Thursday, January 23rd, 2014

The Invisible Ones -- Stef Penney
‘Had a sister, you know. Christina. She gave her life for me.’
I stare at him – presumably what he intended. ‘I thought she died in a road accident?’
Ivo shrugs. ‘If it wasn’t that, it would’ve been something else. ... Dad wanted a miracle. For me. But you have to pay for that, if you’re a Gypsy. It’s a life for a life, isn’t it? That’s what the Bible says.’ [loc. 3590]

slightly spoilery review )
Midnight in Havana -- Peggy Blair
The dead man hovered nearby. It seemed rude to leave him waiting indefinitely. “My day off,” Ramirez whispered, his hand over the mouthpiece. The man looked disappointed but showed himself out. An honest mistake, thought Ramirez. Christmas Day, unlike Christmas Eve, was a working day in Cuba. For the first time in years, however, Ramirez had the day off. [loc. 486]

slightly spoilery review )
The Ghost Bride -- Yangsze Choo

This practice of arranging the marriage of a dead person was uncommon, usually held in order to placate a spirit. A deceased concubine who had produced a son might be officially married to elevate her status to a wife. Or two lovers who died tragically might be united after death. That much I knew. But to marry the living to the dead was a rare, and indeed dreadful occurrence. [loc. 65]

slightly spoilery review )

Books!


Books read: 43, 26 by women and 17 by men; 42 novels; 2 rereads
Best five, not in any particular order: Seraphina; Code Name Verity; Codex; Advent; The Element -inth in Greek

Edit to add: whilst on my reading-holiday in December, I noted that nearly every book I was reading, or had read recently, involved a violent / sudden death, sometimes accidental, usually of a woman or child. And the trend continues this year. Thoughts? (I mean, yes, I can retire to Austen / Heyer / etc, though some of those do feature deaths: but is this such a prevalent trope that it's transparent?)

See 'em all here: Dreamwidth | LiveJournal
books2013 by tamaranth
books2013, a photo by tamaranth on Flickr.



Courses!


9 courses, ranging from Mathematical Thinking through Paleobiology to Beethoven Sonatas.
in detail )

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