Book Review || Warrior's Woman

Warrior's Woman
LySanTer Trilogy #1
Johanna Lindsey

Published: orig 1990 (cover reissue 2010)

Avon, mass market pbk, 422p.
ISBN: 9780380753017

A PASSION THAT COULD CONQUER GALAXIES

In the year 2139, fearless Tedra DeArr sets out to rescue her beleaguered planet Kystran from the savage rule of the evil Crad Ce Moerr.  Experienced in combat but not in love, the beautiful, untouched Amazon flies with Martha, her wise-cracking, free-thinking computer, to a world where warriors reign supreme - and into the arms of the one man she can never hope to vanquish: the bronzed barbarian Challen Ly-San-Ter.  A magnificent creature of raw yet disciplined desires, the muscle-bound primitive succeeds where no puny Kystran male had before - igniting a raging fire within Tedra that must be extinguished before she can even think of saving her enslaved world.

from original back cover, 1990

As strange as it sounds, this was the book that kicked off my love for sci-fantasy as a teenager. I remember borrowing this from my friend in Yr 10 French (thank you, Becca!), and devouring a good portion of the book in that one double lesson.  I loved it, and I didn't want to give it back, but luckily I saw the same book at the local store a few days later and begged my mum to get it for me - and she did.

While it may just be a cheesy romance book to most people, the introduction of the Martha, the AI computer who seems to run Tedra's life, and Corth, a humanoid robot, characters that belong to Tedra DeArr, were the first artificial characters that I'd come across.  Up until then I'd been reading the usual teenage stuff or English required reading, The Outsiders, Picnic at Hanging Rock, etc., but hadn't made the jump into more adult books in my personal reading life.

Included in the wonderful world building are the amazing creatures Lindsey created.  The taraan, sa'abo, fembairs, and the hataar.  These were the first fantastical creatures I'd come across in fiction outside of mythology, and while not a complicated plot to follow, the story just swept me up and let me forget about the world for a few hours.

With Warrior's Woman I got a glimpse into an amazing word where a woman could be strong and tough, and fly through space in search of adventure. It didn't hurt that her soon to be love interest, Challen, was amazing in my imagination, but still, it was far more than just a romance book to me.

Fast forward way too many years. . . 

So now picking this book up and re-reading it with the perspective of an adult, I find that there is still something charmingly naive about Tedra and Warrior's Woman.   Yes, it's sexist in places, and quite cheesy and formulaic to boot, but I still rather like it.  Tedra is still a strong female protagonist, and Martha - although silicon based - is just as feisty.  Corth takes a back seat in the scheme of things, and even bossy-boots Challen will defer to Tedra in some matters.  Quite enlightened for a barbarian.

I loved the contrast between the futuristic Kystran and the feudal/medieval (with a twist) Sha'ka'an cultures.  Shades of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court there with the culture clash, and this is well demonstrated in the scene where Tedra had no idea what an uncle is despite knowing the word, or when she asks the crystal necklace to change colour to annoy Challen ;-D

It's now many years later, and I still have that original book - now battered and tattered - that sits on my shelf beside the replacement copy I bought.  Warrior's Woman is great book, quick and fast paced, that continues to hold many memories for me ;-D

Oh, and if you're interested, it is the first book in a trilogy.   I won't tell you who the next two books belong to - because that would be a HUGE spoiler ;-D

Until next time,

 

Book Review || Saying Goodbye to Discworld

 

The Shepherd's Crown
Tiffany Aching #5 (Discworld #41)
Sir Terry Pratchett

Published: September, 2015

Random House, hardcover, 352p. (b&w ill.)
ISBN: 9780857534811

“We are all floating in the winds of time.  But your candle, Mistress Weatherwax, 

will flicker for some time before it goes out - a little reward for a life well lived.”

A Shivering Of Worlds.  Deep in the Chalk, something is stirring.  The owls and the foxes can sense it, and Tiffany Aching feels it in her boots.  An old enemy is gathering strength.  This is a time of endings and beginnings, old friends and new, a blurring of edges and a shifting of power.  Now Tiffany stands between the light and the dark, the good and the bad.  As the fairy horde prepares for invasion, Tiffany must summon all the witches to stand with her.  To protect the land.  Her land.  There will be a reckoning...

Ever since I heard of the death of Sir Terry Pratchett last year, I have been torn between wanting to read the final book in the Tiffany Aching series, and not wanting to read the final ever book of the Discworld.  But all good things must come to an end, and yesterday I picked up The Shepherd's Crown to say goodbye.

I enjoyed being back in the world of the Chalk, following Tiffany around as she struggles with the responsibilities left to her after the death of Granny Weatherwax.  The death of this character was totally out of the blue, but was strangely fitting under the circumstances - and it sets in motion the rest of the story.

Before we got to that though, there were two introductions, if you will.  First we got the backstory of the Shepherd's Crown, and then an interlude with a family that was quite out of the blue.

I wasn't quite sure where we were going when the author introduced us to Lord Swivel and his family.  Swivel was such a despot.  The way he treated his 3rd son as an unwanted, and unnecessary, burden... I just wanted to reach into the pages and punch him in the nose!  However, it did set the stage for a small plot that pays off at the end of the book - the chickens (keep that in mind) and the fateful fox hunt.  This is when the neglected son finds his courage to stand up to his father, leaving home and taking his pet with him - much to his father's fury.  This introduction of Geoffrey Swivel was an unexpected twist - and that goat, Mephistopheles!  What a character.  He's like a Feegle on four legs! Geoffrey is not the usual sort of character that one finds in the Chalk, but his unique type of magic plays an integral part in the upcoming fight against a well known foe - the Elves.

After the death of you know who (trying not to spoil you!), Tiffany is run off her broom.  Trying to be everywhere, and do everything herself.  She wants to do everything right, but has to learn when to delegate.  Not something she embraces in a hurry.  Roland is there once or twice, usually putting his foot in it, and we see more of Tiffany's family.  The Nac Mac Feegles are ever present as they try to help their 'big wee hag'.  Still love the Feegles.  They are so adorable, rough, loyal, and funny.   Oh, and there are plenty of quick cameo's by well known figures from the Discworld as news gets out about 'that death', and Tiffany.

Yes, life is changing on the Chalk.

I found reading The Shepherd's Crown to be a strangely sad experience.  It was funny in places, and yet there was the sense that the book was not quite finished.  There was so much more that could have been done with the story... all these little untied threads that now hang uselessly from the Discworld tapestry. 

Until next time,

 

Picks for February

It's the start of the month, so it is time to choose the next book in my Classic a Month as well as the next book in my A Year of Marple challenges.

For the classic I ended up going with The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  I have seen the amazing movie by Baz Luhrmann.  The world he envisioned was so beautiful and full of colour.   Can't wait to see what I think of the book, and if it evokes a similar response for me.

The next book in my A Year of Marple is The Body in the Library.  Perhaps my favourite adaptation, along with The Mirror Crack'd, I am a looking forward to reading it, but a little hesitant because of my reaction to The Murder at the Vicarage.  I really did not like reading the story from anyone else's POV.  All the adaptations, whether on TV or a movie, are always from Miss Marple's POV.  I am having trouble following the story through another characters eyes.  

So, those are the next two books in my self-imposed book challenges for 2016.  I still haven't cracked open Gone with the Wind yet.  I'm a little worried about that brick ;-D

Until next time,

Book Review || One for the Money

Original 1994 hardcover

One for the Money
Stephanie Plum, Book 1
Janet Evanovich

Originally Published: 1994
Review Edition: 2012

Penguin, Format B paperback, 290p.
ISBN: 978-0-241-95703-5
 

Winner of the Crime Writer’s Association John Creasy Memorial Dagger

Stephanie Plum is down on her luck.  She’s lost her job, her car’s on the brink of repossession, and her apartment is fast becoming furniture-free.

Enter Cousin Vinnie, a low-life who runs a bail-bond company.  If Stephanie can bring in vice cop turned outlaw Joe Morelli, she stands to pick up $10,000.  But tracking down a cop wanted for murder isn’t easy.  And when Benito Ramirez, a prize-fighter with more menace than mentality, wants to be her friend Stephanie soon knows what its like to be pursued.  Unfortunately the best person to protect her just happens to be on the run. . .

First off, I can't believe that it's been over 10 years since I picked up my first Stephanie Plum book, and over 20 since Stephanie Plum first burst onto the scene in One for the Money!  I wanted to re-read One for the Money for the first time in over 8 years, to see what I think of it.  Has it aged well, or is it just a product of it's time?

What I love about this book (and the series) is that Stephanie is a just a woman.  No superpowers, or kickass abilities.  She screws up - a lot! - and makes a complete fool of herself at times, but she's also warm and funny.  Her attempts to snag FTAs, Morelli in this instance, are just laughable.  She has to be the most inept bounty hunter in history.  She doesn't like guns, has no clue as to how to take down an FTA, but she can lie through her teeth without blinking an eyelash - perhaps her most valuable skill.

I think I went a tad overboard...

Books and cats - a great combination!

I really think I had a few too many books on hold at the shop, but hey - at least I'm supporting local business, right? ;-D

Just before Christmas I was in the shop, browsing for gift ideas, when I spotted all five of the Ben Aaronovitch books!  I couldn't believe my eyes.  I grabbed those puppies up before someone else bought any (or just one) so that I could have the complete set.  Thinking that this was a pretty good score, I was just about to leave when two white spines caught my eye further down the shelves.  Yep, it was parts one and two of the Words of Radiance book.  Another score.  And finally, I spotted a copy of The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss.  Seriously, by that time I knew I had to get out of there before I bought even more books!

Book Review || The Murder at the Vicarage

The Murder at the Vicarage

Miss Marple #1

Agatha Christie

Originally Published: 1930

My edition: 2002 Signature Collection edition

HarperCollins, mass market pbk, 380p., b&w ill.

ISBN: 0007120850

"Anyone who murdered Colonel Protheroe,' declared the parson, brandishing a carving knife above a joint of roast beef, 'would be doing the world at large a favour!"

It was a careless remark for a man of the cloth to make.  And one which was to come back to haunt him a few hours later - when the Colonel is found dead, shot through the head in the clergyman's study. . .

Well, to be brutally honest, I enjoyed the adaptations more.  I disliked seeing the world, both the village of St. Mary Mead, and it's inhabitants, through the eyes of a rather dour, insecure, and fuddy-duddy character like Len Clements.  He is not a very likable character (to me), and I just found it to be a rather tedious book to slog through.  What should have taken a few hours was stretched to nearly 2 weeks!

In regards to other characters, I do love Miss Marple.  She can do no wrong, and whatever the format, I adore her.  However, most of the remaining characters were unlikable enough that if I wasn't a fan of the adaptations (and knew what happens), then I would have a whole host of characters to throw under the proverbial bus as suspects.

A special mention must be given to Lettice Protheroe, who was just as annoying as portrayed in the adaptations, not to mention Inspector Slack, who I found extremely arrogant, and who is exactly who was needed as a contrast to the seemingly incompetent Miss Marple. 

The murder/mystery aspect of it was rather good.  It doesn't help that I already know who did it, but the book was different enough from the adapations that I wasn't bored.  Some of the characters seemed superfluous, but I suspect that they are there mainly as potential suspects.  The addition of Raymond West, Miss Marple's nephew, was unexpected - he isn't in the adapations - so I was pleasantly surprised . . . until he opened his mouth.  Bit of a bummer that.

So while I did not have the reading experience I was hoping for, I am glad I picked up this book.  Could have been a 5 star read, if only it was from Miss Marples POV.

That's all for my quick review of The Murder at the Vicarage.  Let me know if you agreed with me, or if you loved - or hated - the book, I'd love to hear your thoughts about this.

Until next time,

 

Challenge Update || January

Well, it's nearly half way through the month and I've finished both of the books for January.  I wasn't sure that I'd get them both read in time as I struggled to make myself read The Murder at the Vicarage.  Yep, that's right.  I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would.

The Murder at the Vicarage seemed like a great fit.  I love the TV adaptations, both Joan Hickson and the newer series, and although not my favourite episode, I enjoyed it none the less.  But I found out that I really did not like following the story - or seeing the village - through the eyes of Len Clements, the Vicar.  I found him to be most unlikable.  It took me over a week to finish this!  Very unlike me.  

Then, on Tuesday night, I picked up Playing Beatie Bow.  I thought I'd only read a page or two . . . 17 pages later I had to stop as I was so tired.  Again last night, I was hoping to get a few chapters done - and I finished the whole thing!  Woo-hoo! ;-D

I am hoping to get a short review up soon on both of these books.  Just a quick run down of the hits and misses I discovered when reading them.  Now my only problem is deciding which classic to read in February?  Should I go for The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides, or The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald . . . or Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov?  Let me know in the comments which book you think I should tackle next ;-D

Until next time,

 

Off to a great start

Last night's reading quandary... went with Copper Beach

After a blah reading month in December, I was surprised to find that January has been a huge reading months so far.  Although I've only read 4 new books, I have re-read 2 series to far!  Yes, I had a case of the I-must-read-that-again's, and devoured both the Psy-Changeling series by Nalini Singh, and the Arcane Society/Harmony series by Jayne Ann Krentz (Jayne Castle).

"This is how we blog from bed, blog from bed, blog from bed..."  using EvieNyxx as the keyboard holder

I have been aided in this reading frenzy since due to the fact that I've been laid up for a little while with a bad back, and achilles tendonitis.  Not good for everyday chores that need to be done - don't even start with the vacuuming or hanging out the washing! - but reading books by the handful has helped me pass the time and forget about all my aches and pains.

On the Murder at the Vicarage front, I'm still making my way through at a snail's pace.  Up to page 72 now.  We have a murder, and now with the introduction of Inspector Slack (still an arrogant asshat), it should become a faster read.

My classic for the month, Playing Beatie Bow, is still sitting on top of the basket, waiting for me to pick it up.  Will have to get on that soon as January is just flying by.

Have three new books that should arrive in the post later this week.  Ordered Les Miserables (I know, but I just couldn't resist it), and two of the four books I was missing in the Psy-Changeling series, Shield of Winter and Shards of Hope.  Want to get them all finished before the next release later this year.

Surrounded on all sides by cats!  This is Phrynekinns.

Have a huge stash of books on lay-by in town that I will be picking up later this month, but they will need a post of their own there are so many of them.  Then my self-imposed book ban goes into effect.  I can only buy books that are part of a series that I am already reading - and not the start of a new series - and no stand alone books either, unless they are for a book challenge.  Thrift shop books are a no-go, and unless I get books as gifts, my one and only 'splurge' will be the annual Bookarama held in October.  Thankfully I read a lot of series, so I'm not going to be totally book deprived.

So, that's all from me.  I hope you're having a great January and curling up with a good book.

Until next time,

Book Review || Death Comes to Pemberley

Death Comes to Pemberley
P.D James

First published in 2011

Faber & Faber, paperback, 330p.
ISBN: 978057111170

Dancing, Merriment... and Murder

The year is 1803.  Darcy and Elizabeth have been married for six years, and the orderly world of Pemberley seems unassailable.  But all this is threatened when, on the eve of the annual ball, a chaise appears, rocking down the path from Pemberley's wild woodland.  As it pulls up, Lydia Wickham - Elizabeth's younger, unreliable sister - stumbles out screaming that her husband has been murdered.

Death to Pemberley is one of the biggest bookish disappointments I've had.  I love Pride & Prejudice.  The BBC adaptation from 1995 was amazing.  The characters memorable, the story witty and watching Darcy and Lizzy find each other leaves you with the warm fuzzies.  When I read, or watch, P&P I often wonder what could have been had Austen written a sequel.  Yet, this adaptation was complete and utter crap!  It took all my fangirl dreams and shattered them.

It has been nearly a year since I started reading this book, and after getting just over a third of the way through last January, I have not been able to make myself go back and read it.  I don't care if Wickham did it (I seriously doubt it, because I couldn't be that lucky!), or if Lydia ever leaves Pemberley.  I have post-it notes lining the pages I did read, with annotations everywhere, marking out inconsistencies, annoying rehashing of information the reader should already know, because only an Austenite would attempt to read this!, or just things that seemed out of place...

"I take it, Belcher, that your clever scientific colleagues have not yet found a way of distinguishing one man's blood from another's?  We would welcome such assistance..."   p.108

Seriously, blood typing didn't become a 'thing' until the beginning of the 20th century (1901), let alone 1803!  Such inconsistencies annoy me.  I doubt that the medical community had any idea of the existence of blood types, let alone the investigative capabilities it might provide.

Apart from that, I found the characters to be pale shadows of the originals, the dialogue annoying and this has really put me off trying any of P.D. James's other works as she has butchered this retelling/adaptation.

So after a year of trying, Death Comes to Pemberley has officially become my first DNF!  

If you love P&P, and don't want to spoil your love of the story, then I advise you to skip this.  Watch the marginally better BBC adaptation if you must find out what happened.

DNF

Well, that's all I have to say about Death Comes to Pemberley.  I can now put it on the bookshelf somewhere and forget about it. 

Do you agree with my review, or did you love it?  Let me know below as I'd love to hear your thoughts on this book.

Until next time,

 

First week gone already!

Hello fuds and duds!

I can't believe that the first week of 2016 has already gone.  It seems the older I get, the quicker it goes... {I really need to have a stern word with Father Time 'bout that}.  I was hoping to do more posts this year, but the carpal tunnel in my wrists, especially the right one, is putting this in doubt.  Hard to type with a wrist brace on, yet very painful without.  Will do my best however to get something up every now and then ;-D

On the book front, I've been busy re-reading Nalini Singh's Psy-Changeling series.  Haven't touched it in nearly 2 years, but for some reason I had to read all ten books that are currently on my shelf (while putting the missing four on my wishlist!).  While I still have favourites (Lucas, Vaughan, Clay, Tally, Sascha, Sienna, Judd, etc), I have been enjoying every book.  Just borrowed Heart of Obsidian from my library - the only Nalini Singh book they had! - and have got a few more on Inter-library loan (ILL) just in case I can't find a copy in the mean time.  Can't wait to see what happens next.  Perhaps I'll start re-reading one of my other guilty pleasure series, paranormal romance of course, to pass the time.

In regards to my self imposed classics challenges, 'a year of Marple' has officially started, and although I'm only about 40 something pages in, I'm eeking it out.  It is so different from the adaptations that I've seen - and love! - because the POV is not from Miss Marple's perspective.  I suppose it will take me a while to get used to that, but seeing the world through the Vicar's eyes isn't that enjoyable at the moment.  He's a bit of a prat and I really don't like him that much.  Does not bode well for the rest of the book, but I hope that it improves once the hunt for the murderer is afoot.

My classic for the month is Playing Beatie Bow, and I won't be cracking that baby open until I've finished the Miss Marple.  Will try to get my hands on a copy of the 80's movie adaptation.  I have vague memories of it from Year 8 English.  More than a few moons ago. 

That about wraps up my reading week.  I will be ordering a few books tomorrow (3 at most) that I need to keep going with a series, or for my challenges.  Can't wait to get a few of them under my belt so that I feel more comfortable with mandatory reading lists.  Usually I'm just a read-what-you-feel kinda girl.

Anyway, I hope you're had a wonderful start to the year.

Until next time,