So I went to this on Friday. The authors read excerpts from their work and then took turns asking each other questions. When it was over they stuck around for a bit to sign books and mingle with the socially skilled people. I bought two books and managed to say something stupid to each author, despite not saying much. But other than that, I thought it went well. :)
Ana Carrete was also there, but she read from zines.
Note: I received a promotional copy through the First Reads program.
I've
read several by Christie and this one holds up pretty well against the
others. It's certainly one of the faster-paced novels I've read by her.
In the absence of a dominant detective (Poirot, Marple) she does a good
job of juggling the different characters. The solution makes sense. The
ending is cute, but a bit silly.
(I don't like the cover, as there are seven suspects. Not a factor in the rating though.)
Courtesy of Dr. Sterkel at this fine blog:
http://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2018/07/this-or-that-tag-stressful-edition.html
1. Series or Stand-Alone?
Stand-alone. Too many authors write series so they don't have to come up with new ideas. It's also a way to get readers because they feel obligated to continue what they started, not because the books are good.
2. Magic Earned or Magic Born?
Neither. The only good thing we got from the Harry Potter books was Lindsay Lohan's SNL skit.
3. Enemies to Lovers or Friends to Lovers?
Friends to Lovers. I think it's more realistic. Not that I've ever wanted a friend to be my lover. But some of the basics needed for a good romance are the same as the ones for a good friendship.
4. Hilarious Banter or Emotional Ruin?
A spot of humor can be good. But I think a heavy dose of cynicism is part of a healthy diet. Not like 'my brother's dying from cancer'. More like people are horrible and the world sucks. So more like jaded and dead inside than whining and crying.
5. Love Triangle or Insta-Love?
Love triangle. I think insta-love is stupid. It's either lust or people desperate to find somebody to latch onto.
6. Keyboard-Smash Names or All Names Start with the Same Letter?
Keyboard-smash. The same letter thing just seems lazy.
7. Mean Parents or Dead Parents?
Dead. I don't care about your parents. I don't want to read about them.
8. Supermodel Looks or Constantly Complaining About How Plain They are?
Supermodel looks. Plain people are all over the place. I don't need to read about them. I don't need to read books about complaining either.
9. Face on Cover or Typography on Cover?
Face. Typography just seems lazy. If you can't be bothered to come up with a good pic for your cover, why should I be bothered to read your book?
10. Villain Turning a Little Good or Hero Turning a Little Bad?
I feel like villainess who's good in bed should be an option. I'll go with hero who's a little bad though. Not turning. Just already is. Like Rick in Casablanca.
If you would like to do this tag, have at it. After you've visited Dr. Sterkel at the link I posted above.
Note: I received a promotional ARC through the First Reads program.
I
thought this was an interesting and informative read. French brought a
lot of different elements together: business dealings, drugs, gambling,
war, poverty, etc. Having not been previously familiar with 1930s
Shanghai, the international culture of the city really stood out to me.
The pacing and readability are decent, and at 276 pages there's enough
meat on the bones without being too daunting.
Shanghai
between the world wars was a home to those with nowhere else to go and
no one else to take them in... The city asked nothing of them, not visas
nor money nor status. Shanghai became a city of reinvention.
Food inflation; firearms deflation - that's the Badlands' law of supply and demand.
Goodreads Rating: 3.64
Elliptical Rating: 5
Elliptical Review (September 2007): "This might be the Great
American novel other authors only hope to write. Kerouac based it on his
life, so a few famous Beats are in it with different names. It's the
kind of book you can read once and then go back later and enjoy random
sections. The ending is classic."
Goodreads Rating: 4.14 Elliptical Rating: 4 Edited Elliptical Review (March 2010):
"Obviously, "Howl" dominates
this collection. In length as well as notoriety. The first section is a
testament to what can be done with words. The third section is also
good stuff. Though the second section is less impressive. But it's a 4
1/2 star poem, even by my harsh standards. "A Supermarket in
California" and "America" are the two other pieces that stand out. The
quartet of earlier poems are just that - the work of a poet who was
still developing his talents."
Goodreads Rating: 3.94 Elliptical Rating: 4 Elliptical Review (March 2017) "There's a lot here: some
history of bridge building, statistics and trivia about the
Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, how it affected people who were living in the
area, info about people who worked on the bridge or were involved in the
planning, etc."
Goodreads Rating: 3.64 Elliptical Rating: 4 Edited Elliptical Review (April 2010):
"Jacobs does a good job of presenting
what amounts to an introduction to Weather. He takes us through the
organization's chronology and addresses both their successes and their
failures. He also gives the reader a picture of them in relation to
other left-wing groups of the era. And he raises various issues
regarding race, gender, and class, as well as indivdual freedom or lack
thereof in the U.S. I think his reluctance to delve more deeply
into the driving personalities behind Weather was a mistake. It was
inevitably a personality-driven group due to its small size. I would
also have appreciated more input from former Weather members in the
current era, or looking back on their time in Weather, in other words.
Though to be fair to Jacobs, he might have asked to interview them and
been refused. There is a leftist slant to the writing, though Jacobs
admits as much at the outset, so it's tolerable."
