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So, things got hectic at the end of January. Relocation 15 hours away from my home, new job, new city, sickness, confusion, and horrible weather. So my January recap never got posted. Instead, you get two months for the price of one.
Books
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe - one of those classics I always meant to get around to reading. It took me forever to get through this book... not because it was badly written or uninteresting, but because the pacing was incredibly slow and the story kept going off on tangents. I can only imagine the impact a book like this would have had in the late 19th century. To me, as a modern reader, I found it difficult to swallow the patronizing tone, ethnocentrism, and overlying haze of eugenics that overlay not the book, necessarily, but the time period that influenced the writer and the society she lived in. An important work that overcame so many barriers, but which was difficult to relate to.
No True Way by Mercedes Lackey - because I can never resist Valdemar, even if it's just short stories.
Tithe by Holly Black - I had eyed these books for years and always dismissed them as a foray into the overpopulated fantasy world of faerie. Then I read a collection of short stories, one of which happened to feature the characters from these books. I was intrigued enough to want to read them. Turns out, the short story was the best of it. The story is choppy, the characters predictable and downright infuriating, and there isn't nearly enough development of the one actually interesting character there. A watered-down, much less interesting version of the Melissa Marr series. That being said, I still read the whole trilogy, hoping it would get better.
Valiant by Holly Black - same world, new characters. A bit better.
Ironside by Holly Black - a meld of the first two books. Also better, but still not great.
Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater - oh, I love this series. Let me just say that, again. Also, both happy and sad that it's not a trilogy. Waiting another year for the next one...
Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo - another teen book, this one based on a fantasy version of Russia. I nearly cheered when they mentioned kutia. Great story, good characters, lots of promise.
Seige & Storm by Leigh Bardugo - book two. Not as good as the first but still promising.
The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo - this book is misleading. The dust jacket makes it out to be the story of a woman who becomes a ghost bride. I waited for this to happen, waited and waited, and waited. Instead, she tackles ghosts, goes to the land of the dead, meets mythical beings, and has adventures... none of which was satisfying, as I was still waiting for her to become a ghost bride.
Graveminder by Melissa Marr (reread) - first, when did they change the cover? My copy is SO much nicer and less girly. I love this story. LOVE.
Stray by Rachel Vincent (reread) - I thought I would give this series a shot again, to see if I kept them on my bookshelf or not. The answer is no. Augh, the angst.
The Secret Museum by Molly Oldfield - a collection of articles about the supposed hidden treasures of museums around the world. Most of it is heavily eurocentric, and doesn't go into nearly enough detail about the artifacts themselves. I was hoping for something that described them, their history, their path, and showed us what they looked like, at the very least. Most articles have a single, tiny picture of the artifact - the rest of the space is taken up by silly drawings and meandering stories about the author's adventures. The whole book made me want to rewrite it properly.
The Fault in our Stars by John Green - I saw the movie last year and didn't really want to read the book, but a friend lent it to me. Turns out the book was better; the characters are more well-rounded, more honest. It feels different than the movie (which I did enjoy).
Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs - I was so looking forward to this book. I was thrilled when I got my pre-orders a full week early. Unfortunately, this is the weakest of the series so far; it feels rushed, disjointed, and uncertain. I didn't hate it, but nor did I have the urge to put my life on hold while I read it, which is my usual response with these books.
Half-Off Ragnarok by Seanan McGuire (reread) - in anticipation of the new book, which I'm reading now...
Movies
The Rocketeer (1991) - I saw this in theatres, actually, and found it cute. Oh my, the Nazis make such convenient bad guys.
The Imitation Game (2014) - loved it. I love Benedict Cumberbatch in general, but he did an amazing job with this character. The rest of the cast were also quite good and it was nice to see familiar faces.
Still Alice (2014) - not my choice of movie, but I did love Julianne Moore's acting (I refuse to say a thing about Kirsten Stewart, augh). Horribly depressing but good.
The DUFF (2015) - guilty pleasure movie. I like Mae Whitman and found it silly but enjoyable.
Books
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe - one of those classics I always meant to get around to reading. It took me forever to get through this book... not because it was badly written or uninteresting, but because the pacing was incredibly slow and the story kept going off on tangents. I can only imagine the impact a book like this would have had in the late 19th century. To me, as a modern reader, I found it difficult to swallow the patronizing tone, ethnocentrism, and overlying haze of eugenics that overlay not the book, necessarily, but the time period that influenced the writer and the society she lived in. An important work that overcame so many barriers, but which was difficult to relate to.
No True Way by Mercedes Lackey - because I can never resist Valdemar, even if it's just short stories.
Tithe by Holly Black - I had eyed these books for years and always dismissed them as a foray into the overpopulated fantasy world of faerie. Then I read a collection of short stories, one of which happened to feature the characters from these books. I was intrigued enough to want to read them. Turns out, the short story was the best of it. The story is choppy, the characters predictable and downright infuriating, and there isn't nearly enough development of the one actually interesting character there. A watered-down, much less interesting version of the Melissa Marr series. That being said, I still read the whole trilogy, hoping it would get better.
Valiant by Holly Black - same world, new characters. A bit better.
Ironside by Holly Black - a meld of the first two books. Also better, but still not great.
Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater - oh, I love this series. Let me just say that, again. Also, both happy and sad that it's not a trilogy. Waiting another year for the next one...
Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo - another teen book, this one based on a fantasy version of Russia. I nearly cheered when they mentioned kutia. Great story, good characters, lots of promise.
Seige & Storm by Leigh Bardugo - book two. Not as good as the first but still promising.
The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo - this book is misleading. The dust jacket makes it out to be the story of a woman who becomes a ghost bride. I waited for this to happen, waited and waited, and waited. Instead, she tackles ghosts, goes to the land of the dead, meets mythical beings, and has adventures... none of which was satisfying, as I was still waiting for her to become a ghost bride.
Graveminder by Melissa Marr (reread) - first, when did they change the cover? My copy is SO much nicer and less girly. I love this story. LOVE.
Stray by Rachel Vincent (reread) - I thought I would give this series a shot again, to see if I kept them on my bookshelf or not. The answer is no. Augh, the angst.
The Secret Museum by Molly Oldfield - a collection of articles about the supposed hidden treasures of museums around the world. Most of it is heavily eurocentric, and doesn't go into nearly enough detail about the artifacts themselves. I was hoping for something that described them, their history, their path, and showed us what they looked like, at the very least. Most articles have a single, tiny picture of the artifact - the rest of the space is taken up by silly drawings and meandering stories about the author's adventures. The whole book made me want to rewrite it properly.
The Fault in our Stars by John Green - I saw the movie last year and didn't really want to read the book, but a friend lent it to me. Turns out the book was better; the characters are more well-rounded, more honest. It feels different than the movie (which I did enjoy).
Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs - I was so looking forward to this book. I was thrilled when I got my pre-orders a full week early. Unfortunately, this is the weakest of the series so far; it feels rushed, disjointed, and uncertain. I didn't hate it, but nor did I have the urge to put my life on hold while I read it, which is my usual response with these books.
Half-Off Ragnarok by Seanan McGuire (reread) - in anticipation of the new book, which I'm reading now...
Movies
The Rocketeer (1991) - I saw this in theatres, actually, and found it cute. Oh my, the Nazis make such convenient bad guys.
The Imitation Game (2014) - loved it. I love Benedict Cumberbatch in general, but he did an amazing job with this character. The rest of the cast were also quite good and it was nice to see familiar faces.
Still Alice (2014) - not my choice of movie, but I did love Julianne Moore's acting (I refuse to say a thing about Kirsten Stewart, augh). Horribly depressing but good.
The DUFF (2015) - guilty pleasure movie. I like Mae Whitman and found it silly but enjoyable.
