(no subject)
Just catching up on books read to date.
Doctor Who: The Legends of River Song (various authors)
4 or 5 short tales from the diaries of River Song, some with the Doctor and some without. A couple were quite good, one or two felt a bit forced. I don't know if this was purely fan fiction or whether it was officially sanctioned and commissioned. I think it was official because it seems to me it had the BBC logo on it but some of the stories felt like fanfic. You can take the personality traits and expressions of a character and the outlandish adventures a bit too far sometimes. Overall, though, a fun read.
The Break by Katherena Vermette
Wonderful book about the women across several generations of a First Nations family in Winnipeg dealing with the aftermath of a horrible crime against a teenage girl perpetrated also by a Native. There are themes of racism and violence but the real gem is how people support each other and survive. The story is told from the voices of most of the main characters, can be sad and poignant and heartbreaking. It feels very real.
Ru by Kim Thuy
Story of a Vietnamese immigrant to Montreal, told in vignettes about her life and family before and after immigrating. Felt a little disjointed as if the author was writing and one thing reminded her of something else and then again, but not all are linear. I think it's supposed to be like that. Wasn't quite what I expected.
Hit & Mrs. by Lesley Crewe
"madcap" adventure surrounding a women's weekend away in New York. The middle aged friends are helping one of their group get over a recent breakup and naturally, end up at the hotel where her ex and his girlfriend are also staying. But there's a luggage mix up, an accidental death, criminals, chases, kidnappings and off the wall families. I found there were a lot of cliche stereotypes and it was a bit tedious at times. I read one of her books last year and really liked it and I'm willing to give them another try but this one was more of a Miss than a Mrs.
Company Town by Madeline Ashby
Tale from the future, taking place in a small city on an oil rig off the coast of Newfoundland. Hwa is a half-Korean body guard who is hired by the corporate owners of the city to guard the teenage heir apparent to the corporation. Then the murders of sex workers, Hwa's former clients and friends, start and we don't know if it's related to the death threats against the teenage heir or against Hwa herself. Really enjoyed this, good world building though the end was confusing and wtf?
Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All by Jonas Jonasson
Loved!!! I've read his other books and they're in a similar vein. Wry humour, off the wall zany (and I mean that in a good way), absolutely ludicrous at times but quite funny. He tends to write stories about people that are determined to change their lives in one way or another and there's always a satisfactorily happy ending to the adventure.
Doctor Who: The Legends of River Song (various authors)
4 or 5 short tales from the diaries of River Song, some with the Doctor and some without. A couple were quite good, one or two felt a bit forced. I don't know if this was purely fan fiction or whether it was officially sanctioned and commissioned. I think it was official because it seems to me it had the BBC logo on it but some of the stories felt like fanfic. You can take the personality traits and expressions of a character and the outlandish adventures a bit too far sometimes. Overall, though, a fun read.
The Break by Katherena Vermette
Wonderful book about the women across several generations of a First Nations family in Winnipeg dealing with the aftermath of a horrible crime against a teenage girl perpetrated also by a Native. There are themes of racism and violence but the real gem is how people support each other and survive. The story is told from the voices of most of the main characters, can be sad and poignant and heartbreaking. It feels very real.
Ru by Kim Thuy
Story of a Vietnamese immigrant to Montreal, told in vignettes about her life and family before and after immigrating. Felt a little disjointed as if the author was writing and one thing reminded her of something else and then again, but not all are linear. I think it's supposed to be like that. Wasn't quite what I expected.
Hit & Mrs. by Lesley Crewe
"madcap" adventure surrounding a women's weekend away in New York. The middle aged friends are helping one of their group get over a recent breakup and naturally, end up at the hotel where her ex and his girlfriend are also staying. But there's a luggage mix up, an accidental death, criminals, chases, kidnappings and off the wall families. I found there were a lot of cliche stereotypes and it was a bit tedious at times. I read one of her books last year and really liked it and I'm willing to give them another try but this one was more of a Miss than a Mrs.
Company Town by Madeline Ashby
Tale from the future, taking place in a small city on an oil rig off the coast of Newfoundland. Hwa is a half-Korean body guard who is hired by the corporate owners of the city to guard the teenage heir apparent to the corporation. Then the murders of sex workers, Hwa's former clients and friends, start and we don't know if it's related to the death threats against the teenage heir or against Hwa herself. Really enjoyed this, good world building though the end was confusing and wtf?
Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All by Jonas Jonasson
Loved!!! I've read his other books and they're in a similar vein. Wry humour, off the wall zany (and I mean that in a good way), absolutely ludicrous at times but quite funny. He tends to write stories about people that are determined to change their lives in one way or another and there's always a satisfactorily happy ending to the adventure.