The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett

The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

God, I feel so guilty for not liking this book. It had everything I love, and Mr. Pratchett’s imagination is something that needed insurance, but every time I picked this book up, I had to put it down again. I was losing the thread. It’s not Pratchett’s fault, it’s me and my attention deficit disorder. I’d start reading, then realize that I haven’t been paying attention for many, many pages. That’s a shame, ‘cause I’d thought this was going to become a favorite. But after 3 honest attempts, I have to put this book away and move to something else.

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Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I think after 5 Gaiman books I finally understood my problem with them: I don’t like Gaiman’s protagonists. Not one of them. I find them all whiny, weak, and uninteresting. Throughout the book I never once cared about Charlie Nancy. He was annoying, mopey, couldn’t stand up for himself, and so uninteresting that I didn’t care if over the course of the book he was going to change. He just wasn’t interesting enough for me to follow his possible growth. There were other characters too, and again I didn’t care for any of them. I kept putting the book away, then picking it up again, hoping the story would keep my interest, but somewhere in the middle I jumped to the end, just to be over with it.
Well, at least now I know my problem with Gaiman’s book and in all probability I will be skipping them from now on.
I have to admit that I quite enjoyed the chapter at the end of the book titled “Where do you get your ideas?” I loved it. And if Gaiman ever writes a non-fiction, I’ll give it a try. :)

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The Woman in Cabin 10 By Ruth Ware

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not a bad detective story, but oh so predictable. Reminded me of my beloved Christie’s books. Only, with Dame Christie I almost never could guess the identity of the bad guy, while with “The Woman in Cabin 10” I knew what had happened when I was 30% into the book. Or maybe even earlier. But then, it’s probbaly because I read Christie when I was a kid. I’m 20 years older now and have read a lot of detective stories, so the twist has to be something really incredible for me not to guess it.
Still, I was enjoying this book until the heroine (who was very, very slow) learnt the truth. After that it kind of became slow and a bit tedious. So much that I was ready to abandon the book without reading the last 30 pages. I persevered, of course, and the ending was a bit disappointing. You really need to suspend disbelief to believe that the things could end up that way for a certain character.


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A few updates

I know I haven’t been active for ages, posting only book reviews. I have started so many side projects, that have no second to post on my blog. Which is a shame, ‘cause I love posting here and sharing my progress.

But am I having a progress? Not sure. I’m working on too many books simultaneously, and maybe that’s why I haven’t published anyhting new for a while. All my books are still in the process of being written. I know I should focus on one thing and finish it, then start the next project, but somehow I end up piling up all the projects then get lost in them.

I’m actively working on Abracadabra: The Factory of Magic. And so far I’m loving whatever I’m writing. Really loving it. And it’s a great news, actually, because if I’m loving the story, then I’ll write it more quickly.

Recently I tried a free promo for Abracadabra, and ended up with no results. $125 and nothing. A few years back my books would end up with 2000-4000 downloads, but today not even 1000. Yes, too many books. Too many FREE books. 

So what to do? No idea. It’s like trying to break a concrete wall. Hitting and hitting it and then hitting some more.

What I think will help is writing more. I know, I know, there are already so many books out there, but that’s the reason that there are so many books out there: it’s the only way to survive.

Just don’t forget that writing more doesn’t mean publishing a low quality content. Edit your book a thousand times, then hire a good editor. It’s hard to find a good editor. My last editor sent me back Abracadabra, and I spotted 50 (!) errors after his edit. 

Gotta go now. Too many projects, too little time. But I’ll be back soon. And meanwhile, work hard on your next book.

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Bossypants by Tina Fey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Umm, I guess this book is for Tina Fey’s fans. All I knew about Miss Fey before starting her bio was that she was one of the most famous American female comedians, she had worked on Mean Girls and was in that movie with Steve Carell. I never liked Mean Girls and consider the Steve Carell movie to be one of the unfunniest comedies I have ever watched.
I didn’t find this book funny. I never once smiled. Most of the time I didn’t know what the book was about, maybe because I don’t get the humor, or maybe because there were too many pop culture references, too many names, too many movie titles. And the things that Tina Fey was telling about were just not interesting to me.
When I was nearing the end of the book I checked out 30 Rock. Again, I didn’t smile once. So I guess it’s not Tina Fey, it’s me. Yes, it’s me who doesn’t get the humor. I’ve come to realize that humor is a cultural thing: Russians don’t get Americans and vice-versa. Well, I’m Armenian and our humor is different too. And I happen to like it more:))
P.S. I don’t know what Saturday Night Live is. And am too lazy to check.

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