My husband picked this book up when he went out to get the Earthsea books (which he still has not read all the way through, I married a heathen). There are copious author’s notes that gave me an insight into LeGuin’s writing. She writes of the “psychomyth” as her main story type which greatly helped me in not trying to understand the stories in a rational sense but to let myself feel what the reading of them engendered. This book was engrossing and each piece […]
Finishing it up
After a hiatus I picked this book back up. (Mad spoilers for The Hunger Games and Catching Fire) The third book in the Hunger Games series, Mockingjay follows Katniss Everdeen through a rebellion led by District 13 against the Capital. Peeta Mellark, her maybe boyfriend and definite ally in the games is in the hands of the Capital. Katniss is herself in the hands of the authorities of District 13 which is not exactly freedom. She signs on to be the Mockingjay, the face of the […]
Do Androids Dream of … Revenge?
With this 2013 novel, Ann Leckie has won the Nebula, Arthur C. Clarke and, as of last week, Hugo awards, and has been nominated for the Philip K. Dick award. Ancillary Justice has a complex, fascinating plot and in its protagonist a kickass corpse soldier. I picked up the book because the author is a woman (serves my quest to read 50 books by 50 women this year) and it has won so many prestigious awards. I’m often wary of Sci Fi — it’s not […]
Who could ever say you’re not simply wonderful?
So here’s a funny thing. I have a book by Matt Haig on my “to read” shelf over on Goodreads. It’s called The Dead Fathers Club and it’s on there because a) I am always up for reading modernised novels based on Shakespeare plays (I’m already beside myself about the Hogarth Shakespeare project, but that’s another story) and because b) my father died all too recently. That’s not really the funny thing. The funny thing is, since I bang on about books pretty much all the time […]

