This week, I found myself in the middle of 4 books. This means either life is normal, life is out of whack, or I need a job. And being in the middle of 4 books may not be the most effective way to read. But I'm listening to one on CD (The Blue Sword, by Robin McKinley), I'm taking The Princess and the Goblin (George MacDonald) with me to read on breaks and as I walk to work, and I am reading Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (John Le Carre) at home. And the fourth book at the beginning of the week was Goliath, by Scott Westerfeld (fourth book now is A Lesson in Secrets, by Jacqueline Winspear), which I finished. I know. Amazing. I actually finish the books I start! So, today is a bit of a book review.
Goliath is the third book in the Leviathan Trilogy, by Westerfeld. Some of you may be more familiar with his Uglies series. Of the two, I prefer the Leviathan trilogy, and I will admit right now that a good part of why is because I couldn't take the "bubbly" talk in the Uglies series. Drove me nuts. (And it is even worse when you get the audiobook. FYI). The premise was interesting, the plot was well developed, but the airheadedness was too much. Fortunately, none of that was present in the Leviathan series.
Another seller for the Leviathan series was that while one of the protagonists was a girl, there was a male protagonist to counterbalance. And the girl is pretty likeable. I know this makes it seem like I'm anti-female lead figures. I'm not. I just found Deryn more likeable than Tally. Personal preference.
Other pluses for this series:
-the setting. I have a fascination with the World Wars. Primarily WWII, but WWI plays such a huge role in WWII, that it seems intertwined to me. I think the author made a great choice here.
-themes. There are some interesting themes to explore. Alternate realities, evolution, industrialism, truth, etc. Definitely interesting.
-an acceptable love story. By this I don't necessarily mean likely to happen, but the unfolding and such was acceptable.
-the artwork. I think without the art, the book would definitely have lost some of its appeal, for the reason that it would have been difficult to envision what was going on.
All in all, a good series. It is interesting to explore a different history, and I like the way Westerfeld played with fact and fiction. I haven't read many books like that, and I think that adding the fictional and somewhat fantastical elements made it work. I have read alternate reality books where the story is realistic, but history is different, and they haven't really caught my fancy. They've just been okay. The sci-fi/fantasy element really sells the alternate reality. And, if you opt to listen to it, the narrator is pretty good--I enjoyed the accents!
Conclusion: A good read. Worth the time.
That being said, what was the deal with the lorises?
Showing posts with label series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label series. Show all posts
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Endure to the end?
As a reader, one of my favorite things to find is a wonderful series. A good series means that I get to look forward to future reading. Of course, the drawback to a good series is that 1) it is easy to become obsessed, and I find myself walking around with a book in my hand every spare moment, and 2) if you get on to a series that is in progress-meaning it hasn't been completed--you find yourself experiencing the agony of waiting for the next book to come out.
But what do you do when you start a series that you think is going to be good, but halfway in, you realize it just isn't? (Yes, it DOES happen. Promising series do not always live up to their potential). Do you finish the series or is it okay to give up? It is a tough decision, because, as my brother pointed out, it is easy to feel a literary obligation to see the thing to the end. If you are facing this dilemma, here are some things to consider:
1. How far into the series are you? If you are almost done--say, one or two books left--and you have no other pressing books on the to-read list, you may as well finish it. Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and it will take off in the last two books. (I actually have read a series that got progressively better, so it can pay to hang in there. But it improved with each book, so if you are almost done, and it hasn't gotten better, you probably shouldn't get your hopes up).
2. Why are you reading it? In my brother's example, he wants to have read books his children will someday read. If he has read enough to know that it isn't going to be harmful to them at all, then he may not need to keep reading. If there are things that make him wonder, perhaps he should see it through, or just not recommend it to his kids. If you are reading the series because everyone is talking about it, you may want to see it through to the end, so that you have a thorough knowledge of the books. But if you are only part way into it, and feel that you are sufficiently versed in why you don't like it, why keep reading?
3. How much damage will your ego take if you don't finish it? I have no qualms about quitting things I don't enjoy, so for me, my pride will not be injured if I have read enough of a series to sufficiently be able to say, "Not my kind of literature." And there are several series off the top of my head that fall into that category. But if you will forever feel like a quitter, and have trauma because of the stigma that brings, then by all means, finish the series.
So, should you finish a series, even if you don't enjoy it? My personal philosophy is that there are too many good books to read to spend time on something that doesn't interest you, but there are bound to be exceptions. The decision is yours. But you don't have any kind of obligation, so defenestrate that sense of guilt, and let yourself walk away from a bad series scott free!
But what do you do when you start a series that you think is going to be good, but halfway in, you realize it just isn't? (Yes, it DOES happen. Promising series do not always live up to their potential). Do you finish the series or is it okay to give up? It is a tough decision, because, as my brother pointed out, it is easy to feel a literary obligation to see the thing to the end. If you are facing this dilemma, here are some things to consider:
1. How far into the series are you? If you are almost done--say, one or two books left--and you have no other pressing books on the to-read list, you may as well finish it. Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and it will take off in the last two books. (I actually have read a series that got progressively better, so it can pay to hang in there. But it improved with each book, so if you are almost done, and it hasn't gotten better, you probably shouldn't get your hopes up).
2. Why are you reading it? In my brother's example, he wants to have read books his children will someday read. If he has read enough to know that it isn't going to be harmful to them at all, then he may not need to keep reading. If there are things that make him wonder, perhaps he should see it through, or just not recommend it to his kids. If you are reading the series because everyone is talking about it, you may want to see it through to the end, so that you have a thorough knowledge of the books. But if you are only part way into it, and feel that you are sufficiently versed in why you don't like it, why keep reading?
3. How much damage will your ego take if you don't finish it? I have no qualms about quitting things I don't enjoy, so for me, my pride will not be injured if I have read enough of a series to sufficiently be able to say, "Not my kind of literature." And there are several series off the top of my head that fall into that category. But if you will forever feel like a quitter, and have trauma because of the stigma that brings, then by all means, finish the series.
So, should you finish a series, even if you don't enjoy it? My personal philosophy is that there are too many good books to read to spend time on something that doesn't interest you, but there are bound to be exceptions. The decision is yours. But you don't have any kind of obligation, so defenestrate that sense of guilt, and let yourself walk away from a bad series scott free!
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