Doug Lewars's Blog, page 45

Twisted Twenty Six

Twisted Twenty-Six by Janet Evanovich

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

If you don't like the Stephanie Plum series you won't like this book. On the other hand, if you enjoy them - and I do - this one was pretty good. There are a few changes. In this book, Stephanie manages to destroy her own car rather than having someone do it for her. In addition, she is competent in arresting some of the people who've skipped their hearings. Of more interest perhaps is she managed to escape the final bad guys all by herself. Normally she is rescued at the last minutes by a strong handsome hero. I suspect Ms. Evanovich is responding to some of her feminist critics. Whatever the reason it's a welcome change. Ms. Plum's ineptitude could be a bit trying from time to time.

On thing I found surprising was the placement of Grandma's age at seventy-five. I'd always imagined her as late eighties but still spry. It's possible the author did this so she could continue using the character for a long time to come but this is fiction. She could do that anyway. I'm not convinced a seventy-five year old would have all the idiosyncrasies Grandma displays and it's possible Janet Evanovich lacks a knowledge of gerontology.

Whatever the case I enjoyed the book. It was fun. It was charming. I thought the ending could have been improved but that's a nit. If you like the series in general you'll like this one.



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Witch Glitch

Witch Glitch by Robyn Peterman

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I selected this one because it was categorized under 'humour' and 'adult'. In retrospect I think the classification as 'adult' is related to the sexual content, not the humour. Needless to say, I didn't like it. I think perhaps I smiled once while reading, which means it failed, for me, in the humour department. I didn't care for the constant obscenities. I didn't like the preoccupation with sex, and I found the plot poorly developed. In addition I found the protagonist whiny, self-pitying, and utterly lacking in self-confidence. Perhaps the author was hoping to create a character arc but she seemed pretty much unchanged by the end of the book.

This is the second in what might be a series. Since I didn't read the first I might have liked it better if I had. However I strongly suspect I wouldn't have been reading this one if I'd read the first and I certainly won't read a third should it materialize.

On the good side of the ledger, the characters are quirky. The protagonist is a witch with a ghost for a father. Her lover is a werewolf and she's surrounded by shape-shifters. She acquires three crude cats as familiars and has a witch for a sidekick whose spells seem to go off target. None of these, however, are particularly well developed. I can live with that provided the author uses them to create levity but Robyn Peterman seems to equate chaos with humour and they're not the same.

The villain was poorly crafted. Our protagonist is at odds with her mother - suitably symbolic that - and her mother's henchmen, a posse of honey badgers. Somehow I suspect there was a joke related to that I would have needed to read book one to understand. In any event, evil Mom doesn't make her appearance until the climactic fight. She should have been introduced much earlier in the story to be effective.

Okay, this book has received plenty of good reviews so who might enjoy it? Well, me for one back when I was in high school or even university. Back then I would have regarded the obscenities and the preoccupation with sex edgy. I would have found the sex scene cool and might have enjoyed the chaos. Mind you even then I don't think I would have liked a whiny heroine. Since my reading has expanded considerably since those days I found the sex scene boring, and, earlier in the book, the protagonist's desire to play Little-Red-Riding-Hood to her companion's wolf, juvenile. However, I have to concede it's extremely difficult to write good erotica so I have to award marks for effort even if the result wasn't very good.

If you're an older reader, I'd take a pass on this one but I think Gen-Z and late-stage Millennials might enjoy it.



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Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut by Kelly Jones

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I selected this book by mistake. It was listed under 'humour' and I didn't realize it was 'YA' until I was into it and I rarely choose to abandon a book once started unless it's truly terrible. Not surprisingly, I didn't care for it but it wasn't written for me. I found it booorrrrring The question becomes, who might enjoy this one?

I think this would work for children 3 - 6. I doubt those 10 and up would want any part of it and as for the 7's, 8's and 9's, it's a toss-up. I think children who enjoyed The Bobbsey Twins might like this one as well. The plot is pretty thin. A family ghost, for reasons never fully explained, is obsessed with making sauerkraut and winning with it in a county fair. The protagonist plans to make a computer from individual components and enter that in the same fair. He needs to navigate working on his project, negotiating home life and helping his great-great-grandmother. There is, naturally, copious amounts of self-esteem, and social-justice proselytizing slipped in by the author which even quite young children can spot a mile away and totally ignore. It was a bit eye-rolling but not so heavy handed as to completely dominate the story.

This is not for adults. It is not even for older YA readers. Children young enough to have books read to them might enjoy it.




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The Abolition of Britain

The Abolition of Britain: From Winston Churchill to Princess Diana by Peter Hitchens

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Essentially the message of this book is Britain is going to hell in a handcart and it would be nice if someone would do something to stop it. Although the author was dealing only with Britain the message applies to North America as well.

The book was published in 2000 so the author was dealing with trends emerging prior to that time. It is interesting to see how many of the things noted by the author have escalated over time while some sort of fizzled out. I found it well written and quite interesting although I think the message may be a trifle over stated. I suspect every generation as they get older sees deterioration in society because they're used to a certain status quo and it will always be shaken by new generations. Change is generally not a good thing for older individuals but may be good for younger ones. Personally I don't like what I'm seeing but I expect to be safely dead long before the millenial and gen-z pigeons come home to roost. On the other hand, there's always the possibility that reincarnation is real in which case I might come back and be stuck in what is evolving.

Because of when the book was published the author does not address the impact of social media which I believe to be significant in reinforcing group think. He does identify television as limiting imagination and I think he's probably correct. On the other hand, there are plenty of creative people emerging so it seems not to have killed it entirely.

If you're on the left side of the political spectrum you won't like this book. If you're on the right you might but will find it lacking simply because it's so far out of date. I found it interesting precisely because it was published so long ago and it's possible to see how things played out or are still playing out. I gave it 5 stars because the writing is fluid, the author articulate and the ideas interesting but I can understand how many people - particularly younger readers - wouldn't like it at all.



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Terror Threat

Terror Threat: International and Homegrown Terrorists and Their Threat to Canada by Dwight Hamilton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Essentially the message of this book is there are a large number of unpleasant people and groups out there who would like to see you dead so it's important to be cautious. That's probably true but they don't seem to be particularly effective. This book was published in 2007 and the number of incidents of terrorism in North America in the last 13 years have been pretty low considering all the techniques and targets described by the authors. Maybe they figure we in North America are perfectly capable of self-destructing without their assistance and to a large extent that appears to be the case. It may also suggest CSIS in Canada and the FBI in the United States are doing a pretty good job. In any event, it seems the threat described in this book is just a bit over stated. I'm not certain most people would derive a great deal from reading it. On the other hand, for authors, particularly those writing thrillers, Terror Threat is a darn good reference manual. It illustrates all sorts of methodologies and in the appendix documents any number of groups for the author to use. In addition it's well written and easy to read.



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The War That Forged a Nation

The War That Forged a Nation: Why the Civil War Still Matters by James M. McPherson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This book wasn't bad but it was a bit of a disappointment because it wasn't what I was expecting. I thought the author would discuss the civil war and demonstrate how events shaped trends leading forward into today. That didn't happen. In addition, this isn't exactly a history book. Specifically there isn't any continuity in it. It's a collection of essays discussing certain aspects of the war. By analogy to fiction, this isn't a novel, it's a collection of short stories. All too frequently the author is attacking other historians rather than dealing with the events and issues surrounding the war. That said, for someone such as myself with little to no knowledge of American history, it provided a number of jumping-off points for further reference. If you already have a pretty good idea of what transpired leading up to and during the war, this book might point out a few things you may have overlooked; however, if you're coming into the subject cold and looking for an overview or possibly a reference book on the topic, this isn't it.



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April 1865

April 1865: The Month That Saved America by Jay Winik

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I found this very interesting and learned quite a bit more about American history than I knew before. I've seen a number of criticisms of this book and some are valid. It is a bit wordy in places and there are lists of names not particularly relevant to the topic at hand; nevertheless, I found it well written and informative. Unfortunately it was published in 2007 and didn't answer the question: were the roots for modern divisiveness in America established in the civil war and its aftermath?

It's true the author veers from his topic from time to time but I found most tangents interesting. For those who have only a superficial knowledge of American history, this is a worthwhile book.



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Chasing Tomorrow

Chasing Tomorrow by Tilly Bagshawe

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


*** Possible spoilers ***

This was a cross between chick-lit and thriller but it was mostly thriller. It starts off with a focus on the relationship and for the first part I thought I was reading chick-lit but there was just enough thriller to keep me interested. After a while it seemed the author got tired of the mushy stuff and the remainder of the book was pure thriller. I enjoyed it but not without some caveats.

There was a technique used in cinema long before even I was born that involved running continued story weekly in order to draw in young people. Each episode ended in a cliff hanger. Occasionally it seemed the hero was in such peril the writers found themselves cornered in which case the next episode started with him riding off to defeat the bad guys with absolutely no explanation as to how he got himself out of his predicament. This author uses much the same technique. So she might say something happened yet we find out later it didn't happen as stated. It's acceptable to have an unreliable narrator but that's only supposed to happen in first person. I found the disconnects more annoying than dramatic. For a similar reason, I didn't like the ending either.

The protagonists are both sympathetic characters but I found the character of the villain to be a little inconsistent. Still, I guess part of insanity involves irrationality so maybe it wasn't too bad. I don't think I would have set out to read this book but I picked it up at random and found it reasonably entertaining.



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The Finishing School

The Finishing School by Muriel Spark

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

If you're looking for a fast-paced exciting adventure story to keep you up long past your bedtime because you can't seem to stop reading this is NOT for you. This is more of a warm summer afternoon sitting in the shade reading a bit and listening to the bees hum sort of book. It takes place in an elite finishing school and since I like obscure academic settings I quite enjoyed it. None of the characters are memorable but they have enough idiosyncrasies to engage the reader at least until the book is closed.

The two principle characters, Chris and Rowland, seem to be in a love-hate relationship. Each wants to become an author. Each has a partially completed book. As long as Chris is making progress, Rowland is blocked but when Chris encounters a setback, Rowland is able to complete his own work. Eventually their obsession with one another leads to an act of violence but in the end they go off together so presumably they’re getting along.

For me, some of the peripheral characters were the most interesting. I enjoyed the staff carefully dissecting the various foibles of their bosses and I liked Nina’s – Rowland’s wife’s – explanation of retail sales. I enjoyed the students’ outlook on life. I also liked the denouement in which what happens to each character going forward is explained although I found it a little puzzling. These students are paying a very high tuition, or, more to the point, their parents are paying it. Therefore most of these parents must be wealthy but many of the students opt for fairly plebeian jobs. That doesn’t seem consistent with their social status and, presumably, family backing; nevertheless, it is what it is and at least we know what happened.

I thought some of the characters might have been fleshed out a little more but this is a short book – more of a novella than a novel. I think it’s worth reading but don’t expect an exciting plot or a really deep psychological study of the various personalities. It’s interesting and I found it relaxing to read. That’s about it.




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A Very British Coup

A Very British Coup by Chris Mullin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I love British humour and this is British humour at its best. Harry Perkins, an extreme left-wing politician and leader of the Labour Party is elected Prime Minister of Great Britain. This does not go over well with the elite. Over time, what is currently referred to as 'The Deep State' works to undermine his leadership and eventually bring about his resignation. Mistakes are made on both sides and the characters are humerous and well drawn. The pacing is excellent and the author makes the narrative flow nicely.

My only criticism is there are a lot of characters and the book might have benefited by having a list of them at the front so the reader could check now and then when a character returns who has been absent for a couple of chapters. I highly recommend this book.



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