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christabel_daaeI haven’t posted anything with these tags for a really long while due to a number of reasons. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t read anything and haven’t kept notes! So – back to my July reading now.
Для Эжени: тебе настоятельно рекомендуется Жан Рей, у меня под номером 33. Где-то в нете я натыкалась на это произведение по-русски. Ну и то, что я рекомендую всем в постскриптуме к 31 книге (но не ее саму, есснно!!!) И не забудь, с тебя тоже впечатления о "Перевале"!)
# 31
Author: Борис Акунин (Boris Akunin)
Title: Внеклассное чтение (Out-of-class Reading)
Language: Russian
Genre: historical (only half of the passages), mystery, action
Rating: 6/10
About the author and the book: Boris Akunin is well-known in Russian speaking countries for his great historival detective stories about Erast Fandorin, a Gentleman from the capital working in 19-century Russian Police. All those novels are just wonderful – the language, the style, the age and the powerful Russian empire, the “whodunit” plot with the smallest and subtlest tints of melodrama and a considerable deal of interesting and deep philosophic thoughts… Unfortunately, almost all periods of Fandorin’s life are covered now. So newer books are about Nicholas Fandorin, the grandson of the previous one. The novels take place in contemporary Russia and in Russia of old times – in each second chapter the story of some Nicholas’ ancestors unfolds subsequently (even culminations are parallel). This book is the second one in “Nicholas Fandorin series”, already married Nicholas opens kind of a detective agency (rather, an agency that solves various problems) and gets in great troubles – and his ancestor, Danila Fandorin helps a little prodigy boy Dmitry to get out of his troubles in times of Catherine the Great.
My Thoughts: The book is entertaining enough, but… But it’s not Akunin we all loved and respected – the same is with all other Nicholas Fandorin books. Nicholas has neither the inner power, nor the wits of his grandfather – he solves nothing, he does almost nothing and there’s always Deus ex machine to save him. And the story of his ancestor is too schematical. Moreover, I hate modern Russian villains and criminals – where’s the style and charm of old times? The book is easy to read and – yeah, entertaining enough for anyone to read it to the very end, but it seems so primitive…
My Recommendations and anti-recommendations: I've just found out that the first six Erast Fandorin books were published in English, translation by Andrew Bromfield! (all six of them in the UK, only four in America). So - Erast Fandorin is really worth reading! You may pick up any book to start with, though some may find it more interesting to follow the biography of Erast. BUT I would never advise anyone a Nicholas Fandorin book unless there’s nothing more interesting in pile.
# 32
Author: Ph. K. Dick
Title: Ubik
Language: Russian (original language: English)
Genre: sci-fi
Rating: 8/10
About the book: a “Typical K. Dick”
My Thoughts: Nicely written – the author’s imagination is beyond comparison. But not my cup of tea. And not the best K. Dick’s book either (though I’ve heard many people say that). Anyway, I do appreciate his genius in it – this is only that I prefer “traditional novels”.
My Recommendations: To any fan of this “sci-fi which extends rational views” – obligatory. If you’ve never read any K. Dick before – you should always try it…
# 33
Author: Jean Ray
Title: La Cité de l’Indincible Peur (The City of The Unspeakable Fear)
Language: Russian (original language: French)
Genre: mystery, gothic, humour (just a little bit)
Rating: 10/10
About the book: A middle-aged (or, rather, elderly) officer of Scotland Yard inherits some money and a house in a small town in the countryside, the town of his childhood. The town seems “a good old English one”, but there is something dark and creepy in it, behind those lovely facades… “For great fear will come after them all”…
My Thoughts: It can be seen that the book was written by a Frenchman – he writes about provincial England as Mrs. Radcliffe wrote about dark castles in Italy. And it is as pleasant to read! In addition, there’s quite much hidden irony in this novel. Again, the nice mystery – I guess its solution will surprise you! Yeah, everything is brilliant.
My Recommendations: To all my LJ-friends for sure! And for those others, who swoon a little bit at the words “gothic stylization”
# 34
Author: Вадим Панов (Vadim Panov)
Title: Запах страха (The Scent of Fear)
Language: Russian
Genre: urban fantasy
Rating: 7/10
About the book and the author: Panov is the author of the second famous urban fantasy cycle in Russia (the first is, to be sure, Lukyanenko with his Watches) – “The Secret City”. Moscow is the capital of three very ancient inhuman races (actually there are more races, but smaller ones are united under the three prominent Houses: The Green, the Red and the Black one), these guys can do magic… However, few people also can… and these people know about the Secret City… There are really many interesting characters – various novels centre around different ones. There are very nice vampires – the author uses the “Masquerade” classification with several changes. This book is – I can’t remember exactly – either the 13th or the 15th in line.
My Thoughts: Unfortunately, the books get generally worse and worse. The very plot of this one was too simple and repeated… But there was still a great deal of nice jokes – and we meet our dearest characters, and we visit our dear cafes and bars… No, it’s not that bad for me to drop the cycle! I’ll be waiting for the next book.
My Recommendations: To those who have read all – or most – previous ones. Anyway, I advise everyone at least to start reading the cycle.
# 35
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Title: Eclipse
Language: English
Genre: urban fantasy, vampires, romance
Rating: 7/10
About the book: Ehrm… Do I really have to write about this one?
My Thoughts: Finally it happened – I do hate Bella now! And I hate Jacob more! And I hate those stupid love triangles… If there were no Jacob, the dark side of Edward could be developed… I prefer more cruel, more deadly and more lecherous vampires. “New Moon” was much better – even much more logical, I really felt with Bella (for I could easily imagine myself in her place acting the same). This time… how she dares to pity this bastard Jacob and let him meddle with the love of her life? Still, this book has nice places – the sensual ones;))) I am going to get “Breaking Dawn”, but only for those sensual passages – there’s no need in the rest
My Recommendations: If you read the first two books and still want more – who can help it?
# 36
Author: Jane Austen
Title: Northanger Abbey
Language: English
Genre: romance
Rating: 10/10
About the book: A love-story and a parody for gothic novels at the same time! And a good lesson for over-imaginative girls…
My Thoughts: That was a reread – however, the first read in original. Ah, the language! Ah, the style, the psychology of the characters, the descriptions, the dialogues… I adore all Jane Austen’s books – and I can’t say which one is better. They all are perfect.
My Recommendations: Well, I can’t talk for the sterner sex – but this one is a book for any girl!
# 37
Author: Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Title: Carmilla
Language: Russian (original language: English)
Genre: vampires, gothic
Rating: 9/10
About the book: A classical story, written two decades before Stoker. Some English gentleman’s daughter lives with his father in an ancient castle near Graz, Austria. They invite to stay a young stranger girl, who… - but you can guess the rest without any of my help.
My Thoughts: I didn’t expect it to be so short, so this was a bit disappointing. The book seems naïve, but I expected something like that so that was OK. What was a surprise – these elements of femme-slash, I even couldn’t imagine anything like that in a novel published in Victorian England.
My Recommendations: For those who want to learn about “the foundations of the genre”. For those who, like myself, like this old-fashioned style of narration.
# 38
Author: Олег Дивов (Oleg Divov)
Title: Лучший экипаж Солнечной (The Best Crew in the Solar System)
Language: Russian
Genre: sci-fi
Rating: 9/10
About the book and my thoughts: Several centuries after the great nuclear war and almost an apocalypse. Colonies on Mars have just been defeated in the war against the Earth. There are intrigues against space fleet, and especially against so-nicknamed “Commander Russian” and his crew. The book wonderfully depicts relationship between people in tough situations. And, although the style is doubtless ‘masculine’ – with a considerable deal of violence and rudeness, I like Divov and his books. His sense of humour never leaves him – and there is always something romantic which shows us that “There is still something sacred in this cruel world”.
And – finally – the book I’d chosen for July Contest
# 39
Author: Emily Bronte
Title: Wuthering Heights
Language: English
Genre: classics,romance hate story
Rating: 8/10
From the back of the book: …tells of the relationship between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, the orphan boy her father adopted and brought to Wuthering Heights when they were children. While Catherine forms a deep attachment to Heathcliff, her brother Hindley despises him as a rival. Heathcliff becomes torn between love for Catherine and the rage and humiliation he suffers. Finally he ca stand it no longer and, in the violence of a summer storm, leaves the Heights for three years. During his absence Catherine has married, but her tormented heart belongs eternally to Heathcliff who is now prepared to exact his tyrannical revenge.
My Thoughts: As some may remember, I tried the book at school (I guess our 8th grade, stands for Junior High school, as long as we have 11 grades in all) and had to put it down because it was too dull for me to undergo such difficult English language. Now I also had to struggle through the first 60 pages of microscopic letters and eerie local accents. But when I got used to it, everything went really quickly. So – most things are OK with the book, surely it is written well and worth highest marks. But the characters!.. Catherine the eldest is one of the most abominable characters I ever met in the numerous books I read. Probably I feel too deep, but if I were Mrs. Dean, I’d murder the brat in adolescence! Thinking only about herself, making people suffer – and when she is opposed for the very first time in her life – opposed justly! – all this “Ah, I thought people would love me no matter what I do, and now they do not love me... Oh please, please, fulfil all my stupid egoistic wishes again!” When the monster No. 1 finally dies, the limelight falls on Heathcliff. ‘Twas bearable at first, but when he locked Cathy the younger in his house… And everything that happened further… And no retribution at all! No, none of these two realized that they’ve been bad guys and that people should act nicer. I am grateful to Miss Bronte for the kinda happy-end she tried to create for the characters who lived to it – but even this can’t take the after-pains off…
My Recommendations: Do you really want to read such terribly dark and cruel story, “angst and no fluff at all”? Well, if you get depressed for days don’t tell me I haven’t warned you!
Для Эжени: тебе настоятельно рекомендуется Жан Рей, у меня под номером 33. Где-то в нете я натыкалась на это произведение по-русски. Ну и то, что я рекомендую всем в постскриптуме к 31 книге (но не ее саму, есснно!!!) И не забудь, с тебя тоже впечатления о "Перевале"!)
# 31
Author: Борис Акунин (Boris Akunin)
Title: Внеклассное чтение (Out-of-class Reading)
Language: Russian
Genre: historical (only half of the passages), mystery, action
Rating: 6/10
About the author and the book: Boris Akunin is well-known in Russian speaking countries for his great historival detective stories about Erast Fandorin, a Gentleman from the capital working in 19-century Russian Police. All those novels are just wonderful – the language, the style, the age and the powerful Russian empire, the “whodunit” plot with the smallest and subtlest tints of melodrama and a considerable deal of interesting and deep philosophic thoughts… Unfortunately, almost all periods of Fandorin’s life are covered now. So newer books are about Nicholas Fandorin, the grandson of the previous one. The novels take place in contemporary Russia and in Russia of old times – in each second chapter the story of some Nicholas’ ancestors unfolds subsequently (even culminations are parallel). This book is the second one in “Nicholas Fandorin series”, already married Nicholas opens kind of a detective agency (rather, an agency that solves various problems) and gets in great troubles – and his ancestor, Danila Fandorin helps a little prodigy boy Dmitry to get out of his troubles in times of Catherine the Great.
My Thoughts: The book is entertaining enough, but… But it’s not Akunin we all loved and respected – the same is with all other Nicholas Fandorin books. Nicholas has neither the inner power, nor the wits of his grandfather – he solves nothing, he does almost nothing and there’s always Deus ex machine to save him. And the story of his ancestor is too schematical. Moreover, I hate modern Russian villains and criminals – where’s the style and charm of old times? The book is easy to read and – yeah, entertaining enough for anyone to read it to the very end, but it seems so primitive…
My Recommendations and anti-recommendations: I've just found out that the first six Erast Fandorin books were published in English, translation by Andrew Bromfield! (all six of them in the UK, only four in America). So - Erast Fandorin is really worth reading! You may pick up any book to start with, though some may find it more interesting to follow the biography of Erast. BUT I would never advise anyone a Nicholas Fandorin book unless there’s nothing more interesting in pile.
# 32
Author: Ph. K. Dick
Title: Ubik
Language: Russian (original language: English)
Genre: sci-fi
Rating: 8/10
About the book: a “Typical K. Dick”
My Thoughts: Nicely written – the author’s imagination is beyond comparison. But not my cup of tea. And not the best K. Dick’s book either (though I’ve heard many people say that). Anyway, I do appreciate his genius in it – this is only that I prefer “traditional novels”.
My Recommendations: To any fan of this “sci-fi which extends rational views” – obligatory. If you’ve never read any K. Dick before – you should always try it…
# 33
Author: Jean Ray
Title: La Cité de l’Indincible Peur (The City of The Unspeakable Fear)
Language: Russian (original language: French)
Genre: mystery, gothic, humour (just a little bit)
Rating: 10/10
About the book: A middle-aged (or, rather, elderly) officer of Scotland Yard inherits some money and a house in a small town in the countryside, the town of his childhood. The town seems “a good old English one”, but there is something dark and creepy in it, behind those lovely facades… “For great fear will come after them all”…
My Thoughts: It can be seen that the book was written by a Frenchman – he writes about provincial England as Mrs. Radcliffe wrote about dark castles in Italy. And it is as pleasant to read! In addition, there’s quite much hidden irony in this novel. Again, the nice mystery – I guess its solution will surprise you! Yeah, everything is brilliant.
My Recommendations: To all my LJ-friends for sure! And for those others, who swoon a little bit at the words “gothic stylization”
# 34
Author: Вадим Панов (Vadim Panov)
Title: Запах страха (The Scent of Fear)
Language: Russian
Genre: urban fantasy
Rating: 7/10
About the book and the author: Panov is the author of the second famous urban fantasy cycle in Russia (the first is, to be sure, Lukyanenko with his Watches) – “The Secret City”. Moscow is the capital of three very ancient inhuman races (actually there are more races, but smaller ones are united under the three prominent Houses: The Green, the Red and the Black one), these guys can do magic… However, few people also can… and these people know about the Secret City… There are really many interesting characters – various novels centre around different ones. There are very nice vampires – the author uses the “Masquerade” classification with several changes. This book is – I can’t remember exactly – either the 13th or the 15th in line.
My Thoughts: Unfortunately, the books get generally worse and worse. The very plot of this one was too simple and repeated… But there was still a great deal of nice jokes – and we meet our dearest characters, and we visit our dear cafes and bars… No, it’s not that bad for me to drop the cycle! I’ll be waiting for the next book.
My Recommendations: To those who have read all – or most – previous ones. Anyway, I advise everyone at least to start reading the cycle.
# 35
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Title: Eclipse
Language: English
Genre: urban fantasy, vampires, romance
Rating: 7/10
About the book: Ehrm… Do I really have to write about this one?
My Thoughts: Finally it happened – I do hate Bella now! And I hate Jacob more! And I hate those stupid love triangles… If there were no Jacob, the dark side of Edward could be developed… I prefer more cruel, more deadly and more lecherous vampires. “New Moon” was much better – even much more logical, I really felt with Bella (for I could easily imagine myself in her place acting the same). This time… how she dares to pity this bastard Jacob and let him meddle with the love of her life? Still, this book has nice places – the sensual ones;))) I am going to get “Breaking Dawn”, but only for those sensual passages – there’s no need in the rest
My Recommendations: If you read the first two books and still want more – who can help it?
# 36
Author: Jane Austen
Title: Northanger Abbey
Language: English
Genre: romance
Rating: 10/10
About the book: A love-story and a parody for gothic novels at the same time! And a good lesson for over-imaginative girls…
My Thoughts: That was a reread – however, the first read in original. Ah, the language! Ah, the style, the psychology of the characters, the descriptions, the dialogues… I adore all Jane Austen’s books – and I can’t say which one is better. They all are perfect.
My Recommendations: Well, I can’t talk for the sterner sex – but this one is a book for any girl!
# 37
Author: Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Title: Carmilla
Language: Russian (original language: English)
Genre: vampires, gothic
Rating: 9/10
About the book: A classical story, written two decades before Stoker. Some English gentleman’s daughter lives with his father in an ancient castle near Graz, Austria. They invite to stay a young stranger girl, who… - but you can guess the rest without any of my help.
My Thoughts: I didn’t expect it to be so short, so this was a bit disappointing. The book seems naïve, but I expected something like that so that was OK. What was a surprise – these elements of femme-slash, I even couldn’t imagine anything like that in a novel published in Victorian England.
My Recommendations: For those who want to learn about “the foundations of the genre”. For those who, like myself, like this old-fashioned style of narration.
# 38
Author: Олег Дивов (Oleg Divov)
Title: Лучший экипаж Солнечной (The Best Crew in the Solar System)
Language: Russian
Genre: sci-fi
Rating: 9/10
About the book and my thoughts: Several centuries after the great nuclear war and almost an apocalypse. Colonies on Mars have just been defeated in the war against the Earth. There are intrigues against space fleet, and especially against so-nicknamed “Commander Russian” and his crew. The book wonderfully depicts relationship between people in tough situations. And, although the style is doubtless ‘masculine’ – with a considerable deal of violence and rudeness, I like Divov and his books. His sense of humour never leaves him – and there is always something romantic which shows us that “There is still something sacred in this cruel world”.
And – finally – the book I’d chosen for July Contest
# 39
Author: Emily Bronte
Title: Wuthering Heights
Language: English
Genre: classics,
Rating: 8/10
From the back of the book: …tells of the relationship between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, the orphan boy her father adopted and brought to Wuthering Heights when they were children. While Catherine forms a deep attachment to Heathcliff, her brother Hindley despises him as a rival. Heathcliff becomes torn between love for Catherine and the rage and humiliation he suffers. Finally he ca stand it no longer and, in the violence of a summer storm, leaves the Heights for three years. During his absence Catherine has married, but her tormented heart belongs eternally to Heathcliff who is now prepared to exact his tyrannical revenge.
My Thoughts: As some may remember, I tried the book at school (I guess our 8th grade, stands for Junior High school, as long as we have 11 grades in all) and had to put it down because it was too dull for me to undergo such difficult English language. Now I also had to struggle through the first 60 pages of microscopic letters and eerie local accents. But when I got used to it, everything went really quickly. So – most things are OK with the book, surely it is written well and worth highest marks. But the characters!.. Catherine the eldest is one of the most abominable characters I ever met in the numerous books I read. Probably I feel too deep, but if I were Mrs. Dean, I’d murder the brat in adolescence! Thinking only about herself, making people suffer – and when she is opposed for the very first time in her life – opposed justly! – all this “Ah, I thought people would love me no matter what I do, and now they do not love me... Oh please, please, fulfil all my stupid egoistic wishes again!” When the monster No. 1 finally dies, the limelight falls on Heathcliff. ‘Twas bearable at first, but when he locked Cathy the younger in his house… And everything that happened further… And no retribution at all! No, none of these two realized that they’ve been bad guys and that people should act nicer. I am grateful to Miss Bronte for the kinda happy-end she tried to create for the characters who lived to it – but even this can’t take the after-pains off…
My Recommendations: Do you really want to read such terribly dark and cruel story, “angst and no fluff at all”? Well, if you get depressed for days don’t tell me I haven’t warned you!