout-out to Betta George the telepathic (and sarcastic) fish, a character who could only work in the Angel universe.
An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth (Chris Hadfield) - You'll have heard of Chris Hadfield, even if you don't know the name. He's the Canadian astronaut who filmed himself playing "Space Oddity" aboard the ISS. This is his autobiography. As you'd expect, there's lots of fascinating insights into training for and going into space (which served to annoy me about all the things The Big Bang Theory got wrong when I saw the "Howard goes into space" story arc a couple weeks later, but hey...). It's perhaps ironic how down-to-earth Colonel Chris is. He comes across as a humble, practical guy who really can't seem to believe his luck - all traits he says you need as an astronaut. He's very readable and his approach to life is one we can all get behind.
Emperor: The Blood of Gods (Conn Iggulden) - Ten years ago (ish), Conn Iggulden wrote a series of novels depicting the life of Julius Caesar. The series ended rather abruptly, with Caesar still lying bleeding on the steps of the Senate. The author said at the time he might get around to writing the aftermath some day, and he's finally done it. It's another cracking good historical tale in the Bernard Cornwell tradition, covering riots in the streets of Rome to the Battle of Philippi. The only problem is Mark Anthony's rather well-known speech, but I guess it's asking a bit much for it to live up to Shakespeare's version. Iggulden has started a new series on the Wars of the Roses, the first two volumes of which are now on my 'to read' shelf.
Skin Game (Jim Butcher) - Why do the Dresden books take so long to come out in paperback, eh? I wasn't champing at the bit quite as much for this as I was for Ghost Story and Cold Days, but I should have been. It's 566 pages of pure awesome; that's about all I can say about it without being spoilerific. Just when I start thinking Butcher must start to run out of ideas soon, and the stakes can't possibly get any higher, he pulls off a cracking supernatural rollercoaster like this. Roll on the next instalment!
Neverwhere (Neil Gaiman) - I blame Every Black Day. I kept hearing 'Temple and Arch' and thinking, "I can't remember anything about Neverwhere. I must read it again." So I did. :o) Bits of it came back to me as I was reading, but mostly it felt like I was coming to it afresh. I got to enjoy the adventures of Richard, Door, Hunter and de Carabas all over again. It reminded me of how much I love Neil Gaiman's work. Gothic, weird and inventive, he has a Tim Burton-esque view of the world.