Category Archives: Prose

The Fortune of the Rougons, by Émile Zola

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Thistle

While I’ve loved almost every Zola I’ve read in the past, I was not sold on this book. At least three-quarters of it is backstory, and it felt very clumsily put together. I appreciate the Rougon-Macquart history laid out in … Continue reading →

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The Emperor’s Soul, by Brandon Sanderson

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Thistle

This is my first Brandon Sanderson of 2013, and it was great! As usual. I’ve come to expect greatness from Sanderson, and he delivers it most of the time. This story was fascinating: a conflict of magical beliefs, and a … Continue reading →

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The Chopin Manuscript, by Multiple Authors (audio)

Posted on January 12, 2013 by Thistle

I picked up this audiobook on a whim. The mystery sounded complicated and perhaps a bit convoluted, but very intriguing. The audio was read by Alfred Molina, and I thought he’d make a good narrator. Lastly, the book was written … Continue reading →

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The Silence of Murder, by Dandi Daley Mackall (audio)

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Thistle

Hope’s older brother – a selective mute with several mental handicaps – has been accused of murder. Hope knows he couldn’t have done it, but has no proof. This story is both about Hope’s struggle to uncover the truth of … Continue reading →

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The Evolution of Mara Dyer, by Michelle Hodkin

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Thistle

I read the first of these books (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer) last year, and was very conflicted about it. The writing drove me crazy and the plot seemed to go in a million different directions, but I loved the … Continue reading →

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Shadow and Bone, by Leigh Bardugo

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Thistle

From Goodreads: Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the … Continue reading →

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The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway (audio)

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Thistle

I have no idea what to say about this book. On the one hand, it is about an old fisherman from Havana who has spent many months unable to hook a fish, and then when he finally does, the fish … Continue reading →

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Reached, by Ally Condie

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Thistle

This is the third book in the Matched trilogy, a series I have a long and complicated history with, that those of you who knew me over the last few years already know, and which I don’t care to recap … Continue reading →

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The Weird Sisters, by Eleanor Brown (audio)

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Thistle

Rose, Bianca, and Cordelia: three sisters named after Shakespeare characters, growing up in a household that runs on books (mostly works about or by Shakespeare, but others as well) and a whole lot of scatterbrained parenting. Said sisters have reached … Continue reading →

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The Mostly True Story of Jack, by Kelly Barnhill

Posted on November 23, 2012 by Thistle

Jack’s parents are getting divorced, and so Jack is sent to live with his aunt and uncle in middle-of-nowhere Iowa for the summer. At home, he’s used to being nearly invisible. He has no friends, the bullies ignore him, and … Continue reading →

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