October, 2017: Even the "Great Pumpkin" has a TBR Pile
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1CliffBurns
Hoping to read a couple of recent books on the Russian Revolution (100 years old this month) in the coming weeks.
Going to be a busy month, have to make sure I leave time for reading.
Going to be a busy month, have to make sure I leave time for reading.
2CliffBurns
Reading Tariq Ali's DILEMMAS OF LENIN.
So far, so good.
Ali approaches his subject with fairness but this is NOT hagiography.
So far, so good.
Ali approaches his subject with fairness but this is NOT hagiography.
4mejix
Came across an audiobook version of One Hundred Years of Solitude in Spanish and couldn't resist the temptation.
I downloaded the Poetry Foundation's app to my phone. It's pretty interesting. They are mixing the classics with a lot of current poetry. I'm still exploring it. Good thing to have on the phone, amuses me when bored.
I downloaded the Poetry Foundation's app to my phone. It's pretty interesting. They are mixing the classics with a lot of current poetry. I'm still exploring it. Good thing to have on the phone, amuses me when bored.
5CliffBurns
Finished Tariq Ali's THE DILEMMAS OF LENIN (excellent) and a mystery novel, THE TWENTY-YEAR DEATH: MALNIVEAU PRISON, which I found pretty mediocre.
6iansales
Finished Iain Banks's last novel, The Quarry, which wasn't bad. Now reading Jenny Erpenbeck's latest, Go, Went, Gone.
7BookConcierge
Dracula - Bram Stoker
Digital Audiobook performed by Simon Vance
5*****
Does anyone really need a synopsis? If you’ve seen any of the movies, you know the basic plot, but the original novel is so much more!
Stoker wrote the work as a series of journal or diary entries, letters and newspaper clippings. This could easily become disjointed, but in this case, it serves to give a certain immediacy to the writing. It also builds suspense, as we leave one character to jump to another’s perspective, frequently with a disconnect in terms of what each of the characters knows about the full situation. The danger they are in is frequently a result of not having the full picture, of not truly understanding the force against which they are pitted.
But the novel is more than just a horror story. There are several themes which would be great for book group discussion.
To begin there is the typical Victorian theme of strong men coming to the rescue of pure damsel in distress. However, Stoker turns the tables a bit when he gives Mina the intelligence, foresight and courage to fight the evil forces in her own way. Yes, the men do the actual fighting, but it is Mina who first puts together all the individual notes into a coherent chronological story, and ultimately gives the men what they need to go up against Dracula. The woman has steel!
Stoker also includes a fair amount of sexual – or at least sensual – tension. Bosoms heave, blood quickens, breathing is rapid, and people are completely overcome and overwhelmed by desire. They are simply helpless in the face of their base instincts … or are they?
The novel is wonderfully atmospheric; from the delights of a new culture as Harker first experiences the loveliness of Eastern Europe, to the growing sense of doom when surrounded by howling wolves, to the creepy, skin-crawling scene with the hordes of rats (I feel squeamish as I type this), and finally to the “pure-white” snow of the mountain blizzard, time and again Stoker puts the reader smack dab in the middle of the scenes.
There are several different audio versions. For my second listen I managed to get the Blackstone Audio version narrated by Simon Vance. I liked this audio even better than the first one I listened to. But then, I would probably listen to Simon Vance read his grocery list.
Digital Audiobook performed by Simon Vance
5*****
Does anyone really need a synopsis? If you’ve seen any of the movies, you know the basic plot, but the original novel is so much more!
Stoker wrote the work as a series of journal or diary entries, letters and newspaper clippings. This could easily become disjointed, but in this case, it serves to give a certain immediacy to the writing. It also builds suspense, as we leave one character to jump to another’s perspective, frequently with a disconnect in terms of what each of the characters knows about the full situation. The danger they are in is frequently a result of not having the full picture, of not truly understanding the force against which they are pitted.
But the novel is more than just a horror story. There are several themes which would be great for book group discussion.
To begin there is the typical Victorian theme of strong men coming to the rescue of pure damsel in distress. However, Stoker turns the tables a bit when he gives Mina the intelligence, foresight and courage to fight the evil forces in her own way. Yes, the men do the actual fighting, but it is Mina who first puts together all the individual notes into a coherent chronological story, and ultimately gives the men what they need to go up against Dracula. The woman has steel!
Stoker also includes a fair amount of sexual – or at least sensual – tension. Bosoms heave, blood quickens, breathing is rapid, and people are completely overcome and overwhelmed by desire. They are simply helpless in the face of their base instincts … or are they?
The novel is wonderfully atmospheric; from the delights of a new culture as Harker first experiences the loveliness of Eastern Europe, to the growing sense of doom when surrounded by howling wolves, to the creepy, skin-crawling scene with the hordes of rats (I feel squeamish as I type this), and finally to the “pure-white” snow of the mountain blizzard, time and again Stoker puts the reader smack dab in the middle of the scenes.
There are several different audio versions. For my second listen I managed to get the Blackstone Audio version narrated by Simon Vance. I liked this audio even better than the first one I listened to. But then, I would probably listen to Simon Vance read his grocery list.
8BookConcierge
Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor - Lisa Kleypas
Audiobook read by Tanya Eby.
3***
From the book jacket: One little girl needs a family. On single man needs a wife. Sometimes it takes a little magic … To make dreams come true.
My reactions
So, I knew going in that this was a cheesy holiday romance. Still, I have to admit that it was a fun read. The relationship between Mark, who has become guardian of his niece, 6-year-old Holly, after his sister died, and Maggie, the young widow who owns an old-fashioned toy shop, builds slowly, from September through Halloween, Thanksgiving, and finally Christmas Eve.
Despite the promised “magic” there isn’t much of it here … unless you count a child’s belief in fairies and Santa Claus as magic. But that’s okay. The “magic” of the central relationship is enough to entertain the reader.
Tanya Eby does a fine job performing the audio version. The voices she uses for the different characters are believable – even the little girl, Holly. Good pacing and clear diction.
Audiobook read by Tanya Eby.
3***
From the book jacket: One little girl needs a family. On single man needs a wife. Sometimes it takes a little magic … To make dreams come true.
My reactions
So, I knew going in that this was a cheesy holiday romance. Still, I have to admit that it was a fun read. The relationship between Mark, who has become guardian of his niece, 6-year-old Holly, after his sister died, and Maggie, the young widow who owns an old-fashioned toy shop, builds slowly, from September through Halloween, Thanksgiving, and finally Christmas Eve.
Despite the promised “magic” there isn’t much of it here … unless you count a child’s belief in fairies and Santa Claus as magic. But that’s okay. The “magic” of the central relationship is enough to entertain the reader.
Tanya Eby does a fine job performing the audio version. The voices she uses for the different characters are believable – even the little girl, Holly. Good pacing and clear diction.
9BookConcierge
In the Woods - Tana French
Digital audiobook performed by Stephen Crossley
4****
From the book jacket: Three children leave their small Dublin neighborhood to play in the surrounding woods. Hours later, their mothers’ calls go unanswered. The police find only one of the children, gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours. Twenty years later, Detective Rob Ryan – the found boy, who has kept his past a secret – and his partner Cassie Maddox investigate the murder of a twelve-year-old girl in the same woods.
My reactions
This is a stunning debut. Gripping and suspenseful, with many twists and turns. I guessed the culprit fairly early on, but was still enthralled by the psychology of the characters – whether police, victims or perpetrator.
I really liked Cassie Maddox and Rob Ryan and would like to see this partnership further explored in future books. (Though I think it unlikely, I can still hope … and if you know the answer, do NOT tell me.)
Steven Crossley does an excellent performing the audio book. His pacing is good and his skill as a voice artist clearly differentiated the characters.
Digital audiobook performed by Stephen Crossley
4****
From the book jacket: Three children leave their small Dublin neighborhood to play in the surrounding woods. Hours later, their mothers’ calls go unanswered. The police find only one of the children, gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours. Twenty years later, Detective Rob Ryan – the found boy, who has kept his past a secret – and his partner Cassie Maddox investigate the murder of a twelve-year-old girl in the same woods.
My reactions
This is a stunning debut. Gripping and suspenseful, with many twists and turns. I guessed the culprit fairly early on, but was still enthralled by the psychology of the characters – whether police, victims or perpetrator.
I really liked Cassie Maddox and Rob Ryan and would like to see this partnership further explored in future books. (Though I think it unlikely, I can still hope … and if you know the answer, do NOT tell me.)
Steven Crossley does an excellent performing the audio book. His pacing is good and his skill as a voice artist clearly differentiated the characters.
10BookConcierge
Living To Tell the Tale - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
3***
This is the first in a planned three-volume autobiography, taking the reader from Marquez’s birth in 1927 to his young adulthood in the mid 1950s.
In recounting his early life, the author also tells the history of Columbia – the politics, culture, troubles and triumphs of the people. He talks about his family and the women who raised him. And, of course, he talks about the women he loved, physically if not emotionally.
Marquez cannot tell a tale without some element of magical realism; that style is so ingrained in the oral traditions of Latin America. I loved those little hints in this story of a literary technique that this author perfected and brought to lovers of literature worldwide. In some scenes I was reminded of evenings spent on the porch in the dark of a summer’s evening, listening to my grandparents recount tales of their own childhoods. And while I generally dislike “cliff-hanger” endings, the one employed here was just perfect.
Still, I’m in no hurry to read additional memoirs by Marquez. This one definitely could have used some editing.
3***
This is the first in a planned three-volume autobiography, taking the reader from Marquez’s birth in 1927 to his young adulthood in the mid 1950s.
In recounting his early life, the author also tells the history of Columbia – the politics, culture, troubles and triumphs of the people. He talks about his family and the women who raised him. And, of course, he talks about the women he loved, physically if not emotionally.
Marquez cannot tell a tale without some element of magical realism; that style is so ingrained in the oral traditions of Latin America. I loved those little hints in this story of a literary technique that this author perfected and brought to lovers of literature worldwide. In some scenes I was reminded of evenings spent on the porch in the dark of a summer’s evening, listening to my grandparents recount tales of their own childhoods. And while I generally dislike “cliff-hanger” endings, the one employed here was just perfect.
Still, I’m in no hurry to read additional memoirs by Marquez. This one definitely could have used some editing.
11CliffBurns
Finished Brian Masters' KILLING FOR COMPANY, his account of Dennis Nilsen's murders back in the 1980s.
I haven't read a "true crime" book in years but this one was recommended to me by someone.
Urk, very gruesome stuff and now I know why I abandoned the genre.
I haven't read a "true crime" book in years but this one was recommended to me by someone.
Urk, very gruesome stuff and now I know why I abandoned the genre.
12iansales
Go, Went, Gone was excellent. Erpenbeck is highly recommended. Now reading a near-future thriller written by a friend of many years, The Milkman.
13BookConcierge
The Three Weissmanns of Westport - Cathleen Schine
Book on CD narrated by Hillary Huber
3.5***
Betty Weissmann is seventy-five when her seventy-eight-year-old husband, Joseph, announces he wants a divorce. Of course, he’ll be generous; he has loved Betty and her two girls from a previous marriage for over forty years, and he wants to do right by them. But his mistress, Felicity, has other plans for the elegant West-side apartment, and Betty is evicted from her only home with little notice. Her cousin Lou comes to the rescue, offering her his beach-side cottage in Westport. So, Betty and her two middle-aged daughters, Annie and Miranda, move in together and try to make sense of this new life.
This is a charming re-telling of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility (my personal favorite Austen novel). I had great fun trying to match Schine’s characters with Austen’s, and trying to figure out how certain plot elements might play out. Despite my familiarity with the original, Schine surprised me more than once.
I was immediately caught up in Betty’s story, and these characters seemed very real and recognizable to me. Their situation was both funny and poignant. There were times when I laughed out loud, or groaned in sympathy. I loved Betty; she went from confused and frustrated, to steely-spined and self-sufficient. Annie was the typical oldest child, taking charge and trying her best to “fix” was what wrong, while ignoring her own emotional needs. She presents a strong, clam façade, but does her crying in private. Miranda … well … she’s the “Marianne” character here, and I wanted to throttle her several times. Still, she is a sympathetic character despite (or perhaps because of) her flaws.
Hillary Huber shines in her performance of the audio book. She has the timing and tone to perfectly deliver this comedy of manners, and, as a skilled voice artist, she is able to differentiate the large cast of characters.
Book on CD narrated by Hillary Huber
3.5***
Betty Weissmann is seventy-five when her seventy-eight-year-old husband, Joseph, announces he wants a divorce. Of course, he’ll be generous; he has loved Betty and her two girls from a previous marriage for over forty years, and he wants to do right by them. But his mistress, Felicity, has other plans for the elegant West-side apartment, and Betty is evicted from her only home with little notice. Her cousin Lou comes to the rescue, offering her his beach-side cottage in Westport. So, Betty and her two middle-aged daughters, Annie and Miranda, move in together and try to make sense of this new life.
This is a charming re-telling of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility (my personal favorite Austen novel). I had great fun trying to match Schine’s characters with Austen’s, and trying to figure out how certain plot elements might play out. Despite my familiarity with the original, Schine surprised me more than once.
I was immediately caught up in Betty’s story, and these characters seemed very real and recognizable to me. Their situation was both funny and poignant. There were times when I laughed out loud, or groaned in sympathy. I loved Betty; she went from confused and frustrated, to steely-spined and self-sufficient. Annie was the typical oldest child, taking charge and trying her best to “fix” was what wrong, while ignoring her own emotional needs. She presents a strong, clam façade, but does her crying in private. Miranda … well … she’s the “Marianne” character here, and I wanted to throttle her several times. Still, she is a sympathetic character despite (or perhaps because of) her flaws.
Hillary Huber shines in her performance of the audio book. She has the timing and tone to perfectly deliver this comedy of manners, and, as a skilled voice artist, she is able to differentiate the large cast of characters.
14BookConcierge
Double Indemnity - James M Cain
Digital audiobook performed by James Naughton
5*****
Walter Huff is an insurance agent who heads out to a Spanish mansion in the hills above Los Angeles to renew – and hopefully upgrade – an automobile policy for Mr Nirdlinger. The client is not at home, and Mrs Nirdlinger asks Huff to return the next night, but before he leaves she also asks about accident insurance. Huff knows the woman is trouble – with a capital T – but he lets himself get reeled in and before you know it …
Cain is a master of the roman noir. His writing is every bit as seductive as the temptress at the heart of his story. You just know this is going to end badly but you cannot tear yourself away, you just HAVE to continue. His short declarative sentences and first-person narrative give an immediacy to his writing, and make the novel difficult to put down. And just when you think you’ve already gone over the cliff …. You find that Cain has one or two more surprises in store for you. The ending of this one is nothing short of chilling.
James Naughton does a superb job voicing the audiobook. His clipped delivery is perfect for Cain’s writing style.
Digital audiobook performed by James Naughton
5*****
Walter Huff is an insurance agent who heads out to a Spanish mansion in the hills above Los Angeles to renew – and hopefully upgrade – an automobile policy for Mr Nirdlinger. The client is not at home, and Mrs Nirdlinger asks Huff to return the next night, but before he leaves she also asks about accident insurance. Huff knows the woman is trouble – with a capital T – but he lets himself get reeled in and before you know it …
Cain is a master of the roman noir. His writing is every bit as seductive as the temptress at the heart of his story. You just know this is going to end badly but you cannot tear yourself away, you just HAVE to continue. His short declarative sentences and first-person narrative give an immediacy to his writing, and make the novel difficult to put down. And just when you think you’ve already gone over the cliff …. You find that Cain has one or two more surprises in store for you. The ending of this one is nothing short of chilling.
James Naughton does a superb job voicing the audiobook. His clipped delivery is perfect for Cain’s writing style.
15BookConcierge
The Illusion of Separateness – Simon Van Booy
3.5*** (rounded up)
From the book jacket This gripping novel – inspired by true events – tells the interwoven stories of a German infantryman; a British film director; a young, blind museum curator; two Jewish American newlyweds separated by war; and a caretaker at a retirement home for actors in Santa Monica. They move through the same world but fail to perceive their connections until, through seemingly random acts of selflessness, a veil is lifted to reveal the vital parts they have played in one another’s lives, and the illusion of their separateness.
My reactions
Van Booy tells this interwoven story from different perspectives and in different time periods. We meet Martin, the caretaker at the retirement home in 2010 Los Angeles first; next we watch Mr Hugo in Manchester England teaching a little boy, Danny, to read in 1981; in 1968 a young boy plays in and around the remains of a downed plane he finds in the forest in France; John snaps a picture of his girlfriend at Coney Island in 1942; Amelia learns to live with her blindness in New York in 2005. And the chapters continue is a seemingly random fashion, introducing new characters, returning to revisit them, skipping back and forth in time, and occasionally giving the reader a glimpse of a connection between their stories. The final paragraph ties it all together for us in one stunningly simple phrase.
The writing is poetic and fluid. I felt immersed in the story, and was never disoriented by the changing perspectives or time lines. Some scenes are horrific, especially during the war. But the author does not leave the reader in these horrible circumstances for long; there are also scenes of great tenderness and kindness. Throughout we see how a small act of kindness – or cruelty – can reverberate through time and across continents.
That being said, I was left somewhat dissatisfied. I cannot quite put my finger on why I felt this way, but there were times when I felt that Van Booy was trying too hard, that the coincidences / connections were too clever.
Having finished it, I was so looking forward to my F2F book club meeting, but the discussion leader failed to show up and the conversation fizzled out too quickly for me. I want to read it again, and I would definitely read another book by this author.
3.5*** (rounded up)
From the book jacket This gripping novel – inspired by true events – tells the interwoven stories of a German infantryman; a British film director; a young, blind museum curator; two Jewish American newlyweds separated by war; and a caretaker at a retirement home for actors in Santa Monica. They move through the same world but fail to perceive their connections until, through seemingly random acts of selflessness, a veil is lifted to reveal the vital parts they have played in one another’s lives, and the illusion of their separateness.
My reactions
Van Booy tells this interwoven story from different perspectives and in different time periods. We meet Martin, the caretaker at the retirement home in 2010 Los Angeles first; next we watch Mr Hugo in Manchester England teaching a little boy, Danny, to read in 1981; in 1968 a young boy plays in and around the remains of a downed plane he finds in the forest in France; John snaps a picture of his girlfriend at Coney Island in 1942; Amelia learns to live with her blindness in New York in 2005. And the chapters continue is a seemingly random fashion, introducing new characters, returning to revisit them, skipping back and forth in time, and occasionally giving the reader a glimpse of a connection between their stories. The final paragraph ties it all together for us in one stunningly simple phrase.
The writing is poetic and fluid. I felt immersed in the story, and was never disoriented by the changing perspectives or time lines. Some scenes are horrific, especially during the war. But the author does not leave the reader in these horrible circumstances for long; there are also scenes of great tenderness and kindness. Throughout we see how a small act of kindness – or cruelty – can reverberate through time and across continents.
That being said, I was left somewhat dissatisfied. I cannot quite put my finger on why I felt this way, but there were times when I felt that Van Booy was trying too hard, that the coincidences / connections were too clever.
Having finished it, I was so looking forward to my F2F book club meeting, but the discussion leader failed to show up and the conversation fizzled out too quickly for me. I want to read it again, and I would definitely read another book by this author.
16BookConcierge
The Children Act – Ian McEwan
Book on CD narrated by Lindsay Duncan
3***
Fiona Maye is a High Court judge who presides over cases in family court. She is highly regarded for her intelligence, sensitivity, and knowledge of the law. She is called upon to try an urgent case. A child and his parents are refusing life-saving treatment due to religious beliefs, and the hospital wants the Court to mandate that the treatment be given. His condition has deteriorated, and time is of the essence. But while Fiona is dealing with this heart-breaking legal case, her personal life also demands attention. The decisions she makes will have consequences for all.
I like the way that McEwan explores hidden emotions and the effects of those feelings on the characters’ decisions and actions. Fiona is trained to consider both sides, and to make decisions based on the evidence and the constraints of law. But she is human, after all, and humans frequently let emotion cloud their decisions. Try as she might to restrain her feelings, Fiona cannot entirely escape them. In the course of the novel Fiona faces several moral and ethical dilemmas; the decisions she faces in court are influenced by her personal life, and vice versa.
I was interested in the situation from the outset, partly because I recently retired from working at a major medical center in a pediatric hospital. Healthcare professionals are faced with these kinds of decisions more often than you might think. But McEwan lost me as the novel progressed, and when it ended I felt like I was missing something. This is the fourth novel by McEwan that I’ve read, but the first that isn’t also a selection for my F2F book group. I really enjoyed the discussions on those other novels; they helped cement the works in my memory. As I write this, it’s been a few days since I finished the book, and I have already lost details of it.
Lindsay Duncan does a fine job narrating the audio book. She has good pacing and great skill as a voice artist. I believed her when she was voicing Fiona, and I believe her when she was voicing Adam. 5***** for her audio performance.
Book on CD narrated by Lindsay Duncan
3***
Fiona Maye is a High Court judge who presides over cases in family court. She is highly regarded for her intelligence, sensitivity, and knowledge of the law. She is called upon to try an urgent case. A child and his parents are refusing life-saving treatment due to religious beliefs, and the hospital wants the Court to mandate that the treatment be given. His condition has deteriorated, and time is of the essence. But while Fiona is dealing with this heart-breaking legal case, her personal life also demands attention. The decisions she makes will have consequences for all.
I like the way that McEwan explores hidden emotions and the effects of those feelings on the characters’ decisions and actions. Fiona is trained to consider both sides, and to make decisions based on the evidence and the constraints of law. But she is human, after all, and humans frequently let emotion cloud their decisions. Try as she might to restrain her feelings, Fiona cannot entirely escape them. In the course of the novel Fiona faces several moral and ethical dilemmas; the decisions she faces in court are influenced by her personal life, and vice versa.
I was interested in the situation from the outset, partly because I recently retired from working at a major medical center in a pediatric hospital. Healthcare professionals are faced with these kinds of decisions more often than you might think. But McEwan lost me as the novel progressed, and when it ended I felt like I was missing something. This is the fourth novel by McEwan that I’ve read, but the first that isn’t also a selection for my F2F book group. I really enjoyed the discussions on those other novels; they helped cement the works in my memory. As I write this, it’s been a few days since I finished the book, and I have already lost details of it.
Lindsay Duncan does a fine job narrating the audio book. She has good pacing and great skill as a voice artist. I believed her when she was voicing Fiona, and I believe her when she was voicing Adam. 5***** for her audio performance.
17iansales
>16 BookConcierge: I've read pretty much all of McEwan's books but he's been on a steep downhill slide since Saturday, if not earlier. I recently read Solar and thought it was so bad, I took the other McEwan books I had on my TBR, inclusding The Children Act, to the charity shop.
18BookConcierge
Murder in the Paperback Parlor – Ellery Adams
Digital audiobook read by Johanna Parker
2**
Number two in the “Book Retreat Mysteries” series set in Storyton Hall, “the perfect getaway for literature lovers.” Well, it’s perfect except when there’s a murder during the romance readers event being held on this weekend. Some Valentine’s Day adventure!
This has all the elements of a typical cozy mystery: an amateur sleuth, a “cute” occupation / back story, a little romantic tension, and more suspects than you can shake a stick at. In this case the victim is a world-renowned romance writer, with as many enemies as she has admirers. Among the suspects are fellow writers (jealous of her success), a former lover, and several angry fans.
The premise of Storyton Hall, however, lost me a little – most likely because I had not read the first book in the series. In addition to public rooms, there’s a secret library of rare first editions, that only a select few people have access to, and which they are sworn to protect – a sort of secret society of knights / crusaders / protectors. Once I caught on, some aspects made a little more sense, but in general I thought the book was just ‘meh.’
I did love all the references to books, however. I think I’ll go back and read book # 1 before I give final judgment on the series.
Johanna Parker does a good job of voicing the audio book, but her performance couldn’t overcome the book’s flaws.
Digital audiobook read by Johanna Parker
2**
Number two in the “Book Retreat Mysteries” series set in Storyton Hall, “the perfect getaway for literature lovers.” Well, it’s perfect except when there’s a murder during the romance readers event being held on this weekend. Some Valentine’s Day adventure!
This has all the elements of a typical cozy mystery: an amateur sleuth, a “cute” occupation / back story, a little romantic tension, and more suspects than you can shake a stick at. In this case the victim is a world-renowned romance writer, with as many enemies as she has admirers. Among the suspects are fellow writers (jealous of her success), a former lover, and several angry fans.
The premise of Storyton Hall, however, lost me a little – most likely because I had not read the first book in the series. In addition to public rooms, there’s a secret library of rare first editions, that only a select few people have access to, and which they are sworn to protect – a sort of secret society of knights / crusaders / protectors. Once I caught on, some aspects made a little more sense, but in general I thought the book was just ‘meh.’
I did love all the references to books, however. I think I’ll go back and read book # 1 before I give final judgment on the series.
Johanna Parker does a good job of voicing the audio book, but her performance couldn’t overcome the book’s flaws.
19BookConcierge
Norwegian By Night – Derek B. Miller
4****
Eighty-two-year-old Sheldon Horowitz is widowed and grudgingly agrees to leave his New York apartment to move with his granddaughter, Rhea, and her husband, Lars, to Oslo, Norway. Alone in their shared apartment he witnesses an argument between the woman upstairs and an aggressive man. On an impulse Sheldon grabs the woman’s young son, and flees with him form this violent scene. Neither of them speak Norwegian, nor do they speak a common language, but somehow Sheldon communicates that he will keep this boy, whom he calls Paul, safe.
What an unlikely hero! Though it is never named or specifically diagnosed, Sheldon clearly suffers PTSD from his service in Korea, as a Marine sharp-shooter – a military history he has kept from his family. He also carries a heavy burden of guilt for the death of his only son, Saul, who died in serving in Vietnam, presumably to gain his father’s admiration as a warrior. Now, Sheldon is a frail, shadow of his former self; isolated by language and by dreams / fugue states that are every bit as real to Sheldon as reality.
I marveled at his inventiveness and boldness in finding his way, eluding both the bad guys and the police. My heart about stopped several times, when Sheldon, Paul and/or Rhea faced dangerous situations.
The book is also full of many humorous scenes that serve to lessen the tension. Even the bad guys fall into comic situations. (Hasn’t a love of cinnamon buns been everyone’s downfall at some point?)
Miller also gives us wonderful supporting characters. Police Chief Inspector Sigrid Odegard has few scenes, but she makes an impact – strong, resourceful, a born leader, and courageous. Her colleague Petter Hansen is the quintessential quiet detective; he pays attention to small oddities and ferrets out information that others might disregard as unimportant.
And Paul. He is a completely silent character, never saying a word, and yet Miller gives us such a clear picture of him. Frightened, isolated by language and culture, unaware of who this giant American grandfather is or why he’s doing so, Paul goes along with Sheldon. He doesn’t complain, he doesn’t balk as what he’s asked to do, he simply trusts that Sheldon knows what should be done. And he clearly feels safe with the old man.
This is a wonderful debut, and I’m eager to read more by Miller.
4****
Eighty-two-year-old Sheldon Horowitz is widowed and grudgingly agrees to leave his New York apartment to move with his granddaughter, Rhea, and her husband, Lars, to Oslo, Norway. Alone in their shared apartment he witnesses an argument between the woman upstairs and an aggressive man. On an impulse Sheldon grabs the woman’s young son, and flees with him form this violent scene. Neither of them speak Norwegian, nor do they speak a common language, but somehow Sheldon communicates that he will keep this boy, whom he calls Paul, safe.
What an unlikely hero! Though it is never named or specifically diagnosed, Sheldon clearly suffers PTSD from his service in Korea, as a Marine sharp-shooter – a military history he has kept from his family. He also carries a heavy burden of guilt for the death of his only son, Saul, who died in serving in Vietnam, presumably to gain his father’s admiration as a warrior. Now, Sheldon is a frail, shadow of his former self; isolated by language and by dreams / fugue states that are every bit as real to Sheldon as reality.
I marveled at his inventiveness and boldness in finding his way, eluding both the bad guys and the police. My heart about stopped several times, when Sheldon, Paul and/or Rhea faced dangerous situations.
The book is also full of many humorous scenes that serve to lessen the tension. Even the bad guys fall into comic situations. (Hasn’t a love of cinnamon buns been everyone’s downfall at some point?)
Miller also gives us wonderful supporting characters. Police Chief Inspector Sigrid Odegard has few scenes, but she makes an impact – strong, resourceful, a born leader, and courageous. Her colleague Petter Hansen is the quintessential quiet detective; he pays attention to small oddities and ferrets out information that others might disregard as unimportant.
And Paul. He is a completely silent character, never saying a word, and yet Miller gives us such a clear picture of him. Frightened, isolated by language and culture, unaware of who this giant American grandfather is or why he’s doing so, Paul goes along with Sheldon. He doesn’t complain, he doesn’t balk as what he’s asked to do, he simply trusts that Sheldon knows what should be done. And he clearly feels safe with the old man.
This is a wonderful debut, and I’m eager to read more by Miller.
20CliffBurns
Wrapped up Kristin Ross's COMMUNAL LUXURY: The Political Imaginary pf the Paris Commune.
Disappointing, marred by academic gobbledegook. It introduced me to some personalities I'd been unaware of (Reclus, for one) but the book is a letdown in that Ms. Ross's utterly fails to document the 1871 Commune in such a way that even someone well-read in history could enjoy. She does capture its far-reaching effects and there are some great snippets, but such a seminal, singular moment in time deserves better treatment.
Disappointing, marred by academic gobbledegook. It introduced me to some personalities I'd been unaware of (Reclus, for one) but the book is a letdown in that Ms. Ross's utterly fails to document the 1871 Commune in such a way that even someone well-read in history could enjoy. She does capture its far-reaching effects and there are some great snippets, but such a seminal, singular moment in time deserves better treatment.
21CliffBurns
Finished THE GRAYBAR HOTEL, a collection of tales set in a Michigan prison.
The author, Curtis Dawkins, is a convicted killer who somehow gained access to some pretty fine creative writing teachers--Kent Haruf and Stuart Dybek--plus all the important connections that entails.
The stories themselves have a strong sense of verisimilitude but lack a certain power and intensity. They read rather blandly at times, despite their environment.
Okay, but not great.
The author, Curtis Dawkins, is a convicted killer who somehow gained access to some pretty fine creative writing teachers--Kent Haruf and Stuart Dybek--plus all the important connections that entails.
The stories themselves have a strong sense of verisimilitude but lack a certain power and intensity. They read rather blandly at times, despite their environment.
Okay, but not great.
22BookConcierge
Heart and Soul– Maeve Binchy
Audio book read by Sile Bermingham.
3***
This is a story of family, friends, patients and staff whose lives intersect at a heart clinic in Dublin. Dr Clara Casey has taken on the job of director of this underfunded but much needed clinic. She agrees to a one-year contract because she has plenty of other issues in her personal life – two adult daughters with whom she has a difficult relationship, and an ex-husband who is trying to worm his way back into her good graces. The staff she assembles is eclectic and not without their own issues. Ania is a Polish émigré looking to escape her disgrace and find a way to help her widowed mother. Dr Declan Carroll is still in training and doing a rotation at the clinic; he has a natural empathy that helps both patients and other staff members.
This is my first Binchy book, though her books have been on my TBR list for ages. This was the right book for me at the right time – a gentle, engaging story that focuses on relationships. It is a sort of snapshot of a year in these people’s lives. We learn of past heartaches, their insecurities, their strengths, and emotions.
Sile Bermingham does a fine job of reading the book. Her pacing and inflections are right on target, and she brings the many characters to life.
Update, Oct 2017 - I re-read this one to fulfill a challenge. Despite its length, it's a fast read. I've read other Binchy books since first reading this one, and now realize that it is a sequel of sorts to Nights of Rain and Stars, with most of those characters appearing here as well.
Audio book read by Sile Bermingham.
3***
This is a story of family, friends, patients and staff whose lives intersect at a heart clinic in Dublin. Dr Clara Casey has taken on the job of director of this underfunded but much needed clinic. She agrees to a one-year contract because she has plenty of other issues in her personal life – two adult daughters with whom she has a difficult relationship, and an ex-husband who is trying to worm his way back into her good graces. The staff she assembles is eclectic and not without their own issues. Ania is a Polish émigré looking to escape her disgrace and find a way to help her widowed mother. Dr Declan Carroll is still in training and doing a rotation at the clinic; he has a natural empathy that helps both patients and other staff members.
This is my first Binchy book, though her books have been on my TBR list for ages. This was the right book for me at the right time – a gentle, engaging story that focuses on relationships. It is a sort of snapshot of a year in these people’s lives. We learn of past heartaches, their insecurities, their strengths, and emotions.
Sile Bermingham does a fine job of reading the book. Her pacing and inflections are right on target, and she brings the many characters to life.
Update, Oct 2017 - I re-read this one to fulfill a challenge. Despite its length, it's a fast read. I've read other Binchy books since first reading this one, and now realize that it is a sequel of sorts to Nights of Rain and Stars, with most of those characters appearing here as well.
23BookConcierge
Sundown, Yellow Moon – Larry Watson
2**
From the book jacket: On an icy day in January 1961, in Bismark, North Dakota, a sixteen-year-old boy walks home from high school with his best friend, Gene. The sudden sound of sirens startles and excites them, but they don’t have long to wonder what the sound could mean. Soon after seeing police cars parked on their street, they boys learn the shocking truth; hours before Gene’s father, Raymond Stoddard, walked calmly and purposefully into the state capitol and shot to death a charismatic state senator. Raymond then drove home and hanged himself in his garage.
My reactions:
Watson writes in the first person, making this a very introspective story. The narrator is never named, though we learn that he grows up to become a writer, and some of his stories are interspersed throughout the novel. It’s clear that this event, and particularly the mystery of WHY, will haunt him, and give him material for his work for years to come.
But the narrator’s inability to let go of the murder / suicide, and his inability to connect with the people around him – his parents, his best friend, his girlfriend, etc – makes the entire novel read like an oddly unemotional third-person account. I never connected with the narrator or any of the other characters, and was left feeling “is that all?”
I’ve read several of Watson’s other books and am a fan of his writing, but this was clearly not his best work.
2**
From the book jacket: On an icy day in January 1961, in Bismark, North Dakota, a sixteen-year-old boy walks home from high school with his best friend, Gene. The sudden sound of sirens startles and excites them, but they don’t have long to wonder what the sound could mean. Soon after seeing police cars parked on their street, they boys learn the shocking truth; hours before Gene’s father, Raymond Stoddard, walked calmly and purposefully into the state capitol and shot to death a charismatic state senator. Raymond then drove home and hanged himself in his garage.
My reactions:
Watson writes in the first person, making this a very introspective story. The narrator is never named, though we learn that he grows up to become a writer, and some of his stories are interspersed throughout the novel. It’s clear that this event, and particularly the mystery of WHY, will haunt him, and give him material for his work for years to come.
But the narrator’s inability to let go of the murder / suicide, and his inability to connect with the people around him – his parents, his best friend, his girlfriend, etc – makes the entire novel read like an oddly unemotional third-person account. I never connected with the narrator or any of the other characters, and was left feeling “is that all?”
I’ve read several of Watson’s other books and am a fan of his writing, but this was clearly not his best work.
24BookConcierge
Karma– Cathy Ostlere
3***
Maya and her father are going from Canada to New Dehli to spread her mother’s ashes. They arrive, however, on the same day as Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated by two of her guards. Maya and her father are separated in the riots that ensue, and she must disguise herself and ultimately rely on Sandeep, a boy she’s just met, to keep her safe and see that she gets home.
This young adult novel is told entirely in verse, making for a very fast read. It includes some pretty serious matter, however: religious strife between Sikhs and Hindus, civil and political unrest in India, moral courage, religious differences, and the treatment of women. Central to the plot is the differences between generations and the ability of parent and child to truly see one another’s point of view, and to forgive their differences. Also, one’s own capacity to forgive oneself for past mistakes.
Maya is a strong female lead, despite the trauma she’s faced and her withdrawal into herself. Somehow, she comes across as resilient, resourceful and tenacious, even when paralyzed by fear or indecision. Sandeep is a steadfast and courageous friend; having suffered his own tragedy early in life, he’s determined to help Maya find her way. The differences in their religions and socio-economic status will not deter him.
I’m a little concerned by the ending. I’m not at all sure that Maya will be safe in the future, but I applaud Ostlere for *not* giving us a happy ending, tied up in a pretty bow.
3***
Maya and her father are going from Canada to New Dehli to spread her mother’s ashes. They arrive, however, on the same day as Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated by two of her guards. Maya and her father are separated in the riots that ensue, and she must disguise herself and ultimately rely on Sandeep, a boy she’s just met, to keep her safe and see that she gets home.
This young adult novel is told entirely in verse, making for a very fast read. It includes some pretty serious matter, however: religious strife between Sikhs and Hindus, civil and political unrest in India, moral courage, religious differences, and the treatment of women. Central to the plot is the differences between generations and the ability of parent and child to truly see one another’s point of view, and to forgive their differences. Also, one’s own capacity to forgive oneself for past mistakes.
Maya is a strong female lead, despite the trauma she’s faced and her withdrawal into herself. Somehow, she comes across as resilient, resourceful and tenacious, even when paralyzed by fear or indecision. Sandeep is a steadfast and courageous friend; having suffered his own tragedy early in life, he’s determined to help Maya find her way. The differences in their religions and socio-economic status will not deter him.
I’m a little concerned by the ending. I’m not at all sure that Maya will be safe in the future, but I applaud Ostlere for *not* giving us a happy ending, tied up in a pretty bow.
