tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881054.post8060193092660430873..comments2024-03-27T09:50:53.662-05:00Comments on Happy Catholic*: What I'm Reading: Grave Peril, Brideshead Revisited, Why Evil Exists, This is Murder, Best Cook in the WorldJulie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08384291674560438678noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881054.post-51143657410937238332018-07-27T12:20:07.014-05:002018-07-27T12:20:07.014-05:00My problem with Changes is that it had so many thi...My problem with Changes is that it had so many things crammed together with so little of anything else. It was our conversation at Shakespeare in the Park which was the push to make me revisit it. Thank you! :-)<br /><br />Here's how I felt about Changes, which I retrieved from my HC review. It didn't feel like a turning point but a small jar crammed with too many things. I will reread it so I can get to Ghost Story but am not looking forward to it. As you can imagine.<br /><br />=======<br />Changes Review<br /><br />I just finished reading the latest Harry Dresden novel, Changes. That's several hours I won't get back again.<br /><br />What the Sam Hill was that supposed to be?<br /><br />It was like a book version of a bad sequel to an action movie.<br /><br />SPOILERS ... for those who haven't gotten this far in the series but not for this book.<br /><br />So much action and yet I didn't care about it. I got the idea that author Jim Butcher didn't care either and was forcing the action to have to avoid actually thinking about character development or plot.<br /><br />I have occasionally wondered if I was getting tired of the series and then something would happen that would reignite my interest such as Molly becoming Harry's apprentice or the rise of the Gray Council. This was just one damned thing after another (literally) with Harry calling in one favor after another.<br /><br />And yet I didn't care.<br /><br />As for the ending ... what the Sam Hill was that supposed to be?<br /><br />This book wasn't as disappointing as Connie Willis' Blackout (it would have to be monumentally horrible to match that), but it was a big mess nonetheless.Julie D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08384291674560438678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881054.post-23776587992749589432018-07-27T08:30:09.017-05:002018-07-27T08:30:09.017-05:00I can definitely understand having some problems w...I can definitely understand having some problems with Changes. It is a pretty drastic shift in tone and content. And it was actually meant to be. There's a reason why that book is the only one in the series with a one word title (all the rest have two words). It's the halfway point, a major turning point for both the characters and the events.<br />However, you did choose a terrible point to end the series. The very next book, Ghost Story, is not only very strong spiritually, but it wraps up a number of character threads that Changes left hanging (due to its abrupt ending).<br />I'm glad you're reading it, though. And I do hope you make it through the series.<br />And do try to pick up the short story "The Warrior" after you read book 10 (Small Favor). You will not regret it. :)James Downingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881054.post-57969425888750212852018-07-26T14:10:34.023-05:002018-07-26T14:10:34.023-05:00I watched the first adaptation of Brideshead (Gran...I watched the first adaptation of Brideshead (Granada Television, aired by PBS in the US in 1982) with Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews. Fell in love w/Jeremy Irons forever, and found Anthony Andrews much more amusing in other things. Read the book afterward, which was much more tolerable as a result, as the production was absolutely beautiful and stayed in my mind. It was a successful strategy for me!Kitten99https://www.blogger.com/profile/03724363655604351069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881054.post-63090973761497004972018-07-24T13:21:27.491-05:002018-07-24T13:21:27.491-05:00It's an odd book. I go back and forth now over...It's an odd book. I go back and forth now over whether I like it or not. Possibly because the people are generally so unlikable. But I can't deny that Waugh is a really wonderful writer. The way he can say something in one or two sentences that have several layers is really great.Julie D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08384291674560438678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881054.post-25101109454774888082018-07-23T10:50:39.212-05:002018-07-23T10:50:39.212-05:00I read Brideshead a few years ago after multiple p...I read Brideshead a few years ago after multiple people who I trusted recommended it to me. Let's just say those first few chapters made me wonder if I really knew those people at all. What is this, I wondered. But yes, it picks up wonderfully and by the end, you'll be sad it's over. Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13472686909226073213noreply@blogger.com