Porirua College

38,886 pages read and 1,727 team points

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Ragne

11,286 pts

(8,289 pages read)

Assassin's Apprentice

By Robin Hobb

4 stars

A complex, slightly dark fantasy but definitely engaging.
Colour Scheme

By Ngaio Marsh

5 stars

Another very funny one. I think Dr Ackroyd may be my favourite of her comic characters. Another NZ setting with an interesting portrayal of her view of Maori culture in 1940.
Death and the Dancing Footman

By Ngaio Marsh

5 stars

Strong atmosphere - snowed up in a country house with a corpse and the murderer at large. Very unlikely 'hero' figure is thoroughly enjoyable. Love it.
Surfeit of Lampreys

By Ngaio Marsh

5 stars

The funniest cast of characters Marsh ever created, but also some weirdly gruesome scenes. A great read.
Death at the Bar

By Ngaio Marsh

5 stars

Really vivid setting of 1930s Dorset exploring some interesting aspects of political beliefs and shifting classes. Great murder mystery that keeps you guessing right through.
Leonardo da Vinci

By Walter Isaacson

5 stars

Really engaging biography that explores da Vinci as a thinker, a genius exploring the world around him. It is much more than an account of his life. It explains the concepts he was grappling with and how his thinking sat within the complex world of the Italian Renaissance. I love that the Coda finally told us how the tongue of a woodpecker works. I also really enjoyed how Leonardo lived confidently as a gay man, free thinker, scientist and artist in a world that we imagine as more limiting than that. Awesome read.
Overture to Death

By Ngaio Marsh

5 stars

Wonderful characters and setting - 1930s Dorset. Marsh increasingly explores people and what drives us through her mysteries, making them much more layered.
Artists in Crime

By Ngaio Marsh

5 stars

Probably her very best. Pure delight, despite the gruesome elements.
Vintage Murder

By Ngaio Marsh

5 stars

Vintage Marsh at last and her first set in New Zealand. Evocative and well plotted, although rather complicated, with more rounded characters. One of my favourites.
Death in Ecstacy

By Ngaio Marsh

4 stars

Atmospheric and cleverly plotted book. Characters are becoming more individual. I don't enjoy anything with cults as much which makes this not one of my favourites, but still a classic whodunnit.
The Nursing Home Murder

By Ngaio Marsh

5 stars

Marsh really starts to get into her stride with this one. Tightly plotted and memorable, more original characters. Alleyn is settling into his more adult character.
Enter A Murderer

By Ngaio Marsh

4 stars

Still early Marsh but getting into the swing of her writing using her beloved theatre world as a setting. I still don't like the characterisation of Alleyn at this point as he feels much younger than his supposed age. The characters are also very much 'types'. Strong plot and nice twist at the end though.
A Many Lay Dead

By Ngaio Marsh

3 stars

I love Marsh and rereading her books in order feels like a great Christmas entertainment project. This first one is clumsy compared to later more polished productions with a much stronger sense of Alleyn's character. Vivid characters and an awesome murder method, albeit rather unconvincing.
The Nameless Land

By Kate Elliott

4 stars

Good follow through on exploring this well rounded world. Nice plot twists and the story stays very engaging. I don't find the central romance convincing though. I prefer Elliott writing in first person to third person, it seems to liberate her.
The Witch Roads

By Kate Elliott

4 stars

Wonderful to read a new Kate Elliott series. I prefer her writing in first person and find the romance less convincing than the Cold Magic series. However, it is still a nuanced intriguing world with a gripping adventure.
Teacher Man

By Frank McCourt

3 stars

I was inspired to read this by Vitoria's listing and memories of finding Angela's Ashes gripping, although harrowing. I alternated between finding him painfully self obsessed, due to his childhood trauma, and admiring him for making it a teaching tool that engaged so many students. Inspiring in parts but also a sad book.
The Glitter and the Gold

By Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan

4 stars

Amazing autobiography of a dollar princess who married the Duke of Marlborough then became a supporter of women's suffrage and charity worker in England and France. Frustratingly discreet but lots of great stories. Nancy Astor to Winston Churchill: "If you were my husband, I'd put poison in your glass!" Churchill: "If I were your husband, I'd drink it!"
The History of the World Begins in Ice

By Kate Elliott

3 stars

Shorts stories and ephemera around the world of a series I love. Not worth reading unless you are also into the series. Some entertaining extras and really interesting explanation of the world building and character relationships.
Cold Steel

By Kate Elliott

5 stars

A wonderful wrapping up of all the complex strands of this trilogy. The battle scenes are tough going but the end recaptures the human warmth that makes these books such a delight.
Cold Fire

By Kate Elliott

5 stars

The second half of this book is my favourite part of this series. The hectic pace slows down to explore a society and allow character relationships to develop..
Cold Magic

By Kate Elliott

5 stars

Awesome fantasy with very layered world and engaging characters. Set in alternative world history Napoleonic era engaging with political conflicts of the changes happening at that time. An old favourite and a pleasure to reread.
Eliza Hamilton

By Tilar J. Mazzeo

4 stars

The content of this is so inherently interesting that the rather pedestrian writing style doesn't matter. It's a shame there is so much focus on the gossip of the times and relatively little on the political situations. However, there is some interesting exploration of the dynamics of human relationships. An interesting analysis of an unsolved historical puzzle was very convincing and based well on character.
After Hello

By Mhairi McFarlane

2 stars

The first book was funny but the short story follow up was too much the same.
You Had Me At Hello

By Mhairi McFarlane

3 stars

Witty, fast paced romantic comedy with engaging characters. You know where it's going, but some nice twists and turns along the way show us the world as we live it.

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Porirua College

38,886 pages read and 1,727 team points

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