Review: Death in Zanzibar

November 1, 20121 Comment

M.M. Kaye, Death in Zanzibar

Dany Ashton has lived a fairly sheltered life with her Aunt Henrietta in rural England, but she dreams of travel and adventure. So when she has the opportunity to visit her mother and stepfather in Zanzibar, she jumps at the chance. However, before she even gets on the plane to leave England, mysterious events conspire to throw obstacles in her path. Her room is searched, her passport is stolen — and the family solicitor, whom Dany had visited earlier in the day to pick up a document for her stepfather, is murdered. Dany nevertheless manages to get to Zanzibar, but more sinister occurrences follow her. When a member of her stepfather’s house party dies, seemingly by accident, Dany can’t help suspecting that it might be murder — and that her own life may also be in danger.

I have really enjoyed all the “Death in…” books, but I think this one is my new favorite. I liked that there isn’t a lot of tedious exposition at the beginning of the story; rather, Dany is immediately plunged into a mystery and a possible romance, so I was paying attention right away. It was also interesting to read about 1950s Zanzibar from a British perspective. Kaye describes it as an idyllic region fairly removed from politics, yet communism and Cold War ideology are beginning to creep into the area. Kaye is also fairly evenhanded in her portrayal of the native Africans, though certain turns of phrase are harsh on 21st-century ears. If you like the basic premise of “girl travels to exotic location and becomes embroiled in danger and romance,” you’ll probably enjoy this book. Recommended, especially for armchair travelers!

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril VII Wrap-up

November 1, 2012November 2, 20124 Comments

Well, another October is over, thus ending the R.I.P. VII event at Stainless Steel Droppings.

This event asked participants to read books from the following genres:

Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.
Or anything sufficiently moody that shares a kinship with the above.

My goals were to read at least two novels and some short stories that fit the criteria. Happily, I managed to exceed my expectations! Here’s what I read:

Seanan McGuire, Ashes of Honor (fantasy/supernatural)
Susanna Clarke, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories (gothic, dark fantasy, short stories)
Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book (dark fantasy/horror)
Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon (mystery/thriller)
Maggie Stiefvater, The Raven Boys (fantasy/supernatural)
Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl (thriller)

So I’m pleased with my perilous reading this fall and look forward to next year’s R.I.P. event! What did you read?

Trials and tribulations

October 31, 2012Leave a comment

So my computer died over the weekend…apparently the motherboard is shot. Huzzah! Hence my longer-than-usual absence from this blog. I hope to be back soon, although posting will likely be spotty until I can scrape up the funds for a new computer.

In the meantime, I saw a guy dressed as Fifty Shades of Grey for Halloween today! He was wearing normal business clothes, but he had paint chips of varying shades of gray attached to them. It was excellent.

Anyway, happy Halloween to all, and I hope to post some reviews in the next few days!

Review: Gone Girl

October 25, 20123 Comments

Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl

Nick and Amy Dunne are attractive thirty-somethings living in a large house in Missouri, right by the Mississippi River. From the outside, they seem to have a charmed life, but in fact they’ve been having increasingly severe marital problems. Then, on their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy goes missing. Suspicion naturally falls on Nick, since in these situations it’s usually the husband who is guilty. Did Nick kill Amy, and if not, what happened to her? As the narrative slowly unfolds, the truth becomes ever more complex and more elusive.

This is the kind of book that’s really hard to discuss without major spoilers, but I’ll do my best not to give anything away! For starters, this is not my usual genre; I hardly ever read thrillers, but this one is so popular that I decided to see what all the fuss was about. Overall I think I enjoyed the book, or at any rate I found it compelling. I got sucked into the story and had to keep turning the pages to find out what would happen next. Neither Nick nor Amy is entirely likable, and they both get more unpleasant as the book goes on. But it was fun to chase all the plot twists and try to stay one step ahead of the narrators. (Nick and Amy take turns narrating, him from the time of the disappearance and her from diary entries written beforehand.) I didn’t like the ending, though obviously I can’t be more specific. Still, this is a good read for what it is, and I’d recommend it for planes or beaches (but definitely not on your honeymoon!).

Review: The Raven Boys

October 25, 2012October 25, 20128 Comments

Maggie Stiefvater, The Raven Boys

In a household full of witches, psychics, and otherwise supernaturally gifted women, Blue Sargent is the only one with no powers of her own. She does, however, possess a gift for strengthening other people’s magic; so every year on St. Mark’s Eve, she goes with her mother to a certain church to count the dead as they pass by. Blue has never seen the spirits before, so this time she is shocked to notice a boy about her age walking past the church. He’s wearing an Aglionby sweater, which marks him as a student at the local fancy prep school, a Raven boy. Blue is troubled by her vision because the boy’s presence on this path means he’ll die within the year. When she meets the Aglionby boy and his friends in person, she decides to try to prevent the boy’s death and help him on his own magical quest.

I feel like I didn’t do a very good job of explaining this book, because there are a lot of things going on. Blue is one of the main characters, but the book also spends a lot of time with each of the four Raven boys (the one Blue saw and his three best friends). So we learn a lot about the boys’ pasts, their various problems, and their quest to find the lost body of the Welsh king Owen Glendower. As a result of the scattered focus, nothing is covered in very much depth. I learned just enough about the characters to grow attached to them and become curious about their fates, but there’s a lot left to be resolved. The book’s pace is fairly slow, which fits with Stiefvater’s reflective style of writing. The romantic element of this book, though present, is very low-key; I imagine it will be more prevalent in later books in the series. Overall, this book didn’t blow me away like The Scorpio Races did, but I still really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more by Maggie Stiefvater.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books to get into the Halloween spirit

October 23, 201215 Comments

It’s that time of year again — time for candy corn, trick-or-treating, and of course, spooky stories! This week’s Top Ten Tuesday asks for our favorite books to get into the Halloween spirit (pun, I assume, intended). I don’t read horror because I used to get nightmares as a kid, but there are plenty of spooky and atmospheric reads that are perfect for this time of year! So, in no particular order:

1. Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre — The quintessential gothic novel! There’s a creepy old house, a mysterious man with a secret, and some very sinister goings-on. It’s also just a great story, and I love that Jane manages to stay true to her principles despite some very strong temptations.

2. Diane Setterfield, The Thirteenth Tale — Another novel with a gothic sensibility. The writing style is lovely, and the book has a lot to say about the power of fiction, keeping the reader guessing about what’s real and what’s embellished for the sake of the story.

3. Anya Seton, Dragonwyck — Yet another gothic novel of the creepy-old-house variety. (Are you sensing a theme here?) I like the setting of this one, as it takes place in a New York where the old Dutch families still have a great deal of influence and wield almost feudal power. There’s also a pretty good movie starring Vincent Price and Gene Tierney.

4. Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere — No one makes my skin crawl like Neil Gaiman, and I mean that in a good way! Neverwhere is an enthralling, fantastical adventure that takes place in the strange world of London Below. I really grew to love the characters, especially protagonist Richard Mayhew and the Marquis of Carabas. Also, the evil henchmen Croup and Vandemar are seriously creepy!

5. Agatha Christie, And Then There Were None — This is one of Christie’s most famous mysteries — and one of her creepiest, in my opinion. Ten people are mysteriously summoned to an abandoned house, where they are murdered one by one.

6. Daphne Du Maurier, My Cousin Rachel — OK, I almost said Rebecca instead, which would also work really well for this list. But since My Cousin Rachel isn’t as well-known, I thought I’d mention it. This book moves incredibly slowly, but the suspense builds masterfully throughout as the narrator wonders whether his wife murdered her first husband.

7. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles –I do enjoy Sherlock Holmes, and this novel is a delightful blend of mystery and horror. Is the sinister legend of a hellhound that roams the countryside searching for victims true? Or is is there a human culprit behind the mystery?

8. Robin McKinley, Sunshine — I’m not really into vampires, zombies, werewolves, and the various things that go bump in the night. But I am very into Robin McKinley, so I had to read Sunshine even though it is a vampire novel. I like that the vampires are EVIL and that the heroine is strong but not an invincible badass. It’s not my favorite McKinley novel, but it is definitely my favorite vampire book!

9. Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde — Everyone knows this story, but the book itself is definitely worth reading. To me, the most interesting thing about it is that most people see Dr. Jekyll as pure good and Mr. Hyde as pure evil. But in my opinion, while Hyde is certainly portrayed as 100% evil, Jekyll isn’t 100% good. There are implications that he’s been doing some shady things even before he unleashes the monster within himself. So I think this book has some really interesting things to say about the nature of good and evil within a person.

10. Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey — If you thought I couldn’t get through a list without mentioning Jane Austen, well, you were right! This isn’t actually scary at all, but it is a wonderful satire on the lurid “sensation novels” that were popular in Austen’s day. I love that Austen pokes fun at the genre while still defending novels against the people who dismissed them all as frivolous. Plus, the characters are delightfully rendered, as always, and Mr. Tilney is irresistible!

Tune in Tuesday with Katelyn: Is this your name or a doctor’s eye chart?

October 23, 2012October 23, 20124 Comments

For this week’s Tune in Tuesday, I decided to go a little ’90s-tastic. I have a nostalgic soft spot for ’90s music, despite how cheesy it can often be. I didn’t discover this artist until a couple of years ago, though…I guess I was too busy rocking out to Barenaked Ladies and Matchbox Twenty at the time. Anyway, I give you “Dyslexic Heart” by Paul Westerberg:

I like this song! It’s got a bouncy, uplifting feel to it, and the lyrics are cute and clever. (The video is also fun, due to the awesome fashions.) I really like Paul Westerberg’s voice, too; he was also the lead singer of the Replacements, a very cool band from the ’80s and ’90s. I’m exploring more of his & their work, and I’m very impressed thus far. Hope you enjoy!

Review: My One and Only

October 22, 2012Leave a comment

Kristan Higgins, My One and Only

Harper James is a ball-busting divorce attorney who firmly believes in the nobility of her calling. In her words, she helps people’s hearts to accept what their heads already know — that they and their spouses are simply no good for each other. Harper knows the truth of this saying firsthand, as she divorced her college sweetheart, Nick, several years ago. Harper has done her best to move on from Nick and is even contemplating marriage to another man. But when she learns that her younger stepsister is about to get married to Nick’s half-brother, she can’t help but get upset. She’ll have to see Nick again and confront their shared past, from the intensity of their love to the heartbreaking disintegration of their marriage. How can Harper get over Nick when the sight of him unearths feelings she thought she’d buried long ago?

Another winner from Kristan Higgins! This book is a real page-turner, especially after Harper’s past with Nick slowly starts to be revealed. I didn’t particularly like Harper at first — I found her shrill and abrasive — but it gradually becomes clear that she has good reasons for being the way she is. Nick is also a compelling hero, swoonworthy but not flawless, and certainly not blameless in the conflict between him and Harper. I really liked how the obstacles separating the hero and heroine are legitimate and not the result of a silly Big Misunderstanding. Rather, they seem like the kind of problems that many married couples fall prey to: they take each other for granted and are afraid to fully open up to each other. So I think this book has a little more emotional weight than Higgins’ other books, but that’s not a bad thing! I’d definitely recommend this to fans of contemporary romance.

Review: The Westing Game

October 22, 2012Leave a comment

Ellen Raskin, The Westing Game

At the beginning of this novel, 16 people of all ages and walks of life are invited to live in a fancy new apartment building overlooking Lake Michigan. They all accept due to the luxurious accommodations and affordable rent, but it soon becomes apparent that they have been gathered for a purpose. Old Samuel Westing, who founded the town and employed many of its citizens, has just died. When the apartment dwellers are summoned to the reading of the will under the guise of being his heirs, they are shocked to hear that Mr. Westing has accused one of them of being his murderer. He proposes a game to the 16 heirs: The person who discovers Mr. Westing’s killer will inherit his vast fortune.

This is one of those books that I somehow missed in my childhood, and I decided to pick it up for the read-a-thon since I assumed it would be a fairly effortless read. But while I enjoyed the book a lot, it was definitely more complex than I thought it would be! There are a lot of characters to keep track of, which was hard at first, but they each had such distinctive qualities that I was soon able to tell who was who. The game itself was delightful to puzzle through, and I’ll admit that I didn’t see many of the twists coming! I think this would be a great read for bright children, especially those who love mysteries — but it can definitely be enjoyed by adults as well!

Review: The Assassin’s Curse

October 21, 20122 Comments

Cassandra Rose Clarke, The Assassin’s Curse

Ananna is the daughter of a prominent pirate clan, which makes her a valuable matrimonial prize. Yet when her parents arrange an advantageous marriage with a man from another pirate clan, she rebels. Fearing that her parents will force her into the marriage, she runs away — but not before her scorned fiancé threatens to send an assassin after her. Ananna has heard the horror stories about assassins: they lurk in the shadows and use blood magic to curse their doomed victims. But when her assassin catches up with her, Ananna inadvertently saves his life, thus binding them together. Now she needs to find a way to break the curse that ties her to the assassin without getting into even more trouble.

First of all, isn’t that a wonderful, striking cover? It’s definitely appropriate for the novel, which is set in a quasi-Middle Eastern fantasy world — a refreshing change from the faux-medieval backdrop of many fantasy novels. Also, there are pirates, and they’re the fun kind of pirates, roguish yet charming. I also grew to enjoy both Ananna and Naji (the assassin) as characters, although Ananna’s extremely informal dialect did get on my nerves at first. My biggest gripe with the book is that, after the major characters and conflict are established, nothing happens. And in the end, absolutely nothing is resolved; you have to read the sequel (not yet published) to find out what happens! The book doesn’t technically end on a cliffhanger, but basically it’s only the first part of the story. What’s worse, there is no indication before the ending that this book is part of a series. So if you do decide to read it, be forewarned that you won’t be able to find out what happens until #2 is released! That said, I liked the book and will probably read the next one; I’m just sorry the (non)ending left such a bad taste in my mouth.