Book #11

"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Smiley Versus Karla #1)" by John le Carré

2.5 stars out of 5

An intriguing premise yet a very unsatisfying execution. I've never come across a more "talkative" book. They talked and talked and talked about everything, round and round they went, you didn't see one bit of action, everything was just talked about afterward, there was no suspense, no sense of urgency at all. I guess I'm more used to spy thrillers like David Morrell's that have a nice balance between action and exposure. This was exposure pure.

But it wasn't just that. There was Smiley and Guillam and their pathetic dependence on their unfaithful wife and girlfriend respectively. I tried to see what was so special about Smiley but all we were shown was him whining about Ann and him lurking in the background, all abandoned and lonely, and him recapping the failure that was his life, all his mistakes. And Guillam was exactly the same, only forty but already on the verge of a nervous breakdown, always second-guessing himself... It was hard to find them likable, to be honest. And the way they were trying to find excuses for the mole in their midst, unable to hate him or be angry with him - I wanted to shake them and yell at them, "He betrayed you! He got dozens and scores of good people killed!"

So, yeah, I'm disappointed. Especially the ending was unsatisfying. I hoped that, after the molasses slow progression of the plot, it would at least end with a bang. Yet it ended with a whimper instead.

Podfic rec: ST:Reboot

"Not a Big Deal (™) & Wherefore Art Thou Cantankerous Bastard" by shecrows, read by firejuggler | Kirk/Bones | That One Time Everyone on the Enterprise Thought Jim and Bones Were Fucking, or even Damn It, Jim, I'm a Doctor, Not a Decoy. | 1hr. 17min.

Jim Kirk just happens to have this genetic abnormality where if he decides he likes your face, he thinks it entitles him to stick to you like an annoying, hands-y parasite until he’s something that you’re used to.

Wonderful! Firejuggler has such an amazing voice. And there really isn't enough Kirk/Bones podfics out there which is a blasphemy considering how many amazing Kirk/Bones fics popped up after the Reboot!

Sherlock Holmes: The Speckled Band

The first Holmes and Watson scene was the best! Yes, the one in Watson's bedroom, when Holmes came to wake him up:





I wonder how long he stood there, watching Watson sleep. Obviously, he didn't knock or he would've woken Watson up. And he didn't seem in any rush either. He seemed very relaxed, standing there and smoking, watching Watson... XD

And the way Holmes kept rolling his eyes whenever Watson mentioned food *snorts* First when Watson was eating breakfast, then later on, in the mansion. Yes, Holmes, some people need to eat to keep on living, imagine that! :P