Since I’m sick* and way behind on reviews, I’ve realised the only way to catch up is to make them speed reviews and post a whole batch at once.
The Age of Napoleon; Alistair Horne, eng, 235
Interesting, but a little choppily written, and also the author assumes you know certain things and never explains them, [...]

Posted on July 7th, 2008 by Love
Filed under: A-Z Reading Challenge, B, Book Blowout, C, Classics, D, English, GLBT interest, Historical, History, Lifestyle, Mystery, Religion, Romance, Science Fiction, Sex, sexuality & gender, Speed reviews, Swedish, To Be Read, Young Adult | 1 Comment »

Throne of Jade
by Naomi Novik

For the Here Be Dragons reading challenge.
English
399 pages
Del Rey
ISBN: 978-0-345-48129-0
First line: The day was unseasonably warm for November, but in some misguided deference to the Chinese embassy, the fire in the Admirality boardroom had been heaped excessively high, and Laurence was standing directly before it.
Back cover blurb:
When Britain intercepted a French [...]

Posted on June 22nd, 2008 by Love
Filed under: Adventure, B, English, Fantasy, Here Be Dragons, Historical | No Comments »

Doctor Who: The Resurrection Casket
by Justin Richards

English
254 pages
BBC Books
ISBN: 0-563-48642-2
First line: Death was hiding in Kaspar’s pocket.
Back cover blurb:
Starfall — a world on the edge, where crooks and smugglers hide in the gloomy shadows and modern technology refuses to work. And that includes the TARDIS.
The pioneers who used to be drawn by the hope [...]

Posted on June 8th, 2008 by Love
Filed under: Adventure, B, English, Science Fiction | No Comments »

Doctor Who: The Stone Rose
by Jacqueline Rayner

English
254 pages
BBC Books
ISBN: 978-0-563-48643-5
First line: Rose carefully dropped three pound coins into the large collecting box at the entrance to the British Museum.
Back cover blurb:
Mickey is startled to find a statue of Rose in a museum — a statue that is 2,000 years old. The Doctor realises that [...]

Posted on June 6th, 2008 by Love
Filed under: Adventure, B, English, Science Fiction | No Comments »

Doctor Who: The Feast of the Drowned
by Stephen Cole

English
254 pages
BBC Books
ISBN: 0-563-48644-9
First line:How can something so big sink so fast?
Back cover blurb:
When a naval cruiser sinks in mysterious circumstances in the North Sea, all aboard are lost. Rose is saddened to hear that the brother of her friend, Keisha, was among the dead. And [...]

Posted on May 25th, 2008 by Love
Filed under: Adventure, B, English, Science Fiction | No Comments »

Strong Poison
by Dorothy L Sayers

English
261 pages
Harper Mystery
ISBN: 978-0-06-104350-5
First line:There were crimson roses on the bench; they looked like splashes of blood.
Back cover blurb:
Mystery novelist Harriet Vane knew all about poisons, and when her fiancé died in the manner prescribed in one of her books, a jury of her peers had a hangman’s noose in [...]

Posted on May 22nd, 2008 by Love
Filed under: B, English, Historical, Mystery | 1 Comment »

Daddy-Long-Legs
by Jean Webster

For the Decades ‘08 reading challenge (first published 1912).
English
160 pages
J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd/E.P. Dutton & Co. Inc.
ISBN: n/a
First line: The first Wednesday in every month was a Perfectly Awful Day—a day to be awaited with dread, endured with courage and forgotten with haste.
Back cover blurb: n/a
Thoughts: I’ve read Daddy-Long-Legs before, but [...]

Posted on May 20th, 2008 by Love
Filed under: B, Classics, Decades '08, English, Young Adult | No Comments »

Tjuvlyssnat
by Damon Rasti and Gloria Hedman
Title translated to English: Eavesdropped

Swedish
140 pages
Känguru
ISBN: 978-91-85476-61-9
First line: n/a
Back cover blurb:
Vi har alla gjort det: tjuvlyssnat på andras samtal.
På tunnelbanan, i kön i mataffären, på ett café—det går helt enkelt inte att låta bli. Att tjuvlyssna är mer än ett behov. Det är en livsstil, ett folknöje, en del [...]

Posted on May 18th, 2008 by Love
Filed under: B, Humour, Non-fiction, Swedish | No Comments »

Trollvinter
by Tove Jansson
Title in English: Moominland Midwinter

Swedish
131 pages
AWE/Gebers
ISBN: 91-20-07551-0
First line: Himlen var nästan svart men snön var klarblå i månskenet.
Back cover blurb:
Det är inte lätt att vakna ur sitt vinteride i januari och inte kunna somna om.
Mumintrollet var det mumintroll som nånsin upplevat vintern, och i början var han förfärligt ensam i det sovande. [...]

Posted on May 18th, 2008 by Love
Filed under: Adventure, B, Children's lit, Fantasy, Swedish | 2 Comments »

Från en annan planet
by Tamara Bach
Original title: Marsmädchen

Swedish
168 pages
Berghs
ISBN: 91-502-1541-8
First line: Mitt namn är Miriam.
Back cover blurb:
“Laura och jag bredvid varandra på väg mot klassrummet. Steg, andas in, steg, andas ut. Lagom takt. Ska jag säga nåt? Hålla tyst? Andas. Där framme är dörren och jag kan inte göra nåt utom att gå, andas [...]

Posted on May 17th, 2008 by Love
Filed under: B, Fiction, GLBT interest, Swedish, Young Adult | No Comments »