Thursday, February 16, 2012

New stuff I've read this year ... so far

It has been 7 weeks and I have only read 8 books! Been so busy, so slow down a lot. Yeah. Right.

I read mostly romance and I don't apologise for it. I don't care if I don't know who won the Booker Prize, I don't want to read 'em. If it's a Nobel Laureate of Literature, please don't pass it to me. I am a Phillistine and I am okay with it.

Once I fall in love with the work of an author, I obsessively search out her/his catalogue of work and read everything I can get my grubby hands on. I follow them and urge (silently) that they type faster and publish more to keep feeding my reading habit. Hence, 6 out of the 8 authors below are authors I have been following, some since my teenage years. 

Since I am a creature of habit, I keep gobbling whatever it is they write even after they shifted style or had become plodding or whatever. Hey, we all evolve, right? Hopefully for the better, but if not, whatever. So even if they have shifted style into something that makes me go "meh", but I will continue to read them until they no longer write. Or I no longer have money to rent. Or the books really just swerved into "Do not go there!" territory. Whichever comes first.

Under cut because of loads of pictures. Not in chronological order.

1. Canyons of Night by Jayne Castle
Hero: 3/5 stars
Heroine: 3/5 stars
Storyline: 3/5 stars
Pacing: 4/5 stars
Fun Factor: 3/5 stars
Repeat Reading Factor: 3/5 stars

Ms Krentz's excellent pacing outstrips her character development here. Too much plotty Arcane/paranormal stuff, not enough romance.  

2. Fate's Edge by Ilona Andrews

Hero: 5/5 stars (my sister hates his name)
Heroine: 5/5 stars
Storyline: 5/5 stars
Pacing: 5/5 stars
Fun Factor: 5/5 stars
Repeat Reading Factor: 5/5 stars

I don't think I've read anything written by Ilona and Gordon Andrews that I don't like. They seem to be getting better and better! This is the 3rd book in the Edge series and it was a fun roller coaster ride with adventure and angst and subtle romance development. 

I think one of the reasons I only ever read 8 books thus far this year is because I kept re-reading this book. Heh. When I saw I could pre-order it on Bookdepository.com, I immediately bought it. It came out earlier at my rental place but I have no regrets.

3. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

Hero: 4/5 stars
Heroine: 4/5 stars
Storyline: 4/5 stars
Pacing: 5/5 stars
Fun Factor: 4/5 stars
Repeat Reading Factor: 1/5 stars (I don't think I can take how it drains me emotionally)

I read this book because a colleague lent it to me. I usually stay away from Mr Sparks' books after what happened when I read A Walk to Remember. You don't know public humiliation until you were caught sobbing discreetly while queuing at the post office, okay? I won't rent Nicholas Sparks, but I'll read him if someone lent the book to me.

As usual, very the Thomas Hardy, with a character that the Malays would describe as "jatuh ditimpa tangga, tergolek masuk longkang, dirodok babi dan terbakar" (fell with the ladder on him, rolled into a ditch, butted by a boar and set on fire). Okay, the Malay saying is just the first bit; I added the rest but it is still true. The storyline is beautifully crafted, as is most of Mr Sparks' work, a wonderful blend of romance and drama that ends ... ah, you know how it ends. He always kills one of them.

I finished the book crying into my pillow and woke up with sore throat and stuffed nose.

4. Prey by Linda Howard

Hero: 5/5 stars
Heroine: 5/5 stars
Storyline: 4/5 stars
Pacing: 3/5 stars
Fun Factor: 4/5 stars
Repeat Reading Factor: 3/5 stars

Ms Howard started her career writing soaring emotional romances. Since then she got more plotty, her pacing is insane and her story got very detailed with adventure and action. I love her characters because they are independent and good on their own, but they got something better when together. So there is no co-dependency and imbalance in the relationship. 

I kept thinking that Angie Powell should look like Jennifer Carpenter.


Anyhoo. Too much on wilderness survival, not enough romance. But it is okay.

5. The Guardian by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Hero: 4/5 stars
Heroine: 3/5 stars
Storyline: 3/5 stars
Pacing: 4/5 stars
Fun Factor: 4/5 stars
Repeat Reading Factor: 2/5 stars (sadly, Seth is no Zarek)

Ms Kenyon is expanding her Dark Hunter universe faster than our Milky Way is expanding. In this off shoot featuring the Dream Hunters, we are given the quintessential tortured hero (like, literally tortured for the best part of his several millennia years) and a feisty, cute heroine who saves him. The plot made me go, "Eh?" but I don't read Ms Kenyon for her storyline. It's all about characters you can love and follow no matter how crazy they go. 

6. Why We Suck - The Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid by Denis Leary
LOL-ness: 5/5 stars
Storyline: 5/5 stars
Pacing: 5/5 stars
Fun Factor: 5/5 stars (Got me giggling like a loon on the LRT)
Repeat Reading Factor: 3/5 stars (you don't really laugh as much with 2nd or 3rd reading of many humour books anyway)

I have always enjoyed watching Mr Leary; whether as a cynical and corrupt political worker, as a cynical and corrupt public servant, cynical and loud-mouthed fire fighter or whatever. He's got a face that is almost handsome, but is made more interesting by its expression and character. I only knew that he had a big start in comedy late on, but in this book, his comic timing and filthy humour comes in full force as he dissected what is wrong with America. And yes, he really is a doctor. He got a certificate and all. It's in the book.

The book is a bit dated in that it was mostly rants about stuff during Bush Jr's administration, but I'm not complaining when I got the book at 90% off. 

7. Devil's Kiss by Zoe Archer

Hero: 3/5 stars
Heroine: 3/5 stars
Storyline: 3/5 stars
Pacing: 3/5 stars
Fun Factor: 2/5 stars
Repeat Reading Factor: 1/5 stars

I quite enjoyed Ms Archer's Blades of the Rose series for her unconventional characters (none of the heroines were blushing virgins, yeah!) and innovative storyline bordering on steam punk. I think this book is the start of a new series but I may not seek out the rest in the series if it is as plodding as this one. The pacing is rather slow and the payback for the pace is not quite satisfactory. Was it because I didn't like the characters? Was it because I didn't enjoy the story development? I don't really know, but does it matter? I'm not a professional literary critic anyway.

8. When You Dare by Lori Foster
Hero: 3/5 stars
Heroine: 3/5 stars
Storyline: 3/5 stars
Pacing: 2/5 stars
Fun Factor: 2/5 stars
Repeat Reading Factor: 1/5 stars

When Ms Foster started her mercenary series, I had my reservations. She's trying to make it seem as though being a mercenary is positive thing and heroic, but my prism of experience and normality says that an honourable person does not kill for pay. I guess I wasn't willing to play along (which is more like it). 

The storyline was pretty okay although I find it hard to buy that he can make a living from busting white slavery rings (What are the cops and federal agents doing? What about due process of law?). Okay, it's not his primary income source but ... anyway. I just felt that the characters' development were rather clumsy (cos I have seen better from Ms Foster!) but them's the breaks. 

I will still rent her books when I have nothing else to read. :p


So what have you been reading lately? Rec me something, will ya?



*Pictures are all stolen from Google image. Sorry that I'm too lazy to attribute. :p

2 comments:

Seorang Blogger said...

"jatuh ditimpa tangga, tergolek masuk longkang, dirodok babi dan terbakar"

hahahhaha cute sesangat! jatuh ditimpa tangga, tergolek masuk longkang oklah, tp mcmn babi buleh ada dlm longkang tu?? heee

wish i could get my reding habit back, tapi xtahulah, i cant focus anymore..

Snuze said...

Babi tu pun terjatuh masuk longkang pasal lari daripada pemburu. Tu ha yg kena rodok / timpa tu. Bila orang tak boleh nak keluarkan babi tu, diorang bbq terus dalam longkang tu, tak perasan dia ada kat bawah.

Tp mmg mamat tu gila malang ... klu ko baca ko faham kenapa aku kata camtu.

Hello? Kan ke nak sekolah balik? Cepat praktis membaca!

*libas rotan*