Monday, October 18, 2010

The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman

The Ice Queen
Alice Hoffman
2005, 2006, Vintage, London
978099488835
211p.

A girl makes a wish one night which comes true and ruins her life. She then grows up and makes another wish which changes her forever.

I enjoyed this up to a point. I liked the storyline and the characters, however, the writing style annoyed me because it was pretentious. Readers are supposed to make up their own minds about the deeper meaning behind a story, we don't need it spelled out to us.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Sunday, October 10, 2010

The Simulacra by Philip K. Dick

The Simulacra
Philip K. Dick
1964, Ace Books. New York
no isbn
192p.

A novel of the future about a government system headed by a beautiful First Lady and her simulation husband.

This little novel was multi-layered - there were many different aspects that I really enjoyed. And the science behind it all has not dated, even 40 years later.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Monday, October 4, 2010

The Book Boy by Joanna Trollope

The Book Boy
Joanna Trollope
2006, Bloomsbury Publishing, London
0747582114
94p.

Quick read about Alice, a housewife who cannot read and the teenage rebel who guessed her secret.

This was a very simple book with simple language, and I didn't really find the characters all that believable - they were two-dimensional.

Link to journal at bookcrossing

Friday, October 1, 2010

Star Trek: New Frontier: Missing in Action by Peter David

Star Trek: New Frontier: Missing in Action
Peter David
2006, Pocket Books, New York
978141651080X
341p.

The USS Excalibur encounters a large and powerful ship while attempting to keep peace in the New Thallonian region. They find themselves transported to another universe where two warring races threaten to destroy each other.

I am unfamiliar with most of these characters and backstories; it was explained a little bit in the book but it seemed forced. It had traces of the David humour I'm used to, but none of the sparkle. Overall, I was disappointed.