What we read in February.

Station Eleven

Surrounded in gushing hype and very good word of mouth I had high hopes but honestly I think the people that like this are not normal SF or fantasy readers.  There is nothing new to readers of these genres, nor did it bring any particular insight that might have been gained from a fresh, outsider’s voice. It’s not awful and it is nicely written but I think there’s a lot better out there.  A shame because it would have been good to read a post apocalyptic book that was well written but contained no vampires or zombies.

Tell Tale

Really wanted to love this as its set locally and I thought murders on the moor would be very atmospheric.  Nope.  Awful, unrealistic, ridiculous.

The Miniaturist

Picked this up  with dread, just because I was fed up of being let down. Obviously low expectations work because this is wonderful.  Who’d have thought seventeenth century Amsterdam could be such a page turner?  There’s empire building, commerce, trade, religious fervour and total repression. The book is beautifully written, the tale is well told and the story is compelling but ultimately and unsurprisingly it’s a sad book.  I was desperate for just one more chapter to hopefully watch the main protagonists recover and grow.

Behind the Door. The Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp Story.

Enjoyed it. Steve

(Oh please stop with the gushing Steve!)