my favorite things

Monday, January 14, 2013

book review: "Blackout" & "All Clear" by Connie Willis

BLACKOUT & ALL CLEAR

Connie Willis

The latest addition to Connie Willis' Oxford Time Travel series, which includes "Doomsday Book" and "To Say Nothing of the Dog", "Blackout" and "All Clear" document the stories of historians Polly Churchill, Merope Ward, and Michael Davies. Polly, Merope, and Michael each travel back in time from Oxford in the year 2060 to different periods of World War II Britain to do research, but their lives intertwine when their means of returning to the future does not work, and they are stuck in the past trying to find a way back.

At a total of almost 1,200 pages, not a few readers have found the two novels too lengthy. Indeed, the story was intended to be one novel that was eventually split into two volumes. This means that before starting on "Blackout", one must be prepared to read "All Clear" afterwards, to be able to appreciate the story fully. The fact that the novels jump from one character to another and from one time period to the next also adds to the challenge.

Instead of bogging down the story, I think the novels are richer for the wealth of information they impart about the daily lives of ordinary people in wartime England. This is especially true for people like me whose education, by virtue of place of residence, focused on the Pacific Theater of the Second World War. Part of the appeal of the novels for me too, is trying to figure out the connections between the people who enter the lives of Polly and Merope and Michael, and the events that surround them. The story would be different, I think, were such details left out.

A good story for me is one which has characters who stay with me even after I've closed the book, and one that makes me think; in this case, about the complexities and paradoxes of time travel, which I will leave to readers brave enough and patient enough to tackle the novels, to figure out (to avoid spoilers). More than the above, "Blackout" and "All Clear" are Connie Willis' love letters to the men and women who lived and survived World War II; the soldiers who fought the war, and the loved ones they left behind.

Rating:

Tuesday, January 01, 2013

2013 Reading Targets

Annual Reading Resolution:

Read more, buy less.

Do this!

And, a wish for all...

Monday, December 31, 2012

The Best of Books in 2012

Best Read of 2012

my review here

The Rest of the Best

(in no particular order)

my review here

my semi-review here

The Year in Reading

In 2012, I

read 73 books,

bought 50 books,

spending a total of Php9,600+ on books,

and was gifted with 9 books;

an average of

6 books read per month,

4-5 books bought per month,

spending Php800+ on books per month.

That's

4 more books read than last year,

40 less books bought than last year,

and Php5,000 less spent than last year. :)

I read 1.5 books for every book I bought.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

before the year ends...

edit 12/31/12: All goals accomplished!

Friday, October 26, 2012

Neil Gaiman and All Hallows Read

2 years ago Neil Gaiman started a new tradition of giving away a scary book during Halloween, and this year he posted his list of recommendations.

The ones with a pink star are the ones I've read. Which means I have a lot of reading still to do. (Don't I always? ;P)

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Hallows reads

Confined (mostly) to bed since Sunday due to an upper respiratory tract infection, I had time to catch up on my reading, and since Halloween and All Souls' (Hallows') Day and All Saints' Day are coming up, I thought to read accordingly.

First was "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs. I can say that this is one of my best reads for the year, for the unusual presentation and the unusual story. I'm eagerly anticipating the sequel.

Then, finding my schedule will allow me to attend my friends' steampunk-themed (post-)Halloween party, I proceeded to get informed on the genre. I'm not sure mention of mechanical devices considered advanced for the Victorian period can be termed steampunk, but I am enjoying the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger. It reminds me very much of my favorite Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters. (Incidental?)

Here is my pile for the rest of the week and the next...

"Trese: Mass Murder" & "Trese: Last Seen After Midnight" by Budjette Tan & KaJO Baldisimo
"How to Live with a Unicorn: The Fantastic Guide to Keeping Mythical Pets" by Jane Moseley
"I am Legend" by Richard Matheson
"Pure" by Andrew Miller
"From the Dust Returned" by Ray Bradbury
"A Hat Full of Sky" by Terry Pratchett

Nothing too long, nothing too scary. Not a guarantee that I will read them, but I like having my options at the ready.