Monthly Archives: October 2010

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea – Jules Verne

Posted on October 27, 2010 by Ela

(electronic book © Pennsylvania State University, originally published 1869) I recall reading this when I was a child (in, I think, a heavily abridged version with sensational pictures), but had remembered so little of the book (apart from the pearl fisher … Continue reading →

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Blood Music – Greg Bear

Posted on October 24, 2010 by Ela

(Gollancz 1985) This novel started off life as a short story (which won both Nebula and Hugo awards for best short story), which Bear afterwards expanded to novel length. Like Eon, the only one of Bear’s other books which I’ve … Continue reading →

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A Very British Coup – Chris Mullin

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Ela

(Serpent’s Tail 2010, originally published 1982) In this speculative story of political skullduggery, Chris Mullin (a Labour MP, though not when he wrote the book) shows how Britain might have been. The book begins with the 1989 general election in … Continue reading →

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A Civil Campaign – Lois McMaster Bujold

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Ela

(Baen 2010, originally published in 1999) I shouldn’t have read this book out of order, since there are so many references to events occurring in previous books in Bujold’s Vorkosigan saga, particularly Komarr, which immediately precedes A Civil Campaign, that … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010 New Reads, Fiction, Humour, Reviews, Romance, Science fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Soulless – Gail Carriger

Posted on October 17, 2010 by Ela

(Orbit 2009) Book the First of The Parasol Protectorate Miss Alexia Tarabotti suffers under a number of social disadvantages, primarily that she has no soul, but is also a confirmed spinster whose father was Italian. Set in a re-imagined Victorian … Continue reading →

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Hungry City – Carolyn Steel

Posted on October 16, 2010 by Ela

(Chatto & Windus 2008) This book has been sitting in my to-read pile for quite some time, and it’s only now that I’ve got round to reading it and wishing I had done sooner. I should state upfront that Carolyn … Continue reading →

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The Jewel in the Crown – Paul Scott

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Ela

(Arrow 2005, originally published in 1966) Book 1 of the Raj Quartet In this book Scott examines India under British rule in 1942, the period towards the end of the ‘Raj’, in a large (fictional) town called Mayapore. The narrative … Continue reading →

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The State of the Art – Iain M. Banks

Posted on October 9, 2010 by Ela

(Orbit 1991) This is a collection of short stories and one novella published between 1987 to 1989 in various publications. I’ve read all of Banks’ sci-fi novels (up to Matter) and it’s taken me a while to get round to … Continue reading →

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Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism – Natasha Walter

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Ela

(Virago 2010) Like Ariel Levy in her earlier book, Female Chauvinist Pigs: The Rise of Raunch Culture, Natasha Walter argues in this well-researched and quietly angry book that women* are themselves becoming complicit in a current “hypersexual” culture, particularly aimed … Continue reading →

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Currently to be read – 5th October

Posted on October 5, 2010 by Ela

When I have some spare time, I’ll write up some more reviews. In the mean time, this is what’s currently on my to-read list. Currently causing delays in the schedule is The Jewel in the Crown, which is taking time … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010 New Reads, Lists | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments