Books read in October 2018

[nou]

As per usual, by default I’m just stating whether I’d recommend the book (yes/maybe/no), whether I decided not to finish it (DNF), whether it’s a re-read, and whether I can remember there being any content that needs to be warned for (cw). I’m happy to expand on the reasons for my opinions if anyone is interested though — just comment and ask. This month’s selection was a bit more diverse than last month’s!

Definitely recommend:

• Ammonite, Nicola Griffith

Maybe recommend:

• Surrey Killing Fields, Croydon Natural History and Scientific Society (cw: animal death)
• Pulchritude, Ana Mardoll (DNF) (cw: mild body horror)
• The Odyssey, translated by Emily Wilson (DNF) (cw: slavery, rape, murder)
• Deluxe, Dana Thomas (cw: racism, classism, child abuse, violence)
• Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach, Kelly Robson (cw: extreme body modification, murder) (extra warning: if you buy this on Kindle, when you get to the end it shows you an author page which includes a disturbing cover image from one of the author's other books)
• The Wrong Stars, Tim Pratt (re-read)

Wouldn’t recommend:

• Watchmaker of Filigree Street (cw: internalised misogyny, casual racism)
• Empress of a Thousand Skies, Rhoda Belleza (DNF)
• The Dreaming Stars, Tim Pratt (DNF)

What have you recently read and enjoyed? (Feel free to point towards posts on your own journal.) Do you have any opinions (good or bad) on the books above?

Comments

[ludy]

O i'd like to know a bit more about the Watchmaker of Filigree Street because 13-year-old-Nieceling requested it (as part of a list of several books she suggested we might get her so i don't know how attached she was to any of her choices). I hadn't heard of it before and wasn't sure about the age appropriateness. Could you please go into a bit more detail about the problems you had with it?

[nou]

The main things I disliked about it were (i) there was only one adult female character who got to actually do anything, with all the other women portrayed as being basically useless, and (ii) there was a love triangle, and I hate love triangles. I also wasn't massively keen on the use of Irish terrorists as plot devices.

doseybat has read it too, and may have more to say about it.

[ludy]

Thanks, that's helpful info

[doseybat]

Sorry to recommend a book that did not prove to be a pleasant read. Personally I found the clockwork descriptions to be contrived and not very interesting. The way the emotional/interpersonal bits were written were probably the biggest appeal for me.

Also enjoyed her next book "The Bedlam Stacks", its botanical expedition theme made it especially easy for me to connect with it. But thinking about it the female character (actually only one significant one this time) is even less prominent (although more likeable). Overall style very close to The Watchmaker.

[nou]

No need to apologise! I always appreciate recommendations even if I end up not liking the book. I did at least finish it, which isn't always the case. What I did like about it was the discussion of the personal/interpersonal implications of being able to know the future.

[selki]

Other possible age-appropriateness concerns: British contemporary anti-homosexuality attitudes, classist attitudes.

My book club read it and had a good discussion about it. We liked the cool clockwork octopus and timey-wimey stuff (though we're not sure it all held together), but didn't like the main female character.

[ludy]

Thank you, that's useful. Nieceling actually lives in another country where overt homophobia is less frowned on than here so that won't be anything new to her but is prolly more for us to discuss. And she just finds the UK class system confusing!

[selki]

*The Wrong Stars* (which I haven't read) reminds me of Gillian Bradshaw's *The Wrong Reflection* (which I liked). Science fiction, identity.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wrong-Reflection-Gillian-Bradshaw-2003-08-05/dp/B01K8ZHFUY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1541367689&sr=1-1&keywords=the+wrong+reflection+gillian+bradshaw

[nou]

Thank you! It does sound good, but unfortunately not available on Kindle, and while I get through my Kindle to-read list in relatively good time, my dead-tree to-read pile is covered in so much dust I’m almost afraid to touch it...

[selki]

I understand. I gave my copy to a boyfriend-at-the-time's sister, and I hope she enjoyed it. For a different (military historical fiction) book by the same author, I loved *Island of Ghosts*.

[nou]

Sample downloaded, thanks!