Island of Bones by Imogen Robertson

Island of Bones is scheduled for release Oct.  11.  I read the first of this series, Instruments of Darkness, about Harriet Westerman and anatomist Gabriel Crowther last year.  Evidently I've missed the second in the series and will have to go back and pick it up.

In this book, Crowther must confront episodes from his own past, as he and Harriet travel to his family home to investigate the discovery of an extra body in a tomb.  The family estate, which Crowther sold years ago, evokes memories that the reclusive Crowther would prefer to forget.

The unexpected body discovered in the tomb is only one of the mysteries that the unusual pair must unravel.  The reason behind the visit of Crowther's sister and her son, a missing girl, another body, a "cunning" man respected by the entire village, the murder of a local museum owner...how do all of these strange incidents fit together?

This is a series that I really enjoy, largely because I like the characters, but I found the first chapter or two slow.  When the book picked up, however, my interest was totally engaged.  Robertson does a good job with both the major and minor characters, and I enjoyed the setting and the details of Crowther's attempts at forensic science with the knowledge and instruments available in the 1780's.

Another Net Galley read from the Penguin Group.

Fiction.  Historical Mystery.  2012.  Print version 384 pages.

Clio Loves to Read

My latest Eccentric creation:  Clio, Goddess of Epic Poetry.

You know those ARCs that you don't care to pass along 

or donate to Goodwill, etc.?

After seeing a couple of "book dolls" online,

I decided to fold some pages 

and create my own.

More pics over at Bayou Quilts.

Two More Completed

Murder in Mumbai  by K.D. Calamur (Netgalley ARC) begins when two burglars discover a dead body and in a panic, decide to dispose of it themselves.  When the body is eventually discovered, Inspector Vijay Gaikwad and journalist Jay Ganesh approach the case from different vantage points.

Some of the most interesting parts of the novel have to do with the contrasts and conditions of Bombay/Mumbai.  The novel is very short and the characters don't seem fully developed.  I found it difficult to care much about the victim as she remained a bit of a cipher, but I did enjoy some of the details about Mumbai.

E-book from Netgalley/Penguin.

Fiction.  Mystery.  2012. print version:  184 pages.


The White Forest by Adam McOmber is a little bit Gothic, a little bit Supernatural, and a lot less than I hoped for.  Jane Silverlake has an unusual gift:  she can see the souls of man-made objects.  (?)

Largely separated from society in her father's crumbling mansion, Jane has two close friends, Maddy and Nathan.  When Nathan goes missing, Jane and Maddy believe his disappearance has something to do with Ariston Day's cult following.

The blurb sounded interesting, but the novel failed to really capture my interest or concern for the characters.

Netgalley ARC e-book.

Fiction.  Gothic/Mystery.  2012.  print version:  320 pages.

Peaches for Father Francis

Peaches for Father Francis continues the story of Vianne Rocher which Harris began with Chocolat.  Vianne returns to Lansquenet with her daughters Anouk and Rosette after receiving a letter from her friend Armande Voizin.  The letter was written before Armande's death, but by a strange (magical?) coincidence, makes its way to Vianne at a time when her presence is indeed needed.

What Vianne finds in Lansquenet is a community divided by culture and religion:  Catholic and Muslim.  To add to the strange atmosphere, Father Francis, Vianne's former nemesis, needs her help.

Although there are magical and evocative portions (typical Harris in creating a living atmosphere), I found much of the novel a bit forced.  Nevertheless, if you've enjoyed previous books in the Chocolat series, you will appreciate the opportunity to catch up on some of the characters.

An ARC e-book from Netgalley.  Publication date:  Oct. 2

Fiction.  Magical Realism.  2012.  print version:  464 pages.

Since I Can't Make Myself Write Reviews

Via Booktopia

The tail under the nose is so typical!

And visit Steve McCurry's blog post:
To read is to fly  wonderful photos and quotes!

The Joy Brigade by Martin Limon

I never got around to reviewing The Joy Brigade (an ARC from Netgalley), but here is part of the book description from Amazon:

"Seoul, early 1970s: US Army Sergeant George Sueño is on a mission of extreme importance to the South Korean government, as well as the US Army. Kim Il-Sung has vowed to reunite North and South Korea into one country before he hands control of the government over to his son, which means North Korea is planning to cross the DMZ and overpower the American-allied South Korean government. Sueño's mission is to prevent this by sneaking into North Korea and obtaining an ancient map detailing the network of secret tunnels that run underneath the DMZ. To do so, he will have to go undercover and infiltrate the North Korean Communist inner sanctum."

Although I guess I'd give the book 3 out of 5 stars, the novel spurred me to further research on North Korea and the Joy Brigade.

From Wikipedia:  "The Gippeumjo (translated variously as Pleasure Group, Pleasure Groups, Pleasure Squad, Pleasure Brigade, Joy Brigade, or Joy Division) is a collection of groups of approximately 2,000 women and girls between the ages of 13 and 40 (although most are believed to be between 18 and 25), which are maintained by the head of state of North Korea for the purpose of providing pleasure and entertainment for high-ranking Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) officials and their families, as well as occasionally also distinguished guests."

And from Yahoo-Answers:    "In North Korea there is a thing they call the "Joy Brigades." President and dictator Kim Jung Il keeps a stable of the country's prettiest girls as young as Grade nine. Their purpose is to please him, the Dear Leader, as well as to serve as sex slaves for his top beureaucrats and military elite. Sometimes they are given to 'friends' as party favours."

Disturbing, to say the least.

And more facts of which I was ignorant:

 North Korea is about the size of one U.S. State, yet has the 4th largest army in the world.

"North Korea is the most militarized country in the world today,^[6] having the fourth largest army in the world, at about 1,106,000 armed personnel, with about 20% of men ages 17–54 in the regular armed forces.^[7] Military service of up to 10 years is mandatory for most fit people. It also has a reserve force comprising 7,700,000 personnel.^[8] It operates an enormous network of military facilities scattered around the country, a large weapons production basis, a dense air defense system,^[9] the third largest chemical weapons stockpile in the world,^[10] and includes the world's largest Special Forces contingent (numbering 180,000 men).^[11] While the aging equipment,^[12] deriving from the economic plight of the country, is seen as major defect of the North Korean military capability, it is nevertheless regarded as a significant threat due to its size and proximity to major civilian areas."   (from Wikipedia)

If North Korea were your home instead of The United States you would...

have 8.2 times higher chance of dying in infancy

consume 98.88% less oil

make 95.91% less money

use 93.84% less electricity

die 14.11 years sooner

spend 99.99% less money on health care

have 5.42% more babies

Fiction's Science Lessons

An interesting article in The Guardian:  Fiction's Science Lessons.  The article is by Charles  Fernyhough, author of Pieces of Light.

I read the article, then looked up Fernyhough's novel.  I'm adding Pieces of Light to my list after reading this description on Amazon:

Why we remember what we remember? Memory is an essential part of who we are. But what is a memory, and how do we remember? A new consensus is emerging among cognitive scientists: rather than possessing a particular memory from our past, we construct it anew each time we are called upon to remember. Remembering is an act of narrative as much as it is the product of a neurological process. "Pieces of Light" illuminates this theory through a collection of human stories, each illustrating a facet of memory's complex synergy of cognitive and neurological functions. Drawing on the latest research, case studies and personal experience, Charles Fernyhough delves into the memories of trauma victims and amnesiacs; and of the very young and very old - visiting medieval memoria and scent-museums along the way. Exquisitely written and meticulously researched, "Pieces of Light" blends science and literature, the ordinary and the extraordinary, to illuminate the way we remember and forget.

Shadowfell

Shadowfell is due out in September.  I've read it and loved it.

(an ARC from Netgalley and Random House Children's Books)

The first in a new series by Julier Marillier, Shadowfell is set in Scotland in a time when individuals with magical skills are enslaved or destroyed by the Enforcers who use a kind of mind manipulation that can, if successful, make the victim obedient to the king, or if unsuccessful, destroy the individual's personality and reason.

Neryn has a magical gift, and after her village is decimated, she finds herself on the run with her only remaining family member, her father.  The father's guilt and grief, however, turn him into a drunk and a gambler who no longer serves as protection for his daughter; he wagers Neryn in a game and loses her to a young man who quickly departs taking Neryn with him-- just before the Enforcers arrive to kill and plunder.

At the first opportunity, Neryn takes off on her own, seeking Shadowfell and the rebels against the king who dwell there.  When Flint, the young man who won (and rescued Neryn) discovers her absence, he sets out in search of Neryn.  But for what purpose?

I have to admit that I fell headlong into this fantasy and completely enjoyed the adventure, the folk magic, the Good Folk (Sorrow, Sage, Silver and others), and the eventual arrival in Shadowfell.

My main complaint is the fact that I will have to wait for the next book in the trilogy.

Shadowfell Page

As this was from Netgalley, I read it on my Kindle in May, but have held the review.

Fiction.  Fantasy/YA.  2012.  print version 416 pages.

In Progress

Last year I received an ARC of Jonathan Evison's West of Here (my review) and loved it.  It was a strange book in many ways, but I really liked it.  A while back, I received another Evison ARC, The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving:  A Novel.

Because I've been so busy with other projects, I put off reading it.  Last night, I finished a book and went looking for something else to read, and Evison's new novel was a perfect fit.

Wow!  So very different from West of Here, but I'm already loving it!  Expecting a similar style and content, but a different story, I was surprised to note all of the differences.  What is the same is Evison's ability to create characters you care about, flawed and human, quirky and funny and sometimes sad.  Thank you, Algonquin!

Read recently, but not reviewed -- Murder in Mumbai by K.D. Calamur, Night Watch by Linda Fairstein, and Fated by Benedict Jacka.
-----

Do you ever wonder about reviews that use words like luminous, brilliant, fresh, surprising, and inventive, but when you read it, you find it dim, stale, predictable, and derivative?

I'm reading one of those right now.  Well, I was.  It has been put aside.  Since it is very short, I may return and finish it at some later date, but I wonder about the people who reviewed it.

Did they really like it?  Were they paid?  Does it get better?  Am I just an odd man out?
----
In the film department, if you have the chance, you should see The Intouchables, a brilliant (in my-- ;-p --humble opinion) French film that is uplifting and funny.

The Vanishing Point by Val McDermid

The Vanishing Point is due out Sept. 2.  I'm still debating what I thought about it.  Having read quite a few of her novels and watched the BBC series Wire in the Blood (which is pretty dark), I usually enjoy  McDermid's work, but this novel had a couple of things that bothered me.

I didn't like the way the story was told, but found the story itself intriguing.  When Stephanie Harker's young ward is snatched at an airport, she is devastated.  Detained in a glass inspection box because a pin in her leg set off the metal detector, Stephanie is able to see the man walk off with Jimmy, but is unable to get out and prevent it.  Her response is immediate and forceful, but when she is able to get out of the inspection box, airport security personnel, unaware of the abduction, attempt to subdue her and eventually Taser her.

Later, after it is clear that young Jimmy has been abducted, but after the kidnapper has already made a clean get away, Stephanie tells her story to the FBI agent on the case.

The detail of Stephanie's life leading up to her guardianship as related to the FBI agent doesn't work for me.  I wish another way to tell the story had been used because I just couldn't make a couple of hundred book pages fit into a few hours of relating the story orally.

The story itself, however, is engrossing.  Stephanie, a ghost writer, agreed to ghost the story of Scarlet Higgins, a rather infamous reality show star.  During this period, Stephanie comes to realize that Scarlet has a long-range plan for financial success and is by no means the bimbo she projects to the media.  A friendship forms and grows throughout Scarlet's pregnancy and the first few years of young Jimmy's life.  When Scarlet succumbs to a second bout of cancer, Stephanie is named as Jimmy's guardian.

Stephanie's distress over losing Jimmy is palpable, and when all leads have been exhausted in the U.S., Stephanie returns to England and continues searching for clues that might lead to finding Jimmy alive.

The final shocking twist is another bothersome detail for me, as it seems so out of character.

So...while I found the story itself intriguing, the framing of so much of the story as an oral recounting to the FBI agent and the final twist were drawbacks for me.

The ARC was an e-book from Net Galley and Atlantic Monthly Press.

Fiction. Mystery.  Sept., 2012.  Print version 416 pages.

Two by Paolo Bacigalupi

After hearing Paolo Bacigalupi's Comic Con interview on NPR, I ordered two of his books:  Ship Breaker and The Windup Girl.

I read Ship Breaker first and enjoyed it; however, I'm not sure it rates as a novel, even a YA novel--more like a long short story or novella.  It was interesting to see some possibilities of a post-apocalyptic world, but the story gives no hint of how this "new" world developed.  Yes, the seas rose, but that doesn't give ample explanation for the situation.

Brief synopsis:  Nailer is an adolescent boy who works for a crew that scavenges oil tankers.  (These tankers have been abandoned after whatever apocalyptic event occurred.)  Live is harsh and basic, the strong prey on the weak, survival is paramount for most individuals.

When Nailer discovers a wrecked clipper ship driven on shore by a powerful hurricane, he thinks he has made a Lucky Strike that will provide the means for him survive and to escape his drunken, abusive father.  What he finds, in addition to the dead crew, is a young girl who has survived.  The girl presents a dilemma for Nailer:  if he lets her die, his chances of making the most of his Lucky Strike are much greater -- if he rescues her, he may lose any chance of a better life.

Although I enjoyed the action, the world Bacigalupi builds seems like a facade.  You know, the kind of Western town in movies that has all the fronts of the buildings and nothing behind them.  The scavenging makes sense in Nailer's world, but the tremendous contrast between the "Corporate" world and the poverty and lawlessness of Nailer's environment is never explained or examined.

dystopian novel.  2011.

The Windup Girl, on the other hand, is definitely not a YA book.  Despite the novel's having won both the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award for best 2010 novel, I can find little to recommend it...unless you enjoy violence and degradation.

Another dystopian novel, this one takes place in Thailand after the whatever apocalyptic event has taken place.  While both Bacigalupi's world building and prose are widely praised, I didn't find either satisfying.  The characters are thin stereotypes and none of them are really likable.  It is a disturbing story and often very slow; sections feel padded with sentences and paragraphs that fail to add anything new or important.  The dialogue is stilted and the psuedo-science of kink springs, etc. failed to make sense to me.

I admire Bacigalupi's attempts (in both novels) to point out some of the dangerous policies of societies and governments, some of the threats and consequences of climate change, and some of the scary practices of big agriculture.  Unfortunately, not much in The Windup Girl worked for me.  This is just my opinion--I know many people love this novel.

dystopian novel.  2011

This and That

Although I haven't been reading as much lately, I have quite a few reviews scheduled for closer to the time of publication.   A lot of the scheduled reviews were read in May or June.

July and August have been slow reading months, but I did read The Windup Girl and Shipbreaker by Paolo Bacigalupi, Night Watch by Linda Fairstein, and The White Forest .....need to review them.


interesting article about science fiction

good science fiction reading list

people reading on flickr

Booker Prize Long List

What I have been doing (instead of reading) is making a boro jacket, working on white on white pieces, and making encrusted pieces of embroidery.

I posted lots of progress pictures on Bayou Quilts.

I've done at least 9 of these encrusted pieces.

Two of the white on white blocks in progress...

I've done more on both of these since the pictures were taken.

Comic-Con 2012

On our way back from Baton Rouge the other day, we were listening to interviews from Comic-Con -- the program kept us captivated with interviews with Joss Whedon (my hero); Gale Ann Hurd (executive producer of The Walking Dead); Rian and Nathan Johnson about Looper, the concept and the musical score; comments on Farscape, the Australian science fiction series that I thoroughly enjoyed; an interview with Paolo Bacigalupi, author of The Drowned Cities, The Windup Girl, and Shipbreaker (I ordered The Windup Girl and Shipbreaker as soon as I got home); an interview with Tracy Hickman--and more!

Looper is definitely on my list of Must See Movies.



We listened on SiriusXM Comic-Con Radio.  Other interviews that we didn't get to hear were with Peter Jackson, Tim Burton, Stan Lee, and cast and crew members from Iron Man, Dr. Who, True Blood, and Twilight.

TBR

Recently arrived in the mail:  4 ARCs and 1 uncorrected proof.

The Wedding Guests by Meredith Goldstein:

"From Meredith Goldstein, the author of the Boston Globe's hilarious 'Love Letters' advice column, comes her debut novel The Wedding Guests. This light-hearted, witty tale about five tricky wedding guests is perfect for fans of the box office smash hit comedy Bridesmaids."

On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves:  

"Anna Emerson is a thirty-year-old English teacher desperately in need of adventure. Worn down by the cold Chicago winters and a relationship that’s going nowhere, she jumps at the chance to spend the summer on a tropical island tutoring sixteen-year-old T.J.

T.J. Callahan has no desire to go anywhere. His cancer is in remission and he wants to get back to his normal life. But his parents are insisting he spend the summer in the Maldives catching up on all the school he missed last year.

Anna and T.J. board a private plane headed to the Callahan’s summer home, and as they fly over the Maldives’ twelve hundred islands, the unthinkable happens. Their plane crashes in shark-infested waters. They make it to shore, but soon discover that they’re stranded on an uninhabited island."

The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison:

Title will be released on August 28.  I read and enjoyed West of Here by Evison, so I'm interested in this one.

"Benjamin Benjamin has lost virtually everything—his wife, his family, his home, his livelihood. With few options, Ben enrolls in a night class called The Fundamentals of Caregiving, where he is instructed in the art of inserting catheters and avoiding liability, about professionalism, and on how to keep physical and emotional distance between client and provider.

But when Ben is assigned to tyrannical nineteen-year-old Trevor, who is in the advanced stages of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, he soon discovers that the endless mnemonics and service plan checklists have done little to prepare him for the reality of caring for a fiercely stubborn, sexually frustrated adolescent with an ax to grind with the world at large.

Though begun with mutual misgivings, the relationship between Trev and Ben evolves into a close camaraderie, and the traditional boundaries between patient and caregiver begin to blur as they embark on a road trip to visit Trev’s ailing father. A series of must-see roadside attractions divert them into an impulsive adventure interrupted by one birth, two arrests, a freakish dust storm, and a six-hundred-mile cat-and-mouse pursuit by a mysterious brown Buick Skylark.

Bursting with energy, this big-hearted and inspired novel ponders life’s terrible surprises and the heart’s uncanny capacity to mend."

Five O'Clock Follies (uncorrected proof) by Theasa Tuohy: 

Kirkus Review--"A freelance writer struggles to find her place among hard-nosed newsmen covering the Vietnam War in this depiction of wartime journalists.

In her debut, former Associated Press editor Tuohy describes the Vietnam War through a journalist’s lens. Freelance writer Angela Martinelli arrives in Saigon in 1968, wearing her “greenness” in the form of high-heeled shoes and a gorgeous mane of red hair. As one of the few women correspondents in a war zone, Angela is greeted with misogyny, skepticism or disdain by her male colleagues, except for Nick, who works for a Chicago newspaper and gives her the benefit of the doubt."

Night Watch by Linda Fairstein:

I've enjoyed several of Fairstein's Alexandra Cooper novels and look forward to this one.

"Forty-eight hours after Alexandra Cooper arrives in France to visit her boyfriend and famed restaurateur, Luc Rouget, her vacation in paradise is cut short when a young woman from the village is found murdered. The only evidence discovered on the body is one of Luc’s matchboxes promoting his new restaurant in New York. But before the investigation begins, Alex is summoned back to New York to handle a high profile case."

---

I'm really interested in the Evison and Fairstein novels because I'm familiar with the authors.  The other three sound more like romance novels, so I'm not too sure about them.

Spider Bones by Kathy Reichs

I'm a lover of mysteries and read the good, the bad, and the indifferent.   New authors are fun, and I'm always hopeful of finding new authors (or new-to-me authors), but there are certain authors to whom I return.  Kathy Reichs is one of those, so when I saw Spider Bones at the library, it went into the bag.

As it turned out, this one was not one of my favorites.   Reichs' plots have developed a predictable pattern, and while it is commendable to have characters act and react in ways that are consistent with the personalities that have been developed, if there is no stretching, spontaneity, or growth in the character--if both plot and characters are predictable--there is little suspense or anticipation.

The most interesting element of the book was the information of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command.   In the case of this novel, the discovery and return of bodies from various wars (in this case, Viet Nam) and the process, a thorough and arduous process, to be sure of correct identification.

Reichs is always good about including factual information of some sort, and I love to learn while enjoying an entertaining story.  In this novel, the information is not as well interwoven as in previous novels and comes across as very dry.  Nevertheless, I learned some interesting information, which is always a good thing.

Another point of dissatisfaction for me was that the body that begins the mystery is found in a grotesque situation of his own devising.  Because of the manner of death, it was difficult to care about the victim.

None of this means that I will not return Reichs.  While I was not as satisfied with this novel, I have enjoyed most her novels and will certainly read more.

Fiction.  Mystery.  2010.  320 pages.

Dark Horse by Craig Johnson

Dark Horse  is another Walt Longmire novel, and you probably know by now that I enjoy these novels by Craig Johnson.  Longmire is the sheriff of the fictional Absaroka County in Wyoming and with his friend Henry Standing Bear, Longmire takes up the causes of the weak, the helpless, the underdog, the victimized.

Mary Barsad is transferred to his jail from another county, accused of killing her husband who set fire to their locked barn killing all of Mary's beloved horses.   Her husband's death causes no tears for any who knew the brutal man, but Mary confessed and will be held responsible for his murder.


Longmire, however, senses something amiss and goes undercover as an insurance agent to discover exactly what happened the night of the murder.

Told in two time periods--Longmire's current undercover attempts to discover what really happened  that night and flashbacks to the previous ten days--the reader is moved back and forth from present to past until nearly the end of the novel.


Johnson's novels are character driven, and he excels at bringing both primary and secondary characters to life.  Both familiar characters and new characters seem to breathe on their own, and the Wyoming landscape is always well done, becoming a character in its own right.


I highly recommend this series which is highly entertaining in a number of ways.

Biography

Craig Johnson has received both critical and popular praise for his novels The Cold Dish, Death Without Company, Kindness Goes Unpunished, Another Man's Moccasins and The Dark Horse. All five novels have been made selections by the Independent Booksellers Association, and The Cold Dish was a DILYS Award Finalist and was translated into French in 2009 as Little Bird and was just named one of the top ten mysteries of the year by Lire magazine and won the Prix du Roman Noir as the best mystery novel translated into French for 2010.

Death Without Company was selected by Booklist as one of the top-ten mysteries of 2006, won the Wyoming Historical Society's fiction book of the year. The short story, Old Indian Trick, won the Tony Hillerman Mystery Short Story Award and appeared in Cowboys & Indians Magazine.

Kindness Goes Unpunished, the third in the Walt Longmire series, was number 38 on the American Bookseller's Association's hardcover best seller list.

Another Man's Moccasins, was the recipient of Western Writer's of America's Spur Award as Novel of the Year and the Mountains and Plains Book of the Year. 

The Dark Horse, the fifth in the series has garnered starred reviews by all four prepublication review services, one of the only novels to receive that honor and was named by Publisher's Weekly as one of the top one hundred books of the year.

Craig lives with his wife Judy on their ranch in Ucross, Wyoming, population 25.

Fiction.  Mystery.  2010.  368 pages.

Reading in Transit

 Street Photos of Commuters Reading on the Subway. ( via Read in a Single Sitting)

And here is a Facebook site of the subway readers.  I love seeing people of all ages reading on the subway, totally absorbed, sometimes with book titles showing, sometimes not.



Sam has an interesting, and a bit disturbing, post about the way our Kindle and Nook e- readers provide information about our reading choices and habits.

I was pleased to see that Nan of Letters from a Hill Farm found Midnight in Peking as interesting as I did.  Click the link to read her review; my review is here.  Author Paul French happens on an account of an unsolved murder in Peking in 1937 and investigates the story.

French uncovers a great deal of information and relates this true crime story, revealing the time period and the cover-ups, in an entirely readable way.




Another gem via Read in a Single Sitting:  Ten Unusual Micro Libraries.  I Love this one...

Photo by SuperFurryLibrarian/Flickr

This is the kind of thing that occupies me when I don't want to write reviews.

Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas

Throne of Glass   is a YA fantasy novel published by Bloomsbury Children's Books and scheduled for an August release.

Assassin Celaena Sardothien is serving her sentence of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier, when she is chosen by the Crown Prince to act as his champion in a competition to become the King's Assassin.  If she wins the competition and serves four years as the Royal Assassin, she will be granted her freedom.

Despite her hatred of the king, Celaena agrees.  Her choice is literally between the prospect of a slow death in Endovier or using her extraordinary skills in the hope of gaining her eventual freedom.

She is cleaned up, dressed, and escorted to the Glass Castle under heavy guard.  The few who know who she is are justifiably afraid of her and every precaution is taken to keep Celaena from using her trade to escape.


Then, one by one, several of the competitors are savagely murdered.  What must Celaena do to stay alive, win the competition, and gain her freedom?  And is magic, outlawed throughout the kingdom,  somehow involved in the murders?


I have to admit that I fell readily into this fantasy and thoroughly enjoyed it.  The Assassin, the Crown Prince, and Captain Westfall are very well done, and Maas does a good job with their complex relationships.  It is a YA novel, and I could nitpick a little, but I won't because the problems really didn't interfere at all with my enjoyment.   Throne of Glass is a fun read with plenty of excitement, and evidently, the first in a trilogy.  I look forward to the next one!


A Net Galley title, read on my Kindle.


Fiction.  Fantasy/YA.  August 2012.  416 pages.

Teasers on Books to Be Released in the Next Few Months

Some of my recent reading has been from Net Galley sent to my Kindle.  Some are excellent, of course, and some are not.  I've  enjoyed the following, though I haven't reviewed them yet, and haven't even finished The Secret Lives of Codebreakers.

 The Secret Lives of Codebreakers:  The Men and Women Who Cracked the Enigma Code at Bletchley Park by Sinclair McKay is my current read.  The book won't be released until Sept. 25--so my review will have to wait until closer to publication, but I can tell you that it is one of the most interesting books I've read in a long time.  The nonfiction account of Bletchley Park is fascinating; I'm about 1/2 way through and have highlighted something on almost every page.

McKay writes nonfiction with the same attention to detail and suspense that you might find in a spy novel.  I've mentioned before my interest in Bletchley Park and the Enigma machine (and cryptography and code breakers in general), but I have to admit that I expected the book to be on the dry side.  Not at all the case!  Codebreakers is an absolute pleasure to read, and I return to it with enthusiasm each time.

I've finished, but must also hold the review for Peaches for Father Francis by Joanne Harris which continues the story of Vienne Rocher that Harris began with Chocolate and continued with  The Girl with No Shadow.  I've enjoyed all three of these books and several others by Harris.  They are all light reading, magical realism.














The Joy Brigade by Martin Limon is due out at the end of this month and is set in North Korea in the 1970s.  The information about North Korea and the Joy Brigade (distasteful as it is) was worth the read, but I found the story itself less satisfying.  As I know little about North Korea other than the what I read in the news or know about the Korean War from brief comments, books about North Korea interest me.

I did a little research to see if there really is a Joy Brigade-- unfortunately, yes.  However, the Manchurian Battalion did not exist.

Also found some sad, but interesting info about an incident called the Axe Murders in which two unarmed American officers were slain by North Korean soldiers in 1976.  Not connected to the book's narrative, but provide interesting insight to the existing tensions at the DMZ.

Another interesting look at life in the closed society of North Korea is A Corpse in the Koryo by James Church.

The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro (due out in Oct.) provides an intriguing look at art theft and art forgery.  There really is an Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, but the story is fiction.  Claire Roth is a young artist, who due to a difficult situation in the past, finds herself pretty much blacklisted by galleries.  She makes a living reproducing famous works of art for an online retailer.  The works are reproductions, not forgeries, but the skills are similar, and when a gallery owner approaches Claire with a dubious project, Claire had decisions to make.

I enjoyed both the story and the sections on art in this one.


The above Net Galley teasers (along with others that I've reviewed fully) have been both entertaining and educational.  There have, of course, been some real duds, books that whether I  finished them or abandoned them don't really rate reviews or mention, but the majority of my Net Galley ebooks have been a pleasure.

The Broken Token by Chris Nickson

The Broken Token  is the first in a series by Nickson featuring Richard Nottingham, the constable of Leeds in the 1730s.

An early morning knock on his door calls Nottingham to the scene of a double murder with the victims posed in a sexual manner.  If this were not shocking enough, the female victim is a young woman who once worked in Nottingham's home.

The murder is itself appalling, but as it turns out, it is only the first in a series.  Each new outrage puts more pressure on Nottingham.  The pressure to catch the killer is personal for the constable, whose family treasured the young woman.  In addition to this, his job is endangered;  if he doesn't make an arrest soon, he could be dismissed from his position.

Nottingham, a devoted husband and father, is a likable protagonist, as is John Sedgwick, his devoted deputy, whose family life is not as successful as Nottingham's, but whose dedication to finding the murderer is almost as strong as that of his superior-- despite their different views concerning the case.

An interesting and entertaining historical mystery.

Library book.

Fiction.  Historical Mystery.  2010.  269 pages.