Wed Reading Meme
Jul. 26th, 2017 09:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. What I just finished reading...
Lord of the Fading Lands by CL Wilson -- this is an "epic romantic fantasy series" that sort of clobbers you with fairy tale and romance novel cliches. And spends fare too much time on setting things up, and not enough on character. Also it's extremely repetitious. By the halfway mark, I was slugging my way through it. Do not recommend.
Not sure I'll bother reading the sequel, even though I do own it. Unfortunately, I bought it before I realized I didn't like the writer's style.
Eh, for a more in depth review, here's what I wrote on Good Reads:
The world-building is the best thing about this novel. Unfortunately when it comes to reading novels or any story really, the thing that I care the least about is world-building. Granted, the world building has to be consistent and make sense, otherwise I get jarred out of the story.
The problem this story has...is the pacing is sluggish at best. The writer spends a lot of time on incidental issues, and repeats things ad naseum. Yes, I know, the mother is terrified of magic. Perhaps tell me less, and show me why more? Since we have multiple points of view, it would make sense to put the reader's in the mother's, also make the heroine's mother more sympathetic. That's just one example.
At a certain point, I gave up and started to skim. Just to get through the book.
The other problem...the characters are one-dimensional, and familiar romance novel and fantasy tropes. Which fits with the fairy tale style, but makes them rather predictable at times, and irritating at others.
What I liked? I found the idea behind the story interesting...a Tairen Soul hunting his truemate, but she must accept him as well...and the world. Also the writer did a good job with the whole soul mate bit, better than most.
The heroine did get on my nerves after a while, which was another issue. I liked the hero well enough, but I wanted to smack her upside the head. She causes a lot of problems by cowering in fear over well everything. Also, the writing style feels a bit hyperbolic --- I can feel the exclamation marks, even if they aren't in evidence.
I bought both books on Amazon. The first was on sale and cheap, the second...at $7.99. It's a series, each book is more expensive than the last. I've noticed this is true with a lot of series. I don't know if I can get into the next one. It sort of ended on a cliff-hanger, but I find it hard to care that much.
2. What I'm reading now?
Americanah by by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - which is about two Nigerian former lovers. One, female, Ifelemu, who moves to America for two years, and then decides to return to Nigeria. The other , male, Obinz, who went to seek his forturn in Great Britain, and has returned to Nigeria, gotten married and has a daughter.
I'm currently in the section in which each is relating their past or what came before. How they lived in Nigeria, going to University there and school, and their families. Obinze's mother is a University Professor. And Ifelemu's mother is an administrator, while her father had a government job before he was summarily fired, for not calling his boss, Mummy.
The woman are exceedingly strong in this book. More so than the men. Which is interesting.
It's not a romance (Obinze is unhappily married), more a literary coming of age tale about what it is like being Nigerian in this world.
The British, Americans and the Northern Europeans, basically the entitled white people who attempted to colonize and raid Africa, do not come across well. I hate to say this but if you go around colonizing other countries, thrusting your imperialistic might, and enslaving or undermining their inhabitants...you are bound to be portrayed by the inhabitants of those countries as irredeemable entitled assholes many years later. *cough*Karma*cough*
It's a fascinating novel, but somewhat depressing. So not sure how long I'll be able to stick with it. It's over 600 pages. And small type in a paperback. My aging eyes prefer ebooks, where I can increase the print size. Otherwise I have to wear reading glasses over the contacts. Like I'm doing now as I'm typing this.
Compelling yes. Uplifting and funny, no.
I don't know why literary novels, for the most part, are so depressing. There are a few funny ones here and there. But most are these poetic dirges of middle-class malaise. Either bad marriages, unsatisfying romances gone sour, bad friendships, dysfunctional families, etc.
Almost as if the only way you can be considered worthy by the esteemed academic literary canon is if you are depressing. (Well as long as you do it poetically at any rate.) I actually saw people condemn a novel for having a happy ending. As if a prerequisite for quality is well not ending happily.
I have no interest in writing depressing novels. It's not that I can't do so...I can. But seriously, why? Life is hard enough at it is.
Hmmm...on a poetic front, are there any witty poets wandering about?
Lord of the Fading Lands by CL Wilson -- this is an "epic romantic fantasy series" that sort of clobbers you with fairy tale and romance novel cliches. And spends fare too much time on setting things up, and not enough on character. Also it's extremely repetitious. By the halfway mark, I was slugging my way through it. Do not recommend.
Not sure I'll bother reading the sequel, even though I do own it. Unfortunately, I bought it before I realized I didn't like the writer's style.
Eh, for a more in depth review, here's what I wrote on Good Reads:
The world-building is the best thing about this novel. Unfortunately when it comes to reading novels or any story really, the thing that I care the least about is world-building. Granted, the world building has to be consistent and make sense, otherwise I get jarred out of the story.
The problem this story has...is the pacing is sluggish at best. The writer spends a lot of time on incidental issues, and repeats things ad naseum. Yes, I know, the mother is terrified of magic. Perhaps tell me less, and show me why more? Since we have multiple points of view, it would make sense to put the reader's in the mother's, also make the heroine's mother more sympathetic. That's just one example.
At a certain point, I gave up and started to skim. Just to get through the book.
The other problem...the characters are one-dimensional, and familiar romance novel and fantasy tropes. Which fits with the fairy tale style, but makes them rather predictable at times, and irritating at others.
What I liked? I found the idea behind the story interesting...a Tairen Soul hunting his truemate, but she must accept him as well...and the world. Also the writer did a good job with the whole soul mate bit, better than most.
The heroine did get on my nerves after a while, which was another issue. I liked the hero well enough, but I wanted to smack her upside the head. She causes a lot of problems by cowering in fear over well everything. Also, the writing style feels a bit hyperbolic --- I can feel the exclamation marks, even if they aren't in evidence.
I bought both books on Amazon. The first was on sale and cheap, the second...at $7.99. It's a series, each book is more expensive than the last. I've noticed this is true with a lot of series. I don't know if I can get into the next one. It sort of ended on a cliff-hanger, but I find it hard to care that much.
2. What I'm reading now?
Americanah by by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - which is about two Nigerian former lovers. One, female, Ifelemu, who moves to America for two years, and then decides to return to Nigeria. The other , male, Obinz, who went to seek his forturn in Great Britain, and has returned to Nigeria, gotten married and has a daughter.
I'm currently in the section in which each is relating their past or what came before. How they lived in Nigeria, going to University there and school, and their families. Obinze's mother is a University Professor. And Ifelemu's mother is an administrator, while her father had a government job before he was summarily fired, for not calling his boss, Mummy.
The woman are exceedingly strong in this book. More so than the men. Which is interesting.
It's not a romance (Obinze is unhappily married), more a literary coming of age tale about what it is like being Nigerian in this world.
The British, Americans and the Northern Europeans, basically the entitled white people who attempted to colonize and raid Africa, do not come across well. I hate to say this but if you go around colonizing other countries, thrusting your imperialistic might, and enslaving or undermining their inhabitants...you are bound to be portrayed by the inhabitants of those countries as irredeemable entitled assholes many years later. *cough*Karma*cough*
It's a fascinating novel, but somewhat depressing. So not sure how long I'll be able to stick with it. It's over 600 pages. And small type in a paperback. My aging eyes prefer ebooks, where I can increase the print size. Otherwise I have to wear reading glasses over the contacts. Like I'm doing now as I'm typing this.
Compelling yes. Uplifting and funny, no.
I don't know why literary novels, for the most part, are so depressing. There are a few funny ones here and there. But most are these poetic dirges of middle-class malaise. Either bad marriages, unsatisfying romances gone sour, bad friendships, dysfunctional families, etc.
Almost as if the only way you can be considered worthy by the esteemed academic literary canon is if you are depressing. (Well as long as you do it poetically at any rate.) I actually saw people condemn a novel for having a happy ending. As if a prerequisite for quality is well not ending happily.
I have no interest in writing depressing novels. It's not that I can't do so...I can. But seriously, why? Life is hard enough at it is.
Hmmm...on a poetic front, are there any witty poets wandering about?
no subject
Date: 2017-07-27 01:50 am (UTC)Looking forward to getting into Bettany Hughes' book about the history of Istanbul; very heavy one that though, so I won't be carrying around on buses with me :-)
kerk
no subject
Date: 2017-07-27 04:53 pm (UTC)The Germania memoir sounds rather interesting. Thanks for sharing.