REVIEW: The Mammoth Hunters by Jean M. Auel

So I just finished reading The Mammoth Hunters which took a little longer than usual due to Uni and other commitments. I did like the book, but then again ... I think I found it frustrating. There are so many similarities between the first two that everything just feels like it's being repeated ... and then there is the feeling of repetition within the book itself. While I really appreciated hearing about how the Clan worked flint in CotCB, I'm totally over it by the third time it's describe in TMH. Also, if I have to endure another sex scene between Ayla and Jondalar, described identically every time ... I may kill myself.

I was quite a beautiful story, but just took a little long to get there. I felt I wanted them to hurry up and go find the Zeladonii ... which is why I am kind of dreading The Plains of Passage which is longer, and is another sidetrack before the final destination. Hmmm, I kind of feel like these two books are just fillers (even though they are full and detailed stories in their own right) - I'm just under the impression that they're not going anywhere.

That being said, I've decided to take a break and read one of the other 28 books I have yet to read. This decision was also made to delay finishing the series until The Painted Caves (the last book) comes out in Paperback, because I refuse to boy the hardback which does not match the rest of the series.

I had a moment of weakness when I went into Dymocks 'just to look' and saw The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima and The Last Four Things by Paul Hoffman ... both sequels to books I recently read and loved. So of course I literally ran to the counter to buy them as if they somehow wouldn't be there when I actually had time to read them and went to buy them. I also bought the trade size version of The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss second hand from London (after buying one that was not the same version AT ALL and sending it back for a refund) so it will match the recently released trade back version of Wise Man's Fear.

So I've just started The Exiled Queen ... I must admit I cannot remember any of the plot advances from the end of the last book, or some of the characters. And I couldn't find a plot summary anywhere online which I REALLY NEEDED. So I hope this book will subtly remind me as we go along.

In other news, they're now closing ALL the Borders stores in Australia. It was bad enough that now I can't buy books in my lunch break from work (Borders being the only store near by). Hopefully I can pick up some good sales at Melbourne Central when it closes.