Author: Greig

Professional Librarian from Fife who likes books and music.

2020 Books

Posted on by Greig

I had big plans to make good use of my local public library on a regular basis this year and find new stuff to read. Then lockdown happened and closed the libraries.
The news (pandemic and political) and working from home compromised my ability to stay focused all the way to the end of a book. Way too many titles where I got a few chapters in and then my attention wandered never to return.
I did better with audiobooks but even then it was always listening to books I had already read in the past.

  1. Sensation by Nick Mamatas, rated B
  2. Holiday in the Hamptons by Sarah Morgan, rated B
  3. A City Dreaming by Daniel Polansky, rated B
  4. Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi, rated B+
  5. The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke, rated B
  6. Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis, rated B
  7. The Eternals by Neil Gaiman et al, rated B+
  8. Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes, rated A-
  9. A Beautifully Foolish Endeavour by Hank Green, rated A
  10. Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones, rated A-
  11. The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones, rated A-
  12. Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis, rated A-
  13. A Winter Kiss on Rochester Mews by Annie Darling, rated B
  14. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson, rated A-
  15. The Summer Deal by Jill Shalvis, rated B
  16. The Memory of You by Jamie Beck, rated B
  17. The Promise of Us by Jamie Beck, rated B-
  18. Romancing Mr Bridgerton by Julia Quinn, rated B+

cuddles?

Posted on by Greig

Axiom’s End

Lindsay Ellis

A first contact sci-fi novel by the insightful video essayist. This is set during Bush 2’s presidency and is full of paranoid conspiracy both among humans and aliens. I enjoyed this a lot and I’m really looking forward to the next book in the series.

Rating: A-

cart?

Posted on by Greig

The Lives of Christopher Chant

Diana Wynne Jones

A story telling the childhood adventures of the boy who would grow up to be Chrestomanci in Charmed Life. Very entertaining kids book with much more of a fantasy adventure focus.
Next in order is Conrad’s Fate which I disliked on first reading and have stalled with for now.

Rating: A-

matchbox?

Posted on by Greig

Charmed Life

Diana Wynne Jones

I started to read the Chrestomanci books in DWJs preferred order.
Eric and Gwendolyn are orphans who are taken to live with their parent’s cousin who happens to be Chrestomanci.
This is an excellent kids fantasy book with the trademark wit and compassion of the author on full display.

Rating: A-

synthetic?

Posted on by Greig

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavour

Hank Green

The follow up to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing expands the tale to include more narrators as the consequences of the events in the previous book hurtle toward a species level confrontation.
This is a very good book. A real page turner with great characters and deeply considered ideas. It succeeds in giving a satisfying conclusion to the similarly excellent first book of the series

Rating: A

rental?

Posted on by Greig

Evvie Drake Starts Over

Linda Holmes

Linda Holmes is an occasional contributor on one of my favourite sports podcasts. This is a sweet romance about a widow starting to come back to life when she rents a room to a Major League pitcher recovering from an injury.

Rating: A-

lake?

Posted on by Greig

Almost Just Friends

Jill Shalvis

Piper is scraping together the money to fix up her grandparents old home for sale when her troubled siblings return to town. Trying to hold it all together and deal with her attraction to the new neighbour causes things to go off the rails in ways that may prove to be for the best in the long run.

Rating: B

taprobane?

Posted on by Greig

The Fountains of Paradise

Arthur C. Clarke

I first read this book a long, long time ago as a library book. A few years ago, with fond memories, I bought a second hand paperback copy of the book to revisit at some point.
Having a desperate need to spend more time away from screens now that I’m working from home during the lockdown I picked a physical book from my shelves to give me that diversion.
The plot is that superstar engineer Vannevar Morgan has decided that his next project should be a space elevator. He has a special low-g developed wonder material that will allow it but he needs to build it on a mountain somewhere on the equator. The best spot just happens to be on the site of an ancient monastery.
This book is solid entertaining Science Fiction but honestly nothing outstanding – definitely not as good as I had remembered.
Worth a read but not worth going out of your way to get a copy.

Rating: B