rose_griffes (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rose_griffes) wrote2024-03-20 07:19 pm
rose_griffes) wrote2024-03-20 07:19 pm
The narrative is hungry.
Media update Jan-Mar 24
Audiobooks! I still find them a bit frustrating at times, especially when I miss a word or don’t know how to spell a character’s name. But I’ve listened to a few of them lately.
Ben Aaronovitch has a collection of short stories set in the Rivers of London universe. I enjoyed them; Kobna Holbrook-Smith is widely appreciated for his work on the Peter Grant novels, and most of these short stories were from Peter’s point of view.
I listened to a Miss Marple novel. Given my frustration with not knowing how to spell character names, or the occasional missed word, I figured I would go with a story that would be slightly familiar to me. A good plan, it turns out: I wasn’t so distracted by “how is that spelled” and it was ok to drift away from the story for a few seconds now and then.
Book-books. E-books in this case. I’ve read several historical romance novels by Grace Burrowes, and she’s a “yay” for me. Meredith Durant was more frustrating, given the good plot mixed with ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE anachronisms.
Rachel Aaron’s By a Silver Thread trilogy is, well, complete with three books. Her stories don’t have the depth of prose that, say, Seanan McGuire can achieve, but the plots are coherent, the action works well within those plots, and I was rooting for the lead character. So: future Detroit with magic and gods. If that seems intriguing, give her books a try.
Lois McMaster Bujold has an eleven novella / twelfth book in her Penric & Desdemona series. Still consistently enjoyable!
One of y’all mentioned Barbara Hambly’s novels recently, and the name struck a chord. The last time I looked for her books, my local library had ZERO e-books of hers. That has changed, so I read the first of her vampire novels, set in the early 1900s. Hambly is a dedicated researcher, and one of her goals is to achieve a certain level of period appropriate characters and behaviors–even with the vampires, whose attitudes and comportment align well with their original cultures and languages. Book one of the vampire series is called Those Who Hunt the Night. I plan to read more, but I may have to go to the ACTUAL library (*gasp*)--they have books 1, 3 and 7 available as e-books, but not the others.
Hambly’s series featuring protagonist Benjamin January begins with A Free Man of Color. January, or rather Janvier, is a black man living in 1800s New Orleans. I’m in the middle of book three, so this is also a successful-for-me series. Both this series and the vampire novels have a mystery at the heart of each book; solving, or at least mitigating, the problem is essential to at least one character’s survival in each story. They’re not, however, classic whodunits. Characters clash and there’s usually not a clean-cut happy ending. Just people moving forward, sometimes carrying scars.
Didn’t finish: A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, by Suzanne Collins. Not due to a lack of quality in the writing; it was more about not necessarily wanting to read through a villain arc, especially knowing in broad strokes where the story would go.
With the current Disney+ subscription, I rewatched the Narnia films from the 2000s. All enjoyable, although the third one had a lower budget, which was visible in the FX quality. Also, just and less-effective writing. But still good enough.
Ahsoka series: I’ve made it through most of the episodes of season one. So far my grade is “mixed”.
FINALLY: Dune, part two: aaaaaah! The narrative loves Paul Atreides. It made a Paul-shaped space JUST FOR HIM. He says he doesn’t love the narrative back, but he’s lying to himself. LINK ME TO YOUR POSTS ABOUT DUNE!
Aaaaand this post has been in progress for weeks, so I’m stopping now. Whatever I missed, I can write about next timewhenever I come up for air again.
Audiobooks! I still find them a bit frustrating at times, especially when I miss a word or don’t know how to spell a character’s name. But I’ve listened to a few of them lately.
Ben Aaronovitch has a collection of short stories set in the Rivers of London universe. I enjoyed them; Kobna Holbrook-Smith is widely appreciated for his work on the Peter Grant novels, and most of these short stories were from Peter’s point of view.
I listened to a Miss Marple novel. Given my frustration with not knowing how to spell character names, or the occasional missed word, I figured I would go with a story that would be slightly familiar to me. A good plan, it turns out: I wasn’t so distracted by “how is that spelled” and it was ok to drift away from the story for a few seconds now and then.
Book-books. E-books in this case. I’ve read several historical romance novels by Grace Burrowes, and she’s a “yay” for me. Meredith Durant was more frustrating, given the good plot mixed with ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE anachronisms.
Rachel Aaron’s By a Silver Thread trilogy is, well, complete with three books. Her stories don’t have the depth of prose that, say, Seanan McGuire can achieve, but the plots are coherent, the action works well within those plots, and I was rooting for the lead character. So: future Detroit with magic and gods. If that seems intriguing, give her books a try.
Lois McMaster Bujold has an eleven novella / twelfth book in her Penric & Desdemona series. Still consistently enjoyable!
One of y’all mentioned Barbara Hambly’s novels recently, and the name struck a chord. The last time I looked for her books, my local library had ZERO e-books of hers. That has changed, so I read the first of her vampire novels, set in the early 1900s. Hambly is a dedicated researcher, and one of her goals is to achieve a certain level of period appropriate characters and behaviors–even with the vampires, whose attitudes and comportment align well with their original cultures and languages. Book one of the vampire series is called Those Who Hunt the Night. I plan to read more, but I may have to go to the ACTUAL library (*gasp*)--they have books 1, 3 and 7 available as e-books, but not the others.
Hambly’s series featuring protagonist Benjamin January begins with A Free Man of Color. January, or rather Janvier, is a black man living in 1800s New Orleans. I’m in the middle of book three, so this is also a successful-for-me series. Both this series and the vampire novels have a mystery at the heart of each book; solving, or at least mitigating, the problem is essential to at least one character’s survival in each story. They’re not, however, classic whodunits. Characters clash and there’s usually not a clean-cut happy ending. Just people moving forward, sometimes carrying scars.
Didn’t finish: A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, by Suzanne Collins. Not due to a lack of quality in the writing; it was more about not necessarily wanting to read through a villain arc, especially knowing in broad strokes where the story would go.
With the current Disney+ subscription, I rewatched the Narnia films from the 2000s. All enjoyable, although the third one had a lower budget, which was visible in the FX quality. Also, just and less-effective writing. But still good enough.
Ahsoka series: I’ve made it through most of the episodes of season one. So far my grade is “mixed”.
FINALLY: Dune, part two: aaaaaah! The narrative loves Paul Atreides. It made a Paul-shaped space JUST FOR HIM. He says he doesn’t love the narrative back, but he’s lying to himself. LINK ME TO YOUR POSTS ABOUT DUNE!
Aaaaand this post has been in progress for weeks, so I’m stopping now. Whatever I missed, I can write about next time
no subject
I was the Hambly mentioner and can totally share epubs of all of them if you'd like! Currently in the middle of book 7 and still enjoying them enormously, I love the Ashers and their vampire so much. :-D And yes, I love the effort she put into making the characters actually of their time! Definitely might have to try her other series after this, I'm going to be bereft when I run out of them soon...
no subject
It's always a delight to find an author with lots of books that work for you, and suddenly you have multiple books! (And then the sadness of catching up...)
no subject
Totally, just let me know! (Fwiw, I did think book 3 was perhaps the weakest one of the lot; not terrible by any means, but not quite as gripping as the rest.) Ended up inhaling the last one in a day yesterday, this series was a great ride <3
(P.S. Apologies for failing to respond on your reply on the Rush post a few weeks ago, it got away from me! I did watch and enjoy that live performance of “YYZ” in Rio, amazing energy from the crowd. Definitely strikes me as the sort of instrumental best experienced in person, at a volume where you can physically feel every note.)
no subject
The Benjamin January books are on my to-read list! I need to brace for a whole series :D
Going to see Dune 2 tonight!!!
no subject
Burrows' romance novels: I like most of what I've read because her recent novels often focus on non-peers: former military men, housekeepers, dressmakers... And the women generally have a bit more agency.
Although I have another rec for romance: Lucy Parker's contemporary romance novels, in particular her 'London celebrities' series. Features actors, tv hosts, stage critics--people who are passionate about their jobs.
no subject
I think seeing Dune 2 on a big screen is worth it, but I will note that in the IMAX theatre, the audio was sometimes overwhelming.