#5 Platform - Unexpected Magic

Like most short story collections, it's got ups and downs.

Book #2: Unexpected Magic
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Provenance: Borrowed from my mother

Short story collections are usually mixed bags of material in any case, but they tend to be even more so when the stories were written over a long period of time. Such is the case here with Unexpected Magic, since this collects 15 stories and a novella written over the length of Jones's career. It's definitely got some good stuff, but there's some stuff that I could have done without reading.

It's interesting to see her play around with some sci-fi stuff, and some memoir writing, but the strength is generally still in the fantasy stuff. I did enjoy Dragon Reserve, Home Eight, though, which is more sci-fi than anything else. Otherwise, the best stories are the cat ones, which isn't a huge surprise, either. I loved Little Dot, the story of a magical cat trying to protect her person from harm, the first time I read it, and I still liked it now. Probably about 2/3 of the stories were at least pretty decent, which isn't a bad batting average.

The novella, on the other hand, feels like one of the first things she'd ever written at that length, and had pacing problems, along with stylistic problems. The plot was interesting enough, and the way it works feels a lot like her later books (things aren't laid out about the world, you just need to figure it out as you go along, and people are stronger and better than you think), but it just didn't feel put together enough. It really dragged for a while.

Anyway, it's worth reading if you're really interested, but I'd ask for a list of stories to skip if you really want to try.

Next up: Sophomore Switch. Already done, actually, but I need to catch up.

#5 Platform - Sophomore Switch

Switching places on a study break? Have I heard this before?

Book #3: Sophomore Switch
Author: Abby McDonald
Provenance: Received from Librarything's Early Reviewers

You've probably heard this idea before, or something very much like it, right? We have the uptight British girl, very ordered and her whole life planned, and we have the Southern Cal party girl who's all into clothes and boys, and not so much into studying. They change places, taking over each other's lives, and in the end, learn a lot about themselves and who they really are.

Well, that's really want we have here, with the most modern twist: the California girl, Natasha, has to leave because she was secretly taped in a hot tub with a reality TV star, and life becomes too hard to bear when everyone knows her role in the affair. The British girl, Emily, seems to want to get out for break-up related reasons, at least for a while.

The plot is very straightforward and what you'd expect from the premise, and the romantic leads on each side are easy enough to see coming, although at least this isn't as formulaic in the end. At least McDonald recognizes this; she's got a bit about how narrative structure exists for a reason.

All in all, this probably sounds fairly negative thus far, but actually, the book's a pretty fun and fast read. Each of the viewpoint characters does have a different voice, and McDonald has a good ear for dialogue and for who these characters are. The secondary cast, particularly the Cali romantic lead and the militant feminist on the Oxford side, are pretty well-done, as well. Even if it is formulaic, it's a good production of the formula.

If you want a fast read, and you don't mind if your book isn't breaking new ground, you could definitely do worse than this. I enjoyed it, and it isn't even really my sort of thing. Just know what you're getting.

Next up: The Daughter of Time. Interesting mysteries seem good to go for next.