The point of these quick takes post to catch up on my "To Write About" stack—emphasizing pithiness, not thoroughness. This is a little longer than most of these that I do, I just wanted to get caught up on my Library Book Audiobooks (I'm so thankful that I can get audio downloads from my library right now—I'd be lost without them!)
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Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey, Jefferson Mays (Narrator) Series: The Expanse, #2 Unabridged Audiobook, 21 hrs. Hachette Audio, 2017 Read: April 6-14, 2020 Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
90% of the reason I'm doing this in a Quick Take post is because if I don't cover it in a paragraph or two, I'll take 15 pages (or the equivalent). I'm kicking myself so hard for not jumping on each installment of this series as soon as it was published (although, if I did, I would be missing out on the audiobooks). I read the first book shortly after publication, but missed the release of this book—so before I realized it I was two novels and over a thousand pages behind, and I just couldn't find the time to catch up.

Anyway, this might not have been the right time to listen to a novel about an unexpected, largely unknown, biological enemy of all humanity and the inexplicable reactions of several governments to it—through the eyes of people living in fairly enclosed spaces. Still, it's gripping, imaginative, wonderfully told and very compelling. I can't wait to see what's next (although, I'm pretty apprehensive of it, too). I loved the new characters and hope they stick around.

Heartless by Gail Carriger, Emily Gray (Narrator) Series: The Parasol Protectorate, #4 Unabridged Audiobook, 11 hrs,, 19 mins Hachette Audio, 2011 Read: April 1-3, 2020 Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
I think I'm about over this series, but maybe it was just this novel. Alexia seemed to run around oblivious to what was going on for almost the entire book—sure, it's kind of explained by the effect "the infant inconvenience" is having on her mind, but I don't totally buy that. (maybe that's my maleness talking). The first couple of chapters and the little bit at the end with the newborn were the highlights for me—the climactic battle sequence was fun, I just didn't like how we got there. Still, it was a fun listen and I enjoy the characters. I hope the series finale is better.

That said, Emily Gray is a delight. I seriously cannot listen to her enough.

Demon Born Magic by Jayne Faith, Amy Landon (Narrator) Series: Ella Grey, #4 Unabridged Audiobook, 8 hrs., and 52 mins. Tantor Audio, 2017 Read: April 24-27, 2020 Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
Ella now knows where her brother is, but she's been cut off from her power, so she can't move on it. Due to her lack of power (and some other stuff—including a total and inexplicable lack of due process), she loses her job. She and Damien start a private consulting business, make a Faustian deal and will deal with the consequences over most of this book and the next. Along the way, Ella learns why her brother is off the grid.

The luster has really worn off this series for me. I think it's possible that Faith will stick the landing and I'll be happy with the set as a whole, but I think she's squandered a good start. If there was more than one book left, I'm not sure I'd bother.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman Unabridged Audiobook, 6 hrs., 23 mins HarperAudio, 2006 Read: April 28-29, 2020 Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
I remember being disappointed when I read the book a few years ago, because the movie version (that I love) was such a lousy adaptation. The text eventually won me over, but it took a long time. This is backward, I realize, but what are you going to do?

Anyway, I came into this audiobook with low expectations, but I wasn't in the mood to spend money on an audiobook and everything I wanted from the library was checked out. Listening to Gaiman's always fun, so I gave this a whirl. Between Gaiman, low expectations, knowing it's not the movie, and a story that's really good when you give it a chance, I had a great time.

It's a fairy tale that isn't. Gaiman draws on every convention, every trope and uses them the way a child uses a play-doh set.

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy, Eileen Stevens (Narrator) Series: Dumplin', #1 Unabridged Audiobook, 9 hrs., 45 mins. HarperAudio, 2015 Read: April 29-30, 2020 Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
This was just cute. Another "don't make me spend money on audiobooks while I wait for holds to become available" listen. A YA story about a fat girl (her words, not mine) who joins her small-town beauty pagent, and the scandal that ensues. It's almost entirely predictable, but Murphy's style makes it feel fresh, and you just don't care about the predictability. Steven's narration is spot-on, too. I had a lot of fun with this.

Funny, You Don't Look Autistic: A Comedian's Guide to Life on the Spectrum by Michael McCreary Unabridged Audiobook, 3 hrs., 37 mins Annick Press, 2019 Read: March 31, 2020 Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
McCreary was five when he was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, but it had challenged him and his parents far before then. In this short memoir, he talks about growing up with ASD and finding his place in performing and comedy. This wasn't as funny as you might hope from a comedian's memoir, but given that the focus of it was on the way he got through life and learning his craft while learning how to live in a neurotypical world, it'd be hard to be funny. Still, there was a light-heartedness to the entire book that made it pretty appealing.

I had plenty of fun listening to this, and gained some insight (much needed, I expect) into ASD. I think the hard copy might be a bit better because there are charts, graphs, etc. he mentions throughout (yes, there are pdf versions available on the publisher's site, but who listens to an audiobook when they can stop and look at a pdf?).

Paradise Valley by C. J. Box, Christina Delaine (Narrator) Series: The Highway Quartet, #4 Unabridged Audiobook, 10 hrs., 6 mins Recorded Books, 2017 Read: March 26-30, 2020 Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

(the official blurb)
Here we go. Cassie Dewell vs. The Lizard King: The Final Battle. Kyle Westergaard comes along for the ride, too—because we can't have a Highway novel without a young person's perspective. A lot of other characters from the entire series make appearances (important ones), too.

This was a solid—horrifying, but solid—conclusion to this arc. And it does set up a way for things to continue beyond this point.

I'm really glad that I started this series (it, too, started with a "don't make me spend money on audiobooks while I wait for holds to become available" listen)

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

I thought that this book was just okay. This is really a pretty generous 3 stars but I am going to go with it. I have wanted to read Gail Carriger's work for a very long time and I remember being excited when I got my hands on a review copy of this book years ago. Somehow it got lost in my tbr pile but I decided that it was time to give it a go. It really wasn't all that I had hoped it would be but I am glad that I gave it a read and did find many parts of the book quite enjoyable.

This book felt younger than I expected it to feel. I do read quite a bit of YA but I thought that this story had more of a Middle Grade feel. That is not a bad thing - just an observation. My main issue with this story is the fact that I was often rather bored. For some reason, I never felt any connection to the story or the characters and often found my mind wandering. 

The story revolves around Sophronia, who is sent off to Finishing School. This isn't like any other Finishing School. While she is taught important things such as how to curtsey properly, she is also trained in the art of espionage. I thought the school was pretty interesting and enjoyed seeing all of the various steampunk elements that present. There were a few more intense scenes that I thought were really well done as well.

I thought that Moira Quirk did a good job with this book. She was able to represent all of the different characters very well with her voice. I thought that the dialogue in the story flowed quite nicely. I found that she read the book at a nice pace and had no issues listening to her narration for long periods of time.

I think that this is a book that other reader might like a bit more than I did. I thought that the book did many things quite well but I was often bored and eager to finish the book so that I could move on to something else. I do hope to read more from Gail Carriger soon but I will probably choose a book from a different series.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Little Brown Books for Young Readers via NetGalley and purchased a copy of the audiobook.

Initial Thoughts
Maybe 2.5 stars but I am rounding up for now. There were parts of this story that I really did enjoy and other parts that felt rather dull. I just had a hard time really staying interested in this book but I did like the characters. I listened to the audio and thought that Moira Quirk did a great job with the story.

Etiquette & Espionage

by Gail Carriger
Book 1 of Finishing School

This was an absurdly fun read with a lovely, humorous narration, as well as an interestingly created steampunk world!  I would totally count this towards my Reading Assignment challenge as well, except that I started reading it in February.  Darn...

I don't read a whole lot of steampunk, if only because I've never really had much exposure to them, but after this book, I might find myself exploring the genre more often.  Or at least, I know I'll be reading more from this particular series, and maybe even from this author.  I understand that Finishing School actually takes place in a world that Carriger created in another series, so I may pick up those books as well.

But meanwhile, I'm finding that Etiquette & Espionage stands out very well on it's own!

Sophronia wanted to say something about the prototype, but she knew when she was being dismissed.  She bobbed a curtsy.  "Thank you, my lady."

Lady Linette winced.  "Miss Temminneck, arrange after-hours lessons with Professor Braithwope, do.  We really must work on that curtsy of yours, dear."

"But I have advanced eyelash fluttering to practice, and a mathematics problem concerning how to order strychnine and a lamb dinner on a limited budget, and three chapters on court etiquette to read, and my handkerchief to starch, and the quadrille to memorize!"

"No one said learning etiquette and espionage would be easy, my dear."

While extremely entertaining as a whole, the book had started off a little slow, but that was to be expected considering all the introductions to the world, the finishing school, and to Sophronia, that needed to be made.  The first half of the book involved a lot of set-up, but fortunately, we even have a tiny mystery going on in the background, and some rather over-the-top comedic antics by almost all of our characters.

I had been expecting a darker setting, with the lessons on dealing death, and fighting vampires and werewolves, but the book kept to it's more comedic, nonsensical tone.  Supposing that this book is geared more towards a middle grade age, that makes a lot of sense, though I had expected a more mature voice until I remembered that Sophronia and friends are only around thirteen or fourteen years old.

And, my, what characters!  A little deliberate in execution, and somewhat more juvenile than I'd expected, as I mentioned, but I absolutely loved all the strange little quirks each character had.  I was only disappointed that some of the side characters weren't fleshed out just a little bit more, or that Sophronia's attempts at using the skills she's learned were less than graceful, to be frank.

There also appear to be a few loose ends here and there with a few of the side tangents.

And still, I had tons of fun reading this book and will certainly be moving onto the next book.  I'd just love to see more from the side characters such as Vieve, Soap, Pillover, and even Professor Braithwope.  I imagine we'll expand more on Sophronia's friendships as the series progresses?  Because that would be so very excellent.

Originally published at midureads.wordpress.com on October 3, 2018.

2018

Soulless: The Manga, Vol. 1 by Gail Carriger

Oh, this was such a pretty book! It stayed true to the story from the novels, making me laugh and fall in love with the series all over again. The art is just so manga-ey that you can’t help but like it.  My initial thoughts on reading it can be found here.

2015

The Dresden Files: Storm Front, Volume 1: The Gathering Storm by Jim Butcher

Another novel converted to graphic novel format. While Ms. Carriger’s humor shines through in both novel formats, I didn’t find the same to be true for Butcher. Even so, if I can stick to this series with its problematic treatment of female characters, I can stomach the graphic novels too. Did that sound like somebody was forcing me to read them? Lol

2013

Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson

Betsy came into my life when I needed a reprieve from the real world. She might be shallow and it might take her like 9 books to realize that, but she still makes me laugh. Her magnetic ability to attract trouble no matter where she goes reminds me of Mercy of the Mercedes Thompson fame. Her tenacity has shades of Kate Daniels from another favorite series of mine. But most of all, I love her for the way she sticks up for those she considers family!

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

This is one book that I wish I had found when I was a kid — or had been written back then. I think I’d have appreciated it more? Anyway, it has the charm of the Dahl books but there is a dark undercurrent to them that makes them scary. But in a good way. Fine job I’m doing of explaining why I like this series, right? But I do!

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Gaiman’s books either wow me or they don’t i.e. there is no middle ground. But I never not like them. Does that make sense? For instance, I wasn’t a fan of American Gods but I loved Coraline and this one. TOATEOTL had this surreal feel to it that never let up. Despite being a short story, I felt like I connected with the characters in it too.

Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon by Spider Robinson

This book has an old-timey sci-fi-ish feel to it that instantly resonated with me. I am also a fan of anthologies and short story compilations. To me, they present a varied meal where I sample different dishes and decide which ones i loved. Like most books of its genre and time, it isn’t overly long. Another plus in my case! I also reviewed the second book in this series.

2012

The Emerald City by J.A. Beard

** spoiler alert ** This was such a refreshing book! Another YA novel that I’d recommend to those of us who aren’t too into them. The book had everything: a teenager who acted her age was smart and kicked butt-not dumb enough to dismiss the strange ongoings in her school like most YA protagonists would have done.characters that kept me interested throughout — Nick’s zombieness made him all the more fun and Lydia was cute. It had the right beginning and a balanced ending — the book wasn’t too long either.there were some spelling mistakes, yes.the humor was done just right. It was fun, witty and a quick read — I just couldn’t put the book down till I was done reading.

Undermountain by Eric Kent Edstrom

** spoiler alert ** I got this book from Making Connections for free, in exchange of an honest review.The action started from the get-go and it never stopped.

It has been so long since I enjoyed a YA novel this much and didn’t end up wanting to hit every character over the head-well, maybe Shiv, at times!

My favorite character was Grizz for obvious reasons. TogYip were cute too.

The transformation that each teenager goes through by the end of their journey (as Harvin was kind to observe for us) made the story even better.

The romance or sprinklings of it was just the right amount.

There were a few spelling mistakes which I noticed though.

The descriptions of the city of Bigfeet were sufficient without being boring.I loved every bit of it!

2011

The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht

Sadly, I don’t remember much about this one, just that I loved it. It was a simple, touching story about a family. That much I do remember!

So those were my faves from various Junes of various years. Hope you had fun reading about it!

Series: Finishing School #4

Sophronia is older here, now one of the more senior students, but she's still investigating a possible Picklemen plot (honestly that whole secret society with a pickle theme is just odd) and gets into lots of trouble. There was also a fun segment near the beginning of the book where the girls were tasked with acting like another girl as an exercise and thus confusing the other people they're interacting with.

Overall I'd say that this series was a light and amusing read, despite the general air of danger, and the audio was a good option. Because Sophronia is a student investigating what could be characterized as a crime (basically it is but it's not clear how without giving out spoilers), I'll be counting this one for the "Baker Street Irregulars" square for Halloween Bingo.