don't be dull, be fannish

Finished "Joy in the Morning", the "Jeeves & Wooster" audiobook by PG Wodehouse. Started reading "Ceremony in Death" by JD Robb. Tidied up my Amazon UK wishlist. And watched 5 episodes of Castle S2! Good time was had by all. And tomorrow, back to work. Go me!

"The Death Cure (The Maze Runner #3)" by James Dashner

Rating: ♠ ♠ ♠ •

3.5 stars. This book felt much more action driven than the previous two. The last 10 chapters or so were one hell of a ride. The whole book also had a very "zombie apocalypse" feel to it. Also, compared to the previous books, this one felt broader, larger, not as intimate and self-contained as far as the setting goes.

( Spoilers! )

Overall, I liked the trilogy and I'm interested in reading the prequel, The Kill Order, too. I can't wait to see the movie now.

"The Scorch Trials (The Maze Runner #2)" by James Dashner

Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

I love Thomas' growth in this book, he went from someone who only REacted to someone who actually ACTED. He finally took his life into his own hands and decided that enough was enough. Though ouch, all the stuff that happened to him...

I know that many people hate Teresa for what she did, but I don't. I actually admire her for her selflessness. On the other hand, I'm glad that the author didn't gloss over what she did to Thomas, that he didn't forgive her. Because, yeah, knowing that someone did something to save your life is one thing, actually living through the horror of it, is something else completely.

Personally, I don't like Teresa or Brenda that much. They are both just way too weird for my liking.

"The Crown Tower (The Riyria Chronicles #1)" by Michael J. Sullivan

Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦

I really liked the storyline following Hadrian and Royce, especially the ending - but I didn't care much about Gwen and her part. Every time it switched to her, I couldn't wait to go back to the guys. To me it felt like her brothel troubles slowed down the whole thing. Also, many of the arguments felt rather... circular. Don't do it, I'm gonna do it, don't do it, I'm gonna do it. Or do it, I won't, do it, I won't. What really surprised me was the twist with Pickles. Didn't expect that at all. Interesting.

"Very Good, Jeeves! (Jeeves #4)" by P.G. Wodehouse

Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦

An anthology of short stories focusing on the antics of one Bertie Wooster and his loyal gentleman's gentleman Jeeves. I gave it 3 stars only because several of the stories focused on Bertie and his mishaps with children and those have always been my least favorite parts.

I think the best story was "Jeeves and the Yuletide Spirit" in which Bertie encountered Sir Roderick Glossop once more and made a complete and total loony out of himself in front of him again, just his luck, really.

"The Tangled Skein (Sherlock Holmes Adventures #2)" by David Stuart Davies

Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦

A supernatural Sherlock Holmes adventure or Sherlock Holmes vs. vampires. I think I would've preferred the story without the paranormal twist, if it were just some clever scheme to make it look like a vampire attack. As it was, the the book was a bit of a disappointment for me. Wonderfully done as are all Big Finish's audio dramas, but the story itself... I mean, how can you take it seriously when they spout, in an overly dramatic voice, "Count Dracula!" LOL!

"Coyote Dreams (Walker Papers #3)" by C.E. Murphy

Rating: ♦ ♦

For me, it was almost impossible to like this book because the main character, Joanne Walker, disliked herself so much. And all the stupid mistakes she made, one after another after another after another. The chain of her mistakes that led to suffering for everybody seemed endless. Basically, the whole book was about her running around like a headless chicken and falling in and out of spirit quests or trances. It was way too long and the mysticism seemed overwhelming, leading to a general lack of actual action. And the way she, a trained policewoman, kept letting Barb, a woman half her size, beat her up and escape, was ridiculous.

I obviously have a problem with this series: I love the characters - and yet they leave me so terribly frustrated because I feel that the author is squandering the potential of her own creation.

"Summer Knight (The Dresden Files #4)" by Jim Butcher

Ratings: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

My favorite Harry Dresden book so far. Maybe because Harry finally stopped lying to Murphy and they actually, honest to God, talked. So, Harry obviously IS capable of learning from his own mistakes. But I also liked the story, the Summer and Winter Courts, the White Council and the werewolves, Harry's friends. I'm glad that this was the first book that I finished in 2014 because it put me in a really good mood.

"The Grimoire of the Lamb (The Iron Druid Chronicles 0.4)" by Kevin Hearne

Rating: ♣ ♣ ♣

A good short story, just not as good as the rest of the series. Maybe because most of it takes place in Egypt, far away from every other character that we know but Oberon? I loved the beginning, when Atticus talked about the Egyptian gods, that was awesome. The rest was good but not great, in my opinion, that's why just three stars. Kevin Hearne can do much better.

"Glory in Death (In Death #2)" by J.D. Robb

Rating: ♣ ♣ ♣

The book wasn't bad but I think it would've worked better as a short story. The way it was, it felt like Eve was continuously going down the wrong road, trying to fit the evidence to her theory instead of adjusting the theory itself which made her look quite biased and frankly, uncaring about how many innocent lives she destroyed in her callous perusal of the killer. She needed a real kick in the teeth to go back to the roots of the problem. And still everybody praised her as the next Jesus, Mary and Joseph of the police department.

Also, my problem is that I don't quite like Eve as a person. Okay, sometimes, I downright dislike her. I get it, she has Issues with a capital I, I get it, I really, really do. It still doesn't give her the right to be rude to people. I love Roarke - he's pretty much a Marty Stu - but Eve... I don't know, most of the time she rubs me the wrong way. Like when she ranted at Roarke, yelling at him instead of just sitting him down and actually talking to him, telling him what was going on, what the problem was. I hate that in couples.