Things have been quiet over here, so wanted to pop in and just say hi. I’ve been reading and commenting on other blogs and vlobs, tweeting, but lazy about writing my own posts.
Still, I’ve had read a really good book life lately. May’s readings ranged from a Russian historical mystery to Southern family drama, from a Swedish suburbia tearjerker to non-fiction about British early Renaissance. In between I squeezed in some feminist essays and superhero comics.
Also started re-reading Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond Chronicles. This time around I’m determined to get every single obscure reference. I even got a dedicated notebook. It’s been great in a history nerd kinda way.
I gave into the hype and started The Raven Cycle. No regrets… except about wishing there was more Blue in it. Also worth mention the amazing River of Stars audiobook narrated by Simon Vance. Guy Gavriel Kay recently released Children of Earth and Sky also read by Vance and set in an past Dubrovnik-like city (get out of my brain!). It’ll be the perfect beach audio. I’m almost afraid to start it, the expectations are so high.
Also in May I went back to Brussels for a friend’s birthday and bought some comics in French (they’re double the price here in Geneva).
I’m especially curious about La Dame à la licorne, a collection of stories by different authors (art students) inspired on The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries. Re-read Tracy Chevalier’s book about them recently and last year finally had the chance to see the tapestries live at the Musée de Cluny in Paris. I was mesmerized. In turn, they (and the whole museum, really) made me want to read more Dunnett. And that’s the way life and books intersect and complement each other 🙂
The Sleepless Reader 
15 comments
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June 7, 2016 at 3:28 pm
Lisbeth Ekelöf
Sounds like a good variety. I loved ‘A Man Called Ove’ and recently saw the film. It did not disappoint either, although it is not easy to film a popular book. I recently read Tracy Chevalier and would love to see the museum with the tapestries. Maybe I should finally make the trip to Paris.
June 9, 2016 at 5:03 pm
Alex
There’s a movie of Ove? Need to look for it – hope someone thought of English subtitles!
June 7, 2016 at 10:48 pm
Ti
I made a point of hitting my ARC pile hard these past few weeks and it’s finally paying off. I fell into a ditch with them recently and could not get out!
June 9, 2016 at 5:06 pm
Alex
Confession: never understood the pull of ARCs. Maybe I don’t feel strongly about any series/author enough to want them. Even for Harry Potter’s last books, I was perfectly fine with waiting in line at midnight with everyone else!
June 8, 2016 at 3:36 am
Kailana
I finally read The Raven Boys and the sequels recently, too! No regrets! Even if I was slow. lol
June 9, 2016 at 5:10 pm
Alex
This series is having a strange effect on me: on one hand I’m getting more and more invested in the characters’ lives. On the other I’m very… meh about the plot and the supernatural elements (maybe it’ll improve in the future?). I’ve realize that if the story was just about these 5 kids, their move into adulthood, social class clashes, etc. it’d still be a really interesting book (maybe MORE interesting? Sacrilege!).
June 8, 2016 at 6:03 am
heidenkind
There’s more Blue as the series goes on. Although I continue to be bothered by the fact that she appears to have no female friends. Like how realistic, Maggie Stiefvater.
June 9, 2016 at 5:17 pm
Alex
YES! I was just thinking about it the other day, when Blue says she *likes* some of her school friends but they aren’t part of her life on the long-term.
She actually seems like the type of person that would’ve a busy social life – she has lots of interests, doesn’t sound particularly introverted and is pretty confident about her “weirdness” (or is she?). She’s also not a “girls don’t seem to like me, sniff” trope. Why do you think Stiefvater made her this way? So she doesn’t have to write more characters? Or to make the group more isolated? It reminds me of medical dramas, where patients never receive many visitors (one of my tv pet peeves, together with people carrying around/drink from clearly empty cups).
June 11, 2016 at 6:02 am
heidenkind
The only thing I can think is that Stiefvater wants to keep the focus on that group instead of extraneous social lives. But: 1, Gansey and Ronan have social lives outside of the group, and 2, I think it would make a bigger narrative impact on how important the Raven Boys are to Blue if she had close friends before them. Not to mention that it really just doesn’t make sense. So it bothers me.
June 9, 2016 at 1:18 am
Jenny @ Reading the End
Huzzah to reading the Raven Cycle! I worry that I talk too much about those books and I will raise fellow bloggers’ expectations to an unreasonable level, and then they won’t be able to enjoy the books on their own merits. But yay, that didn’t happen with you! You just liked them! More Blue to come!
June 9, 2016 at 5:19 pm
Alex
Oh how I wish we’d all have coffee somewhere and just chant about these books, because I (like everyone else, I guess) have THOUGHTS. See my replies to the comments above and if you drop by again, let me know what you think!
June 9, 2016 at 5:02 pm
Kristen M.
Sounds like you are having a great time with your books, even without blogging. I started The Raven Cycle too but, of course, there’s been a ridiculously long hold on book two so I’m stalled for the moment. I’m hoping for more Blue as well!
June 9, 2016 at 5:23 pm
Alex
There’s something positive to be said about joining the bandwagon so late: at least we don’t have to wait years for the next in the series to come out! The Raven King is the last one in the series, right?
June 10, 2016 at 4:11 pm
Trish
I’ve read an issue of Aya and I really wish I could get my hands on the whole thing. Might just have to order it online. Hope you enjoy it!
I don’t do well with YA series books, but I’ve heard so much about The Raven Cycle that I’m not sure I’ll be able to resist it forever!
June 12, 2016 at 2:52 pm
Harriet
Everyone I know loves the Raven Boys, and I just couldn’t get through it. I’ll be interested to see what you thought.
I’ve convinced a couple of friends to read the Dunnett Lymond books, and they’re juuuuust getting to the parts of book three that go absolutely crazy. Makes me want to reread it, but I just reread it.