The Librain……retired

I have read three books this week and made a start on a fourth, which is very long indeed. In fact, it may take me a whole week to finish that one. If I mention the Outlander series, fans of that will get what I mean!

Night Music by John Connolly

My first book was a collection of short stories by John Connolly: Night Music (#02 of his Nocturnes series). Here is the blurb:

A decade after Nocturnes first terrified and delighted readers, John Connolly, bestselling author of thirteen acclaimed thrillers featuring private investigator Charlie Parker, gives us a second volume of tales of the supernatural. From stories of the monstrous for dark winter nights to fables of fantastic libraries and haunted books, from a tender account of love after death to a frank, personal, and revealing account of the author’s affection for myths of ghosts and demons, this is a collection that will surprise, delight—and terrify.

Night Music: Nocturnes 2 also contains two novellas: the multi-award-winning The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository and The Fractured Atlas.

Night Music: Nocturnes 2 is a masterly collection to be read with the lights on—menace has never been so seductive.

This is my four star review on the Goodreads website:

John Connolly is one of my most favourite writers, so I was really looking forward to reading this collection. The stories are superbly written and very macabre. I think that the set of tales called Fractured Atlas was the best. I also particularly liked the last piece about his own reading journey. I have not yet read his first collection, Nocturnes, so will request this from the Library as soon as possible. Highly recommended.

The Encircling Sea by Adrian Goldsworthy

The second book was The Encircling Sea (Vindolanda series #02) by Adrian Goldsworthy. This is the blurb:

AD 100: Flavius Ferox, Briton and Roman centurion, is finding it hard to keep the peace. Based at Vindolanda – an army fort on the northern frontier of Britannia and the entire Roman world – he feels the eyes of his enemies on him at all hours.

Ambitious leaders sense a chance to carve out empires of their own. While men nearer at hand speak in whispers of war and the destruction of Rome.

And out at sea, ships of pirates and deserters restlessly wait for the time to launch their attack on the empire’s land.

Once again, I seem to have picked up a part two, without having read part one of the series first! This was OK, as the writer gave enough hints of the previous story, but I have already asked for the first book from the Library. Anyway, here is my three star review:

I picked this book up because I saw the word “Vindolanda” on the cover. As I have had some lovely holidays near Hadrian’s Wall and have visited the fort, I was immediately interested. The book was a good read and, as a former student of the period, appeared to be accurate. In fact, this striving for accuracy kind of got in the way of the story. Yes, it’s good to know which weapons and armour were used and the correct names for officers etc., but it does detract a bit. I also find it rather strange, as a Brit reading about the conquerors of our ancestors, to come across such a whitewashed tale of the Roman Army. Most of them are far too decent – not even a good swearword. “Humping”!!!! I will read the other books, though!

Past Tense by Lee Child

I had been waiting since the Autumn for the next book. When I requested the latest Jack Reacher (#23!) from the Library, I was 88th in the queue! So, I read it quickly in order to return it to the Library for the next eager reader: Past Tense by Lee Child. Here is the blurb:

Jack Reacher plans to follow the autumn sun on an epic road trip across America, from Maine to California. He doesn’t get far. On a country road deep in the New England woods, he sees a sign to a place he has never been – the town where his father was born. He thinks, what’s one extra day? He takes the detour.

At the very same moment, close by, a car breaks down. Two young Canadians are trying to get to New York City to sell a treasure. They are stranded at a lonely motel in the middle of nowhere. It’s a strange place … but it’s all there is.

The next morning in the city clerk’s office, Reacher asks about the old family home. He’s told no one named Reacher ever lived in that town. He knows his father never went back. Now he wonders, was he ever there in the first place?

So begins another nail-biting, adrenaline-fuelled adventure for Reacher. The present can be tense, but the past can be worse. That’s for damn sure.

I gave this book three stars, although it is probably worth 3.5, and wrote this review:

I have enjoyed reading this series and would be sad if it came to an end, but I think that it should go out with a real blockbuster and Child should find a new hero (or heroine) to write about. There were two main story arcs in the book and the one with Reacher, although quite interesting in terms of filling in some more of his background, did drag on quite a lot. There was a lot of hotel changing and meals in different places and driving around, punctuated with a few fights, but that was it.

The other story arc reminded me quite a lot of the book and film Open Season and I guessed really early on what was going to happen. The fact that the two arcs met so late in the book was rather odd.

I did enjoy reading the book, don’t get me wrong, but there are better ones in the series.

Right, I now have two books in the Outlander series to read – two huge tomes! It will probably take quite a while for me to finish both of them, but I will report my progress next week.

Happy Reading to you all!

Best wishes,

📖📚📖📚📖

I seem to have developed a pattern of reading two and a half books per week at the moment. Not bad, I suppose, when I am also reading random stuff on Twitter and other sites, writing this blog, and watching a lot of TV on my iPad. I seem to have become addicted to the Lie to Me series!

The Poppy War by R F Kuang

My first read of the week was The Poppy War by R F Kuang, #01 in the Poppy War trilogy. The blurb is pretty long:

When Rin aced the Keju, the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies, it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard, the most elite military school in Nikan, was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .

Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.

In the end, after much thought, I gave the book three stars and wrote this review on Goodreads:

I don’t really know how to rate this book or how to write a review. The first third was a pretty conventional fantasy story and was reasonably satisfying, although slow in parts. I was enjoying the flavour of Chinese/Japanese history, as I haven’t read anything like this before. Then the plot began an acceleration into the darkest, bloodiest and gloomiest fantasy with the main characters becoming, well I am struggling to find the words, so bleak and unpleasant that I struggled to finish the book!

At one point in the book I had intended to award it the full five points. That was when I thought it was going down a particular path. By the end, I was left gasping and wondering whether I even want to read the sequels. I can usually cope with grim themes, but this book was almost too much even for me. I will have to think about the sequels!

Once again, I recommend reading other reviews on Goodreads and similar sites as many people are raving about the book. I can see why, as it is an amazing debut by this writer, but I have huge reservations. Also, I would like to warn librarians working with teens to avoid suggesting this book to the younger end. The plot starts with our “heroine” taking the exams for and entering a military school. This makes the book appear to be Young Adult, but it is definitely not! There are scenes of horrific sexual violence that make the book unsuitable for young people, in my view.

The Child by Fiona Barton

After The Poppy War, it was a relief to turn to the second book this week – The Child by Fiona Barton, once again part of a series: #02 of Kate Waters. Here is the blurb:

When a paragraph in an evening newspaper reveals a decades-old tragedy, most readers barely give it a glance. But for three strangers it’s impossible to ignore.

For one woman, it’s a reminder of the worst thing that ever happened to her.

For another, it reveals the dangerous possibility that her darkest secret is about to be discovered.

And for the third, a journalist, it’s the first clue in a hunt to uncover the truth.

The Child’s story will be told.

This is my review:

This was an interesting book to read. I enjoyed the structure of using the points of view from the three main characters, with their stories weaving throughout the plot. This was very well done and there was enough difference between their “voices” to follow this easily. The plot twists were good, but I did guess the ending, even though it was billed as a huge surprise. I will definitely read other books by this author and recommend this one.

Night Music by John Connolly

Now that I have finished this post I will return to my current book: John Connolly’s Night Music (Nocturnes Volume 2). He is one of my favourite authors and I can’t wait to read the next book in his amazing Charlie Parker series!

Happy Reading to you all!

Best wishes,

📖📚📖📚📖