Chris is a fire-fighter: a good guy, a guy in uniform, a guy who’s into other guys. He’s good at his job, he’s attractive, he’s… lonely. And he just inexplicably dislikes the super-hot new recruit at the station, Dane. Really. Detests him. Can’t bear him. Well, there has to be some reason to explain the sparks and the friction and the heat between them, anyway…
Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This is definitely not the best Patricia Briggs book you could begin with, but it still pains me to rate it so low. Actually it’s more of a 2.5. There are some good things in this book, and they should have been filleted out and re-stitched together into a much better book. Unfortunately it begins to feel as if Briggs has got herself into a J.K. Rowling-type situation, where no-one dares to touch the Holy Manuscript of Truth and Genius. A ruthless and effective editor could have made a truly great book out of what’s worthwhile here. But it doesn’t read as if one was ever given the opportunity.
The absolute worst thing here is the fight scene between Adam and a twisted Euro-trashy vampire. Dear God, this is the worst-written literary violence I have ever read. Every tiny little move is over-choreographed, there are paragraphs and paragraphs inside Adam’s head and dissecting the moves, motivations and mental states of both participants, and then there’s the bathos! My Lord! A tablecloth is involved, and it’s simply impossible to read a supposedly deadly serious and bloodthirsty scene while vampires are playing toreador with tablecloths. And sweeping them off tables while leaving the china intact! Like terrible 70s magicians!
In a way it actually is so awful that it’s great. But not great in the way you want a Patricia Briggs novel to be.
There are too many new characters introduced, and even that might have worked if they’d been given any depth. Also a brand-new werewolf pack, shown to be at least somewhat trustworthy and ethical, are dismissed and vilified in the final pages of the book, a bewildering turnaround.
Silence Fallen isn’t awful, it isn’t truly dire, there are things worth reading here. They often come from Mercy’s internal monologue on her own past history, and her musings on human nature and history. It’s a shame I had to search so hard for them. But realistically, if you love Mercy – and I still do – you’re going to read this book anyway.
Honestly, I’m sticking around because I’m still waiting for the Bran-centric book where his emotional vitality is restored and he finds a new love. Preferably a pretty male werewolf, but either way I think he needs a passionate romantic renewal. Can we have that, please?
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I love Le Guin, but this isn’t a cosy anodyne fantasy with feel-good endings and a hero to root for. Hi, Harry! It’s bleak as life itself, and morally stern and sometimes frightening, even for an adult perhaps. The stuff of nightmares for a sensitive kid, if you’re not careful about choosing the right recipient in your gift-giving. Ged is a little bastard who grows into an old git, with not much interim period. Power is misused, love is broken, gifts are unfairly distributed. Some mistakes are irrevocable, others pay the price for your sins.
Welcome to the world, magical or otherwise. It sucks.
Beautiful, perfect, a monochrome wash. Unforgiving. I really love this book, did I forget to say?
Watership Down by Richard Adams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve loved this book for years. My favourite parts are mostly about the Black Rabbit of Inle and El-Ahrairah, and Fiver’s visions. Also adore Bigwig’s fight with Woundwort. This book is so emotionally involving, I found it almost draining and too much to process as a kid. Probably easier for an adult to handle.
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Clever, arguable, entertaining, annoying. Disconcerting, sometimes, when you wonder, but doesn’t everyone do that? That’s just instinct, surely?
More fun than The Art Of War, at least.
Black Coffee Blues by Henry Rollins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Oh, Henry. The ladies love ya. The dweebs wanna be ya. All you need is a Nudie suit, cowboy boots and some lounge-singer crooning lessons, you could rip up Las Vegas!
I can’t be objective about Henry, and I have no idea about the artistic merit of this book at this point. It’s just Henry, and Henry has been part of my life too long not to love it.
The Mystery of the Blue Dolphins by Sandra Baublitz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Loved it! Fun additional surprise at the end, and a very sweet and cosy mystery leading up to it, for those of us who prefer more vicarages and becardiganed spinsters, and less gore, in our crime stories.
I will quibble a little and say that more detailed character development and history for Clarissa – and Paudius Pernivious – would be great, but no doubt that will be taken care of in other Paw tales.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
Hands up, I’m a biased reader, I abhor Salinger. This is where I started and it was all downhill from then on. I detest judgemental adolescents, casual homophobia and the whole damn precious affected consciously-erudite cutie-hipster Glass clan. Well, clan isn’t near pejorative enough. Infestation?
Blee yuk no.
He’s Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys by Greg Behrendt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
There are certain self-help/positive thinking/career or relationship advice/LOA books, where you just have to put the book down a minute and stop and think, “Are there really people out there who need this explaining to them?”
Yes, this is one of those. Despite that, it’s funny, quirky, fun to read, and probably serves a useful purpose for the more credulous and easily-gulled amongst us. The movie wasn’t bad, too.
watching #neilbrennan special on netflix – just had to ask OH ‘honey, is MY titty game bananas?’ He say, ‘baby, it’s the whole damn fruitbowl!’ #tittygame #bananas #ROMANCE
I might replace ‘loving guys loving guys’ with ‘honey says my tittygame’s bananas!’ on my blog header. What say you, peeps?
Seriously, Neil Brennan is awesome, and funny, and sad, and naughty! Check ‘im out!
Merry Christmas folks. Have a good one.
image – https://www.flickr.com/photos/geyergus/ licence https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/ unaltered.
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