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Lucy Fricke: Die Diplomatin (German language, 2022, Claassen) 4 stars

Review of 'Die Diplomatin' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

A precious glimpse into the mind of a female (gasp!) German diplomat. After a mistake with serious consequences at the beginning of the novel, our protagonist is transferred to a position in Istanbul where the political and legal climate is particularly challenging.

I was surprised how thrilling I found this book, a true page-turner. The short chapters added to the sense of urgency I felt while reading; the narrative style drew me into the plot and I could not wait to see what would happen next, and how the narrator would react to it.

A true gem, warmly recommended to anyone with an interest in diplomacy, international relations, and/or seeing the world through the eyes of a woman with shifting priorities.

Naomi Alderman: The Power 4 stars

The Power is a 2016 science fiction novel by the British writer Naomi Alderman. Its …

Review of 'The Power' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

By now I should know better than to start books with expectations that are too high.

I wanted to know how societies are transformed when women and girls develop strange powers that make them more, well, powerful then men. And that does play a role -- it is just presented in a way I did not enjoy.

The individual parts of this novel take place years apart and seemed disjointed to me. Some chapters consist mainly of dialogues between the protagonists, other are more action-filled, some read like reports. In some cases this could make a book feel more diverse; in this case I found it somehwat tedious to read.

Few of the characters are likable. That may be acceptable, but I also found myself not really caring too much what would happen to them. Ironically, the exception was a male protagonist, which may tell us more about me than …

Casey McQuiston: Red, White & Royal Blue (Paperback, 2019, St. Martin's Griffin) 4 stars

What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?

When …

Review of 'Red, White & Royal Blue' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I expected this to be a cheesy feel-good romance novel that makes my teeth decay because it's so sweet. It is exactly that, and it was A PLEASURE to read. What an absolute page-turner, I loved every minute of it, and I don't care that it's unrealistic: It's a romance novel, not a CNN/BBC report.

Yes, I could list a few things I didn't love, but frankly that would just ruin your reading pleasure. Pick it up, curl up on a couch for a few days, and don't forget some tissues.

Ursula K. Le Guin: The Left Hand of Darkness (EBook, 2017, Orion Publishing Group) 4 stars

[Comment by Kim Stanley Robinson, on The Guardian's website][1]: The Left Hand of Darkness by …

Review of 'The Left Hand of Darkness' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

What a treat, this timeless classic - a sole alien envoy on a foreign planet, interstellar politics and diplomacy, survival in hostile environments both literal and figurative. What intrigued me most about this book is the gender structure of the planet we find ourselves on: The locals are ambisexual; they are genderless most of the time and for a few days of each month, they temporarily assume male or female characteristics, and only then engage in any kind of sexual behavior including procreation.

So I expected a wild ride through the sociology and politology of this planet that is different and similar to our Earth at the same time. What I got was an interesting book, certainly, but much slower-paced than I had anticipated, with much less discovery of the gender relations than I hoped. Lots of the interesting things happen "between the lines" of dialog between our protagonists, the …

John Scalzi: Redshirts (2012, Tor) 4 stars

Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship …

Review of 'Redshirts' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This fun Star Trek parody with a twist was super entertaining! John Scalzi's trademark humor carries the plot even in those moments when it's not top notch, the characters are likeable and felt, to me, more refined than in [b:The Kaiju Preservation Society|57693406|The Kaiju Preservation Society|John Scalzi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1624897234l/57693406.SY75.jpg|90049719], the only other Scalzi book I had read before this one.
The solution to the problem of the mysteriously dying crew members wasn't exactly the most creative, I have to admit, but it was interesting to follow nevertheless. The second half of the book was, surprisingly, somewhat less captivating than the first.

My edition contained a foreword in which this book was praised as "almost philosophical" and overall much more intellectual than I had the impression it actually was - not sure if I missed something, or if the author of that foreword just felt fancy. It's a good book, I …

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who …

Review of "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

A moving story of a gay Vietnamese-American boy, this book has surely touched me. Lots of things happen (at least it felt like it), and the narration style really made me feel like I was witnessing things first hand.

However, while the very poetic language is intriguing at first, and interesting for a long time, it did distract me from what was being said in the first place. I felt like I had to assess and treasure every sentence - while I just wanted to read that book.

This book brings up a wide range of interesting topics from different parts of society, and the world in fact. Sadly, for me, this felt like lots of things were missing in the end because many themes just weren’t developed enough for my preference.

Oftentimes the narrator jumps back and forth between events and locations - certainly a decision for artistic reasons. …

Die Glut (Paperback, Piper Verlag, 2011) 5 stars

Review of 'Die Glut' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Gripping from beginning to end, this little book took me by surprise. An old man tells us about significant events in his life, above all about that fateful day decades ago when his best friend left and his wife... yeah, whatever happened to the wife? We'll find out soon enough.

It was fascinating to dive into Austria-Hungary around and after the turn of the century, and to witness the characters' lives, strictly from the perspective of one of them. His way of telling the story makes this a personal experience, and at each step along the way I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. What is real, and what is just his version of the story? Who knew what, when?

I have a hard time putting my enthusiasm for this book into words - I recommend you pick up "Embers" ASAP to take a dive this world. I …

Sy Montgomery: The Soul of an Octopus (Paperback, 2016, Simon & Schuster Ltd, SIMON SCHUSTER) 3 stars

Review of 'The Soul of an Octopus' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

Who doesn't find octopodes intriguing? I was excited to start reading this book so I would learn more about the skills of these fascinating animals. If the focus is on their cognitive and "psychological" properties - even better.

Unfortunately, the books didn't do much for me. Besides some interesting stories and anecdotes about, well, octopodes, there are VERY long passages about diving trips, the aquarium the author visited to research, and things like the author's diving instructor's childhood, and an aquarium employee's wife's medical history. Sure, these things may be mildly interesting and have surely contributed to the author's experience - to me, in this book, they were completely unnecessary; I even found myself skipping paragraphs and pages out of boredom.

Also, if I'd had to read ONE MORE description of what it feels like when an octopus touches your arm with its tentacles, I would have cried. This must …

Cédric Mayen: L'Arc-en-Cieliste (French language, 2023) 4 stars

Review of "L'Arc-en-Cieliste" on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

A chance find at a used booksale, the cover (and discounted price) convinced me to buy this little-known graphic novel.

ART AND DRAWINGS:
Just mesmerizing, well-rounded and a joy to look at, the pictures tell a story of their own. What I liked best is that every chapter is tinted in a color of its own - violet, blue, orange, red, etc. What a great idea to show the same characters and settings in such different ways - a totally new approach to me, I loved the idea and execution.

PLOT:
Ugh, just no. Disjointed and with little cohesion, I didn't understand why things happened the way they did. Isaac Newton comes up in the beginning, but why? Drastic life changes take place without the protagonist so much as batting an eye, the supernatural coming out of the blue, and an ending that didn't convince me. Unfortunately not a match …

Charlaine Harris: Dead Until Dark (2008, Ace) 3 stars

For years, Charlaine Harris has delighted fans with her mystery series featuring small-town waitress-turned-paranormal sleuth …

Review of 'Dead Until Dark' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I loved the TV show that was made out of these books, so was very curious to discover the "original". And what can I say... better stick with "True Blood"...

The plot is entertaining and moves at an reasonable speed, the universe is expectedly fun to witness, the characters mostly quirky and memorable. Sookie herself... ugh, well, not my favorite: She's not the sharpest tool in the shed, she accepts the wildest revelations about the campire world without as much as a shrug, and other major life events affect her much less than I would find appropriate. The sex scenes didn't really do much for me either - frantic out-of-the-blue passion, leaving out crucial details and over-elaborating on others.

Overall definitely an okay book and I might look into the subsequent parts of the series, but I am certainly not in a rush to do so.

The second book in John Steinbeck’s labor trilogy, Of Mice and Men is a touching …

Review of 'Of MICE and MEN John Steinbeck' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

What a classic - I was (un)lucky enough not to have read it in school before, so I delved into this as an adult without much prior knowledge.

Concise and tense, depressing and at times heartwarming, and definitely a bit confusing (what's with the similar character names?!), I'm glad I read this work. Regarding sheer reading pleasure I'm not entirely convinced. And while the ending is shocking and must have been even more impactful at the time the book was published, I can't help but feel slightly underwhelmed by it in 2024.

Since I'm a reader and not a critic, I can say overall I "liked" it, but didn't love. Should you read this classic if you haven't done so yet? Why yes, absolutely.

Yuval Noah Harari, David Vandermeulen, Daniel Casanave: Sapiens Graphic Novel 01 (Hardcover) 4 stars

Review of 'Sapiens Graphic Novel 01' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

More often than not, long non-fiction books tend to bore me after a bit - yes, I am very interested in the topic, but not for hundreds of pages of text. So a graphic novel version of this bestseller sounds promising - and it delivered!

The style is as conversational as I had hoped from reviews of "Sapiens" (the text version). The drawings are cute and imaginative, work well with the text without overwhelming it (or me).

Reading this volume took me longer than I had expected, but I had a great time doing it. It is worth to keep in mind that the author's hypothesis about key steps in human evolution and anthropology are all but uncontested: Maybe he is wrong. I found it more difficult to question his statements because they are so convincingly presented.

Regardless - this is a great read for anyone interested in humankind as …

Donna Leon: Acqua alta (German language, 1999, Diogenes Verlag.) 4 stars

The Venice commissioner, Guido Brunetti, investigates the murder of a museum director who was involved …

Review of 'Acqua alta' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

An excellent mystery set in remarkable Venice, memorable main characters, an interesting setting involving art history and the crimes surrounding it, a slightly too convoluted plot (hence 4, not 5 stars) - a strong recommendation.
I liked [b:Death at La Fenice|68099|Death at La Fenice (Commissario Brunetti, #1)|Donna Leon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441466744l/68099.SY75.jpg|1245618] a bit better, and am curious for the other books in this series.

John Scalzi: The Kaiju Preservation Society (2022, Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom) 4 stars

Review of 'The Kaiju Preservation Society' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Reading this book felt like eating an ENORMOUS bucket of popcorn. It looks so promising! It's such a bold idea - it's going to be amazing! And it is... at first.

An exciting premise, smooth writing, cliffhangers at the end of many chapters. The protagonist is just bland enough to serve as a "self-insert", and that catchphrase... yeah, I laughed, a lot. It's a funny book, despite the adventurous goings-on.

This is not the perfect novel, however. Most of the characters sort of blended into each other for me and I forgot which one is the geologist, and which one the physicist. They're all witty and there's a LOT of banter between, well, everybody. The names of the American characters are so generic that I can't remember even one of them now.
This book made me laugh - the humor is very contemporary, and I wonder how funny people will …