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mooingzelda

mooingzelda

Joined March 2018

Avid bookworm from Manchester, UK. Fantasy/sci-fi, historical fiction, Victorian novels, literary and world fiction, short stories.
review
mooingzelda
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Pickpick

I've had The Psychology of Time Travel on my wishlist since reviews of it started appearing on blogs a while ago. A time travel story populated almost exclusively with women, and it's a mystery to boot? Yes please! I was gripped from the beginning. I especially loved the way in which time travel develops into an industry complete with its own psychometric tests, slang and cliques.

7 likes1 stack add
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mooingzelda
Under the Poppy | Kathe Koja
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Bailedbailed

Did not finish. Got 80 pages in and realised it had taken me a week to get that point, so I decided to stop. It's reasonably well written but there's no sense of place or history, which is odd for a historical novel! I moved on to issue 1 of the The Good Journal (edited by Nikesh Shukla) and enjoyed it much more.

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mooingzelda
Marcel | Erwin Mortier
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Mehso-so

Another literary trip to Belgium before our real life trip. This is a short, odd novel set (I think) in the 1970s, about a young Flemish boy observing various people around him as they go about their lives and sometimes talk about the war. And not much else. There are some nice turns of phrase, though.

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mooingzelda
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Pickpick

I couldn't wait to buy the paperback of this so I raced through a library copy in 2 days. I absolutely loved it (although The Long Way... is still my favourite in this series) and am so full of admiration for Becky Chambers's writing talents!

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mooingzelda
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Mehso-so

I'm not quite sure what to make of this, Sarah Perry's debut novel. It's beautifully written in a lingering, haunting way, but with a protoganist I didn't particularly care for and a random assortment of characters who you only get to know in brief glimpses. There's enough of a mystery to keep me reading to the end, and I can't resist a wonderfully turned-out phrase, which Perry delivers fairly frequently! I much prefer The Essex Serpent, though.

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mooingzelda
The Light of Other Days | Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen Baxter
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Panpan

I'm a huge Clarke fan so I was expecting big things from this collaboration, but it didn't really work for me. It gets off to a good start with some interesting characters and relationships, and there are lots of huge, amazing ideas as the WormCam technology - which lets you watch past events from any point in time - develops and becomes used for various purposes, but I found that I was slogging through most of the book rather than enjoying it.

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mooingzelda
How to be Famous | Caitlin Moran
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Pickpick

I thoroughly enjoyed tearing through this sequel to the excellent How To Build A Girl in the space of a few days. How To Be Famous is a hilarious and sad love letter to teenage girls, music and fighting back in the face of disaster, all set at the time that Britpop first exploded onto the scene. As someone who had posters of all of the 90s boy/indie bands on my teenage bedroom walls, it was also quite a nostalgic read!

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mooingzelda
American War | Omar El Akkad
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Mehso-so

A near-future US besieged by rising seas is in a second civil war between north and south. A southern girl is radicalised to terrorism, with consequences for the country. I appreciated the intention of the author to show that this can happen to anyone, anywhere, and not just in 'brown' countries. You're not meant to like the protoganist - just understand her. It's well-written but depressing - it's too much of a reflection of the real world!

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mooingzelda
Resistance: A Novel | Anita Shreve
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Pickpick

Another Belgium-set novel, this time with a wartime plot about the WW2 resistance movement in the country and an illicit romance. I've never read any Anita Shreve before, but I really liked this. She has quite a detailed, intense way of writing.

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mooingzelda
Circe | Madeline Miller
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Pickpick

I loved Circe. I don't know much about the ancient Greeks and their gods, so I enjoyed finding out more about them in the context of a compelling personal story. The writing is great - descriptive without going over the top, which I appreciated!

Probably the only thing that lets the novel down ever so slightly is the pacing. I felt that it slowed a bit in the middle and towards the end, but the writing is so good I didn't mind too much.

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mooingzelda
The Lady and the Unicorn | Tracy Chevalier
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Pickpick

We're going to Belgium in September, so I've got a few Belgium-based reads to get through before then. This historical novel is set in 15th century Paris and Brussels and revolves around the weaving of the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries. It's quite enjoyable and a nice quick read if you don't want anything too heavy, while also learning about the intricacies of medieval weaving!

6 likes1 stack add
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mooingzelda
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Pickpick

This is a very enjoyable collection of short stories inspired by Arthur C Clarke, all precisely 2,001 words long. There were a couple that I didn't quite understand, but overall this is an excellent book for fans of Clarke and science fiction in general!

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mooingzelda
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Mehso-so

I quite enjoyed this, but felt it was lacking something. Perhaps a bit more of an emotional struggle? Every problem was solved so quickly and easily! Still, it was good fun to read.

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mooingzelda
Water and Glass | Abi Curtis
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this! Water & Glass follows a scientist on a submarine in a near future setting where climate change has finally flooded most of the Earth. She looks after the animals onboard and uncovers secrets while we flash back to find out why she's there. Less sciencey than it sounds with a refreshingly simple writing style. This was a free review copy via LibraryThing, too!

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mooingzelda
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Pickpick

This is Viv Albertine's (of The Slits) second memoir. This one is all about her relationships with her family and how they've shaped her over the years, with The Slits only getting the odd mention here and there. It's just as funny and honest as Clothes, Music, Boys. I did find parts of it quite emotionally hard to read, but I think most readers will - after all, no one's family is perfect!

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mooingzelda
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Pickpick

What a fantastic end to a brilliant trilogy! Liveship was even better than I remembered overall, if not a bit wordy. Going to take a break from Hobb for a bit before starting my Tawny Man re-read.

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mooingzelda
After You: A Novel | Jojo Moyes
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Mehso-so

Not as good as Me Before You, but still fairly enjoyable. Louisa Clark really does lead an action-packed if not fairly random life!

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mooingzelda
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Pickpick

It's still nice to be reacquainting myself with Bingtown, the Rain Wilds and the Pirate Isles, but it's taking a while! It feels like it's taken months to read the 900+ pages of The Mad Ship. Good job it's a cracking book.

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mooingzelda
The Courage Consort | Michel Faber
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Mehso-so

This is an interesting novella told from the point of view of a woman with depression who travels with her vocal ensemble to a château on the continent for a major rehearsal. Faber's writing is great as always, but some parts of the story felt unfinished.

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mooingzelda
Ship of Magic | Robin Hobb
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I'm 250 pages into my long overdue re-read of The Liveship Traders trilogy, and I can't believe I'd forgotten just how good it is! Robin Hobb is a genius.

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mooingzelda
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Pickpick

This is such a brilliant novel, especially if you're also from a British Asian background and can find something to nod at on every other page! It's funny and heart-rending and full of joy. Highly recommended.

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mooingzelda
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Mehso-so

This was intriguing, but didn't quite deliver for me. Think The Handmaid's Tale but told from the point of view of an adopted Native American woman. One for those who are properly obsessed with dystopian fiction!

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mooingzelda
End of Watch | Stephen King
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Pickpick

What a brilliant trilogy this has been! Stephen King can't really put a foot wrong for me. I'd recommend this series (starting with Mr Mercedes) for anyone who wants three gripping reads that aren't too long.

6 likes1 stack add
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mooingzelda
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Mehso-so

I feel like I've been struggling with this for months! It's okay, but I'm not in any rush to read the rest of the series any time soon. The style is odd, verging on nonsensical at times, and the narrator/other main characters aren't particularly likeable.

jamie_in_the_library I keep thinking I should read this because it‘s so popular, but every time I start it, I lose interest. Good to know I‘m not missing too much! 6y
mooingzelda @jamie_in_the_library Apparently the other books are better, but I have nearly 80 books in my to-read pile and not a lot of patience! 6y
5 likes2 comments
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mooingzelda
The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock | Imogen Hermes Gowar
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Pickpick

I loved this novel! It's set in Georgian London but reminds me a little of The Crimson Petal and the White. The characters are vividly drawn and there's a fair bit of humour, too. Highly recommended.

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mooingzelda
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Now onto the third installment of my #RealmOfTheElderlings re-read. This is the third time I've read the #FarseerTrilogy and it's just as brilliant as the first time (which was a decade ago!).

wanderinglynn ❤️ this series. Robin Hobb is a phenomenal writer! 6y
mooingzelda @wanderinglynn She really is! 6y
3 likes2 comments
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mooingzelda
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Pickpick

This is such a wonderful novel. I absolutely loved it from start to finish. It's been a while since I've come across a protagonist as unique and engaging as Eleanor Oliphant. Highly, highly recommended!

blurb
mooingzelda
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Continuing my Fitz and the Fool re-read with one of my particular favourites - the one where Fitz meets Nighteyes, aka the best wolf in fiction! 🐺

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mooingzelda
Wrinkle in Time | Madeleine L'Engle
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Pickpick

Really enjoyed this - I'm impressed that it manages to explain complicated scientific concepts in such an easy to grasp way! Meg is also brilliant. I wish I'd read this as a child as I would have properly loved it!

jamie_in_the_library That edition is beautiful! Haven‘t seen it before 😍 6y
mooingzelda @jamie_in_the_library It's a wonderful cover, isn't it?! 6y
5 likes2 comments
blurb
mooingzelda
A Wrinkle in Time | Madeleine L'Engle
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This page inside A Wrinkle In Time reminds me of being a child and painstakingly writing my name inside the cover of every book I owned! Love that there's a special page for it here.

#awrinkleintime #puffinbooks #childrensbooks

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mooingzelda
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Starting my reread of the three Fitz and the Fool trilogies before I finally read Assassin's Fate for the first time and find out how it all ends. These books are my favourite series by far and remain a benchmark for other fantasy writers, as far as I'm concerned!

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mooingzelda
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Pickpick

I loved this - I've seen it described as Agatha Christie meets Groundhog Day, and it's a very apt description! If you love a classic country house murder mystery but want something a bit different, this is definitely for you. Highly recommended.

jamie_in_the_library This sounds great! 6y
7 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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mooingzelda
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Pickpick

This is a creepy, compelling neo-Victorian page-turner with a good dose of gothic storytelling.

I really enjoyed how the mysteries behind Elsie‘s past, the history of the house and the silent companions unfolded. I also found it interesting how the part of the book set in the 'present‘ deals with how women were perceived by the medical profession in the Victorian era.

#thesilentcompanions #laurapurcell #neovictorian #mystery #horror

RaimeyGallant Nice review. :) And welcome to Litsy! #LitsyWelcomeWagon Some of us put together Litsy tips to help new Littens navigate the site. It's the link in my bio on my page in case you need it. Or if you prefer how-to videos, @chelleo put some together at the link in her bio. 6y
mooingzelda @RaimeyGallant Great, thank you! 6y
RaimeyGallant My pleasure. :) 6y
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Chelleo Welcome 🤗 6y
mooingzelda @Chelleo Thank you! 6y
Jess_Read_This 💐Welcome to Litsy💐 Judging from all the genres you enjoy... I think you will be instrumental in growing my already out of control TBR book list! 6y
mooingzelda @Jess_Read_This Thank you! And I hope I can indeed be of bookish service. 6y
7 likes1 stack add7 comments