Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan: The Gutter Prayer

Hi everyone

The Gutter Prayer is the first book in The Black Iron Legacy series by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan.
I got my copy from Bol.com.

"A group of three young thieves are pulled into a centuries old magical war between ancient beings, mages, and humanity in this wildly original debut epic fantasy.
The city has always been. The city must finally end.
When three thieves—an orphan, a ghoul, and a cursed man—are betrayed by the master of the thieves guild, their quest for revenge uncovers dark truths about their city and exposes a dangerous conspiracy, the seeds of which were sown long before they were born.
Cari is a drifter whose past and future are darker than she can know.
Rat is a Ghoul, whose people haunt the city's underworld.
Spar is a Stone Man, subject to a terrible disease that is slowly petrifying his flesh.
Chance has brought them together, but their friendship could be all that stands in the way of total armageddon."

I'm not convinced I really liked this.

There was just too much going on, too many (great) ideas Hanrahan wanted to incorporate in one world. All these creatures are very original and I liked that a lot but it is too much. The writing wasn't for me, it was very dense and a struggle to get through. Add to that a lot of flat characters and rather shallow worldbuilding and you get something that's not awful but not really enjoyable either. In my opinion obviously.

Happy reading!
Helena

Lucy Jones: Matrescence

 Hi everyone

I slowly read and thought about Lucy Jones' book Matrescence on my e-reader and I have some things to share.

"A radical new examination of the transition into motherhood and how it affects the mind, brain and body.
During pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood, women undergo a far-reaching physiological, psychological and social metamorphosis. Other than during adolescence, there is no other time in a human's life with such dramatic change, yet science, medicine, and philosophy have neglected this life-altering transition. Its seismic effects go largely unrepresented across literature and the arts. Speaking about motherhood as anything other than a pastel-hued dream remains, for the most part, taboo.
In this ground-breaking, deeply personal investigation, acclaimed journalist and author Lucy Jones brings to light the emerging concept of 'matrescence'. Drawing on new research across various fields—neuroscience and evolutionary biology; psychoanalysis and existential therapy; sociology, economics and ecology—Jones shows how the changes in the maternal mind, brain, and body are far more profound, wild, and enduring than we have been led to believe. She reveals the dangerous consequences of our neglect of the maternal experience, and interrogates the patriarchal and capitalist systems that have created the untenable situation mothers face today.
Here is an urgent examination of the modern institution of motherhood that seeks to unshackle all parents from oppressive social norms. As it deepens our understanding of matrescence, it raises vital questions about motherhood and femininity; interdependence and individual identity; and our relationships with each other and the world."

First of all, I want to tell you that I have a 7-year old daughter and a 3-year old daughter. I have a bachelor's degree in Midwifery and a master's degree in Health Sciences but I retrained in accountancy (in which I now hold a job). It's not that I want to get personal, but you need to know where I come from when I review this. I have been through childbirth twice, I've seen it up close a hundred times, I've met countless pregnant women.

So I learned nothing new in this book. No new facts, scientific research or hypotheses. And I had hoped to get new insights or knowledge. That was a bit disappointing.
However, it is a good personal story of growth, searching for answers, trying things out and listening to others. Jones is too negative in my opinion, I feel like there's more to matrescence than the things she writes. You can find other people you can get help from like neighbours and friends, there are groups you can join, there are possibilities she doesn't mention or see. It's very, very important to mention and adress the pressure, the expectations in matrescence but she doesn't talk about the joys and I think both are part of matrescence.

Happy reading!
Helena

Peter Brown: The Wild Robot

 Hi everyone

The Wild Robot is Peter Brown's first book in The Wild Robot series. It's a delightful children's book. I got my copy from Bol.com.

"When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is—but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island's unwelcoming animal inhabitants.
As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home—until, one day, the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her."

This was a really heartwarming children's book. 
It has a simple story, lovely characters, a bit of suspense,some hardship and a few moral lessons. The writing is easy to read and I had a few laughs.

Happy reading!
Helena 

Emma Newman: After Atlas

 Hi everyone

After Atlas is the second book in Emma Newman's Planetfall series. This is also my second time reading the series. Last time, After Atlas was my least favorite in the series and I think that didn't change.
I bought the whole Planetfall series from Bol.com.

"Govcorp detective Carlos Moreno was only a baby when Atlas left Earth to seek truth among the stars. But in that moment, the course of Carlos’s entire life changed. Atlas is what took his mother away; what made his father lose hope; what led Alejandro Casales, leader of the religious cult known as the Circle, to his door. And now, on the eve of the fortieth anniversary of Atlas’s departure, it’s got something to do why Casales was found dead in his hotel room—and why Carlos is the man in charge of the investigation.
To figure out who killed one of the most powerful men on Earth, Carlos is supposed to put aside his personal history. But the deeper he delves into the case, the more he realizes that escaping the past is not so easy. There’s more to Casales’s death than meets the eye, and something much more sinister to the legacy of Atlas than anyone realizes..."

There is a lot to love, though After Atlas is my least favorite in the Planetfall series. The writing is great, it flows nicely and it reads without hitches. There's humor in the book, the murder mysterie really is a mysterie, the characters have real depth and I enjoyed every single person.

But it is,in essence, only a murder mysterie with a lot of questions attached to this murder and the victim. And I'm really not into police novels. But that wasn't bad, just not really my cup of tea. I loved the more science-fictiony elements.
What did annoy me was Carlos' inner drama. The constant whining about being owned and the implications on his life. It's not necessary to keep reminding us every chance you get mrs. Newman, we can remember that fact.

But, aside from that; wonderful worldbuilding, amazing characters and great plot.
And a perfect cliffhanger!

Happy reading!
Helena

Muriel Barbery: A Single Rose

 Hi everyone

I finished my second Muriel Barbery book. This time it was A Single Rose. My edition was translated to Dutch and I got it from Bol.com.

"Rose has just turned forty when she gets a call from a lawyer asking her to come to Kyoto for the reading of her estranged father's will. And so for the first time in her life she finds herself in Japan, where Paul, her father's assistant, is waiting to greet her.
As Paul guides Rose along a mysterious itinerary designed by her deceased father, her bitterness and anger are soothed by the stones and the trees in the Zen gardens they move through. During their walks, Rose encounters acquaintances of her father--including a potter and poet, an old lady friend, his housekeeper and chauffeur--whose interactions help her to slowly begin to accept a part of herself that she has never before acknowledged.
As the reading of the will gets closer, Rose's father finally, posthumously, opens his heart to his daughter, offering her a poignant understanding of his love and a way to accept all she has lost."

Barbery really, really wanted to write a Great Literary Novel. And it was sooo boring and forced.

Better luck next time.

Happy reading!
Helena

Brian McClellan: Blood of Empire

 Hi everyone

Blood of Empire is the third book in Brian McClellan's Gods of Blood and Powder series. I got my book from Bol.com.

"As the final battle approaches a sellsword, a spy, and a general must find unlikely and dangerous allies in order to turn the tides of war in this epic fantasy tale of magic and gunpowder by acclaimed author Brian McClellan.
The Dynize have unlocked the Landfall Godstone, and Michel Bravis is tasked with returning to Greenfire Depths to do whatever he can to prevent them from using its power; from sewing dissension among the enemy ranks to rallying the Palo population.
Ben Styke's invasion of Dynize is curtailed when a storm scatters his fleet. Coming ashore with just twenty lancers, he is forced to rely on brains rather than brawn - gaining new allies in a strange land on the cusp of its own internal violence.
Bereft of her sorcery and physically and emotionally broken, Lady Vlora Flint now marches on Landfall at the head of an Adran army seeking vengeance against those who have conspired against her. While allied politicians seek to undo her from within, she faces insurmountable odds and Dynize's greatest general."

                    *   *   *     SPOILERS    *   *   * 

I have loved this series. It's impossible to name my favorite characters because there are so many. Ben, Celine, Ichtracia, Michel, Vlora, Bo, Etzi, ... Even most minor characters feel realistic.
The actionscenes are absolutely amazing; they're not too long to get boring and most importantly for me, the buildup to a battle isn't endless.

There's humour, action, intrigue, politics, war, blood, love and everything else you could want.

I will definitely read more of Brian McClellan's books.

Happy reading!
Helena

Wrap Up: November 2024

 Hi everyone

Another month has gone by. November is one of my least favorite months because it gets cold, wet and dark here in Belgium.
The upside is, perfect weather for cozy reading!

Here's the list of books I read with a link to their review:

- Shelley Parker-Chan: She Who Became the Sun

- Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter: The Long War

- Ira Levin: Son of Rosemary

- Daniel Kahneman: Thinking Fast and Slow

What books did you read last month?

Happy reading!
Helena

 

Daniel Kahneman: Thinking Fast and Slow

 Hi everyone

Finally! I finally finished Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.
The book is my husband's and he ditched the dustcover so I can only show you how it's now.

"In the highly anticipated Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. Kahneman exposes the extraordinary capabilities—and also the faults and biases—of fast thinking, and reveals the pervasive influence of intuitive impressions on our thoughts and behavior. The impact of loss aversion and overconfidence on corporate strategies, the difficulties of predicting what will make us happy in the future, the challenges of properly framing risks at work and at home, the profound effect of cognitive biases on everything from playing the stock market to planning the next vacation—each of these can be understood only by knowing how the two systems work together to shape our judgments and decisions.
Engaging the reader in a lively conversation about how we think, Kahneman reveals where we can and cannot trust our intuitions and how we can tap into the benefits of slow thinking. He offers practical and enlightening insights into how choices are made in both our business and our personal lives—and how we can use different techniques to guard against the mental glitches that often get us into trouble. Thinking, Fast and Slow will transform the way you think about thinking."

This was tedious, slow and repetitive. The man is full of himself.

So yeah, not a fan.

Happy reading!
Helena

Ira Levin: Son of Rosemary

 Hi everyone

I finished Son of Rosemary by Ira Levin. This is supposed to be a sequel to Rosemary's Baby but it was written 30 years later. I got my copy from Bol.com.

"Ira Levin returns to the horror of his 1967 groundbreaking novel Rosemary’s Baby with this sequel set at the dawn of the new millennium. Thirty-three years ago, Rosemary gave birth to the Devil’s child while under the control of a coven of witches. Now the year is 1999, and humanity dreads the approaching twenty-first century, desperately in search of a saviour for this troubled world.
In New York City, Rosemary’s son Andy is believed to be that saviour. But is he the force of good his followers accept him to be? Or is he his father’s son? As the war between good and evil rages on unabated, the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, in this shocking and darkly comic novel from the modern master of suspense."

This was awful.

I really don't know why Levin felt the need to write a seguel to Rosemary's Baby because this is absolutely horrible.

Rosemary's naivité is no longer charming or the sign of a simple mind, instead it's maddening, infuriating. Andy is sleezy, he gives me the heebe-jeebies. The incestious tone throughout is plain wrong and bile-inducing.
The overal plot was predictable but the ending was worst of all.
Without the last 5 pages, I'd have given it two stars. Now it only gets one star. 

Have you read this? What are you thoughts?

Happy reading.
Helena

Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter: The Long War

 Hi everyone

This was my second time reading Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxters The Long War; the second book in The Long Earth series. You can find my first review here. 

“A generation after the events of The Long Earth, mankind has spread across the new worlds opened up by Stepping. Where Joshua and Lobsang once pioneered, now fleets of airships link the stepwise Americas with trade and culture. Mankind is shaping the Long Earth - but in turn the Long Earth is shaping mankind... A new 'America', called Valhalla, is emerging more than a million steps from Datum Earth, with core American values restated in the plentiful environment of the Long Earth - and Valhalla is growing restless under the control of the Datum government...
Meanwhile the Long Earth is suffused by the song of the trolls, graceful hive-mind humanoids. But the trolls are beginning to react to humanity's thoughtless exploitation... Joshua, now a married man, is summoned by Lobsang to deal with a gathering multiple crisis that threatens to plunge the Long Earth into a war unlike any mankind has waged before.”

I still stand by my previous review. 

The storyline of the Chinese expedition should have been cut. It was uninteresting with boring characters and it didn't add much to the overal plot of the book.

I really dislike Sally, maybe more so now I have children of my own and I realize more she just forces Joshua away from his son and wife. There's no nuance to her character. She's always very harsh, hard and uncaring for others. 

But I still love the setting, the ideal of Long Earths, I love Joshua and his family, I love Lobsang.

Happy reading!
Helena

Shelley Parker-Chan: She Who Became the Sun

Hi everyone

I finished She Who Became the Sun, the first book in The Radiant Emperor duology by Shelley Parker-Chan.

"In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, two children are given two fates. A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness…
In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. For the starving peasants of the Central Plains, greatness is something found only in stories. When the Zhu family’s eighth-born son, Zhu Chongba, is given a fate of greatness, everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass. The fate of nothingness received by the family’s clever and capable second daughter, on the other hand, is only as expected.
When a bandit attack orphans the two children, though, it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother's identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. There, propelled by her burning desire to survive, Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes, no matter how callous, to stay hidden from her fate.
After her sanctuary is destroyed for supporting the rebellion against Mongol rule, Zhu uses the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother's abandoned greatness."

This was a great book. Even though I didn't really like the characters and they were very one-sided the story and world were interesting enough to overcome that. Ouyang especially was very dramatic and kept thinking the same things over and over.

But the story was really good. It's a reimagining of the rise of the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, something I know nothing about so I can't say how much is based on facts. It is easy to read, the story engages you, I really wanted to keep reading because I wanted to find out what would happen next. So, even though I didn't connect with the characters, hated most of their acts, I still enjoyed the book because of the writing, the world and the plot.

Happy reading
Helena

Bookhaul

 Hi everyone

I got two new books!

Last July I read the first book in Joe Abercrombie's The Age of Madness series; A Little Hatred. I really enjoyed it so I decided to get the second and third book in the series as well. I ordered them from Bol.com the day before yesterday and I received them today.

- Joe Abercrombie: The Trouble with Peace

- Joe Abercrombie: The Wisdom of Crowds

What books would you recommend buying or loaning?

Happy reading
Helena

Wrap Up: October 2024

 Hi everyone

Last month, October 2024 I read and finished 6 books.

Here's a list in chronological order with a link to the review I wrote about each book:

- Shelby Van Pelt: Remarkably Bright Creatures

- Gretchen Rubin: Better Than Before

- Alice Hoffman: The Museum of Extraordinary Things

- Travis Baldree: Bookshops & Bonedust

- Devin Madson: We Ride the Storm

- Christian White: The Wife and the Widow

 

And sadly there's one book I could not finish:

- R. F. Kuang: Babel

 

What did you read this month? Anything you want to recommend?

Happy reading!
Helena

Christian White: The Wife and the Widow

 Hi everyone

This is my review of The Wife and the Widow by Christian White. It's his second book but the first one I read. I read it on my e-reader.

"Set against the backdrop of an eerie island town in the dead of winter, The Wife and The Widow is an unsettling thriller told from two perspectives: Kate, a widow whose grief is compounded by what she learns about her dead husband’s secret life; and Abby, an island local whose world is turned upside when she’s forced to confront the evidence of her husband’s guilt. But nothing on this island is quite as it seems, and only when these women come together can they discover the whole story about the men in their lives."

I really enjoyed this.  

The writing is easy and it has a nice flow. The story is not too slow nor too fast to follow. I really wanted to find out how it all happened. Once you realize the whole story there's quite a bit of the book left and that was a bummer. But the twist was great and I didn't see it coming. A few plotholes and questions about the efficinecy of the police.

All in all a quick, enjoyable murder mystery that sucked me in but don't think too hard about the plot.

Happy reading.
Helena

Devin Madson: We Ride the Storm

 Hi everyone

This is my review for Devin Madson's We Ride the Storm, this is book one in The Reborn Empire series.
I got my book from Bol.com, it has a nice cover and an interesting blurb on the back.

" War built the Kisian Empire and war will tear it down.
Fifteen years after rebels stormed the streets, Kisia is still divided. Only the firm hand of the god-emperor holds the kingdom together. But when a shocking betrayal destroys a tense alliance with neighbouring Chiltae, all that has been won comes crashing down.
In Kisia, Princess Miko T'sai is a prisoner in her own castle. She dreams of claiming her empire, but the path to power could rip it, and her family, asunder.
In Chiltae, assassin Cassandra Marius is plagued by the voices of the dead. Desperate, she accepts a contract that promises to reward her with a cure if she helps an empire fall.
And on the border between nations, Captain Rah e'Torin and his warriors are exiles forced to fight in a foreign war or die."

I didn't really enjoy this one. The characters were very one-dimensional, some were there only to further the story. Characterization is really important to me and the lack thereof made me not care for them and thus I lost interest only halfway through.
The story was predictable and very cliché and the worldbuilding was quite non-existent.  

The story had me sighing and rolling my eyes over the stupidity of the characters, the things they say and do.
Also, completely unnecessary rape never sits well with me and he lost a star then and there for that.

At least the writing was good.

Happy reading.
Helena

Travis Baldree: Bookshops & Bonedust

 Hi everyone

I finished Travis Baldrees Bookshops & Bonedust. This is the prequel to Legends & Lattes (the first book in the Legends & Lattes series). 

"First loves. Second-hand books. Epic adventures.
Viv’s career with the renowned mercenary company Rackam’s Ravens isn’t going as planned. Wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer, she’s packed off against her will to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Murk – so far from the action that she worries she’ll never be able to return to it. What’s a thwarted soldier of fortune to do?
Spending her hours at a struggling bookshop in the company of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted. Even though it may be exactly what she needs. Still, adventure isn’t far away. A suspicious traveller in grey, a gnome with a chip on her shoulder, a summer fling and an improbable number of skeletons prove Murk to be more eventful than Viv could have ever expected.
Sometimes, right things happen at the wrong time. Sometimes, what we need isn’t what we seek. And sometimes, we find ourselves in the stories we experience together.
Set twenty years before the events of Legends & Lattes , Bookshops & Bonedust is a standalone cosy fantasy by BookTok sensation Travis Baldree about the power of good bookshops, great friends and the unexpected choices along the way."

I honestly really enjoyed this. Because I've read Legends & Lattes; I knew what to expect and it is indeed the exact same thing. 
A cozy, wholesome, cute story about people bonding, working together, friendship, baked goods and books. Light and slow story, not much worldbuilding or great depth to the characters. But it is a nice, easy, warming and comforting escape.

Happy reading!
Helena

Alice Hoffman: The Museum of Extraordinary Things

 Hi everyone

I finished reading Alice Hoffman's The Museum of Extraordinary Things. It was my first book by Alice Hoffman and I'm not sure I'll try anything else.
The book has a gorgeous cover and that totally sucked me in. I read it on my e-reader.

"Coralie Sardie is the daughter of the sinister impresario behind The Museum of Extraordinary Things, a Coney Island boardwalk freak show that thrills the masses. An exceptional swimmer, Coralie appears as the Mermaid in her father’s “museum,” alongside performers like the Wolfman, the Butterfly Girl, and a one-hundred-year-old turtle. One night Coralie stumbles upon a striking young man taking pictures of moonlit trees in the woods off the Hudson River. The dashing photographer is Eddie Cohen, a Russian immigrant who has run away from his father’s Lower East Side Orthodox community and his job as a tailor’s apprentice. When Eddie photographs the devastation on the streets of New York following the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, he becomes embroiled in the suspicious mystery behind a young woman’s disappearance and ignites the heart of Coralie."

This was a 'meh' book. It didn't stay with me. I could care less for the story and the characters. 
The characters were very one-dimensional and dull. And ugly! So many ugly things happen in this book. The lovestory didn't add anything interesting to the story, the romantic connection they had was weak or really non-existent. I couldn't detect anything strong or rebellious in the two maincharacters even though they talk about it a lot.
Hoffman's writing was uninspired, repetitive. A boring, tragic, ugly story in which she tried to show how much she knows of New York's history just because she can, not because it fits the story.

Sad that this beautiful cover holds such a mediocre story.

Happy reading.
Helena

R. F. Kuang: Babel

 Hi everyone

There will be no real review about this one because I did not finish it.
It was a struggle to get through. Too much drama, constant repetition of the same sentiments, boring story.
So about 300 pages in I decided to quit.

"1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel.Babel is the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as its knowledge serves the Empire’s quest for colonization.For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide…Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?"

Do you finish every book you start?

Happy reading
Helena

Gretchen Rubin: Better Than Before

 Hi everyone

Better Than Before is the third book by Gretchen Rubin I have read so I knew what to expect. I knew it's more anecdotal and personal than scientific.
I read this on my e-reader.

"The author of the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers, The Happiness Project and Happier at Home, tackles the critical question: How do we change?
Gretchen Rubin's answer: through habits. Habits are the invisible architecture of everyday life. It takes work to make a habit, but once that habit is set, we can harness the energy of habits to build happier, stronger, more productive lives.
So if habits are a key to change, then what we really need to know is: How do we change our habits?
Better than Before answers that question. It presents a practical, concrete framework to allow readers to understand their habits—and to change them for good. Infused with Rubin’s compelling voice, rigorous research, and easy humor, and packed with vivid stories of lives transformed, Better than Before explains the (sometimes counter-intuitive) core principles of habit formation.
Along the way, Rubin uses herself as guinea pig, tests her theories on family and friends, and answers readers’ most pressing questions—oddly, questions that other writers and researchers tend to ignore:
• Why do I find it tough to create a habit for something I love to do?
• Sometimes I can change a habit overnight, and sometimes I can’t change a habit, no matter how hard I try. Why?
• How quickly can I change a habit?
• What can I do to make sure I stick to a new habit?
• How can I help someone else change a habit?
• Why can I keep habits that benefit others, but can’t make habits that are just for me?
Whether readers want to get more sleep, stop checking their devices, maintain a healthy weight, or finish an important project, habits make change possible. Reading just a few chapters of Better Than Before will make readers eager to start work on their own habits—even before they’ve finished the book."

This was ok. I had hoped for more real research mentioned because it is all very anecdotal. Rubin did the research but then she doesn't talk a lot about this research. Instead she mostly talks about how she implemented this herself or how she talked others into doing what she thinks is best for them. She really is full of herself and this tone is so tiring. 
She has some good tips, ideas and insights into understanding habits so I am glad I read it.

Happy reading!
Helena

Shelby Van Pelt: Remarkably Bright Creatures

 Hi everyone

I've been hearing and reading a lot about this book and the blurb seemed silly but sweet so I wanted to give it a try. I read Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt on my e-reader.

"After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.
Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.
Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it's too late."

It was indeed rather silly and sweet. Nothing special, nothing memorable or remarkable. 
Light, easy to read, feel-good, predictable.

Happy reading.
Helena

Wrap Up: September 2024

 Hi everyone

Another month has flown by! Autumn is really here in Belgium; rain, cold, wind. Perfect weather for reading.

Here's the list of the books I finished in September:

- Stephen King: Pet Sematary

- Yuval Noah Harari: Sapiens

- Lucy Holland: Sistersong 

- N. K. Jemisin: The Killing Moon 

- Richard K. Morgan: Altered Carbon 

- Sequoia Nagamatsu's How High We Go in the Dark

How was your reading month?
Anything you'd like to recommend?

Happy reading in October!
Helena 

Sequoia Nagamatsu: How High We Go in the Dark

 Hi everyone

This is my review for Sequoia Nagamatsu's How High We Go in the Dark. I got my copy from Bol.com and it has this gorgeous cover that totally sucked me in when I saw it online. And then I read the blurb and the book was instantly added to my cart.

"Dr. Cliff Miyashiro arrives in the Arctic Circle to continue his recently deceased daughter's research, only to discover a virus, newly unearthed from melting permafrost. The plague unleashed reshapes life on earth for generations. Yet even while struggling to counter this destructive force, humanity stubbornly persists in myriad moving and ever inventive ways.
Among those adjusting to this new normal are an aspiring comedian, employed by a theme park designed for terminally ill children, who falls in love with a mother trying desperately to keep her son alive; a scientist who, having failed to save his own son from the plague, gets a second chance at fatherhood when one of his test subjects-a pig-develops human speech; a man who, after recovering from his own coma, plans a block party for his neighbours who have also woken up to find that they alone have survived their families; and a widowed painter and her teenaged granddaughter who must set off on cosmic quest to locate a new home planet.
From funerary skyscrapers to hotels for the dead, How High We Go in the Dark follows a cast of intricately linked characters spanning hundreds of years as humanity endeavours to restore the delicate balance of the world. This is a story of unshakable hope that crosses literary lines to give us a world rebuilding itself through an endless capacity for love, resilience and reinvention. Wonderful and disquieting, dreamlike and all too possible."

I loved this book. It's a collection of interlinked stories centered around this plague and how the world and specific people tried to cope with it. It's focused on the people and their lives and not on action, war, crime, ...
It's thoughtful, hopeful, bleak, harrowing and tender.

How High We Go in the Dark is a slow read, the prose is beautiful and elegant, the story flows easily in a dreamy, meditative way. Because of this and the heaviness of the stories I couldn't read it for two hours at a time; I had to take pauses to digest what I had read. To ponder over the characters and the stories. And that's a sign I love a book.

Happy reading!
Helena

 

Richard K. Morgan: Altered Carbon

 Hi everyone

 I've been hearing a lot about Richard K. Morgan's Altered Carbon so I wanted the find out what the buzz is about. I read this on my e-reader.

"In the twenty-fifth century, humankind has spread throughout the galaxy, monitored by the watchful eye of the U.N. While divisions in race, religion, and class still exist, advances in technology have redefined life itself. Now, assuming one can afford the expensive procedure, a person’s consciousness can be stored in a cortical stack at the base of the brain and easily downloaded into a new body (or “sleeve”) making death nothing more than a minor blip on a screen.
Ex-U.N. envoy Takeshi Kovacs has been killed before, but his last death was particularly painful. Dispatched one hundred eighty light-years from home, re-sleeved into a body in Bay City (formerly San Francisco, now with a rusted, dilapidated Golden Gate Bridge), Kovacs is thrown into the dark heart of a shady, far-reaching conspiracy that is vicious even by the standards of a society that treats “existence” as something that can be bought and sold. For Kovacs, the shell that blew a hole in his chest was only the beginning. . . ."

This was ok.
The premise was interesting, sort of 'saving' your consciousness and then downloading it into a different body. That has great potential.
It turned out to be a rather generic detective story with quite a few sidethings going on.

Honestly, I really didn't care for any of it. The story, the characters, the world.
The writing wasn't bad and I can see why people like it. Lots of action, stern action-hero MC, detective work. Just not my thing.

Happy reading
Helena

N. K. Jemisin: The Killing Moon

 Hi everyone

Well this book took me a long time to finish reading. I loved N. K. Jemisin's The Broken Earth series so I was very hopeful for this story but it really fell short.

The Killing Moon is the first book in the Dreamblood duology. I got my copy from Bol.com. 

"In the ancient city-state of Gujaareh, peace is the only law. Upon its rooftops and among the shadows of its cobbled streets wait the Gatherers - the keepers of this peace. Priests of the dream-goddess, their duty is to harvest the magic of the sleeping mind and use it to heal, soothe...and kill those judged corrupt.
But when a conspiracy blooms within Gujaareh's great temple, the Gatherer Ehiru must question everything he knows. Someone, or something, is murdering innocent dreamers in the goddess's name, and Ehiru must now protect the woman he was sent to kill - or watch the city be devoured by war and forbidden magic."

The story was sooooo slow. And not because there was amazing worldbuilding or the characters had wonderful depth. I still had a lot of questions about the magic and the world that were left unanswered. The characters stayed very much the same, I felt like they didn't grow or develop much past the start of the novel. And there wasn't much depth to them to start with.

Because I loved N. K. Jemisin's The Broken Earth series so much I will try something else but it will not be the second book in this duology.

Happy reading
Helena

Lucy Holland: Sistersong

 Hi everyone

I just finished Sistersong by Lucy Holland. The book has a gorgeous cover but I read it on my e-reader.
It's only 360 pages but it felt longer.

"Inspired by the dark folk ballad “The Two Sisters”, interweaving the perspective of a third sibling that history forgot, Sistersong is a rich and lyrical tale in the tradition of Circe and The Bear and the Nightingale—the story of three daughters of a pagan king who each have their own magical gift, and their own price to pay, when war comes to their land.
In the ancient kingdom of Dumnonia, there is old magic to be found in the whisper of the wind, the roots of the trees, the curl of the grass. King Cador knew this once, but now the land has turned from him, calling instead to his three daughters. Riva can cure others, but can’t seem to heal her own deep scars. Keyne battles to be seen for who she truly is—the king’s son. And Sinne dreams of seeing the world, of finding love and adventure.
All three fear a life of confinement within the walls of the hold, their people’s last bastion of strength against the invading Saxons. However, change comes on the day ash falls from the sky. It brings with it Myrdhin, meddler and magician. And Tristan, a warrior whose secrets will tear them apart.
Riva, Keyne and Sinne—three sisters entangled in a web of treachery and heartbreak, who must fight to forge their own paths.
Their story will shape the destiny of Britain."

I was really looking forward to this but it fell quite short of my expextations. 

 

   * * *        SPOILERS        * * *

 

The writing was ok, a bit simple though not overly so. But the writing is too contemporary for the setting, the dialogue, the characters are all written in modern day English, with modern ideas that don't fit in this historical setting. I'm not sure religion and tolerance were so deeply questionned or accepted back then.
My main problems were the convenience of the magic and the characters. The workings of the magic and the timing were a too perfect fit for the story. When it works or doesn't, who can do what. All way too convenient to fit what's going on and where Holland wants the story to go.
Now about the characters. All three sisters read like teenagers, especially the drama between them and the romantic aspect all three have. Mother and father have no depth, neither do the priest and the magician. Everyone is very one-sided.
As important; in my opinion Keyne should have stayed a woman and become the strong confident independent warrior she really is. Or she should have come into her own as a man but not a warrior. To combine them both made it too much of a stereotype wherein the man is the fighter and leader and the woman stays meek. As if she can only be a warrior is she's a man.
This really took down the book for me. 

It's not a great fantasy novel because it tries to be historical but it's not an amazing historical novel either because of the anachronistic writing.

I wouldn't recommend reading this.

Happy reading
Helena

Yuval Noah Harari: Sapiens

 Hi everyone

This is my review for Yuval Noah Harari's book Sapiens. I read my husbands copy. 

"100,000 years ago, at least six human species inhabited the earth. Today there is just one. Us. Homo sapiens.
How did our species succeed in the battle for dominance? Why did our foraging ancestors come together to create cities and kingdoms? How did we come to believe in gods, nations and human rights; to trust money, books and laws; and to be enslaved by bureaucracy, timetables and consumerism? And what will our world be like in the millennia to come?
In Sapiens, Dr Yuval Noah Harari spans the whole of human history, from the very first humans to walk the earth to the radical – and sometimes devastating – breakthroughs of the Cognitive, Agricultural and Scientific Revolutions. Drawing on insights from biology, anthropology, palaeontology and economics, he explores how the currents of history have shaped our human societies, the animals and plants around us, and even our personalities. Have we become happier as history has unfolded? Can we ever free our behaviour from the heritage of our ancestors? And what, if anything, can we do to influence the course of the centuries to come?
Bold, wide-ranging and provocative, Sapiens challenges everything we thought we knew about being human: our thoughts, our actions, our power ... and our future."

This was really, really interesting. I enjoyed every second. So many things to think about and connections I didn't see before. It's incredibly engrossing. Things I knew about were put into a new light or a different perspective and every chapter made me think about our history and future.
The book is easy to read and definitely written for non-scientists but it's not sensational or dramatic either. It's unbiased, it sticks to facts and whenever he speculates he states so clearly.

Highly recommended.

Happy reading!
Helena    

Stephen King: Pet Sematary

 Hi everyone

I finally read one of Stephen King's absolute classics; Pet Sematary. And what a ride it was!
I got my copy from Bol.
You can find all my Stephen King reviews here.

" The house looked right, felt right, to Dr Louis Creed.

Rambling, old, unsmart and comfortable. A place where the family could settle; the children grow and play and explore. The rolling hills and meadows of Maine seemed a world away from the fume-choked dangers of Chicago.

Only the occasional big truck out on the two-lane highway, grinding up through the gears, hammering down the long gradients, growled out an intrusive note of threat.

But behind the house and away from the road: that was safe. Just a carefully clear path up into the woods where generations of local children have processed with the solemn innocence of the young, taking with them their dear departed pets for burial.

A sad place maybe, but safe. Surely a safe place. Not a place to seep into your dreams, to wake you, sweating with fear and foreboding... "

 

   * * *        SPOILERS        * * *

 

This was sooo heavy. Especially now I have children (3 years and 7 years) it really hit me differently. The moment Gage dies and every word after chilled me to the bone. Before this scene the book was good but not amazing. But after his death it turns really dark and terrifying. It's horror but in a psychological way, it makes you doubt yourself and question how you would react, how your sanity would fare.

The writing is perfect for this novel. It's easy to read, atmospheric, there's a chill in the air from the first chapter and it's hard to put down. I did though, and frequently too because I felt chilled, short of breath and terribly sad. 

The last 50 or so pages were absolutely mental.

Happy reading!
Helena     

Should I start this again?

 Hi everyone 

It's been awhile! I'm thinking about writing some blogposts again though I'm still rather hesitant.

Are blogs still being read? Should I continue writing in English or should I  write in my native language Dutch? Is there even an interest in bookblogs? Will I  be abme to keep it up?

What do you think? Any thoughts?

Love, Helena