February was also a seven book month, so I'm very much on target for a 52 book year!
Affliction by Laurell K Hamilton was the first book of Feb, and it was over 700 pages long! I used to be a huge fan of the Anita Blake series but my interest began to wane when the books began to be kinda rubbish and the sex got a bit ridiculous. I saw the three books I don't own in the library and thought I would give them a go. Affliction included the character Edward who I really like, and a book with him in is always better than without. I don't think it was the worst LKH book, but the conclusion to the story was shoved into 10 or so pages as an afterthought almost. An easy semi-enjoyable read that could have been so much better id Anita kept her legs shut more.
Jason by Laurell K Hamilton is basically a story about LKH's personal life. I wish I had known it was not in any way integral to the ongoing story line and not read it. It was so cringy and 99% of it was about sex, and the sex scenes were really poorly written. In conclusion LKH has an unusual romantic set up, good for her, please stop releasing thinly veiled books that tell us about it.
Dead Ice by Laurell K Hamilton was, much like Affliction, a semi enjoyable read spoiled by terrible sex scenes and an ending pushed into the last 10 pages as an afterthought. A shame because it could have been really good, like the original ones were. It may only irritate me but I think that the amount of things added so someone could understand the plot if they hadn't read the series is way too much. If you pick up book 24 in a series you should expect there to be a few head scratchers. I do not need a description of each character like I have never "met" them before!
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn - No Gone Girl but it was good. The story is about a journalist who is forced to return to her home town to cover the story of a missing little girl, a year or so after a little girl was found murdered. I thought some parts of the story were unnecessary, in particular the extent to which the character Camille has self harmed. Not that it isn't feasible, just felt it was unnecessary to go so extreme with it as the plot has a lot going on anyway.
Waste by Tristram Stuart is a fantastic book. It may be a few years old, but much of it is still very relevant today. The scale at which we waste food from the field, through to the supermarket, through to our homes, is astounding. We should be ashamed of ourselves. I have a bit of research to do to see if things that were promised to be in place after the book was finished, but before the present date, were upheld, but as a general picture of the issue it hits the spot. It will make you much more thoughtful about your own wastage, and if that is all it achieves then still worthwhile in my opinion.
A Girl Is A Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride - This was a short but very powerful book! I read the novel version as opposed to the version adapted for the stage, but I can definitely see why the theatre showing this has had audience members walk out. Very raw portrayal of a young Irish woman's life, the text starts off slightly nonsensical as the language is not only free running but changes with the age in question. Not something that bothered me but some may find it difficult to get into.
Beautiful You by Chuck Palahniuk - I found this book to be completely hilarious! The not so gentle or subtle mockery of 50 Shades of Grey (I haven't read it but any one who has heard reviews of the book will not fail to get Palahniuk's game here) and the outlandish scenarios make for a short but satisfying read. It has been a long accepted fact that many men find nude women/pornography distracting, so it was refreshing to have a satirical tale of women becoming overwhelmed by sexual desire.
So readers, any of these taken your fancy? Or any you have read and enjoyed/not enjoyed?
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