Library sale, part two

September 30, 2012November 11, 2012Leave a comment

Day 2 of the library sale was a little less exciting than day 1. I went with a friend, which was fun but also limiting because she wanted to look at different things (and is also not quite as book-obsessed as I am). But I did manage to pick up two more books:

Empire State by Adam Christopher Winter in June by Kathryn Miller Haines

Adam Christopher, Empire State — I’ve heard good things about this one, and it sounds like nothing I’ve read before: a kind of sci fi/alternate history/noir hybrid.

Kathryn Miller Haines, Winter in June — I really liked the first book in the Rosie Winter series, The War Against Miss Winter, so I’ve been on the lookout for the rest of the series. I believe this is book #3.

Library sale!

September 29, 2012November 11, 2012Leave a comment

My local public library is having its semi-annual book sale this weekend! Naturally I headed over there this morning, and I came back with the following:

The Hunter by Richard Stark Portuguese Irregular Verbs by Alexander… The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony…

Richard Stark, The Hunter — A friend recommended this series to me. I haven’t read much noir, but it’s a genre I’m interested in exploring.

Alexander McCall Smith, Portuguese Irregular Verbs — I couldn’t resist the title/cover combo on this one. Also, the plot looks zany and fun.

Anthony Berkeley, The Poisoned Chocolates Case — I’m a sucker for Golden Age mysteries, and this one looks really good!

A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury by Edith… The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey My One and Only by Kristan Higgins

Edith Pargeter, A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury — I love Edith Pargeter, a.k.a. Ellis Peters. Her Cadfael mysteries are wonderful, so I’m excited to read another of her historical novels set in the Middle Ages.

Josephine Tey, The Daughter of Time — I’ve read this before, and honestly, I didn’t love it the first time. I was expecting more of a traditional mystery, which this book definitely is not. But so many people love it that I decided to give it another chance. It was only 50 cents, so why not?

Kristan Higgins, My One and Only — I’m slowly accumulating Higgins’ romances. What can I say? They’re light, fun, enjoyable reads.

I’m going back tomorrow afternoon with a friend, so maybe I’ll have more to add to this list later!

Review: The Unfinished Clue

September 26, 20125 Comments

Georgette Heyer, The Unfinished Clue

This novel begins, as so many British cozy mysteries do, with an awkward weekend at an English country house. Sir Arthur Billington-Smith is a tyrannical husband and father with a terrible temper; therefore, he is less than thrilled when several unexpected guests arrive for the weekend. All the guests dislike Sir Arthur, but since he also happens to be quite wealthy, they are hoping to manipulate him into giving them money. Naturally, Sir Arthur is murdered during the course of the house party, and Inspector Harding of Scotland Yard is called in to investigate. He soon finds that nearly everyone has a motive, but there is a dismaying lack of evidence that any one suspect committed the crime.

I absolutely love Georgette Heyer! I’ve read all her Regency-era romances and am now making my way through her mysteries. As a mystery, I have to say that this book is fairly average. Many of the characters seem two-dimensional and could be found in any number of mysteries from this period: the long-suffering wife, the lively young sister-in-law, the disappointing son, the unworldly vicar, and the sharp-tongued vicar’s wife. Still, Georgette Heyer’s snappy dialogue and characteristic hint of romance made this a fun read for me. I even appreciated the meticulous nature of Inspector Harding’s investigation; I never found myself thinking that the police were jumping to conclusions or overlooking evidence, they way they so often seem to do in mystery novels. All in all, if you’re a fan of Golden Age mysteries, I definitely recommend Heyer’s books.

Review: The Ladies of Grace Adieu

September 26, 2012September 26, 20125 Comments

Susanna Clarke, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories

When I read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell last year, it pretty much knocked my socks off, so I was excited to find Clarke’s collection of short stories (all of which were, I think, previously published elsewhere). Here are my thoughts on the individual stories:

“The Ladies of Grace Adieu” — Jonathan Strange visits his brother-in-law in Gloucestershire and is surprised to discover three young ladies with magical talents; however, they don’t always use these talents for benevolent purposes. A suitably creepy and atmospheric story, but I didn’t quite follow the plot.

“On Lickerish Hill” — In the 15th or 16th century, a young peasant girl marries the local squire and is forced to spin a large quantity of wool in an impossibly short period of time. My least favorite story in the bunch; the period language got on my nerves, and in general the story didn’t feel like it had very much substance to it.

“Mrs. Mabb” — In Regency England, a girl’s lover jilts her for the mysterious Mrs. Mabb, and the girl decides to fight back. I liked this story, especially the descriptions of the girl’s experiences in fairyland, which are darker and more painful than the word “fairyland” suggests.

“The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse” — The title of this one is pretty self-explanatory. 🙂 This is one of the shortest, most amusing stories in the bunch, and the setting (the village of Wall) is borrowed from Neil Gaiman’s Stardust. Definitely one of my favorites in the bunch.

“Mr. Simonelli or The Fairy Widower” — Simonelli keeps a journal about his new job as the vicar of a country village and his encounters with a fairy lord who is looking for a new human bride. I liked this story because it was longer and more fleshed out than most of the others; it also conveys a subtly disturbing atmosphere.

“Tom Brightwind or How the Fairy Bridge Was Built at Thoresby” — A Jew and a fairy visit the decaying town of Thoresby and make a plan to help its inhabitants. I wasn’t terribly interested in this story as such, but it does shed some light on Clarke’s fairies and their family relationships.

“Antickes and Frets” — Mary, Queen of Scots, plots to destroy Elizabeth by using magic. I enjoyed the incorporation of actual historical figures into this story.

“John Uskglass and the Cumbrian Charcoal Burner” — John Uskglass, the Raven King, inadvertently injures a lowly charcoal burner, who turns to various Christian saints for retribution. This was my favorite story in the bunch; the saints were hilarious, and I just really liked the whole idea of this story.

Sorry that took so long! I never know how to review short story collections. Should I talk about each story individually or just give my impressions on the collection as a whole? As you can see, I’ve chosen the former approach because I think it’s more helpful to people who are deciding whether the collection is worth their time or not. Anyway, I wouldn’t recommend this book to someone who hasn’t read Jonathan Strange, but for those who have read it, these stories shed an interesting light on Clarke’s world and her vision of the realm of fairy.

Top Ten Tuesday: Unfinished series

September 25, 2012September 25, 20128 Comments

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is about series that, for one reason or another, you haven’t finished yet. This is an excellent topic for me because I’m in the middle of about a gajillion series at the moment. My only problem will be narrowing the list down to 10! So here, in no particular order, are 10 series that I haven’t finished yet but would like to keep reading someday:

1. Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs — I read #1, Moon Called, several years ago and remember really liking it. I’ve collected the next four or five books via Paperback Swap, but for some reason I haven’t gotten around to reading them yet.

2. Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon — I’ve read the first two books of this series and enjoyed them both. The problem is, they’re just so long. I really have to motivate myself to pick up one of these books, and usually I don’t feel like making that big of a commitment. I do plan to track down the rest of the series eventually, though.

3. Sevenwaters series by Juliet Marillier — I just recently finished reading book #2 in this series, Son of the Shadows. It was lovely, and I really don’t know why I haven’t continued with Child of the Prophecy yet. It’s on my shelves, though!

4. Sirantha Jax series by Ann Aguirre — I’m not normally a big reader of sci fi, but I really liked Grimspace. I’ve collected the next few books, but they’re still gathering dust on my shelves for now.

5. Bridge of D’Arnath series by Carol Berg — Carol Berg is an author who has really impressed me thus far, so I acquired the entire Bridge of D’Arnath series sight unseen. I’ve read the first book, Son of Avonar, which was a solid fantasy novel. I own the rest of the books (four in all) and will get to them one of these days.

6. Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley — The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie was such a fun read! I have #2 on my shelves already, but I know there are at least two additional books out there.

7. Julian Kestrel series by Kate Moss — This series is a bit different from the others on the list, because I am highly motivated to read it; I’m just trying to savor the books to make them last longer! I only have two more to go, sadly — Whom the Gods Love and The Devil in Music.

8. Chronicles of Cadfael by Ellis Peters — I love the Cadfael books. 🙂 So far I’ve read the first 10, which means I still have 10 to go! I plan to read #11, An Excellent Mystery, this year.

9. Marcus Didius Falco series by Lindsey Davis — Mysteries set in Ancient Rome? Yes, please! So far I’ve only read The Silver Pigs, which was good, but for some reason I didn’t feel compelled to pick up the next book right away. I do look forward to reading about more of Falco’s adventures soon, though.

10. Chronicles of Barsetshire by Anthony Trollope — That’s right, I can’t even stay current with a series that was written in the 19th century! I quite enjoyed The Warden and Barchester Towers, but I haven’t gotten around to the rest of the series. Despite the fact that I like Victorian novels, I have to give myself an extra push to start them.

Review: Second Chance Summer

September 23, 2012Leave a comment

Morgan Matson, Second Chance Summer

Seventeen-year-old Taylor is used to running away from her problems; after all, she’s been doing it for as long as she can remember, storming out of the house whenever she got into an argument with a parent or sibling. But when she learns that her father is dying of pancreatic cancer, she knows that this is a problem she can’t escape by running away. Instead, she and her family decide to spend one last summer at their lake house in the Poconos, where they used to spend every summer vacation when Taylor was little. At first Taylor dreads the trip, but eventually she begins to come to terms with her father’s illness. She also mends fences with her ex-best friend, her first love (who’s all grown up and cuter than ever), and her parents and siblings, learning that it’s still not too late to give or receive a second chance.

I really liked Matson’s previous novel, Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour, so I was happy to find a copy of this one at the public library. While this book is just as well-written as Amy & Roger, it deals with the tough subject of a parent’s death in a much more direct way; while Amy’s father was already dead at the beginning of Amy & Roger, in this novel we experience Taylor’s dad’s illness right alongside the characters. For this reason, the romance, while it does exist, is not really central to the book. Rather, the main focus is Taylor’s relationship with her parents and her brother and sister, which I personally loved. Taylor’s family is reasonably close — at least, they all get along most of the time — but the tragedy of her father’s sickness makes them realize how much they’ve been taking each other for granted. They grow closer to each other as a result of their shared fear and grief. This is a very sad book in some places — I cried copiously, as per usual — but ultimately it has an uplifting message. I’d definitely recommend this book to fans of YA.

Review: Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency

September 20, 20124 Comments

Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency

It’s nearly impossible to describe the plot of this book, since there’s so much going on. Suffice it to say that it involves a murder, a mechanical monk (who believes things so you don’t have to), an extremely dull dinner at St. Cedd’s College, Cambridge, a ghost, a cutting-edge (in 1986) computer program, a conjuring trick, a time machine, and the poetry of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. There’s also some musings on Schrödinger’s cat, a sliver of romance, and a fairly staggering number of coincidences that ultimately demonstrate “the fundamental interconnectedness of all things.” In short, it’s a wacky sci-fi rollercoaster of a read, and fans of the “Hitchhiker” books should really enjoy it.

Normally this is the point at which I’d talk about what I liked, what I didn’t like, and my overall opinion of the book. But for some reason, I don’t have much else to say about it. I found it a very enjoyable read and laughed aloud several times (often in public). There were a few parts where the scientific explanations came dangerously close to going over my head, but I was always able to follow what was going on. I would have liked a little more character development for Richard, who is pretty much the only everyman in a world populated by nutcases. But Dirk Gently is absolutely delightful, especially when he’s bamboozling old ladies into paying for his trips to the Bahamas — because although he’s been hired to find their lost cats, the vacations are all part of his process. (OK, so I have things to say about it after all!) In short, I’d definitely recommend this book if you’re in the mood for some humorous science fiction. I plan to read the sequel, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, one of these days.

Review: Ashes of Honor

September 12, 20121 Comment

Seanan McGuire, Ashes of Honor

Still reeling after the tragic events of One Salt Sea, Toby Daye has thrown herself into her work, rushing into unnecessarily dangerous situations and pushing all her friends away. But she can’t avoid the people around her forever — a fact made abundantly clear when Etienne, one of Duke Sylvester’s knights, comes to her for help. His daughter Chelsea, a changeling whose existence he only recently discovered, has inherited extremely strong powers from her fae blood, but she has no idea how to control them. Now she’s ripping doors through Faerie that were never meant to be opened, and Toby has to stop her before she inadvertently destroys the world of Faerie.

I’m really enjoying the Toby Daye books, and this latest installment is no exception. The book moves at a quick pace, with the need to find Chelsea being the driving force, but there’s still the occasional quiet moment to balance out the action sequences. I also noticed several little hints throughout the novel about what might come next in the series: for example, the clues about Quentin’s background should pay off in future installments. Tybalt also plays a prominent role in this book, which is always a plus for me! And as always, I love Toby’s sarcastic voice and gallows humor, which are the perfect antidote to the violence and cruelty that she confronts on a daily basis. Overall, this is another strong installment in an excellent series. Can’t wait for the next Toby Daye novel!

Review: Holy Days

September 10, 2012September 10, 2012Leave a comment

Pope Benedict XVI, Holy Days: Meditations on the Feasts, Fasts, and Other Solemnities of the Church

This little book comprises excerpts of sermons that Pope Benedict XVI has given on various Catholic holy days throughout the past few years. Most passages are short, a few paragraphs at most, but they all have something thoughtful and interesting to say about some aspect of Catholic theology. My only complaint is how short the book is (less than 100 pages); I would have liked to read the excerpted sermons in full and delve into each holy day a little more deeply. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book and plan to use it as a devotional text, reading the relevant sermons throughout the year. I’d recommend this one to Catholics, as long as they don’t mind a fairly cursory look at the holy days mentioned.

I received this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.

You Book Me All Night Long

Month: September 2012