Tilt-a-Whirl by Chris Grabenstein

Tilt-a-Whirl is a mystery I first read about on Kay's blog, and so a nod to the lady from Austin for introducing me to a new series that is a little grittier than a cozy, but still retains many cozy elements.

Sea Haven is a tourist mecca located on a small island off the New Jersey coast, and the locals depend on the summer influx of tourists to keep their economy healthy during the rest of the year.  When a highly publicized murder occurs and the murderer isn't caught, the islanders are concerned about their finances as much as anything else.

Enter the newest police department hire John Ceepak, formerly military police, and "summer cop" young Danny Boyle.  Ceepak is a "Boy Scout" and his adherence to his strict code of conduct acknowledges no exceptions.

Although a bit annoying with his Dudley Do-Right personality, Ceepak is a thoughtful and thorough cop and proves a great mentor for Danny Boyle.

The conversation is sometimes stilted and the characters fairly stereotypical, but somehow for this particular sub-genre, it works.

This is the first novel in the series,  which has been very successful, and it will be interesting to see the series as it develops.  Many authors deepen their characters and plots with succeeding books, and I enjoyed this one enough to want to read the next in the series.

Fiction.  Mystery.  2006.  321 pages.

As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson

Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire's daughter will be getting married in two weeks, and he and Henry Standing Bear are checking out a scenic location for the wedding in As the Crow Flies, when they witness a young Indian woman fall from a cliff.

Accident, murder, suicide?  Although they are in Montana and out of Longmire's territory, he becomes involved in the investigation.

I've loved the two books in the Sheriff Longmire series I've read, and I'm just as pleased with this one.

Craig Johnson does an excellent job of bringing characters to life, describing the settings, and pulling together tight plot lines laced with both drama and humor.  This is the third in the series I've read, but I want to go back and pick up the earlier books as well.

What I like:  the characters, the humor, the information on Native Americans, the politically incorrect jokes that Indians tell about themselves, the dignity ascribed to certain elders and cultural practices, the friendship between Walt and Henry Standing Bear, the prose, the allusions (although there are fewer in this novel)....

Johnson creates believable characters; whether likable or not, they are never caricatures or stereotypes.  They are uniquely human and treated with respect.

Aided by Henry Standing Bear, and in this book, by the new Tribal Police Chief Lolo Long, Sheriff Longmire investigates Audrey Plain Feather's death, and he carries us with him in the investigation with an adept skill that brings us quietly and easily into his world.

What I dislike:  Nothing.

Oh, and I love the last names:  Katrina Walks Nice,  Herbert His Good Horse,  Audrey Plain Feather, Clarence Last Bull, Artie Small Song.... and Elk Shoulder,  Fire Crow,  Old Mouse,  Bear Comes Out,  Crazy Mule,  Bobtail Horse.

If you haven't read any of the this series,  you're missing something.  If you like Tony Hillerman or Michael McGarrity or other mysteries set in the West,  give Craig Johnson a try.  In fact, of the three (and I like them all), my favorite may be Johnson's Longmire series.

Another one from Netgalley.

Fiction.  Mystery.  May 2012.  print version- 320 pages.  Penguin Group.

Garment of Shadows by Laurie R. King

Garment of Shadows features Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes and is scheduled for release in September.

I'm happy to say that I did, indeed, enjoy Garment of Shadows which takes place right after Pirate King (which did not keep my interest).  In fact, Mary disappears from a Pirate King film location and reappears in Morocco.  She awakens in a strange room with no idea of who she is or how she got there.  Ever-resourceful,  Mary acts on instinct when soldiers arrive at the building and makes good her escape.  Since she doesn't know who she is or how she was injured, she isn't sure where to go to find the answers, but she discovers several interesting talents the she possesses (picking locks, etc.), and she acquires a young ally as she moves through the twisting streets and alleyways of Morocco.

Meanwhile, Holmes, unaware that Mary is missing from the film crew of the Pirate King, is visiting a friend and distant cousin in Morocco and learning about the threats of war, about the Rif revolt, Spain's use of poison gas against the Rif , massacres on both sides, and other internal and political difficulties of the 1920's in Morocco.   The historical facts are especially interesting to me as I didn't know much about the politics of this region, but the facts are seamlessly blended with the fiction.

This was a typical Russell and Holmes--fast-paced, good historical information, tightly plotted, old friends, and interesting new characters.  A fun read and a relief after the disappoint of the previous novel.

If you like this series, look for it in September.

This was from Netgalley, and I read it on my Kindle.

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Oh, and we've discussed at different times all of the analogues and pastiches of  concerning Holmes and Watson, books, television series, and films, and recently  I discovered a blog by Dr. Watson which is interesting.  This post lists some recent and yet to be released books, audio books,  and some upcoming Sherlock films.

Fiction.  Historical Mystery.  2012.  print version- 288 pages.  Random House.

Reading and Stitching

Once Upon a Time Round Up :

1. The Summoner:  Book I in the Chronicles of the Necromancer
2. Heartless by Gail Carriger (The Parasol Protectorate)
3. The Apothecary by Maile Meloy
4. Beauty by Sheri S. Tepper
5. River Secrets by Shannon Hale (The Books of Bayern) 
6. The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb (Vol. 1 of The Rain Wild Chronicles)
7. Dragon Haven  by Robin Hobb (Vol. 2)
8. City of Dragons by Robin Hobb (Vol. 3)

I may read another one, but then again, I may not as I'm back to enjoying my mysteries. 

 I have three more reviews scheduled--WooHoo!  I have only two more to do, and I'm caught up with reviews!

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Stitching lately has been white on white blocks of various sizes that will be sewn together eventually for a small quilt.  Moving from sorting through various vintage linen pieces and choosing various white fabrics...

vintage handkerchiefs, doilies, napkins, tatting...

to hand stitching together blocks like the one below, adding prairie points to some seams.

 

Then embellishing the seams with embroidery and adding thrifted  or vintage lace, creating button hole lace, and adding other embroidery.

And moving on to other embellishment techniques like ruching draped with French knots and bullion knots.

And puffy tufts--and more embroidery, of course.

I'm having fun with this!  There are five blocks in progress, and I move from one to another.  There is no telling how long it will take to fill almost every square inch of space on the five blocks.  

Reading and stitching--two of my favorite activities.  And some gardening, although it is really getting to hot and humid for much of that.  

The Solitary House by Lynn Shepherd

My favorite Dickens novel is Bleak House, so it isn't much of a surprise that The Solitary House caught my attention...and held it.  From the first page, I was definitely hooked by the language of Victorian London so reminiscent of  Charles Dickens, and Wilkie Collins.  The inclusion of some of the characters from Bleak House added to the fun.

Charles Maddox is the young detective who takes an assignment from the well-known lawyer Tulkinghorn, even though he has reservations about both the man and the assignment.  At the same time, he is working on a case for another client in which he is attempting to locate the client's grandchild who disappeared some sixteen years previously.  Maddox persists in searching for information about the infant, although he knows the chances of locating the grandchild are slim--at best.  Of course, from the beginning we suspect that the two cases will eventually be intertwined.

The plot is rather slowly developed, as is typical of Victorian novels, but I enjoyed the detailed descriptions of 1850 London and the unhurried revelations/clues.  Since I like Dickens and love Wilkie Collins (not the usual order of things to prefer Collins, but I love mysteries and Collins did them so well) the detail and language were not off-putting to me, but this may not be the case for some readers who may prefer a faster pace.

The omniscient narrator was sometimes beneficial and sometimes annoying--kind of an amalgam of the 4 ghosts from A Christmas Carol.  At times I appreciated the Victorian style of including the omniscient (or mostly so) narrator, and at times the voice was intrusive and distracting and, well, annoying.

 I don't like the tendency to make crimes more horrific (there is a character who presages Jack the Ripper) and more sordid than would have been included in a Victorian novel-- although beneath the surface of the prudish Victorian culture, there was definitely a great deal of sexual misconduct that spanned the social hierarchy from top to bottom.

My preference is always for the development of characters, the discovery of clues, the search for motivation, and the process of  solving the mystery rather than descriptions of the crimes themselves.  Unfortunately, the current predilection is to make the crimes increasingly gruesome and bizarre and to dwell on those aspects rather than untangling a mystery.

Charles Maddox is an intriguing  character and not  completely likable; he is a flawed individual with a number of secrets --some of which remain only hints of a prurient nature, some are gradually revealed.  His great-uncle Maddox, the famous thief-taker who has been young Charles' mentor provides a means of viewing Charles from another angle.  As the elder Maddox slips into dementia, Charles' care and concern for his great-uncle show Charles at his best.  When lucid, the older man is able to provide information and advice that aid in the investigation, and I'm sorry that his role was so limited as he was one of the more interesting characters in the novel.

The plot doesn't work all that well for me, and the conclusion has several points that bothered me a bit, but I will certainly read Shepherd's next novel to see if she reveals some of Charles' secrets that she held back on.

Fiction.  Historical Mystery.  2012.  352 pages.

Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal

Mr. Churchill's Secretary is a debut novel introducing Maggie Hope, whose parents were British, but who was raised in America.  Maggie arrives in London in 1939 to settle her grandmother's estate and sell her grandmother's house.  In September of that year, Britain declared war on Germany, and Maggie, who has made friends decides to stay and aid the war effort.

Winston Churchill  replaced Chamberlain as PM in May of 1940, and when one of  Mr. Churchill's secretaries is murdered,  Maggie is able to fill the opening, which puts her in a unique position at the heart of Britain's decision making.  Although Maggie is a mathematics whiz who postponed her entry to M.I.T. to settle her grandmother's estate, her skills are not needed in her current position...which is not to say, of course, that they will not be employed in the novel.

The historical information is interesting, and MacNeal's research as far as secretarial duties includes the memoir Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Elizabeth Layton Nel and a correspondence with Mrs. Nel.  She also cites works by other Churchill secretaries and Churchill's own memoirs of the period in the Historical Notes at the end of the novel.

The inclusion of IRA activity and links between the IRA and Nazi sympathizers and undercover agents operating in Britain was interesting.  There were, however, some historical inaccuracies that bothered me, especially concerning MI5.

Murder, spies, secret codes and code breakers, a little Bletchley Park, the Battle of Britain and the nightly bombing, the safe guarding of St. Paul's Cathedral by the Fire Watch...

Bothersome:  Maggie seems a little too modern for the time period and her mathematical brilliance didn't quite gel for me.  Some of the characters took up time, but did nothing to really advance the characterization of other characters or the plot.  The mystery concerning the death of Maggie's parents (can't say much because of spoilers) didn't ring true in many ways.

On the whole, the novel is a light, enjoyable read, but by no means as good as Winspear's series about Maisie Dobbs or the Charles Todd novels about Ian Rutledge.  The characters are not as well developed, the writing isn't as smooth, the events and history are not as well blended.  The second in the series is Princess Elizabeth's Spy due out in October.

Fiction.  Historical Mystery.  2012.  384 pages.

Two and a Half Reviews

I'm back in  mystery and mayhem mode.

Beneath the Shadows by Sarah Foster is a Netgalley read.


"In this thrilling gothic suspense debut by Sara Foster in the tradition of Rosamund Lupton and Sophie Hannah, a young mother searches Yorkshire's windswept moors for the truth behind her husband's mysterious disappearance." 


 I didn't find is suspenseful and the characters were one dimensional.  Awash in details that didn't further the plot or the characterization.  I love the setting on the Yorkshire moors, but the rest, not so much.   (Release date June 5)


Dead Scared by S.J. Bolton, another Netgalley read.  


 "When a rash of suicides tears through Cambridge University, DI Mark Joesbury recruits DC Lacey Flint to go undercover as a student to investigate. Although each student’s death appears to be a suicide, the psychological histories, social networks, and online activities of the students involved share remarkable similarities, and the London police are not convinced that the victims acted alone. They believe that someone might be preying on lonely and insecure students and either encouraging them to take their own lives or actually luring them to their deaths. As long as Lacey can play the role of a vulnerable young woman, she may be able to stop these deaths, but is it just a role for her? With her fragile past, is she drawing out the killers, or is she herself being drawn into a deadly game where she’s a perfect victim?" 


Bolton can do suspense.  I like and dislike exactly the same things I've noted about her earlier books, great tension and rushed conclusions.  Her plots are kind of out there, and the heroes always have to deal with evil, not just murder, but creepy, spooky, gruesome evil. Bolton does keep my nose in the book whatever criticisms I may have; she skillfully builds tension and keeps the reader on edge...even after you know exactly where things are going.  I also liked seeing Dr. Evi Oliver from Sacrifice take a role in this one.  (Release date June 5)



The Receptionist (an ARC from Algonquin) by Janet Groth is a memoir of Groth's years as a receptionist at the iconic New Yorker.  It starts out well and has two very interesting chapters about John Berryman and Muriel Sparks.  She drops a lot of names, as she had contact with some very important literary figures, but the chapters on Berryman and Sparks are much more detailed.  Unfortunately, the book slows down, and although I have only about 70 pages left, I haven't picked it up again.  I will finish it...eventually.  (release date June 26)




I've more than completed the Once Upon Challenge journey I chose, but may continue to read a few more in the fantasy/fairy tale genre.  I also watched Red Riding Hood with Gary Oldman, but it was pretty bad.

All I really want to read at the moment are mysteries.  :)

Hush by Donna Jo Napoli

I thought Hush would fit into the Once Upon a Time challenge, but it doesn't really, although the inspiration for Napoli's YA novel has its source in the Icelandic Saga of the People of Laxardal.

Using the names and the general circumstances of Melkorka's fate as recorded in the saga, Napoli embellishes the tale of the Irish princess taken by slave traders and purchased by an Icelandic chieftain, Hoskuld.  After her capture, Melkorka refuses to speak and is considered a mute, but when her child is two years old, Hoskuld hears her speaking Gaelic to her son.  Those are pretty much the bare facts from the saga, and Napoli uses her imagination to spin a created history around Melkorka's life.

Napoli has done an excellent job of using historical facts from the early 900's to add details to her version of Melkorka's history and creating the world in which Melkorka would have lived-- including the plants that produced the dyes for clothing, social and religious details of the time, fear of Viking raids, etc.

However, while Hush does create an interesting and historically accurate picture of Ireland in the early 10th century, most of the book is set on the slave ship or on Hoskuld's ship and feels rather placid, especially given the circumstances. The story line never offers much excitement or suspense.

I enjoyed the book; it was interesting, and yet the pace is slow--not necessarily a bad thing, but there are few surprises and little suspense.

Fiction.   YA / Historical Fiction.  2008.  340 pages.

Dragon Haven and City of Dragons by Robin Hobb (once upon a time challenge)

Dragon Haven is the second in the Rain Wild Chronicles.  Only fifteen of the sea serpents that ventured up the Rain Wild river to make their cocoons have survived, and all of them are imperfect, deformed or misshapen, arrogant, and angry at their fate.  Thanks to Mercor, the dragons have managed to manipulate humans into sending them on their journey to the ancient Elderling city of Kelsingra.

Humans:  Captain Leftrin and Alise's relationship develops, Sedric struggles with his secret purposes for the journey; Thymara's physical changes are challenging and frightening.

Dragons:   Mercor's wisdom continues to aid the dragons through their hardships on the journey; Sintara is as egoistical and vain as ever; Relpa, originally without a keeper, bonds with Sedric and becomes much more interesting, not the brightest dragon in the bunch, she has a sweetness and innocence that helps Sedric become a better person.

In  City of Dragons, both dragons and keepers explore their new environment which is across the river from the fabled city of Kelsingra.  Unable to dock the live ship Tarman on the Kelsingra side of the river, visiting the city to awaken its magic is difficult.  Although there is more game for feeding the dragons, with one exception, the dragons are still unable to fly, so the keepers are still busy hunting to keep their dragons fed.

More story lines are being developed--hopefully, to be resolved in the next book.

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If I had not expected the same quality as previous trilogies by Hobb, I wouldn't be disappointed in this series.  I found the books enjoyable, just not as good as her previous works in this fantasy world.

Whew!  I've had the heading for this review for nearly two weeks; I'm glad to have it done.

Fiction.  Fantasy.   2010 -528 pages and 2o12-352 pages.

Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb (Once Upon a Time Challenge)

I had planned to read Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb with Kailana, but last week, I couldn't resist beginning the series.  I'd finished Cryptonomicon, River Secrets, and A Rising Thunder and wanted to immerse myself in some dragon lore.

Years ago, I read Hobb's Liveship Traders trilogy and fell in love with Robin Hobb's (Megan Lindholm) fantasy.  I went on to read The Farseer trilogy and then The Tawney Man trilogy.    Eagerly awaiting each new installment.

Later, Hobb developed two more series that didn't engage me much, and there was a long drought without her fantasy.   I was more than eagerly awaiting this series.

The Rain Wild Chronicles is most closely related to the Liveship Traders and even allows brief cameos of Althea Vestrit, Brashen Trell, Paragon, and Tintaglia.  Reyn Khuprus, Malda Vestrit, and Selden Vestrit are also present in the Rain Wild Chronicles, but have smaller roles that may be expanded later.

Because!  This is not a trilogy!  In a few days, I'd gone through Dragon Keeper, and Dragon Haven, and was more than half-way through City of Dragons when I realized that there was no way Hobb could conclude this story line in what was left of the book.  Groan.  I thought I could get the whole kabob in one go...but no.  I'll have to wait.

Back to Dragon Keeper.  At the end of the Liveship trilogy, the dragon Tintaglia was leading the sea serpents up the Rain Wild River, to their hatching ground.  When they arrived, the serpents used the mud of the Rain Wild to form cases, a kind of mud chrysalis, from which they would eventually emerge as dragons.

When the time for their emergence arrived, everyone was eager to see the return of dragons to their world.  The length of time the prospective dragons had spent as sea serpents, among other factors, unfortunately had terrible consequences, and the young dragons that broke free of their shells were deformed and puny things that were unable to fly or to feed themselves.

The Rain Wilders fed the young dragons poorly and treated them as useless things for five years.  Feeding the dragons became more and more difficult, and they began to fear the dragons would not be content to satisfy their hunger with the handouts provided.  The dream of dragons returning to the world had become a nightmare.

A dragon conspiracy led by a golden dragon with more memories from the past deceives the Rain Wilders into thinking that it is their idea to send the dragons (along with dragon keepers) on a journey to the fabled Elderling city of Kelsingra.

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I enjoyed the book and rushed headlong into Dragon Haven and then to City of Dragons, but I have to say that none of the Rain Wild books have the same quality of characters and narrative pace that the other series set in this world have.

It is a good fantasy series, but not on a par with the Liveship Traders or Farseer trilogies.

Fiction.  Fantasy.  2011.  528 pages.

Dragons

I used the following quote years ago as part of a workshop presentation for the National Endowment for the Humanities and found it again on The Drawing Board blog.

"I desired dragons with a profound desire. Of course, I in my timid body did not wish to have them in the neighborhood  . . . .  But the world that contained even the imagination of Fáfnir was richer and more beautiful, at whatever the cost of peril." -- J.R.R. Tolkien (from his essay "On Fairy-Stories")

I've just finished reading the first three books in Robin Hobb's Rain Wild Chronicles and the above quote is a perfect introduction to the series:  Dragon Keeper, Dragon Haven, and City of Dragons, which are part of my reading for Carl's Once Upon a Time challenge.

A Rising Thunder by David Weber

I've followed the Honor Harrington series since On Basilisk Station and have loved many of the books in the series.  Others have been less appealing, and unfortunately, A Rising Thunder falls in the less appealing category.  


The Solarian League, manipulated by Mesa, becomes more and more foolhardy in its attempts to hold on to its power.  Manticore and Haven make an alliance, previously supposed impossible.  New weapons, many characters, machinations by the Mesan Alliance, nanotechnology....


Strangely, I was involved as I read this one, while at the same time thinking that there was nothing much to hang on to.  


Honor has taken a smaller role in recent novels (perhaps this is a good thing), but the number of characters has increased exponentially over the thirteen or so books in the series.  


The result (for me, at least) is that by giving approximately equal time to all characters and situations, it becomes difficult to develop a rapport with any of them, to latch on to their particular stories, to even sort them out as to planet, star system, history, etc.


Someone mentioned that A Rising Thunder is a kind of "bridge" to the next H.H. installment.  Hopefully, the next one will give us some time with a set of characters.
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Don't get me wrong, Weber is a mastermind in creating characters and worlds.  Having my attention spread so thin, however, didn't allow me to become attached to a particular plot wrinkle or its participants.


Fiction.  Science Fiction.  2012.  464 pages.

River Secrets by Shannon Hale (Once Upon a Time Challenge)

River Secrets continues the Bayern cycle that Hale began with The Goose Girl.  It is another fine  novel by Hale, filling in the niche between children's books and YA novels for the older set.


Young Razo is chosen to accompany the group from Bayern that travels to Tira in an exchange of ambassadors.  Razo is young, small for his age, and without the skills or the strength that others in the expedition possess.  He is a goofy, Bantam rooster kind of  kid, with great personal charm, an interest in other people, and unusual powers of observation, but he feels inferior and doesn't know why he has been chosen for this mission.


All of the members of the group are aware of the danger that threatens their mission in Tira (recently defeated in the war with Bayern).  Not all of Tira's citizens are over the grief and outrage of their losses, and some are actively calling for a return to fighting. 


When Razo discovers a burned body on their journey to Tira, no one is sure who caused the death and their concerns increase, only to multiply when they are actually ensconced in Tira itself and more burned bodies are discovered.


 Enna (of Enna Burning, the second novel in the series) is also part of the group.  Although she has come a long way in conquering her gift of fire, Razo and Finn worry about her for several reasons: they fear that she is not yet fully in command of her powers, they fear the Tirans discovering that she is responsible for so many of the Tiran deaths during the war, and against their wills, her friends fear that Enna may be the one who has burned the bodies they find.


I loved The Goose Girl and liked Enna Burning, but Razo's personality marks this book in a different way.  It is a coming of age story about a rather delightful young man and is lighter in tone (despite the many dangers) because of Razo's outlook on life.


The beginning is slow, and it took me a while to become fully invested in the story, but once there...a pleasure and a very fast read!


Fiction.   Fantasy.  2006.  310 pages.

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson

Cryptonomicon moves from WWII to the 1990's, from Shanghai, to the U.S. to Britain, to Manila--globe-hopping across the world, character hopping across the novel.

There are two basic stories:  one involves the WWII code breakers and the other, the programming geeks in the "present" who want to set up a data haven of encrypted information.

 How are they connected?  In many ways that are not obvious at first: through descendants of the characters involved in the WWII story line; codes, computers, and code-breaking; and gold.

The children and grandchildren of many of the characters from the war era, as well as some of the original characters themselves, find themselves coincidentally entangled in the second story line.

Stephenson's entire book works as a puzzle in itself as he moves from one character and one time period to another with little preparation or explanation.  First, you are in Shanghai with haiku-writing Marine Raider Bobby Shaftoe, then in North Dakota reading about the genealogy of Lawrence Pritchard Waterhouse, and then at Princeton with Waterhouse, Alan Turing, and "Rudy von something-or-other"  discussing complex algorithms (Waterhouse can't remember names; he would no doubt be diagnosed today as having Asperger's Syndrome, but Lawrence does have some social skills), and then to the present and his grandson, Randy Waterhouse in Manila, and so on and on.

Everything and everyone is connected eventually.

One of the most interesting characters is Enoch Root, a Catholic priest and member of the Societas Eruditorum.   He doesn't get as many pages, but he pops up to save Bobby Shaftoe at Guadalcanal, he pops up in Finland, in Manila, etc. and always plays a pivotal role.

 (spoiler:  at one point, I grieved for Enoch Root's death in Finland and was a bit annoyed, hoping it might be a trick.  Yet, even allowing for that possibility, it did seem that he died.  I thought maybe the emails from root@pallas.eruditorum.org were either from the organization itself or from a descendant of Enoch Root.  I'm still not sure about Enoch Root; he is a mysterious character, indeed. At one point in a jail cell with Randy in Manila...I heard Neal Stephenson rather than E.R. discussing myth)

Goto Dengo, the Japanese soldier who befriends Bobby Shaftoe before Pearl Harbor, also has fewer pages, but turns up in different scenarios and also plays a crucial role in the plot(s).

Shoot!  I can't even begin to get into the complexities of this book and all of the characters (I haven't even mentioned all of them).  I give up.

Cyptonomicon is fascinating, involved, unbelievably detailed, and covers so much territory that reducing it to a review is beyond my abilities.

What I liked best:
1) the alternate view of history and inclusion of idiosyncratic versions real characters like Turing and MacArthur, etc., and especially, everything about Bletchley Park which has long fascinated me
2) the development of the fictional characters
3) the remarkable detail, and
4) all of the marvelous excerpts that I failed to flag so I could use them as quotes.


What I liked least:
1) the role of Andrew Loeb.  It didn't hang together that well for me.
2) the abrupt conclusion

I've read many books of 900-1000 plus pages, but this one is in a league of its own.  It is a slow read and a satisfying one.  Fascinating.

Fiction.  Science Fiction/ Alternate History.  1999.  910 pages.

This and That

My goodness, I've been an absent blogger so often lately.  My good intentions don't always come to fruition; despite my goals of keeping up with this blog, I repeatedly fall behind.  Keeping up with more than one blog appears to mean that I can keep up with only one blog at a time.

At least, I finally posted my review of Sheri S. Tepper's Beauty on Sunday-- that is quite an accomplishment.  Katherine Langrish liked it, and Katherine's knowledge of fairy tale and fantasy is pretty thorough.  Not that I'm changing my opinion; I was disappointed, but Katherine has made me think about the book again.  Anyone else read this one?

My quilting and miscellaneous blog has been getting much more attention lately because I've been stitching prayer flags and experimenting with surface design techniques.  Most evenings I've settled in for stitching and watching television instead of reading, but I think I'm beginning to experience a sea change, the reading bug has begun to catch on again.

Like Carl, I'm a great fan of The Guild, but I'm all caught up with those episodes and have to wait for more.  (AACK - a note from Carl...they haven't even begun filming the new episodes).

Lately, I've been deeply immersed in Korean television series and highly recommend Tree With Deep Roots .  My friend Thomas got me addicted to this one, and now my husband is also addicted.

Finally finished Cryptonomicon!  Loved it!  Well worth the time expended on this one.  The closer I came to the end, the slower I read, the more pauses I took, the more I tried to delay the conclusion.

Almost finished with A Rising Thunder, the latest in the Honor Harrington series by David Weber and have begun River Secrets by Shannon Hale, which is part of the Bayern series and will go toward my Once Upon a Time reads.

Has anyone read the Shadow Prowler?  The third and final book in the trilogy is out, and I'm wondering if I want to give it a try.  So much better to begin a series that is already complete than having to wait for each new book.

Beauty by Sheri Tepper

Beauty is retelling of Sleeping Beauty with several other fairy tales mixed in.

(I started this review after reading the first chapters, then finished the book, and have had a huge delay in completing the review because my pleasure didn't continue.)

3/31/12 I've decided to take a few notes as I read because the Foreword intrigued me and then, in the first few pages, other incidents caught my attention.

The Foreword is written by Carabosse, "the fairy of clocks, keeper of the secrets of time."  Carabosse remarks that Beauty was given many gifts when she was born, "Though it is regrettable that no one gave her the gift of intelligence (a  gift not highly valued in Faery, she has a practicality that often makes up for that lack."

Now, intelligence is rarely mentioned in fairy tales, so I'm curious already.

A few pages into the story, Beauty describes the education she receives from her aunts.  She is taught sewing by her Aunt Marjoram "(who was herself educated by the Sisters of the Immediate Conception at St. Mary of Perpetual Surprise)" and music by her Aunt Lavender "who, though tone deaf, plays upon the lute with great brio and a blithesome disregard for accuracy."

Tepper has my full attention now and has made me smile.

-----------

4/18

The first section was so charming, so delightful.  Unfortunately, the rest of the book, although interesting, was not at all charming.  I was so disappointed.

With the first incidence of time travel, things degenerate.  Up until Beauty leaves her own time period for the first time, the story was a delightful alternative version of Sleeping Beauty--unfortunately, that was only a very small percentage of the book.

While Tepper makes several points with which I completely agree, the book becomes an unpleasant polemic.  While I can understand and completely agree with her views about our lack of care concerning the environment and her distaste for books that  celebrate violence and abuse, her bitterness defeated the purpose for me.  Tepper's inclusion of violence and abuse, her completely dark view of the fate of the world--leaves a feeling of despair.

What would have pleased me much more would have been a story that presents alternatives and inspiration for working for a change.

From such a bright beginning, the book turned into a struggle to read and on finishing it, a feeling of having accomplished nothing.

Fiction.  Fairy Tale/Time Travel/

Everything I Need

milkweed

My friend Thomas sent me this quote:


 “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." —Cicero

  I love this quote!  Thomas has been reading Fung Yu-lan, History of Chinese Philosophy.  In Mandarin or Cantonese or something, no doubt.  He did lift his head from translation long enough to think of me when he saw this quote, however.  Yea, Thomas!


Back to the quote--I have both a garden (although not nearly as wonderful as my previous garden, the one wiped out by the tornado) and plenty of books.  I'm posting  pictures of a few of my  delights as I work on creating a new garden .  

Cleome

garlic

For the last two years, I've done nothing much with my new small garden, but this year, I'm determined to include more plants that I love...thus the two new milkweed plants and the cleome.  The garlic is a volunteer from last year.  I love garlic, in food and in the flower bed.

And books--there are always books.  Some that are wonderful and some that are disappointing, but always a book to read for entertainment or information.  

I  finished Beauty by Sheri S. Tepper a while back and have been thinking about how to review it.  Such an auspicious beginning!  Sadly, after falling in love with the beginning, I found the rest of the book a painful contrast.  I've resisted reviewing it because ofthis, but do want to make some comments about it.  Has anyone else read this one?

On the other hand, I'm loving Cryptonomicon and am in awe of Neal Stephenson.   The more I read, the more invested I become in the characters.  At the moment, I'm very concerned about Bobby Shaftoe who is now in Manila awaiting the arrival of General MacArthur.  Stephenson deals with Japanese atrocities in a way that does nothing to ameliorate the horror,  yet somehow manages to keep enough distance (and enough satiric humor) to make it bearable.  

In the present day section, I think Randy Waterhouse will be OK, despite being in jail because someone planted drugs in his luggage.  The section on Randy's wisdom teeth is priceless and comparing the removal of his wisdom teeth to his love for Amy is...somehow...oddly perfect.  Randy was not one of my favorite characters initially, and I'm glad that I've grown so fond of him.

Stephenson is a Wizard!  

Slight Digression:  Has anyone watched The Guild?  Wil Wheaton has become a regular and the guest stars in Season Five are amazing!

This post jumps around like I was on Benzedrine (via Bobby Shaftoe)!

Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George

Believing the Lie is an Inspector Lynley mystery.  Although George's books are long, they read very quickly.  Unfortunately, I have not enjoyed the series as much since she killed off Helen.

Description from Amazon:  Inspector Thomas Lynley is mystified when he's sent undercover to investigate the death of Ian Cresswell at the request of the man's uncle, the wealthy and influential Bernard Fairclough. The death has been ruled an accidental drowning, and nothing on the surface indicates otherwise. But when Lynley enlists the help of his friends Simon and Deborah St. James, the trio's digging soon reveals that the Fairclough clan is awash in secrets, lies, and motives.


What I like:  the book reads very quickly and does keep my attention.  I like Barbara Havers and Winton (although Winton is not really a part of this one).  As a side note, Barbara mentions Lynley's Lobb shoes.  I looked Googled it, and Lobb's boots and shoes are quite expensive  -- check the price list.   Got several grand to spare, get a pair of Lobb's boots. 


Not so much: 


1)  Simon and Deborah St. James have, in the last several books, become more and more  annoying.   The plot line about their inability to have a child is supposed to support the main plot line, but is irritating.  Deborah's behavior is idiotic.


2) The reporter for the scandal sheet and his "girl friend" -- silly.  Their phone conversations are too silly to discuss.   Not a bad idea, but ultimately, a failure. 


3) Lynley's attraction to Isabelle.  Didn't like it much in the previous book, either, but at least it is resolved in this one.


4) The story line with Tim, Ian's young and troubled son--he was an interesting character until it just got out of hand.   Troubled is one thing, where George carries it, quite another.
------
Remember these are just my personal opinions.  I used to love this series, but ...


Fiction.  Mystery.  2012.  624 pages.

Back From New Orleans Trip

We had a short road trip following Bayou Teche from Port Barre to Morgan City.  Then on to New Orleans and back through Baton Rouge.  It was great fun, and I've covered the highlights over at Bayou Quilts.

I've got a review of Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George scheduled and need to write a review of Beauty by Sheri S. Tepper.

Cryptonomicon is still in progress, and I'm still enjoying it, but have to include other books as breaks...thus the two mentioned above.


Watched an interesting documentary, Millay at Steepletop.  Edna St. Vincent Millay is one of my favorite poets, and I enjoyed the documentary in honor of National Poetry Month.

Here is one of her poems that fits the Once Upon a Time Challenge.

Bluebeard

This door you might not open, and you did;
So enter now, and see for what slight thing
You are betrayed... Here is no treasure hid,
No cauldron, no clear crystal mirroring
The sought-for truth, no heads of women slain
For greed like yours, no writhings of distress,
But only what you see... Look yet again—
An empty room, cobwebbed and comfortless.
Yet this alone out of my life I kept
Unto myself, lest any know me quite;
And you did so profane me when you crept
Unto the threshold of this room to-night
That I must never more behold your face.
This now is yours. I seek another place. 

Edna St. Vincent Millay

---------

Ten Amazing Life Lessons You Can Learn from Albert Einstein posted on Dumb Little Man.

The Apothecary by Maile Meloy (Once Upon a Time)

The Apothecary is a book for young readers, but like all good books, it is a story that appeals to all ages.  A fantasy with some important and often neglected history mixed in, the novel begins with a move from the U.S. to London for fourteen-year-old Janie Scott.

Janie's parents are screen writers in 1952 during the time of the Hollywood Black Lists.  When Janie's family comes under surveillance, her parents know that if they are called to testify, they would be asked to name names, putting an end to many careers.  They decide to move to London where they have been offered a job working on a television series about Robin Hood.

(By the by, this period in our history is a shameful one that really does deserve more attention.   Many innocent people were denied the right of the First Amendment and lost their jobs during the McCarthy witch hunts.   John Huston, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, and Danny Kaye were among those who protested and formed The Organization for the First Amendment. )

Back to the novel, Janie is very unhappy with her parents about this move (something I could identify with as a move at that age brought out the worst in me and drove my poor parents crazy).  She misses her old school and her friends; she must attend a new school as the odd-man out.  She even has difficulty understanding the English -- same language, different pronunciation.

She does make a new friend, however, in Benjamin Burrows, son of the local apothecary.  The Cold War is at its height, the Russians are the enemy, the "duck and dive" mentality is the useless caution against nuclear warfare, spies are everywhere for both the good guys and the bad guys, and treasonous activities occur.

 Janie and Benjamin become involved in an adventure neither could have imagined, complete with spies, kidnappings, and magic.

I'm not going to tell you any more, but I am going to send you to Nan's review (Letters from a Hill Farm) because her review is the reason I checked out this book.

I have already Googled a bunch of sites on the Hollywood Blacklist and the House of  Un-American Activities Committee and plan to eventually do some nonfiction reading about this period.  Although this is background material only for the novel, and I've read some in this area before, my interest has increased.

Fiction. Fantasy/YA.  2011.  353 pages.

Saturday Thoughts

Yes, I'm still reading Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson and will be reading it for at least another week.  I'm liking the WWII parts much better than the more current story line.  I enjoy Stephenson's sly humor and there are sections that make me stop and ponder how much research he did before altering history, must have been pretty exhaustive.  This sends me to the internet to check out events and characters in actual history.  The section on Yamamoto is some of his best tongue-in-cheekiness.

Reading the Stephenson version of Yamamoto's thoughts makes me wonder what Yamamoto was actually thinking as he considered  Japan's Imperial Army vs the Americans.  Anyway, here is an excerpt of Yamamoto's fictional thoughts:

The Yanks call this type of plane "Betty," an effeminatizing gesture that really irks him [Yamamoto].  Then again, the Yanks name even their own planes after women, and paint naked ladies on their sacred instruments of war!  If they had samurai swords, Americans would probably decorate the blades with nail polish.

To say the novel is complex, however, is understating the situation.  Stephenson slips from one character to another, from one time period to another, from one location to another with little warning.  He indulges in detail that obviously tickles him, but that I often have no clue about--especially when talking computers in the modern sections of the novel.

Earlier in the novel, there was a section that most certainly referenced Operation Mincemeat (Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory).  The actual body used for the real Operation Mincemeat was not a butcher frozen to a pig, but the idea speaks loads for preservation.

In the meantime, I'm also reading Elizabeth George's Believing the Lie...an Inspector Lynley mystery which reads a whole lot faster than Cryptonomicon.

I have a third Once Upon a Time review scheduled.  I checked the library for several books I was looking for with no luck.  I guess I'll have to order a couple of them and get the rest on interlibrary loan.

The ARCs are piling up.  Most are unsolicited and many don't appeal to me, but this one looks interesting:  A Silence of Mockingbirds -- arrived Thursday.  Except this book is nonfiction about a child murder--I don't usually want that kind of reality.  An article in the Huffington Post gives the author's reasons for writing the book.  Maybe later...but not now.

At the moment, I'm looking more for escape literature, not reality.  The world is harsh, give me fictional drama, hopefully happy endings.  Fairy tales and fantasy and mysteries.

What are you reading?

Heartless by Gail Carriger (Once Upon a Time)

Heartless is the 4th novel in the Parasol Protectorate series about Alexia Tarrabotti.  I loved the silliness and satire of the first book in the series, but enjoyed the next two much less.  Heartless is definitely an improvement over the last two.

 Minor characters are becoming more interesting to me than Alexia and Conall.  Mr. Floote, the butler, has such aplomb.  Professor Lyall and Lord Akadelma are both intriguing.  Werewolves and vampires and more.

While I did like Heartless better than the two previous books, I still can't say that I felt any where near the pleasure of Soulless, the introductory novel to the series.  The first one was a delight.

The Once Upon a Time Challenge.  My second book for the challenge.

Fiction.  Urban Fantasy.  2011.  374 pages.

I MUST See This!

Oh, the timing is so perfect for the Once Upon a Time Challenge.

The Summoner: Book I in the Chronicles of the Necromancer

The Summoner  recounts  a "hero's journey" a la Joseph Campbell.


Here is the formulaic plot line:  Prince Martris Drayke is the only survivor of his brother Jared's coup. When Jared has the rest of the royal family murdered,  a wounded Tris manages to escape with the help of his friends.  Always able to communicate with the palace ghosts, the trauma of his family's murders releases additional powers that Tris has been unaware of possessing.

And then:

He must find a way to control his powers and use them to defeat Jared and put an end to the senseless brutality that Jared and his own mage have forced on the kingdom.

 His friends are helpful.

 He meets new friends who join his cause.

There is a beautiful warrior princess.

 He finds tutors to help him understand his magical powers.

While there is no real depth to the novel or the characters,  it is a quick and easy read.   I don't regret having read it by any means, but neither am I inclined to  seek out other books in the series.

Once Upon a Time Challenge VI

Fiction.  Fantasy.  2009.  Print version - 644 pages.  I read an e book on my Kindle.

Fairy Tales and Poetry

I was looking through some old drafts and found several fairy tale poems that I'd linked to or posted for the Once Upon a Time Challenge several years back.

I love poetry, and combining poetry and fairy tales has produced some wonderful, delicious, frightening, and/or funny poems.

Here is a delightful poem "How to Change a Frog into a Prince" by Anna Denise; originally published in The Poets' Grimm: 20th Century Poems from Grimm Fairy Tales.  I posted this poem a couple of years ago during the Once Upon a Time Challenge, and still it touches me with both humor and truth.

Another post that I've had in draft form for about a year is a poem by Jane Yolen (can't beat Jane Yolen for poetry and fairy tales).  Another transformational poem.

Swan / Princess by Jane Yolen 

1
When the change came
she was sitting in the garden
embroidering an altar cloth,
thin gold thread working the crown of Christ.
First her neck
arching like cathedral vaultings.
Dress rippling at the shoulder accomodated wings:
white-vaned, white-feathered like Oriental smocking.
Hands and feet tangling into orange legs,
inelegant, powerful as camshafts.
When her head went, she cried,
not for pain, but for the loss
of her soft, thin lips
so recently kissed by the prince.
Not even the sweet air,
not even earth unfolding beneath her
recompensed for those lost kisses
or the comfort of his human arms.

2

When the change came
she was floating in the millpond,
foam like white lace tracing her wake.
First her neck shrinking,
candle to candleholder,
the color of old, used wax.
Wings collapsed like fans;
one feather left,
floating memory on the churning water.
Powerful legs devolving;
Powerful beak dissolving.
She would have cried for the pain of it
had not remembrance of sky sustained her.
A startled look on the miller's face
as she rose, naked and dripping,
recalled her to laughter,
the only thing she had really missed as a swan.


(via Endicott Studio)

There are several lines I love, but the last 6 lines are my favorites.

Since I am, for the first time in a couple of months or more, settling back into reading mode, my nightly activities have switched from 4-6 hours of sewing, crafting, and watching tv series on Netflix as I sew and craft--to reading like someone starved for words.

I've finished Heartless by Gail Carriger, The Summoner:  Bk. I by Gail Martin,  and The Apothecary by Maile Meloy (thanks to Nan) and enjoyed all of them.  Heartless is Steampunk fantasy, but I'm undecided as to whether or not to include it as a Once Upon a Time book choice; the other two definitely fit into the Once Upon a Time category.

I've started Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, a massive and complicated tome that was not really what I intended to check out, but the library didn't have Snow Crash.  So...how did I end up reading Neal Stephenson, an author I was not familiar with until a few days ago?

I stopped in at So Many Books and read her post about optimistic science fiction (you can find the post here), then followed her links, then put Snow Crash on my list.  The library didn't have Snow Crash, but they did have Cryptonomicon, and I remembered that Stefanie had given it high praise.  I have also long been fascinated by codes and code breakers, especially anything to do with the Enigma machine and the Navajo Code Talkers of WWII.

Hesitating when I saw the size of Crypto, and knowing how much I love the fairy tale, fantasy, and myth to which I intended to devote myself, I just couldn't resist the connection to Enigma and tucked the huge book in my bag.  What I didn't bargain for was the complexity of the book...it is gonna' take a while to get through these 800+ pages!  I could have read an entire book or two in the time I spent getting through about 75 pages until after midnight last night!

I like it, and I like the tongue-in-cheek-iness of it, but NUMBERS and FORMULAS are not my thing.  On the other hand, I'm always so impressed with individuals who do understand math and physics and abstractness to the most randomness possible.  I'm as captivated by these individuals as I am by David Weber's weaponry and military tactics (another realm of possibility beyond my abilities).

I am an eclectic reader.  :)

Lists and DNF

 Are you one of those individuals who love lists?  I am.  I make them, lose them, find them, usually too late to make use of them. And I enjoy reading lists that other people make.

Dickens now qualifies as my favorite list maker of all time.  He created this list of fake books for his library at Tavistock.  And then, AND THEN...he had a bookbinder create the fake book backs and added them to the shelves.   (found via Mary's Library--thanks, Mary!)

The first few titles from his list:

History of a Short Chancery Suit
Catalogue of Statues of the Duke of Wellington
Five Minutes in China. 3 vols.
Forty Winks at the Pyramids. 2 vols.

My embroidery interlude appears to be waning, and I'm enjoying a return to the reading cycle.  I'm so ready to immerse myself in the Once Upon a Time Challenge and have finished The Summoner: Book I of the Necromancer Chronicles by Gail Martin.

Today, I have a trip to the library scheduled to see if I can find some of the titles I've added to the list of possibilities for the challenge.  I love our library, and although they don't always have the books I'm looking for, I usually find plenty to keep me busy.

In the DNF file:  Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi.  I got half way through, sometimes thinking I'd like it, then openly bored, then a little interest...until I finally decided I didn't really like Mr. Fox, or Daphne, or Mary Fox enough to continue the strange little chapters of stories that were only vaguely connected.

I really enjoyed The Icarus Girl by Oyeyemi, and even enjoyed much of her style in Mr. Fox, but the fairy tale variations didn't engage me--or maybe they did, but they didn't satisfy.  It would have been a good read for Once Upon a Time, but just didn't work for me.

Great cover, though, don't you think?  Has anyone read this?  What did you think?

How Firm a Foundation by David Weber

I have some favorite authors whose books keep me enthralled, and David Weber is my very favorite in the science fiction genre.  How Firm a Foundation is the 4th in the Safehold series; I love this series, maybe even more than the Honor Harrington books.

I read a lot of series out of order and don't usually find it a challenge, but David Weber's books really do need to be read in order.  All of his books are long, complex, and full of characters; in How Firm a Foundation there are 28 pages listing characters.  By this latest book in the series, of course, many of the characters are dead, having met their ends in previous books in the series, but new characters have been added.

But here's the thing that really makes me marvel--almost every character has a distinct personality, even if that character doesn't last long.   None are simply cardboard drones. There are a lot of major players located in different countries, and each of these have fully rounded personalities and lives.

How Firm a Foundation continues the saga of the fight for survival of the Charisian Empire as they battle The Church of God Awaiting and its corrupt and fanatic leaders.

The series begins with Off Armageddon Reef which I reviewed in 2007.  I love the way the people of Charis begin a renaissance of technology.  Now I have to wait for September for the publication of the next installment.

Fiction.  Science Fiction.  2011.  607 pages.