After reading a couple of books that were a bit disappointing, I was ready for something really good and Jo Walton did not disappoint. Among Others was a wonderfully engaging book that mixed the real with the magical seamlessly giving is a timeless yet modern feel. The main character is a teen obsessed with reading -- specifically sci-fi and fantasy. And since it was set in almost exactly the same time when I was a book obsessed teen, it was like reading a bit of my own biography. Seeing Mor read the same books I devoured at her age was absolutely delightful. I'll be reading more of Walton's books in the future.
Next up was China Mieville's Un Lun Dun which is actually as YA novel, but was shelved in the adult section of our library. Personally I have no problem reading YA lit, so even after discovering this, I decided to read it anyway. It was a pretty good book -- not exceptional, but rather engaging.
I'm in a slump with Mieville right now, having been a bit disappointed by his novel Embassytown which I felt needed more editing. He has great ideas, but needs someone to help him pare things down. I understand that not all writers are great editors, but I think they need to know that about themselves and find someone who can do this very important task for them.
I loved Among Others. I wanted to start back over from the beginning. Jo Walton has a trilogy of adult fiction. It's the "small change" series. It starts with Farthing. It's an alternate history starting with Great Britain making a separate peace with Hitler. Very good as well, if a different type of book. I haven't read anything else of her YA, but I plan to.
Posted by: Annette | Monday, August 15, 2011 at 07:38 PM