blackdogbooks' Halloween remainders, loners, and other readings

Welcome to the doghouse! This is the fourth thread for the year.

Blackdogbooks' 2011 Chapter 1 thread is here.
Blackdogbooks' 2011 Chapter 2 thread is here.
Blackdogbooks' Great Pumkin Halloween Read is here.

2011 Completed Reading List:

57. The Road of Lost Innocence by Somaly Mam
56. The Terror by Dan Simmons
55. Scavenger by David Morrell
54. Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
53. 7 Steps to Midnight by Richard Matheson
52. Five Chiefs by John Paul Stevens
51. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson
50. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
49. 11/22/1963 by Stephen King
48. Cabal by Clive Barker
47. I'll Be Watching You by Charles DeLint
46. Mercy by David Lindsey
45. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
44. The Edge of Reason by Melissa Snodgrass
43. Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
42. Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King
41. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and other Macabre Tales by Washington Irving
40. The Likeness by Tana French
39. In the Woods by Tana French
38. Naked Heat by Richard Castle
37. Heat Wave by Richard Castle
36. One Lonely Night by Mickey Spillane
35. Split Image by Robert B. Parker
34. Night and Day by Robert B. Parker
33. High Profile by Robert B. Parker
32. Stranger in Paradise by Robert B. Parker
31. Sea Change by Robert B. Parker
30. Stone Cold by Robert B. Parker
29. Death in Paradise by Robert B.Parker
28. Trouble in Paradise by Robert B. Parker
27. Night Passage by Robert B.Parker
26. Relentless by Dean Koontz
25. Desperate Measures by David Morrell
24. Lessons from a Lifetime of Writing: An Artist Looks at his Craft by David Morrell
23. Dreams of Joy by Lisa See
22. Clea by Lawrence Durrell
21. Mountolive by Lawrence Durrel
20. Balthazar by Lawrence Durrell
19. Justine by Lawrence Durrell
18. Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
17. Tobacco Road by Erskine Caldwell
16. Kim by Rudyard Kipling
15. Falling Sideways by Thomas E. Kennedy
14. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
13. Ironweed by William Kennedy
13. Main Street by Sinclair Lewis
12. Fair Ball by Bob Costas
11. The Natural by Bernard Malamud
10. Murder at Wrigley Field by Troy Soos
9. Ball Four by Jim Bouton
8. Horns by Joe Hill
7. The Joy of Keeping Score by Paul Dickson
4.-6. Parade's End by Ford Madox Ford
3. Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence
2. The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad
1. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

The 99% completed new library.


THE NON-FICTION CORNER


REFERENCE AND FICTION BEGINS


OVERALL


THE KING


FICTION ENDS/NON-FICTION BEGINS


THE WIFE'S PRETTY CORNER

"Number one: Do you know why books such as this are so important? Because they have quality. And what does the word quality mean? To me it means texture. This book has pores. It has features. this book can go under the microscope. You'd find life under the glass, streaming in infinite profusion. The more pores, the more truthfully recorded details of life per square inch you can get on a sheet of paper, the more 'literary' you are. That's my definition, anyway. Telling detail. Fresh deatil. The good writers touch life often. the mediocre ones run a quick hand over her. The bad ones rape her and leave her for the flies."

The Current TBR Stack:

11/22/63 by Stephen King
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick
Scavenger by David Morrell
The Terror by Dan Simmons
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
In Justice by David Iglesias
The Daughters of Juarez by Teresa Rodriguez
The Road of Lost Innocence by Somaly Mam

Book #48, Cabal by Clive Barker

My Review on the book's home

Cabal one of Clive Barker’s earliest novels, published in 1988, contains all of the best of the author’s writing and vision and very little of the overindulgence that can sometimes mar his work.

Boone, a deeply afflicted and sensitive man, has been seeking help from a psychologist, Decker. During therapy, Decker begins to display photographs from a series of mutilations and murders in the area, suggesting that Boone may be responsible. As Boone begins to accept his evil nature, he seeks out Midian, a mythical town he believes is a place a refuge for monsters like him. When he finds the town, he is shot dead by the local police force, who are also convinced of his guilt in the murders. But Boone doesn’t stay dead; and the refuge of Midian has a price that Boone may not be able to pay.

In some of Barker’s later work, he becomes a little too enamored of his vision, giving over any sense of story or character to create every last piece of what his imagination breeds. The result can be messy and confusing. Barker is capable of fleshing out colorful and minutely detailed worlds, but the read is often exhausting and frustrating. There is a sense that the story will never move forward.

Cabal, on the other hand, strikes the perfect balance, allowing the reader to use their own imagination to bridge the gaps in Barker’s prose. The story never suffers from his habit of lingering too long over a description of some fantastic character or place. In Cabal, he gives the readers just enough to spur their imagination along on its own. The Nightbreed, a sort of mix of vampires and shape-shifting monsters, are never described in whole cloth. Rather, Barker gives the reader just enough to allow the monster to shape-shift into the reader’s own personal fears.

This edition also re-prints some of Barker’s earlier short fiction:

The Life of Death, a cancer survivor believes that she has met Death, and while he might not be the mythical figure, he’ll do until the real thing shows up.

How Spoilers Breed, a group of men purchase the rights to a tract of South American land that is populated by an all but extinct native tribe. Beware the Curse!

Twilight at the Towers, werewolves as CIA and KGB operatives turns out to be a good fit.

The Last Illusion, provides the first appearance of Harry D’Amour, a sort of noir-mystic detective. Harry guards the corpse of a magician from the Devil who has come calling for the magician’s soul.

The short fiction features unique and carefully plotted stories with punchy, hard-boiled prose. Barker excels in the short fiction in a way that should inform his longer projects.

4 bones

Hi, Mac! Love the photos.

That's my kind of doghouse!

I just finished a book I started in October for Halloween. I had downloaded it free from Project Gutenberg some time ago: Scottish Ghost Stories by Elliott O'Donnell, circa 1912. Apparently he was both a writer and a ghost hunter, and the stories are supposed to be at least based on true hauntings in Scotland. The style was rather old fashioned, and reflected the times in terms of some comments regarding class and ethnicity, but not too offensive in their context IMO, especially since he was supposedly telling tales as they were told to him -- though an article I read suggested that he "embellished" them a bit. Certainly the style was much more dramatic than the typical true ghost story book. . I rather enjoyed the tales. Not a stellar read, but not bad, with some nice creepy moments.

Your library turned out beautiful!

tymfos, what good ghost story isn't embellished a little.

Thanks, tymfos and billiejean

Beautiful library BDB.

Good to see those cases full of books! And I love the quote at #3, and recognise it, but can't remember where from? Was it from Stephen Fry's TV documentary about words and literature? It was something I've seen or read recently...

gennyt, Nope, the quote in #3 was not from Stephen Fry's documentary but a good guess. I thought I'd leave it up a while and see if anyone can identify it.

Thanks, VB.

wow, your library is looking great! I'm completely jealous! :)

#11 Well I know I've come across it, but I can't think where... Waiting to see if anyone else manages to get it...

Ooooooh, MORE, explicit bookshelf porn!! *fans self vigorously* Beautiful!

8. The Terror - Dan Simmons

4/5

9. Cabal - Clive Barker

3.5/5

Love your new library, all those shelves full of beautiful books makes me want to kick my adult son out of the house so I can plan something good for his room.

Thanks for all the nice comments on the library, avatiakh, ronincats, Gogs.

Piyush, you definitely liked Cabal, as did I, see the review above at #4. But you really liked The Terror. Any comments you'd like to share on either of those here?

And, for those of you who don't follow Stephen King or who haven't read King before, 11/22/63 is among the best books he has ever written and it is really not horror or graphic, at least as far as I've gotten. I'm about 2/3 through the book and I can't put it down. I find myself trying to get home so I can read it. I can't recommend it highly enough. I'll post a proper review later but just wanted to pimp it a bit now.

And gennyt, the quote is from Farenheit 451. Not many folks took the bait on trying to guess, so I figured I'd put you out of your misery.

Ok, I read Fahrenheit 451 this summer, so that's why I half-recognized it!

That must be why, genny.

Book #49, 11/22/1963 by Stephen King

My Review on the book's home page:

History is filled with ‘watershed moments,’ events that cause the world to veer down a path that was otherwise unforeseeable or unthinkable. In his newest novel, 11/22/1963, Stephen King imagines what might happen if a person were given the opportunity to change the outcome of such an event.

Jake Epping, a high school English teacher, moonlights teaching adult GED classes. A particularly moving essay from the high school janitor opens Jake’s eyes about how life ‘turns on a dime.’ A few days later, Jake learns about a window through time that allows a person to descend into the past, arriving on September 9, 1958, at 11:58 am. Jake embarks on a mission to turn the dime the opposite direction at one of the greatest watershed moments in the history of the world, the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

First, 11/22/1963 is both vintage Stephen King and not. The sense of place and time and character that King brings to his best work is definitely on showcase here. Few writers can evoke the sentimental melancholy of the past in a way that is sweet but not saccharine, golden and beckoning but not utterly fake. King is the master, save perhaps Ray Bradbury. 11/22/1963 is loaded with that sensibility. King even references another of his best such works, It, by opening the window on time in the same town just after the horrific events of that novel have played out. The difference here is that King stretches beyond the “King of Horror” box that most have relegated him to, writing a more character driven and literary, Our Town or Dandelion Wine-type book than most people know he is capable of writing. There is no graphic horror and no monsters of the slimy or oozing or toothy kind here.

That’s where the second most important thing about King’s new work arises. Any true fan knows that King is an extremely keen student of human nature, especially the darker, more secret corners of the heart. Yes, 11/22/1963 is a time travel novel, but it reads more like Heart of Darkness or Great Expectations. The travel back through history does little for the story other than place the main character in a position to view the past through a new lens, giving him a deeper understanding of himself and of the world around him. The science-fiction bits are really not that important in the long run.

As I finished up the novel, dreading the dwindling number of pages left as I flipped them, I was reminded of a line from a recent movie I saw, The Way. In the movie, a man is talking to his father about life, and the father advises him to ‘choose his life carefully.’ The man responds, ‘You don’t choose a life, you live it.’ That’s a notion that King writes about frequently, and one that bleeds from every page of 11/22/1963; and it’s good advice.

Bottom Line: Another King onto the All-Time Favorite List; and this is one of those Kings that all you non-King people would do well to try.

5 bones!!!!!

Nice review! I've got it on reserve at the library, but I'm pretty far back in line. I may just have to buy this one...

You definitely have to buy it, doc. Don't wait on the library.

Great review!!
I just bought that one and will getting to it just as soon as I finish The Night Circus.

Thanks, doc and Gogs!

And a couple of more thumbs, thanks guys.

10. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - John Berendt

3.5/5

Mac, I will put a more detailed post later.

Happy thanksgiving!

>20 blackdogbooks: Hi Mac, see your still making good use of dem bones. I have steeered clear of Stephen King until now but it sounds like a good one and one I will definately read on your five bones recommendation.

I was especially attracted by this sentence: "The travel back through history does little for the story other than place the main character in a position to view the past through a new lens, giving him a deeper understanding of himself and of the world around him." as this is exactly what I have done in my book The Book Traveller. I would love it if you would give me permission to use this quote, slightly amended, to describe my book when it is published.

Alan/TT

Book #50, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

My Review on the book's home page:

Most folks engaged in conversation about Blade Runner, the movie version of Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, are obsessed with which version is best: the version with Harrison Ford’s voice over or Ridley Scott’s Director’s Cut. The real conversation should be about what is the essential quality that defines humanity, as that is what Dick intended.

In a post-apocolyptic world choked with radioactive dust, humans must pass tests to determine if they possess the level of intelligence for immigration to colonization efforts on Mars and other worlds. One of the perks of immigration is the gift of a human-like android. But androids are illegal on Earth, and they are hunted by bounty hunters like Rick Deckard. Deckard identifies illegal androids who have returned to Earth by giving them an empathy test, measuring their natural capacity to feel for other living things, especially animals.

Dick’s quirky novel can pass for merely science fiction if that’s what you’re looking for. But just under the surface, Dick probes issues of social control and moral absolutes. The philosophy coursing through the veins of the story demand repeated and close reading.

Bottom Line: A quirky and fun science fiction read on one level and a deeply philosophical treatise on the nature of humanity on another level.

4 bones!!!!

I'm not really a King fan but I recently read Under the Dome and in spite of my mixed feelings about that book, I had put 11/22/1963 on hold at the library. After reading your review, it sounds like that was a good plan and I'm looking forward to reading it. I'm number 18 on the hold list, but there are 18 copies so I'll probably have it by the end of the year.

Hope you enjoy it, sarge.

Book #51, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

My Review on the book's home page:

Coming late to Stieg Larsson’s international sensation The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, it was hard to know what to expect, especially after seeing the Swedish-made movie versions of the trilogy. But as the American-made film of the first in the series is set for a holiday release, a read of the original material seemed appropriate.

For those of you who are still in the dark on the story: Mikael Blomkvist, a dishonored journalist, undertakes an investigation into the disappearance of 16-year-old Harriet Vanger from her industrialist family’s island compound in 1966. Lisbeth Salander, a ruggedly independent, savant punk-hacker, joins Blomqvist’s quest to solve the mystery. But the case reveals something more sinister than anyone could have imagined.

While not a literary tour-de-force, Larsson still offers a page-turning adventure with a strong dose of social awareness. The mystery of the missing girl is book-ended by Blomkvist’s own windmill-jousting against the new breed of robber barons – financial brokers. Amid the current war between the 1% and the 99%, Blomqvist’s story may be the more interesting one. Does the wealth of the ether, the world of the stock markets and speculators that produces not an ounce of goods or services, make for an economy? And does an honest and ethical man of business exist anywhere? But Larsson’s real message of social awareness is the victimization and hatred of women, and the starkness of his story lives up to the all too common realities.

In today’s literary world, with sparkly vampires and code-cracking history professors, Larsson’s Dragon Tattoo is an accomplishment. The novel is a pleasing and page-turning story leavened with strong social messages. The characters are complicated and flawed rather than flimsy stereotypes. It is fast-paced and exciting but intelligently written, and manages to deliver a message without ever preaching.

Bottom Line: Dragon Tattoo is an intelligent thriller that is also smart and socially conscious – better reading than any sparkly vampire or code-cracking history professor story.

4 bones!!!!

Sucked into an ER book rather quikly yesterday, and it is as far from Dragon Tattoo as possible. Maybe I'll finish it today.

Book #52, Five Chiefs by John Paul Stevens

My Review on the book's home page:

Supreme Court justices are enigmas. We depend on them for their judgment, but we rarely know much about their thought process until they are spun into action by specific issues.

Retired Justice John Paul Stevens’ memoir, Five Chiefs, is a personal rumination on a course of a judicial career, examining the colleagues and court cases that shaped it. Stevens starts with a quick overview of the first twelve Chief Justices for the Supreme Court. Then, he devotes chapters to the last five Chief Justices, all of whom he worked with at some point in his legal career. As he describes the professional and private personalities of these five men, Stevens also critiques the cases that defined their courts and their careers.

Woodward’s The Brethren is a much more extensive and thorough examination of the inner workings of the Supreme Court. In many ways, Woodward presented a better and more detailed understanding of the story behind the robe than Stevens is able to portray with Five Chiefs. Even though Stevens worked intimately with the men and women he describes, Woodward’s account is more personal, more enlightening.

Five Chiefs also turns out to be a bit of a bully pulpit for Stevens, giving him the last word on case holdings that he disagreed with over the years. Stevens is not shy about his opinions on the five Chiefs that are his subject, nor are his other colleagues spared the sharp edge of his sentiments.

Still, for those interested in the backstory of the Supreme Court, Stevens’ memoir is a rarity. Not only is he able to comment on little known procedures of the Court, he often is able to comment on the reasoning behind the rules or the stimulus for changes in the Court’s workings. Stevens is at his best when he drops the focus of his legal mind and recounts the personal, day-to-day interactions of the people who make up the Court and who work in the Court.

Bottom Line: A rare personal memoir where few have been written; it suffers from a lack of personal touch and an inclination to have the last word. Read it for the unique and often untold perspective.

3 ½ bones!!!!

11. When The Sleeper Awakes - H. G. Wells

3/5

12. A Scanner Darkly - Philip K. Dick

3.5/5

The last book from the Halloween Reading left for me is What Dreams May Come - Richard Matheson, from whatever I have read so far, this book is a drag!

#32 When I read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (borrowed book), I was taken aback as to how much I enjoyed it, I immediately got my own copy of the Trilogy, but as usually happens with books I own, the sequels remain unread, you have motivated me enough to add The Girl Who Played with Fire to my 2012 first quarter reading list.

>36 PiyushC: Pi, I have the same problem, I buy a huge series and ending up reading the first one or two before going on to something else. I always tell myself that I will read them one day! But if I keep on putting them off, I will have to have them buried in my coffin with me! :)

Alan

Love the bookcases and library!

Currently reading 7 Steps to Midnight There were several in the Halloween group who didn't care for it, but I'm enjoying it.

Going to see the new American version of Dragon Tattoo next week. Has to be pretty good to live up to the Swedish versions.

Two weeks of vacation! Woohoo!

Tortoise, that's the spice of the reading life.

Thanks, torontoc.

And, didn't want to miss mentioning my classics buddy, Piyush. Looks like the recommendation I made for Philip K. Dick was a pretty good one for you. glad you liked it.

Book #53, 7 Steps to Midnight by Richard Matheson

My Review on the book's home page:

Chris Barton’s work on a secret ‘Star Wars’ missile defense system for the Pentagon has stalled, just like Chris’ life. Things begin to break out of the rut for the genius mathematician when his car is stolen from the parking lot of government installation where he works. Chris borrows a car from a co-worker to get home for some late-night reading and sleep, but he never makes it to the safe confines of home and hearth. A hitch-hiker challenges Chris to a wager, a wager that Chris can’t differentiate what’s real and what’s unreal in his own life. When Chris finally reaches his house, he finds that he has been replaced by another Chris Barton. Over the course of the next few days, Chris finds himself the focus of an international cabal of spies and killers. But is it real, or is Chris’ mind unraveling?

Richard Matheson is a superb story-teller with a keen eye for truly human characters, especially ones with a fragile grip on reality. In an earlier short story “Person to Person”, Matheson tells the story of a man who is hearing voices in his head. In that story, Matheson never reveals where the voices originate, whether a symptom of a broken psyche or a government experiment or a communion with evil. The ambiguity taps into every reader’s own sense of reality and fear and makes for good, if somewhat troubling, reading.

With 7 Steps to Midnight, Matheson taps into the same sort of dilemma, allowing the reader full access to Chris Barton’s confused and frightened mind as he tries to sort the real from the unreal. For the balance of the story, we are compelled to try and decipher the ever-twisting circumstances to make sense of what Barton cannot make sense of. And, again, the result is a riveting read.

Sadly, the last few pages of the book destroy the carefully balanced and unsolvable equation. The conclusion of the books is hurried and blunt, explaining away all of the earlier conundrums with no loose ends. It’s as if the publisher or editor demanded a ‘hero-gets-the-girl-and-fools-everyone’ ending from Matheson, and that he wrote it hoping that it would be bad enough that they’d never publish the book with the ending – but he was wrong.

Bottom Line: A great book for all but the last few pages – read it for Matheson’s ability to put you inside a disturbed and confused mind, and then forget the ending.

3 1/2 bones!!!!

(Would have been more bones but for just the last few pages.)

I liked this one better than anyone else who has commented on it or reviewed it. As you can see by the review, that is largely because I wa able to enjoy the book but hate the ending. It really reads like someone else wrote it. So, fair warning. If you can't separate the ending from the rest of a book, this one isn't for you. But there is really some good writing and story-telling up to the end.

13. What Dreams May Come - Richard Matheson

With this book, I finish the 13 books I had earmarked for Halloween Reading. The story was too wimpy for my taste and I was too irritated with the protagonist the entire time to enjoy the book. Richard Matheson, to me remains an author with amazing imagination and poor execution skills.

2/5

Book #54, Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

My Review on the book's home page:

Odd Thomas has a rare gift, or curse, depending on your perspective. Odd can see the dead, and he believes that the ability is a gift. But, for Odd, the gift comes with a responsibility to aid the dead with the things that death left unresolved. The gift also allows him to see other spirits, badachs, that feed on suffering and death. When Pico Mundo, the small desert town where Odd flips burgers and pancakes, becomes overrun with frenzied badachs, Odd has to use his psychic instinct to stop a mass murder.

Dean Koontz’ Odd Thomas is the first in a series of four novels focusing on the dead-seeing, grill-master, Odd. Koontz has also released a couple of graphic novels featuring Odd, his author website includes Odd webisodes, and a new feature film is slated for release in the spring. This sensation over Odd is a testament to the depth Koontz of the character and the character’s world on display in this first book. Koontz only scratches the surface with Odd and his friends, sprinkling ominous teasers to Odd’s dark past and other adventures throughout the story.

As I’ve said in other reviews, Koontz is a surprisingly literary-minded writer; surprising because a lot of folks see him as just churning out pulp. But his prose is full of rich and colorful descriptive language and the story rarely chooses thriller-type action at the expense of the character’s internal life. The down-side for Koontz is that sometime the literary is spread on a bit thick. Every single detail of the setting and character description need not have a carefully constructed metaphor.

Bottom Line: A story where someone is able to see and commune with the dead is really not that unique these days – but this one, anchored by a complex cast of characters with true depth, is worth reading and following.

4 ½ bones!!!!!

Good to see you enjoyed Odd Thomas too, I have been since recommending it to many of my friends.

Congratulations on finishing up your Halloween list--must feel good to cross that off your list. And enjoy your vacation!

Loved it, piyush.

Actually, roni, I still have 2 more on the list, but I've been reading them out of order. I'm reading Scavenger by David Morrell now and still want to get to The Terror. All year is Halloween for me, really.

BTW, posted this from my new IPad; the wife and I bought one for each other for christmas.

Yay for iPads! I've had one since the early iPad 1 days and love it. BTW, I figured you'd like Odd Thomas... :)

My grandfather was just raving about The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I tend to shy away from books that are so popular, but a number of readers whose opinions I trust are recommending it, so I may have to get to it in 2012.

Doc, I loved Odd Thomas, I immediately ordered the other books. Great characters!

luxx, I really think you'd like the Dragon Tattoo books. I came to them late, after watching the Swedish movie versions, and loved the first one. I think it is right up you're alley, I think, especially the main character. Very strong woman, and very edgy.

Gonna try to get The Terror read before the end of the year. And I finished Scavenger and owe a review there.

Went to one of my used book haunts and picked up several titles that I;ve been searching for from my 100 best lists:

The Recognitions by Gaddis
Suttree by McCarthy
The Man Without Qualities by Musil
The Dream of the Red Chamber by Xueqin

I also picked up:
Child of God by McCarthy
The Toughest Indian in the World by Alexie. I have seen several of his titles but never picked up any of the books. When I did I learned that his short stories were the basis of the movie "Smoke Signals", which I think is one of the best representations of reservation life I've ever seen.

I'm thinking about creating a Best Thread and Worst Thread on the 2012 group for folks to list the best five and worst five. I liked the list from the LT Staff as it was limited to 5 and only had a one line tag with a link to a more full review. That would keep the thread uncluttered and push folks to really choose. Any thoughts?

My sister loves the Odd Thomas books as well. One day I'll get to them.
I'm interested in what you think of The Terror. I started it two winters ago, but, it was very atmospheric and I was getting creeped out and couldn't sleep at night. I decided I'm going to try reading it again some time --in the summer, and daylight hours only.
Good luck with completing your Halloween reading list.

Mac, The Terror, probably was my favourite read this Halloween, while the David Morrell books were a disappointment. I shall await your review on The Terror.

Merry Christmas, Mac!

glitter-graphics.com

Wishing you a great Christmas, Mac!

Mac - happy Christmas and a prosperous and peaceful new year.

Thanks, roni, tymfos, and paul and merry Christmas to you three, as well as all my other faithful followers and lurkers!

Merry Christmas Mac!

Wish you Merry Christmas Mac!

Merry Christmas Mac!

Wishing you all the very best Mac!

Same to you smiler, piyush, kiwi, and gogs

First chance to get on LT in a month and I picked a good thread to to read--loved your reviews and I'm going to try the new King book. I also hope to get back to my Halloween reads as soon as I get home in a couple of weeks. I figure I should finish the list before next Halloween!

Right now I'm finishing a trilogy by Isaac Asimov my older son gave me for Christmas--The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun, and The Robot of Dawn which I've enjoyed. He also game me the Foundation trilogy which I hope to get to next year. These are on my Nook so I'll at least have them with me all the time!

Honored that you picked this thread, MM1!

I just finished up the last of the Halloween books and I owe a few reviews before I can start on my new 2012 thread.

I don't have any Asimov in the library; can you believe that?

Book #55, Scavenger by David Morrell

My Review on the book's home page:

At the end of Creepers, Frank Balenger has managed to save himself and Amanda, a woman who looks hauntingly like his missing wife. As Scavenger opens, Balenger can’t distinguish between the reality of his escape with Amanda and visions that he has found his wife. Soon, he finds himself on the run again, chasing a villain who has created a deathly real game with Balenger as his live avatar and Amanda as the bait. Balenger has to find a centuries old time capsule and rescue Amanda to win their freedom.

Morrell is not as his best with Scavenger, though it is an improvement on Creepers, a book that promised much but didn’t completely deliver. Interestingly, the two novels are somewhat reversed in their difficulties. Creepers had the cooler premise but Morrell never seemed to really dive into it, choosing thrills over a deeper look at the material. With Scavenger, Morrell seems torn between a couple of different premises – the on-line gaming world and time capsules – but does a better job of developing his characters and themes.

Morrell is a better, and deeper, writer than this book exhibits, but I was glad to read about Balenger again and get a better sense of him.

Bottom Line: All in all, I am a Morrell fan, so I enjoyed the book, though I’d recommend a different one to get a better sense of his talent.

3 ½ bones!!!!

Book #56, The Terror by Dan Simmons

My Review on the book's home page:

In The Terror, Dan Simmons imagines the particulars of how Sir John Franklin’s expedition to discover the Northwest Passage in the frozen landscape of the Artic was lost. In Simmons’ account, the two boats of the expedition, the HMS Terror and the HMS Erebus, become locked into the winter ice pack for over two years, and eventually lose the battle to survive the elements and starvation. As if the odds weren’t stacked against the crews heavily enough, Simmons also afflicts them with a haunting and blood-thirsty entity.

Simmons’ story is heavily researched and painfully detailed – to the point of distraction. To be fair, I’ve never been a fan of the ‘Master and Commander’ type stories of the sea, so I may not be giving Simmons his just deserts. But I just don’t care where the crew’s berths are or how the boat is constructed or what other voyages each and every member of the crew has previously sailed or what each crew member is wearing at every minute of the day. Outside of the painstaking detail, Simmons’ tale is not a bad one. But maybe this just isn’t my thing.

The ending of the story is a bit far-fetched for me also, as Simmons dives into Inuit lore and paranormal beliefs. The switch is so quick and so complete that it is hard to swallow after treading water through so much sea-detail – the imbalance between the real and the un-real just never seems to settle.

Bottom Line: Simmons seems like a good writer – and he’s definitely a good researcher and historian – but this wasn’t my kind of story; read it if you like sea-faring stories and heavily researched and detailed historical fiction.

3 bones!!!

Book #57, The Road of Lost Innocence by Somaly Mam

My Review on the book's home page:

Somaly Mam was sold into prostitution at the age of about 12 years old, after having already been beaten and raped by multiple men. The Road of Lost Innocence is Mam’s memoir, detailing her years in the brothels of Cambodia, her eventual escape, and the national aid organization she founded to help other victims escape. Mam recounts the nightmare of her life in simple and straightforward language, never shying from the awful details of the sex industry in Southeast Asia. The story is ultimately one of sheer will to survive, as Mam didn’t really do anything special to escape, except outlasting her tormentors. The real story of the human spirit is Mam’s later work to help other victims like her escape and live safe, full lives.

Bottom Line: A story that should be read by all, but one that not everyone will want to read.

4 bones!!!!

Making my final tour of the 2011 threads, before going to my own and posting yearly statistics and a Happy New Year to all, before creating my 2012 thread. Guess what I'll be doing tomorrow? Do you know that Richard already has over 100 messages over there?
I've loved reading your thread this year, Mac, and look forward to 2012.

Thanks for the review of The Terror, Mac. I may push it further down on the TBR pile. While I can appreciate all the research involved I get easily bored with excessive details. I stopped reading Ann Rice books because I don't care about the design on the dining room wallpaper-- and she apparently loves to write about that kind of detail.
The Road of Lost Innocence sounds like a compelling read. I may look into that one.

I noticed the Hitchcock chairs in your library. I have the triplet to your pair in my dining room, and 3 others with a fruity/leafy scene. They were my grandmother's and I just love them!

They are my wife's from her days as a girl. Good eye. We have the table in the kitchen.