Ex Libris - January 2014

This month has been a great month for reading, with my post Christmas book binge and landing myself in hospital in the middle of the month. Lots of rereads, plus a few new purchases have kept me very busy.

The Split Worlds Trilogy by Emma Newman

I actually read the first of this trilogy (Between Two Thorns) back in December whilst on holiday in Bath. Several characters swap between a luxurious, hidden high society of magic users, our own common world and one just a little bit more special, centred in the ancient city of Bath. Part supernatural police procedural (my favourite!), part Regency intrigue and part coming of age, Between Two Thorns is a totally engaging story with a fantastic range of characters that I just couldn't put down.

 I devoured the sequels easily as fast, but the love quickly grew stale. Newman has created a vastly explorable world, one that I could return to again and again but the sequels attempt to explore it far too fast. Instead of coming together seamlessly, the varying subplots clash and collide as if hurried along too quickly to develop at their own pace. Another Name also contains a little twist that remained unaddressed for the rest of the series that completely jarred me out of infatuation and completely undermines a vital development in two of the characters' relationships. I hope desperately for a fourth book, one that drastically slows the pace down for some much needed character development.

In the mean time, I'm slowly catching up on Emma Newman's 54 worldbuilding stories, available for free at her website. I love these little bite size chunks, perhaps they'll soothe my disappointment until another book arrives.

Vampire Forensics by Mark Collins Jenkins

Back when I was first choosing my university courses, the University of Cambridge offered a Mythology & Folklore Masters, that became my academic goal for three years. I have always loved mythological and anthropological study and was somewhat heartbroken upon my graduation to find that it was no longer offered as an option. Instead I amass volumes of academic speculation on the origins of mankind's monsters.

As a starting point, this is a good volume.
*Disorganised - too many myths, too many places, too many centuries
* Haphazard definition of vampire
* It may seem bizarre to complain about a book covering too much only to complain about what it doesn't cover, but this is a Eurocentric book. It mentions a handful of Eastern undead myth, but not to much depth and mostly ignores South American legend.
* Snatches of interest that are left unpursued
* Good as an overview of Slavic myth and anecdote.

Kitty Peck & The Music Hall Murders
Dodger - Terry Pratchett
Assassin's Apprentice - Robin Hobb

Bought but not read:
In The Night Circus

Rereads:

Lords & Ladies - Terry Pratchett
Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
The Hobbit - J.R.R Tolkien
Deerskin - Robin McKinley
The Rogue - Trudi Canavan