Writer's Block: Ready, steady, read
Dec. 7th, 2010 06:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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I knew those review-ish things I posted on LJ would be useful--I had to look over them to remind myself of what I read this year. XD
My standards for fiction have considerat: if I can read a book to the end and be reasonably entertained by it, I will call it a good book. Not a "great" book, but still. So here are the books that I read this year that ranged from entertaining to great:
- The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan. Actually, I can't remember whether I read it at the end of last year or the beginning of this one, but whatever. I liked it quite a bit for the excellent writing, great dialogue, and amazing portrayal of complicated characters/relations. (Unfortunately, I didn't like the sequel nearly as much.)
- The Spirit Lens by Carol Berg. One of those rare instances of first-person narration used in a good way. Plus, interesting characters, a vibrant world, and a compelling mystery.
- The Conqueror's Shadow by Ari Marmell. Best dialogue ever, hands down. Also, I really liked the main character, who could've been really clichéd and cheesy but instead ended up totally awesome.
- Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin. Steamboats + antebellum America + well-written vampires for a change = amazing book (although the first half was a lot better than the second half).
- Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. Fun, fun times in WWI Europe, steampunk version.
- The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. Definitely more on the entertaining end of the spectrum, but I actually liked it because of its overall message. I'm also a little puzzled why Dan Brown is considered a bad writer (apart from his factual inaccuracies) if he can write a coherent, gripping story--anyone want to enlighten me?
Year in Review: Books is now done. Next up: music.
I knew those review-ish things I posted on LJ would be useful--I had to look over them to remind myself of what I read this year. XD
My standards for fiction have considerat: if I can read a book to the end and be reasonably entertained by it, I will call it a good book. Not a "great" book, but still. So here are the books that I read this year that ranged from entertaining to great:
- The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan. Actually, I can't remember whether I read it at the end of last year or the beginning of this one, but whatever. I liked it quite a bit for the excellent writing, great dialogue, and amazing portrayal of complicated characters/relations. (Unfortunately, I didn't like the sequel nearly as much.)
- The Spirit Lens by Carol Berg. One of those rare instances of first-person narration used in a good way. Plus, interesting characters, a vibrant world, and a compelling mystery.
- The Conqueror's Shadow by Ari Marmell. Best dialogue ever, hands down. Also, I really liked the main character, who could've been really clichéd and cheesy but instead ended up totally awesome.
- Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin. Steamboats + antebellum America + well-written vampires for a change = amazing book (although the first half was a lot better than the second half).
- Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. Fun, fun times in WWI Europe, steampunk version.
- The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. Definitely more on the entertaining end of the spectrum, but I actually liked it because of its overall message. I'm also a little puzzled why Dan Brown is considered a bad writer (apart from his factual inaccuracies) if he can write a coherent, gripping story--anyone want to enlighten me?
Year in Review: Books is now done. Next up: music.
