Bogormen

Title: Dragondrums
Author: Anne McCaffrey
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Rating: 7/10
# pages: Audiobook
Date read: September, 2008

Summary: Once again Pern was in danger. The air trembled with rumors of deadly Threadfall. And, from within, there was another peril. The restless Oldtimers, who once battled the shimmering Thread, were now banished to the Southern Hold, and breeding rebellion. So the Master Harper dispatched young Piemur southward, dragonback, on a secret mission. Piemur, his great singing career thwarted by the changing voice of youth, was now a drum apprentice, his messages sounding from the heights. The wily lad, vowing to help his beloved Pern, would survive Threadfall, accomplish his task, and return home with, at long last, the little fire lizard of his sun dreams.

Review: I enjoyed this book much more than the first time around. Probably because when I first read it I was so disappointed that it focused on Piemur instead of on Menolly. This time I knew that, so I was prepared to enjoy it for its own right.

However, it did bother me that Piemur's theft of a fire-lizard egg wasn't frowned upon more. It seemed as if all his friends didn't see a problem with it, other than that it caused a stir. Stealing is stealing, and it annoyed me that everybody seems to treat it as "Oh well, the person he stole it from didn't deserve it anyway, so good for him." Anne McCaffrey, I'd expected more of you!

Other than that I enjoyed the book, and am glad I finally moved past my initial disappointment of it, to reread it.

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Title: The Jane Austen Book Club
Author: Karen Joy Fowler
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 7/10
# pages: 240
Date read: September, 2008

Summary: Six Californians join to discuss Jane Austen's novels. Over the six months they meet, marriages are tested, affairs begin, unsuitable arrangements become suitable, and love happens. With her finely sighted eye for the frailties of human behavior and her finely tuned ear for the absurdities of social intercourse, Fowler has never been wittier nor her characters more appealing. The result is a delicious dissection of modern relationships.

Review: Fairly decent book, but a very 'light' read, and though I haven't seen it yet, I'm actually going to be contrary and claim that I believe it's a plot that'll work better as a movie than as a book (similar to "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" where I loved the movie but only thought the book was so-so).

Good entertainment on a plane-ride though, and while it didn't have as much Austen as I would've liked, it had a LOT more than I had feared.

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Title: Bitten
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: 448
Date read: September 2008, April 2020

Elena Michaels is your regular twenty-first-century girl: self-assured, smart and fighting fit. She also just happens to be the only female werewolf in the world...

It has some good points. When she walks down a dark alleyway, she's the scary one. But now her Pack - the one she abandoned so that she could live a normal life - are in trouble, and they need her help. Is she willing to risk her life to help the ex-lover who betrayed her by turning her into a werewolf in the first place? And, more to the point, does she have a choice?


I've had to downgrade the rating here quite a bit. When I first read it, it was a clear 5-star read, but this time around I found I had serious issues with it, so have downgraded the rating to 3.5 - - rounded up to 4 on goodreads to give it the benefit of doubt, as I read it during quarantine where I wasn't at my best.

My main problem with it, is Clay's treatment of Elena. It does get explained along the way, but it's a case of "too little, too late" at a time when I've already become inclined to hate him. The relationship just doesn't work. Also, there are several deaths that are... unnecessary for want of better word. The characters are never fleshed out for the readers to care about them, so the deaths only serve as shock value and annoyed me more than anything else.

That said, I'm still glad I've finally reread it - it was VERY difficult to put down.

Title: The Scarlet Spy
Author: Andrea Pickens
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 9/10
# pages: 334
Date read: September, 2008

Review: Sofia feels the loneliness of being the only one of her and her three roommates still staying at Mrs. Merlin's Academy for Select Young Ladies. Why hasn't she received a mission yet? Is she not as qualified as the two others. Sofia is interrupted from these reveries when Lord Lynlsey arrives to the academy, with an assignment more vague, and therefore potentially more dangerous, than any of the others faced.

Disguised as a widowed contessa from Italy, Sofia's task is to infiltrate the Society of Town in order to discover who killed the grandson of Duke Sterling and why... and what other nefarious deeds The Scarlet Knights are guilty of. In order to enter into Society and receive the right invitations, Lord Osborne - a friend of Lord Lynsley who doesn't know about his work for the academy - is asked to take "Contessa Sofia" under his wing and make the proper introductions. However, it doesn't take long for either to realise that there's more to the other than meets the eye, and if Sofia is to survive this mission, she may have to forget that "Merlins always work alone" and trust this man... as well as her feelings for him.

The Scarlet Spy takes the reader back to 18th century England with all the strict rules of the Society of that time, as well as the ever-shadowing threat of Napoleon's advanced towards England and Russia. The atmosphere is consistently depicted and the characters true to their time.

As the third book in the series of the lady spies from Mrs. Merlin's Academy, The Scarlet Spy offers the same tone as the two previous books, and just as eloquently combines the action of a spy novel with the love and intrigue of a regency romance. It is in no way necessary to have any knowledge of the earlier books though, as each one has a different "Merlin" as the main character and references are well explained. While I enjoyed her previous books, there can be no doubt that Andrea Pickens has surpassed herself in The Scarlet Spy. She is now well on her way to becoming the 21st century's Georgette Heyer.

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Title: Loving Your Man Without Losing Your Mind
Author: Susie Davis
Genre: Christian non-fiction
Rating: 7/10
# pages: 183
Date read: September, 2008

Summary: Why is marriage so much harder than anyone ever dared to imagine? And how could the one man that a woman loves most in the world end up becoming the one person that she struggles to live in harmony with? In Loving Your Man Without Losing Your Mind, Susie Davis delivers biblical perspective and practical application intended to open the door for a woman to love her man with an abundance of understanding and grace. Exploring all the biggies where conflict and problems in marriage are concerned, this book also reminds women to remember often why they married their spouse.

Review: Rather disappointing book unfortunately. I'd bought it at a church sale because I thought it sounded interesting, and the few pages I browsed looked interesting. And it is well written, there was just no a lot of it I could use. The three main issues Susie said that all couples fight about are kids (we don't have any yet), money (nope) and in-laws (we don't)... I know to count myself blessed that neither of those topics are problematic issues to us, but it meant there were several chapters that weren't relevant to me at this point in time. She did have a lot of good points too though, but nothing that felt 'new' or that made me feel like I learned something from the book.

It's well written and a quick read though, so if it's already standing on your shelf, go ahead and give it a shot. I just wouldn't spend money on it.

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Title: Vindens navn (Prologue - Chapter 47 of "The Name of the Wind")
Author: Patrick Rothfuss
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 9/10
# pages: 382
Date read: September, 2008

Review: Vindens navn shows fantasy when it's best. In this first book in a thrilling new series, we meet the inn-owner Kote, who knows more about demons and monsters than one would usually expect from a man in his position. One night he saves a man from some of these monsters, and it turns out that this man knows Kote - but under a different name. He's also known as Kvothe - Kvothe the Blodless, Kvothe the Arcane, Kvothe Kingkiller.

Kvothe gained these names after his parents were brutally murdered by so called 'legendary' figures, and he had to take care of himself. First as begger and homeless thief in the city Tarban, and later when he after 3 years struggling finally managed to gain entrance at the university to further his talents.

This is his story.

I found it very difficult to put down this book. Patrick Rothfuss has a way with words that makes the reader feel part of the story. I sat on a chair at the inn, drinking wine and listening to Kvothe's story same as the man he rescued. As most other fantasy heroes, Kvothe is a talented young man who has an immense thirst for knowledge - especially knowledge that will help him answer two nagging questions: why were his parents killed, and who can help him get revenge?

It was fascinating to read about his experiences and the tricks he learns - first among the travelling players his parents led, and since as one of the youngest students ever at the university.

Patrick Rothfuss belongs to the group of authors who dare take their time in setting a scene and painting an atmosphere. Surroundings and people are carefully and detailed described, which gives the book a realistic feel, and makes it almost impossible for the reader to let go of the universe, once the last page is read.

Vindens navn is the translation of the first half of The Name of the Wind. The second half, Dragedræberen is currently being prepared for publishing, and I'm already looking forward to its release, so I can keep up with Kvothe's further experiences.

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Title: Ashling
Author: Isobelle Carmody
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 8/10
# pages: 426
Date read: September, 2008

Summary: Elspeth Gordies adventures continue as she tries to seal an alliance between the secret Misfit community at Obernewtyn and the rebel forces rumored to be hiding in the capital, right under the noses of the dreaded totalitarian Council. Her mission will take her far beyond the borders of the Land, across the sea and into the heart of the mysterious desert, where she discovers that she will need the desert peoples help to fulfill her destiny and save her world.

Review: Really good book, but with a lot of lose threads left hanging for the next book in the series. There were a number of plot-twists and happenings that were left unexplained, so it very obviously led up to the next in the series. And as this is the last of the series available at Danish libraries, it's unlikely I'll get hold of the rest anytime soon. Also the romantic plotline was told rather than shown, and therefore never seemed completely believable to me. That aside, I loved reading about Elspeth's interactions with the Saronians and the gypsies, and if I ever find the rest of the series, I'll definitely want to read them.

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Title: The Farseekers
Author: Isobelle Carmody
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 7/10
# pages: 316
Date read: September, 2008

Summary: In this powerful sequel to Obernewtyn, young Elspeth Gordie-possessed of extraordinary mental powers-has united with others Misfits for refuge on the remote mountain keep of Obernewtyn. Yet the threat from the totalitarian Council to their safety is ever present. Their only defense is to work hard to develop their mental powers before an inevitable confrontation. But when Elspeth is lured off the mountain in a dangerous quest to rescue a powerful Misfit, the fate of the Obernewtyn colony will hang in the balance.

Review: While a good sequel, it didn't capture me quite as much as the first book did. However, I find that that's often the case with second books in almost any series... they seem transitional - more like a stepping stone from book 1 to book 3 than as a separate story. I have the feeling that's the case here as well, as a lot of new characters and plot points were introduced but not resolved, so I think that'll happen in the next book.

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Title: The Forgotten Beasts of Eld
Author: Patricia McKillip
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Rating: 7/10
# pages: 343
Date read: September, 2008

Summary: Almost destroyed because of a man's fear and greed, Sybel, a beautiful young sorceress, embarks on a quest for revenge that proves equally destructive.

Review: Unfortunately not as good as I'd neither thought nor expected. It was okay, but not as captivating as I'd expected after reading all the glowing reviews it had received. But it may just have been my expectations that were all wrong - I'd expected the 'forgotten beasts' to be the main characters of the book, and they might as well not have been there, so that may have had a lot to do with it.

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