VictoriaPL's 11-11 part 2

PART 1: http://www.librarything.com/topic/96729

Reading from Jan - Dec 2011.

I love to read along with other people - that's why I'm on LT, right? If you see something you'd like to read with me, drop me a note and let's pick a date!

I: Audiobooks



1. Purgatory Ridge by William Kent Krueger* (1.24.2011)
2. Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger* (2.2.2011)
3. Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger* (4.22.2011)
4. Blood Hollow by William Kent Krueger* (4.29.2011)
5. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness* (6.9.2011)
6. The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness* (6.23.2011)
7. Mercy Falls by William Kent Krueger* (6.28.2011)
8. Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness* (7.20.2011)
9. Copper River by William Kent Krueger* (7.26.2011)
10. Over the Edge by Suzanne Brockmann* (8.27.2011)

candidates:
Thunder Bay by William Kent Krueger*

II: Brontëana



1. Wuthering Bites by Sarah Gray (1.11.2011)
2. Becoming Jane Eyre by Sheila Kohler (1.19.2011)
3. Romancing Miss Brontë by Juliet Gael w/elbakerone (2.5.2011)
4. Wuthering Heights: the Wild and Wanton edition by Beth Williamson (2.15.2011)
5. Bedlam: The Further Secret Adventures of Charlotte Brontë by Laura Joh Rowland (2.17.2011)
6. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte w/ 11-11 group (5.7.2011)
7. Rochester: A Novel Inspired by Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre by J.L. Niemann (6.20.2011)
8. Emily's Ghost by Denise Giardina (7.21.2011)
9. Branwell: A Novel of the Brontë Brother by Douglas Martin (8.23.2011)
10. Charlotte and Emily: a Novel of the Brontës by Jude Morgan (9.13.2011)

candidates:
The Poems of Emily Jane Brontë w/@jfetting late Sept

III: Talk to the Hand
'owned' books I've been ignoring for too long



1. Bone Voyage: A Journey in Forensic Anthropology by Stanley Rhine (1.13.2011)
2. Last Shot by Gregg Hurwitz (1.17.2011)
3. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (2.9.2011) w/11-11 Group
4. Strange Saint by Andrew Beahrs (4.28.2011)
5. Listen Listen by Kate Wilhelm (6.24.2011)
6. Whitechapel Gods by S.M. Peters (6.26.2011)
7. I'd Kill for That by Marcia Talley (7.19.2011)
8. On Her Majesty's Secret Service by Ian Fleming (7.22.2011)
9. Orchestrated Death by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles (9.9.2011)

currently reading:
And So Victoria by Vaughn Wilkins

candidates:
World Enough and Time by Robert Penn Warren
The Toyminator by Robert Rankin
Captured by Indians: 15 Firsthand Accounts by Fredrick Drimmer
House of the Whispering Pines by Anna Katherine Green
Beginnings, Middles and Ends by Nancy Kress
Make Your Words Work by Gary Provost
The Grand Complication by Allen Kurzweil

IV: My Precious
We wants it. We needs it. Must have the precious.
These are books by my current author-crushes



1. The Song is You by Megan Abbott w/RidgewayGirl (1.3.2011)
2. The Orchid Affair by Lauren Willig w/ christina_reads (2.2.2011)
3. The Night Season by Chelsea Cain w/RidgewayGirl, jonesli (3.23.2011)
4. The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen (3.30.2011)
5. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson w/ RidgewayGirl (4.11.2011)
6. Fallen: a Novel by Karin Slaughter w/jonesli (5.13.2011)
7. Everfound (the Skinjacker trilogy) by Neal Shusterman (6.7.2011)
8. The Winged Watchman by Hilda van Stockum (7.25.2011)
9. Illyria by Elizabeth Hand (8.8.2011)
10. When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson* (9.13.2011)

candidates:
This Perfect Day by Ira Levin

* audiobook

V: Cinematheque Victoria
books discovered through film or TV



1. Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay Dexter w/ jonesli (1.9.2011)
2. The Cooler by George Markstein The Prisoner (1.21.2011)
3. Goldfinger by Ian Fleming Goldfinger (1.29.2011)
4. Naked Heat by Richard Castle Castle 11-11 group (3.8.2011)
5. Angel of Vengeance by Trevor Munson Moonlight (4.30.2011)
6. Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay Dexter w/ jonesli (5.11.2011)
7. The Repossession Mambo by Eric Garcia Repo Men (5.22.2011)
8. Tapping the Source by Ken Nunn Pointbreak (6.9.2011)
9. The Eiger Sanction by Trevanian The Eiger Sanction (6.16.2011)
10. One Day by David Nicholls* One Day (7.15.2011)

Candidates:
Dances With Wolves by Michael Blake Dances With Wolves

* audiobook

VI: Re-Reads



1. Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols (5.14.2011)
2. The Last Bridge by Teri Coyne (5.25.2011)
3. The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult (6.25.2011)
4. Down River by John Hart w/ 11-11 group (7.5.2011)
5. Broken by Karin Slaughter (8.29.2011)
6. A Simple Plan by Scott Smith (9.17.2011)

currently reading:
The Stand: Complete & Uncut Edition by Stephen King

VII: Bride of the Monster Mash
my annual creep through the dark side - three years running!



1. The Bride of Frankenstein by Elizabeth Hand (1.20.2011)
2. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith (1.22.2011)
3. The Fall by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan (5.14.2011)
4. The Devil You Know by Mike Carey (6.15.2011)
5. Those Who Hunt the Night by Barbara Hambly (6.18.2011)
6. Incarnadine: The True Memoirs of Count Dracula by R.H. Greene (7.30.2011)
7. Frankenstein: Lost Souls by Dean Koontz (8.11.2011)
8. World War Z by Max Brooks* (8.19.2011)
9. Horns by Joe Hill* (9.5.2011)
10. Fallen by Lauren Kate* (9.7.2011)

* audiobook

VIII: The Magic 8-Ball
whatever shows up on my murky horizon



1. In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming* (1.10.2011)
2. Triptych by Karin Slaughter (1.15.2011)
3. Body Trauma: a writer's guide to wounds and injuries by David W. Page (1.23.2011)
4. A Fountain Filled with Blood by Julia Spencer-Fleming (2.4.2011)
5. Out of the Deep I Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming (2.11.2011)
6. To Darkness and to Death by Julia Spencer-Fleming (2.23.2011)
7. All Mortal Flesh by Julia Spencer-Fleming (2.27.2011)
8. I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming (3.2.2011)
9. One Was a Soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming (3.14.2011)
10. The Journal of Helene Berr by Helene Berr (7.7.2011)
11. Surrender On Demand by Varian Fry (7.30.2011)

*audiobook

IX: The Watercooler
suggestions from other members



1. Forty Words for Sorrow by Giles Blunt (1.10.2011)
2 The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister (2.19.2011)
3. The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff* (2.21.2011)
4. Build My Gallows High by Geoffry Homes w/pamelad (3.3.2011)
5. The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer* (5.6.2011)
6. Chinatown Death Cloud Peril by Paul Malmont (5.21.2011)
7. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith* (6.1.2011)
8. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin* (6.17.2011)
9. The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers by Thomas Mullen (7.31.2011)
10. The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer* (8.18.2011)
11. The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard (8.21.2011)

*audiobook

X: Children & Young Adult

1. The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by L.J. Smith (1.5.2011)
2. The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle (2.18.2011)
3. Close Kin: Book II The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy by Clare B. Dunkle (2.22.2011)
4. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld w/11-11 group (4.14.2011)
5. Wake by Lisa McMann* (5.10.2011)
6. The Maze Runner by James Dashner* (5.19.2011)
7. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins* (5.25.2011)
8. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins* (6.4.2011)
9. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins* (7.1.2011)
10. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare* (7.8.2011)

Candidates:
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

* audiobook

XI: Hello There...
new-to-me authors



1. Spade and Archer by Joe Gores w/jonesli (1.26.2011)
2. Shadow Man by Cody McFadyen w/RidgewayGirl (1.30.2011)
3. Indemnity Only by Sara Paretsky w/jonesli, RidgewayGirl (2.2.2011)
4. A Perfect Evil by Alex Kava w/jonesli (3.4.2011)
5. The Mullah's Storm by Thomas W. Young (5.7.2011)
6. Leaving Van Gogh by Carol Wallace (5.8.2011)
7. Beneath Gray Skies by Hugh Ashton (7.17.2011)
8. Legend by Marie Lu (8.2.2011)
9. The Judas Kiss by Norman Katkov (8.19.2011)
10. The Ritual Bath by Faye Kellerman (9.14.2011)

candidates:
On Literature by Umberto Eco

Welcome back! We're neck and neck. I'd better get reading!

Thanks Kay!
So.... for the last six weeks RL has been very challenging. I haven't been reading at my normal pace and I haven't reviewed at all. But now it's quieted down a bit and I'm trying to get back up to pace. Here are the books I read but neglected to write about.

I Shall Not Want and One Was a Soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming
I read all seven books in this series in two months. It's probably not necessary for me to tell you that I really, really enjoyed them. From the very first book I knew what I wanted from Russ and Claire's relationship and it felt so odd that it came to pass. So often what I want to happen, doesn't. The thing about Spencer-Fleming is that she takes the story where you want it to go but then at the very end, sometimes the last sentence, she dangles another carrot to keep you coming back for the next book. A carrot you didn't even realize you wanted but now can't live without. I will read everything she writes.

Build My Gallows High by Geoffrey Homes
A classic hardboiled tale with all the prerequisites. I'll have to remember to look up another by Homes. I almost liked him better than David Goodis!

A Perfect Evil by Alex Kava
I really liked Nick, the sheriff, but I couldn't connect with the FBI Agent, Maggie, at all. She annoyed me to no end and since the series is about her, I probably won't continue reading it.

Naked Heat by Richard Castle
I didn't enjoy this sequel as much as the first book. It was great being back in the Castle/Rook universe again but in some places (i.e. the second abduction), it felt over-the-top.

The Night Season by Chelsea Cain
In short.... I missed Gretchen! It was nice that with her absence the gore was taken down a notch, but her previous scenes with Archie are some of my favorites. This book would have totally fallen flat if it wasn't for Susan. She totally carries it and she's written spot on. All through the book I kept thinking 'how does Cain think of these things?' The "murder weapon" just blew my mind. Must meet her someday!

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
I love Allen mostly for her magical realism. This one felt less 'magical' than her previous works. At times it was too much like straight chick-lit, which really isn't my cup of tea. It was nice to see that a friend from Garden Spells has a cameo though.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Steig Larsson
This one was drudgery for me. 500 pages of politics and raging libidos. Again. Truthfully, I skimmed much of the exposition about The Section. Lisbeth's trial was interesting and it made me wonder about the differences in the Swedish and American legal systems. The best part of the book was the end, only because the action takes center stage. I'm not sure I will be up for part four, should it ever be released.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Be still, my Steampunk heart. Whoa. The Clankers and the Darwinists have such great contrivances. What a playground these pages are. I knew being a trilogy that the story wouldn't be concluded but Barking Spiders! I was still disappointed when it stopped.

Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger
This is book two in the Cork O'Connor series. I read book three first and book one second, so it was nice to bridge the hole between them. I think Krueger does a great job of making the Ojibwe heritage and The Land characters in their own right. I've been listening to these in audiobook format and the narrator, David Chandler, does a truly fantastic job. I'm even starting to remember what certain Ojibwe words mean. Now on to book four!

Thank goodness you're back! I was waiting anxiously to read your thoughts on The Night Season and One Was a Soldier.

I thought I missed Gretchen also, but I guess its enough that she haunts poor Archie. Susan is just hilarious! How about Archie's little no-no at the end?

I'm also looking forward to the next JSF, I think I'm next at the library for it.

Hiya! Glad that you're back and on your way to "normal" IRL. Seems like a lot of LTers have had at least one prolonged rough patch so far this year, myself included. Sounds like you liked most of the books you read though, and that's something to celebrate for sure.

Have a very happy Easter weekend!

Good to see you back and with a list of very interesting books as well. I am currently reading the first in William Kent Krueger's series, Iron Lake and enjoying it, will most definitely be carrying on with this series. In fact quite a few of your recent reads are are my wishlist - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, The Peach Keeper, Leviathan,and I intended to continue with both the Chelsea Cain and Julia Spencer-Fleming series.

Glad to see you back - although I suspect my wishlist will take some more hits now that you're back.

I've just started the Julia Spencer-Fleming series and everyone here seems to like all the books. Guess I'll have to get going and get a few more. The first really kept my interest, so much so that I didn't even notice my time on the treadmill. That's a good book!

I've also just started the Chelsea Cain series and I read Sarah Addison Allen too. Oh - and I read the first Steig Larsson while on vacation this year.

I love how we can have completely different reactions to the same books. I, for the record, loved that Gretchen Lowell played such a minor role in The Night Season. Susan should be the focus of all Cain's books. A woman who naps while a goat eats her house or who will pick an old Jolly Rancher off of the coffee table that it's stuck to and eat it is worth ten liver-lacerating serial killers.

Oh, and I liked that Sarah Addison Allen is featuring less magic in her books. Eventually, I'll be buying the hardcover and you'll be the reluctant reader.

Great to see you back - and with a new thread for me to follow! Barking Spiders!, that still cracks me up.

Welcome back Victoria! Loved the 500 pages of politics and raging libidos comment. Spot on!

I really loved Build my Gallows High but I have never tried David Goodis, Any recommendations where I should start?

Hi Claire, I'm so glad you asked! My favorites by Goodis are Dark Passage, Shoot the Piano Player and Black Friday.

Blood Hollow by William Kent Krueger
Category: Audiobooks
5 stars

A rebel Indian who finds Jesus and performs miracles.
A doppelganger of a dead girl found in the thawed snow.
A sin-eater with a growing appetite.
Cork O’Connor, burger-flipper and former sheriff of Aurora, is on the case.

Jo and Cork have returned their family to Leave-it-to-Beaver unity and all the edge comes from the supporting cast this time. Cork continues to wrestle with his belief system and his unwavering need to protect the town, which I always find satisfying. I enjoy this series more with every installment. It’s a fantastic blend of noir and western and classic mystery. Krueger’s detailed descriptions - of the reservation land and weather (even the blizzards) - make this southern girl long to head north for the big woods.

Good review, Victoria. I'll have to read the first in the series soon.

I've been on this trail since I heard about Iron lake. Sounds very much like something for Flea, my wife.

Strange Saint by Andrew Beahrs
Category: Talk to the Hand
3.5 stars

Melode lives among the Saints but with her mysterious past, she’s never been one of them. Believing that she’s found love, naïve Mel boards a boat to America, where the congregation seeks land to call their own. The journey holds a rough awakening for Melode and she is cast off onto an island barren of all but birds, a place befitting a Sinner. Among harsh circumstances Mel discovers who she is in light of such a judgment and what she will do to prove her worth.

I chose this novel for the Reading Through Time Group’s April read, the theme being religion. Honestly, there’s very little established religion here but there is much about faith, discovery and identity. Beahrs always puts such detail in his work, it’s easy to drown yourself in Melode’s surroundings. The austerity of those early settlements, the desperation and suspicion of the frontier, comes through clear.

I thought I would find it easy to identify with Mel, being the outsider in the group (a very common device among novelists) but once she was on the ship, I lost touch with her. By the middle of the book I wasn’t sure who she was any more and later I was just looking forward to the end. The character transforms from needy girl into independent woman and I should have applauded her but I just wanted to be done with her tale.

Beahrs does not use quotation marks and in a few places I struggled to determine if something was said aloud or who said what. Generally, it wasn’t much of a problem but I thought I’d mention it as it does bother some readers.

A very good review of Blood Hollow. You've made me feel like jumping in the car and going to the bookstore to pick up the next few book in the series!

Oh my Victoria, tempting me with another series, you know what happens when I read your thread, i.e. Julia Spencer Fleming! I do believe I have Iron Lake on my Nook. Hmmmm.......

Hi guys! Nice of everyone to drop by. Just let me say, you all need to try Krueger, he's talented. See if you can find a space in your challenge for him somewhere. I got book five through a swap site a few weeks ago but I'm doing my best to hold off until I read something from another category.

I think that between the two of you posting good reviews for the Cork O'Connor series that I'm going to have to put Iron Lake onto the wishlist.

Angel of Vengeance: The Novel that Inspired the TV Show Moonlight by Trevor Munson
Category: Cinematheque Victoria
4 stars

"Do you think you can help me, Mr. Angel?" Holding her martini glass in both hands, Reesa drinks, watching me with big gorgeous doe-eyes as she does it.
"I could, but I'll be honest, I don't come cheap. I charge five hundred a day plus expenses."
"Money I've got. A girl can make a pretty good living taking her clothes off, or hadn't you heard?"

Mick Angel agrees to help a burlesque dancer find her missing sister but it's not her money or her pretty face that persuades him. Reesa's world provides the pimps and dealers and thugs that are Mick's favorite prey. He doesn't worry about the men. A woman killed him the first time and the next might finish him off for good.

I drooled all over my TV remote during Moonlight's short run, so I was very excited about another opportunity to be with those characters again. And even though I had a clue with the 'inspired' tag on the cover, I wasn't prepared for how vastly different the book was. (Minor spoiler for those who don't know the show) Mick is a vampire P.I. living in Hollywood, turned by his wife, Coraline, who abducts a little girl named Beth - but that's it. (Spoilery bit ends). The book is much darker than the series and it reads like a classic hardboiled tale, with fangs. Munson says it best in his afterward: It's Philip Marlowe meets Dracula. Since I like both Marlowe and big D that's not a problem for me, just an adjustment in expectations. It reminds me very much of Charlie Huston's Joe Pitt series, Already Dead.

I had no idea Moonlight was based on a book! I love the series, so now I'll try and track this book down. And, since I'm adding books, I'll throw Iron Lake in there, and I suppose I'll "have to" start reading the Julia Spencer-Fleming series too.

Hope you're having a good Sunday morning!

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
Category: The Watercooler
4.5 stars

Matt has always admired El Patron, the man who brought Matt into his house and had him clothed, fed and educated. The household despises Matt and few treat him kindly. Slowly he comes to learn that it’s not just money or respect that tie people to El Patron and it’s not compassion that made him foster Matt, either. One day there will be a reckoning when Matt will repay El Patron, and if he doesn’t - things will change for everyone.

I had seen numerous mentions of this book on LT and it kept showing up on the recommendations engine too, but still I resisted. I saw it in the library one day and noticed it had won numerous awards, so I thought how bad could it be? Frankly, the beginning didn’t impress me much at all but then the story got good and then it got better and by the end I loved it. Nancy Farmer is a gifted storyteller. This is the best kind of YA fiction - it has universal themes that people of all ages can relate to. If you like dystopian coming-of-age stories, you will definitely enjoy The House of the Scorpion.

Added to the wishlist! This place gets more dangerous every time I show up here.... :) Hope you're having a nice weekend!

Thanks Laura, you too! I hope to have more to add to the thread soon. I'm reading so many books right now!

Me too - I'm reading 9 books. Not a good sign. Glad to see I have company!

The Mullah's Storm by Thomas W. Young
Category: Hello There
3.5 stars

The missile brought the U.S.A.F plane down into the mountains of Afghanistan, but that was only the start of Major Parson's bad day. A blizzard moves in, making extraction impossible, and he's worried about the Taliban reaching him and reclaiming his cargo, a high-level detainee. So Parson and Gold, the lady translator, decide to hide the mullah. They have little ammo and less food and their flight suits are no help against the snow and ice. Soon they realize the mission is not just evasion now, it's survival.

I think it was a combination of watching Carrier and seeing the coverage of bin Laden's death, but all the sudden I had to read this book RIGHT NOW. The detailed writing made me feel that I was over there, eating MREs, wearing a flak vest, seeing the horror of firefights and beheadings. I think the fact that Gold was a female also helped me relate to the material. The soldiers were capable but not supermen, they had fear, they made mistakes and I liked the realism. I'm not big on war books but this felt timely and I'm glad it crossed my path.

Wake by Lisa McMann
Category: Children & Young Adult
3.5 stars

Janie experiences other people's dreams, but it's not by choice. She doesn't mind so much the watermelon-breast sexual fantasies or the naked-in-public dreams, it's the falling or drowning ones that leave her truly terrified. There's a mysterious guy at school who naps during study hall and dreams of an inferno. An old man at the nursing home who constantly replays the day his son walked out. Finally Janie realizes she's tired of being a weak, passive observer - things have to change.

Some YA books are able to transcend the genre and others, well, they're so YA. This one is the later. Every parent is a substance user or child abuser - not one is responsible or loving. The police can only solve their case with the help of high-schoolers, etc. I know this is how YA fiction works but it doesn't always slap me in the face like it did here. And I predicted the twist - hate it when that happens.
But I don't want to go all negative-Nancy on this book because I did enjoy aspects of it. Janie is a strong female character who takes charge of her situation. I really liked the way she interacts with Cabel and I might just read the second book to see how they progress.

Leaving Van Gogh: a Novel by Carol Wallace
http://www.librarything.com/work/11038421/book/71709586
Category: Hello There
3.5 stars

What do you know of Vincent Van Gogh? That he was a gifted artist whose eye for color and composition still captivate people today? That he was a deeply troubled man whose despair led to mutilation and suicide?

Based upon real correspondence, Leaving Van Gogh is a fictional telling of Vincent’s last months through the eyes of Dr. Paul Gachet, a physician who looked after Vincent at the request of his brother, Theo. Gachet had experience with melancholiacs and had treated other artists of his acquaintance. Mental illness was not well understood at that time, treatment was simply to restrain and sequester the affected. Dr. Gachet was one of the first to work to change that practice.

Dr. Gachet was a painter himself. Although he practiced in Paris, his home in the countryside had a studio and a garden and Vincent was welcome in both. Gachet was perhaps most suited to understanding Vincent for he shared the language of composition and color. There are some wonderful passages in the book describing Van Gogh and his paintings too. I was delighted in particular by Gachet’s portrait session and got down one of my Van Gogh books to look him up so I could place him firmly in my mind’s eye.

(read more about Gachet’s portrait here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_Dr._Gachet)

It’s obvious that Carol Wallace did her homework to bring us such a detailed accounting but there’s also a lot of heart here. I knew how Vincent’s story ended but going down that road, watching Gachet travel that path, was heart breaking. Even more so because he was a physician who couldn’t heal his patient; his friend.

Van Gogh remains largely an enigma but I feel like I’ve gotten to know him better. That I’ve peered through the fog a little to see the outline of the wheat field that Vincent loved, to smell the sunflowers growing in the warm sun.

Thanks Carol and thanks LT. This review was written for the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.

Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay
Category: Cinematheque Victoria
3 stars
Read with: jonesli

Dexter in the Dark, the third in Jeff Lindsay’s series, is the story of a Dexter who has lost his Dark Passenger. No predatory instinct, no gut feeling, no prickly spider-sense. He’s lost, literally in the dark, and even though he doesn’t feel emotions, he experiences fear. Which leads to almost a cathartic exploration about what the Dark Passenger is and where it came from. Does it control him, does he control it? How can he get it back and if not, how does he live without it?

The thing I love the best about Dexter is his duality. He really is wolf and sheep at the same time. The way that Lindsay has written him is brilliant. You really understand how disconnected Dexter is inside - how much of human behavior he doesn’t understand, how much he is simply parroting in a desperate attempt to be accepted into the fold. It’s also scary how much sense he can make and shows how our emotional attachments make our world so much more complicated.

I didn’t like this one as much as the previous installment. I mean, self-discovery is good, that part was interesting. I do like it when a character stretches and grows but some of the stuff about the Dark Passenger’s origins, well, I could take it or leave it. That’s all I’ll say, no spoilers here. Also, there’s some seriously creepy stuff with the kids in this one and creepy kids creep me out. The other storylines continue too – the sister, the girlfriend - I’ll probably read the next book just to see how it evolves.

Excellent review on the Van Gogh book!

The 4th Dexter is more like the first two and less supernatural in origin so you should enjoy it more.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Category: Children & Young Adult
3.5 stars

There is blood and pain and death in the Maze but ever since Thomas woke up, he’s wanted to run it. The Maze surrounds the Glade and it’s the only way out but no runner has ever found an exit. The Gladers know they’re being manipulated, tested, but they don’t know why or even by whom. Thomas has an awful feeling that he once knew, before he was wiped but he just can’t hold on to the memory. Every day as he studies the Maze, as he flees from the Grievers, Thomas racks his brain for the answer. He won’t give up. He won’t ever give up.

I don’t know why I picked two dystopian YA books back-to-back (with a third coming). I mean, I love them but I’m not sure if this one was really so depressing or if there was some kind of accumulated angst going on. The Maze Runner is definitely for older youths, I think the young ones would be frightened by the bodily harm that occurs.

Did I like it? Parts of it. I was frustrated because I would figure something out and it felt like an eternity before the kids would catch on. I can’t assign too much blame because it is a YA book. It would be nice to know the answers, to get the whole picture, but I’m not sure I’m curious enough to read the next two in the trilogy. Maybe.

The Van Gogh sounds intriguing. I know there are quite a few novels about famous artists but the only one I've read is The Girl with the Pearl Earring. Your review has snagged me, so it's on the list. Thanks!

The Repossession Mambo by Eric Garcia
Category: Cinematheque Victoria
4.5 stars


You go a little late on your payments to the credit union and the Repo-Man shows up at your door. Only this one uses ether and scalpels and he’s legally obligated to call an ambulance at your discretion. You see, this credit unit funds artiforgs – artificial organs – and if you don’t pay up, you’re not embarrassed, you’re dead.

So, this might sound familiar to you. There was a movie made of it not too long ago with Jude Law as Remy, the Repo-Man (the character in the book is actually unnamed). I enjoyed the film which wasn’t a surprise since anything vaguely phildickian with themes of property, identity, and evil “mega” corporations will get me into a theater seat. But I enjoyed the book more, simply for the fact that we have more details, more background, things the film didn’t have time or budget for. Garcia explains that he had a hand in writing the script adaptation and while the two are similar, the ending is quite different. Quite different. The book’s ending was poetic and even though I saw it coming 50-pages off, it felt like the right thing to happen. But it wasn’t Hollywood and I understand why the film ended the way it did, too.

This is one of those stories that is told half in the present and half in the past, alternating until they catch up. Much like the titular mambo, I suppose, but this dance was over way too quickly for me. I’ll be back for another twirl with Garcia, just let me change into proper dance shoes!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Category: Children and Young Adult
4.5 stars

Condensing several weeks into three hours is quite a feat especially when you consider how many cameras were going at once. Whoever put together the highlights has to choose what sort of story to tell...

And this is the story of Katniss Everdeen, the girl tribute from District 12, taken along with 23 other kids to fight in the Arena. Trained vs Novice, Boy vs Girl, it doesn't matter. The fight is on and only the victor lives. There is strength and smarts, desperation and despair, loss and love in The Hunger Games.

So, I'm the last person on LT to read this book, right? Right? I know. When the school of fish swarms left, something in my blood just goes right. I don't know why I resist because in the end, sheepish little me capitulates and joins the crowd. Yes, I loved this book. I loved how the Arena becomes, well, the arena for Katniss to pass from child to adult. The place where she learns that nothing is black-and-white anymore, that everything, everything, she does has a response, a reaction, a cost. I like her strength of character and I can't wait to see where Collins goes with the trilogy.

>47 VictoriaPL: So, I'm the last person on LT to read this book, right? Right?

Not quite! I just got it and plan to start later this week!

>47 VictoriaPL: and >48 ivyd:: You have both beat me to The Hunger Games trilogy. I am hoping to get to it next year..... ;-)

I haven't read The Hunger Games either, Victoria! I am still trying to resist the hype...like you, I tend to dig in my heels when everyone tells me I must read a certain book. I have seen a ton of great reviews, though!

I haven't read it yet, either. There's still a wait for it at my library though, so that's my current excuse.

So, I'm the last person on LT to read this book, right? Right? I know. When the school of fish swarms left, something in my blood just goes right. I don't know why I resist because in the end, sheepish little me capitulates and joins the crowd. WORD! Only in my case, it's likely three years of so before I pick it up, and by then I feel ashamed to read it on the underground train. I imagine people looking at me stealthily and thinking: Well, YOU don't read much, do you?

I can be like that too. I resisted the Twilight series for ages, claiming I didn't want to read "vampire" books. When I finally succombed and read it, I devoured it/them. Now I say the same about the Hunger Games series. Not a fan of fantasy. We'll see - I may have to read the first one eventually just to see why everyone loves it.

So it looks like you're not the only person on LT who hasn't read it yet. There are still a few of us waiting.

Well, I am so glad to be in such excellent company!

Slight programming note... I've nixed my "Health" category and replaced it with a "Re-read" category. I don't usually swap categories half-way through the challenge but it just wasn't working for me.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend everyone!

I have sat on the fence a bit with The Maze Runner but I think now I'll definitely not read it. If you're enjoying The Hunger Games trilogy do also check out Peadar O'Guilin's The Inferior.

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Category: The Watercooler
3.5 stars

I think it worthy of note that I never felt happier in my life. Despite sorrow for father, pity for Rose, embarrassment about Stephen’s poetry and no justification for hope as regards our family’s general outlook. Perhaps it is because I have satisfied my creative urge or it may be due to the thought of eggs for tea.

I simply had to read this one after seeing so many favorable things said about it on LT. I do think it's a noteworthy entry in the coming-of-age genre. The relationship between Cassandra and her father and the general poverty of their household made me think very much of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The goings-on between the Mortmain and Cotton families was very Austenesque. And every so often, particularly when she was ruminating about kisses or cherry brandy, Cassandra reminded me a little of Anne Shirley. That said, the book won't make my favorites list. There were a few places where I got lost in the forest of words, too much description and not enough action. And I disliked the ending, but that's because I'm partial to a certain kind of ending and I hold grudges too easily.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Category: Children and Young Adult
4.5 stars

I find it impossible to write a blurb for this one without giving a spoiler to The Hunger Games. I've been wracking my brain without success. So I guess I'll just say that this one was as satisfying as the first and I am very much looking forward to the conclusion in book 3.

Everfound by Neal Shusterman
Category: My Precious
3 stars

I have been a card-carrying fan of Neal Shusterman for years. He is so very gifted and his creativity just astounds me sometimes. Everfound is the conclusion of his Skinjacker Trilogy. The first two installments, Everlost and Everwild, both ranked five-stars for me and I was very excited to see his vision all come together. And it did.... all the players were on the board but I found myself curiously dispassionate about them. I was tired and distracted and noting that I wasn't eating through the pages fast at all. So, I'm not sure if it's me or him, but there was no magic on this date.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Category: Audiobooks
5 stars

Todd Hewitt, the last boy in Prentisstown, is about to become a man. There are no other children because there are no more women. There used to be women in the settlement, Todd has heard of them but he never knew them, not even his own mother. Right now the men are buzzing about his birthday. He hears their Noise, that constant whirlwind of thoughts that cannot be turned off and yet they still manage to keep the plans secret from him! How can they do that? There are no secrets in Prentisstown. But there are lies. If there’s one thing Todd knows, it’s that men lie. Walking through the swamp, Todd discovers possibly the biggest lie of all, something that will change the town and the planet forever.

This is, obviously, a coming-of-age story. The process of Todd’s change from boy to man is epic, perhaps in the same vein as Paul Atreides or Harry Potter. It affects not just him but his whole world. Todd is quite the juggernaut in his escape from the veil of his youth and I was so very engaged with him at every turn of the path. Being a teenager, his emotions range the whole gamut and the book just goes there. It was cathartic in places.

In 2008 The Knife of Never Letting Go won the James Triptee, Jr Award, the Guardian Award and the Booktrust Teenage Prize. I listened to it in audiobook format and it was just fantastic. The performance was so visceral, the words just make you weep and bleed for Todd. I was more affected by this than I was The Hunger Games. It’s excellent fiction, YA or not. I will say that if you really don’t like science-fiction, or if profanity bothers you, you might want to steer clear.

>57 VictoriaPL: I got Catching Fire yesterday and I'm eager to start it tonight. Glad to hear that's it's not a letdown after The Hunger Games -- I thought I'd seen some comments that it was, but when I briefly looked this morning, all I saw was praise...

60 - I finished the trilogy and loved them all. It's definitely a case where the books are equally good and don't less momentum as they go along.

Tapping the Source by Kem Nunn
Category: Cinematheque Victoria
2 stars

Word comes to Ike Turner that his runaway sister, Ellen, had spent time in Huntington Beach before disappearing again. He goes there to find her associates and discovers that they’re surfers and they rule the pier with a violent grip. When they’re not surfing, there’s drugs, home-made porn and maybe even a little murder. Ike knows he’ll never have the truth about Ellen unless he becomes one of them but picking up a board and entering the water is only the beginning. Soon Ike must make a choice, to find out what happened to Ellen or to save what’s left of himself.

According to its back cover, this book is the “inspiration” behind the movie Point Break. There must have been a lot of script rewrites because, to be honest, I couldn’t recognize anything. If you read Tapping the Source, read it for what it is. It’s very dark in tone, very gritty, very hardboiled – except for the surfing passages which can be beautiful. I believe Nunn's work has been called 'surf noir' and that's pretty accurate. I do enjoy a good hardboiled tale, but I didn’t enjoy much of this. I can’t really recommend it.

My first thought on seeing the name Ike Turner was, he-who-beat-up-Tina fame? But seems to be just a coincidence.

I went to school in Huntington Beach, so I'll put this one on the list and see if I can find it for no other reason.

I read Tapping the Source a couple of years ago and thought it was pretty good. Shame you didn't like it but it's good to get another viewpoint on the review page.

Well, it does have the criminal gang of surfers in common with Point Break. So there was no scene where he had to catch up to the bad guy by falling faster than him?

>65 RidgewayGirl: Sadly, no.

No presidential masks? (But at least they say "dude" a lot, right?)

Actually, more brahs than dudes.

Oh how I hate that brah thing. I was intrigued by you calling it noir, but I don't think that there can be a book hardboiled enough to make up for brahs.

The Eiger Sanction by Travanian
Category: Cinematheque Victoria
3.5 stars

Dr John Hemlock has just excused his students for the semester but finds out in a quick meeting that his work is far from over. For when he’s not lecturing, Hemlock funds his lifestyle and his blackmarket collection of Impressionists by performing contract assassinations for CII. This mission will take him to the Eiger, a mountain Hemlock has twice failed to summit, but he’s the only man the agency has with climbing experience. Conquering the mountain is only half the challenge though, because CII’s intelligence can’t pinpoint which man on the expedition is the target. Hemlock is finally blackmailed into going but he knows this will be his last sanction for the agency, one way or another.

Earlier this year both LibraryThing and Netflix began recommending The Eiger Sanction to me. I don’t know much about algorithms but it didn’t take long for me to realize this remarkable conflux between the two came about because of my occasional weakness for James Bond books and films. And so without too much concern over my decision to let the internet influence my choice of entertainment, I gave it a go.

Trevanian (a pen-name of Rodney William Whitaker) wrote Eiger as a spoof of Ian Fleming’s work. It’s clearly an effort to tweak the Bond character, to make his agency less patriotic and his conquests colder than casual. I don’t mean spoof as in funny, because a few scenes were so bad that I couldn’t even laugh (although I’m sure a few people do). Sometimes this type of fiction (especially 1940s-1960s) needles my modern sensibility, although if taken as satire, I try to put it in its place.

I enjoyed the second half of the novel the best, due in large part to the action on the Eiger. I do love a good mountaineering set piece. The mountain came off beautifully in the movie adaptation too. Directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, the film had several scenes verbatim from the book, which surprised me. Not a bad piece of popcorn fiction.

I remember when the Travanian books came out, they were quite popular. Now the only details I remember are that he had a thing for Volvo bashing, and I think there was a girl named George Hotforit (he definitely got that idea from James Bond!). I would expect they are pretty dated now. Good works of fiction seem to stand the test of time, but books that were written with the pop-culture of the day never seem to hold up.

Hey DQ, I don't think either Fleming's or Trevanian's work has aged very well but part of that is technology. Sometimes you can just imagine how a scene would be different if they had access to a cell phone! You're also correct about the awful names. In addition to George, who was conquest #3, I believe, there was also a Miss Arce. But it's not just the women, Hemlock's boss at CII is named Yurasis Dragon.

Oh, Yurasis Dragon - yes I remember him now. Tee Hee - sorry that name still makes me giggle!

Those Who Hunt the Night by Barbara Hambly
Category: Bride of the Monster Mash
3.5 stars

Someone has been dispatching London’s vampires. Not with beheading or garlic, not even stake or silver, but by ripping open their coffins to the daylight. Coffins bolted from the inside, heavy too – beyond the capacity of human strength alone – and in places that should be well hidden. But who among them can endure the sun’s rays to perform such a deed and why kill their own kind? So one among the clan does what the others fear to do - he finds a human capable enough to find such a killer. It’s an uneasy alliance at first, at least until their evidence reveals that the vampires may not be the worst predators on London’s soil.

I saw a few blurbs about Those Who Hunt the Night, the first in Barbara Hambly’s Victorian vampire series, and they made me curious enough to hunt down a copy. There are so many vampire tales to choose from these days, but even those set in the past usually have a modern feeling to them. Very few truly capture the atmosphere of their sire, the mighty Dracula.

After reading Hambly’s work, I must say that she delivers the goods. The drawing rooms of Oxford, the creepy cobblestone back alleys of London and the crypts of Paris all contribute to that gas-lit gothic dread that says ‘vampire’ so very well. Hambly did a good job with her undead, fleshing them out with vivid characterizations so that they weren’t just stock duplicates of each other and there weren’t so many that you lost track. She linked certain words with each character that would bring their description right back to your recall, but every so often this became tedious to me. Her political maneuverings between vampire and human never became too much for me, as they sometimes can, and I liked her mythos.

Aside from Dracula, I've avoided all the vampire novels, but this sounds good. Looks like an old one too. It's on the list!

>75 mstrust: mstrust, I hope you enjoy it!

The Devil You Know by Mike Carey
Category: Bride of the Monster Mash
3 stars

Felix Castor has been able to see London’s ghosts since he was a boy. Through the years he's developed a talent for bonding with them and sending them to their final peace - exorcising them, if you will. He’d like to be doing something different, but it’s a living. Castor finds himself too invested in an archive ghost to dispatch her without checking further into the situation and the people responsible for her violent end don’t like that at all. Not at all. In fact, they might just make Castor a ghost too.

Being the first in a series, Carey lays down some ground work here, giving Castor’s personal history in a series of flashbacks and unfortunately for me, that’s what I found most interesting. I never truly cared about the archive ghost, who she was and why she was haunting the place. Likewise, I wasn’t fond of the researchers or their work either. They were simply in the way of the story I wanted to read, namely, more about Castor and his relationship with Pen and Rafi. I don’t think it was Carey’s fault, it’s just how I interacted with the story personally. And it’s okay that I didn’t love it because I bought the book for my husband anyway. I predicted that he would find it a solid story and by the way he’s going through it right now, I’m correct.

The Ask and The Answer by Patrick Ness
Category: Audiobooks
5 stars

blurb contains SPOILERS for The Knife of Never Letting Go and The Ask and The Answer

Viola Eade was the first girl Todd Hewitt ever laid eyes on. After they travel over half the planet, evade the army sent by Mayor Prentiss and conquer a madman together, Todd's pretty certain that he's in love with her. In return for Viola's urgent medical care he surrenders himself to now-President Prentiss and is placed in service to the Ask, the office responsible for interrogations and torture. Once well, Viola joins The Answer, a resistance group that conducts raids and bombings in response to the atrocities enacted under martial law. Todd and Viola are hopelessly separated as the violence and bloodshed escalate - both factions so involved in their own rhetoric and revenge that neither sees the real enemy coming.

I freely admit that I picked up the second book in the Chaos Walking trilogy to expressly find out what happens to Viola and Todd (ah, young love, it does burn so very brightly). It's not all about starry-eyed teens though. This lethal chess game between The Ask and The Answer evoked all kinds of thoughts and feelings in me. It particularly made me think about America and our involvement with the Middle East. About how reactionary hostility can really push and drive a situation out of control. But I also came back because Patrick Ness writes such awesome stuff. Love and War together have been the fodder for so many stories but throw in telepathy and you just go to a whole new level. It's brilliant, high-quality, gets-you-right-there fiction. Ness, you've got yourself a new fan.

I've already got The Devil You Know on the wishlist but I guess the Patrick Ness series can join it now as well.

Rochester: A Novel Inspired by Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" by J.L. Niemann
Category: Brontëana
2.5 stars

I must give kudos to J.L. Niemann for being forthright about what Rochester is. It’s in the forward to the book and there’s even an authorial address on the Amazon.com page (although it’s not mentioned on any LT reviews, which is why I took the trouble to write this one). You see, Rochester is internet fan fiction compiled and published in book format.

I expected that the Jane Eyre “cannon” events would remain unchanged. I mean, Charlotte Brontë left so many years of Rochester’s life undefined, I think those few months she wrote down should be sacrosanct. I neglected to reminded myself that the very point of fanfic is that it doesn’t have the constraints of the original. This material feels very modern, possibly because it’s highly sexualized – something that Bronte could never publish. It’s Niemann having her way with the character of Edward Fairfax Rochester – and yes, I mean that in a prurient way too.

I never was completely on-board with this Rochester. Niemann wrote scenes of introspection and reflection, but I didn’t sense the gravitas or callousness that I always imagined him with. I didn’t feel it. And he seemed too young to me. This is where Niemann’s introduction came into play again. You see, this fanfic was inspired by the 2006 Toby Stephens portrayal of Rochester. I’ve always been a particular fan of William Hurt’s 1996 depiction of the character and that explains some of the issues I had. It’s interesting how an actor can get under your skin like that, how the craft of acting changes your literary perception, but I digress.

The other thing I struggled with is Jane. Fans of Jane Eyre can probably be broken down into three types - those of Jane and those of Rochester and those of the couple together. The whole point of this piece is Rochester and Jane in that way. But honestly, who was this girl so hot to have Eddie in her knickers? Even in the scenes with clothes, she didn’t seem very Eyre-ish. For all I knew, she could have been Jane the scullery maid. So, if you’re the third type of fan, you should enjoy the romps in the library with abandon. But if the lack of an authentic Jane is a deal-breaker for you, look elsewhere.

You're slowing working your way through the sexy versions of the classics. Remember that Wuthering Heights one? What's next? But stay pre 20th century. Sexy versions of 1984 or All Quiet on the Western Front would be deeply inappropriate.

Yes, I see you've noticed I have a penchant for that. Well, setting aside the numerous Austen and Brontë progeny for the moment, I would like to see someone do Burnett again. I read one sequel (called Return to the Secret Garden) but would love another. I wonder if anyone has tackled Montgomery, something from Gilbert's POV perhaps? That would take some guts. I would read that.

scurries off to practice some Google-Fu

Thanks for the very nice review of The Devil You Know. This definitely sounds like something I would like, so I have added to my wishlist.

Yeah, I'd read a book giving Gilbert's POV. And now you have me wanting to read Anne of the Island again. Why that particular one?

>82 chinquapin:, thanks.

>83 RidgewayGirl: I think it's on my brain because we were discussing PEI over dinner the other night. I'd love to go there but I don't think it would be fair to the other half - a little too girly and definitely Anne-overload.

@77 so has it made you desperate to pick up the 3rd?

>85 clfisha:
Oh yes, Monsters of Men is definitely on my list. Ness won the Carnegie Medal for it so I'm feeling pretty good about it.

Mercy Falls by William Kent Krueger
Category: Audiobooks
4.5 stars

Risking his life is nothing new to Cork O’Connor but, being in law enforcement, it’s usually on someone else’s behalf. One attempt to kill him leaves a deputy near death, another nearly takes one of his children. But that’s not all that robs him of sleep. There’s a mutilated body out at Mercy Falls that has him perplexed. And one of Jo’s old boyfriends is in town. He hasn’t bothered to disguise the torch he still carries for her, not even to Cork’s face. Yes, it’s been a challenging week for the sheriff of Aurora... and it’s not over yet.

If you’ve been following my reading this year then you already know that I. Love. This. Series. So, I’m not sure what new I can say. At the very least I can reassure you that the story hasn’t declined in quality – not in plot or pacing, setting or dialogue. Oh no, Krueger still has this rollercoaster firmly on the rails and I recommend you get in line. It’s quite the ride!

What number in the series is that? I plan to take Iron Lake to the beach with me.

Victoria: I've been so good holding on to Iron Lake. I was afraid it was going to turn into another J Spencer Fleming fest and totally mess up my challenge haha!

But you are making me want to read them...... you and Kay are excellent enablers!

Kay, Mercy Falls is number five. Maybe you and Lisa should read Iron Lake together.... hmmm?

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Category: Children & Young Adult
3.5 stars

I'm not going to write a formal review for this one, it's got plenty of reviews already. Here are my thoughts, mostly for myself. Of the Hunger Games books it's my least favorite - for several reasons. Looking back historically at my ratings, I'm just not a fan of wrap-ups. I think it's because I enjoy world-building so much that I gravitate towards beginning books. In ending books there's not much new to discover: everyone's been introduced, the scenery's been set, so it's not as interesting for me. Secondly, and this is petty (but true!), Katniss doesn't end up with my favorite of her two suitors. It was such a well-written love triangle, perhaps the first one where I felt truly divided between both boys. And I can understand why Collins chose the one she did but what can I say, I hold grudges (those Team Jacob twihards have nothing on me). Thirdly, I think the cumulative violence finally got to me and I tuned out. Like turning off the evening news - Click - on to something else. Some parts of it felt repetitive. Criticism aside though, I am very glad that I read the trilogy. I think there's a lot of brain-food in there to chew on. I can't wait to see the movies.

The Journal of Helene Berr by Helene Berr
Category: The Magic 8-Ball
3 stars

Helene Berr was a young woman, a Jew, who lived in Paris during the German occupation in World War II. She is famous for keeping a journal from 1942 to 1944 and is sometimes referred to as the "French Anne Frank". Her experience is somewhat different from the Franks because her family did not go into hiding. In an interesting twist of fate, Helene was incarcerated in the same camp as Anne, at the same time.

The first fifty pages of the journal are mostly about her educational and social life. Her classes at the Sorbonne, tea with friends, letters from boys and what pieces she played on her violin. The tone of her entries change beginning with the day she is required to wear her yellow star. Her first response is to refuse and then remarkably, she changes her mind, proud to show her heritage. She begins to take note of how people treat her, whether they refuse to meet her gaze or if they offer their sympathies.

Her father is taken to the Drancy camp and sends back tales of the horrors he witnesses. Her family and friends begin to debate whether or not to stay in Paris and wonder how long they will be safe as the restrictions on Jews become more and more stringent. Helene falls in love with a fellow student, who then flees to Spain. The Berrs begin to stay with friends at night to prevent the Germans from taking them into custody, but this measure eventually fails. Helene died in 1945, just days before her camp was liberated.

Helene's journal was never meant to be public although she did want those close to her to read it should she die. Some entries are just a name, or partial name, a reminder to herself who visited. Some entries are abbreviated stories and without context or reference they don't mean much (there are a few footnotes). Other entries are much longer and very detailed and I found these musings the most interesting. I am glad I took the time to read her thoughts, especially those on humanity and society, though I don't think it's a book I would re-read or purchase to keep on my shelf.

Great review of The Journal of Helene Berr Victoria. I have added it to my list of books in prep for next year's challenge as it will be a perfect fit for one of my 'planned' categories!

>93 lkernagh:, thanks! Is it a WWII category?

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Category: Children & Young Adult
3 stars

I've clearly been enjoying YA books the past few months and, although I hoped it would not happen, I knew that I would run across a less than excellent selection sooner or later. This book should have been a winner for me: angels, demons, vampires, werewolves, family issues... you know, right up my alley. But I didn't love it. I didn't even really like it, although the witty repartee did garner a few laughs. My disappointment is that it's so derivative. The beginning felt like Harry Potter (only they have Steles, not wands) and towards the end it delved into Star Wars territory (to say why would ruin the surprise). So, I probably won't continue with the series unless someone tells me it gets much better.

One Day by David Nicholls
Category: Cinematheque Victoria
4 stars

Dex and Em
Em and Dex
The two of us.

One Day is such an interesting title for the story of Emma and Dexter. It could refer to the one day they spent together after their graduation from university. It could be those singular days when the courses of their lives change. It could be those days when they’re with other people but seem to think only about each other. It could be a wish, a hopeful sigh, that “one day” they will have a happily-ever-after together.

When I first started reading this book it reminded me very much of that age-old philosophical question of ‘can men and women simply be just friends’? But then it evolved into a grand exploration of these two and the paths they were on, sometimes together, sometimes apart. This book frustrated me and inspired me. I hated it and adored it. I cried out of laughter and cried because my heart was breaking. It was such an intimate journey that now with it finished I feel a bit bereft, missing the presence of Dex and Em.

So, why not a full five-star rating? Well, this book is so very British and I am so very American. Many of the place and cultural references were lost on me. I think I could have enjoyed some of the humor more if I could understand the allusions. Also, there was an instance that I predicted which left me a little disappointed. Still, it’s a book that I won’t forget for a long time. I’m very interested in how the film adaptation will turn out, after all, it was the trailer which made me pick up the book. I’m hoping for the best.

personal note
July 15, 2011 (St. Swithin's Day) and it's raining...

Good review of One Day Victoria. I have a hold on that one at my local library.... looking forward to reading it!

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
category: Audiobooks
4.5 stars

Todd and Viola have seen horrible things in the skirmishes for power between President Prentiss and Mistress Coyle but now they face a completely new threat. The indigenous Spackle, outraged at the genocide committed by President Prentiss, have invaded New Prentisstown. They know thousands of human immigrants are soon to flood the planet. If they don’t reclaim their land now, they never will. These butchers, these humans, will take over and the Spackle will die. The carnage they bring is on a scale Todd and Viola could never have imagined. War makes monsters of men. There must be peace, whatever the price.

Monsters of Men, the conclusion to the Chaos Walking trilogy, recently won the 2011 Carnegie Medal. All three of these books are an emotional tour-de-force but this one feels especially brutal. It really made me think about war and conflict and hate. I just felt wrung out by the end but I loved it. I’m so sad to see the trilogy end. Bravo.

Emily's Ghost by Denise Giardana
Category: Brontëana
4 stars

William Weightman comes to Haworth as a curate and soon finds himself attached to the entire Brontë clan. He assumes some of Patrick’s duties at the parish, helps Branwell with his addictions and keeps each of the sisters from being too lonely. Weightman harbors a special attraction to Emily, who returns his feelings, but knows in her heart that she’s not the proper material for a churchman’s wife. They agree that she will governess for six months, broaden herself, and then evaluate their future. But six months is a long time, time they might not have.

This book is so very readable. The pages just flew by and it was over, in one sitting. Of course, that may be because Emily has always been my favorite of the Brontë sisters. There is never enough ‘Emily’ material around to suite me and it was nice to see her enjoy a little romance. I knew that Charlotte married one of Patrick’s curates (Arthur Bell Nichols) but I never considered that Emily or Anne ever had feelings for the men in their father’s employ. It seems a little cliché until you consider how isolated they were, and then it feels sad. Well, most everything around the Brontës carries a tragic weight, doesn’t it?

I was surprised at how Haworth was portrayed in the novel as a dirty, unsanitary slum. Honestly, I know nothing about the place but I’ve always imagined it as heartbreakingly beautiful in the way wild and natural places can sometimes be. This setting was such a change from that. It reminded me somewhat of Gaskell’s North and South.

This has been my favorite Brontë book so far this year.

Two things; first, I'm astonished that you're still finding plenty of Bronte fiction to read and second, I'm astonished that you like Emily best. I like Anne best, myself.

Hey Kay! Yes, who knew that our library has so much Brontë fiction? I've only ILL'd one in the category. I know, we've discussed my preference for Emily before. At least, having now read Anne, I can see why you like her best. And hey, we agree on Charlotte, there's something! I'm considering delving into a Branwell book next...

Copper River by William Kent Krueger
Category: Audiobooks
3.5 stars

Cork O’Connor lies in a cabin, recuperating from a bullet wound. He’s suspended from his duties as Sheriff of Aurora and he worries for his family, who he hasn’t seen since going on the run. Men have wanted Cork dead before, but none of them ever placed a half-million dollar bounty on his head. And even though Cork left town to keep a low profile, he’s not the kind of man who can stay still when people around him start turning up dead. Cork’s strong sense of justice drives him to fix the situation, even if his involvement is like waving a red flag in the faces of the men on his trail.

Cork O’Connor is a Timex. The man takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’. This is only book six and I’ve already lost count of the gunshot wounds and how many times he’s been beat bloody. But, that resiliency is one of the reasons I love the character – no reader is going to come back six times for a quitter. Wounded or not, Cork is the ultimate lawman. He doesn’t need his badge or his gun, or even jurisdiction, for that matter. He is in charge, he will hunt down the bad guy and justice will prevail, amen.

That said, this book wasn’t a five-star for me, for several reasons. First off, we’re not in Aurora anymore, and Cork’s family is largely out of the picture, giving this book a different feel from the previous ones. All the backstory and relationships we’ve cobbled together and are invested in are put aside for new characters we know nothing about. Secondly, Cork really isn’t as introspective as he was in the earlier books and I missed the growth I’ve seen in him previously. It’s important to me to know that in all he’s been through, he hasn’t lost his humanity. But, rest assured, these things were not enough to put me off the series. I’m looking forward to see what happens to Cork next.

The Winged Watchman by Hilda van Stockum
Category: My Precious
3 stars

When I was a teen, I got a book from the library called The Borrowed House by Hilda van Stockum. It’s a young adult novel that takes place during the German occupation of Amsterdam in WWII. I fell in love with this book and I still read it even as an adult.

For this year’s challenge I thought I would read van Stockum’s best-known work, The Winged Watchman, which also takes place during WWII. The Watchman is a windmill operated by the Verhagen family, who also live inside of it. The family communicates with other Resistance members by placing the sails of the mill in certain positions and eventually they are able to aid a few aviators to elude capture.

I didn’t really enjoy the book, mostly because it was written for very young teens, maybe even pre-teens. The realities of war and survival and faith were just so simplified. I know this book is used in schools and I’m sure it’s an excellent teaching tool but it didn’t make good leisure material for me. I did find the “language” of the windmills and other information about them to be quite interesting. I had the opportunity to see three or four mills in Sweden but didn’t get to go inside. This book made me wish I had.

@91 Oh, how I can relate to your thoughts on concluding parts and world building. In fact, the series where I've found the later parts anywhere near as interesting as the first ones can probably be counted on one hand. It's really only when the author constantly and restlessly finds new environments and elements throughout the series it works for me - like in Banks' Culture novels or Miéville's Bas-Lag books.

As I playwright, I have to say it's the same for plays (both my own and written by others). It's rare the ending is anywhere near as interesting as the beginning. I think bringing it home in a satisfactory way is one of the major challenges of story telling - in any form.

Hey Anders! I completely agree with you, it's a "problem" not just relegated to novels. I'm so relieved to find someone who can relate!

On a programming note, I have just finished my first category. It's my Misc catch-all, no surprise there.Still, I find myself a little sad to pass that benchmark. When can we start talking about the 12-12?

Victoria -- last year, I think we started talking about the 11 in 11 around the beginning of August...I'd certainly join in any discussion that might start up soon! :)

I'm heading towards semi-epic fail on my 11 in 11. Which of course, in no way means I'm not up for planning 12-12- Bring it on!

Me too! I've been mentally planning 2012 reading since 2010, so I'm ready to roll whenever!

Hi Victoria:

I'm holding onto Iron Lake until next year, but I fear this series may turn into the great JSF fest of 2011!

I've been jotting down things for next year also, and looking dismally around me at the piles of books everywhere. The whole point of the Nook was to weed out some of this clutter!

I always get excited about the next challenge when I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am already thinking about categories and candidates for the 12-12 but I'm not in a hurry to finish the 11-11.

Surrender on Demand by Varian Fry
Category: The Magic 8-Ball
3 stars

Surrender on Demand is Varian Fry’s first-hand account of how he assisted Jewish intellectuals to escape France during World War II. Sometimes referred to as the ‘American Schindler’, Fry was deeply concerned over the potential loss of these writers, artists and musicians. He raised funds domestically and then traveled to Marseille where he helped several thousand people.

Fry feared that any journal or diary he kept could be used against him if discovered by authorities, who routinely searched his rooms. Luckily he was a journalist by trade and many anecdotes he recalls in these pages are quite detailed. In fact, I had a difficult time keeping up with all the names and was hard pressed to keep everyone straight. The numbers of refugees was overwhelming and I certainly understand the 18-hour days Fry put in trying to help them.

Fry was most successful at transporting people by train or on foot as the port authorities watched the boats too carefully and very few automobiles were in operation. He would obtain passports/visas from any country he could get them from. He did not spare the expense if he could get legal documents but when he couldn’t, he employed forgeries.

I’ve read quite a few WWII books, particularly concerning France, but this one held a surprise for me. I had always been under the impression that when someone was arrested they were sent to the camps immediately. Fry mentions how some of the Vichy authorities were sporting about it. They would arrest an individual and tell them to go home and pack a bag and return the next morning for transport. If the individual fled, well, c’est la vie, they got away. If the individual came back the next day, they would do their duty and hand them over.

I read this after watching the movie Varian’s War (starring William Hurt) and perhaps the movie spoiled me a bit for the pacing of the book. It’s interesting for the details, but I didn’t find it to be a page-turner.

Illyria by Elizabeth Hand
Category: My Precious
3.5 stars

Maddie and Rogan are closer than most cousins. They were born on the same day. Their fathers are identical twins. Their families live across the street from each other and the children, rarely apart, flit between the houses. Both exhibit the same bohemian leanings of their grandmother, a legendary actress, and disregard any opinion but their own - particularly concerning the closeness of their relationship. Maddie convinces Rogan to join her in a school production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and the course of their lives is changed forever.

Illyria won the 2008 World Fantasy Award in the novella category. I was able to finish it in one session and even though it lacks length, I would say it captures Hand’s style and themes beautifully. Hand is exceptional at creating an atmosphere of art and passion, a fog you lose yourself in. It’s easy to go along with whatever enchanted story she wants to tell because the reality these people live in is clearly set apart from your own.

Rogan reminded me so much of the character of Oliver in Waking the Moon that I’m fairly certain both are based on the same friend I once heard Hand speak of. Both are so beautiful and tragic.

I didn’t rate it higher because I’m not fond of Shakespeare, so parts of the play weren’t as enjoyable for me. Also, I wanted a more decisive ending. Well, truthfully, I just wanted there to be more. That’s usually the way I feel about Liz Hand.

Legend by Marie Lu
Category: Hello There
3 stars

Welcome to the Republic of America's city of Los Angeles, where every child at the age of ten must partake in the Trial. If the score is high, the candidate is cared for, educated and trained in the military. If too low, the reject is cast out to survive on their own resources. Enter fifteen-year-old June, a prodigy who stored a perfect score on her Trial. When her brother is killed by a fugitive named Day, June undertakes a daring undercover mission to hunt him down. The streets are vicious but the truth she uncovers might hurt her even more.

I received a copy of Legend through LT's Early Reviewer program. I can see why the system picked me: I've read a lot of YA books this year, including The Hunger Games trilogy, which I rated highly. Several reviewers have commented that Legend seems to be a Hunger Games derivative. I'm not sure I would say that. It must be hard being the new kid on the dystopian-YA block when you've got such a queen bee like THG getting so much buzz right now.

But let's face it, to enjoy the modern dystopian YA book, the author must be able to sell to the reader. Sell what? A huge suspension of disbelief. We must believe that only these teenagers can save the world, find the cure, stop the madness, etc. Only these teenagers have the power, the ability, the skill to do what adults with years of training, greater resources, more knowledge, etc, can't. And so on. If you're not sold, you won't enjoy the book as much. Some authors do it better than others. I think Lu has room for improvement here.

SPOILER AHEAD That said, I was able to enjoy Legend because I am a sucker for a Romeo-Juliet pairing like June and Day. SPOILERLY BIT ENDS

The ARC indicates it will be a series (isn't everything these days?) and I might stick around to see where Lu goes with it.

Sorry that one wasn't better for you. The premise of the trials is disturbing.

Isn't Marie Lu a type of cookie?

Another category complete! I'll try to catch up on my reviews soon...

The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers: A Novel by Thomas Mullen
Category: The Watercooler
5 stars

RidgewayGirl recommended this book to me and then she brought me her copy to read, so I knew she really had enjoyed it. This isn’t always a surety that I will like it, we disagree about books all the time, but we both gave this book the same rating - which is a rarity. And we both gave it five stars. That’s really, really rare. Like, planets-are-aligning rare and you should read it quickly before the world ends!

Just kidding. About the end of the world bit, that is.

Obviously from the title you know something is not quite normal, but still I credit Mullen’s gifted writing for making it so easy to roll with. I’ve always been too straight-laced to root for the criminal element. I can’t imagine giving succor to people like Bonnie & Clyde or Dillinger, and I was shaking my head last week at those Dougherty siblings, but I actually found myself wanting these two characters to succeed. Jason and Whit Fireson are brothers who have turned to robbing banks during the Great Depression. They’ve been killed during a shootout with police but then they wake up in the morgue. Mullen doesn’t interfere or waste time trying to explain how or why this is happening, he just lets the situation develop and it moves beautifully from there.

Pick this one up, you won’t be sorry.

World War Z by Max Brooks
Category: Bride of the Monster Mash
3.5 stars

I like zombie books but I must admit sometimes they're a bit repetitive. Zombies only care about one thing, ever. But this zombie book is different. Instead of seeing the beginning of an outbreak or being in the middle of one, this battle has already taken place.

Every vignette is told by a survivor and I love what each one brings to the table. The politician, the soldier, the everyday Joe. As you read each story the picture of what has taken place becomes clearer. Some of these situations, especially the governmental and medical, seem real. I wouldn't be surprised if our government would react this very way during a zombie apocalypse. It was entertaining and also thought-provoking at the same time.

Ohh, I've held The many deaths of the firefly borthers in my hands I think, and then forgotten about it. Am. Now. Writing. It. Down. Dammit!

ETA:No. Never held a book about firefly borthers. BROTHERS, on the other hand...

The Judas Kiss by Norman Katkov
Category: Hello There
3.5 stars

Austria has been invaded by Nazis. Baron Fritz von Gottisberg had his eye on beautiful Carly Siefermann and she knew it. But Carly’s heart belonged to Nick Gallanz, a Jewish architect, and every day she feared for his safety. So Carly did what many desperate girls do, she sold herself. Carly became Baroness von Gottisberg and Nick got safe passage. It wasn’t easy starting a new life in California but in the movie business everyone owes something to someone eventually. Nick made himself valuable and now he’s cashing in all the chips. He’s going back to Vienna. He’s going back for Carly.

Norman Katkov started out as a journalist but eventually wrote for TV. And that’s what this book feels like in places, a smaltzy mini-series with a big costume budget and half a dozen just-past-their-prime Hollywood stars. That’s just the era the writing evokes in my mind. In some places it’s a lot of fun and you can’t turn the pages fast enough (that’s where the commercials would be). Other places are a little overwritten, but again, it feels true to its age. It’s pure popcorn and I enjoyed it.

Frankenstein: Lost Souls by Dean Koontz
Category: Bride of the Monster Mash
2 stars

This is the fourth episode in Koontz’s Frankenstein series and it will be the last that I read. It’s not so much über-smart Erika Five or gentle-giant Deucalion that bothers me. Or our two hero cops, who have become a bit too sedate. Or even Victor, who can’t help but to be the most badass mad scientist, ever. But I think I’ll go insane if I have to read any more of Jocko’s shtick. It’s just nails-on-a-chalkboard to me, or whatever the literary equivalent is. Enough said.

I have no idea what you're talking about, but am giggling just the same. I know all about how annoying characters can spoil a reading experience. (Mikael Blomqvist from the Millenium series picking up women! Or that incredibly annoying idiot friend of Alexia in Changeless! Or Jar Jar Binx!)

It's complicated. Victor (Frankenstein, that is) has made a race of "monsters" called The New Race and they're going to TAKE OVER THE WORLD. Anyway, Jocko starts out as a tumor on one of these monsters, but he does the chest-burster thing and becomes his own entity. Naturally, he's hideous and troll-like. He's supposed to be child-like but comes off really creepy and he wears a belled jester hat. He's smart enough to hack computers but has no social filter at all. I mean, you're groaning before he even has dialogue to say, it's that bad.

I would take two Jar Jars over a Jocko any day!

Yikes - that's pretty bad. I'll avoid those for sure. You're certainly knocking the books out, though - way to go!

I'm so glad you liked The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers!

The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers mad my tbr list when @RidgewayGirl brought it to our attention earlier this year. Just haven't gotten around to picking it up yet. Nor have I found the right time for World War Z either. One of these days...

I recognized the title Judas Kiss as being something I read a very long time ago. Then I realized it was the one by Victoria Holt rather than the one you read!

>121 LauraBrook: Laura, I'm just catching up on reviews. I'm so bad about letting them pile up.

>124 thornton37814: Thornton, I was surprised at how many books share the title The Judas Kiss. You could probably fill a category with them all!

The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer
Category: The Watercooler
4 stars

Earlier this month I finished listening to the 22disk(!) audiobook recording of The Invisible Bridge and since then I have failed to come up with a proper review of it. The story of the Levi family felt like one of those epic reads - Gone With the Wind or The Brothers Karamazov - and I guess it overwhelmed me a little. I've been reading WWII fiction for a few years now and it's nice to know there are still stories out there that have the power to captivate and move me like that. It doesn't seem like a book I will want to re-read in the near future but that may be because it was so intricately detailed I feel as though I won't forget it anytime soon. I'll have to add my approval alongside the other 11-11ers who have recommended it.

Over the Edge by Suzanne Brockmann
Category: Audiobooks
3 stars

Over the Edge is book 3 in Brockmann's Troubleshooter series, which revolves around the goings-on of SEAL Team 16. I don't read much in the romance genre but this one's blurb caught me with a WWII reference and as it was billed as 'romantic suspense' I thought I might be able to endure it.
So, my first impression was that it was quite the ambitious story, lots of threads to weave together: the aforementioned WWII bit, a hostage situation aboard a plane in Kazbekistan and then the romances of two of the SEALs. And, while I did enjoy the WWII thread, I didn't feel like it was tied in with the modern bits well enough. That whole part of the book was fluff and felt fluffy.
My second impression was that this book was a good reminder of why I don't typically read in this genre. Good golly, I have an imagination, I don't need every single thrust and utterance written down on the page. Brockmann also has more than one instance where her badass SEALs cry. And while I know that they're human, I hate that she had to pull that card to show their softer side.
On a positive note, I thought that one relationship, which was quite volatile in the beginning, matured quite nicely at the end and I almost want to check out book 4 to see how it turned out... but I probably won't.

Branwell: a novel of the Brontë Brother by Douglas A. Martin
Category: Brontëana
2 stars

The thing about reading a whole cadre of Brontë books, as I have done this year, is that you can become inured to the same anecdotes. Patrick’s cataracts, Emily’s fondness for animals, Anne’s lisp, Branwell’s toy soldiers and Charlotte’s domination of the whole household. The lonely moors, the tombstones in the front yard of the parish and the tragic onset of tuberculosis, etcetera.

This book held the promise of Branwell’s time away from Haworth and that interested me very much. The parish house and the moors are great and all, they’re a fabulous addition to the Brontë mythos on a whole, but it’s nice to get out once in a while. What fangirl hasn’t read about Branwell’s doomed love affair with Mrs. Lydia Robinson and his shameful return to Haworth? Who hasn’t wondered what could possibly have happened to drive the young man to destroy himself with opium and liquor? What kind of a woman was this Mrs. Robinson? Details! Details! But no.

{HERE THERE ARE SPOILERS}

Instead we have the supposition that the whisperings of what went on with Mrs. Robinson were floated around as a cover-up for an even more egregious sin. That Branwell’s inappropriateness wasn’t adultery at all, that it focused around a younger member of the household instead. And a male to boot. Yes, that’s right. Branwell was a homosexual fixated on a young boy in his care. Well, he might have been, we don’t really know.

Martin must be brave to stick to his artistic vision in promoting such an idea because I doubt it will bring much success (literary or commercial). I mean, come on, Branwell Brontë is literary gold! Other authors have mined the Brontë vault so well for male figures – look at what has been done with William Weightman and Arthur Bell Nicholls, for instance. I doubt pedophilia is attractive to the majority of Charlotte’s, Emily’s and Anne’s fanbase. It certainly isn’t to me and I hate to see Branwell squandered in such a fashion.

{SPOILERS END}

And now that we have that out of the way… another thing to mention is the tense of the prose. I’m not sure what its proper classification is but the plural-ness was hard for me to get accustomed to. There’s no “I” or “you” and the characters don’t talk to each directly in “dialogue”. Like this:

Charlotte wants to draw Branwell
He’s to sit while she draws him.
Their brother could be the model for illustrations of the Marshals of Napoleon and for all his relatives.
She could draw him while he’s writing.

Or this:

The wooden manors and cloudy skies of England, they believe they’ll grow up to live there one day. They hear of them from the books he reads to his sisters, as they sewed with their aunt in the parlor, while their father worked away at his sermon.
Branwell never went too far, just to the village.


So, altogether a strange little book and one I’m glad to put behind me.

Yea, that one does sound bad. But thanks for the review-makes it easier to avoid this one!

Bummer, that one. I was all excited about some Branwell gossip when I read the title, but I'll certainly give this one a pass. Must have been a little difficult to read sometimes, what with the whole weird-verb-tense thing going on. Have heard lots of good things about The Invisible Bridge, so it's finally going on my TBR list. Thanks for the great reviews, as always!

The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard
Category: The Watercooler
3.5 stars


"Exploration is the physical expression of the intellectual passion. And I tell you, if you have the desire for knowledge and the power to give it physical expression, go out and explore."

The knowledge that Apsley Cherry-Garrard wrote those words after seeing his two best mates and "the boss" frozen dead just shows how strongly he believed in what they were doing and exhibits his general good-nature. I think it was his optimism in particular that kept me reading throughout the expedition's harrowing attempt to reach the South Pole. Sometimes able to move only 1 mile a day on half rations of biscuit and tea, and suffering from frostbite at -70 degrees, it was difficult for me to imagine that a fictional character would trudge on in those circumstances, much less to know that flesh-and-blood men did it. Their travels through Antarctica might have ultimately been The Worst Journey in the World but there are moments in Cherry's book that are captivating.

I was first surprised when Cherry wrote that Antarctica is not white. He mentions the blue and green ice, the rocks and hills and he also states that nearly every color is present in the cast of the snow. He talks so much of the land and the ice. Crevasses where they lose dogs, but thankfully, no men. He speaks of pitching his tent on less than six inches of ice, hearing it groan beneath him, of being aware of it breaking up and of leaping the ponies back to safety. He writes of the aurora australis and the amazing darkness of a polar night. Of seeing (and hearing) his breath freeze before his face.

But some of my favorite sections tell about the indigenous wildlife. Cherry's role during the trip was as assistant zoologist and while they were at an Emperor penguin rookery he helped acquire both birds and eggs for study and as museum specimens. He recorded such surprising observations of penguin behavior: to other penguins, to men and also to the sled dogs. Apparently the birds had absolutely no fear of canines, even getting right up in their faces when barked at - which of course often led to "a red spot in the snow".

I was rivoted by Cherry's tale of Orcas that would swim under the ice and bump it with their bodies to break it up, seeing if they could get a meal to fall through.
"The Killers were too interested in us to be pleasant. They had a habit of bobbing up and down perpendicularly, so as to see over the edge of a floe... cruising about in great numbers, snorting and blowing, while occasionally they would in some extraordinary way raise themselves and look about over the ice, resting the fore part of their enormous yellow and black bodies on the edge of the floes. They were undisguisedly interested in us and the ponies, and we felt that if we once got into the water our ends would be swift and bloody." I shall certainly never see Orcas again without thinking of Cherry and feeling his terror.

Cherry's other duty, when not collecting penguins or seal, was to stock depots of food and oil so that the team going to the Pole would have supplies to make it back. He clearly had a fondness for all of his fellow mates, never writing a disparaging word regarding their character. Even in dire conditions they seemed to have kept their tempers and humor too. He talks of them passing long hours of the night singing together (apparently singing was a favorite past time, they would even sing to the penguins, who would sing back). They swapped books and listened to records, Cherry of the opinion that music was very helpful in warding off the depression of winter.

Cherry relates the day Scott tells him he's not one of the five men going to the Pole and he accepts it gracefully. He calculates Scott's progress, worries once he believes the team overdue, accepts it when he knows they must be dead and resolutely goes out to find their bodies. It's obvious that some of the politics and 'quarterbacking' of their expedition got under Cherry's skin. He speaks of the blizzard, the "if-onlys", of losing the South Pole to the Norwegians and he defends Scott's many accomplishments but he never comes across as overly negative or bitter. In fact, Cherry has a wonderful philosophical side that peeks out now and again. There is one passage I've been chewing on and I am sure it will stay with me for some time to come: "Just enough to eat and keep us warm, no more - no frills nor trimmings; there is many a worse and more elaborate life. The necessaries of civilization were luxuries to us;... the luxuries of civilization satisfy only those wants which they themselves create."


Cherry on far right

Book #100 was Broken by Karin Slaughter, a re-read for me. I reviewed it last year so I don't have any formal remarks but I will say that I liked it even better this time around! Having read subsequent books in the series, I could see the groundwork that was so carefully laid. I'm traveling to see Slaughter read this upcoming weekend and I can't wait just to walk up to her and give her a big fangirl smile and to tell her thank you, thank you for Will Trent!

@131 Great review of the The Worst Journey in the World. I must admit I stalled on it last year but you have inspired me to pick it up again.

Now that's what I call a review!

I started off thinking it would be a book my husband would like, but the more I read of your review, I'm thinking I might like to read it too. Off to put on the wishlist. oooh - maybe I'll get it for my husband for Christmas.

Horns by Joe Hill
Category: Bride of the Monster Mash
2 stars

Ignatius Parish woke up with horns on his head. He remembered enough to know the previous night had not gone well. He had drunkenly visited the foundry where his girlfriend had been raped and killed, but he’s not sure where the horns came into the picture. And now his family, friends and the townsfolk are saying the most awful things to Ig – their darkest secrets, their most vicious evil compulsions. Ig just wants it to stop but it won’t. No one seems able to help him with this new situation. So Ig embraces the devil he has become and confronts the truth surrounding the event that ruined his life.

This book was difficult for me to read because it is so very dark in tone. I almost quit listening because the first two disks were so bleak. I don't think anyone should read it if depressed or feeling blue because there is nothing uplifting or encouraging. There's some humor but again, it's on the dark side. There are better books by Joe Hill.

Fallen by Lauren Kate
Category: Bride of the Monster Mash
2 stars

The first time Lucinda spied Daniel at Sword & Cross boarding school, he flipped her the bird. He’s hostile and standoffish and yet nightly, in her dreams, he’s affectionate to her. Sometimes in class she knows what he’s going to say and when he swims the movement of his body is familiar. Luce inherently knows Daniel but she doesn’t remember him. Daniel remembers everything. Luce must not get close to him, cannot fall in love with him, or it will kill her. Again.

I was caught by the premise of this book from a review on LT. I knew it was a paranormal YA romance but not much more. The fulfillment of the paranormal aspect was a disappointment to me. I won't spoil the surprise for anyone else who wants to give it a go.

Orchestrated Death by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Category: Talk to the Hand
4 stars

Inspector Bill Slider is called when a nude body is found in an abandoned apartment building. The examiner is able to tell Slider that according to marks on her body, the lady was likely a player in a local orchestra. Once Slider has an ID he feels he has a handle on the case but that’s just when things begin to slip from his grasp. In her shabby bedsit he finds numerous olive oil cans and, instead of her serviceable violin, a priceless Stradivarius is in her case. Slider digs deeper, a growing sense of unease as more shady characters come into the mix. But what really bothers Slider is his growing feelings for one of his witnesses, making him feel as if his marriage is just another corpse in his life.

I think 2011 is the year of the British novel for me because here’s another one! This poor little thing has been lingering on my TBR shelf for three-and-a-half years. I’m so embarrassed. I got it when I went on a musical-mystery bender and it got left behind. That said, I wish I had not waited so long because I really enjoyed it, even though I did struggle with the British slang and humor. I didn’t give it a full five stars because part of the book did rankle my own morality a little. I still recommend it for mystery lovers.

I started the Bill Slider series quite a few years ago, and I loved them. Unfortuately, I ripped thorough the first four or five and then moved on, always meaning to get back, but as often happens, I never did return. I will make a note to remind myself to hunt down a few more of these well written police procedurals.

Have you read her Morland Dynasty series? Again I started it years ago, but I would like to return to it. I am thinking of starting at the first one again and trying to read them all.

Hey DQ, I haven't read anything else by her yet. I really did like the relationship between the inspectors at the station house so I would like to read more in the future.

I'll add the Bill Slider series, and the Morland Dynasty series of hers to my TBR list. Thanks, Victoria!

Hey Laura, let me know what you think when you get around to it. Maybe we can read book 2 together if you enjoy Slider.

When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson
Category: My Precious
4.5 stars

Jackson Brodie book three (another British novel) and I'm still amazed at Kate Atkinson. She's so gifted and so tremendously funny. I love the way she writes on this side of the internal filter with such wit and irony - it pulls you in so close with the characters. I'm very relieved there's more of this series to go, I always need a sure thing sitting in my TBR pile.

Glad you liked it.

Thanks Kay (especially since you introduced me to Atkinson)!

Charlotte and Emily: a Novel of the Brontës by Jude Morgan
Category: Brontëana
5 stars

I hardly know where to begin talking about Charlotte and Emily except to say that its English title, The Taste of Sorrow, is so much more appropriate. The book really is about all of the Brontës, not just Charlotte and Emily.
Though the story of their lives is well known, Jude Morgan has really concentrated on making them flesh-and-blood here. Their Irish temperment is captured so well. They rail and snipe at each other like real siblings do and they love each other so fiercely.
I think that's what I enjoyed the most about the novel, experiencing their relationships with each other. More than any other book this year, this one brought me right into the rooms at Haworth parsonage. I savored it, only reading a few pages at a time to make the experience last longer.
I've always had a difficult time embracing Charlotte, but by the end of this novel I had found some affection for her at last, so again I say 'well done!'.

Wow, five stars? Added to the TBR heap for sure!

The Ritual Bath by Faye Kellerman
Category: Hello There
4 stars

The ritual bath, the mikvah, is a necessity to the orthodox women of the yeshiva. A place of spirituality and meaning and, unfortunately, vulnerability. Detective Peter Decker is called in to investigate a rape at the mikvah but the violence doesn't stop there. While Decker finds the community's rules a challenge to work within, he's fairly certain an attractive, young widow is at the heart of the case. And with every day that passes she's getting closer to his heart as well.

I was surprised at how fast I blazed through this one. Even with all the Hebrew/Yiddish in it, it's very readable. It was predictable in the way that most mysteries tend to follow patterns and pacing. I was on the fence about the widow, Rina Lazarus. She was fragile and strong, hot and cold, and I didn't like that. What I really enjoyed was the characterization of Peter Decker. Kellerman dropped enough breadcrumbs to make me curious about him. I think I'll have to visit the second book in the series...

A Simple Plan by Scott Smith
Category: Re-Reads
5 stars

Two brothers and a friend find four million dollars in a crashed airplane and decide to take the money for themselves. It's a simple plan: they will wait until spring when the snow thaws and the plane is discovered, see if anybody reports missing the money and if not, divide it up between them. But it's turning into a long winter and the bonds of friendship and family begin to crack like ice.

I have always loved this book. It starts off with a good man then adds a little temptation and then ever so slowly it all goes to hell. It's a pitch-perfect morality tale. The plainness of it is what makes it so scary; you know it could really happen this way.

Starting to read outside of my categories (overflow) so I'm transferring over to a new thread.

Part 3 is here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/123857