Jacqueline Winspear's Among the Mad
In this Maisie Dobbs mystery, the psychologist-investigator teams up with Scotland Yard to combat a threat against London. Winspear is increasingly heavy-handed with her "war is bad" message (which I obviously agree with, she just really hammers it home in this one) and things do get slightly grisly, but it was a pretty good read. B.
Monday, March 05, 2012
Sunday, March 04, 2012
2012 book 66
Jacqueline Winspear's An Incomplete Revenge
The next Maisie Dobbs novel after whichever ones I've already read involves petty crimes in a small town where a band of gypsies are hanging out--and a bunch of wartime secrets. The reader is able to pick things up pretty quickly, but Maisie does too so it's not too frustrating when things are revealed a little later. I will say that there are some grim goings-on in this one, but the mystery has enough pieces that it's not too terrible to read. And I like how clever Maisie is. B+.
The next Maisie Dobbs novel after whichever ones I've already read involves petty crimes in a small town where a band of gypsies are hanging out--and a bunch of wartime secrets. The reader is able to pick things up pretty quickly, but Maisie does too so it's not too frustrating when things are revealed a little later. I will say that there are some grim goings-on in this one, but the mystery has enough pieces that it's not too terrible to read. And I like how clever Maisie is. B+.
2012 book 65
Maria V. Snyder's Touch of Power
I read and mostly enjoyed Snyder's Study trilogy, but wasn't too interested in the last couple of series she put out--but I may have to rectify that, b/c with this one she has stepped up her game like crazy (plus she's a fellow Penn Stater and I should support her). It's a great start to an epic fantasy, where lots of people have died from a plague and blamed the healers for it, and now one of the last healers is living life on the run so she's not executed like her colleagues. Except that she's just been sort of kidnapped to heal a prince she hates, and now finds herself caught up in the crazy politics (and I do mean crazy) of this fascinating world. And the best part is that the romance is slow-burning and thus not a focus at all. I liked this a lot. A/A-.
I read and mostly enjoyed Snyder's Study trilogy, but wasn't too interested in the last couple of series she put out--but I may have to rectify that, b/c with this one she has stepped up her game like crazy (plus she's a fellow Penn Stater and I should support her). It's a great start to an epic fantasy, where lots of people have died from a plague and blamed the healers for it, and now one of the last healers is living life on the run so she's not executed like her colleagues. Except that she's just been sort of kidnapped to heal a prince she hates, and now finds herself caught up in the crazy politics (and I do mean crazy) of this fascinating world. And the best part is that the romance is slow-burning and thus not a focus at all. I liked this a lot. A/A-.
Saturday, March 03, 2012
2012 book 64
Edward Lazellari's Awakenings
So there are two guys in New York (one a respectable cop with a wife and kid, one a douche who takes pictures for porn magazines) who lost their memories thirteen years ago . . . and it turns out that's b/c they're from an alternate universe and were part of a team trying to escape with an important baby, but things went wrong. Now good guys (an awesome centaur!) and bad guys from that universe have come to NY to try and track that baby down for important political reasons . . . and there are like eight thousand brutal fight scenes. Seriously, like every chapter has a crazy fight. I will say those aren't nearly as bad as what the important baby, now a teenager with an abusive stepfather, is going through. And of course this is the first book in a series so it has all sorts of cliffhangers. I'll probably read the sequel. B/B+.
So there are two guys in New York (one a respectable cop with a wife and kid, one a douche who takes pictures for porn magazines) who lost their memories thirteen years ago . . . and it turns out that's b/c they're from an alternate universe and were part of a team trying to escape with an important baby, but things went wrong. Now good guys (an awesome centaur!) and bad guys from that universe have come to NY to try and track that baby down for important political reasons . . . and there are like eight thousand brutal fight scenes. Seriously, like every chapter has a crazy fight. I will say those aren't nearly as bad as what the important baby, now a teenager with an abusive stepfather, is going through. And of course this is the first book in a series so it has all sorts of cliffhangers. I'll probably read the sequel. B/B+.
2012 book 63
Catherine Chung's Forgotten Country
The description of this book, copied and pasted from Amazon, reads: "On the night Janie waits for her sister, Hannah, to be born, her grandmother tells her a story: Since the Japanese occupation of Korea, their family has lost a daughter in every generation, so Janie is charged with keeping Hannah safe. As time passes, Janie hears more stories, while facts remain unspoken. Her father tells tales about numbers, and in his stories everything works out. In her mother's stories, deer explode in fields, frogs bury their loved ones in the ocean, and girls jump from cliffs and fall like flowers into the sea. Within all these stories are warnings. Years later, when Hannah inexplicably cuts all ties and disappears, Janie embarks on a mission to find her sister and finally uncover the truth beneath her family's silence. To do so, she must confront their history, the reason for her parents' sudden move to America twenty years earlier, and ultimately her conflicted feelings toward her sister and her own role in the betrayal behind their estrangement."
Which sounds great, right? But it seemed to me that it wasn't about that at all. The description makes it sound almost mythical, but it's just a story about a mildly dysfunctional family and what happens when the father is diagnosed with cancer. The Korean immigrant stuff was interesting, but Chung didn't do too much with that, and one big reveal just feels cheap and sad. Everything feels . . . unresolved. Maybe it was all the hype this book was gotten or my own expectations, but either way, I was sort of disappointed. Don't get me wrong, this is a strong enough story (though, like I said, nothing feels resolved), just not what I wanted to read. B.
The description of this book, copied and pasted from Amazon, reads: "On the night Janie waits for her sister, Hannah, to be born, her grandmother tells her a story: Since the Japanese occupation of Korea, their family has lost a daughter in every generation, so Janie is charged with keeping Hannah safe. As time passes, Janie hears more stories, while facts remain unspoken. Her father tells tales about numbers, and in his stories everything works out. In her mother's stories, deer explode in fields, frogs bury their loved ones in the ocean, and girls jump from cliffs and fall like flowers into the sea. Within all these stories are warnings. Years later, when Hannah inexplicably cuts all ties and disappears, Janie embarks on a mission to find her sister and finally uncover the truth beneath her family's silence. To do so, she must confront their history, the reason for her parents' sudden move to America twenty years earlier, and ultimately her conflicted feelings toward her sister and her own role in the betrayal behind their estrangement."
Which sounds great, right? But it seemed to me that it wasn't about that at all. The description makes it sound almost mythical, but it's just a story about a mildly dysfunctional family and what happens when the father is diagnosed with cancer. The Korean immigrant stuff was interesting, but Chung didn't do too much with that, and one big reveal just feels cheap and sad. Everything feels . . . unresolved. Maybe it was all the hype this book was gotten or my own expectations, but either way, I was sort of disappointed. Don't get me wrong, this is a strong enough story (though, like I said, nothing feels resolved), just not what I wanted to read. B.
Friday, March 02, 2012
2012 book 62
Gail Carriger's Timeless
The fifth--and apparently final--Parasol Protectorate book finds Alexia and her entourage on a voyage to Egypt to meet an ancient vampire queen and solve some old family mysteries (I might need to reread the end, b/c I had some questions on that latter point). Things wrap up pretty well, and I'm looking forward to the spin-off series that's set to start in 2013. B+.
The fifth--and apparently final--Parasol Protectorate book finds Alexia and her entourage on a voyage to Egypt to meet an ancient vampire queen and solve some old family mysteries (I might need to reread the end, b/c I had some questions on that latter point). Things wrap up pretty well, and I'm looking forward to the spin-off series that's set to start in 2013. B+.
Thursday, March 01, 2012
2012 book 61
Lauren Oliver's Pandemonium
It's rare for the second book in a YA trilogy to surpass the first, but I have to say, this one kicked Delirium's butt. I mean, I liked that book a whole lot, but Oliver really surpassed herself here. I can't really say anything about the plot without giving away major spoilers for the first book, but this one packs in a lot more adventure and romance, and Lena is a lot more interesting. I will say that some of the plot twists (especially the one at the end) were completely obvious, but it's a testament to Oliver's writing that I didn't mind at all, b/c I was so caught up in the action. A.
It's rare for the second book in a YA trilogy to surpass the first, but I have to say, this one kicked Delirium's butt. I mean, I liked that book a whole lot, but Oliver really surpassed herself here. I can't really say anything about the plot without giving away major spoilers for the first book, but this one packs in a lot more adventure and romance, and Lena is a lot more interesting. I will say that some of the plot twists (especially the one at the end) were completely obvious, but it's a testament to Oliver's writing that I didn't mind at all, b/c I was so caught up in the action. A.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
2012 book 60
Lisa Lutz's Trail of the Spellmans
Well, this was a Spellmans book, so I loved it, but I loved it slightly less than the previous ones--the usual low-key mysteries and their wrap-ups were entertaining, and I liked all the business stuff, but I'm kind of disappointed about what Lutz is doing with Izzy's personal life in this one (it makes sense in context, it just bums me out). Yes, maybe I am overly wrapped up in these characters! I will say that Demetrius is an excellent addition to the cast, and as usual I loved Lutz's narrative voice (though fewer footnotes next time would be appreciated). I guess there was no way this could top book 4 for me, and I can't believe I have to wait like two years to find out what happens next. A-.
Well, this was a Spellmans book, so I loved it, but I loved it slightly less than the previous ones--the usual low-key mysteries and their wrap-ups were entertaining, and I liked all the business stuff, but I'm kind of disappointed about what Lutz is doing with Izzy's personal life in this one (it makes sense in context, it just bums me out). Yes, maybe I am overly wrapped up in these characters! I will say that Demetrius is an excellent addition to the cast, and as usual I loved Lutz's narrative voice (though fewer footnotes next time would be appreciated). I guess there was no way this could top book 4 for me, and I can't believe I have to wait like two years to find out what happens next. A-.
Monday, February 27, 2012
2012 book 59
Meg Howrey's The Cranes Dance
Howrey--author of Blind Sight, which I loved--is apparently a former ballet dancer, which means she brings more than a little credibility to the story of Kate Crane, a soloist in the New York Ballet (or whatever it is), who has recently called her parents to rescue her more talented and very troubled younger sister, also a dancer in the ballet, who was apparently having a breakdown. And Kate isn't taking all of that very well, not to mention she's injured her neck during a performance. It's to Howrey's credit that this is a completely riveting story, even to someone who has absolutely no interest in ballet (me) (though I do like stories about sisters, and this is a doozy in that regard). Great characters and pacing--I seriously can't recommend this enough. A.
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An e-galley was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in May.
Howrey--author of Blind Sight, which I loved--is apparently a former ballet dancer, which means she brings more than a little credibility to the story of Kate Crane, a soloist in the New York Ballet (or whatever it is), who has recently called her parents to rescue her more talented and very troubled younger sister, also a dancer in the ballet, who was apparently having a breakdown. And Kate isn't taking all of that very well, not to mention she's injured her neck during a performance. It's to Howrey's credit that this is a completely riveting story, even to someone who has absolutely no interest in ballet (me) (though I do like stories about sisters, and this is a doozy in that regard). Great characters and pacing--I seriously can't recommend this enough. A.
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An e-galley was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in May.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
2012 book 58
Jessica Spotswood's Born Wicked: The Cahill Witch Chronicles
Set in an alternate version of America where witches once reigned but now everything is run by a religious oligarchy called the Brothers and witches are punished severely, the story here focuses on Cate, the oldest of three sisters who are all witches. Cate just wants to protect them per their mother's dying wishes, but the political situation might interfere. This is YA so there is a romance, but it works really well in the context of the story, and doesn't take too much of the focus away from the fascinating world-building and characters. Parts of the plot are easy to see coming, but the story is interesting on the whole, the wrap-up is pretty intense, and I look forward to reading the inevitable sequel(s). A-/B+.
Set in an alternate version of America where witches once reigned but now everything is run by a religious oligarchy called the Brothers and witches are punished severely, the story here focuses on Cate, the oldest of three sisters who are all witches. Cate just wants to protect them per their mother's dying wishes, but the political situation might interfere. This is YA so there is a romance, but it works really well in the context of the story, and doesn't take too much of the focus away from the fascinating world-building and characters. Parts of the plot are easy to see coming, but the story is interesting on the whole, the wrap-up is pretty intense, and I look forward to reading the inevitable sequel(s). A-/B+.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
2012 book 57
Lauren Fox's Friends Like Us
Pretty great novel about a twenty-something woman, and what happens when she reconnects with her (male) high school best friend--and he starts dating her roommate/new best friend. The reader knows from the beginning that things won't end well, and occasionally I got impatient waiting for the inevitable trainwreck, but I did really relate to these characters and felt for them. I was going to give this a B+, but went back and reread the prologue when I was finished and that somehow upped it to an A-.
Pretty great novel about a twenty-something woman, and what happens when she reconnects with her (male) high school best friend--and he starts dating her roommate/new best friend. The reader knows from the beginning that things won't end well, and occasionally I got impatient waiting for the inevitable trainwreck, but I did really relate to these characters and felt for them. I was going to give this a B+, but went back and reread the prologue when I was finished and that somehow upped it to an A-.
2012 book 56
Megan Crewe's The Way We Fall
This reminded me a little bit of Susan Beth Pfeffer's Life As We Knew It, in that a teenage girl is chronicling a semi-apocalyptic event (in this case she's technically writing a letter to her estranged best friend, but it basically is a diary--though the verisimilitude here leaves a bit to be desired--I mean, would a teenager faithfully recount dialogue in a grammatically correct fashion? That's a minor point though). Anyway, the event here is a deadly virus striking down the denizens of an isolated Canadian island; soon they're cut off from the mainland and left to their own devices. For all the bad things that happen, this is a fairly tame book, and I thought the very end was a bit silly (and it really left me wanting more). The emotional depths were not plumbed--this is more akin to the less-serious YA I grew up reading. I mean, I liked it well enough, it just could have been a lot more harrowing. B.
This reminded me a little bit of Susan Beth Pfeffer's Life As We Knew It, in that a teenage girl is chronicling a semi-apocalyptic event (in this case she's technically writing a letter to her estranged best friend, but it basically is a diary--though the verisimilitude here leaves a bit to be desired--I mean, would a teenager faithfully recount dialogue in a grammatically correct fashion? That's a minor point though). Anyway, the event here is a deadly virus striking down the denizens of an isolated Canadian island; soon they're cut off from the mainland and left to their own devices. For all the bad things that happen, this is a fairly tame book, and I thought the very end was a bit silly (and it really left me wanting more). The emotional depths were not plumbed--this is more akin to the less-serious YA I grew up reading. I mean, I liked it well enough, it just could have been a lot more harrowing. B.
Friday, February 24, 2012
2012 book 55
Shannon Hale's The Book of a Thousand Days
Hale has written a bunch of other fairy-tale themed books that I've enjoyed, so I was glad to read her take on the lesser-known Maid Maleen story, where a maid and her lady are bricked into a tower for seven years when the lady refuses her father's choice of who to marry. Even without knowing the original story, this is somewhat predictable, but Hale's writing keeps things going, and there's some great stuff with animals. B/B+.
Hale has written a bunch of other fairy-tale themed books that I've enjoyed, so I was glad to read her take on the lesser-known Maid Maleen story, where a maid and her lady are bricked into a tower for seven years when the lady refuses her father's choice of who to marry. Even without knowing the original story, this is somewhat predictable, but Hale's writing keeps things going, and there's some great stuff with animals. B/B+.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
2012 book 54
Leah Stewart's Husband and Wife
This has been on my to-read list for a while, since I enjoyed Stewart's first two novels a lot, but I just wasn't that interested in the subject matter--a man confesses to his wife that he cheated on her. But I finally read it, and more or less enjoyed it--Stewart's writing is good, but I couldn't relate to the main character, a poet-turned-Duke-administrator (hilariously, the few bits about her job I totally got) with two small children, married to a jerk novelist. In the end, I didn't really care much about what would happen to their marriage. No fault of the book, it just wasn't my kind of thing at all. B.
This has been on my to-read list for a while, since I enjoyed Stewart's first two novels a lot, but I just wasn't that interested in the subject matter--a man confesses to his wife that he cheated on her. But I finally read it, and more or less enjoyed it--Stewart's writing is good, but I couldn't relate to the main character, a poet-turned-Duke-administrator (hilariously, the few bits about her job I totally got) with two small children, married to a jerk novelist. In the end, I didn't really care much about what would happen to their marriage. No fault of the book, it just wasn't my kind of thing at all. B.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
2012 book 53
Edward Eager's Half Magic
I've started and stopped reading a couple of books over the last couple of days, and probably could have gone on like that for a while, so I reread this awesome classic children's book as a palate-cleanser. Can't go wrong with magic charms and the 1920s (I think? They go see a silent movie and cars are a novelty).
I've started and stopped reading a couple of books over the last couple of days, and probably could have gone on like that for a while, so I reread this awesome classic children's book as a palate-cleanser. Can't go wrong with magic charms and the 1920s (I think? They go see a silent movie and cars are a novelty).
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
2012 book 52
John Irving's A Widow for One Year
With Irving's new novel coming out later this year, I've had a few conversations about his other books, especially about this one, which is definitely one of my favorites. I'm always sad more people don't feel the same way, but I really do find this much more appealing than most of his other works. Maybe it's the rare woman protagonist, maybe it's the way Irving weaves about eight different books into one. It does have a few of the Irving Themes--infidelity, dead child, Exeter, writers--but really takes a much different approach than his earlier works, I think. It's compelling stuff--I stayed up way too late to finish a book whose ending I already knew.
And I still can't believe they made the first chunk of this book (about a marriage dissolving in grief and infidelity) into a movie starring Kim Basinger, Jeff Bridges, and what must have been a very tiny Elle Fanning. Anyway, I hadn't read this in years and was pleased that it still held up, especially since I couldn't get into his most recent one at all. But it looks like they're releasing more of his backlist for the Kindle, so I imagine I'll be revisiting more of his stuff soon (I reread and reread his books in high school and college but haven't really read them since).
With Irving's new novel coming out later this year, I've had a few conversations about his other books, especially about this one, which is definitely one of my favorites. I'm always sad more people don't feel the same way, but I really do find this much more appealing than most of his other works. Maybe it's the rare woman protagonist, maybe it's the way Irving weaves about eight different books into one. It does have a few of the Irving Themes--infidelity, dead child, Exeter, writers--but really takes a much different approach than his earlier works, I think. It's compelling stuff--I stayed up way too late to finish a book whose ending I already knew.
And I still can't believe they made the first chunk of this book (about a marriage dissolving in grief and infidelity) into a movie starring Kim Basinger, Jeff Bridges, and what must have been a very tiny Elle Fanning. Anyway, I hadn't read this in years and was pleased that it still held up, especially since I couldn't get into his most recent one at all. But it looks like they're releasing more of his backlist for the Kindle, so I imagine I'll be revisiting more of his stuff soon (I reread and reread his books in high school and college but haven't really read them since).
Sunday, February 19, 2012
2012 book 51
Lisa Lutz's The Spellmans Strike Again
I can see why so many people (me included) thought this was the last book in the series--it ends on such a great note--but I'm thrilled that there will be at least three more. No other mystery series floats my boat as much as this one.
I can see why so many people (me included) thought this was the last book in the series--it ends on such a great note--but I'm thrilled that there will be at least three more. No other mystery series floats my boat as much as this one.
2012 book 50
Lisa Lutz's Revenge of the Spellmans
The third Spellmans book really, really holds up on multiple re-readings, I have to say. Interesting low-stakes mystery and more hilarious family interactions. 9 days till the new one comes out, and I'm off to reread the fourth right now.
The third Spellmans book really, really holds up on multiple re-readings, I have to say. Interesting low-stakes mystery and more hilarious family interactions. 9 days till the new one comes out, and I'm off to reread the fourth right now.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
2012 book 49
Lisa Lutz's Curse of the Spellmans
I've said a few times that I find the mystery in the 2nd Spellmans book to be the weakest, but actually, it's a pretty solid story--it's one that just is a bit frustrating to reread, knowing the outcome. I think the humor balances that out--and this book is what made me want to watch Doctor Who. :)
I've said a few times that I find the mystery in the 2nd Spellmans book to be the weakest, but actually, it's a pretty solid story--it's one that just is a bit frustrating to reread, knowing the outcome. I think the humor balances that out--and this book is what made me want to watch Doctor Who. :)
2012 book 48
Lisa Lutz's The Spellman Files
This is at least my fifth time reading this book, but a) The new one in the series comes out in ten days! and b) It never stops being awesome. I really wish I could find another mystery series with such a hilarious bunch of characters and non-stop pop culture references, but Lutz is really the only one who does it.
This is at least my fifth time reading this book, but a) The new one in the series comes out in ten days! and b) It never stops being awesome. I really wish I could find another mystery series with such a hilarious bunch of characters and non-stop pop culture references, but Lutz is really the only one who does it.
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