More books for Christmas
I finished Son of a Witch. I didn't like it. I haven't read a book I didn't like in a while, so it was an odd experience, and I don't believe I regret it. Just a heads up to any of you who loved Wicked as much as I did and were thinking about reading the sequel.
I received several books from my parents this past week, including the complete "Peanuts" collection from 1955-8, a new "Zits" book, The God Who May Be by Richard Kearney, and The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I'm about 100 pages into The Historian, and I'm really enjoying it. It's a modern retelling of Dracula that incorporates the historical Vlad Tepes III, a.k.a. Dracula (son of the dragon).
With my gift card, I bought Lynne Truss's Talk to the Hand, which I read in one day. Truss also wrote Eats, Shoots & Leaves, another book that I love. I found a book of her fiction and will probably buy it soon. If you hate bad grammar or manners, or if you just love witty prose, check out Truss's books.
I received several books from my parents this past week, including the complete "Peanuts" collection from 1955-8, a new "Zits" book, The God Who May Be by Richard Kearney, and The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I'm about 100 pages into The Historian, and I'm really enjoying it. It's a modern retelling of Dracula that incorporates the historical Vlad Tepes III, a.k.a. Dracula (son of the dragon).
With my gift card, I bought Lynne Truss's Talk to the Hand, which I read in one day. Truss also wrote Eats, Shoots & Leaves, another book that I love. I found a book of her fiction and will probably buy it soon. If you hate bad grammar or manners, or if you just love witty prose, check out Truss's books.
posted by Unknown @ 1/09/2006 06:46:00 PM
4 Comments:
At Thursday, January 12, 2006 12:13:00 AM,
Sara said…
Why didn't you like Son of a Witch, just out of curiosity? Jon loves Wicked and asked for the sequel for Christmas (which we'll be celebrating NEXT WEEK when he's home for a 2-week leave!!!!)- wouldn't want him to be disappointed.
So did you ever hear the one about the panda...
At Thursday, January 12, 2006 10:21:00 AM,
Unknown said…
I loved Wicked too, and I couldn't wait to read the sequel. Sadly, it did not live up to expectations.
WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW
Wicked benefitted from a main character who was already fascinating. The Wicked Witch of the West is a cultural icon, and the way author Gregory Maguire revises her story is not only a great story, but an interesting treatment of the problem of evil.
Liir, the possible son of the witch (we don't find out the truth until the very last page), does not have a built-in fanbase, and his character development early in the novel does little to evoke reader sympathy. Liir embarks on two quests in the novel, and does not accomplish either of them in a satisfactory way, and there's no resolution until the very end. Also, he lives with Candle, the woman who nursed him back to health, and one of his quests is to find the girl Nor, his childhood friend, and yet, out of nowhere, he has an affair with a fellow army officer, which seemed just thrown in to make the novel culturally "relevant."
I thought Candle was the only really interesting character in the novel, but her appearances are rare and brief. If Maguire is planning a series, and if the next installment focuses more on her, I may pick it up.
Overall, the novel was slow and focused on the wrong characters, and the characterization was inconsistent. Really, it was an unnecessary sequel.
At Tuesday, January 17, 2006 7:10:00 AM,
Anonymous said…
Hey. I loved Out of Egypt...I'm going to post on my blog about it soon, so there will be more details there.
When I was at my mom's house this weekend I picked up King's Firestarter because it was pretty much the only non-contemporary Christian book lying around. I am absolutely in love with it now, it really has the feel of a classic sci-fi work. Have you read it?
At Tuesday, January 17, 2006 7:11:00 AM,
Anonymous said…
That was me by the way....just in case you couldn't figure it out.
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