literary fantasy – Cannonball Read 17

A third re-read for a book whose series I never thought I would continue.

The Magicians (The Magicians, #1) by Lev Grossman

November 3, 2021 by narfna Leave a Comment

I have once again re-read this book. (I blame my Narnia re-read, and also I wanted to read it one last time before I started watching the TV show.) My past self would be devastated to learn I have gotten even more out of this read than I did the last. I still really dislike most of these characters, especially when we reach the middle section after they graduate from Brakebrills and become disaffected young adults. I never went through this stage of life and […]

It’s kind of a lot (but that’s ok)

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

December 3, 2019 by alwaysanswerb Leave a Comment

I liked this, but at the same time, I’m experiencing a potentially problematic personal issue where I’m getting pretty fatigued by multi-POV “but like, how are they all connected, man?” stories. Which is (reductively) David Mitchell’s main wheelhouse. Sorry Dave! The problem is that, inevitably, there are some stories/sections I care about a lot, and others where I don’t quite connect to the character and with their relation to the greater plot. This was definitely the case with Cloud Atlas, the only other Mitchell book […]

Twee’s a Crowd

May 26, 2014 by Jenny S Leave a Comment

Though I enjoyed reading this novel about a young history scholar who discovers a magical house just at the point of need, the story sometimes became a bit too twee for my taste. Alba Ashby has just dropped out of Cambridge, reeling from the betrayal of her mentor/advisor when she stumbles upon 11 Hope Street. An older woman named Peggy invites her in and makes her an offer—she can stay for ninety-nine days and try to get her life back on track but only ninety-nine […]

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