Kate

 

 

Review 1: Lying about Hitler, Richard J. Evans (2001) (non fiction) Review 2: The Eight, Katherine Neville (1988) Review 3: The Eleventh Plague, John S. Marr & John Baldwin (1999) Review 4: Thermopylae: The battle that changed the world, Paul Cartledge (2006) (nonfiction) Review 5: Make Love, The Bruce Campbell Way, Bruce Campbell (2004) Review 6: The Orphan's Tales: in the Night Garden, Catherynne M. Valente (2003?) Review 7: Empire of Ivory, Naomi Novik (2007) Review 8: The Aztec Heresy, Paul Christopher (2008) Review 9: Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery (1908) - classics challenge Review 10: Anne of Avonlea, L.M. Montgomery - classic #2 Review 11: The South Beach Diet, Agatson (2003) Review 12: Anne of the Island, L.M. Montgomery (1915) Review 13: Key of Light, Nora Roberts (2003) Review 14: Key of Knowledge, Nora Roberts (2003) Review 15: Key of Valor, Nora Roberts (2003)

2008 Reviews 

 

Review 1: Lying about Hitler, Richard J. Evans (2001) (non fiction)

This was wild. In the mid-nineties, a Holocaust scholar described a popular historian, David Irving, as having played fast and loose with some facts. He sued her publisher for libel in Britain. This book is written by one of the defense's expert witnesses, a historian who investigated Irving's research and representations made in his published works and speeches. Because of the way British libel law works, it was basically up to the defense to prove that the author's allegations were based in fact - to prove her allegations. This book provides a detailed look into the documentary evidence for a couple of the areas the experts looked at, including the "final solution", concentration/extermination camps, and the bombing of Dresden, as well as how Irving  misrepresented existing documents, and a description of the trial itself and judgment. The author provides some academic distance to the details being discussed, which is nice if you're not up to thinking about the Holocaust itself; much of the book is talking about translations or editing or other linguistic tomfoolery.

 

Review 2: The Eight, Katherine Neville (1988)

The cover blurb claims this is the thinking person's Da Vinci Code. I don't know, apparently I don't think enough. I love the set up - mysterious chess set (the Montglane Service) dating back to Charlemagne may be cursed or otherwise supernaturally endowed & is the object of desire by many throughout generations. The story plays out in two timelines, late eighteenth century France and 1970s New York & Algeria. All of this is great. But the actual nature of the Montglane Service is muddy - part of the mystery, sure, but I'm not convinced the author had a clear idea of it, either. And the story, comparing people's interactions and movements to a chess game, gets pretty esoteric at times. I just breezed through a lot of the "figuring out the puzzle" because it just didn't make sense to me. And looking back, I'm not sure it all fits together. For instance... I'm pretty sure I should know what "the eight" are at this point. Maybe I don't understand chess well enough, maybe I'm too literal. But it was an OK read - certainly kept me turning the pages.

 

Review 3: The Eleventh Plague, John S. Marr & John Baldwin (1999)

This is my kind of book. Medical mystery/horror - wacky health issues cropping up, and someone pieces together the fact that they're biblical plagues. Only some of them don't fit, and he needs help to identify the plagues & prevent the worst of them. It reminded me a great deal of The Black Death, but that figures - Marr co-wrote that one. My only beef is the cheesy cliffhanger ending - there's no sequel; it's not a real cliffhanger. It's just ominous. But overall, a good book.

 

Review 4: Thermopylae: The battle that changed the world, Paul Cartledge (2006) (nonfiction)

After seeing 300 last spring I read Stephen Pressfield's Gates of Fire, and now I'm on the non-fiction version. This is a professional historian's view of not just the Battle of Thermopylae itself, but the context of the Greek and Persian worlds it fit into. The text is slow-going and tedius in moments, and very little of the book is devoted to the battle (one 10 page chapter, among 200+ pages). That said, it's great background on the political maneuverings between the Greek city states and Graeco-Persian relations as a whole. If you want the real story, this is not a bad place to go. Just don't expect a gripping read.

 

Review 5: Make Love, The Bruce Campbell Way, Bruce Campbell (2004)

This was weird. It was lent to me along with If Chins Could Kill, Campbell's memoir, and the writing style is very much the same, although this clearly says it's a novel. Thank god, because I really don't want to know if this is really what kind of hijinks Campbell gets up to. If you can wrap your brain around the fiction aspect (tricky especially because of all the cameos by real famous people), it's great - fun and rolicking and outrageous. The underlying plot is that Bruce has been cast in a bit part of a major motion picture, and he decides to do Research on his role. It gets him into a world of trouble on the way. And then it gets out of hand. Enjoy, especially if you like sticking it to The Man.

 

Review 6: The Orphan's Tales: in the Night Garden, Catherynne M. Valente (2003?)

Several of my friends are acquainted with the author, but I've never met her. I was a little apprehensive about starting this, for some reasons connected to my friends having met her, but I really shouldn't have worried. The book is lovely. It's the first in a series, and this volume contains two Tales (with a capital T): a series of interlocking and "nested" stories told by their protagonists (boy goes here, meets woman, who tells him a story about the time she went there and met a guy, who tells her a story...). (The titular orphan is the master narrator.) It gets a little hard to follow if you put it down and pick it up a while later, but it's great to read in long stretches. It's set in a world vaguely resembling ours, but with more than a little of the fantastic to it (magic, beasts, talking animals, etc.) It's very poetically written; the language is gorgeously descriptive. I think I heard the second book is out, and I'll look forward to reading it at a time when I can really relish it.

 

Review 7: Empire of Ivory, Naomi Novik (2007)

Fourth of the Temeraire books, this does not disappoint. I always struggle a little with the very long chapters in these books, but ultimately they're very enjoyable. Well, this last was a bit more distressing than the previous three. And it doesn't end well. The fifth book is out now, and as soon as I can stomach paying the $25, I'll be reading it. I thought it was interesting that a much stronger parallel was drawn between human servitude and the dragons' role in the Service - I saw that implicitly in previous books, but I didn't expect the author to make it so plain. I do wonder where this is going? Ah, cliffhanger!

 

Review 8: The Aztec Heresy, Paul Christopher (2008)

Ok, so I picked this one up from the title & cover while waiting for a prescription to be filled. And was totally disappointed. Either the author doesn't know or doesn't care about the difference between Aztec and Maya, and managed to conflate the two through most of the book. Also, pretty much no Aztec (nor enough Maya, if you're accepting the conflation). And no, Spaniards were not cavemen in 521 AD. Sorry. That said, it wants to be Ludlum or someone, not enough mystery (or maybe not enough clues to the mystery?) to even rise to the level of Dan Brown. There was just nothing keeping me guessing. Too much of the action happens off stage, which is irritating. Oh, plot? Group A is searching for a lost manuscript of Cortez's buried treasure. Groups B and possible C are trying to stop them.  Woo. I do not recommend it.

 

Review 9: Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery (1908) - classics challenge

This was one of those books I kept meaning to read, but never got around to. Somehow I missed it in my childhood, indeed until college, where my first roommate specified that her middle name was "Lynne with an E". Later roommates forced me to watch it, and it became a staple of girls' nights. And yet, I never read it. It was a nice read; enough familiar from the movie that it felt like I was rereading, but some stories that didn't make the cut made it interesting. And I loved seeing how Anne changes - that doesn't come through as strongly in the movie - and from Marilla's POV. The "bend in the road" was even sadder in the book than in the movie version. Fortunately, the copy I checked out also has Avonlea, so I got to start that up right away.

 

Review 10: Anne of Avonlea, L.M. Montgomery - classic #2

This book diverged further from the movie than the first, but it stands to reason, fitting in episodes that must be from later books. I enjoyed more parts that were completely new to me, like the bits with Charlotte Morgan and Miss Lavendar. The slowly developing relationship with Gilbert is very nice, as well. I'll be reading the next one, at least.

 

Review 11: The South Beach Diet, Agatson (2003)

I've been considering using South Beach for a little while, and wanted to go to the source get the scoop. I know several people who have used it successfully. I was pretty impressed with the book. It starts with 100 pages of background on nutritional advice in the US and explanation - how a cardiologist came to design a diet program, the theory behind it, and how the different phases work, chemically. He makes a convincing case - it sounds like pieces of other nutrition/diet advice I've heard from sources I have respect for. I think it's a sensible plan, and I like that the focus is on the rest of your life. It's lifestyle nutrition, not a diet per se. Almost two thirds of the book provides menus and recipes for each of the three phases, as well as food lists (to use, to avoid) so you can create new recipes. It's interesting reading, even if you're not interested in the diet, and some of the recipes look v. tasty.

 

Review 12: Anne of the Island, L.M. Montgomery (1915)

Still reading the Anne books. This was somewhat recognizeable from the movies I've seen, but again, mostly new (aside from the romantic storylines). I got weepy over Diana's wedding (for my own roommate invoked that the night before my - first - wedding), and Gilbert. Ah, Gilbert. Anne doesn't know what to do with herself, and it's nice to see her go through all the permutations of what she thinks romance is. A friend told me this was her favorite book, and I can see why. (And I read it in just about 30 hours.)

 

Review 13: Key of Light, Nora Roberts (2003)

It's been a while since I read any new Nora Roberts, so I was a little annoyed when the formula started to show. That said, I really liked this. Read it cover to cover in about 5 hours. (I knew I just should have gotten all three at the library when I was there...) Three women, strangers, are brought together for a mysterious and mystical purpose. Along the way, they become friends and find lovers, who also are important in solving the problem. Celtic mythology, art, and magic all weave together to form a very quick read.  

 

Review 14: Key of Knowledge, Nora Roberts (2003)

Book two of the Key Trilogy is the fairly predictable (in large scale plot) continuation of the first book. Step one complete, on to step two. I like what she does with it, and her take on "knowledge." The main character is a librarian, but my kind of librarian, not a stereotypical one. Nice to have that portrayal. It moves the plot along, and is a quick and satisfying read. Fortunately, I knew to get the third book while I was at the library getting the second one.

 

Review 15: Key of Valor, Nora Roberts (2003)

Third and final chapter in the Key Trilogy, this had the expected step, as well as a very satisfying conclusion. Some of Roberts' characters start to feel a touch like stock, but it's really only elements that are stock. Not all her single mothers are the same, for instance. That was nice to realize. I like how this worked out, and I'm not going to wait so long before I find more of her work. (Also a quick read, this one felt even quicker because I had to read a large print edition. Nice, tho - I  could read it without my glasses on.)

 

2007 Reviews

 

 

Review 0: Practicing Reference: Thoughts for Librarians and Legal Researchers, 2d ed., by Mary Whisner (2006). (non fiction)

[I'm counting this as Review 0 because I've been working my way through this book of essays for *months*, and I just happened to finish it today. Feels a little unfair to count it towards the SRP, but I figured I'd review it anyway. :) ]

Whisner is a law librarian at the University of Washington; these essays are reprints of a column from Law Library Journal. The first third are about providing reference services, and the second part is about being a reference librarian. The final part is geared towards legal researchers of all kinds. The essays are interesting and thought provoking, and (where necessary) well-researched and -footnoted. Some essays may not be of interest to non-law librarians, but especially the ones in the first two sections should resonate with librarians of other stripes as well.

 

Review 1: The Last Templar, Raymond Khoury (2006) F

I'll own up to having terrible taste in movies, and it seems to carry over to books. Give me two storylines - one set 700 years ago, and one in the present day - mysterious artifacts, religious wangling, murder, and double crossing, and I'm a happy girl. This book opens with the dramatic theft of historical religious treasures from a museum, but it is soon revealed that it is not a simple theft. Something more sinister is going on - and more obscure. The writing is easy to swallow, the pace is swift, and if you don't inquire too deeply into the characters or dialogue, you'll be just fine. There's some religious mindbender's along the lines (altho not content) of The DaVinci Code, but the ending is way better. Apparently Khoury's dictionary includes the word "subtle" which I doubt Dan Brown's does. But that's another review. :)

 

Review 2: Gates of Fire, Steven Pressfield (1998) F

This is the story of the Spartans who fought in the Battle of Thermopylae against Xerxes and the invading Persian army. The set up is a little complicated - layers of people telling a story, but it works out. It was a little slow going in the beginning, before I got a grasp of what was important. But by the end I was reading it at stoplights. :) There's a lot of detail on Spartan military training, and pretty gory details about battles, but there's also a lot about the men themselves - their relationships, their struggles, their loyalties and betrayals. I tripped a little over the Greek terminology (& would have appreciated a glossary), but even when I wasn't certain of the exact meaning, the context provided enough to communicate the intent.

This book was recommended to me after I saw 300 and wanted something more historically accurate on Thermopylae. Reading this book is a little like watching Titanic - you know from the start (even if you know nothing about Thermopylae, because the historical note at the beginning tells you) that everyone dies. I tried not to care about the characters, but I spent the last 50 pages crying because I failed, utterly. Pressfield has such rich characterization that you can't help but care about these completely foreign, mortal, flawed men. I'm off to find some more of his books to read. :)

 

Review 3: Celebrating Interfaith Marriages: Creating Your Jewish/Christian Ceremony, Devon Lerner (1999) NF

I'm getting married next spring, and this book was recommended to us by the rabbi who is performing the ceremony. My fiance is Jewish, but I was raised Catholic (although I do not currently practice any religion, and if pressed, I identify as pagan). The author is a rabbi who performs interfaith ceremonies (which is something of a rarity, for a variety of reasons), but she has obviously had input from Christian celebrants as well, as evidenced by the introduction by a Catholic priest. The book is divided into four parts. The first discusses issues involved in interfaith ceremonies - difficulties and clashes of tradition, but also some basic wedding advice (how to get a marriage license, etc.). The second provides six interfaith ceremonies; one is a sample, but five are ceremonies the author presided over. These ceremonies illustrate the first part's discussion of different ways to handle conflicting ceremonies, with some ceremonies emphasizing Jewish elements, some Christian elements, and others with a more balanced approach.  The third part is a "menu" of elements of an interfaith marriage - pick the elements that you want included, and then select from several options in terms of wording. (Want an explanation of the chuppah? Here are five to choose from!) Finally, the author provides some popular wedding readings.

This is the kind of book I'm sure many couples are very glad is available. I find it interesting, but not necessarily compelling - due in part to my own religious ambivalence. It clearly is written mostly for people with a more Christian religious identity than I have. I'm not sure what "Christian" elements I would want in my own ceremony. But it's a nice look at some of the options in terms of modifying the Jewish ceremony. I've only been to one Jewish wedding, and it included far more obscure traditions than many (so I am told). I also appreciate the explanations of unfamiliar traditions, and the concerns over alienating those unfamiliar with the dominant tradition of the ceremony. Overall, a worthwhile (and fast!) read, and food for thought. Worth every penny I paid. (I love the library.)

 

Review 4: Rebellion, Nora Roberts (1988) F

As supporters of Bonnie Prince Charlie gather support from the Highland clans in the mid-eighteenth century, an Englishman loyal to the cause meets the headstrong sister of his close friend. Blah blah blah, love-against-their-better-sense, blah blah, she hates him because he's English, but loves him anyway, blah blah, of COURSE it all works out, somehow. (That's not a spoiler; this is Nora Roberts we're talking about.)

This was a pleasant enough read - it is Nora Roberts. I was annoyed by all the things that annoy me about historicals. But that's not to say it isn't a good book.

 

Review 5: The Pale Horse, Agatha Christie (1962) F

I think this is only the second Christie I've ever read. It's an intriguing set up - two deaths in slightly odd circumstances, a mysterious list of names, and a growing suspicion that the list is connected to a mysterious group of three village witches. I enjoyed the twists complicating the plot, although it was a little hard to follow a couple times. I'm not sure why that was - whether it was just a British-slang thing, or what. But it wasn't a big problem. I was a little disappointed in the ending - not the content; I certainly didn't see it coming. But the pacing was oddly fast. It was intro-intro-build-build-climax-done. I could have done with a little more suspense - a little more danger near the end. A nice, fairly quick read.

 

Review 6: Orbit, John J. Nance (2006) F

This book was lent to me with the caveat that two of my friends had each read it in single sittings. I wasn't quite that enthralled; I think it took me two days. A commercial space tourism company holds a contest, with the winner receiving a free trip to low Earth orbit (which tourists pay half a million dollars for...). But something goes horribly wrong on his trip, and Kip Dawson ends up alone in the vehicle, and with no hope of rescue. He starts a journal, intended to be a brain dump to be retrieved decades later when the vehicle's orbit decays. But unbeknowst to Kip, and unplanned by the company, his journal downloads to the internet in real time and captivates the entire planet. The public attention forces the world's space agencies to consider rescuing Kip. There are several threads in this novel - Kip's experiences in space; the emerging narrative of his life to this point - revealed to the world; the political wrangling of the space agencies and the struggle between publicly and privately sponsored space industry; the public reaction to everything. It's a fast-moving and intricate tale.

 

Review 7: Morrigan's Cross, Nora Roberts (2006) F

This one has elements of historical romance, but is more mystical - time travel, magic... oh yeah - it starts with vampires.  That doesn't bother me, although I know it would bother some. So we've got Lilith, an ancient and powerful vampire, up against a select crew of "good guys" hand picked by the goddess Morrigan, from various times and worlds. A sorcerer, a witch, a scholar, a warrior, one who has many forms, and "one who was lost". This first book of the trilogy brings the group together amid threats from the vampires, and we see them try to form a cohesive group. It's a nice start, although a little annoying in the set up: The story is set as "old man telling tale" - and at the end of this book, the old man just says "that's all for tonight - more tomorrow!" without it feeling like any kind of ending. I felt a little cheated, and unsatisfied in the breaking point. But that's a minor concern, especially if you have the next book standing by. (Fortunately, the entire trilogy is already available.)

 

Review 8: Dance of the Gods, Nora Roberts (2006) F

Book two in the Circle Trilogy picks up right where book 1 left off. The circle of six must leave modern-day Ireland for the thought-to-be-mythical land of Geall, the homeworld of the scholar and the shapeshifter. Just as the first book focused on the romance between two of the circle, the second picks up with the next obvious couple. (Gee, what could the third book focus on?) This book has the group getting to Geall, adjusting, and convincing the Geallians of the need to fight the vampire army led by Lilith. Again, it's set as a story told by an old man to children. It felt a little less unfinished this time, but that could be just because I was expecting it. Already started the third, and I'll tell you whether or not I liked it then!

 

Review 9: Valley of Silence, Nora Roberts (2006) F

This final book in the Circle Trilogy focuses on the preparations and final battle between the humans and the vampire army, and Moira's adjustments to being queen of Geall. The players in the focal romance are probably the most unlikely pairing of the three books, but it works. Hard to say much without spoiling the prior two books, but it's a satisfying conclusion to the series.

 

Review 10: Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off (2007) NF

This is a delightful piece of reading - funny, light, and handily packaged in bite-size chunks. It doesn't need to be read start to finish - just pick up the book anywhere. There is a nice set of letters from/about "Alice" - following her development from a knitting stalker to a Knitter-with-a-capital-K, which is best read in sequence, but it's still nice and funny if you don't get them that way. The book is based on the idea that Knitting is a land unto itself, and Knitters travel there. Just as there are types of knitting and types of knitters, the Land of Knitting is a varied place. It's an amusing idea, and well carried out. I could hear Stephanie talking to me (having just heard her speak a month or so ago) in the words she writes. This would make awesome bathroom reading, although I *did* find it difficult to put down. The only reason it was on my "in progress" list so long was that the night I borrowed it, I sat down and read chunks, and then got distracted and didn't pick it back up for a while. I sat down and read it in toto the other night.

 

Review 11: Island of the Sequined Love Nun, Christopher Moore (1997) F

This is a typically twisted and amusing tale from Christopher Moore - this time, about a foul-up of a jet pilot, a South Pacific Island tribe, a cargo cult, and some nefarious doings. I didn't find it particularly riveting, until nearing the end. There's so much set up that it's slow going at first. But once things start moving, and the nefarious doings start to reveal themselves, it gets rivetinger. Overall, satisfying, with all the loose ends tied up nicely.

 

Review 12: Altared States: Surviving the Engagement, Jennie Nash (1992) NF

This felt more like reading a series of essays than one book, and it read very quickly. (It's 12:55pm now, and my coworker dropped this book off to me less than three hours ago. I just read it on my lunch break.) This book chronicles the 14 months leading up to the author's wedding. She does a fair amount of philosophizing about what marriage means - her fiance's bout with the flu forces her to really grapple with "in sickness and in health," for instance. A lot of the book deals with family relationships - her divorced parents, and the effect that has on her wedding preparations (both logistical and emotional/mental); the awkwardness between her mother and his parents; the author's relationship with her sister; holiday travels. It's a quick, interesting read, but not what I expected. (Seriously, not at all. I meant to ILL a different book altogether. Oops.)

 

Review 13: Fluke, or I Know Why The Winged Whale Sings, Christopher Moore (2003) F

This was a much faster read for me than Island. I don't know if I really liked it more, or if I'm just in a Moore frame of mind right now. The main characters were much more likeable in this one. Nate, a cetacean biologist, notices something odd while he's studying a humpback whale off the coast of Hawaii. As he starts to investigate, he realizes something very weird is going on. But before he can get too close, he disappears while diving. Unraveling what happened to Nate leads to danger for his research partners, and some very strange goings-on (including a whale who calls on the phone and demands a pastrami on rye). Another satisfying if twisted ending, and now I know waaay too much about whale biology. Um, ew.

 

Review 14: The Voynich Manuscript,  Gerry Kennedy & Rob Churchill (2005) NF

In the early 20th century, Wilfrid Voynich announced that he had found a mysterious medieval manuscript in Southern France. This manuscript is filled with unreadable text and indecipherable illustrations of plants, people, and stars. This book reviews the intriguing history of what has happened since - a variety of academics and others trying to interpret the contents of this manuscript, which is currently held by the Beinecke Library at Yale. It's an interesting read - I had never heard of the manuscript until shortly before I ran across this book. The color plates and other illustrations demonstrate what the authors call the sheer "weirdness" of the manuscript. It's just not normal. At a first glance, it looks like an ordinary medieval text. But it has resisted all efforts to read the text, and even the illustrations of plants have proved unidentifiable. The authors posit no grand theory regarding the manuscript, so if you're up on Voynich, you might want to skip this. But this was a comprehensive introduction for the uninitiated. (I will confess annoyance at some of the author's argumentative techniques, but I made myself keep reading anyway. There's a technical word for what they did, and I'll post it when I remember it.)

 

Review 15: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, JK Rowling (2005) F

This was my second time through the book. I read it the day it came out, and finished it within 8 hours. I meant to take my time with it, in preparation for Book 7, but I read it in even less time. (Silly plane rides...) I was reading to refresh myself on some key plot elements, and to look for themes and hints I missed the first time through. I know there are people who still haven't read it, so I won't say more than that, other than that it still affected me as much as it did when I read it the first time. As far as I'm concerned, that's the mark of a good book. (I know plenty of people who say Rowling needs an editor, but I can't help but think everything is there for a reason, and that we should just let her go. Yes, the books are long, but there's a lot going on there.)

 

Review 16: Duchess of Aquitane: A Novel of Eleanor, Margaret Ball (2007) F

This novel covers Eleanor's life from her father's death (and her inheritance) until her marriage to Henry. This is the part of Eleanor's life I know very little about, so it was interesting to read. I can't speak to the history presented, obviously, but it was an enjoyable story and a moving portrait of a woman who knew all to well what her status was. Nothing I read struck me as off, so that's something. I kept hearing Katharine Hepburn in my head, but I can't decide if that is a fault of Ball's imagination, or a credit to Hepburn's acting. I would definitely read Ball again.

 

Review 17: Altared, ed. Colleen Curran (2007) NF

This is the book I meant to get instead of Nash's Altared States (above). This is a book of essays by various women, describing, in essense, what being engaged made them do - examining aspect of all the insanity that came with planning their wedding. It ranged from weird behaviors they noticed in themselves, to family relationships, and tribulations that cropped up in their planning. Most of these women were conscious of creating a ceremony or reception that was tailored to them; no one seemed to be blindly following tradition. Some essays were hilarious; most were touching, in some way; some were tragic. I was intrigued by one bride who talked about the effect planning her wedding had on her eczema, which I'm afraid of, myself. Again, interesting, quick read. And because it's made of discrete essays, easy to read a chunk at a time.

 

Review 18: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, JK Rowling (2007) F

In the interest of not spoiling anything - and for this book, I consider that anything may be considered a spoiler - the actual review is in my LJ, behind a cut. (Dated 7/23/07, in case anyone is looking later - if i put in the direct link the cut is lost....)

 

Review 19: Bloodsucking Fiends, Christopher Moore (2004) F

A young woman named Jody wakes up after an attack, and it doesn't take her too long to figure out she's been turned into a vampire. As she settles into her new life, she realizes she's in danger from the vampire who turned her, and from the police who think she's behind a series of murders. Her boyfriend/minion Tommy gathers an attack force of night clerks from the local safeway to keep the city safe from the demon. Hilarity ensues. Not as mind-bendingly-bizarre as Fluke or even Sequined Love Nun, which made it a slightly quicker read, as long as you're not squeamish. (And if you are, why are you reading about vampires?)

 

Review 20: Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte (1848) F

This is Jane's story, told in the first person but varyingly in past and present tenses, from the time of her unhappy youth with her Aunt and cousins, through her time at Lowood school, as governess at Thornfield Hall for Mr. Rochester's ward Adele, and beyond. Rich with description, but with a wandering story, I had a hard time staying focused on the book (and I think maybe Bronte did, too....) I've tried to read this book several times. Finally made it through, and over all, my reaction is "Holy crap, why is this a classic???" Jane is a twit, Mr. Rochester is a jerk, and St. John is a pompous ass. This is romantic? This was my final challenge book, and meets my updated challenge number. I think I'll read some more, but no more Bronte.

 

Review 21: The Book Thief: The True Crimes of Daniel Spiegelman, Travis McDade (2006) NF

This is the story of a man who broke into the Columbia Rare Book and Manuscript Library several times and stole an amazing amount of very precious material. He was finally caught, and this book covers his story from a reconstruction of his theft, his apprehension in Europe, through his plea bargain and finally his sentencing.  A great deal of the book is devoted to the sentencing phase, in part because Spiegelman's sentence was a deviation from the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. The judge received information from scholars and librarians as  to the actual scholarly value of the material stolen, in addition to the pure monetary value, and as a result gave Speigelman a harsher sentence than he or his lawyers expected. This book is probably mostly of interest to people who are interested in some legal procedural matters, but I think it's probably accessible to anyone without a legal background. McDade is a lawyer & librarian (and a friend of mine), and he does a good job explaining the legal and library aspects. One caveat: McDade has lamented the light editorial touch the publisher gave his manuscript (basically nothing beyond what he did himself), so there are some typographical and grammatical errors, as well as some excess verbosity. If you can look past that, it's a fine work.

 

Review 22: You Suck, Christopher Moore (2007) F

This sequel to Bloodsucking Fiends picks up immediately after the prior book, and focuses on Tommy settling in as a vampire, as well as dealing with the vampire who turned Jody, and the fact that his nightshift crew turns on him when they realize he's a vamp. It wasn't quite as engaging as BF, altho it was still a really swift read. I felt the game was played out about halfway through the book, and there's a bit of deus ex machina at the end that never really got explained. (Moore may pull deus ex machina, but he usually explains it afterwards. That was lacking here.) It was fine, but I'm not raving about it.

 

Review 23: Outlander, Diana Gabaldon (1991) F

I read this book about 10 years ago, but for whatever reason never got to the rest of the series. I'm planning to read all of them this time. This engaging story starts in 1945, with a young nurse recently reunited with her husband, having spent the war years apart. They take a trip to the Scottish Highlands to reconnect, but in the process she gets herself thrown back in time 200 years. This first book focuses on Claire alternately trying to get home, and trying to make her way into a new life in 1743. Clan and royal politics conflict with her desires, and she is forced to reconcile her two lives, and confront one of her husband's ancestors. There's gentle mysticism and mystery, love, war, danger, you name it. I hope Gabaldon answers more of the questions raised here, in the later books.

 

Review 24: Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte (1847) F

I enjoyed this book, although I didn't much like any of the characters. It was a fascinating portrait of class and expectations and obsession masquerading as love. This book was never given the same kind of lead-up as a Great Romantic Novel - at least to me - as Jane Eyre was; I don't think I would have tolerated it well if it had. The opening chapters set a Gothic tone that kept me entranced long enough to care how the strange assemblage then present at Wuthering Heights came about. Once I was far enough into the backstory to predict how that came to be, I was horrified enough by Heathcliff's treatment of well, everyone, and Cathy's reactions and Edgar's weaknesses to need to know how everything worked out.  It was more a fascinating read than a fun one - rather like a trainwreck. A wonderful tragedy, in a classical sense, with fun Gothic elements that work much better than those in JE; the structure makes this much more of a mystery as well.

 

Review 25: Dragonfly in Amber, Diana Gabaldon (1992) F

The second book in the Outlander series, this book picks up in a very different place from where the first leaves off. So much so, that I thought for a while I'd picked up the wrong book. But it fills in the gaps nicely, and continues the story of Claire and Jamie after they leave Scotland. (It's hard to write about this one without spoiling the first, so I'll stay vague.) This is more heartbreakingly sad than the first, and show the growing pains in their relationship with each other as they struggle to build a life but save thousands of others by preventing the Battle of Culloden. As a side note, this series is starting to feel much less like a series of books than one story told over several books.

 

Review 26: Voyager, Diana Gabaldon (1994) F

This third books picks up just at the end of Dragonfly in Amber, and continues to fill in the gaps established in it.  Claire and Jamie reunite, and reconcile their time apart. In the process of settling back together, they must follow the trail of a kidnapped kinsman across the Atlantic - and at the same time deal with their own pasts, coming back to haunt them. It's a very adventurous book, and the end feels like a lot more closure than either of the first two. There are many loose ends tied up here, and fewer left for future books. (It's a relief, actually; these first three have been so tied together I couldn't stop reading, and I only have so much stamina.)

 

Review 27: Mammoth, John Varley (2005) F

When a fully intact frozen mammoth is discovered in Nunavut, Canada, the private interest financing the excavation - a multibillionaire nerd named Howard Christian - is diverted from his initial goal of cloning a mammoth. Next to the mammoth is a human corpse...with a steel briefcase, etched with a message. Christian decides that the briefcase must be a time machine, and he hires a genius mathematician to fix it. The combination of time travel and a mammoth cloning operation, which draws the wrong kind of attention from animal rights activists, leads to wacky wild adventure and near time paradoxes. The story of "Little Fuzzy, child of the Ice Age," is by turns clever, touching, and amusing.

 

 

 

Review 28: Jane Austen, A Life, Carol Shields (2005) NF

This is less a biography (which is what I expected, from the title) than  biographical meditation on Austen's writings. Her work is examined - briefly - in the context of her life. How were her early work and later novels shaped by the state of her world? What details of her life can be gleaned from comparing what we know and what she wrote? Given the dearth (and edited nature) of contemporaneous records of her life, much of this is speculative. Austen's sister Cassandra destroyed many of their letters just after her sister's death, presumably to cultivate a certain historical image. With that restriction, it is difficult to know much concretely. But Shields does an admirable job of collecting what is known, and tying that to Austen's writing. It is a pleasant, gentle read, at least for someone with a decent knowledge of Austen's popular works.

 

Review 29: The Modern Rules of Order: A Guide for Conducting Business Meetings, Donald A. Tortorice (3rd ed. 2007) NF

This set of rules is streamlined for use in business and small organizations, without the complexity of many rules of parliamentary procedure. Roberts Rules of Order and other rules like it were designed for use in government - bicameral houses of parliament or congress - in which much of the work is delegated to committee and intricacies are necessary. Tortorice simplifies these rules and reduces them to 12 basic rules - only two of which are mandatory. These are clearly designed for commercial settings, but they would provide a decent model for other organizations. One caveat is that it requires strong leadership and an acute sense of the meeting procedure by the Chair; much of the power is vested in the Chair, and simplifications only work if the Chair is leading discussion and taking control of the meeting. However, given that, this is a very sensible approach to meetings.