August 06, 2007
"Ibid: A Novel" by Mark Dunn
Author Mark Dunn becomes a character in his own story, in "Ibid: A Novel." This is an odd book. In the early pages of the story, Mr. Dunn sends the one and only copy of his biography of Jonathan Blashette to his editor. This editor prefers to read books in the bathtub, which sets us up for the mishap of his toddler son dumping the manuscript in the filling tub. Dunn is unwilling to spend another two years recreating his book, so the editor decides to publish the only remaining part of the work -- the footnotes.
As a literary experiment, this is sort of interesting. We follow the story through the sidebars of the footnotes. But as a novel it makes it a bit awkward to read. Things don't flow like they typically do in a novel since we jump from footnote to footnote, so the regular continuity of ideas is less structured than in a normal novel. The content is interesting enough -- Blashette, is an unusual man -- was born with three legs, worked as a "circus freak" as a boy, served in WWI, started a successful deodorant company and became a philanthropist. His love life was less successful (the women he loved die young and in Boston).
Though I wouldn't consider this a great read, it is an interesting premise.
ISBN: 978-0156-03100-4
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July 30, 2007
"The Amber Room" by Steve Berry
Are you looking for a quick summer read for the airport or beach? If so, then “The Amber Room” by Steve Berry might just fit the bill. Atlanta judge Rachel Cutler takes off to Germany following clues left by her father who recently died. A Russian immigrant, he had spent time in a Nazi concentration camp during WWII and later served in a Soviet post to track art lost/stolen during the war. Rachel heads off in search of The
Amber Room, one the treasures never recovered. She is soon followed by her ex-husband, probate lawyer Paul, and they end up following clues and fighting for their lives as they get caught between two competing groups of “bad guys” who are also searching for The Amber Room. A little slow going at the beginning, the second half of the book keeps up a rapid pace.
ISBN: 0-345-46004-9
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July 16, 2007
"Acqua Alta" by Donna Leon
A while back I wrote about Donna Leon’s “Death and Judgment.” I recently finished the next book the series about Commissario Guido Brunetti, “Acqua Alta.” In this fifth episode, Brunetti is called upon to solve the brutal beating of an American archaeologist (who readers met in an earlier book “Death at la Fenice” along with her lover an opera singer) and the related murder of a crooked museum director. This series continues to be a well-written police procedural with the added ambiance of Venice (Acqua Alta is the flooding of Venice, a relatively frequent occurrence during high tides and heavy rains and plays a nearly constant role in this book). The story also brings into the plot Chinese antiquities, the Mafia, sexual orientation discrimination and hate crimes, opera, and the ever present theme of corruption and government inefficiency. I was reading this book during breaks while attending a conference. Two of the people sitting in the row in front of me noticed the book and we got into a lively conversation of how much we enjoy this series (both of them had read the book) and our conversation must have been animated enough that the two people sitting directly behind me asked for information on the author/title, etc., so they could start the series.
ISBN: 0-14-200496-0
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July 09, 2007
"The Memory Keeper's Daughter" by Kim Edwards
Two or three times a week for the course of more than two months, I would pick up and then put down “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter” by Kim Edwards. I had heard good things about this book from several friends, but the thought of reading a book about someone who gave away his imperfect child was just so distasteful to me, I wasn’t sure I wanted to commit a day or two to reading the story. Obviously, I finally took the plunge, and found it worthwhile.
The story starts in 1964 when Dr. David Henry’s wife Norah goes into labor during a snowstorm. Their obstetrician is unable to make it through the storm, so David and his nurse, Caroline handle the delivery. Paul is born and he is unexpectedly followed by Phoebe, who has Down’s syndrome. Ostensibly to save his wife the pain of likely losing this child soon to heart problems, David asks Caroline to take Phoebe to an institution for children with Down’s syndrome. David tells his wife, who was sedated during the delivery, that their daughter died at birth. Caroline, after seeing the institution and being appalled by it, decides to keep Phoebe and raise her as her own. The story then moves forward through time, with glimpses into the lives of these characters every few years for the next 25 years. We see David and Norah’s marriage fall apart as Norah continues to mourn the “death” of the daughter she never got to see and as David lives with his guilt over lying to his wife and his unresolved pain over this sister’s early death due to a lingering illness. Paul struggles to live up to his father’s expectations and Caroline struggles to get Phoebe medical care and educational services. There is resolution in the end, but without an unreasonably pat happy ending.
ISBN: 9-780-14-303714-9
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July 02, 2007
"The Monk Downstairs" by Tim Farrington
If you are looking for a gentle story about life and love, you may want to consider Tim Farrington’s novel “The Monk Downstairs.” After 20 years in a monastery, Michael Christopher leaves to start life “in the real world.” He rents an in-law apartment in the bottom of Rebecca’s house. Rebecca, a former hippy/beach bum is a graphic artist and single mother to six year old Mary Martha. Rebecca has an uneasy relationship with Mary Martha’s father, a professional surfer who has never really grown up. Friendship and then love grows between Mike and Rebecca. We learn move about the inner thoughts and feelings of Mike and his reasons for leaving the contemplative religious life, through letters he writes to a monk back at the monastery who is trying to “save” the former Brother Jerome. Rebecca, a strayed Catholic, struggles with some of Mike’s beliefs and as woman who has had poor luck with men, isn’t sure she wants to fall for Mike. The comfort and support he provides during the harrowing days following Rebecca’s mother’s stroke lead to a stronger bond between Rebecca and Mike. I am looking forward to the next part of their story – “The Monk Upstairs.”
ISBN: 978-0-06-112242-2
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June 25, 2007
"The Case of the Missing Books" by Ian Sansom
Israel Armstrong is a young librarian from North London. He has landed his first permanent position as a librarian and moved to a small town in Northern Ireland to take up his post -- but things are not quite as he expected. The library has been closed and he is told he will provide service from an old, run down, rusty mobile library (i.e. bookmobile) and even worse than that, all of the library’s books (15,000 volumes) are missing – likely stolen. Trapped in a job he no longer wants (but is contractually required to keep), in a town where he doesn’t fit in (he can’t even find a decent cup of coffee, let alone an espresso), Israel must locate the missing books to be released from his contract. Israel is out of his element, doesn’t understand much of what the villagers say, and stumbles from clue to clue as he rather ineptly, but comically, searches for the missing books. As the weeks progress he repeatedly gets hurt (black eye, broken nose, etc.), his clothes catch on fire (so he is reduced to wearing a teenager’s t-shirts) and he lives on little more than potatoes (not a lot of culinary options for a Jewish vegetarian staying at a pig farmer’s house – living in the chicken coop). “The Case of the Missing Books” is the first in a new mystery series (A Mobile Library Mystery) by Ian Sansom. This gentle mystery full of interesting small town characters and culture clashes is likely the start to a charming new series.
ISBN: 978-0-06-082250-7
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June 11, 2007
"The Camel Bookmobile" by Marsha Hamilton
Marsha Hamilton’s novel “The Camel Bookmobile,” tells the story of a 36-year old, New York librarian who moves to Kenya for a year as part of a program to run a mobile library that uses camels for transporting the librarians and books to remote villages. The narrative changes each chapter to tell the story from the perspective a different character including the American, the librarian from Nairobi who oversees the program, the teacher in Mididima, one of the small, nomadic villages, and several others in Mididima. The camel library causes turmoil in Mididima: the teacher wants the library to help increase literacy and options for the people of his village; but the tribal elders are concerned the exposure to books, especially those that are irrelevant to their nomadic lifestyle, will destroy their oral traditions of storytelling. A bigger problem looms when one of the town’s young men, Scar Boy, refuses to return the books he borrowed. Due to the small number of books available for the program, the Kenyan librarian considers loss of a book reason to stop visiting the village. The American librarian and local teacher try to figure out how to retrieve the books from Scar Boy so the camel library can continue to visit, while the town elders push for the return of the books to protect the reputation of the village prior to refusing to allow the library to return. This a gentle story about the clash of cultures and ethics, the development of friendships, and the fragility of family life.
ISBN 13: 978-0-06-117348-6
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May 29, 2007
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1: The Long Way Home, part 1" by Joss Whedon
Were you a fan of the television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer? If so, there is a new comic series you must check out! Joss Whedon is writing Buffy, season 8, as a follow up to to the series. The comic picks up where the show left off, with legions of Slayers all over the world. Buffy is heading up what seems to be a special ops unit, Xander has taken his "Scooby gang" role to a more official level (and looks rather rakish with his eye patch), and the rest of the gang make appearances as well. The issues only come out once a month, so it's not quite as satisfying as weekly tv installments, but this new format looks to be a fun and creative way to keep the Buffy series alive.
ASIN: B000O82BZK
Amanda, outreach and instruction
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May 13, 2007
"This is Chick-Lit" edited by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Two thumbs way up! Baratz-Logsted, a chick lit author herself, has assembled a fast, fun and moving collection of short stories by chick lit authors as a rebuttal to the recently published "This is not Chick-Lit," which implied that chick lit doesn't make the grade as real literature. This collection clearly demonstrates that chick lit a)has been around for a long time and b) is here to stay.
Each entry begins with an author's note about how they conceptualize chick lit as a genre and ends with a brief biography of that author. The stories themselves are marvelous and range from a futuristic look at dating via computer, and ghost-ridden romance, and a government agent who discovers her beau on the wrong end of her rifle. At the end of the collection, Baratz-Logsted has assembled a brief bibliography - a list of "not chick lit" material recommended by her group of authors.
This collection and the contributors to it can feel confident that they accomplished their goal of putting chick lit firmly in a positive literary light.
ISBN: 1-933771-01-1
Jennifer, reference
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May 07, 2007
"A Fright of Ghosts" by Helen Chappell
A Fright of Ghosts is the fifth book in the light-weight mystery series by Helen Chappell. The mystery solvers are Hollis Ball, a reporter for a small town newspaper, and Sam Westcott, the ghost of her unlamented, deceased, ex-husband. In this episode Hollis, Sam, and Hollis’ cousin Toby work to solve the murder of sleazy Sluggo Fotney to clear Hollis’ brother Robbie of the crime. The stories are pretty standard cozy fare, but the Maryland Eastern Shore scenery, struggling costal watermen economy and local vernacular add enough regional color for a change of pace.
ISBN-13: 978-0-87033-581-5
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April 30, 2007
"Bel Canto" by Ann Patchett
Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett, begins at a dinner party – a birthday celebration for a wealthy, Japanese industrialist, being held at the vice president’s home in a Latin American country. Rich and power guests (diplomats, businessmen, etc.) were drawn to the party with the thought of doing business with the honored guest – he was drawn by the opportunity to have a famous soprano sing for him. All this changes, though, when the party is disrupted by a group of armed terrorists who arrive, planning to capture the country’s president. The president isn’t in attendance and what follows is the story of captives and terrorists as their forced cohabitation stretches from hours, to days, to weeks and on into months. Cut off from the outside world, except for a Swiss Red Cross negotiator who visits regularly and carries lists of demands between the terrorist generals and the government, the captors and hostages become an unlikely community as the roles each member plays changes them from their lives before the armed compound became their world. This book is so beautifully written, that I was hooked by the language and images before I had finished the first paragraph.
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-083872-0
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April 23, 2007
“Murder at the Portland Variety” by M. J. Zellnik
“Murder at the Portland Variety” by M. J. Zellnik takes place in Portland, Oregon in 1894. Libby Seale is a seamstress working at a local vaudeville theater, the Portland Variety, where mysterious deaths of two young dancers have occurred. The police declare the deaths accidents that happened, probably while the dancing girls (considered women of ill-repute) were being hauled to the docks in failed abductions by white slavers. Angry at this lack of concern for justice, Libby decides to investigate the murders herself. She enlists the aid of Peter Eberle, a local newspaper reporter in her efforts and together they explore the seedy side of a fast-growing town. Secrets from her past come back to haunt Libby as her feelings for Peter grow and as she faces the consequences of running away from her family in New York. This is the first in a fairly new series that combines a plucky heroine with life in a young western city.
ISBN: 0-7387-0786-4
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April 09, 2007
"The Pirates" by Gideon Defoe
If you are only interested in serious literature, you will want to skip right over this blog entry. Gideon Defoe’s pirate stories, two bound in the same book, “The Pirates: In an Adventure with Scientists,” and “The Pirates: In an Adventure with Ahab” are just pure, silly fun. These stories recount two of the many adventures of the Pirate Captain and his crew. (Since the Pirate Captain has trouble remembering names, the crew go by descriptions and include such fine men as his second-in-command the scarf-wearing-pirate, the pirate with gout, the pirate in red, the pirate with the nut allergy – well you get the picture). In the first story, the pirates meet up with Charles Darwin and the in the second they go hunting the great white whale for Ahab. In both they sing a lot of shanties and discuss how much they love ham. These are wonderfully silly stories with great footnotes.
ISBN-13: 978-1-4000-7750-2
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April 02, 2007
You Suck: a love story" by Christopher Moore
I thoroughly enjoyed this comic novel, the story of two young vampires trying to survive in San Francisco with the help of their sixteen year-old human minion, "Abby Normal". Abby, the sobriquet of a vampire-wannabe goth who attends Allen Ginsburg High (Go, Fighting Beatniks!), is one of the funniest in a cast of great characters. (All week now I've been quoting her reaction to finding the nine local Starbucks closed on Christmas: "Crushed by the iron hand of the baby Jesus".) The heroes, their 'victims'(including Chet the huge cat) and their enemies are all entertaining when taking center stage. My biggest quibble: the Deus ex Machina, or in this case Demon ex Machina, isn't really explained. (Okay, maybe that's the nature of a DeM, but it is glaring here.) I suspect that reading the preceding story of some of the major characters, "Bloodsucking fiends : a love story", may clear that up and I'm certainly planning to find out. "You suck" leaves the door open for a sequel.
isbn: 0060590297
Janet, staff
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March 26, 2007
" Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories" by Agatha Christie
“ Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories” sounds like a total old lady book. This is because:
a) it’s about an old lady
b) it’s by Agatha Christie, the #1 old lady author
That being said, it’s really an enjoyable book. The mysteries are tame, but one has to appreciate Christie’s attention to criminal detail and her love of imagining settings for the greedy impulses of humankind.
This is not a book I recommend sitting and reading story after story, because each story in the book follows a pretty noticeable pattern. Someone in the group tells a story of a mysterious death (accompanied by varying numbers of questionable wills, adopted nieces and wealthy old people) and then everyone hazards a guess about the true perpetrator of the crime. Miss Marple, of course, always totally nails the right answer, but does so through various charming observations of human nature from her own sleepy little village.
Still, these are great little mysteries, even if Agatha Christie tends to lean a little heavily on poison as a plot device. Each story is no more than 4-5 pages and provides a pleasant interruption to say, an evening of studying, without being too wholly distracting. Miss Marple is a classic character in mystery circles, and this collection is a good way to appreciate her in small doses.
ISBN: 0396087477
Sara, reference assistant
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March 19, 2007
"Death and Judgment" by Donna Leon
Death and Judgment is the fourth book in Donna Leon’s mystery series which started with Death at La Fenice. Commissario Guido Brunetti is a police detective in modern day Venice. This case is actually a combination of several individual murders and accidental deaths that in the end are all linked together by the common tie of illegal trafficking in women and snuff films. It is a good mystery series, your standard “police procedural” made different by the setting – Guido gets to crime scenes by boat or train, and the corruption and ineptitude of police officials, politicians, judges, etc., is subtly omnipresent. Guido’s family life usually plays a role in the stories. His wife, the daughter of a rich and powerful count, is a college literature professor and his best sounding board. They have two teenagers. Raffi, their son is not involved in this story, but fourteen year old Chiara knows the daughter of one of the victims and involves herself in her father’s investigation to a frightening degree. If you are looking for a well written mystery series that is set outside of the typical London or US city location, give the Guido Brunetti series a try.
ISBN: 0-14-303582-7
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March 12, 2007
"Murder on a Hot Tin Roof" by Amanda Matestsky
Take a trip back to the 1950s when men were men and women were second class citizens (or maybe I should make that men were insufferable and women were insignificant). Actually, Amanda Matestsky has penned a fun mystery series set in the mid-1950s “starring” Paige Turner, a Korean War widow who works at Daring Detective magazine. She is the best writer on staff, but as the only woman is mostly relegated to secretarial and servant duties (filing, coffee making, etc.). But she also always ends up in the middle of a major homicide, writes up the inside story for her magazine, then gets those stories picked up as dime store true crime novels. Paige lives in NYC, has a quirky artist best friend (who has a bad beat poet boyfriend – his poetry is bad, the guy’s ok), and the obligatory homicide detective boyfriend (if she lived in a small town, he would have been police chief/sheriff). The stories are fun and filled with 1950s pop culture. In the fourth and most recent entry in the series, Paige is investigating the death of Ben Gazzara’s understudy in the new hit Broadway play, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” We visit the Actor’s Studio, where our murder victim was studying under Lee Strasberg, interrogate people who knew the actor at gay hangouts in the Village, and swelter in the July heat at a time when air conditioning was not ubiquitous. If this series is new to you, start with the first book, Murders Prefer Blondes.
ISBN: 0-425-21293-9
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March 05, 2007
"Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See is the beautiful and moving story of a two young girls, Lily, a farmer’s daughter, and the more privileged Snow Flower. Born in the 1820s the story follows their lives until Lily is in her 80s. The girls become laotong or “old same” when they are seven and forge a friendship and bond that lasts a life time. They are raised in China at a time when a woman’s value is determined by how small her bound feet are (and if they form a perfect lily shape) and the number of sons she produces. The girls are from different towns and communicate using a secret women’s writing from that region of Hunan called nu shu. As the story unfolds, and the girls grow into womanhood, marry, have children, suffer the loss of family, the terror of war and have a misunderstanding that alters their lives and friendship.
ISBN: 0-8129-6806-9
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February 26, 2007
"Strange Candy" by Laurell K. Hamilton
Laurell K. Hamilton has a new book out that is a collection of short stories, each introduced by the author. For fans of her Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series, the book is begun and ended with stories about Anita, another couple are set in the same world as her book Nightseer. All of the stories fall into the fantasy/paranormal sort of genre. Strange Candy contains 14 short stories and Hamilton does a nice job of mixing them up so that a heavy story will be followed by a lighter one. Subjects include everything from housecleaning superheros to elves and demons. This is a fast read - I read it in less than a day - but is nice break from normal life.
ISBN: 0-425-21201-7
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February 12, 2007
"Fragile Things" by Neil Gaiman
This is the first volume of short works by Gaiman that I've read, and from the start I was swept up in his elegant use of language. He is a wordsmith and a storyteller - a combination that makes for a great read. Gaiman's style is palpable throughout; he mixes reality, fantasy and horror with a distinctive flair. His story "Other People" is a fascinating take on what may happen when we die. Other tales are creative reworkings of the Sherlock Holmes series, some old fairy tales, and one of his own longer works, "American Gods." The density with which he paints his stories is astounding. However, it is also a bit tiring. This is not a quick read by any means, and by the end of the book I was pushing myself to keep wading through his sparse, elegant prose. In a word: wow.
ISBN 13:987-0-06-051522-5
Jennifer, reference
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January 30, 2007
"The Sign of the Book" by John Dunning
The Sign of the Book (2005) is the fourth book in a series of mysteries that started with Booked to Die (1992). Written by former rare book dealer John Dunning, the series follows former Denver cop turned book dealer Cliff Janeway. In this episode, Cliff is asked by his lover/bookstore silent partner, Erin D’Angelo (who is an attorney) to investigate the murder of her college boyfriend. The accused, who has asked Erin to defend her, is the victim’s wife and Erin’s childhood friend, Laura. The two have been estranged for years – ever since Laura stole Erin’s boyfriend, the now dead victim – so Erin is reluctant to take the case. As in all of the Janeway stories, there is some important element about rare books. In this case, the victim had a large collection of signed books, many of which may have forged signatures. In addition to a good mystery story, Dunning always throws in interesting information about the book trade: auctions, book fairs, prices of rare books, etc.
ISBN: 0-7434-8247-6
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January 24, 2007
The Circle Trilogy by Nora Roberts
Since in earlier entries on the UGLi book blog I had seen positive reviews of Nora Robert’s novels, I decided to try one of her trilogies. I enjoyed “The Circle Trilogy” which consists of “Morrigan’s Cross,” “Dance of the Gods,” and “Valley of Silence.” The story starts in Ireland, nearly 1000 years ago, when the goddess Morrigan tells sorcerer Hoyt to bring together a circle of six – a sorcerer, a witch, a warrior, a scholar, a shape shifter, and a lost soul – to prepare for an epic battle of good against evil to save humankind. Thanks to time portals, magic, and the help of the gods, the story moves to modern day New York and Ireland to pick up the rest of the “circle.” The story finishes up in the ancient Celtic world of Geall where the six and an army of Geallians fight Lilith and her army of vampires, demons, and a sorcerer who specializes in black magic. The plot is pretty much as expected: the members derive strength and power from the friendship and love that develops as they train and bond, the six divide into three couples (so each volume has a love story), and there are smaller battles and setbacks along the way to the big battle in the end. This trilogy is good, escapist fare.
Morrigan’s Cross: ISBN: 0-515-14165-8
Dance of the Gods: ISBN: 0-515-14166-6
Valley of Silence: ISBN: 0-515-14167-4
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December 18, 2006
"The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield
The Thirteenth Tale, a first novel by Diane Setterfield, has been on booksellers’ recommended lists since its debut, and I think for good reason. Margaret Lea, a young woman who works in her father’s London bookshop, is contacted by famous, elderly novelist Vida Winter to write her biography. Winter is notorious for fabricating tales about her life, so Margaret is leery about taking on the project, especially since she has only written one obscure biographical article on a couple of brothers. The stories that unfold are complicated tales of twins, lies, ghosts, and family secrets – both Vida’s and Margaret’s. For book lovers, the story contains literary references, antique books, and bookstore scenes. It has the classic story ambiance of old rotting houses, dark/dreary weather, and mad relatives. One of my favorite passages in the book is:
"Do you know the feeling when you start reading a new book before the membrane of the last one has had time to close behind you? You leave the previous book with ideas and themes – characters even – caught in the fibers of your clothes, and when you open the new book, they are still with you."
This is a tale that I suspect will cling to me for a while.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7432-9802-5
Pam, reserves
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December 11, 2006
"Anyone but You" by Jennifer Crusie
Nina Askews plans to restart her life after divorce at age 40 by adopting a cute little puppy to keep her company. Instead, she ends up with Fred, a sad-eyes part basset, part beagle mix. Fred, however, has hidden talents - as a matchmaker, who quickly "introduces" Nina to her handsome younger neighbor Alex. Despite Nina's fears about dating a younger man, she and Alex are drawn to each other and happily ever after ensues.
This delightful book sucked me in within the first five pages and didn't turn me loose until I read the last one. Crusie is definitely a master of the romantic comedy. She blends emotion, humor, sex and solemnity in a delicious concoction of language. Two thumbs way up for this!
ISBN: 0373771460
Jennifer, reference
Posted by jnardine at 09:26 AM | Comments (0)
December 04, 2006
"Breakup Babe: a novel" by Rebecca Agiewich
What could be more fun in terms of contemporary chick lit than a story about a smart young woman who, when dumped by her boyfriend "Loser," starts a blog about the adventures of Breakup Babe which chronicles her post-dumping exploits with various HBIBs (hot but inappropriate boys)? That's what I thought when I first picked up this book, but I had a much harder time getting through it. Although there are many witty quips, funny exploits and clever ideas within (the personification of General Celexa, and two alter egos - Needy Girl and Sensible Girl - being one of the most notable, entertaining quirks) the book as a whole didn't engage me and draw me along.
It's a decent book as far as chick lit goes, and worth wading through to the ending which is the strongest part of the story, but there are more stellar examples available if you're looking for something in this genre.
ISBN: 0345484002
Jennifer, reference
Posted by jnardine at 09:17 AM | Comments (0)
November 28, 2006
"Motor Mouth" by Janet Evanovich
Motor Mouth is the second in Janet Evanovich’s relatively new series (first book was Metro Girl) about mechanic Alexandra “Barney” Barnaby and NASCAR driver Sam Hooker. Although I really enjoyed Metro Girl and was glad to see Evanovich writing another fun series, Motor Mouth seems to fall flat. It didn’t have the laugh out loud dialogue fans enjoy with her Stephanie Plum series and the story just seemed to have too many dead bodies, bad guys and stops for junk food. Fans of NASCAR may enjoy the book more; I was lost in some of the trade specific lingo. It is nice to see a heroine who is well trained and competent at her job (Barney has worked on cars her whole life and has an engineering degree, unlike Stephanie Plum who sort of fell into being a bounty hunter and has never been very good at it) and for the leads (Barney and Hooker) to realize they are lousy detectives, even though they refuse to turn the sleuthing over to the police or NASCAR officials (part of the story relates to mechanical tinkering that constitutes cheating in the race world).
ISBN: 0060584033
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November 20, 2006
"Vamped" by David Sosnowski
“Vamped” by David Sosnowski is not your typical vampire novel. Marty Kowalski was mortally wounded fighting in Europe in World War II. Just before dying, a female vampire turns him into a vampire. It is now many years later. Marty is over 100 years old and a bored bachelor. It is a time in which vampires are the majority, due in large part to efforts of Marty and his benevolent vampire movement which turned humans into vampires on a large scale. Now the only mortals left are farm raised for the amusement and sport hunting by the rich who want access to fresh blood, instead of the bottled variety everyone else drinks.
As the story opens, Marty is bored and depressed. Then he runs across Isuzu Trooper Cassidy, a five year old girl, orphaned that evening when vampires killed her mother. Isuzu and her mom had escaped the farm and been living in a hole, coming above ground to forage during the bright light of day. Initially Marty plans to drain Isuzu dry, but decides to wait until she is less frightened (apparently adrenaline affects the taste of blood). So Marty takes Isuzu home. As time passes, their relationship morphs from diner/dessert to owner/pet to father/daughter. Over the course of the book Marty raises Isuzu and regains much of his lost humanity and joy in life as he grows to love and protect his “little SUV.”
Though not great literature, this amusing book is an enjoyable read. It is less the story of the hunted and hunters than a novel about a man regaining his soul and purpose in life through the love of a child.
ISBN: 0-7434-9359-1
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November 13, 2006
"Another Good Loving Blues" by Arthur Flowers
“The blues is about a lot of things…. The blues about accepting life for what it is, good and bad. Its about making folks feel what you feel. And its mostly about people and life and stories. You know any stories?”
Arthur Flowers knows some stories; he knows some magic, too. In Another Good Loving Blues he gives us “a fine old delta tale about a mad blues piano player and a Arkansas conjure woman on a hoodoo mission.” Set in the years when Southern blacks began the great migration north, it follows Lucas Bodeen and Melvira Dupree from the moment he first sees her in the spring of 1918 until the moment, nearly six years later, when he says “I don’t ever want to lose you again.” In between are a lot of pain, a lot of music, and enough magic to make it all work out, told in a rich, muddy voice that brings the South roiling up out of the pages as viscerally as the mighty Mississippi in full flood.
ISBN: 0345381033
Everett, reference
Posted by jnardine at 02:34 PM | Comments (0)
November 06, 2006
"Bangkok 8" by John Burdett
Some concepts are universal. For instance, when a policeman’s partner is killed, he must be avenged, whether it is in New York City or Thailand. As the title suggests, this time it happens in Thailand. The location complicates things a bit.
First complication: the murder, well, wasn’t murder. The officer was killed by a poisonous snake. The snake was inside a locked car, where it had, presumably, been instrumental in killing the dead man inside; that it killed the cop who opened the car to investigate is incidental.
Second complication: the dead cop’s partner is a Buddhist, which means he is as conflicted as Hamlet by the thought of seeking revenge.
Third complication: the intended victim is a U.S. Marine—so the U.S. government gets involved. That always causes problems. In this case, one of these problems is an attractive FBI agent to further distract our Buddhist cop.
Burdett mixes these ingredients with a healthy dose of local Thai flavor—weather, corruption, gridlock, jade, drugs, prostitution, and bureaucracy—to stir up a spicy little thriller.
ISBN: 1400032903
Everett, reference
Posted by jnardine at 02:31 PM | Comments (0)
October 30, 2006
"Choke" by Chuck Palahniuk
You can’t say he doesn’t warn you. The very first sentence goes, “If you’re going to read this, don’t bother.” Why not? “What you’re getting here is a stupid story about a stupid little boy,” and “There has to be something better on television.”
Well, that last part probably isn’t true; otherwise, it’s a fair warning. Palahniuk, best known as the author of what became the movie Fight Club, gives us a disturbing look at that stupid little boy’s later life: he is a sexaholic who makes money by pretending to choke on his dinner in a new restaurant each night.
Yet Palahniuk’s work, while full of the disgusting and seemingly senseless destruction, is ultimately about redemption—he’s a cynic, he sees the grotesque, and he finds a way for his characters to overcome it. This isn’t a pretty story, but underneath it all, this is a beautiful story.
ISBN: 0385720920
Everett, reference
Posted by jnardine at 02:28 PM | Comments (0)
October 09, 2006
"The Colorado Kid" by Stephen King
Hard Case Crime is a new publisher working in an old field: their books are designed to revive the dark detective stories of 1940s pulp fiction, like Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. So far—and The Colorado Kid is only the thirteenth title—they have done this well. The books are cheap, with flashy cover art, and include new novels from original masters, a choice republication or two, and work from new artists in the old style.
Stephen King doesn’t fit any of these categories, but the world’s best selling fiction writer is no stranger to the mass market format—or to murder. What makes his contribution special, however, is that The Colorado Kid is a brand-new piece, first published here in a niche paperback: King usually gets the royal hardcover treatment for new books. Otherwise, this is pretty much what you expect from him: a compelling story told very well. It is a frame story, told to an intern at a small-town newspaper on a slow summer afternoon, and describes events long past but as yet unexplained. This detachment keeps it from being scary, but still manages to provide plenty of suspense: it’s a mystery, not horror, and it is a quick, fun read.
ISBN: 0843955848
Everett, reference
Posted by jnardine at 09:45 AM | Comments (0)
October 02, 2006
"Undead and Unpopular" by Mary Janice Davidson
MJ Davidson's "Undead and ..." series is a nice, light read. After all, how can a newly minted vampire queen named Elizabeth Taylor - Betsy to her friends- with a shoe fetish be anything less than entertaining. This book, the 5th in the series, is readable in and unto itself but I recommend starting at the beginning of the series and taking it sequentially so that you'll get all the humor.
Betsy is turning 31, or she would be if she were still alive, and she's trying to plan her own surprise birthday party, give up drinking blood (because it's "icky"), and organize her upcoming wedding to her consort, the "yummy" Eric Sinclair. A delegation of European vampires arrive on the scene at about the same time that Betsy figures out that her best friend is seriously ill. Throw in a zombie in the attic and a local vamp who is hell-bent on killing the member of the European contingent who first turned her, and a lot of fun, chaos and confusion ensue.
As a stand-alone, this entry in the series isn't as action-packed as some of the previous novels. Instead it focuses more on relationships among the central group of characters. Unfortunately, deep, meaningful character development would go against the general grain of Anderson's humorous storytelling style and break up the feel of the series. Anderson does a great job of sticking with her strengths and keeping up snappy dialog, but the result is that not much happens. In short, it's not the strongest of the set, but still well worth reading.
ISBN: 0425210294
Jennifer, reference
Posted by jnardine at 04:07 PM | Comments (0)
September 18, 2006
"How Opal Metha Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life" by Kaavya Viswanathan
When I saw this on the shelf, I couldn't resist. This is that book written by a Harvard sophomore that was splashed all over the New York Times a while back, not because of its quality but because she got a huge advance on the publication and then was busted for plagiarising most of the contents.
As a chick lit piece, it's pretty good. Anyone who has seen the movie "Mean Girls" will recognize a lot of the plot. Opal is not straight off the boat from Africa, as in the film. Instead she's lived her entire life executing a plan designed to get her into Harvard. She's stunned when she's turned down for early admissions when she can't answer the question, "what do you do for fun?" The rest of the book chronicles her attempts to transform from studious unknown to glamorous and popular wild child. Overall, it's a fun read. Too bad it's also basically stolen goods.
ISBN: 0316059889
Jennifer, reference
Posted by jnardine at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)
September 08, 2006
"Definitely Dead" by Charlain Harris
Harris' 6th book in this series featuring Sookie Stackhouse, barmaid extraordinaire, is just as satisfying as its predecessors. If you've never read any of this series, I would highly recommend starting at the beginning with "Dead Until Dark." You can read this book as a stand-alone and still find it a good read, but the story is much richer and more amusing if you have all of the background from the previous books.
In this "episode" Sookie, a telepath, gets involved in a plot to throw over the vampire queen of Louisiana, starts dating the were-tiger Quinn, and manages to navigate kidnap plots, murder attempts and fancy dress balls with her usual mixture of down-home common sense, humor and style.
This series is a great read. It's definitely not your usual vampire novel; more a mix of mystery, romance and comedy that keeps you turning the pages. It's a great change of pace from academic or business reading - just plain fun.
ISBN: 0441014003
Jennifer, reference
Posted by jnardine at 01:15 PM | Comments (0)
August 07, 2006
"Thinner Than Thou" by Kit Reed
As the selector for women's studies and issues of body image, I was eager to read this book when I spotted it on the shelf. It's a not-too-distant future depiction of what the world would be like if our current devotion to fitness and appearance were taken to the next level and turned into a religion. Unfortunately, I had a hard time getting through the book. It just didn't engage me. There are several parallel plot lines that run through the entire novel - a girl gets taken by nuns of a new, food-related order so they can "reform" her; her twins and ex-boyfriend travel the country trying to rescue her; their mother sets out on her own trek to find them all; and a completely unrelated man pays a fortune to attend the main headquarters of the religion and be "purified." The various stories twine in and out, but the fabric they create is only sufficient and not the engaging work I was hoping for. Still, if you've ever wondered what life might be like if fitness and youth became and actual religion rather than a de facto one, this is certainly one possible view of that future.
ISBN: 0-765-30762-6
Jennifer, reference
Posted by jnardine at 09:31 AM | Comments (0)
July 31, 2006
"Y: The Last Man" by Brian K. Vaughan, et al.
What happens when a plague wipes out all men on the planet, leaving only one? This is the basic premise of a comics series that is currently in its seventh volume. Yorick Brown discovers that he is the only man left on Earth after a rapid and violent epidemic. He is quickly placed in the custody of a government agent and a scientist who try alternately to protect him and to determine what factor allowed him to live. They find themselves in all manner of adventures as they try to survive this new dystopian universe.
I'm really enjoying this series because it's such an interesting premise -- all sorts of bizarre things happen when half of a population suddenly dies -- for example, thousands of planes crash simultaneously because all the people flying the planes are men, and streets are jammed with the cars of men who were behind the wheel when the instantaneous plague hit.
If you've never read a comics series before, this is an exhilarating series to use as a jumping off point. My one caution -- if you are an impatient person, it's difficult to wait for each volume to come out -- there are 3 month lags. You may find yourself lurking in your nearest comic shop waiting for the next issue!
ISBN (vol. 1) 1-5638-9980-9
Amanda, reference
Posted by terhaar at 12:51 PM | Comments (0)
July 24, 2006
"Good omens : the nice and accurate prophecies of Agnes Nutter, witch" by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Somehow I missed this novel when it was first published more than 15 years ago, so I'm very glad a friend recommended it to me recently. She said she was sure I'd enjoy it and she was right! It's a great read, and very funny, which you wouldn't necessary expect in a novel that focuses on the week of Armageddon. Early history, including the Garden of Eden, sets the stage at the beginning of the novel. The demon Crowley and the angel Aziraphale have been working Earth more or less companionably ever since Eden, and they are key players in a cast full of memorable, bumbling characters, (almost) all of whom I liked a lot. This one is definitely on my list to read again, and I'm also planning to look for other things these two have written individually. This is the only book they've written together. It was a great collaboration!
ISBN: 0-8948-0853-2
Linda, head of UGL
Posted by terhaar at 01:55 PM | Comments (0)
"Perfect Match" by Jodi Picoult
"Perfect Match" is the first Jodi Picoult book I have read and despite her being a best selling author, I suspect it will be the last – at least for a very long time. This book set me on edge, and I never did connect with the major characters. The story felt like a Law and Order “ripped from the headlines” episode as we moved from crime to investigation to court. In this book a 5 year old boy suddenly turns mute and as we move through the first several chapters we discover he was sexually molested by a priest. Then his mother, the lead character in the book and an assistant district attorney, decides to take the law into her own hands and in an act of vigilante justice shoots and kills the accused in open court. In my mind after that the story really goes down hill as she uses inside knowledge to manipulate the justice system. The narration jumps between characters and their perspectives. At times this was helpful, at least I could tell what the mute child was thinking, but sometimes there weren’t enough clues in context for me to tell whose head I was supposed to be in and that just added confusion.
ISBN: 0-7434-1873-5
Pam, reserves
Posted by terhaar at 01:49 PM | Comments (0)
July 10, 2006
"Angels and Demons" by Dan Brown
By now you’ve heard of The DaVinci Code. Maybe you’re planning to see The DaVinci Code. Maybe you’ve even read The DaVinci Code. If you have read it, you have probably also read Angels and Demons, Dan Brown’s first book about Harvard professor of religious symbolism, Robert Langdon.
This page-turner starts when Langdon is recruited by the Conseil Europeen pour la Recheche Nucleaire to investigate a murder. Who died? The inventor of a process to produce commercial quantities of anti-matter. Even worse, the anti-matter is missing. Why call Langdon? The evidence points to an ancient, long-defunct group, the sworn enemy of the Catholic Church and the subject of Langdon’s most recent book: the Illuminati.
Langdon has twenty-four hours before the anti-matter containment system collapses. It is hidden somewhere in the Vatican, where the Cardinals have gathered to elect the next Pope. Langdon’s knowledge of Renaissance art (and a lot of help from the Vatican archives) allows him to locate and follow the Illuminati road to enlightenment, chasing one step behind the killer. He doesn’t make it, though, and the explosion is beautiful. Yet The DaVinci Code follows this story. Read Angels and Demons yourself to see how.
ISBN: 0671027360
Everett, reference
Posted by jnardine at 09:39 AM | Comments (0)
July 03, 2006
"Palace Walk" by Naguib Mahfouz
"Palace Walk," published in 1956, was written by Nobel Prize-winning author Naguib Mahfouz. It is the first part of his Cairo trilogy. This is the story the family of a well off merchants during 1917-1919, the time of British domination and Egypt’s move for independence. During the first half of the book the political situation is mentioned subtly in passing with the main thrust of the story being the daily life of Mr. Ahmad Abd al-Jawad and his family. The father is a strict and domineering influence at home. Outside the home, though, Mr. Ahmad is known by his friends as a boisterous, fun-loving man, the life of the nightly parties he attends. As the story progresses, the two daughters marry and leave home and the older two sons start living lives surreptitiously beyond the control of their father. The eldest son, Yasin starts living the same sort of secret, wild night life as his father -- full of women, wine, and music and middle son Fahmy joins the student resistance movement protesting English rule. The family’s story continues in the other two books, "Palace of Desire" and "Sugar Street."
ISBN: 0-385-26466-6
Pam, Reserves
Posted by jnardine at 09:35 AM | Comments (0)
May 30, 2006
"In the Garden" trilogy by Nora Roberts
Reading select romance authors is one of my guilty pleasures. I'm not into the bodice-rippers or the modern day equivalent - not enough substance with the sex - but Nora Roberts' work has yet to fail me as a source of light, entertaining reading with actual plot, characters with personality and a healthy dose of passion. Her "In the Garden" trilogy is a satisfying read, especially for anyone who has interest in either gardening or ghosts. One of Roberts' trademarks is her ability to efffectively mix reality-type romance with supernatural twists. She doesn't fail in this series, in which a trio of women work together in a nursery and deal with the hauntings of the "Harper Bride," the ghostly ancestor of the nursery owner. Roberts doesn't neglect the romance angle either. Each heroine finds her mate and the group of them form a warm family that bonds together to solve the mystery of the Harper Bride. For a good summer read, try "Blue Dahlia," "Black Rose," and "Red Lily" by Nora Roberts.
ISBNs:
Blue Dahlia: 051513855X
Black Rose: 0515138657
Red Lily: 0515139408
Jennifer, Reference
Posted by jnardine at 10:04 AM | Comments (0)
"Lost in a Good Book" by Jasper Fforde
Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde is the second in a series (I’d recommend starting with the first book, The Eyre Affair, ISBN: 0-14-200180-5). It is hard to select a genre for this series; the stories are part science fiction, part action/adventure, part mystery, part remakes of great literature, but very readable and a lot of fun. The main character is Thursday Next, a Literary Detective with the Special Operations Network. Thursday is just as apt to interact with a literary character such as Miss Haversham from Great Expectations, as she is with “real people.” Thursday has a full plate as she tries to deal with the blackmailers who killed her husband and are after her father (he’s a rogue ChronoGuard), searches for a way to bring her husband back, tries to figure out how to save the world from imminent destruction, works to verify the authenticity of a previously unknown play by Shakespeare, and copes with the queasiness of early pregnancy. I have enjoyed this series a great deal and I suspect that people who have read a lot of the “great literature” will get even more out of it since they will understand the references to scenes and characters from books such as The Trial, Great Expectations, Alice in Wonderland, etc., etc.
ISBN: 0-14-200403-0
Pam, Reserves
Posted by jnardine at 10:02 AM | Comments (0)
May 29, 2006
"More to Life Than This" by Carole Matthews
Library Journal said, in their review, that "Matthews will charm Bridget Jones fans on both sides of the Atlantic." I have to agree, although this book is no Bridget Jones remake. There are less hilarious mishaps and more true-to-life moments in "More to Life."
Kate Wilson is afraid that she, her husband and her children are all in a rut. The kids are better behaved than the Bobsey twins, and she can't remember that last time that she and her husband Jeffrey were passionate about anything, much less each other. So Kate signs up for a week long course in Tai Chi, leaving her family in the care of a gorgeous au pair. Both Kate and Jeffrey learn an amazing amount about life, love and happiness during their week-long separation, and both are tempted by attractive members of the opposite sex. What really engaged me, though, was that the end of the story isn't a fluffy fairy tale where both ride off into the sunset with their new true loves. Matthews deals head-on with the heartache and the hard decisions involved in any major life change and does so with grace and tenderness for all the characters involved.
ISBN: 0-373-89568-2
Jennifer, reference
Posted by jnardine at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)
May 22, 2006
"Wounded" by Percival Everett
Everett ponders the nuances and stark realities of racial intolerance and hate crimes in this yarn about an African American horse trainer, John Hunt, living in a rural Wyoming community. John and his elderly uncle attend to the daily chores of mucking stalls, feeding horses, and rustling up ranch victuals in a seemingly insular world, that is, until David, the son of a college friend, arrives to protest the killing of a young, gay man. John befriends David and helps him cope with his crumbling relationship with his father. Intelligent and funny, “Wounded” lays bare the stark realities of racial and sexual bigotry in America.
ISBN: 1555974279
Renoir, Reference
Posted by jnardine at 10:54 AM | Comments (0)
May 15, 2006
"Dating is Murder" by Harley Jane Kozak
Like many of my colleagues, I read a lot of mysteries. Dating is Murder, by Harley Jane Kozak is the second in a relatively new series. If, like me, you want to read series in order, start with the first book, Dating Dead Men (ISBN: 0-7679-2123-2). The lead in these books is Wollie (short for Wollstonecraft) Shelley, an independent greeting card artist. In this book Wollie has taken on a “side-job” as a contestant on a reality TV show called “Biological Clock.” On this show three women and three men date each other in rotating fashion and in the end the audience will vote on which two would make the best parents. Although she wants a baby, Wollie’s biggest interest in the show is the health insurance (she supports a mentally ill younger brother who is currently undergoing treatment in an experimental drug trial). A young German woman, Annika, who volunteers behind the scenes on the show disappears. In addition to her work on this show, Annika is also an au pair, Wollie’s math tutor, and a volunteer with several organizations. When the police and au pair agency seem uninterested in locating Annika, Wollie begins her own search. The story is populated with Wollie’s friends and family, people Annika knew, and a mysterious stalker. Although many of the reviews of this series compare it to Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, I think I may even enjoy these more (and I love the Plum series) because the characters, though colorful are not quite so over-the-top.
ISBN: 0-7679-2124-0
Pam M, Reserves
Posted by jnardine at 10:36 AM | Comments (0)
May 08, 2006
"Penelopiad" by Margaret Atwood
Internationally acclaimed writer Margaret Atwood spins an entertaining retelling of the myth of Odysseus and his wife Penelope from the narrative perspective of women: the now dead Penelope and twelve of her maids who were hanged by Odysseus and his son Telemachus. Atwood’s Penelope counters patriarchal versions of the “wily Odysseus” and the male gaze of her beautiful, adulterous cousin, Helen of Troy, through an internal monologue that illuminates her own compassionate, faithful character. In the tradition of Aristophanes, the maids are given voice as a classical chorus, burlesquing heroic action and questioning cultural conventions. Atwood weighs the validity of Odysseus as classical Greek hero against contemporary moral conventions in this spare, yet dramatically disturbing narrative, a tension certain to keep the pages turning.
ISBN: 1841957178
Renoir G., reference
Posted by jnardine at 10:46 AM | Comments (0)
May 03, 2006
"The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
The Secret History, by Donna Tartt, was first published in 1992, but many of the issues these college students face are the same 13 years later. Exam stress, relationships, drinking, drugs, bacchanalian frenzies...well, maybe most of these things are typical college experiences! The narrator, Richard Papen, transfers to a private college in Vermont, and is quickly immersed in a tiny class of elite students who are studying Greek -- the charming gay Francis, obnoxious sponger Bunny, frightening super-intellect Henry and the beautiful, too-close twins Charles and Camilla. When an attempt to perform an ancient rite goes horribly wrong, Richard and his classmates must make decisions that will haunt the rest of their lives.
ISBN: 0679410325
Amanda F., instruction
Posted by jnardine at 11:22 AM | Comments (0)
April 17, 2006
"Northern Lights" by Nora Roberts
I just finished reading Northern Lights, by Nora Roberts. At its heart, this is a pretty basic romance novel, but the setting gives it a bit of a different spin, and a mysterious death makes this part suspense novel as well. The story takes place in Lunacy, Alaska (yes, the residents are actually called Lunatics), and there's a cute new police chief in town. He and the resident sexy female bush pilot start up a romance, and solve a 16 year old crime in the process. If you are looking for a light read with some scenic descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness, you'll definitely enjoy this book.
ISBN: 0515139742
Amanda F., Instruction Coordinator
Posted by jnardine at 09:29 AM | Comments (0)
April 10, 2006
"Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
Leprecons, trolls, and fairies, an unsupervised twelve-year-old, and criminal ambitions. Sound like a good combination? Well, it's not Harry Potter—much less involved, both in terms of plotting and character development, and meant for a slightly younger audience. It's not even Lemony Snicket, which aims for an even young crowd—but Artemis Fowl, by Eoin Colfer, delivers the same sort of fun. In the first, eponymous adventure, Fowl seeks out the fairy-folk in order to steal their gold and right his family's fortunes. This happens at the expense of Holly Short, the first female fairly member of the Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance unit, whom he kidnaps. The LEPrecon rescue efforts include a tunneling dwarf, a troll, and temporarily stopping time, but are still no match for Fowl's genius. This series, which began in 2001, has been extremely popular with tweens. I read it in an afternoon, with lots of lazy napping between chapters, and now I need to find book two in the series.
ISBN: 0786808012
Everett, reference
Posted by jnardine at 09:17 AM | Comments (0)
April 03, 2006
"Maisie Dobbs" by Jacqueline Winspear
I just read the beginning of a mystery series by Jacqueline Winspear. The book is entitled Maisie Dobbs. Although this is a mystery, I think it would be enjoyed by non-mystery readers, since it fits comfortably in the regular fiction category as well. The story takes place in 1929 and also in a long flashback of 1910-1917. Maisie is the relatively poor daughter of a costermonger (vegetable vendor) who becomes a house maid to a wealthy woman, Lady Rowan, who wants to “do good.” Maisie is educated and mentored, sent to college (at a time when women were not granted degrees at Cambridge, even after completing their coursework), becomes a nurse in The Great War, and opens her own detective agency after an internship with her mentor, with the financial support of Lady Rowan. Although there is a mystery to be solved , the bigger story deals with the changing social structure in Britain during the early part of the last century, the horrors and aftermath of the first world war, and coming to terms with loss.
ISBN: 0-14-200433-2 (pbk); 1-56947-330-7 (hc)
Pam M., reserves
Posted by jnardine at 09:17 AM | Comments (0)
March 13, 2006
"Fitzwilliam Darcy: Gentleman" by Pamela Aiden
There are lots of books that re-work classic novels. I have just read one of the many such stories that re-tell Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Pamela Aiden’s three part series, entitled Fitzwilliam Darcy: Gentleman, tells the familiar story from Mr. Darcy’s point of view. The parts are: Book 1, An Assembly Such as This (2003), Book 2, Duty and Desire (2004), and Book 3, These Three Remain (2005). Overall I liked this series. It gave me a better understanding of Darcy’s stiff and odd behavior in the original book and showed a possible explanation of how he came to change and grow into the man that Elizabeth Bennet could love, after starting off as a man she found arrogant and conceited. Although at times the story, most especially Book 2 which covers the time after Darcy leaves Netherfield and before he meets Elizabeth again at Rosings, seemed slow going and full of unnecessary dramas (a country house party with horrid people, Irish plots against the British prime minister, spies, etc.), overall it remained true to the spirit of the original and provided a plausible back-story for Mr. Darcy that led me to admire him and his struggles to influence Elizabeth Bennet even more.
ISBNs: An Assembly Such as This - 0972852905
Duty and Desire - 0972852913
These Three Remain - 0972852921
Pam M., reserves
Posted by jnardine at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)
March 08, 2006
"Haroun and the Sea of Stories" by Salman Rushdie
"Haroun and the Sea of Stories" is the most accessible of Rushdie’s novels, and this little book is almost perfect. No, seriously—in the way that "The Great Gatsby," "The Old Man and the Sea," or "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" is perfect: a brilliantly cut, brightly polished little gem, with well-drawn, believable characters working through a well-paced, reasonable (given the magical realism of the circumstances) plot.
Set in an imaginary Kashmir, in a fictional now, Rushdie’s masterwork (and I say this knowing full well what a truly magnificent book "Midnight’s Children" is—but it, like "Moby Dick," is a wonderfully, humanly flawed work, of such scope and complexity that perfection is unthinkable) is appropriate for children, in spite of the adult themes that spark the plot. Haroun, himself a child, undertakes to save his father’s career (and marriage) by traveling with a water genie to Earth’s second moon. Here, he must intervene in a war and reverse an intentional environmental disaster to save the Sea of Stories, from which his father draws the stories he tells for a living.
Of course, it all works out in the end and Haroun learns the value of stories. Read it as an environmental metaphor, as an allegory for contemporary degradation of our humanity, or simply for fun—but read it.
ISBN 0140157379
Everett W., Reference Assistant
Posted by jnardine at 10:25 AM | Comments (0)
February 20, 2006
"The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
The Kite Runner follows the story of Amir, the son of a wealthy Afghani businessman and Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant from the 1970s to the present time and from Afghanistan to the US and back again. The story moves from the rich and powerful setting in Kabul to that of an immigrant family struggling to adjust in the US. Beautifully written, I felt like I was reading both a novel and getting a history lesson at the same time.
ISBN 1594480001
Pam M., reserves
Posted by jnardine at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)
February 16, 2006
"Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides
The book Middlesex begins, "I was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a remarkably smogless Detroit day in January of 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in an emergency room near Petoskey, Michigan, in August of 1974." This story follows several generations of a Greek family, from Greece to the Detroit area and covers incest, war, life working at Ford in the early part of the last century, the 60s race riots in Detroit and growing up in the 60s and 70s. As a relatively recent transplant to Michigan, I found the local history fascinating.
ISBN: 0374199698
Pam M, Reserves
Posted by jnardine at 11:43 AM | Comments (0)
February 07, 2006
"The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger
"The Time Traveler's Wife" is the story of a man who suffers from chrono displacement disorder and is moved through time, without any control over the process. The story deals with the pain, confusion and embarrassment of this process (he always arrives naked) both for him and those people around him. The narration moves between the voice of Henry (the time traveler) and his wife, Clare, and hops around in time, just as Henry does. Their love story is unusual in that it develops in different times for the two players. Henry meets Clare when he is 28 and she is 20, but Clare first met Henry when she was 6 years old and he is over 40. I really enjoyed this book, though found it at times very sad. I did find I had to loosen up my hold on reality a bit to read the book, since when I started thinking too hard about the issues of time travel I got so wrapped up in what would be problematic about that, that I stopped enjoying the book. When I was able to just let go of those issues, I got engrossed in the story and found it a wonderful read.
Pam M., Reserves
Posted by jnardine at 01:17 PM | Comments (2)
February 02, 2006
"The Lighthouse" by P. D. James
I'd like to say that this is a compelling page turner, but P.D. James' novels are never such things. James' protagonist is a perfect description of her books: elegant, understated, insightful, poetic, disturbing. Adam Dalgleish is still surprised by mankind's ability to do evil, but he is tempered now with the wisdom of middle age and the intricacies of love. "The Lighthouse" is a quiet journey with an old friend who spins a tale of corruption and diplomacy tempered with ambition and honesty. It is a novel that I read slowly at the end of the day -- savouring each chapter's illustrations of life.
Nadia L., Reference
Posted by jnardine at 04:41 PM | Comments (0)
January 23, 2006
"The Historian" by E. Kostova
The Historian is a great mix of vampire lore, academic settings (lots of research in archives and old libraries), family secrets, and Eastern European history. Like The Da Vinci Code and The Rule of Four, The Historian is an adventure that covers large periods of time, mysterious lore and danger to the main characters. This is a long book, but beautifully written and worth the effort (of both lifting it and taking the time to read it).
UGL PRON: 999 KO-59 *H
Grad: PS 3611 .O84 H57 2005
AAEL FUN: F KOS
Pam M., reserves
Posted by jnardine at 11:39 AM | Comments (2)
January 16, 2006
"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis
I'm currently reading, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis. I've probably read it 20 times before, but with the movie coming out, I decided I wanted one last read before my imagination was tainted by a movie version of what the characters look like, etc. That said, I'm excited to see the movie--it has been getting good reviews, and one of the positive comments is that it's faithful to the book.
I do think that it's interesting-- and this has been mentioned in several reviews as well--that christian groups are taking their children to see this movie, when many of these same folks are up in arms about Harry Potter. The Narnia religious themes are more blatant, but the Harry Potter books and the Narnia books have many similar magical themes and symbols...
But I've gone off on a tangent. If you somehow missed The Lion, The
Witch, and The Wardobe as a child, I highly recommend a read as an
adult!
Amanda F., Reference and Instruction
Posted by jnardine at 11:34 AM | Comments (1)
"The Known World" by Edward P. Jones
The Known World, by Edward P. Jones is beautifully written. I was drawn in by the language of this 2004 Pulitzer Prize-winning debut novel. The book tells the story of Henry Townsend, a freed-slave turned slave owner, and his family. Set in Virginia in the 1840s, the story covers Henry’s father buying the family their freedom, the falling out between father and son over Henry owning slaves, and the lives of the people Henry and his wife, Caldonia know. The Graduate Library has a copy of this book (call number: 828 J7638kn)
-Pam M., Reserves
Posted by jnardine at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)