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Flauschbuch

Flauschbuch@bookrastinating.com

Joined 2 years, 3 months ago

So many books, so little time (and space)...

The original plan was to work through the piles of unread books in my flat, not to mention the e-books I have and the audiobooks I bookmarked on Spotify/lismio. But somehow, those keep growing. Also, I re-discovered the library. ;)

I mostly read Sci-fi, Fantasy and historical fiction. Also non-fiction (mostly history of one kind or another). I read in English and German and occasionally French.

Posts in English and German

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reviewed Cascade Failure by L. M. Sagas

Cascade Failure (2024, Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom) 3 stars

There are only three real powers in the Spiral: the corporate power of the Trust …

Mid

3 stars

I had high hopes for this one but it fell short. The characters are rather one-dimensional with often very clichéd dialogue and mannerisms. There is an attempt at world-building but it remains rather vague as to what the Guild really is and does (apparently, they're supposed to be "the good guys" but they don't come off like that at all in this book) and howit would realistically work. The villains' plan is also pretty bad and ill thought-through. There are some interesting bits but not enough for me to check out the next book in the series.

reviewed A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow

A Spindle Splintered (AudiobookFormat, 2021, Macmillan Audio) 4 stars

It's Zinnia Gray's 21st birthday, which is extra-special because it's the last birthday she'll ever …

Great take on an old tale

5 stars

This was a very enjoyable listen. I didn't expect the combination of a terminally ill young woman and the fairytale of Sleeping Beauty to be so entertaining. I liked how the various versions of the story were used here. Highly recommended if you're in need of a short and entertaining fantasy tale. I'm looking forward to the next one in the series.

reviewed The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark

The Haunting of Tram Car 015 (Paperback, 2019, Tor) 4 stars

The Haunting of Tram Car 015 returns to the alternate Cairo of Clark's short fiction, …

A nice addition to the Dead Djinn universe

4 stars

I had to get over the fact that Agent Fatma isn't the protagonist in this one but two other agents of the Ministry - an experienced one and his new partner fresh from the academy. A classic setting. Together, they have to overcome plenty of difficulties to solve what at first appears to be a low stakes case that escalates. Clark does a really good job of making these characters come to life. I also like the connections to the previous story and its protagonists. Even though it's only a short tale he also manages to weave a lot of political background and worldbuilding into it.

started reading Chausseestrasse by Holger Schmale

Chausseestrasse (Hardcover, German language, Ch. Links Verlag) No rating

200 Jahre deutsche Geschichte entlang einer Straße

Die Chausseestraße in Mitte gehört nicht zu den …

Mein Büro ist vor kurzem in die Chausseestraße gezogen und seither interessiere ich mich für die Stadtgeschichte in der Umgebung (die Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer und die Überreste des Stettiner Bahnhofs sind in der Nähe). Zufällig habe ich dank Libby entdeckt, dass es dazu ein Buch gibt. Ich habe schon ein paar neue Orte zum Besichtigen ausgemacht.