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finally posting again
Sep. 20th, 2009 11:35 pmI've had a lot of health problems lately, so while I have been reading, I haven't had the energy for much else. Here's what I've read for the past month or so:
Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sartorias (the omnibus version with both Crown Duel and Court Duel, plus a short story): I loved this book! Mel is my kind of heroine and I loved her story. I will definitely be reading more by Smith and put all of her books on my various wishlists. I've already read the sequel story in Firebirds and I borrowed Firebirds Soaring from the library for the sequel story in that one too.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling: This seemed to take a lot less time to listen to in the car than the previous few- maybe we had more longer car rides while we were listening this time. I think the audiobooks of the later HPs reveal how bloated the books are, whereas reading them doesn't take nearly as much time and I fly through them so fast that the flaws don't stand out as well. I have no criticisms for Jim Dale's reading of them though.
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen: This was my second attempt at reading a Dessen book and I wouldn't exactly consider it a success. There were several things that drove me nuts here, especially Auden's dad and his treatment of her step-mother and baby half-sister. I also couldn't stand how controlling Auden's mom was. I also don't really like how Dessen characterizes girls and I pine for authors I grew up reading (Norma Klein, especially). I enjoyed Auden's relationship with Eli, especially their insomniac wanderings. I also liked that she had female friends, even if she judged them harshly at first. I've since attempted to read Someone Like You as well, and I didn't like that one either, so I don't even know if I'll bother with That Summer (I have both of these in an omnibus called How to Deal).
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier: I have wanted to read this book since it first came out; I remember seeing it at Barnes & Noble in hardcover and drooling over it. Somehow, I never got around to reading it, then I heard some spoilers that made me reluctant to read it. But I ended up loving it, despite the harrowing, sad, bittersweet aspects. It was beautifully written and I love fairy tale retellings. My favorite character was Finbar and I found his story particularly poignant. I thought Sorcha was one of the strongest heroines I've ever read, all without a sword or spells. I'm going to be reading Son of the Shadows next month and Child of the Prophecy in November. I hope to get the paperback of Heir to Sevenwaters soon after it comes out, so I can read that before the end of the year too.
Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith
sartorias (the omnibus version with both Crown Duel and Court Duel, plus a short story): I loved this book! Mel is my kind of heroine and I loved her story. I will definitely be reading more by Smith and put all of her books on my various wishlists. I've already read the sequel story in Firebirds and I borrowed Firebirds Soaring from the library for the sequel story in that one too.Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling: This seemed to take a lot less time to listen to in the car than the previous few- maybe we had more longer car rides while we were listening this time. I think the audiobooks of the later HPs reveal how bloated the books are, whereas reading them doesn't take nearly as much time and I fly through them so fast that the flaws don't stand out as well. I have no criticisms for Jim Dale's reading of them though.
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen: This was my second attempt at reading a Dessen book and I wouldn't exactly consider it a success. There were several things that drove me nuts here, especially Auden's dad and his treatment of her step-mother and baby half-sister. I also couldn't stand how controlling Auden's mom was. I also don't really like how Dessen characterizes girls and I pine for authors I grew up reading (Norma Klein, especially). I enjoyed Auden's relationship with Eli, especially their insomniac wanderings. I also liked that she had female friends, even if she judged them harshly at first. I've since attempted to read Someone Like You as well, and I didn't like that one either, so I don't even know if I'll bother with That Summer (I have both of these in an omnibus called How to Deal).
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier: I have wanted to read this book since it first came out; I remember seeing it at Barnes & Noble in hardcover and drooling over it. Somehow, I never got around to reading it, then I heard some spoilers that made me reluctant to read it. But I ended up loving it, despite the harrowing, sad, bittersweet aspects. It was beautifully written and I love fairy tale retellings. My favorite character was Finbar and I found his story particularly poignant. I thought Sorcha was one of the strongest heroines I've ever read, all without a sword or spells. I'm going to be reading Son of the Shadows next month and Child of the Prophecy in November. I hope to get the paperback of Heir to Sevenwaters soon after it comes out, so I can read that before the end of the year too.
