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shanaqui's reviews
1148 reviews
The Secret Life of the Owl by John Lewis-Stempel
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
John Lewis-Stempel's The Secret Life of the Owl is a bit of a miscellany covering all things owl, mostly focused on owls in the UK. It's a quick read, less than 90 pages, and includes profiles of the owls that live in or visit the UK, and a bit of an examination of how owls fit into our landscape -- both how we react to them, and how other British birds react to them. As such, there are a few poems quoted throughout, in and amongst the facts and figures, and a couple of black-and-white illustrations.
It did feel a little disorganised to me, like Lewis-Stempel was just pouring out anything he could think of about owls. The enthusiasm is endearing, as is the description of his personal fascination with owls, and his interactions with them. Even though it felt a bit badly organised, it was in the way that information can be disorganised when someone is passionately telling you about a pet topic, which I didn't really mind.
I don't feel like I knew a lot about owls before reading, other than some vague bits that filter through popular culture, plus a lifetime of living with intelligent people who watch and discuss documentaries and read this kind of book. I learned a few new things from this book, though I don't know how much I'll retain -- either way, it was fun.
It did feel a little disorganised to me, like Lewis-Stempel was just pouring out anything he could think of about owls. The enthusiasm is endearing, as is the description of his personal fascination with owls, and his interactions with them. Even though it felt a bit badly organised, it was in the way that information can be disorganised when someone is passionately telling you about a pet topic, which I didn't really mind.
I don't feel like I knew a lot about owls before reading, other than some vague bits that filter through popular culture, plus a lifetime of living with intelligent people who watch and discuss documentaries and read this kind of book. I learned a few new things from this book, though I don't know how much I'll retain -- either way, it was fun.
Fairy Tail, Volume 33 by Hiro Mashima
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Ahh, Natsu's reaction at the end is a heck of a thing. So characteristic, and also what makes this series enjoyable: the "found family" of a guild, and how sacred Fairy Tail hold it to be.
Jellal and Erza have definitely got a problem.
Jellal and Erza have definitely got a problem.
Murder at the British Museum by Jim Eldridge
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Murder at the British Museum follows on from the first book in Jim Eldridge's series of mysteries based in museums, following the characters Daniel Wilson (retired cop, now private investigator) and Abigail Fenton (archaeologist, now also a private investigator) as they tackle another murder in a museum. There's a lot of tension in this book between the private investigators and the police, since Daniel's now working alongside people he knew in the force, but it isn't just one-dimensional: Inspector Feather is friendly and helpful, and unlike in the previous book, the narrative follows the police as well part of the time, which was interesting.
Overall, I found it more engaging than the previous book, with Abigail's character feeling a touch more consistent. It's unfortunate that for plot reasons she had to do something pretty stupid a couple of times, but there's a couple of interesting scenes between her and Daniel (for instance her gently telling him that he mustn't act like she's in danger everywhere she goes, and must accept that she'll gauge this for herself).
It's not a series I'm going to read for the characters, I think, but it worked better for me on that front this time.
I'll spare you any quibbles and thoughts on the subject of Arthurian scholarship, particularly as it was all from a historical rather than literary point of view (since I mostly studied it from a literary point of view). It was good enough for fiction, though I'd have expected a bit better of Abigail than to think Malory was the originator of a lot of it (she should have pointed to the Vulgate Cycle). I did think it was an interesting motive and a good use of actual scholarly arguments to set up the reason for murder.
Overall, I found it more engaging than the previous book, with Abigail's character feeling a touch more consistent. It's unfortunate that for plot reasons she had to do something pretty stupid a couple of times, but there's a couple of interesting scenes between her and Daniel (for instance her gently telling him that he mustn't act like she's in danger everywhere she goes, and must accept that she'll gauge this for herself).
It's not a series I'm going to read for the characters, I think, but it worked better for me on that front this time.
I'll spare you any quibbles and thoughts on the subject of Arthurian scholarship, particularly as it was all from a historical rather than literary point of view (since I mostly studied it from a literary point of view). It was good enough for fiction, though I'd have expected a bit better of Abigail than to think Malory was the originator of a lot of it (she should have pointed to the Vulgate Cycle). I did think it was an interesting motive and a good use of actual scholarly arguments to set up the reason for murder.
Heaven Official's Blessing Manhua Vol. 6 by 墨香铜臭, Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Ahh the Gambler's Den scene! 💙
The Book-Makers: A Story in Thirteen Extraordinary Lives by Adam Smyth
informative
slow-paced
4.0
Adam Smyth's The Book-Makers is about books as physical objects, for the most part: paper, ink, binding, assembly. And he clearly sees them as objects of beauty as well, and is fascinated by the way people have interacted with them as objects, not necessarily (or at least not wholly) based on the contents. He's illustrated this history by choosing significant figures, such as Wynkyn de Worde, Benjamin Franklin, etc.
Because of his interest in books as objects, he doesn't really discuss ebooks in any depth at all. They're briefly mentioned, but that's it. This is really specifically about books -- or to be even more specific, about the history of the codex, rather than stories, or scrolls, or anything else. (He doesn't say anything specifically anti-ereader, either, for those who find that really gets their goat. He's just interested in something else.)
I found some of the chapters more interesting than others, and at times he does go in a bit more depth than I was entirely interested in -- I felt bogged down by detail at times. Still, if you have a similar interest in books as physical objects, then this is likely of interest to you!
Because of his interest in books as objects, he doesn't really discuss ebooks in any depth at all. They're briefly mentioned, but that's it. This is really specifically about books -- or to be even more specific, about the history of the codex, rather than stories, or scrolls, or anything else. (He doesn't say anything specifically anti-ereader, either, for those who find that really gets their goat. He's just interested in something else.)
I found some of the chapters more interesting than others, and at times he does go in a bit more depth than I was entirely interested in -- I felt bogged down by detail at times. Still, if you have a similar interest in books as physical objects, then this is likely of interest to you!
Fairy Tail, Volume 32 by Hiro Mashima
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Oh Jellal... That would've been really stupid.
Heaven Official's Blessing Manhua Vol. 5 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
They could possibly make it look more like teens having a sleepover, but I'm not sure how...
I do like Mu Qing and Feng Xin's character designs.
I do like Mu Qing and Feng Xin's character designs.
Enchanted Creatures: Our Monsters and Their Meanings by Natalie Lawrence
informative
reflective
medium-paced
2.0
Natalie Lawrence's Enchanted Creatures is a fairly entertaining read, an attempt to dig into why humans imagine monsters, and what various kinds of monsters mean to us and what they say about us. It's unfortunately one of those books where the research is marred by bizarre mistakes; the most basic check on Google would yield the info that the Goblin King in Labyrinth is called Jareth, not Jared, for instance.
When that kind of easily-verifiable fact is wrong, it really casts everything else into doubt. There is a bibliography with some references, which is somewhat reassuring, but... Jared? I know that's wrong and I've never even seen Labyrinth.
Or there's a section where she refers to Circe as one of several snake women who've had modern novels written from their point of view. What? Circe isn't associated with snakes.
The more I think about it, the more it falls to bits -- how can any conclusions be supported when this stuff is randomly mentioned without actual evidence? If you want me to accept that Circe's a snake-woman in some way, then we need the evidence.
When that kind of easily-verifiable fact is wrong, it really casts everything else into doubt. There is a bibliography with some references, which is somewhat reassuring, but... Jared? I know that's wrong and I've never even seen Labyrinth.
Or there's a section where she refers to Circe as one of several snake women who've had modern novels written from their point of view. What? Circe isn't associated with snakes.
The more I think about it, the more it falls to bits -- how can any conclusions be supported when this stuff is randomly mentioned without actual evidence? If you want me to accept that Circe's a snake-woman in some way, then we need the evidence.
Fairy Tail, Volume 31 by Hiro Mashima
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
And off they go into another adventure, without any downtime. I found the interlude in the Celestial Realm a bit odd, especially as it was then immediately undermined by the use of the Arc of Time -- what was the point in keeping them weak for the contest only to immediately strengthen them again? It feels like filler.
Rope's End, Rogue's End by E.C.R. Lorac
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Rope's End, Rogue's End isn't one of my favourite E.C.R. Lorac books so far, though when I say that you always need to take into account that I think she was a really great writer. A three-star rating for an E.C.R. Lorac book is always relative (for me) to what I know her best books can be. In this case, she didn't really exercise her talent for likeable characters, with everyone in the Mallowood family being difficult and argumentative, their relationships always rocky.
What I did think about a lot is that E.C.R. Lorac was careful not to pigeon-hole herself. She doesn't have a particular character "type" that always turns out to be the villain. There are similarities between the situation in this book and that in Accident by Design -- but the similarities are fairly superficial, and not a guide as to whodunnit in this particular story.
As usual, Lorac's ability to evoke a sense of place does shine through in the portrayal of Wulfstane Manor, though again, it's not a copy/paste by any means: while several of the characters adore the house, and Macdonald is certainly impressed by it, it doesn't feel like a happy house, and the sense of wear and dilapidation is what comes through most strongly.
The mystery itself, I worked out the basics of fairly quickly, but figuring out exactly how everything was done was something else.
The main thing marring the experience here is that the Kindle edition is very badly edited. My guess is that OCR was used, but the system didn't recognise various bits of punctuation (colons and dashes), meaning that sentences don't always make a whole lot of sense.
What I did think about a lot is that E.C.R. Lorac was careful not to pigeon-hole herself. She doesn't have a particular character "type" that always turns out to be the villain. There are similarities between the situation in this book and that in Accident by Design -- but the similarities are fairly superficial, and not a guide as to whodunnit in this particular story.
As usual, Lorac's ability to evoke a sense of place does shine through in the portrayal of Wulfstane Manor, though again, it's not a copy/paste by any means: while several of the characters adore the house, and Macdonald is certainly impressed by it, it doesn't feel like a happy house, and the sense of wear and dilapidation is what comes through most strongly.
The mystery itself, I worked out the basics of fairly quickly, but figuring out exactly how everything was done was something else.
The main thing marring the experience here is that the Kindle edition is very badly edited. My guess is that OCR was used, but the system didn't recognise various bits of punctuation (colons and dashes), meaning that sentences don't always make a whole lot of sense.