Wednesday, May 19, 2010

The Wood Wife

I can't believe how far behind I am - is it really May already? Actually almost June and June is when I have to go back to work... sigh. Maternity leave went by so fast!!

I read Terri Windling's The Wood Wife several months ago and I think I should have jotted down my thoughts back then... Now all I remember is that it was fantastic. It won the World Fantasy Award so it was bound to be good, but I was surprised HOW good it was.

It's about Maggie, a writer who inherits a house in the desert from a writer she corresponded with. The circumstances of his death are very strange and Maggie gets more and more curious about him and his life. What she uncovers is magical, incredible and absolutely real.

What I really loved about this book is what I loved about Neil Gaiman's American Gods, the notion that old myths are true. I believe in the pagan Gods and I love the idea that what people believed in before organized religion was real and that the magical being of old tales live among us. Neither Gaiman nor Windling romanticize these stories - not everyone is good and pure... Great stuff.

Definitely a book for any fantasy lover, but it's also a quality book in itself so I'd recommend to anyone!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell

A Swedish crime novel, recommended to me by my friend Pierluigi after I complained about not liking The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson very much... He reads a lot of Scandinavian crime novels and assured me that Larsson wasn't the best writer around. I'm grateful for the tip and the opportunity to read Faceless Killers, I would never had picked it up if it wasn't for him!

Faceless Killers is the first book in the Kurt Wallander detective series. This particular story is about a violent crime and racial hatred - very interesting in the way that the story is put together, including comments on in how far the police can actually help a situation. The crime/detective part was great, I liked Wallander and I liked the way the case was solved. I look forward to reading more of Mankell's books!

A short post this time, I'm trying to catch up on reviews!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

What's in a Name 3 Challenge

The third edition of What's in a Name is hosted by Beth of Beth Fish Reads. I've always really liked Beth's blog, I hope to spend more time there than I have up till now!

The challenge blog itself is elsewhere though - check it out for the exact rules and to see how everyone is doing. The challenge lasts till the end of 2010, the categories, along with my possibles, are listed below.

I love this challenge! :-)

Completed: ALL 6/6 as of 15 September 2010 (read my wrap-up post here)

A book with a food in the title: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

A book with a body of water in the title: Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

A book with a title (queen, president) in the title: The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

A book with a plant in the title: The Ivy Chronicles by Karen Quinn

A book with a place name in the title: Gods in Alabama by Joshlyn Jackson

A book with a music term in the title: The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee