Book Post Number 6
Jan. 17th, 2006 07:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
melwilBook 8: The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
She'd read the dictionary all the way through. No one told her you weren't suppose to.
This was one of those delightful books that you begin reading with absolutely no expectations. See, I'm not a huge fantasy reader. I find that a lot of fantasy books (to me) get too bogged down in talking about remarkable creatures and strange things, and forget that there is a story to be told. So when![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lizbee gave me this book for my birthday, I entered the book with few expectations.
And it blew me away.
Firstly, I'm a sucker for a good child heroine. Tiffany Aching, armed with her book and her frying pan and her small army of fighting, drinking and stealing men is a wonderful main character. Although she admits that she doesn't like her brother very much, she'd willing and ready to go forth and rescue him. And despite the fact that witches are banned in her part of the world, she's determined to be a witch. And she'd read the dictionary from beginning to end.
The Wee Free Men were also delightful, always ready for a fight (and a drink) whatever the circumstance might be.
Pratchett's humour is, of course, one of the best things about the book. He had me laughing out loud over and over again - much to the bemusement of the people around me.
My rating - out of 5 - is 5! It was going to be a 4.5 - I put it down a ouple of times - but mention a Giant Squid will always get you an extra half point *g*
SF Site Review
Another review
Book 9: With Child by Laurie R King
So it was settled: Jules would come and stay with Kate from the wedding until New Year's
One of the nice things about resolving to read books that I haven't read before, means I'm reading in genres I haven't really explored before. Despite the fact that I'm a fan of King's Mary Russell books, I've never read any of her other stories. I'm a little shocked about that now.
With Child is the third Kate Martinelli book - telling the stories of the San Fransisco detective who seems to be notorious for reasons outside of work. Her partner, Lee, has gone away for a while - leaving Kate alone with her work and a quiet house. Then she finds herself getting closer to Jules Cameron - a 12 year old, bright child who has befriended a young homeless boy, and is concerned when he disappears.
The first part of the story deals with Kate's search for the young boy, feeding into the second part when Kate and Jules go for a small holiday and Jules goes missing. I found that the first part of the book dragged a little for me while I was reading it - but as I finished the book, I knew that it was necessary. This was a gripping story which I kept reading through a very boring work shift - putting it down when customers came was a real struggle. I'm looking forward to reading the other books.
Rating: 4.5
Laurie R. King's website
A review
Book 10:Ramona's World by Beverly Cleary
Ramona sat up and stared glumly at the splling words on the chalkboard. She did not really want to be a bad speller. She simply did not want to bother being a good speller. She had more interesting things to do, although at the moment she couldn't think what.
Ramona Quimby stands alongside Anne Shirley and Pippi Longstocking as one of my favourite children's characters. With her messy hair, and her bad temper (always at the wrong time) and her desperate want for people to like her, she's always been likable to me. This book did nothing to change that.
This is the most recent of the Ramona books and the only one I hadn't read yet. It takes up where Ramona Forever finishes - with the Quimby family enjoying their new addition - baby Roberta - and Ramona heading into fourth grade. Here she makes her first real girl best friend, works hard on her spelling at the request of her teacher, and tries to hide that fact that she rather likes one of the boys in her class.
Overall, this was a highly enjoyable children's book which I devoured quickly. Ramona is still getting herself into scrapes, though she'd like to think she's growing up. The characters are so familiar now, that the story feels like a comfortable T-shirt. One part that I really enjoyed, though, was a bit more of a look at Perfect Susan - who it turns out, is quite unhappy in her perfect world.
A good children's book, overall. A 4 out of 5.
Amazon's page
A detailed review
She'd read the dictionary all the way through. No one told her you weren't suppose to.
This was one of those delightful books that you begin reading with absolutely no expectations. See, I'm not a huge fantasy reader. I find that a lot of fantasy books (to me) get too bogged down in talking about remarkable creatures and strange things, and forget that there is a story to be told. So when
lizbee gave me this book for my birthday, I entered the book with few expectations.And it blew me away.
Firstly, I'm a sucker for a good child heroine. Tiffany Aching, armed with her book and her frying pan and her small army of fighting, drinking and stealing men is a wonderful main character. Although she admits that she doesn't like her brother very much, she'd willing and ready to go forth and rescue him. And despite the fact that witches are banned in her part of the world, she's determined to be a witch. And she'd read the dictionary from beginning to end.
The Wee Free Men were also delightful, always ready for a fight (and a drink) whatever the circumstance might be.
Pratchett's humour is, of course, one of the best things about the book. He had me laughing out loud over and over again - much to the bemusement of the people around me.
My rating - out of 5 - is 5! It was going to be a 4.5 - I put it down a ouple of times - but mention a Giant Squid will always get you an extra half point *g*
SF Site Review
Another review
Book 9: With Child by Laurie R King
So it was settled: Jules would come and stay with Kate from the wedding until New Year's
One of the nice things about resolving to read books that I haven't read before, means I'm reading in genres I haven't really explored before. Despite the fact that I'm a fan of King's Mary Russell books, I've never read any of her other stories. I'm a little shocked about that now.
With Child is the third Kate Martinelli book - telling the stories of the San Fransisco detective who seems to be notorious for reasons outside of work. Her partner, Lee, has gone away for a while - leaving Kate alone with her work and a quiet house. Then she finds herself getting closer to Jules Cameron - a 12 year old, bright child who has befriended a young homeless boy, and is concerned when he disappears.
The first part of the story deals with Kate's search for the young boy, feeding into the second part when Kate and Jules go for a small holiday and Jules goes missing. I found that the first part of the book dragged a little for me while I was reading it - but as I finished the book, I knew that it was necessary. This was a gripping story which I kept reading through a very boring work shift - putting it down when customers came was a real struggle. I'm looking forward to reading the other books.
Rating: 4.5
Laurie R. King's website
A review
Book 10:Ramona's World by Beverly Cleary
Ramona sat up and stared glumly at the splling words on the chalkboard. She did not really want to be a bad speller. She simply did not want to bother being a good speller. She had more interesting things to do, although at the moment she couldn't think what.
Ramona Quimby stands alongside Anne Shirley and Pippi Longstocking as one of my favourite children's characters. With her messy hair, and her bad temper (always at the wrong time) and her desperate want for people to like her, she's always been likable to me. This book did nothing to change that.
This is the most recent of the Ramona books and the only one I hadn't read yet. It takes up where Ramona Forever finishes - with the Quimby family enjoying their new addition - baby Roberta - and Ramona heading into fourth grade. Here she makes her first real girl best friend, works hard on her spelling at the request of her teacher, and tries to hide that fact that she rather likes one of the boys in her class.
Overall, this was a highly enjoyable children's book which I devoured quickly. Ramona is still getting herself into scrapes, though she'd like to think she's growing up. The characters are so familiar now, that the story feels like a comfortable T-shirt. One part that I really enjoyed, though, was a bit more of a look at Perfect Susan - who it turns out, is quite unhappy in her perfect world.
A good children's book, overall. A 4 out of 5.
Amazon's page
A detailed review
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
on 2006-01-17 12:41 am (UTC)Just last week, a movie deal was announced -- although Pratchett film adaptations are often announced and rarely come into being. This one seems quite likely, though, since YA fantasy movies are In at the moment. I do hope they don't have obnoxious American children in the main roles.
(I've always pictured Maggie Smith and Judi Dench as Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg.)
Also, I have all the other Kate Martinelli books, if you want to borrow them.
no subject
on 2006-01-17 01:19 am (UTC)no subject
on 2006-01-17 03:39 am (UTC)I would love to borrow the others. I was sure I had another, but I can't seem to find it in my mess
no subject
on 2006-01-17 11:53 pm (UTC)The way they talk had me rolling round the floor for hours.
no subject
on 2006-01-17 01:15 am (UTC)And The Wee Free Men is a favorite around here, even with Meg (because we have the audio book and listened to it in the car). Every time I reread that book I come away with more respect for Pratchett, because beneath the humor and wit and the Nac Mac Feagles, he builds the story beautifully and tightly, with not a single word wasted.
no subject
on 2006-01-17 03:40 am (UTC)And Ramona is the best *g*