Disclaimer: I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway in the expectation that I would write a review of it.
This is not the happy story...moreDisclaimer: I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway in the expectation that I would write a review of it.
This is not the happy story of how altruistic Americans freed the Hawaiian people from tyranny. (I'm sure there is such a book, somewhere.) It is, however, a well-researched look at the life and times of Lili'u, the last queen of Hawai'i.
Hawai'i's time as an independent kingdom was relatively short, with no one thinking to unite the islands before the coming of Westerners and the almost inevitable whittling away of sovereignity once the great powers of the Nineteenth Century took interest.
One can see that it wasn't just greedy white men's ambition that brought about the theft of power from the native Hawaiians, but a string of bad luck--if the royal family of Hawai'i had flourished, they might have been better able to stand up to economic and social pressures. If Lili'u's husband had been more compatible with her, and not died at a crucial moment, she might have gotten better advice. And if a war hadn't started at just the wrong moment, Hawai'i might not have seemed so important to annex.
I'd recommend this book to history buffs, those wanting to know more about Hawai'i, and school kids looking for something slightly different to do a book report on.(less)
The synopsis is perhaps a bit misleading; the main character of the book is one Harry Bannock, an engineer who's been helping rebuild Europe after the...moreThe synopsis is perhaps a bit misleading; the main character of the book is one Harry Bannock, an engineer who's been helping rebuild Europe after the War. He receives a request for help from the woman he thought he lost to a rival, and winds up in a heap of trouble.
This book was originally published in 1954, and reflects the preoccupations of that time, with Communists as a major threat. Harry is a typical action hero of the period, tough, multi-talented and a bit stoic. His views on women aren't exactly progressive, nor are the other characters'; the two younger women in the story are referred to as "X's woman" and the woman who is no one's possession is referred to as a "witch."
Trigger warning: domestic abuse and attempted rape.
Should do well with fans of older action novels and male readers who don't mind the old-fashioned attitudes.(less)
Disclosure: I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway in the understanding that I would write a review of it.
This is the author's firs...moreDisclosure: I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway in the understanding that I would write a review of it.
This is the author's first fiction book, designed to teach kids about scientific principles in the setting of a mystery.
The science part is pretty good, working plausibly into the plot and well explained with helpful diagrams.
The fiction part not so much. This is one book that could really have benefited from being in tight third person rather than first person, especially as it switches to third person in the middle of sentences a few times, most noticably in the last chapter.
The in media res opening could use more punch--perhaps picking a more suspenseful moment might have helped.
May or may not be a bug; the two descriptions of the treasure's backstory don't quite match up, and I was left to wonder if the character was fibbing during one of the sequences, or the author forgot to go back and check for consistency.
Younger readers might be more forgiving, but I was thrown out of the story multiple times by the narration, which is simultaneously wordy and trying to sound properly immature.
I'll be handing this book off to my young nieces, but I don't expect they'll be asking for seconds.(less)
Disclosure: I received this book as part of the Firstreads giveaway program on the premise that I would write a review of it.
As the subti...moreDisclosure: I received this book as part of the Firstreads giveaway program on the premise that I would write a review of it.
As the subtitle says, this is a set of three mystery stories linked by the theme of games. It's double-spaced with fairly large type, so the book was a fast read.
The protagonists are all older women ("baby boomers" as the blurb puts it) and the stories double as romances as each of them finds love as well as danger. The stories are compentently written, although only one of them is a "fair play" mystery that the reader can solve with the given information. The links between the stories as the games go from one person to another might seem a bit too "cute" to more cynical readers.
Which leads to the next thing I should talk about. All of the protagonists, like their authors, are practicing Christians. This leads to rather more God-talk than most cozies contain. I was comfortable with this, but I know many readers might find it intrusive or off-putting.
A peculiarity of the stories is that there's only two religion settings for characters: practicing non-denominational Christian and entirely secular. This is pointed up by one of the secular characters calling people who go to church of a Sunday and pray at appropriate moments "religious fanatics." Clearly, she's never met any real religious fanatics...such as those who would ban board games from their homes for leading to gambling.
And a generally conservative worldview predominates. The motive for one of the deaths caught me by total surprise because it was old-fashioned, almost quaint.
I'd recommend this book most to Christian "cozy" fans, and older romance literature fans.(less)
Disclaimer: I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway on the assumption that I would write a review.
This anthology is a collection o...moreDisclaimer: I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway on the assumption that I would write a review.
This anthology is a collection of short stories and essays regarding the Oregon and Washington legs of the Pacific Crest Trail, and there is a companion volume covering the California leg. Most of the pieces are true stories of hiking the long trail, but there are a couple of Coyote tales and some historical notes, as well as an essay on Mount St. Helens (not on the trail but visible from it) by Ursula K. LeGuin.
The stories take up only a few pages apiece, which makes it excellent reading for times when you only have a short minute or two to spare. There's a strong unity of themes, and if you're bored by tales of the great outdoors, this may not be the book for you.
I'd highly recommend this book to hikers, outdoorsy types and armchair adventurers; it might also do well for young adult readers and students who are taking related courses.(less)
Disclaimer: I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would write a review of it. Also, this was an advance copy, and ...moreDisclaimer: I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would write a review of it. Also, this was an advance copy, and minor changes may be made in the final product.
I approached this book with some trepidation, seeing as how "The Sufferings of Young Werther" is considered one of the classics of German literature, and one of the most important works of literature, period. It's certainly very different from my usual taste in novels.
It takes a while for the plot, such as it is, to get moving. Werther is a passionate young man at loose ends who falls in love with a woman who is already in love with someone else. She likes him back, but as a friend. Also, her fiance is a really swell guy who befriends Werther.
Werther gets a job elsewhere and tries to woo another young woman, only to have class distinctions rubbed in his face; she's willing to see him on her own, but will not stand up for him among her peers.
So Werther returns to the town of his first love, now married to her fiance, and tries to work out that relationship. It fails, he falls into despair, and commits suicide.
I think I am perhaps finding Werther too late in my life for the book to have its full impact; it's a story of youth, written from Goethe's own youthful emotions. (Unlike his main character, Goethe got over it and grew up to a successful and moderately happy life.)
Trigger warnings: As is famous, Werther commits suicide. It's a fairly compelling depiction and in its time caused at least a few copycat suicides (which is why copycat suicides are said to have "the Werther Effect.") Also, there's an attempted rape by a minor character, who is depicted sympathetically by Werther.
The translation seems competent, but I have never read the original German or other translations to compare.
It looks like the retail price of this book will be spendy; see if your library will be getting a copy.(less)
**spoiler alert** Disclaimer: I received this advanced reading copy from the publisher as part of the Firstreads giveaway program on the assumption t...more**spoiler alert** Disclaimer: I received this advanced reading copy from the publisher as part of the Firstreads giveaway program on the assumption that I would review it.
"Cell 8" is part of the Scandanavian thriller/mystery fad currently going onand appears to be the second book featuring Swedish police detective Ewert Grens.
I'm going to go right into spoilers here; this is less of a mystery book (though there is a mystery) than a soapbox. The authors don't like the death penalty and were clearly itching to write about how much they don't like it. Problem is, Sweden doesn't *have* the death penalty, and hasn't for quite some time. So, the story requires some elaborate and contrived setup to get our Swedish police officers involved with an American death penalty case.
The convict in question is extremely sympathetic and the case against him is suspiciously thin, even before later revelations, while the main spokesperson for the pro-death penalty viewpoint is an extremely unlikeable nutcase.
Truth be told, Grens and the other Swedes don't actually have much to do here; some subplots are advanced, but in the end, both the start and resolution of the central plotline are in far-off Ohio, where our main characters never go.
As for that resolution, it is, to say the least, outlandish and requires some serious suspension of disbelief that the killer's plan never once went off-track, relying on, as it does, literally hundreds of people acting *exactly* as predicted.
The good news: For a soapbox, it's quite well written, and I liked Grens and his colleagues (even the annoying ones.) The authors have clearly done their research on the physical "how" of execution, even if they gloss over the difference between American states' attitudes towards the death penalty.
I suspect that the translator is more used to British than American English, based on a small slip of naming towards the beginning. Also, several words are italicized unnecessarily. I suspect they were in English in the original, and someone overlooked the transliteration issue.
I can'[t wholeheartedly recommend this book, but if you liked "Three Seconds" and want more of Ewert Grens, or are very tolerant of soapboxing, it's not a bad novel.(less)
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