Quick Bookish Thoughts

Graduating has meant having more time to start on that giant "to read" list I've been compiling. It also means having the time to go through those impulse books I end up buying whenever I wander through a book store.

Some quick thoughts so far:
The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan - I admit, I decided to check out the series because the movie poster looked interesting, and well. Greek myths! How could I not? And though I ended up not watching the movie (ticket lines being ridiculously long + hot and humid Taiwan evenings), I did get my hands on the first book after all... and then marathoned through that, went back to the bookstore for the second book the next day, and eventually marathoned through the entire series. My poor wallet, but it was so, so worth it. It's fun! It's heartwarming! The Greek gods are truly all too human, as they should be. (The portrayal of Hades in this series was awesome.) I love the entire cast and now I'm really curious what the follow-up series in this 'verse will be like.

Druids by Morgan Llywelyn - First Greek mythology, and then the Celts. As of now, I'm halfway through Druids and somewhat ambivalent about whether I want to pick it back up. The first half was intriguing, with the protagonist Ainvar starting to develop into himself as a person, with the book beginning to unfold the different conflicts between the Romans and the Celts and the Germans, with the worldbuilding in general. As a protagonist, Ainvar is intensely flawed - he's selfish and seems willing to do almost anything to get what he wants; undoubtedly some of it is the symptom of his youth and the mantle of power he has yet to grow into. But it's also the fact that he's so selfish that has me a little wary of progressing in the book, now that it's dealing with him and his women troubles, and him wanting his cake and eating it too. Because the book is written in first person from Ainvar's point of view, there's this automatic implication that the actions Ainvar takes are good or positive choices, when as a reader some of those choices are absolutely cringe-worthy. It's a tone issue that's not terrible enough to keep me away, but at the moment, it's making me reluctant to get back to it.

The Kingdom Beyond The Waves by Stephen Hunt - I have... yet to get past the second chapter, to be honest. Which is really sad, given I was hoping for a fun steampunk read and instead got something that made me really uncomfortable thanks to the book's narrative tone. The problem is I'm also having difficulty trying to pinpoint exactly why I have such a problem with the book, and I just can't. I'm sorry.

Nine Gates by Jane Lindskold - After reading Nine Gates, I somewhat suspect it is in fact part of a series, and not the first book besides. Despite that fact, it lessened none of my enjoyment of the book; indeed, it was easy to get into and pick up what the situation was, even if I didn't know firsthand some of the events the characters referred to. It was easy enough to get a general gist from context. This was another book I couldn't put down once I picked it up, and even more delightfully, it had not a few strong female characters. (In fact, they truly stole the show, I thought!) My only real issue with the book was the names. Yes, for the Orphan Earth branches, maybe they really do call themselves "Pearl Bright" and such. But I can't imagine those from the Lands introducing themselves as "Righteous Dragon" or "Waking Lizard" when the language they'd be speaking would have them pronouncing it as, you know, Chinese. (Nor are all Chinese names so neatly translated so!) I ended up with the impression that the author was just trying to make them sound more ~exotic~. Which for former famous actress Pearl Bright is one thing, but for the rest of the cast, is more than a little silly. Still, will I be looking for the rest of the books in the series? Oh, definitely.

The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan - What can I say? I knew I loved Brennan's writing and that she could craft a strong plot, based on having read her previous, more fannish projects. Indeed, I was not disappointed at all by her first original work. Here you had a book that refused to fall into the tropes common to many young adult literature, that focused on familial bonds despite how difficult that could be at points. I was delighted by the fact that the romances weren't really a point of the book at all; they were just there, as yet another aspect of their lives. The plot was well-paced and never boring, and with the strong cast of characters, this book is definitely not something to miss out on. (Also, I am giddy about the fact that we have a homosexual character to whom being homosexual is nothing remarkable. Just, yes, I want more of this, please. Sometimes, being gay is not a big deal! Ideally, being gay shouldn't be a big deal, just like being straight isn't!)

Conclusions: I need to get the next book in The Demon's Lexicon series, as soon as it's out in paperback, though waiting will be frustrating. Same goes for hunting down the other books in Lindskold's series and Riordan's. I'll be giving Druids another chance when I get in the mood for it, but I think at this point I'm giving up on The Kingdom Beyond The Waves.