Reading Wednesday

[grundyscribbling]

As everyone else is posting, it reminds me I haven't done a reading post since before I went on vacation.

The Great Tales Never End, editors Richard Ovenden and Catherine McIlwaine - admittedly this was a speed read because I had to write a review, which should be up on the SWG sometime this weekend. As I've already written the review, all I'll say here that I found it enjoyable. I would however recommend anyone on a budget get it from a library. You might decide you want your own copy, but the price tag is enough that I'd try before buying. Fellow Americans, if you're looking to buy, Blackwell's has the best price. (As I've already done the price search, it seems silly not to share.)

Islamic Gardens and Landscapes, D. Fairchild Ruggles (still mid-read) - it was on sale, it had pretty pictures, and so far I'm very much enjoying it.

Squire, Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas - ordered this graphic novel on a whim after seeing one of the creators mention it on Twitter. (Social media does work sometimes! Not so much that I remember if it was Nadia or Sara, but enough that I bought the book.) Delightful tale about a girl who wants to be a knight, but discovers once she's in training as a squire that not all is as it seems. I enjoyed both the story and the art. Also want to add that the physical quality of the book is outstanding. (At the time I ordered, it was on sale, so I got the hardback as it was only a couple dollars' difference. This was an excellent choice.)

The Betrayal of Anne Frank, Rosemary Sullivan- Thumbs down, do not recommend. I got it from the library, knowing when I did that the publisher of the Dutch edition had pulled the book after criticism. The criticism is warranted. You don't need to be an expert to see that the evidence the author has isn't strong enough to support publishing the claim. It's the sort of thing that harms no one as private speculation, but it's not fair to anyone involved to make it public in such a high profile way. Not linking the book directly, because I don't endorse shoddy non-fiction.

Also, if anyone else likes Sonali Dev's The Rajes series, Amazon has Incense and Sensibility and The Emma Project Kindle editions on sale, $1.99 and $3.99 respectively.

Comments

[lferion]

Thank you for the Great Tales information -- I remember seeing the forthcoming notice, but hadn't done anything about it, and so had forgotten. And also thank you for the Blackwell's link -- for the US shipping alone that is a wonderful deal!

[grundyscribbling]

You're welcome! I looked all over the place before ordering, and Blackwell's was the best deal. (I checked Blackwell's based on past experience with Tolkien books.) The US publisher, U. Chicago Press, appear to have priced it as an academic text, and American retailers are setting their prices from that.

[independence1776]

I've checked out Squire; it was only available at my library in ebook form. Looks like I'll find out how Overdrive treats graphic novels and if it'll be better to read on my desktop or phone.

[grundyscribbling]

Let me know both what you think of the book and how Overdrive treats graphic novels!

[independence1776]

Will do!

[independence1776]

All right, I haven't read more than a few pages but I did try it on my phone. Unlike with books that have illustrations, graphs, etc. where one can't resize the image, Overdrive does allow the pinch-zoom resizing for graphic novels. But it's a PITA to do that for each page and then move it around to read said page, so I made the decision it'll be a desktop read.

[grundyscribbling]

Thanks! Good to know for future library e-book loans.

[hhimring]

Looking forward to reading your review!
The graphic novel sounds really good.