incrediblefran's reviews
198 reviews

The Fairy Tellers by Nicholas Jubber

informative reflective medium-paced

4.25

Nicholas Jubber's enthusiasm for fairy tales is obvious all the way through this fascinating book. It's a journey through the lives of several different figures who are responsible for some of the most famous fairy tales (in the Western world, at least).

Some of these figures were already known to me (and probably most other readers), like the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, but Jubber delves into people who are far less known: Dortchen Wild, who told the Brothers Grimm many of the stories in their collection; Hanna Dyab, the Syrian traveller who brought Western attention to Aladdin and Ali Baba; Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, a fascinating Frenchwoman who wrote the first version of Beauty and the Beast. 

Jubber is relentless in digging out the voices behind these stories, and is very clear that women and non-Western people have often been the ones passing down these folk tales in oral traditions – and have then been forgotten. Jubber carefully positions all of his fairy tellers in their context, and while he is interested in how the same tales crop up in different times and place, he draws particular attention to how the tales we know have grown out of a specific cultural context, whether the Spanish occupation of Naples, or Napoleonic invasion, or the turbulent times before the Russian Revolution.

While The Fairy Tellers takes us across time and space, from the Middle Ages to the late 1800s, from Italy to Germany to France to Syria to India to Russia to Denmark, there's still a lot of gaps. It's a shame that Jubber doesn't even touch on the wealth of folk tales from indigenous tradition, or from Africa or further into Asia. There is also a distinct lack of Celtic tales and – particularly notable considering the heavily European focus of the book – no Yiddish folk stories. 

But there is enough history in folk tales for an entire series of books, and Jubber has clearly extensively researched the people he does write about, and his love for them is palpable. This book is genuinely fascinating, and Jubber's bright, vivid writing brings his subjects to life.

Maelstrom by Jordan L. Hawk

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No

3.25

The seventh Whyborne & Griffin book, and things are starting to really kick off with the wider plot. Hawk has laid a lot of groundwork in earlier books, and it’s starting to come to fruition here. I enjoy Widdershins as a setting a great deal, and there was a lot of fun payoff in this book. 

For a long while in the early books I wished for some Griffin POV, as it was apparent that Whyborne’s perception of himself was very different from how other people see him. In some respects having Griffin’s viewpoint works well - there’s some additional tension when we can accompany Griffin on his investigations, and it’s particularly effective in showing different sides of Whyborne Senior - but in others it falls down. I don’t think Hawk has made his voice distinctive enough from Whyborne’s, so both POV’s read a little too similarly for my taste. 

The secondary characters, particularly Christine and Persephone, are the highlights of the series for me. This book also did some neat work with Miss Parkhurst, who up until now has been a one-note character. I hope that will continue. 

The final showdowns in W&G books aren’t always my favourite parts of the books, but this one was particularly effective with a complete POV departure. I’m really interested to know how Whyborne’s link with Widdershins is going to develop over the rest of the series. 

These books aren’t Great Literature, but they are extremely good fun and I’m looking forward to getting to the remaining books over the next few weeks.

Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martins

hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers

funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient Code and the Discovery of a Lost Civilisation by Margalit Fox

informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Pérez

challenging informative reflective relaxing slow-paced

5.0

A Free Man of Color by Barbara Hambly

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Beautiful. Just poetry. Love and music and grief and fear all wrapped up in gorgeous language. What a debut, I cannot begin to do it justice. I hope Caleb Azumah Nelson writes more and more.

The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

 P. Djèlí Clark's alternate history Egypt is an absolute delight, as it is in A Dead Djinn in Cairo. Egypt in 1912 has overthrown British rule thanks to the arrival of the djinn, and Cairo thrives with its new blend of magic and technology. The worldbuilding is extremely fun, and Clark's light, humorous touch stops it all getting bogged down in too much explanation. A haunting, a burgeoning suffrage movement, some budgetary issue, and a handful of Armenian sweets: brilliant. Can't wait for A Master of Djinn this year.