The Rook, by Daniel O’Malley seems like a cross between The X-Files, Harry Potter and The Body Snatchers.
One day, our heroine wakes up in Myfanwy Tho...moreThe Rook, by Daniel O’Malley seems like a cross between The X-Files, Harry Potter and The Body Snatchers.
One day, our heroine wakes up in Myfanwy Thomas’ body. Myfawny - and thus our heroine – has lost all her memories due to a deliberate act of sabotage and treachery. Myfawny Thomas works for (is one of two Rooks in) the Checquy – an organization in Great Britain whose purpose is much akin to the Ministry of Magic in the Potter novels, to sweep up after wizards gone amok and not to let the muggles find out. The Checquy must sweep up after folks who have special (sometimes incredible, often gross) powers and then spin the chaos so the normals don’t suspect a thing.
Myfawny (pronounced to rhyme with Tiffany) the original has spent much of her last months writing down her life story, her work duties, her suspicions about who might have wiped her memories, and detailed bios of a whole cast of characters. So you get two heroines for the price of one: Myfawny the original and her story and Myfawny the new and the story of how she gradually finds her way amidst “her” total memory loss and impending danger. There are battles and long lost relatives and romance and intrigue. If these are your cup of tea - read on. (less)
This is Cronin's sequel to The Passage, a huge, apocalyptic and literature-y twist on the vampire novel. Twilight this ain't, but teens would love Cro...moreThis is Cronin's sequel to The Passage, a huge, apocalyptic and literature-y twist on the vampire novel. Twilight this ain't, but teens would love Cronin's youngish characters, dark subject matter, and deft sci-fi plotting.
I absolutely love these books: here's an "it's the end of the world as we know it and it's totally the government's fault" story that shines with hope without being corny. Despite frequent emphasis on Cronin's knack for inventing "realistic" vampires, there's quite a bit of fantasy hocus pocus in this one (spirits, hanging out in other people's consciousness, you know, the usual). But there's also Cronin at his best: gorgeous passages and meticulous characterization as well as absolutely terrifyingly awesome action sequences, all of it affirming love and the human spirit over human tyranny and wickedness.
Where The Passage felt broad and rambling at parts, The Twelve makes every sentence count. Characters you thought were a waste of 60 pages back in The Passage are suddenly on center stage again, so there's a wonderful payoff for not just totally skimming for the bloody parts in the first book. There are a few new characters, too, and the book is insanely well balanced and paced. A bunch of plot lines wrap up (or transform) by the end, but the path for part three is pretty clear.(less)
At first glance, this is a time-travel book: Jake Epping, a high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, time travels back to the past with the...moreAt first glance, this is a time-travel book: Jake Epping, a high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, time travels back to the past with the ultimate goal of stopping the assassination of Jack Kennedy in Dallas, Texas on that fateful November day.
But that says so little about a book that has many levels and many intricacies - time travel, history lesson, murder mystery, horror story, philosophical treatise on the nature of time and fate – all are explored in King’s novel. But above all 11/22/63 is a love story.
Once Jake (or George Amberson, as he calls himself in the past) gets to Texas, he meets Sadie – a high school librarian – and they fall in love. And that love and the consequences of that love and Jake’s time-travel is really the focus of this book.
It’s over 800 pages long and only once did I feel maybe it dragged a little – but just that once. For the rest of the time I was enthralled, fascinated, enticed further up and further in.
King writes an Afterword that details his research and some of his opinions about the assassination. This was also fascinating. Even if you are not a Stephen King fan (which I am not) I highly recommend 11/22/63. I think you, too, will be fascinated. (less)
A friend of mine taught a contemporary American fiction class last year, and he told me he spent months reading pretty much all the literary fiction p...moreA friend of mine taught a contemporary American fiction class last year, and he told me he spent months reading pretty much all the literary fiction published in the 21st century. I asked him what stood out at the top of the heap, and he named The History of Love, which I hadn't even heard of.
So I picked up the book, excited but not quite sure I'd like the novel as much as my friend. But after 40 pages or so, I found The History of Love extraordinary. It's charming, incredibly moving, hilarious, and brilliantly told. It's also impossible to adequately explain in a Goodreads review.
Basically this novel is about a book called The History of Love and its tangled history. If you love books, if you love reading and the mystical way that writing can connect souls across generations and continents, then this book is for you. Oh, and of course it's also a love story. There are several narrators whose points of view alternate. One is a teenage girl whose father died when she was young and whose mother is too obsessed with literature to be happy or notice her daughter. Another narrator is an extremely old New Yorker who escaped the Nazis in Poland. He lost everything in the old country: his family, his true love, his culture, and the only manuscript of his novel. When the novel begins, he is losing his mind, too, but his chapters are full of sardonic wit and the happiest kind of sadness. Slowly, the novel intertwines the histories of these two main characters, along with their families and histories.
I finished this in the staff lounge yesterday, tears running down my cheeks. I think I've done a terrible job of explaining it, so you should just go read it, and then you'll see.(less)
This story chronicles first the lives of the six men raising their flag on Iwo Jima, the American climate durin...moreWOW! And I don't even like non-fiction!
This story chronicles first the lives of the six men raising their flag on Iwo Jima, the American climate during war time and why they enlisted. Readers are then taken inch by pain staking inch up the beach of "fire island" through gun fire, death, fear, hunger, sleep deprivation and more. Slowly trodding up the hill where we experience a seemingly unremarkable flag replacement that became a photograph which to this day "iconicizes" the valor, determination, courage and strength that is a US Marine. Finally we follow the only two (of six) surviving men through the aftermath. This story is told by the son of one of the "heroes". He never knew his father was in that picture; he never spoke of it with him. After his death his sons found his Navy Cross and a box full of letters that led one son on a remarkable journey; chronicled here for us to experience alongside of him.
It might sound like this is a sad book, with the inevitable bad ending - but it's not at all. This is the true story of Will Schwalbe and his mother,...moreIt might sound like this is a sad book, with the inevitable bad ending - but it's not at all. This is the true story of Will Schwalbe and his mother, Mary Anne. She is dying of advanced pancreatic cancer and as they sit together at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center they begin a "book club" and read and discuss together all manner of books from poetry to mysteries to classics to biographies. And as they read they discuss issues of faith, religion, social responsibility, the health care industry, women's rights, philosophy. They are both very vital, involved and interesting people and they use books to carry them through a very, very difficult period. I came away from the book with almost 10 books I wanted to read - and with a respect and love for this mother and son and what they meant to each other. Highly recommmended.(less)
A thought provoking murder mystery written from the point of view of a woman suffering from Alzheimer's. Stream of consciousness doesn't even begin to...moreA thought provoking murder mystery written from the point of view of a woman suffering from Alzheimer's. Stream of consciousness doesn't even begin to describe the detours and disjoints of this woman's mind, and it's all very smartly and evocatively written by LaPlante. The murder mystery angle, which is really only a small aspect of this entertaining literary novel, keeps you turning the pages even when the narrator's identity is pretty much emptied out.
It's a Chicago novel, for you Chicago fans: Sheffield avenue, Lincoln Park--very fun if you know the city. I also enjoyed the complex and seedy relationships of family and friends/neighbors. The author put her finger on something very dark and twisted about female friendships, especially.
So this is highly recommended if you want a whodunnit page-turner that teaches you something and makes you think deeply about life, death, morality, and knowledge.(less)
I confess. My secret reading pleasure for a long time now has been the “in death” series of mysteries by J. D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts). I just finishe...moreI confess. My secret reading pleasure for a long time now has been the “in death” series of mysteries by J. D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts). I just finished the latest one – Delusion in Death – and I must say I agree with the review I read in Library Journal. The mystery is fairly standard, but the final interview with the chief suspect and the conclusion of the book is edge-of-your-seat stuff and very entertaining.
A particularly gruesome mass murder has just occurred in a popular business lunch-spot and Lt. Eve Dallas and her team must decide if it is an act of terrorism or just some whack job with an agenda. While their investigation gets underway, another local eatery is hit. This increases the number of innocent victims, but also increases the number of links (clues) that lead, eventually, to the killer. The final interview brings many strong women together against the one man and they out-think, out-psych and out-muscle him. A truly wonderful accomplishment.
As I said – it’s a secret reading pleasure, and Robb’s books will never win a Pulitzer –but they’re fun while they last. Highly recommended – if you like that sort of book.
NOTE: For a list of all the books in this series, beginning with Naked in Death (1995), see our online book resource, Novelist (on our website). Ask a librarian for help if you can’t find or use it. (less)
The Coffins of Little Hope is an odd, yet well-crafted novel that is nowhere near as bleak as its title would lead you to believe. Written by Timothy...moreThe Coffins of Little Hope is an odd, yet well-crafted novel that is nowhere near as bleak as its title would lead you to believe. Written by Timothy Schaffert, who has a fine grasp of fiction, the novel is a postmodern tale that contains many disparate, yet interconnected, plots that are well written.
The novel is a first person look through the eyes of a witty octogenarian obituary writer named Essie, who works for a dying small-town newspaper. She becomes involved in a story concerning the supposed kidnapping of a young girl from her country home, although the account is dubious from the start. All the while, the final title of a world-renowned series of Young Adult novels, the Miranda and Desiree mysteries (intentionally smacking of Harry Potter), is secretly being printed on the newspaper’s printing press, while at the same time being leaked to the public at large.
It can be a little confusing keeping all of the plot lines in check, but there is great attention paid to nuances in both characterization and wording. It touches on many somber tones without being morose, and there’s a sly wit that pervades Schaffert’s prose. A worthwhile read for anyone interested in modern, plot-driven fiction. (less)
If you’re a follower of Loiuse Penny’s Inspector Gamache series (see review of Still Life below) you know that part of the charm of that series is the...moreIf you’re a follower of Loiuse Penny’s Inspector Gamache series (see review of Still Life below) you know that part of the charm of that series is the characters that live in Three Pines. Well, Penny’s new book – The Beautiful Mystery – leaves all that behind. The Beautiful Mystery takes place in a remote (very remote) monastery, the home of the Gilbertines – a lost order of monks whose major claim to fame is their glorious ability to sing Gregorian Chant. Unfortunately, the choir master, Brother Mathiew, is found murdered in the Abott’s private garden and the game, they say, is afoot.
Armand Gamache, along with his trusty side-kick, Jean Guy Beauvoir, are sent to this wilderness abbey to investigate. And they do – but far more important than the investigation – are the politics surrounding the abbey, the politics surrounding the Surete, and the personalities involved in producing the most beautiful music imaginable. I missed Clara and Peter, Olivier and Gabri and their small village home, but I learned much about Gregorian Chant (named after Pope Gregory – who had nothing, really, to do with it) and the ways and means of monastery living.
One review I read said that this was one of Penny’s best. The ending will surprise you and break your heart. This is very true. (less)
Paris in the 1920s. A time of drunken debauchery, flimsy morals, and truly great art. This is the background of The Paris Wife, a fictionalized memoir...moreParis in the 1920s. A time of drunken debauchery, flimsy morals, and truly great art. This is the background of The Paris Wife, a fictionalized memoir of Hadley Richardson’s whirlwind romance and marriage to the young, headstrong Ernest Hemingway. The author, Paula McLain, is very faithful to historical fact in this novel, and the prose is tight and energetic and is very reminiscent of Hemingway’s own style.
Throughout the story, we are introduced to other memorable and eccentric characters such as Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, Duff Twysden (the inspiration for the unforgettable Lady Brett Ashley in Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises) and Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. Hadley comes across as an extraordinarily sympathetic character; a sensible, pragmatic foil for her extremely talented and egocentric husband. She moves with him around Europe, comforting him during failures, celebrating with him during triumphs, and forgiving him his sins. Hadley loved Ernest unconditionally, and as the book progresses, she comes to see that it is a love that cannot last.
Toward the end of his life, Hemingway wrote in A Moveable Feast that "I wish I had died before I loved anyone but her." In this book, we come to see why. This is an emotional work filled with love, redemption, ego, and ultimately, betrayal. Anyone interested in the Lost Generation or the Hemingway mythos should not miss this book, and anyone looking for a character driven historical piece won’t be disappointed either. Highly recommended. (less)
There's a new genre in town - narrative non-fiction - where an essentially non-fiction work is told in a "you-are-there" style that is compelling. Suc...moreThere's a new genre in town - narrative non-fiction - where an essentially non-fiction work is told in a "you-are-there" style that is compelling. Such is Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Katherine Boo. This is the heart-wrenching story of Annawadi - a settlement (read slum) located next to the Mumbai (India) airport.
Abdul, our main character, is a young boy who makes his living (and keeps his family in food and shelter) by sorting through and selling garbage. The "beautiful forevers" are a series of billboards surrounding the airport in an attempt to hide the slum from visitors. Annawadi is "behind" these signs.
In a recent interview, Katherine Boo said she thought her book was a hopeful one - even though there seems little hope that the Annawadis of India (or elsewhere) will ever disappear. Behind the Beautiful Forevers is required reading for anyone who would like to begin to understand the nature of poverty and third world cultures. Highly recommended.(less)
There's nothing like a novel that's so concise you can finish in a couple days, yet still makes you feel like you've experienced decades of American l...moreThere's nothing like a novel that's so concise you can finish in a couple days, yet still makes you feel like you've experienced decades of American life. Train Dreams is the story of one nondescript man named Robert Grainier. He doesn't really know who his parents were, and while he once made it as far as the Pacific Ocean, most of his experiences are limited to the Idaho panhandle, where he works with loggers for the railroad. The book opens in 1917 and ends in the 1960s, and consists largely of various powerful, yet understated scenes from Grainier's life.
Yes, it's about trains, and dreams, and the American stuff they conjure up: the west, the yearning for freedom, opportunity, love, toil, misery. It feels like it takes place a century earlier, and so makes you think and rethink about the experiences of your grandparents, and great-parents, and the people they knew.
I loved the writing. It's a little like Hemingway: brilliantly written but not ostentatious. (less)
Still Life by Louise Penny introduces us to the quaint (but perhaps not so quiet) village of Three Pines in Quebec, and the extremely remarkable and q...moreStill Life by Louise Penny introduces us to the quaint (but perhaps not so quiet) village of Three Pines in Quebec, and the extremely remarkable and quirky characters who live there: Clara Morrow and her husband, Peter – both somewhat eccentric artists; Olivier and Gabri, a loving and often very funny gay couple who own the local B&B (the food descriptions are mouth watering!); Ruth Zardo, an elderly woman and a poet of some renown, who keeps a duck for company and whose mind is still sharp – in every sense of the word; and Myrna, a former psychologist who now runs the local bookshop and does astrological readings on the side.
Into this mix of people comes Inspector Armand Gamache and his team from the Surete, to investigate the murder of Jane – a seventy year old artist who had finally decided to exhibit her very private art work in the town’s annual art show.
The mystery itself is quite an original one – involving hidden murals, lost inheritances and secrets that have been kept for decades. But the appeal for me, in Louise Penny’s books (this is the first in a series starring Three Pines and Inspector Gamache) are the characters, the setting, the food and the tone of the writing – which is incisive and kind at the same time. Another “highly recommend.” (less)
It’s very hard to describe The Night Circus. There’s a circus, you see, but it’s not like any circus you or I will ever visit. It’s black and white an...moreIt’s very hard to describe The Night Circus. There’s a circus, you see, but it’s not like any circus you or I will ever visit. It’s black and white and grey and consists mostly of tents, large and small, and strange, beautiful, amazing acts or displays or events in each. The Night Circus (which opens at sunset and closes at dawn) exists due to the efforts of two magicians – Celia and Marcus – who were bound in childhood and forced into an existential dual, with the circus as the arena and product around which they are to be judged. Eventually, Celia and Marcus meet and fall in love – and then learn that "the winner" of the competition is who is left standing – in other words, it’s a competition to the death.
A colleague of mine, David Emerson, wrote a review of The Night Circus that began like this: “Magic, mystery, romance, heartbreak, fate and free will, illusion, architecture, clockmaking, life and death, bottled stories, gourmet dinners at midnight, juggling kittens, and chocolate mice.” This is a wonderful and quite accurate snapshot of some of the elements in The Night Circus – but it is so much more as well. The “solution” that Celia and Marcus and their friends come up with is bittersweet, amazing and full of hope.
I don’t want to say more, but I highly recommend this book. And I highly recommend reading the print version. The book itself is visually incredible. (less)
Remember Fractured Fairy Tales from the Rocky and Bullwinkle show? They took a standard fairy tale and mixed it up a bit, often with hilarious results...moreRemember Fractured Fairy Tales from the Rocky and Bullwinkle show? They took a standard fairy tale and mixed it up a bit, often with hilarious results. Jon Scieszka does the same kind of thing for kids with his The True Story of the Three Little Pigs or The Frog Prince, Continued.
Beauty by Sherri Tepper is not a fractured fairy tale so much as the tale of Sleeping Beauty told through a dark and sometimes bizarre and mysterious lens. Beauty is able to escape her wicked aunt’s curse, set for her 16th birthday, but that escape does not lead to happy-ever-after. Beauty is the half-daughter of a fairy queen herself, and the rest of the book explores the world of Faery and what it means to be “special.”
As Beauty searches both for her mother and for answers to the mysteries that surround her, we move, not only through Sleeping Beauty, but also glimpse elements of Cinderella, Snow White and even meet a frog prince. The land of Faery is not a place for the naïve and unaware, and Beauty’s journeys are fascinating and dangerous.
Beauty is a fairy tale for adults and even if you are not a fairy tale or science fiction fan, I highly recommend it. Meg (less)
Did you ever hear of the “great molasses flood” in Boston? I grew up hearing about this event – probably because it took place in and around Boston’s...moreDid you ever hear of the “great molasses flood” in Boston? I grew up hearing about this event – probably because it took place in and around Boston’s North End, and we had ties to and visited the North End frequently. But even I took the reality of this event with a grain of salt.
But it actually happened. Around noon on January 15th, 1919, a fifty-foot-tall tank FILLED with over 2 million gallons of thick, black molasses collapsed – creating a massive tidal wave (fifteen feet high, some say) that traveled at a speed of over 35 miles per hour and transformed Boston’s North End into a disaster area. Twenty one people were killed, many animals were destroyed, and the injury and destruction left in its wake were devastating.
Dark Tide by Steven Puleo is a fascinating story – not only of the tragic flood, but of the social and cultural drama that led up to the tragedy – from the tank’s construction (in 1915) all the way through the inevitable lawsuit that followed. Mr. Puleo is an award-winning newspaper reporter and his style is highly readable. If you have never heard about the Great Molasses Flood – and would appreciate a detailed look at Boston’s history- this is the book for you. (less)
What would it be like if you had a father who spoke to you primarily by quoting Shakespeare? This is the way "the weird sisters," - very appropriately...moreWhat would it be like if you had a father who spoke to you primarily by quoting Shakespeare? This is the way "the weird sisters," - very appropriately named Rose, Bianca and Cordelia - grew up. To be fair, both father and mother in the Andreas'family were professors at the university in Barnwell, Ohio - so quoting Shakespeare (or being distantly academic) was their stock in trade. But it made for a very interesting (and perhaps unfortunate)childhood.
Fast forward to adulthood for the sisters, and as the book opens, they are a sorry lot. Rose, the eldest, is determined to stay at home (with a sick mother), and to show them all no one can do without her. (She's engaged to a man currently researching at Oxford University, England, but she is petrified to step outside her small town comfort zone.) Bianca has been fired for embezzlement from her big New York City law firm and comes home to lick her wounds. Cordelia, after wandering (literally) around the country and sleeping and eating with a multitude of men, is pregnant and comes home to decide "what now?" How these three "women" finally grow into womanhood and make major life decisions is what The Weird Sisters is about. (less)
I just finished listening to Heft and it is a really good character study of four people who are, in one way or another, lost and broken. Arthur Opp i...moreI just finished listening to Heft and it is a really good character study of four people who are, in one way or another, lost and broken. Arthur Opp is a house-bound, morbidly obese ex-college professor; Kel Keller is a confused 18-year-old boy whose mother is a suicidal alcoholic; Charlene (Kel's mother) is a house-bound alcoholic (and former paramour of Arthur, when he was actively teaching), and Yolanda is an unwed, 19-year-old expectant mother. They are all wonderfully drawn and sympathetic (and at the same time exasperating!). Most manage to grow and change (one hopes for the better, and that those changes will endure). Listening to Heft was wonderful - the voices of Arthur and Kell were extremely well done. Heft is a beautiful book and I highly recommend it.(less)
I always love a good Stephanie Plum story. I sought this one out because I wanted to find out how it all got started. It contained stronger language t...moreI always love a good Stephanie Plum story. I sought this one out because I wanted to find out how it all got started. It contained stronger language than most and the most disturbing character/scenario I've encountered in any of Evanovich's books (Ramirez and his fetish). Stephanie does not come into her full self and we see very little of the usual colorful characters (Lula, Grandma Mazer etc.)that flavor most Stephanie Plum stories. All in all, I'm glad I didn't read this first as I may not have read any others.(less)
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