October was the month I started so many new series. I kind of hate myself for it because one of my goals for reading in 2016 was to finish more series and now we’re in November and I have double the amount of series I’m currently reading. Whoops! At least I did more reading then I did in my disappointing September.
The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
Honestly, I wish I liked this more but I wasn’t a fan! Although I admire Pratchett’s use of similes and metaphors that are completely new, but make as much sense as the common cliches, it didn’t feel like a first book to me. It felt like Pratchett expected you to know about the world already, and when things were explained it was all unnecessarily complicated. I found myself getting lost over and over again and that just isn’t something that happens very often when I’m reading. I couldn’t connect to the characters, I couldn’t settle in the world and now I’m not sure if I’ll ever return!
Terry Pratchett fans, am I missing something? Did I start with the wrong book? Educate me!
His words drifted across Death’s scythe and split tidily into two ribbons of consonants and vowels.
✮✮
Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse by Chris Riddell
This was in my Hallowreadathon TBR and Wrap-up. High-five! Despite this, I struggle to talk about this book. There’s a nice little segment where the main character gets a lot of literary nannies, Jane Ear and Hebe Poppins being the only ones I recognised off the bat, but I’m sure if I was more well read that I would of known the rest. And, of course, Mary Shellfish and her monster make an appearance too. But beyond these literary references, the story is a little all over the place. Maybe because it’s a kids book, maybe because it’s the first book in a series and Riddell is just trying to get all the characters onto the page.
Overall, I liked it! But I didn’t love it and I’m trying to not let my adoration for Chris Riddell colour my review. The illustrations were beautiful, as always, but the story didn’t do much for me.
✮✮✮
Shakespeare’s Landlord by Charlaine Harris
Am I actually reading things off my Autumn TBR? Not just the one from last month but this month as well! I knew I wanted to start a new Charlaine Harris series as soon as I put down my last. The obvious choice for me, after adoring the Aurora Teagarden series, was her other completed cosy crime series, the Lily Bard mysteries.
Guess what? I loved it! Unsurprisingly. I initially gave it four stars but went back and bumped it up to five because I read it at a very busy time during the month and that was probably the only reason I didn’t finish it in one go.
As always with Harris’s writing, you’re immediately introduced to the main character and you grow to love them really quickly. I’ll always have a special place in my heart for Aurora but Lily is a fighter, she’s a champion and a survivor and I adore her. There’s a logical reason for her getting involved in the action (something commonly missing in cosy crime), and I didn’t see where it was going until a couple of pages before the big reveal! I missed books like this.
I will say, if you have certain triggers relating to sexual assault and rape, this might be too much. Lily is an amazing character but she is still struggling and it’s important to protect yourself if that might affect you.
Claude’s voice provided a pleasant background sound, like listening to a familiar book on tape.
✮✮✮✮✮
Her Darkest Nightmare by Brenda Novak*
Did you know 1% of the population are psychopaths? Fun fact!
I requested a copy of this from the publisher because my favourite character to write is a woman named Evelyn, and I love reading about psychopaths. This book has its own Evelyn and it based in a prison that houses, and studies, psychopaths.
This was a really smart crime novel. It was put together well, paced well, the characters and back story were interesting, it balanced everything and managed to keep me guessing until the very end. I can’t wait for the next book. I think this will be one of those series that just keeps putting out quality.
I will say the one thing that really pulled me back from absolutely adoring this book was the repetitive flip-and-flop nature of Evelyn’s thoughts and attitudes- I’ve definitely been there in the past with my own mental health but I’m not a professional. I feel like I wanted to wrap her in a blanket and convince her to go to therapy. Hopefully in the next book, she’ll address this and move forward.
But being a good psychiatrist, cop, actor, musician or writer – a good anything – meant being able to take a risk when the situation warranted it.
✮✮✮✮
Conquest by Jennifer Ridyard and John Connelly
Another from my Autumn TBR, I actually read this for the first time in October, two years ago! Pretty neat.
I’ve actually been reading this for a couple months because I’m terrible at re-reads. As soon as that unknown is taken out of it, I find myself really struggling to pick the book up. However, read it I did and unlike my last re-read, my opinions didn’t change. I liked it! I love the characters and the world, the romance and the friendship. And again, my only problem is the info-dumping that happens. If you haven’t read this series, you’re missing out on what YA should be like! And I’m really excited to re-read the next book because I gave it a 5 star review the first time around.
And the earth did indeed surrender, for what choice did it have?
✮✮✮✮
Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch
I listened to the first book in this series last month, and continued on this month with Moon Over Soho. Unfortunately, this might be the last one though. They’re just not memorable to me. I wanted 80% less of the main character- who I’m struggling to remember the name of as I write this- sleeping with women related to his cases, and for that to be filled up with the magic.
On the other hand, I read one of the graphic novels in the series and really enjoyed it, so who knows.
✮✮
Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs by Molly Harper
Imagine how excited I was when one of the books from my Books I Want to Buy and Why #9 came up on iTunes for free? I was very excited. I love the iTunes free book of the week service even though I don’t really like reading ebooks because I’m prone to headaches that make reading off a screen for hours just the worst.
But! I really wanted to read this book and if I have it there on my phone, I really didn’t want to buy another physical copy. And I’m glad I didn’t because it was a middle-of-the-road read for me. I felt like there was a lot of judgement of other women and there were a few moments where I was like- yikes. I don’t like that in my reading. It was also very similar to the Sookie Stackhouse series in a lot of places.
The story was predictable, and although this was an enjoyable read- I just want more originality and less vampire story cliché.
✮✮
Imogen's Typewriter. 