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Book Report
Jan. 26th, 2013 05:20 amVery nice crop this time. Probably because I didn’t get far into anything that didn’t hold my interest fully. And look - three books by dudes this time!
Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier – This is one of my favorite novelists, and I was glad to see that she’s released yet another book. Most of her work has been categorized as historical fantasy but this one was at my library in a “young adult supernatural” category. The novel contained Marillier’s trademark intriguing setting and fast-moving plot but the writing itself wasn’t that great. There were lots of clichéd phrases and it almost felt like this one was pumped out too quickly. Does getting a book categorized as “YA” mean that you can take it easy with your prose? But why would an author who can write a non-YA book with solidly good prose allow this? I don’t get that. But, despite this flaw “Shadowfell” was an excellent read; it’s first in a trilogy and I can’t wait for the rest! I loved the setting that this very creative author came up with, enjoyed reading how the protagonist dealt with her obstacles, and want to see what will happen to this mythical kingdom. Grade: B+
Walking the Amazon by Ed Stafford – A terrific page-turner. The author decided to do something that no one has ever done before: walk the entire length of the Amazon. Others have traversed it via water but none have walked it. The epic took two years, and this book is up there with any great travel memoir. The experiences Stafford has and the frankness with which he records them are riveting. As an aside, I took special note of a comment he wrote. Many of the indigenous people he meets automatically hate white men. Some believe that white men steal their babies and sell their organs. He writes of his experience dealing with it, and I felt that any minority group likely feels this way: “I hated being feared and became emotionally exhausted trying to prove that I was a good person in each community before people would relax and accept me.” Grade: A-
More books behind the cut!
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Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier – This is one of my favorite novelists, and I was glad to see that she’s released yet another book. Most of her work has been categorized as historical fantasy but this one was at my library in a “young adult supernatural” category. The novel contained Marillier’s trademark intriguing setting and fast-moving plot but the writing itself wasn’t that great. There were lots of clichéd phrases and it almost felt like this one was pumped out too quickly. Does getting a book categorized as “YA” mean that you can take it easy with your prose? But why would an author who can write a non-YA book with solidly good prose allow this? I don’t get that. But, despite this flaw “Shadowfell” was an excellent read; it’s first in a trilogy and I can’t wait for the rest! I loved the setting that this very creative author came up with, enjoyed reading how the protagonist dealt with her obstacles, and want to see what will happen to this mythical kingdom. Grade: B+
Walking the Amazon by Ed Stafford – A terrific page-turner. The author decided to do something that no one has ever done before: walk the entire length of the Amazon. Others have traversed it via water but none have walked it. The epic took two years, and this book is up there with any great travel memoir. The experiences Stafford has and the frankness with which he records them are riveting. As an aside, I took special note of a comment he wrote. Many of the indigenous people he meets automatically hate white men. Some believe that white men steal their babies and sell their organs. He writes of his experience dealing with it, and I felt that any minority group likely feels this way: “I hated being feared and became emotionally exhausted trying to prove that I was a good person in each community before people would relax and accept me.” Grade: A-
More books behind the cut!
( Read more... )
