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Books No. 41-42
Jul. 27th, 2017 03:50 pmBook No. 41 was "Carry the One" by Carol Anshaw. I'd read her book "Aquamarine" in a gay and lesbian lit class in college and always wanted to read more by this author. "Carry the One" is the story of three siblings: Carmen, Alice, and Nick. They all experience a tragedy on Carmen's wedding night that affects them for the rest of their lives. Carmen is the responsible one who doesn't see the problems in her marriage until it's too late. Alice is the lesbian artist who has a painful off-and-on-again relationship with a beautiful woman who isn't ready to come out. Nick is the designated fuck-up of the family and lives down to those expectations. Anshaw is one of those people who writes beautiful but not showy prose, can set a scene or paint a picture in half a sentence. Her characters feel real, and I love how she treats the subject of siblings, especially ones who have had to be each others' main supports because they have a dysfunctional relationship with their parents. Highly recommended.
Book No. 42 was "The Witch with No Name" by Kim Harrison, the final installment of "The Hollows," an urban fantasy series set in Cincinnati. There's a war brewing between the demons and the elves that could destroy the Ever After and all magic in the world, and a spell upsets the balance in the world of the vampires as well. Rachel Morgan has to figure out how to save magic and keep the different species from going to war, along with figuring out how to save her business partner and good friend Ivy from becoming a soulless undead. I felt Harrison did a lovely job of wrapping up the series, and I felt satisfied by the end. I don't read these books for the stellar prose, because it's actually quite clunky at times (she'll describe a character as "somewhat fat" instead of using "portly" or "fleshy" or "stocky" for instance), but she's pretty great at getting you invested in characters and in setting up set pieces that lead you along from plot point to plot point effortlessly. I enjoyed the series and recommend it if you like urban fantasy and need a bit of brain candy.
( The other books I've read so far this year: )
Book No. 42 was "The Witch with No Name" by Kim Harrison, the final installment of "The Hollows," an urban fantasy series set in Cincinnati. There's a war brewing between the demons and the elves that could destroy the Ever After and all magic in the world, and a spell upsets the balance in the world of the vampires as well. Rachel Morgan has to figure out how to save magic and keep the different species from going to war, along with figuring out how to save her business partner and good friend Ivy from becoming a soulless undead. I felt Harrison did a lovely job of wrapping up the series, and I felt satisfied by the end. I don't read these books for the stellar prose, because it's actually quite clunky at times (she'll describe a character as "somewhat fat" instead of using "portly" or "fleshy" or "stocky" for instance), but she's pretty great at getting you invested in characters and in setting up set pieces that lead you along from plot point to plot point effortlessly. I enjoyed the series and recommend it if you like urban fantasy and need a bit of brain candy.
( The other books I've read so far this year: )
