30 Days of Genre - Day 7

Day 7 of our little canter through some of our personal highlights involving genre, and this is Favourite Couple in a Genre Novel.

You're getting three books for the price of one from me, since this couple features in a trilogy - and one that I have only recently finished reading. It would be Todd and Viola from the Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness.

They are so wonderfully natural together, so clearly belong together. Their yearning when they are apart is so reminiscent of first love. From the first day when they truly connect to the very last page of the final book in the trilogy, they blaze their story across every page.

Plus, the path of love does not run smoothly. They have to battle against Mayor Prentiss as they strive towards the city of Haven; they both make tough decisions for the sake of their love; they doubt; they mourn. Todd and Viola, above all, are incredibly realistic.

Just brilliant.

30 Days of Genre - Day 6

Hee, Most Annoying Character today in the 30 Days of Genre celebration, started by Bibliotropic!

It's rare that I'm annoyed by a character, actually. I can be frustrated by characters, and I can be horrified by their behaviour, but sheer annoyance is rare, thankfully.

There is one, though. A girl about whom I have read recently. She does not grow up or change in the course of a novel, she thinks it makes sense to head out on one of the most dangerous nights in living memory, she doesn't think about the consequences of her actions.

I'm talking about bloody Kiska (and that is how I referred to her in my head whenever she came 'on-screen'). I read her story in Night of Knives by Ian Cameron Esslemont. If Mr Esslemont intends Kiska to be an annoying character, then he succeeds beyond imagining. If he thought she would be beloved by readers, then, boy, he pitched her wrong. I found myself gritting my teeth at her attitude, her dialogue, her innate recklessness. Bah! Just thinking about her is making me feel all riled, so I'm going to quit while I'm ahead and look forward to Day 7 *grins*

30 Days of Genre - Day 5

Here we are on Day 5, and I've already experienced a little slippage on getting these posts out - I fail on regular blog posting! *grins*

The topic today is Character you feel you are most like (or wish you were)

This topic gave me my usual woe about how few genuinely awesome female characters there are in genre novels. I could list you umpteen fantastic male characters but the women are in short supply, in comparison.

I am already running a series of Formidable Female Protagonists posts to highlight the women in genre who I feel shine forth.

And my choice for today's category is one of these: Alanna the Lionness, from the Tamora Pierce books.

Hell, I wished I was her when I first read the books! I still do. Bolshy, determined, never one to shy from a challenge, talented, not beautiful but attractive. Faults galore, including being supremely stubborn and independent. I just luuuurve her.

Not only that, but she decides that she wants to be a knight and that women can totally do as well as men, which appeals to be on every level.

Alanna the Lionness is awesome. And I really wouldn't mind being in her shoes!

30 Days of Genre - Day 4

Here we are moving swiftly onto Day 4 of the 30 Days of Genre! I hope you're keeping up and enjoying these little snippet posts that provide a little insight into my genre tastes. If you have joined in, please link me YOUR day 4 posts in the comments so that I can check out what you've written today.

The topic today is your Guilty Pleasure Novel.

Hmmmm.... This is actually the toughest category so far for me. I am quite discerning with my fantasy novels. I usually investigate what I'm going to read fairly ruthlessly, and don't ever re-read any of the easily discarded fantasy that doesn't fulfil my needs. If we were just talking reading in general, then it would no doubt be a Maeve Binchy novel.

I class Guilty Pleasure novels as those you turn to for comfort - usually easy reading, and slightly embarrassing to confess to.

Aha! I have it! Definitely ANYTHING by Laurell K Hamilton - it is definitely genre (featuring, as it does, necromancy, vampires, shifters of all varieties and various other ghosts and ghouls). I lap them up, at the same time as being quite disgusted with myself for reading them *grin*

How about you?

30 Days of Genre - Day 3

So, day 3 of the 30 Days of Genre celebration and today we're talking about:

A Genre Novel That is Under-Rated

My personal choice here is actually a series of five novels - a little bit of a cheat, you might think, but they're irretrievably interlinked.

This would be The Tales of Einarinn by Juliet E McKenna. They are traditional fantasy, with well-drawn female characters and some stunning battle sequences. The prose is no-nonsense and effective, and there is a deliciously warm centre (rather like a chocolate melt!) to the plotlines.

I really liked these when I read them, but I simply cannot find anyone else who has read them!

Have you read them? If so, what did you think of them? Would you agree that they are under-rated?

30 Days of Genre - Day 2

Okay, you know the score! I started this yesterday alongside Ria from *coughs* Bibliotropic, who came up with this fab little genre meme.

Day 2 (alongside most of them that are forthcoming) is a real head scratcher: Your favourite character. I can pick loads that I really enjoy reading about. I can pick many where I appreciate their dialogue, or their attitude, or maybe even admire their extreme hotness. But a favourite character? Out of everything I've read? (which is a DAMN LOT!) That is going to take some doing....

Let me muse...

Should it be one I've discovered more recently, since I am now a more discerning reader? Or should it be one that has been beloved for years?

My choice, dear reader, might come as some surprise. You may be familiar with him looking like this:

That chap is Bigwig from Richard Adams' Watership Down - or, to give him his true name, Thlayli. I read Watership Down at a young age, and it impacted on me a great deal. I think I've read the novel a good seven or eight times, and the character that always leaps out at me is that of Bigwig.

He is bolshy, independent, fiercely loyal, cynical - everything that makes a character beloved in my book. Here are a few key quotes:

[Confronting Bigwig leading a mass defection of Efrafans]
General Woundwort: Bigwig, you traitorous...!
[to a subordinate]
General Woundwort: Captain, get this miserable group back to their marks. I'll settle you myself, Bigwig. There's no need to take you back.
Bigwig: Come and try, you cracked-brain slave driver!

Blackberry: You're beginning to sound like a chief, Hazel. 'Hazel-rah'.
Bigwig: Hazel-rah? That'll be the day I call him chief, that will.

And my absolute favourite:

General Woundwort: Come out!
Bigwig: My Chief's told me to defend this run.
General Woundwort: [Stunned] YOUR Chief?

A simply awesome character. One I adored from the first page he appeared and still love all these twenty years later.

How about you? Who is your favourite character? What do you think of my choice?

30 Days of Genre - Day 1

Ria of Tea and Tomes has come up with this awesome genre meme where we explore the following 30 subjects over the next 30 days:

30 Days of Genre
Day 1 – Very first genre novel.
Day 2 – Your favourite character.
Day 3 – A genre novel that is underrated.
Day 4 – Your guilty pleasure book.
Day 5 – Character you feel you are most like (or wish you were).
Day 6 – Most annoying character.
Day 7 – Favourite couple in a genre novel.
Day 8 – Best fan soundtrack.
Day 9 – Saddest scene in a genre novel.
Day 10 – Best writing style, or the style that resonates most with you.
Day 11 – Favourite genre series
Day 12 – A genre novel everyone should read.
Day 13 – A genre novel you’ve read more than five times.
Day 14 – Favourite book trailer from a genre novel.
Day 15 – The cover from your current (or most recent) genre read.
Day 16 – Genre novel with the most intriguing plot
Day 17 – Favourite antagonist.
Day 18 – Favourite protagonist.
Day 19 – World/setting you wish you lived in
Day 20 – Favourite genre.
Day 21 – Genre novel with the most interesting character interactions
Day 22 – A sequel which disappointed you.
Day 23 – Genre novel you haven't read, but wish you had
Day 24 – Favourite classic genre novel.
Day 25 – A genre novel you plan on reading soon.
Day 26 – Best hero.
Day 27 – Most epic scene ever.
Day 28 – Favourite publisher of genre novels.
Day 29 – A genre novel you thought you wouldn’t like, but ended up loving.
Day 30 – Your favourite genre novel of all time.

I just couldn't resist joining in with this, and hope to see more of you jumping on the bandwagon. As Ria says, I think some of this topics might provoke a little discussion - hopefully, anyway!

So Day 1

My very first genre novel is definitely The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. My dad read it to me when I was a very young girl - a beautiful hardback version he borrowed from the library. I was allowed just one chapter a night before bed, tucked on his lap, and marvelling at the thought of other worlds, magical creatures and evil witches.