So, my “rule” this Cannonball was that, after finishing a book, I had to at least write a draft of a review before moving on to the next book. This worked really well for a while, and every time I’d go to post a review, I’d have a folder full of drafts to choose from. Finishing the reviews became fairly easy, because my thoughts were already there, so even if it’d been weeks (or, let’s be honest, months) since I finished the book, at least […]
When we finally learn to time travel, it will probably be just as boring as this
On paper, this book is the complete package for me: time travel, a mysterious epidemic, a spunky female protagonist, academia, Christmas. I should have loved it. But it was a little… um…. super duper incredibly boring. I’m really looking forward to the Book Club conversation about this, because it would be nice to put my finger on why I didn’t just totally love it. There’s plenty of action, but it’s very repetitive, and never feels like it’s going anywhere. No build, just introduction of characters, […]
Bring out your dead! Bring out your dead!
You know that scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, where the man with the death cart enters the plague-ridden village to pick up all of the day’s bodies? This scene? That’s pretty much all I could think about while I read Connie Willis’ Doomsday Book. I think by now, most of us know the plot, so I’ll be brief. In the future (around 2054), scientists at Oxford University are sending historians back through history. Some sort of time “net” has been created, and […]
Past-Future Tech
I’m really conflicted with this book. On the one hand I can say that objectively this is an excellent novel. It’s well written, the characters are fully fleshed out, the plot is engaging, etc etc. However, while I was captivated by parts of the novel there were other parts that I didn’t like and struggled to get through and then there were parts that flat out triggered anxiety attacks and were miserable to get through. I’m glad I read it, but I don’t think I’ll read it […]