Reading Wednesday. I think I'm settling on Thursday for this meme.

[st_aurafina]

Ugh, personal trainer time this morning was cruel and I'm walking like a penguin again. But my brain is so much healthier for it. It's worth it.

Also, we had a puppy break at work today! One of my juniors has just got a springer spaniel puppy, and she brought him in to visit us. Puppy feet! Silky spaniel puppy ears! Freckly puppy nose! He'd just come from a puppy play date, and he kept falling asleep in her arms, and the levels of adorable were lethal. I think we all died, multiple times.




Just Finished Reading

A Great and Terrible Beauty, by Libba Bray

I found this on one of the GLBT booklists, where someone had said that they'd nominated it, even though the queer content was problematic. Which it was, I suppose, in the sense that part of the dire and dangerous magic the girls tampered with involved a lot of frenzied girl kissing and touching, and because there's an obvious male love interest for Gemma, the POV character. I actually liked it - I liked that Gemma was not at all close to any of the girls in her secret society, but they were all quite tight knit at the end. I liked Gemma's developing moral compass, and how she took on responsibility for the safety of her friends. The atmosphere of the book was deliciously dark and feverish, a little like Picnic at Hanging Rock. Very fraught. Lots of corsets and heaving bosoms.

It took me a while to get going - just like with The Hunger Games, first person present tense is a bit off-putting for me. There was a lot I liked in it, though, and I think I'll check out the next book in the series.



Currently Reading

India Black: Madam of Espionage by Carol K CArr

A ha ha, this is heaps of fun. India is the owner and madam of the Lotus House, a brothel in 1870's London, who is lumped with a briefcase of sensitive documents when one of her patrons drops dead while dressed as Queen Victoria and waving a riding crop. There's a lot of running around, sneaking into embassies and hotels, making out with other madams, and a sleigh chase. India's background is as yet a mystery to me, and she does like to tell us how she's just so much cleverer than the prostitutes she employs, but I'm enjoying her POV so far. It's light and frothy and a bit ridiculous but also fun.


Still reading Moon Over Soho, but I've put it aside for Victorian prostitute espionage.



Planning to Read

I think I really need to do a reread of Harry Potter - when I was writing for fandom_stocking, I had to ask lilacsigil what Voldemort's cronies called themselves. And how to capitalise 'Death Eater'. That's a sad state of affairs.

A while ago, I started The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. I put it down - first person present tense again - but I did like the premise and you know, horse books are a thing. After enjoying A Great and Terrible Beauty, I'd like to give it another go.

Comments

[inkstone]

I loved India Black! The second book in the series didn't work for me quite as well but looking at Amazon, it looks like there've been more books published about India. I may give them a shot!

[st_aurafina]

It looks like there's five books now, yay!

[lonelywalker]

dire and dangerous magic the girls tampered with involved a lot of frenzied girl kissing
I am suspicious that there seems to be very little dire and dangerous magic that involved frenzied boy kissing.

one of her patrons drops dead while dressed as Queen Victoria and waving a riding crop
Well.

[st_aurafina]

I am suspicious that there seems to be very little dire and dangerous magic that involved frenzied boy kissing.

There's an idea for you for NaNo!

one of her patrons drops dead while dressed as Queen Victoria and waving a riding crop

Yeah, it's a great book.

[d_generate_girl]

Just snagged the India Black book for my Kindle. Looks awesome, thanks for the rec!

[st_aurafina]

It's lots of fun. It rollicks along!

[clare_dragonfly]

I think I must have read a different Great and Terrible Beauty than other people. I was disappointed in it, and while I distinctly remember hearing before I read it that there was queer content, I did not find any queer content when I read the book. I definitely don't remember any frenzied girl kissing and touching. Weird.

[st_aurafina]

I think it's a mood thing, with this book? I read it on a really hot, dreamy kind of day, and maybe it set me up better for the storytelling style?

It wasn't explicit - more alluded to, in the times when they first went to the magical other place. After they read in the journal that the first two girls kissed each other with passion etc.

[umadoshi]

...and this is exactly how my to-read list became terrifying, and continues to become ever more so. ^^;

[st_aurafina]

Me too! Reading Wednesday is deadly that way!

[realpestilence]

I like third person pov because that way you get a bit of insight into everyone, instead of the claustrophobic pov of one character who may be an unreliable narrator in regards to others.

It's been a long time since I've read the HP books. I liked the first two very much, was ok with POA (though I never did understand the frenzy over Sirius, who was an asshole), had real problems with GoF and HBP and didn't bother to read whatever the last ones were. ~bad fangirl

[st_aurafina]

I don't mind first person, and I don't even really mind present tense if it's fanfic, but first person and present tense? It's like being forcibly thrust into the mind of an angsty teenager, and I've done my time in that jail. It's hard to make myself do more. (I managed it for Hunger Games, and this book.)