Tag: Books

The Power- A Book Review

Lauren1 Comment

The Power by Naomi Alderman

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Let’s just talk about this book, shall we?

I wanted to like it.

I loved the premise.  Women around the world get a mysterious power that men don’t get?  Sign me up.

I had actually been wanting to read this book for a while.  It came out in 2016 to rave reviews.  Like, seriously rave reviews.  It showed up on bestseller list after bestseller list.

But why?

The premise is great, sure.  And some of the characters are entertaining.  But I just…I found my self putting it down more than I was picking it up. Eventually, I just stopped picking it up.

Yes, I DNF’d a book.  And mom,  DNF means did not finish.

I think my problem lies in the character development.  Three of the four main characters are interesting…ish.  And one is just flat out annoying.  In my opinion, really, really annoying.

That character is the whole reason I stopped reading.  I just got to a chapter that featured her and just stopped.  I put the book down and didn’t look back.

And now, well now I’m giving the book to a friend of mine in hopes she might actually enjoy it.  Good luck friend.

 

Just a Small Book Haul

Lauren1 Comment

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So I recently went on a book buying binge.  Just a small one.   Full disclosure, I didn’t actually buy one of them (hint, it’s the one that’s not out yet).

I got a lot of these from small indie book stores in Memphis, TN.  One is Two Rivers Bookstore, which does only sci-fi, fantasy, and horror.  They also sell vintage sci-fi covers, vintage clothes, jewelry, and other things.  The second store is a Memphis tradition, Burke’s Books.  It’s where the hubs and I had our engagement photos taken.  Seriously, both places are in the same neighborhood (Cooper-Young) so if you ever find yourself in Memphis I highly recommend checking both of these places out.  The rest of the books I got from Amazon or from Half Priced Books.

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From the bottom to the top we have 2 trade paperbacks.  Fables Vol 3: Storybook Love, and the new Witchblade Vol 2: Good Intentions.  The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, Circe by Madeline Miller, The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang (it’s an arc* copy I got in a giveaway!), Strong Female Protagonist by Brennan Lee Mulligan and Molly Ostertag, The Power by Naomi Alderman, The Inheritance Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin (this one includes The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, The Broken Kingdoms, The Kingdom of the Gods and a novella The Awakened Kingdom), Pretender and Inheritor by C.J. Cherryh, Hyperion by Dan Simmons, and The Madness Season by C.S. Friedman.

What a nice, long, run on sentence that was.

I’ve never read any of these books before, so I’m excited to see what worlds they will take me to.

*An ARC is an Advanced Reader Copy, which is what book publishers send out to book stores to get them to sell the books.  Stores (or book reviewers) can’t sell them, so they either give them away or recycle them.

 

 

 

Vampire Dragons

Lauren2 Comments

A question was posed to me the other day.

If you could write a book, what would it be about?

I talked this over with my husband like the rational people that we are.  I said vampires because I had been watching Discovery of Witches on Sundance/Now and it was fresh in my mind.

Then I said wyverns and dragons.

Then he said Vampire Dragons, because why not Vampire Dragons.

Me: Vampire Dragons?

Hubs: Yes, they would bite people and they would turn into more vampire dragons.

Me: So were-dragons?

Hubs: No.  They would exchange blood!  Humans would sprout wings and be vampires!

Me: But vampires only turn their own species.  They eat other species all the time.

Hubs:Dammit.

I took his exclamation to mean that I won.  It wasn’t a contest, but I still won.

And that’s how it should be.

My TBR for 2019

Lauren6 Comments

What’s a TBR you may be asking?

TBR means “To Be Read”.  It’s a list (or pile, or shelf) of books I want to read above and beyond the random stuff that be will read as the year goes on.

I have a Goodreads goal of 30 books for the year.  I am well on my way to that, with 6 books already completed, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin and the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness among them.

I have been collecting new (and old) books to read for a while now.  Some are the first books in a series, and if I enjoy those, I will, of course, finish the series out.  One of the books, Good Omens, is a book I have read before and have thoroughly enjoyed.  With a limited TV series set to come out on Amazon Prime this year, I figured I would re-familiarize myself with its prose.

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Some of these books I bought new, some used.  I’m going to be honest and say I probably wouldn’t have considered some of them if I had to buy them new.  One of them was even written by someone I am vaguely acquainted with!

What is on your TBR list for the year?