Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Granny Weatherwax is back and I got my first glimpse of Nanny Ogg! Two great ladies. And how about the romance in this novel. I really loved all the intertextuality. Terry Pratchett has written a great novel with this book.



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The Cambridge Companion to Modern Japanese Culture by Yoshio Sugimoto

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It was a quite interesting book, a good insight into modern Japanese culture, spanning over many topics, such as family life, music, work culture... It will never be the same as experiencing the culture hands on, of course, but it was a good introduction and overview.



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House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was a very strange book, but I knew that going in, didn't I. Actually, it was the reason I picked it up anyway.The stories that intertwine and change, the parody of literary criticism that weaves in between. I quite enjoyed this book. I found it really scary at times. I am still trying to make sense of parts of (just like the book tries on its own). I'm definitely going to look for other books written by Danielewski.



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The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was a reread for me. I really adore Terry Pratchett's style and I must admit I am a big fan of Rincewind's. It's funny how he thinks of himself as a coward. Well, he is most of the time, he's certainly no hero, but in the end he'll pull through if need be. Most of his cowardice stems from good sense, anyway.



Terry Pratchett's universe is alive, vivid, colorful and, of course, magical. I would not mind having a star turtle in my universe.



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Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Sookie has been changing a lot and not for the best. She has become rather fatalistic. She hates all the violence around her, but she does not do anything about it. It is like she has decided that as a weak human she cannot take a position and keep it. Well, hello Sookie, you can. I also think it is very funny that she can make everything about her. Okay, the Sandra Pelt thing was about her, but she could've walked out on Eric.

Somehow, she's changed from the strong-willed person of the first couple of novels to someone who likes to complain about being ordered around and having no choice to do anything for her own. Her fierce friendship with other characters is commendable, but somewhat diminishes in brightness by her conviction that she cannot do anything to help them in the greater scheme of things.



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Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I must admit it: now, I'm only reading the books to finish the series. One to go, and I'm up to date and after that I have to wait for the two final books (if we are to believe Charlaine Harris). Sookie's character is getting stretched. Whether this is through al the interaction with the supes and therefore Charlaine's intention, I don't know.

She is not the refreshing personality she once was, and the traits I liked about her are the ones that have been compromised. Something has to come and save Sookie from herself and the supernatural community.

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Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really loved this book. I loved Mantel's style, which was very lyrical. It was strange to read a kind of 'stream of consciousness' in third person. Though it took some getting used to and some rereads of particular sentences, I think the style fits perfectly with the book she's written.

I quite like the persona of Thomas Cromwell in this book. Indeed, it is somewhat difficult not to like him. I'm looking forward to the sequel to this book.

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Bejubeld & Verguisd by Fik Meijer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was somewhat of a disappointment. Fik Meijer is the authority on ancient history in the Dutch-speaking world, but this book was not as well-written as I had expected. Though the content was interesting, it were just short flat biographies of people who could be deemed heroes. It was very interesting to get to know some more obscure figures of ancient history. However, the whole book gave a distinct vibe of a student paper. A student who is just summarizing facts and wants to finish this thing as soon as possible. (It reminds me of papers and articles I have written.)

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Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sookie once again manages to get in to a lot of trouble, I guess this is not really a spoiler, huh... The book did not really live up to my expectation. Sookie's reactions were a bit off, they did not really correspond to the Sookie I know. Her moral and personal compass is eroding. Though I was happy that she and Eric were getting together again, the story seemed to be all over the place, though there was only one overarching story arch this time... I guess we'll see where Charlaine takes us in the next few books.

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