Rock Courtship

Title: Rock Courtship (Rock Kiss #1.5)
Author: Nalini Singh

Plot: 6/10
Style: 6/10
Cover: 5/10
Final: 6/10

A short novel continuation of Rock Addiction, much better than that first part. The events in the story are parallel to Fox and Molly's book and concentrate on David (the drummer) and Thea (Molly's sister and the band's PR head).

Instead of wild sex on every page, Rock Courtship has an actual storyline. If you've read Rock Addiction, you already know what happens/is going to happen in the background, but you gain an additional insight into David's and Thea's way of coping with the problems and their own pasts.

Rock Courtship, while not marvellous, is quite likeable and great for a quick-read before going to sleep.

Rock Addiction

Title: Rock Addiction
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Romance

Plot: 3/10
Style: 6/10
Cover: 5/10
Final: 4/10

Yes, I'm one of those weird girls who read romance novels for the plot. That's why I love Nalini Singh - both the Guild Hunter and Psy-Changeling series are full of great characters, plot twists and action. That's why I reached for Rock Addiction, even though it is not the kind of book I would usually pick up.

The story is quite simple: a librarian with connections meets a rock star. They make out. Endlessly. The first 30% of the book is a huge description of sex, and I'm nearly not exaggerating. Though one starts being impressed by the variety of possible words and expressions used to depict the act.

Finally, when the first hunger is satisfied (which basically marks half of the book), a trifling plot appears: the heroine has a traumatic past. The rock star has a traumatic past. They found out about the traumatic pasts. Then, when they deal with their personal stuff, some trouble comes from the outside. And then the book finishes, with a lot of sex before, during, between and after the traumatic stuffs.

If you're looking for a book full of graphic and vivid descriptions of sex, then this one will be pretty good. The writer has a good style, it's definitely not a harlequin-level novel. However, if you came here hoping for an actual plot with romance in the background - you won't find it here.

But if you get through this part, I can asure you that the next ones are actually better!

The Lies of Locke Lamora

Title: The Lies of Locke Lamora
Author: Scott Lynch
Genre: Fantasy

Plot: 9/10
Style: 10/10
Cover: 6/10
Final: 10/10

When a friend keeps nagging you to read a book, after some time you just have to give up. You pick it up from your 'to-read' list and hope it's going to be a good one, just so you can say later on that yeah, it was fine. But the words that left my mouth during the next conversation were closer to "THAT WAS FREAKING AWESOME!"

Usually the first pages of a book are either boring or confusing. Or both. Especially when you're thrown into a new world with no earlier introduction. But in this case the confusion is seriously pleasurable! The setting seems to be familiar, the brain quickly makes connections: Venice, mafia, Italy... The Godfather. In a fantasy version! With ancient-civilisations-stuff included! Now you can barely contain your excitement. The feeling is even deepened by the light tone of the first pages, where the reader gets to know the young and mischievous version of the hero. Then, when the story switches to the already grown-up characters and becomes more serious and the plot gets more sophisticated, the reader already knows (at the fundamental level) what's going on. And even though the action becomes darker and more depressing with every page read, the flashbacks into the characters' childhood always bring back a wide smile.

This book is extremely well thought through and causes a swing of emotions - from sadness to laughter, from light-heartedness to concern. What's more, the pinch of mystery of the ever-present ancient ruins and technology incredibly fascinates and adds exactly the desired sense of strangeness and originality to the world creation.

And the language. When you imagine a fantasy book set in a pseudo-reneissance magical world, you can probably guess at the style of writing you're going to get: the archaisms and kind of artificial a la Shekaspearean phrases and dialogues. Not in here! Vivid, realistic and lively dialogues, the unusual use of coloquial speech keep the story at the highest possible level.

Definitely one of the best books currently on the market, and one of the best books I've ever read.

Sir Terry

Today is one of the days I've always feared. And no, I'm not exaggerating. Because sometimes the death of a stranger carries more impact than that of a person you'd known personally. Because that man, that genius, gave me more than 99% of people I've ever met face-to-face.

Everybody should have that one writer, that one musician that is always their companion. Whether the life treats you well or throws shit at you, you should have this one thing that always helps you through - or witnesses your successes. For me it was the Discworld. Every negative emotion: sadness, anger, frustration could be soothed by Vimes or Nanny Ogg. Every joy could be duplicated by Vetinari, Moist or Death. Those characters were closer to me than most of the real people. And through them - the author was dearer, is dearer to me than most of my acquaintances.

When I was a teenager, Sir Terry showed me that my philosophy is not alienated. That there are other, far more greater than my own minds who share it. The only difference is that they can word it much better than me. They have more financial funds to fight for the rights that should be basic for all mankind. Their voice has a wider reach.

We've all known about his illness for a few years now. However, there were always new books. We kinda knew each of them could be the last... But after a while you always went to the bookstore for the next one.

A couple of days ago I finally started reading "The Long Mars". Not having much time, I just enjoyed a few pages a day... And now I look at the novel in my hands and feel new tears appearing in my eyes: there will never be a continuation. Not only for this series, but for the Discworld. Will we ever learn about Sam Vimes Junior's adolescence? About Angua and Carrot's possible offspring? About Vetinari's new plans for Ankh-Morpork? Leonard of Quirm's new prototypes and their names? No. And it's such a final word...

Although I never managed (and I so hate English grammar right now for forcing me to use Past Simple instead of Present Perfect) to meet Sir Terry, I was privileged to live in the time when I could wait every year for a new book. And for this, I am grateful.

I'm lost for words. Tonight I'm going to finish my cider and read, until I have no more tears. Today we lost one of the greatest minds. And tonight I shall mourn him like a member of my family.

Sir Terry looked around with curiosity.
"What now?" he asked.
"WHATEVER YOU'D LIKE, MAESTRO" Death replied.

Because we should remember Sir Terry's own words:

"DON'T THINK OF IT AS DYING, said Death. JUST THINK OF IT AS LEAVING EARLY TO AVOID THE RUSH"

"It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life."

I wish everybody was able to give others so much in such a flash, Sir Terry. You will be remembered.

Kłamca Kłamca i po Kłamcy.

Tytuł: Kłamca 2.5 - Machinomachia

Autor: Jakub Ćwiek

Gatunek: Fantasy

Fabuła: 8/10

Styl: 9/10

Okładka: 9/10

Ogólnie: 8/10

Kłamca to dla mnie jedna z ważniejszych książek polskiej fantasy. Zawsze miałam słabość do Lokiego (byłam dzieckiem siedzącym w stosach mitologii wszelakich), ale faktycznie trickster pióra Ćwieka dopadł mnie na początku liceum. Potem był Thor, Supernatural i miliony innych Lokich... Ale Kłamca 1 i 2 zawsze leżały w zasięgu ręki.

Niestety, rozczarowałam się przy kolejnych częściach. Opowiadania były przewrotne i porywające, a wersja 'powieściowa' - przedobrzona. Odwołania do popkultury praktycznie w każdym zdaniu, i to jeszcze w nienaturalnych wersjach (bo kto mówi "Idę pograć w Heroes of Might and Magic 3"?!). Fabuła i humor ginęły pod tytułami filmów i piosenek, nazwami zespołów i nazwiskami sławnych ludzi obecnymi w każdym zdaniu. Kończąc krytykę, dążę do jednego: po prostu bałam się wydać 40 zł na kolejną część. Mini-zbiorek opowiadań, pisany w, jak to nazywam, "nowym stylu Ćwieka". I Chłopcy i Dreszcz nie rzucili mnie na kolana, więc co, jeśli Loki znowu mnie zawiedzie...

"Ha, i tu cię mam!" zakrzyknął Trickster, gdy na półce do książki zobaczyłam dołączoną karciankę. A raczej Kłamciankę. Szybka kalkulacja w głowie: 40zł - 3 opowiadania i gierka, cena dość porządna jak na polskie warunki... No dobra, ryzyk fizyk. Szczególnie, że po wygranej konkursu larpowego dostałam bonik do empiku... Który co prawda rozszedł się wcześniej na Jadowską, no ale to i tak z własnej kieszeni jedna książka na miesiąc a nie dwie, przecież mnie stać... "Stać cię, stać..." podpowiadał też siedzący na ramieniu Kłamczuch. Powrót do domu, znalezienie najtańszego sklepu (tutaj załączyć Odę do Matrasa) i jest, nowy Kłamca kupiony. 

I tak, tak, tak, tak <i jeszcze 662 razy tak!> - wciągnięta od pierwszej strony. Świetny język, czyta się płynnie, szybko i lekko, tak jak Kłamcę 1 i Kłamcę 2. Pomysły błyskotliwe i riposty cięte - czyli pakiet Ach-Ten-Ćwiek-W-Którym-Zaczytywałam-Się-W-Liceum. 

Co więcej, tak, jak obiecane we wstępie - faktycznie opowiadania przybliżają nam charakter Lokiego, jego relacje z aniołami, Bachusem i Erosem. Jego pokręcone myślenie i kunsztowne plany, a na moment zdejmują też z bohatera maskę - wtedy, przez sekundę, widzimy, prawdziwe oblicze Zwiastuna Ragnaroku. I kochamy Lokiego jeszcze bardziej!

Dla mnie, całkowicie prywatnie, Kłamca 2.5 osiągnął jeden dodatkowy cel - może dam szansę kolejnym Chłopcom. Może Ćwiek wraca do ulubionego przeze mnie stylu - mam taką nadzieję!