This Is the Story of -Eva-'s 13-in-13

This year, the plan is to get some of my chunksters read, so I'm aiming for a total of 70 rather than my "usual" 100 - I've noticed that I shy away from them just to make 100 and that's just silly. :) The goal is a minimum of 5 books in each category, but no maximum for any of them.

1. "Three More Days (and I'm Home)" - Books by Nordic authors
2. "Whole Wide World" - Books translated from a language in which I do not read
3. "Blood on Your Hands" - Mysteries & Thrillers
4. "Hit the Highway" - Books to read and then give away
5. "Everybody's a Victim" - Bookbullets from other challengers
6. "Your Childhood" - Children's and YA novels
7. "A Long Long Long Time Ago" - Green Dragon's Fantasy TBR List
8. "Sing All Our Cares Away" - Audiobooks
9. "Restless Soul" - Sandman Graphic Novels
10. "Slowburner" - Chunksters (500+ pages)
11. "Here It Comes Again" - Rereads of old favorites
12. "There's a Touch" - Ebooks on my NOOK Simple Touch
13. "Spinning Around in the Air" - Random books I pick up from wherever

Total CATs: 6

"Three More Days (and I'm Home)"
Books by Nordic authors

1. Huset på Arlozorovgatan by Simon Kudrischoff Finished February 24th
2.
3.
4.
5.

"Whole Wide World"
Books translated from a language in which I do not read

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

"Blood on Your Hands"
Mystery & Thrillers

1. Broken Harbor by Tana French Finished January 5th
2. Standing in Another Man's Grave by Ian Rankin Finished February 16th
3.
4.
5.

"Hit the Highway"
Books to read and then give away

1. Black Irish by Stephan Talty Finished January 23rd
2. The Road Home by Rose Tremain Finished January 27th AwardCAT & RandomCAT
3. White Sky, Black Ice by Stan Jones Finished February 21st RandomCAT
4. The Guards by Ken Bruen Finished February 25th
5.

"Everybody's a Victim"
Bookbullets from other challengers

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

"Your Childhood"
Children's and YA novels

1. The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud ♫ Finished February 5th
2.
3.
4.
5.

"A Long Long Long Time Ago"
Books from The Green Dragon's "1001 Fantasy Books You Must Read Before You Are Turned Into a Newt"-list

1. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman ♫ Finished January 26th
2.
3.
4.
5.

"Sing All Our Cares Away"
Audiobooks

1. Is It Just Me? by Miranda Hart ♫ Finished January 5th
2.
3.
4.
5.

"Restless Soul"
Neil Gaiman's Sandman Graphic Novels for the Sandman Group Read

1. Preludes and Nocturnes Finished January 6th
2. The Doll's House Finished January 19th
3. Dream Country Finished February 10th
4. Season of Mists
5. A Game of You
6. Fables & Reflections
7. Brief Lives
8. Worlds' End
9. The Kindly Ones
10. The Wake
11.

"Slowburner"
Chunksters (500+ pages)

1. Ride the Wind by Lucia St Clair Robson Finished January 18th (595 pages) AwardCAT & RandomCAT
2. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon Finished February 3rd (851 pages) AwardCAT
3. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas pere (1,276 pages) (Group Read March-May)
4.
5.

Scheduled:
The Gormenghast Novels by Mervyn Peake (Group Read July-September)

"Here It Comes Again"
Rereads of old favorites

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

"There's a Touch"
Ebooks on my NOOK Simple Touch - have to read them too, not just accumulate!

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

"Spinning Around in the Air"
Random books I pick up from wherever (I can't do without an overflow category!)

1. Fables Vol. 18: Cubs in Toyland by Bill Willingham Finished January 24th
2.
3.
4.
5.

Some interesting categories there.

I don't think I have read a graphic novel, perhaps I should try some out? Sandman, perhaps as I have enjoyed a couple of Neil Gaiman's novels in the past.

I wish I could listen to audio books. I have a slight hearing problem and would have to choose a book read by someone with very clear speech who didn't speak too quickly.

"Everybody's a Victim" - Bookbullets from other challengers.. made me chuckle

@15 Sandman is one of the great comic series and they are also probably available in libraries if you just want to try it. However I think there is a comic out there for everyone, its just getting the right fit!

everyone needs an overflow category :-)

The 1001 Fantasy book list is fantastic! I look forward to seeing what you select from it.

I'm with Claire... I laughed at the book bullets. They get you even if you try to dodge them!

Doesn't matter, does it, however well you plan your categories, there will always be someone with a shiny book on their shiny thread and you just want to drop any book you have and read theirs?! Well, this year, I figured I should come well prepared. :)

->15 Zozette:
Seconding what @clfisha said - there is a comic for everyone. If you already like Gaiman, Sandman should work well for you. Normally, I'll direct a "newbie" to Maus, since if you end up not liking reading comics, at least you've read one of the greats.

Great categories! I love the book bullet idea.

That chunkster pic took my breath away! Great categories, Eva!

Great categories! I do like the "Everybody's a Victim" book bullet category.... I have been hit by enough of those to realize the value of such a category. ;-)

Hi Eva, great categories. I don't think I can resist any longer and will probably set up my thread over this weekend.

->24 DeltaQueen50:
I thought I would wait too, but it just gets too tempting when everyone else makes theirs! Looking forward to seeing your thread!

Love your categories, still working on mine as they keep changing. What 'Outlander' series is this one?

Sigh. I foresee victimhood in my future.

->26 avatiakh:
It's a time-travel/romance/historic fantasy series by Diana Gabaldon that I picked up for a song when Borders was closing, but I've come to find out that it may have just a tad too much romance for me to like it. I look forward to mowing through a chunker series, so I hope it's not too bad. :)

->27 majkia:
The feeling is mutual, I'm sure! :)

I really enjoyed the first Outlander book but couldn't finish the second. I thought there might have been a scifi series or something.

I vaguely remember there being a scifi(?) film a few years back called something similar, but, no, this is the series you've tried. Couldn't finish the second, eh? Doesn't look good for me. :)

ETA: Maybe not scifi exactly - I found the movie on IMDb and its tagline is "Beowulf Meets Predator." Oh, dear. :)

Very excited about your Nordic authors category! Not planning on it for next year, but definitely some year.

->32 japaul22:
I'm sure you can be tricked into reading at least a couple. *mwhahaha* ::)

A friend of mine is re-reading the Outlander series right now, and it's sounding very tempting. However, as I'm plowing through a giant Roald Dahl omnibus, still in the middle of Shadow of Night, and have Gone With The WInd on my TBR for this year, I don't think I'll be able to tackle yet another giant book (let alone a set of them)! At any rate, I look forward to following your reading as usual! :)

Great categories Eva, I'll look forward to following along next year. I'm a fan of the Outlander series, so I hope you enjoy it.

Roald Dahl omnibus sounds fantastic!! I do hope I enjoy Outlander - it may just be a matter of setting my expectations at the right level. As for series, I love just mowing through a whole series, so that shouldn't be a problem (provided that I do enjoy it). I am in the mood for chunksters, but considering it's only September, that could change... :)

The Dahl is pretty great, and each story is really different from the last. Nice! I talked to my Outlander-loving friend on Saturday, and she wanted me to pass along some advice to you. 1) that you consider getting The Outlandish Companion to help keep track of all of the details, and 2) that you read at least 1 other, non-Outlander book in between so you don't get too O'd out. I'm seriously considering starting that series next year, especially since she gushes about them so frequently. And, I know I last posted here 5 days ago that I couldn't handle any more chunky books, but the weather recently changed, and it's all cozy and autumn-y, and... well, big books are starting to sound more tempting. *Le sigh*

I wasn't aware that there was a Companion. I think I'll read the first book before getting it, though, to make sure I actually like her writing. :)

It is nice, isn't it, to curl up with a thick book and just get sucked into its world?! Our weather doesn't get "properly" autumny here until maybe mid-November, but still... :)

My sister-in-law recommended the Outlander series to me back near the beginning of the series, and I made it to book 3 before I gave up. I really liked books 1 & 2 and I don't want to spoil anything so let's just say that things happened in book 3 that caused me to lose interest in the series.

Oh dear.... Well, forewarned is forearmed as they say, so that does help! I am now very curious what happens in the third book, though, so at least I'll read the first three! :)

@ 39 -- Hmm, that's good to know. I've read the first two Outlander books, and now I'm thinking maybe I will just stop there.

For the Outlander series I really liked the first two books - my favorite of all the ones I have read is book 2 Dragonfly in Amber followed by book 4 The Drums of Autumn. Book 3 Voyager is a bit of a dud IMO and I can't explain why without giving away part of the plot, but book 4 did redeem the series enough for me to want to dive right into book 5 The Fiery Cross ... which I made about halfway through and then just lost the momentum to continue. That is pretty much where I left off with the series.

Personally, I prefer Gabaldon's Lord John series. Just sayin'.

As much as I enjoy the Outlander series I have found the last 2 books, but particularly book 7, a little bit of a struggle. Book 8 is due out in early 2013 and I hope it's the last so that the series doesn't continue on and end on a low.

Like your choice of categories. I should read more graphic novels but for some reason I rarely get around to it.

->42 lkernagh:
That Lord John-series is tied in to Outlander somehow, or is it completely separate?

->43 SouthernKiwi:
I thought it was over..... That's why I thought to start now.... :)

->44 PawsforThought:
Thanks!! Graphics are always go-to books for me when I want a story but might not be in the mood to read "properly." :)

The Lord John series is loosely connected to the Outlander series as a spin-off. Lord John is a character in the first Outlander book, and shows up in some if not all of the other Outlander books - I know he shows up in The Drums of Autumn but cannot remember if he is in Dragonfly in Amber or Voyager.

Very good - I think I have one of the Lord John-books in the stacks somewhere. I'm really hoping I'll like this series! :)

Eva, great categories!

All this talk about Outlander has made me want to get back to that series. I read the first book and enjoyed it a lot, but just haven't gotten back to it. The size of the books is somewhat intimidating, I think. My daughter devoured the whole series a couple of years ago.

Lori, should the Lord John series be read before or after or at the same time as the Outlander series?

I'm thinking of getting a Nordic category for 2014. There are so many Nordic authors that I haven't read at all or just read something by. Hanging my head in shame. Maybe I should be made to return my passport?
That, and the graphic novels, is the cateogry I'm most looking forward to reading about next year.

When I go back to Sweden I tend to go a bit haywire at the bookstore, just to make sure I'm not missing out on anything, so I need a Nordic category to make I actually end up reading them rather than just buying... :)

Haha! I'm not too bothered about new releases, but I have a very guilty conscience about classic and near-classics.

> 48 - So long as you read the first Outlander book you are good to go with reading any of the Lord John books as Outlander provides a good intro to Lord John's character. Reading Outlander is not a requirement to understanding the Lord John books.

Hope that helps Ivy!

I have all Outlander books so far and have been meaning to reread the first few before finally reading the last two. I love the series but I am getting anxious to finish. With all the detail that she puts into them, they take forever to write so the series has gone on over 20 years now! If anyone lives in southern Ontario and wants them when I am done, you are welcome to them.

->51 PawsforThought:
I just get a little trigger-happy when I get to the 4-for-3 shelves and fill up my suitcases with paperbacks I somehow never get around to reading. :)

->53 Yells:
I was going to wait until the series was done, but I've realized that it might never be, so I might as well give it a shot now. :)

->54 SavageNarce:
Thanks! I read the Millennium books when they first came out, but I'll wait a while longer for the reread. I do have a few of Indriðason's books on Mt. TBR and they are definitely on the "Possibilities"-list for next year!

>52 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori! I have access to the Outlander series (from my daughter) so will probably go ahead with that right now. Maybe, though, I'll get her some Lord John books for Christmas, since she liked the Outlander series so much. Your preference for the Lord John series is interesting...

->55 -Eva-:. Haha. Akademibokhandeln? Very dangerous place to be in for a book lover!

LOL! That's the one!

> 56 - Ivy, the Lord John series contains shorter stories/books than Outlander and is more firmly fixed in time and place - no 20th century time travelers having to remind themselves what time period they are in. One of the Lord John books - Lord John and the Hand of Devils - is a collection of three novellas and can be a good place to start although my preference is for Lord John and the Private Matter.

Sorry for hijacking your thread with this conversation Eva. I am really looking forward to reading what you think of the Gabaldon books, any one of them!

Not a problem at all - if I enjoy the Outlanders, I'll be interested in continuing with the Lord Johns too.

I think I'm in again for 2013 as I didn't do well in the other challenges that I did for 2012. This should be fun.

You have some great categories! The book bullet category made me laugh. I know from previous challenges how dangerous they are. Looking forward to see which audio titles you pick. I've only been listening to them for a year or so and am on the look out for some good ones.

->61 SqueakyChu:
YEY - good to have you around!

->62 Tanglewood:
Thanks! I'm a bit on-and-off with audiobooks, but I recently got an Audible-account and am enjoying my "listens/reads" immensely.

What the heck?! Could everyone please help flag away those messages. Thanks!

Already did. Idiots.

I think it might be someone who is underaged judging by their library.

How very odd

Say it ain't so.......

You already have categories for 2013???

Talking about being well prepared. Congratulations!

I have a lot of fun reading your entries and just need to figure out a way how again (not) to participate in it the next year.... but will definitely give myself until the proper start of the year to come up with a plan of action.

LOL - not only that, I was one of the later ones to start my thread! :) It's the list-making that's irresistible - I am expecting a category or two to change by the time the new year comes around.

I love your categories, especially books to give away as I do this through bookcrossing all the time. I'm interested in seeing which fantasy books you pick

Thanks! I've only received BC-books, but I wouldn't be opposed to sending either - I've just never gotten around to printing labels. I have some odd gaps in my fantasy-reading, so I figured it'd be a good idea to get some "must-reads" read. :)

Yeah, book crossing is something I often thought I'd like to get involved in but I am just so much better in taking than giving (or printing out labels). LOL

Hi, there. Looking forward to some 2013 book reading with you. :)

PS. You're "Everybody's a Victim" category is awesome.

Likewise! Are you setting up your thread now or are you going to be all patient and adult about it and not crack out on categories for months before it actually starts...!? :)

LOL. I'll be setting it up today or this week.

Categories have been on my mind, but then I kept thinking that it was too soon, until I realized that the end of the year was only a month and a half away. (o.O)

> 81, 92, 83

For those who want to easily take part in Bookcrossing, once you're a member (free), you can print out pre-numbered labels from this page.

See where it says:
"Download 10 pre-numbered Avery 2x4" Labels - 60 KB"

Just click on that and print your labels on Avery labels or (as I do), print them on an 8x11 sheet of paper, cut them apart and use packing tape to affix them to your book. I put them inside the front cover.

The only thing you have to remember, if you use the pre-numbered labels, is that you have to make a journal entry FIRST to register that number and, after that, you add the ISBN and other book information.

You make your journal entry on this page.

Questions about BookCrossing? Just private message me...I am a HUGE BookCrossing fan and a long-time, avid Bookcrosser.

OMG! I love BookCrossing!

I had heard about it years ago and forgot what it was called and wanted to find it again, but had a hard time finding the site. I always like to take books on trips and leave them on the plane or in places where someone else can pick them up and read them. It would be so fun to be able to see if someone picks them up and carries them somewhere else. :D

My most traveled book so far is this one! :)

I was just looking at all the people who've read my book so far and wonder if ffortsa is our own Judy from here on LibraryThing?

Boy, you sure got your money's worth out of this book!

That's awesome Madeline! I know I've gotten a few BC-books from you, but they're firmly ensconced in my permanent collection...! :)

> 90

Boy, you sure got your money's worth out of this book!

Haha! I bought it used so I probably only paid about $2 for it plus the postage to mail it to someone else (usually less than $3 if I mail within the US).

> 91

I know I've gotten a few BC-books from you, but they're firmly ensconced in my permanent collection...!

Eva, if you ever release them, they can continue their journeys and you can still track them. You have the option of only sending them to Kerri, Ilana, or Paul. :) As you might be able to tell, I'm guessing they're books by Israeli novelists. After all, I've already released over 2,500 books via BookCrossing so there are very few that I track closely.

I'm sitting here at home freaking over of what's going on in Israel and the Gaza strip. My cousin in Kibbutz Gat sent his young kids north to stay with the in-laws in Tel Aviv (even though they're not out of missile range now). I'm certain we're in for a ground invasion. :(

Yes, they are indeed by Israeli authors.

Scary, isn't it! My ex's family are in Tel Aviv too, so when I heard about that hit, it freaked me out quite a bit - he's OK, but his kids are still on active duty, so still very scary! I saw on Etgar Keret's Facebook that he was touring the US, but just turned around and went back home, obviously. Keeping all my fingers and toes Xed.

..and I just picked up Etgar Keret's book Suddenly, A Knock on the Door today from the library. Creepy title, isn't it, at this time?

I keep my computer tuned to jerusalempost.com to keep updated.

Very - at least the title story isn't about that. That collection is great - I'm sure you'll enjoy.

(I'm on JP too - hitting refresh every few minutes...)

> 95

That collection is great

If the rest of Suddenly, A Knock on the Door is anything like its first three stories, I'm really going to like this book. This is the best of his works that I've read so far.

Hi Eva! Great categories - I'm very curious what you'll end up reading. I'm definitely coming back. :)

Great idea to have a bookbullets category. Plenty of other categories for me to take some of those from you too.

Love 'Everybody's a Victim'. I like the idea of keeping track of any injuries during 2012, but I think I'll just make a note of any in the categories I've already set up.

Also looking forward to how you'll do with your chunksters. I'm looking for inspiration to tackle my own pile!

Ha, you've done it again, Eva. The year hasn't even started and you managed to accumulate 100 posts worth of a discussion thread. ;-)

LOL! Yapping is always encouraged over here. :)

I love your Nordic Author category and will be keeping an eye out on that one. I'm also doing a Mystery and Thriller category, so it will be nice to see if there are some good books in that one too.

Hej Eva! Just popping in to catch up (and some caching up it was too - 102 posts by january 2nd :-O) and to place a star. Look forward to reading, talking and getting gunned down again this year.

Hi Eva. Just checking into threads to start the new year. Great categories. Good luck with your chunkster challenge. I did a chunkster challenge a few years ago; read a few and then stalled out when faced with Kristin Lavransdatter.

->102 bookwormjules:
My first book of the year, Broken Harbor, is in the Mystery/Thriller group and is so far absolutely brilliant - if it ends as brilliantly, I can already tell it's going on the best of the year list!

->103 GingerbreadMan:
Good to see you here! Plenty of chat will be provided over here for your pleasure(?). :)

->104 VioletBramble:
I've already somewhat started regretting that category as I looked at a few in the bookcase and shied away. Well, since I buy them, I should read them. :) And, yes, Kristin Lavransdatter is one of the possibilities for this year - wish me luck. :)

Just a word of encouragement to give Kristin Lavransdatter a try. It's one of my favorite books. I would recommend a modern translation, though. Tina Nunnally's is great.

Thanks! I will definitely get to it eventually. I'll be reading it in Swedish, though, although I'm not sure how old my translation is.

Hello Eva. Enjoyed looking over your categories. I second japaul22 on Kristin Lavransdatter. I really liked it. I also read the Nunnally translation, and it was excellent. Thanks for dropping by my thread. I look forward to chatting about books!

Hi Eva, it's great to hear that Broken Harbour is a great read (not that I had any doubt). I see both you and Kay are loving it. It will be the next Tana French for me.

It wasn't up there with Faithful Place (which I think is the crowning jewel so far), but I think you'll enjoy Scorcher as a character and the mood of the book is very enganging. Looking forward to see what you think when you get to it.



#1

Category: "Blood on Your Hands" 1/5

Broken Harbor by Tana French

Seasoned detective Mick "Scorcher" Kennedy and his rookie partner, Richie, are tasked with solving the murder of a family of four, but what seems like an open-and-shut case turns out to be increasingly enigmatic and an understanding of human psychology will be much more important in finding the solution than regular policing skills. When I read Faithful Place, I thought of how interesting it would be to find out the background of the "Scorcher" character, and lo and behold, apparently so did Ms. French, since he's the character she picked for this next installment in the "series."

French's strength is her fantastic ability at characterization and this is another of her great ones - "Scorcher" not only has a very distinct voice and thought-process, but his family backstory adds immensely to how he reacts to the case. The dynamics and the dialogue between him and Richie is also one that sounds completely credible, so I found myself actually reading some parts out loud to myself. As usual with French's books, the resolution of the case isn't what's truly important, but rather the mystery surrounding the characters and their relationships to each other and to their surroundings are what matters. The ending unfortunately has a slight whiff of the ending of In the Woods, but it's easily forgiven just to have gotten to spend time with these characters.

Since I managed to "guess" that Scorcher would be the character for this book, I'll throw out my guess for the next one: Quigley. It would be quite a task indeed for French to turn him into a sympathetic character, but I'm sure that if she does, it'll be a tale well worth the price of admission.

Unfortunately, after having started the year off with a great book, the second one turned out to be a bit of a dud. Not awful, but not one I would recommend either.



#2

Category: "Sing All Our Cares Away" 1/5

Is It Just Me? by Miranda Hart

Miranda Hart talking to her younger self (and to the reader) about her various quirks, about being a bit of a buffoon, and about the importance of acting like a child, regardless of what other people might think. I'm very fond of Miranda Hart as a comedian and parts of this book did have me laughing. However, for most of it she gets much too cutesy for my taste and frankly just waffles on. Also, the dialogue between the 18-year-old Miranda and the 38-year-old Miranda feels forced. She is a lovely character, though, and even though I could rarely say "no" when she asks if it's "just her," I still enjoyed the view into her character, but you do need to know that she is capable of being properly funny (see her TV-show "Miranda"), which isn't really discernible from this book.

I read an article The Battle of the Celebrity Memoirs a few weeks ago, it was quite interesting and fun as he did knock out rounds and Hart's book was up against Clare Balding: My Animals and Other Family and lost. Worth skimming.
My mother gave me the Rod Stewart biography but I left it with her to read first as she's more of a fan than me.

I still haven't read anything by Tana French. now that I'm up to date with Rankin and Camilleri maybe I'll fit her in.

I really wanted to like it since I think she's very funny, but no such luck.

I think you and Ms. French will get along swimmingly!! Heads-up that the first one has an "iffy" ending, just in case you start with that one.

Your categories look like they will be providing you with some great reading this year. I'm glad to see you liked the French book so well. I'm about a fourth of the way into the book and find it very intriguing. Hope your next book is better than your second!

I didn't realize that Tana French had a couple more books out. I really liked In the Woods, which then made The Likeness disappointing...so I'm glad to hear that Faithful Place is back up there! Adding to my wishlist.

->114 thomasandmary:
Scorcher has quite a captivating voice, doesn't he?!

->115 aliciamay:
Yes, Faithful Place is still my favorite - mainly because of it's main character - but I don't think you'll be disappointed with Broken Harbor either.

Beware - gushing ahead.



#3

Category: "Restless Soul" 1/11

Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman

In which Morpheus, the Dream King, the Sandman, is captured by an occultist aiming to capture Death, kept captive for 72 years, and upon escaping, must go on a quest to reclaim his objects of power - his helm, his ruby, and his pouch of sand - encountering on the way John Constantine, Lucifer, and the completely mad Doctor Destiny, son of his initial captor. This collection also includes "The Sound of Her Wings," which introduces one of Dream's older siblings, Death.

Such a great beginning to what will become a truly magnificent series. Although the art (or the original coloration - Rachel's house looks like it's been caked in mud!) isn't perfect and some of the secondary characters are too much made to fit into the DC universe, what is evident from the first frame is the huge potential - a seemingly infinite creative spirit permeates this universe from the start. Am I exaggerating? Possibly. Am I biased? Probably. The Sandman and its weaving in and out of myth and fairytale made me fall in love with it at first sight some twenty years ago. Am I wrong, though? No, I really don't think I am.

The overall storyarc is obviously what is most notable - Gaiman's commentary on stories and storytelling is after all what this is all about. His using the Dream King to illustrate the divine, the demonic, and all the rest of human experience is quite ingenious - we all have dreams and we all understand their power. As Dream himself says, "What power would HELL have if those here imprisoned were not able to DREAM of HEAVEN?" What's more important to me, though, is the apparent levity with which it's all handled. Dream's face when he sees what has happened to The Dreamtime in his decades of absence is priceless, Cain's utter glee at trying to off his brother is simply hilarious, and John Constantine's lackadaisical reaction to anything completely out of the ordinary must bring a smile even to the coldest of hearts.

This playfulness when dealing with something serious is, to me, what makes this so great. Scare the heck out of me with nightmares come to life and then throw in a few silly jokes, like Dream beginning his recollections of what led to his imprisonment with "It was a DARK and STORMY NIGHTMARE," or Doctor Destiny identifying Dream in a book called "Paginarum Fulvarum" (i.e. "Yellow Pages"), and the picture is complete.

Just another plug for Kristin Lavransdatter and Undset's other chunker, The Master of Hestviken. They're huge, but wonderful. Undset also wrote short stories; I have a collection, Four Stories, which you might be able to find, which could fit nicely as "Nordic" without being "chunky" :)

Great review Eva, great quote too

Yup great review, will be reading it next

Love your review of Preludes, I'm going to have to get to this by the weekend now you've whet my appetite!

Great review of Preludes and Nocturnes. I adore the Sandman series in general, and taken as a whole, it's one of my favorite pieces of literature.

A good review that's worth a thumb.

I've been thinking about picking up a Sandman, one of these days... guess I really should :)

I read and loved Preludes and Nocturnes last year, and now you have me all in a lather to get going on Vol 2: The Doll's House. I've ordered it from the library and can't wait to continue on with this great series.

Just chiming in here: wonderful review of the first Sandman book. Thumb!

I've always wanted to read the Sandman books, but I've never been a big graphic novel fan. One of these days I'll get to it.

And another hot review for our challenge group!

->128 hailelib:
Thanks for the heads-up about that - thank you all!

I hope you all will enjoy the series, whether you're rereading or if it's your first visit in The Dreamtime! This group read was an excellent idea (whoever of us came up with it) since I normally just read straight through the series without too much thought - it's much more fun to do a closer reading and to see what everyone else thinks at the same time.

A great review for Sandman, Eva! And thanks for the heads-up on Miranda Hart's book. I was just pondering getting that one and David Mitchell's too. I've only ever seen her act on "Not Going Out" (which stopped airing on BBCAmerica after a couple of seasons for no reason I can think of), and I've seen clips of her standup stuff and on Graham Norton. She seems like she'd be a fun, pretty normal person to hang out with, but I can see how the book of her back-and-forths to her younger self could get a bit twee after awhile. Will get a used copy of it instead - thanks for the review!

Love the Sandman review, Eva! I am really looking forward to the second volume in the series. Also, thanks for the reminder that I need to get around to starting the Tana French books..... when, I just don't know.

Happy Friday!

->130 LauraBrook:
As a comedian, I think she's great - the book missed the mark for me, unfortunately.

->131 lkernagh:
Surely, you have no pressing books waiting... :)

Great review of Preludes and Nocturnes! I'm afraid that I won't be able to postpone a Gaiman-read any longer.

Thanks! Not postponing a Gaiman-read is a great idea. :)

>134 -Eva-: I agree!

First Chunkster of the year done - and it's a good'un!



#4

Category: "Slowburner" 1/5

Ride the Wind by Lucia St. Clair Robson

The fictionalized story of Cynthia Ann Parker's abduction and life among the Comanche. Very little detail is known about Cynthia Ann's life, other than that she was abducted at age 9, adopted and brought up by a Tenowish Comanche family, married Chief Peta Nocona (for whom the fearsome Noconi band was named), had three children (one of which was Quanah Parker, the last of the Comanche Chiefs to surrender and enter a reservation), and was recaptured and returned to her birth family at age 34 where she tried and failed to escape and where she, after her daughter's death, was so unhappy that she starved herself to death.

Obviously, the descriptions of Cynthia Ann's day-to-day tribal life are purely fictional - she never described any of the events - but because of the author's great knowledge of Native American life, every little detail rings true. It may not be an exact description of what Cynthia Ann experienced, but it is a great description of a collective experience - if you want to know how the Comanche (and other tribes) lived without resorting to straight history books, this is perfect. Details (and there are loads of them) of how they trained and rode horses, how they made camp, raided, cooked, celebrated, worshipped, courted, gave birth, hosted friends, raised children, and (ferociously) fought their enemies, are all integrated into the overall narrative.

Robson isn't a sentimental writer, so the descriptions of the hardships - on all sides - are described in quite gruesome details. Life on the prairie may be romanticized by Wild West movies, but it was harsher than harsh and most of us wouldn't have lasted a season. A few parts of the book do tend toward the romantic (and the book cover is beyond BAD), but not too much - they read more like a tribute to how happy Cynthia Ann and Peta Nocona's marriage was, made evident by the fact that he never took another wife, which would have been traditional for a great chieftain. Overall, it's a well-researched story about the end of traditional Native American life, with all the proverbial good, bad and ugly inherent in its history.


Cynthia Ann Parker and her daughter Topsanna soon after their capture in 1860 (left) and her son, Quanah Parker (right).

Congratulations on both finishing, and on the excellent review! It sounds so interesting, but I don't think I have the heart (or stomach?) to read it all the way through. I'll pass it on to my Mom though, who has a deep love for all things Native American and Western. What a fascinating story!

It is a bit violent... But, a very good description of the life, so with an interest in that, she'll definitely make it through!

Not a book for me but still a very good review which deserves a thumbing.

Great review, but I don't think that's one for me either. It's especially hard knowing it was based on someone's life.

Great review Eva, that might me one for me I think, just not this year.

I found your thread! I'll be laughing at your book bullet category, because I'm guessing have of them will have already hit me too. Interesting review on Ride the Wind. Too bad she hadn't left more historic information. I'm sure her life was fascinating, if not always happy.

Sounds like a fascinating read that I'd be happy to pick up after your review. With that cover, it's not likely I would have looked twice at it otherwise...

That titles pretty bad too, I quite like the cover :) great review & adding to my TBR

Added Ride the Wind to my Wishlist. Too bad my local library doesn't have it. Good review.

Added Ride the Wind to my wishlist as well, brilliant review btw. and I do agree with you on the cover - just awful. Myself being a complete cover junkie, I probably wouldn't have spared the book one glance, if I would have seen it in a shop.

Thanks all!! It had been recommended to me a while back, but I didn't pick it up, purely because of the cover. I read one review where someone said it looked like it should be called "Throbbing Raven's Passion." :) Such a shame, since its author has clearly done her research and the story should have deserved a more "serious" cover.

So, I must send out a thank you to the people in this group who set up the AwardsCAT challenge, since it popped up when I looked at the Spur Award list and saw that it was the 1982 winner for Historical Novel. And a very worthy one indeed! Highly recommended for its anthropological accuracy.

I'm trying to pace myself and now mow through this series. The goal is to read at least one other book before continuing - let's see how that goes, shall we. :)



#5

Category: "Restless Soul" 2/11

The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman

In which Morpheus, the Dream King, the Sandman, appears in a rite of passage story, finds a Vortex and must sort out the havoc that ensues, reduces one of his own creations to dust for being less than what it could be, and manages to make (against his conscious will) a friend(!). This installment mainly follows Rose Parker on her search for her brother, and Dream makes a few cameos rather than being the main character.

Considering the title's nod to the Ibsen play, it's not surprising that women's roles and making of your life what you will are issues at the forefront in this installment. It's still a fantasy/horror story, obviously, but gender roles are at the basis of almost every storyline. It's interesting that the story "Tales in the Sand" ends with a note that the women's story is told quite differently from the men's version - I would very much like to know how it differs.

One of my favorite characters in the series is introduced here: The raven, Matthew, who used to be human (he'll allude to this throughout the series), died while in the Dreamtime, and was offered and accepted resurrection by Dream. Like John Constantine, he hails from Alan Moore's Swamp Thing, where he is the rather unsavory Matthew Joseph Cable. As a Dream's raven, though, he's hilarious, irreverent, and fiercely loyal. Also, one of my favorite stories of the whole series is found in this installment: "Men of Good Fortune." I do have a special place in my heart for Dream when he shows some heart and his making a friend tugs at my heartstrings. Things do seem to work out better for everyone when Dream can make his own connections without Desire messing with him. This story also begins the Shakespeare storyline, which will come back in future installments in quite a clever way - we will find out what Dream and he talk about when they leave Hob.

Again, interspersed with the larger story are some quite hilarious moments, which are part of why this is one of my favorite series. Tell me a dark story and then throw in a bunch of jokes and I'm as happy as can be. For example, "Something Nasty in the Basement" is actually a proper name on the census Lucius is taking, The Three appear to Rose in a broom closet (brooms and witches, hmm), Hal/Dolly is lamenting in front of a poster for The Cure's "Boys Don't Cry," and the serial killers' "cereal" convention has a panel discussion on the topic "There is no sanity clause" (Santa Clause, get it?) - extra amusing when you consider that serial killers don't meet the criteria for an NGI plea (Not Guilty by reason of Insanity). That juxtapositioning of serious matter and complete irreverence makes me very happy.

You have me quite interested to read Ride the Wind.

And fantastic review of The Doll's House. I didn't think about the connection to the play when I first read it, but it's so obvious. Awesome. And Matthew is such a fantastic character. All these references are making me want to retread the entire series.

Thanks!

"making me want to retread the entire series"
Yes! You should!

Ride the Wind looks great. Thanks for the review!

>148 -Eva-: Hadn't thought of the Ibsen reference either! Will be interesting to have those glasses on when I get to it (within the next few weeks)!

Love your reviews of the Sandman series. It will be a few weeks now till I get to more Gaiman. Ride the Wind looks interesting and agree, shame about the cover.

All these references are making me want to retread the entire series.

Me too. And I only read most of the series just last year.

Congratulations on reading Ride the Wind which must have heart wrenching. I can't wait to get to the Doll's House. I read the Preludes and Nocturnes last year. I just checked and my public library has a copy. I'll pick it up soon. I want to reread P&N because I think I missed a lot when I read it the first time. Excellent review, Eva.

And Ride the Wind has a Hot Review!

This group is really making it's mark on Hot Reviews this year. There's been someone from here in that column almostnconstantly since new years!

Great review! I love the juxtaposition of the dark and light in the The Doll's House. Of course I really ought to go over to the group thread it discuss it :) But I love all the religious nut's in their own panel at the convention.

Thanks!!

I doubt we'll ever out-Hot Review the infamous 75:ers, but we'll give them a good run for their money! :)

->158 clfisha:
That whole convention is great - anyone who's been to any sort of Comicon type convention knows how true it all rings. :)

I only go to my local comic con to buy comics.. I have never been to a panel.. it's in a different building and everything :)

"it's in a different building and everything"
Ooh, very extravagant. :)

Part of the fun in going to Comicon is the spot-the-freak factor - you don't need panels for that.

Added Ride the Wind to the TBR list. Very good review!

Well it is called a Comic Expo :) I do love all those cosplayers, obviously I am never the freak.

->163 clfisha:
Right... I believe that. :)

Getting caught up here Eva. I hope to start The Doll's House soon. I know the Ibsen reference will be lost on me but I look forward to the other stuff that I will recognize.

>163 clfisha: - I like the Star Wars guys that turn up every year in full costume

I doubt we'll ever out-Hot Review the infamous 75:ers, but we'll give them a good run for their money!

Haha!

->163 clfisha: & 166
If you guys ever decide to holiday in California, I highly suggest doing it during the San Diego Comicon (although you have to get convention tickets about a year in advance!) - it's the maddest place on earth for cosplayers.

->165 lkernagh:
A glance at the play's Wikipedia page will give you more than enough to "get" the connection.

->167 SqueakyChu:
We have a shot! Well, no we don't, but we can try, can't we... :)

Eva, great reviews of both Ride the Wind and The Doll's House! Ride the Wind is one of my favorite historical fiction reads, such a great blend of accuracy and wonderful storytelling. Lucia St Clair Robson is a very talented author.

I decided to move my comments about The Doll's House to the group read thread. But I loved your review!

Thanks! I did hestiate because of the silly cover of Ride the Wind, but once I got reading, I realized that the author was spot on with her research, which made me very happy. I shall be looking out for more of her works!

> 167

The thing is...aren't most 13-ers also 75-ers? :D

I'm not a 75er. I also don't post many reviews, so maybe I should just be quiet now. LOL.

->171 SqueakyChu:
I know a few are, but the rest of us are way too intimidated by the huge amount of posts that appear over there. :)

->172 BookLizard:
Please post so we can get more Hot Reviews!! LOL!

Oh dear, this was a bad one.



#6

Category: "Hit the Highway" 1/5

Black Irish by Stephan Talty

After a failed career in Florida, Absalom "Abbie" Kearney has returned to South Buffalo as a police detective to follow in her famous stepfather's footsteps, when a series of murders forces her to deal with her insular Irish-American community and its less than savory ties back to the Old Country. The first part of the story shows a lot of promise - the murders are peculiar and gruesome enough to raise the stakes, Abbie's relationship with her father and the rest of the community is interesting as she is insider as well as outsider (being adopted), and the potential connection between the murders and the Real IRA seems well worth following.

However, things quickly go awry for this story. First and foremost, Abbie never manages to seem realistic to me - she wavers between having full knowledge of the idiosyncrasies of the close-knit community in which she grew up to complete and utter unawareness of its history. How could she possibly have grown up in a very nationalistic Irish-American community without learning one iota about Irish history? I know more and I'm not even remotely Irish. The path to the resolution of the mystery is then a mishmash of various pieces of Irish-American history, drug and/or gun smuggling, and human trafficking. Unfortunately, most of the information that's pertinent to the case is kept from the reader, so the storyline lacks a proper red thread. Which doesn't really matter since the resolution doesn't depend upon it anyway and everything we should have been told along the way is told in the last two chapters.

Apart from the horrendous ending - I won't spoil it, but prepare for something well out of left field - there are a myriad of little details that make no sense. Like why is Abbie's appearance on Peace Bridge questioned? The call came in on her police radio and she simply responded. Or how does someone who is suspected of being an insane killer make bail, regardless of the amount? Or why does the image of a terrorist wearing a ski-mask stun Abbie? Anyone who has even watched a newscast knows that balaclavas are worn by "freedom fighters" all over the globe. I also get irritated with little details that are just wrong, like the description of Swedish nuns' habits - why put something like that in a book that you must have pulled straight from thin air. I read an ARC, so hopefully there'll be some fact-checking before going to final printing.

This was a very disappointing read for me. The writer is knowledgeable about the area and its history, but when it comes to plotting and pacing, unfortunately, he's well over his head. And, please, don't ever throw in a gratuitous sex-scene when its placement makes no sense (right after Abbie finds out about her father's hospitalization, she's suddenly gagging for a shag?), especially when its execution resembles a cheap porno. I won't dispute that the potential for a great story is buried somewhere in the mess, but for me, the irritants far outweighed the positive aspects.

Better luck with your next read Eva!

That sounds like a very disappointing read for you. I hope your next one is better.

Ug. Sounds like a catalogue of "irritating things in a crime story". Fun review though! Out of curiosity: what ARE the habits of Swedish nuns? (After all, there are utter hordes of them in this secular, protestant society, so it feels inportant to know)

177. There are hordes of nuns in Swedish society? Where exactly are they? I've only seen nuns on TV (either the Vadstena ones or benedictinians).

That was kind of my point. I think Sweden sports a grand total of about twelve nuns.

I thought you meant the opposite! XD I have not quite woken up yet, it seems.
The Birgitta sisters at Vadstena apparently make up 11. If we count that as average maybe there are 50-60 nuns in the country. 80 at most?
We're not really a country of religious devotion, are we? ;)

> 173

I know a few are, but the rest of us are way too intimidated by the huge amount of posts that appear over there.

Okay...so if I ever get another Hot Review, I'll allow credit for it to go to the 13-ers! :P

>174 -Eva-: shot down in flames! Thanks for taking the bullet for the rest of us.

->175 SouthernKiwi: & 176
Thanks!

->177 GingerbreadMan:-180
Right?!?! Why think of the one country that probably has the smallest population of nuns in the entire world and then not Google what they look like?! Sorry, I meant habits as in the headgear, not habits as in practice. I do know which hats he means - the ones that kinda look like the Flying Nun's. Maybe he thinks she's Swedish? How about Googling that then? And then when I got to the stupid ending, I hated pretty much everything that had gone before - did that come across properly? :)

->181 SqueakyChu:
Won't work, you're already the Queen of the 75:ers! :)

->182 mstrust:
Let's just say it "wasn't a good fit for me," shall we? :)

Ah, the dutch milkmaid hat, sort of? Isn't that connected to the whole, blond, rutal, horny Inga mythos (see Waters' Crybaby for reference) And so he put it on the nuns as well, by default?

Yes - that's kind of the hat! It's the common one for Halloween-nuns here - maybe he's seen a Swedish nanny in Buffalo wear the costume for Halloween and thought she was a real nun? We're still back to: Google it!! :)

Ah, the "Inga" myth - so, so many times I've had to disappoint people about its lack of veracity... :)

184, 185. Argh, don't get me started on the Inga myth. There are few things I despise more than that. Blech!

Wait.. You do have Swedish milk maids gaily skipping all over Sweden wear those hats right? I mead good grief you will be telling me next you not all blond and work in Ikea.

187. OF COURSE we do, clfisha. There are tons of them. In fact, half the population is made up of milk maids and IKEA personnel. The rest are depressed, borderline-alcoholic homicide detectives.

Yes, yes, you have an amazing amount of borderline-alcoholic homicide detectives, and they are all smarter than Absolom whatsherface from Black Irish. Seriously? Absolom? Even if you believe the stick a pin in the bible method of naming that is mentioned in the novel, wouldn't you think a mother would've tried sticking the pin in a second time if she landed on "Abosolom?"

she's suddenly gagging for a shag Great line, and folks here, I will back her up on that. The sex scene was as bad as Eva said it was.

->187 clfisha:
I wear my milkmaid hat every day when I solve mysteries at my counter at IKEA!!

190. What else would you be doing?

->189 cammykitty:
I can't wait to see what @RidgewayGirl has to say when she's done. I'm hardly wishing a bad read on her either, but her scathing reviews are quite entertaining! :)

->191 PawsforThought:
Is this the new Wallander plot? Missing milkmaid last seen skipping through Kitchens & Appliances is found murdered in the Ballroom.

>193 -Eva-: Then I know whodunnit. I've read Looking for Jake.

>189 cammykitty: Ahahahaha! I bet cramming that line in is why this guy started writing in the first place XD

->194 GingerbreadMan:
A Miévillan monster would have saved this book!

Sorry, the "gagging for a shag" evaluation was mine. :) His was more on the lines of blow-by-blow description of a bad sexfilm.

193. How did you guess? She was killed by a "viking" helmet. Ones of the horns rammed into her throat. And her name was Ingrid. Ingrid Anderrrrrson.

Oh, and don't forget that next the previously mentioned IKEA shop there's a reindeer enclosure.

>188 PawsforThought: and 190 in particular: LOL! I'm glad I finished my tea before reading this thread, otherwise it would have been sprayed out my nose and ruined my keyboard! :)

Passing on the Black Irish book and loving the conversation!

The book would've been far improved if the narrator said What'shisname realized he wasn't gagging because he had a pistol down his throat. He was gagging because he was ready for a shag. When would this she-ra officer realize he wasn't the enemy, but instead a worthy sex object. He'd even put on one of those Swedish milk maid hats if it would get her to notice him. Or was it nuns who wore those? After the heat of the moment wore off, he'd have to google that.

& yes, can't wait to see what ridgeway says too. You know she'll hate it.

>199 cammykitty: I'd get in line to get an ER copy of that. :D

@199 I am with Anders, a great opening for a new book!

Lol loving these comments!

Don't forget all those Swedish chefs "Bork bork bork" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tyr5lMwdmg

>199 cammykitty: Hilarious!

Haha!! That's brilliant! And, a huge improvement on the original. :P

Thank you, thank you. The release date will be January 2025. Post it on your calendar! ;) & keep this hush hush, but I'm working on a movie deal, with one of those Wonder Years sort of voice overs.

Catching up here - I've added Ride the Wind to my list. I never would have picked it up without your review - cover and title a bit off putting - but it sounds fascinating!

I hope you get lots of thumbs on your review of Black Irish. That review and the resulting conversation was one of the funniest things I've read in a long time. half the population is made up of milk maids and IKEA personnel. The rest are depressed, borderline-alcoholic homicide detectives. Oh my. ROFL.

Well, you got a hot review out of Black Irish as well as a great discussion!

I'm finally catching up with your reviews. Fantastic review of The Doll's House! That's an upcoming read for me and I'm really looking forward to it after seeing your comments.

->208 nittnut:
It took a while before I realized that the cover was wrong, not the contents. Hope you like it if you get around to it!

->209 hailelib:
Thanks for letting me know - I missed that. I wish the thread-comments could be attached to each review - everyone's comments were a lot more fun than reading the actual book. :)

->210 mathgirl40:
Thanks!! Looking forward to seeing what you think!

Just catching up. Loving all the Black Irish comments. Congrats on the hot review.

Yes, congrats!!! It was worth something after all.

Funny how one review resulted in such an entertaining thread! Adding my congratulations on the hot review.

1. I'm reallllly glad I didn't ask for Black Irish , although...
2. I've really enjoyed all the conversation about it both here and on other threads of those that did get it. Especially the ripping off of buttons and then going off to other places without changing clothes.

Bad books are always the best (as long as I wasn't the one who had to suffer through the reading). They generate conversation, laughs and very creative reviews.

He may win Literary Review’s Bad Sex in Literature Award and then he'll have to thank us all when he accepts. :) Luckily (for me) - onward to some better books!!



#7

Category: "Spinning Around in the Air" 1/5

Fables Vol. 18: Cubs in Toyland by Bill Willingham

While Bigby Wolf is away helping his daughter in her North Wind training, another daughter disappears from home, but manages to reappear in her new, quite grave, Fabletown role, thanks to her brother's ultimate sacrifice. This is one of the darkest installments in the series, unexpectedly so as it deals mainly with the cubs, but in this universe, simply being young doesn't protect you from the grim realities of life. Style-wise, the art is quite benign, which makes the actions depicted much more gruesome than a gorier style would have done. Good installment in the series and I can't wait to see what Fate has in store for the rest of Bigby and Snow's cubs.

#8

Category: "A Long Long Long Time Ago" 1/5

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

When Richard Mayhew left Scotland for a chance at yuppie-life in the City, he couldn't possibly have guessed that a Samaritan act would open the Door to a completely different world, one in which he not only risks losing his identity, but his very life as well. This isn't one of my favorites in the Gaiman œuvre (and its accompanying TV-series can't honestly be recommended), but I do enjoy parts of it - especially the baddies, Messrs. Croup and Vandemar, are quite hilarious (“Can’t make an omelette without killing a few people."). Unfortunately, the book reads a little too much as what it is - a novelization of a TV-script - so the world-building isn't perfect (although the usage of the Tube and some other ideas are excellent), the characters lean a little too close to being pure archetypes, and the big climactic events are sometimes rushed through. It's still high quality, since it's Gaiman, though, and if you're already a fan, it's a nice read of one of the author's early works. If you're looking for your first Gaiman read, however, I'd suggest starting elsewhere.

#9

Category: "Hit the Highway" 2/5

The Road Home by Rose Tremain

When the sawmill closes ("they ran out of trees"), Lev leaves his (unnamed) Eastern European country and travels to London to find work so that he can support his mother and young daughter, but making money does little for the soul and Lev needs to struggle if he is to be able to return home properly, other than as a shadow of his true self. What is most interesting to me is that Lev's existence in London, which at first deals only with the issues of being an outsider, an immigrant, quickly becomes that of relationships. The point seem to be that to be human means that, no matter who or what or where you are, everything is second to how you relate to other people. And Lev is about average when it comes to relationships - some go well, some less well, a few are close to disastrous. It is a different twist to the immigrant story, since Lev is not looking to make his life in London - he's wanting to go back as soon as possible, so instead of trying to fit in, he acts as his old self as much as possible. Inevitably, society and social customs will influence him and he will either bend to it or break completely - at the story's core, then, is the issue of loneliness and how far one would stretch to alleviate it. The ending comes dangerously close to being precious compared to the sometimes cruel storyline, but there is a tint of bitter too, so it isn't too bad.

> 217 - Fables Vol. 18: Cubs in Toyland by Bill Willingham

Ack! How many of these are there out there..... *stares at growing disgruntled TBR bookcase and the prospect of a never ending Willingham series....*

Nice string of books. Happily, I am already working on a different string of Gaiman books, and still not sure about the Tremain books....

Fables definitely fall in the "galore" section - they'll never end! :)

Well, even at his worst, Gaiman is pretty darn good, so it's hard to go wrong. This was my first Tremain and I will be looking into more of her books - the writing style was very engaging and her characters felt real.

Gee, you have read a few doozies lately

221 Neverwhere was my first urban fantasy experience, and it blew me away. But I have a hunch later and greater work in this genre, by Gaiman and others, make this a reread I should perhaps never attempt.

I also have a soft spot for Neverwhere but you should never ever watch the TV show!

aww it wasn't *that* bad.

I need to do some serious catching up on my Fables reading it sounds like.

And I love Neverwhere, though I admit it's not Gaiman's best in his lot of great books. Did you know that Neverwhere started life as a BBC mini-series? It's, um, okay. The first few episodes were hard to watch, but I got past it's many flaws to where I could enjoy it. The TV version just can't possibly live up to one's imagination.

There's also a comic book adaptation apparently and a theatrical production, neither I know much about.

The thing I'm urgently waiting for is the sequel to Neverwhere, which Gaiman keeps talking about making.

Ack! There's another Fables already? I just bought some a few weeks ago and thought I was all caught up. Have you tried any of the spinoffs? I didn't much care for the Jack series, but I liked the first Cinderella, (and haven't read the second yet). And now there's a Fairest spinoff which I need to try out as well.

Hello Eva! It seems like you're doing great! Very nice choice of books - and they're all new to me. I'm afraid that my wishlist will keep growing...

->223 GingerbreadMan:
I initially came to Gaiman via Clive Barker, so Gaiman actually seemed a bit tame at first. :) Neverwhere is way beyond most urban fantasy, but his later works tend to be better.

->224 psutto: & 225
LOL! I saw parts of the TV-series before reading the book for the first time, but really didn't like it at all. I will give it another shot now that I've just reread the book and see if I can see past production value. :)

->226 andreablythe:
You're too funny - the TV-series is what the above discussion is about since I mention it in the review. I have looked at the comic book version, but from what I've seen of the drawings there are a few characters that don't match my image at all, so I'm afraid I'll dislike it simply because of that.

->227 sandragon:
Isn't there always another Fables?? :) I've tried Jack and they're OK, but I've still to check out the other spin-offs.

->228 PersephonesLibrary:
You're welcome. :)

>229 -Eva-:
See that's what I get for skimming instead of actually reading. lol.

I'm in the middle of the first of the Fables and enjoying it. I've got a ways to go to catch up.

Since I'm working on a couple of chunksters, I have no new books to review, but I can manage a summary for January. Can you believe it's already February?!

January Summary:

Number of books: 9
Pages: 3,185
CATs: 4

Category Progress:
1. "Three More Days (and I'm Home)" - total so far: 0
2. "Whole Wide World" - total so far: 0
3. "Blood on Your Hands" - total so far: 1
4. "Hit the Highway" - total so far: 2
5. "Everybody's a Victim" - total so far: 0
6. "Your Childhood" - total so far: 0
7. "A Long Long Long Time Ago" - total so far: 1
8. "Sing All Our Cares Away" - total so far: 1
9. "Restless Soul" - total so far: 2
10. "Slowburner" - total so far: 1
11. "Here It Comes Again" - total so far: 0
12. "There's a Touch" - total so far: 0
13. "Spinning Around in the Air" - total so far: 1

Best read of the month: Broken Harbor by Tana French - because picking one of the Sandman ones would just be too easy.
Least good read of the month: Black Irish by Stephan Talty - because it needs at least a few more rounds of editing.

#18 - How ironic. Friends and I were just looking at Fables at The Source yesterday - big gamer store. There's been some incredible artists that have worked on that series! I have a soft spot for Charles Vess. Thing is, I want to hit some books in my Graphic Novels category (only 5 spots) that everyone here hasn't read already! But I want them available at the library. Ha ha. I'm not sure that's going to happen. Those are two big challenges!

I would much prefer if you read books I've already read or at least own! :) I've told Claire as well to stop shooting at me with GN-bookbullets!

#10

Category: "Slowburner" 2/5

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

While on her second honeymoon in Scotland in 1945, Claire Randall wanders into a stone circle and is mysteriously transported back to 1743 where clan raids and an oncoming war with the English makes life precarious. The story starts off well with some mystery, action, and history parts thrown together and I found myself quite intrigued with the idea of how someone from "our time" would manage to pass for contemporary in such foreign surroundings. The violence seems quite exaggerated (sometimes eyeroll-worthy), but with the turbulence of the historic time and the book's genre, it's to be expected.

However, once the wedding takes place, the story changes pace quite a bit, and not for the better, unfortunately. I realize that a newlywed couple will be excessively interested in spending time "on their own," but why do we need to be a part of each and every tryst? Also, I understand that the author is trying to emphasize how violent these times are, but buying into the whole all-men-are-potential-rapists myth isn't really working for me - any time there's drinking going on, all women need to hide or they'll be assaulted. Really? And then there's the whole "domestic abuse" scene where Jamie beats the crap out of Claire - out of love - and she "understands." Really? I realize this is a convention in some romance fiction, and, as disturbing as I find it, there must be loads of women who enjoy fantasizing about being physically (and violently) dominated.

As a whole, if you take away the silly bonking and the repetitive rapes, the history parts are interesting and the story as a whole (with some passages skimmed) was reasonably entertaining. There are many more books in the series and I think I'll give another installment a try - I can only hope that Jamie and Claire eventually stop shagging like bunnies on every page and actually get more involved in the politics and practices of the time.

I have now changed one of my categories: the Outlander category has become a NOOK category instead. I realize (as you can see from the above) that a whole series of romance novels may not be something I can stomach. :)

Anyways, I do need some advice from those of you who have read the series: does it get better?? I did like the history bits, but if I have to wade through thousands of pages of violent sex to get to it, I'd rather pass.

I think that just cemented my desire not to read it, I have been seeing reserved reviews for a while. Quite frankly sounds like it will just annoy me. Good review though!

I am almost scared to admit that I loved Outlander, I quite like a bit of romance in my reading now and then. It is actually oe of my favourite books. I haven't got past book 4 though. There is definitely less sex and more story in the ongoing volumes.

#235 Sorry to hear that about the Outlander. I own the book but haven't read it yet. Will see what I think of it because I have enjoyed the Lord John-series by Gabaldon.

Thanks for your review of Outlander. I think the same concerns you mentioned would bother me, too. It sounds like a series I can safely pass on.

A friend of mine recently finished the 4th Outlander, and said it was tough to get through at times. But another friend of hers with similar reading tastes has said that the 5th one picks up a great deal and returns to how the series "should" feel. My friend will be starting #5 shortly, and I'll keep you posted on what she thinks, if you don't mind. (She also mentioned that some of the sex stuff was tough to read through and/or ridiculous, but she'd just skim it and roll her eyes.)

I liked Outlander quite a bit. The following books do begin to be more historical novels than sexy romps, but there's still plenty of it.

@238 Never been scared :) I mean I quite enjoyed Fifty Shades of Grey!

->238 Roro8:
Not to fear! I can see how if you like romance, it might just be one of the greatest examples of the genre ever!

->237 clfisha:-243
Thanks for the input all - as long as I know I'm getting more of the historical stuff, I can skim when the sex scenes get too silly for me. The story is interesting enough for me to want to see where it's all going. And, I got the whole series on sale when Borders was closing so I do want to like them. :)

I've read the first 4-5 (can't remember where I left off - I stopped because I was waiting until she finished before reading them through one last time) and I like them. I am not a romance fan but there is enough of the other stuff (action, adventure, history etc) to keep me entertained. I do think that the series is losing steam as it winds down.

I just finished Outlander about an hour ago (having had no idea what I was getting into initially) -- what a surprise to have your thread near the top! I was really surprised by how deeply I enjoyed it, given that the plot was worn through with the violence and sex you mention, and I could see the ending's surprise coming since about page 30. I still can't put my finger on what had me so enthralled, beyond something so simple as "the characterization" -- but enthralled I most certainly was. It's too bad you weren't! Unfortunately I can't imagine that the tone of the series will change much for you....

I'm a fan of the Outlander series because of the historical aspects and the adventure, but I also don't mind a bit of romance either. The next books definitely have less of the sex, but the last 2 books of the series I've read are definitely losing steam - I'm actually hoping Gabaldon will end the series with the next installment so that I don't end up completely frustrated with a series I love.

I read the first Outlander, but I was put off by the domestic abuse scene, and a certain rape scenario (trying not to give away spoilers). I found them rather disturbing, and when I picked up the second book I just couldn't get into it, put it down a chapter in and have never picked it up again.

For someone who likes Romance with the conventions of that genre, I couldn't possibly recommend it higher. I obviously did have some problems with it (and that whole Randall thing - and his reason for his actions - were so farfetched) so I'm not uber-eager to continue, but I'll give it a try. I do want to like it - the idea of a whole series of chunksters to get immersed in sounds like heaven to me! :)

#11

Category: "Your Childhood" 1/5

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

Magician's apprentice Nathaniel attempts revenge on a spiteful magician by summoning a powerful djinni, Bartimaeus, to do his bidding, but summoning a djinni and controlling the repercussions are two different things and may be beyond the powers of an apprentice, no matter how talented. The idea of magicians rather than politicians being those who run government puts a different spin on this story and the world building that goes with that shift (including those who rage against magician rule) is very well done, albeit a little sparse (to be expanded in future installments, hopefully), and since the magic is very procedural and has proper mechanical limits, it does feel like a credible world. I would have wished for a little more depth when it came to the characters, as people seem to be all good or all bad, and can’t wait for the main character to mature a little so that he comes across as less whiny and pigheaded. The best part about the story, though, is the suffering Bartimaeus (it’s not easy having a 12-year-old as a master) and his sarcasm and quips ("Watch where you leave your victims. I stubbed my toe on that.") and for his sake, if for no other, I will search out the rest of the series - hopefully Nathaniel matures a little, but even if he doesn't Bartimaeus is entertaining enough to warrant the read.

@234 Are you accusing me of specifically gunning for you? ;)

& I heartily approve of your change to a "nook" category. That's a nice, wide open category. Should be easy to fill... & hit people with stray bullets.

If the shoe fits... :-)

250> Sounds pretty good. I just requested the audiobook from the library.

->253 BookLizard:
It is - very entertaining indeed! And the reader does a great job; I had heard that the text had lots of footnotes and I was wondering how he would deal with those, but you can clearly tell the difference between those and the "regular" text.

I also listened to the audiobook of Amulet of Samarkand. Definitely loved the quips and cynical commentary. The kid, well, let's hope he gets less dull.

The Amulet of Samarkand is a possible form my own YA category this year so I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I loved the Bartimaeus stories as well as the prequel. The British YA seems to be a bit more sophisticated than American YA. I loved the footnotes to show how much smarter the djinni is than the humans.

Hi Eva, I really liked your reviews so far.

I had a good laugh about Black Irish and myths about Sweden :) I am tempted to read it just to have a good laugh.

I had planned to read Neverwhere as my first book by Gaiman, now I don't know, I will maybe try something else first ?

I will read Outlander because it is highly recommended by my sister. I had always refused so far as I am not big on romance novel but reading your review, I will at least be somewhat prepared (well I hope anyway, l'espoir fait vivre).

I must confess that the only nordic author that I have read so far is Stieg Larsson and while I greatly appreciate the trilogy, I am Looking forward your category about nordic authors.

As long as you're aware of its limitations and won't get discouraged from reading more of him. Neverwhere isn't bad, it's just not as great as later ones in my opinion.

I have managed to start my rewatch of the TV series and, although not as bad as I remembered, it isn't great. :)

I don't think that it will be a problem ... Never seen the TV series, didn't even know that it existed. I will investigate ;)

The TV series actually came first and Neil Gaiman decided to write the novel after he became disillusioned with the limits imposed by the small screen medium. I, for one, am glad he wrote the book as I consider it my favourite of his novels (so far).

Ah, thanks for the precision. I intend to read it this month. Looking forward to it, it should be interesting.

Yay for the category change from "Outlander" to "Nook" and I give you 5/5 for having attempted to read Gabaldon's series. It is not for everyone. Even I finally said enough is enough after the first three books read. I will admit, my favorite book was Dragonfly in Amber and its focus on the French court scene. The historical references were the best parts of the books.

I agree - I quit somewhere n the middle of book 3, I think. Hoping this is not a spoiler - after they skipped forward a number of years.

Your review of Outlander is very helpful. I've been considering it for this month's Awards CAT entry. Actually, it's been sitting on my shelves for about a decade. My sister-in-law gave it to me and raved about it. I'd started it, got tired of it after about 100 pages and have been meaning to get back to it since. I really feel I ought to, as so many people have recommended it and it was a gift, but .... Romantic fiction isn't really my thing, but I do like historical fiction.

->262 electrice:
I am looking forward to seeing what you think. I'd recommend checking out the TV-series after reading it, though, even if it preceded the book in real life - it would be a shame if the rather poor TV-images become your images for the characters.

->263 lkernagh:-265
It seems to be a little bit of a crap-shoot who does and who doesn't like it. I'll give at least one more installment a try, but we'll see how it goes - right now, I'm not exactly eager to continue, unfortunately.

#12

Category: "Restless Soul" 3/11

Dream Country by Neil Gaiman

In which Morpheus, the Dream King, the Sandman, only appears peripherally - quite a bold step, that, to barely include the main character in his own book. The four stories are separate short stories, but they have in common that they are all about the power of mythology and stories - of which Dream is obviously an inherent part. As is true of the entire Sandman saga, the common thread is not only the title character (a point made early by Gaiman and McKean when they decided to not put his face on the covers), but also his powers - the creation of stories, the weaving of myths.

In "Calliope," the mythical muse gives inspiration to the artist to create great fiction; "Dream of a Thousand Cats" describes how reality is shaped, literally, by dreams and stories; "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is about how fiction can create reality and once incorporated into myth, characters will never cease to be ("Tales and dreams are shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot."); and "Facade" about the difference between myth's guise and its reality. It's significant, I think, that the collection starts with "Calliope" since the stories contained within Dream Country are expansions on a smattering of ideas that are tied in, but separate from, the overall Sandman saga - I can imagine the Gaiman brain occasionally acting like Madoc's does once Dream has gotten his claws into it.

If you overlook the less than attractive art (what is up with that hair?!), "Calliope" is an interesting take on the idea of inspiration - to what lengths would the desperate artist go to gain it? A story about writer's block seems quite a brave choice for any writer - something to really tempt the fates with. Interesting about this take on the writer's plight is that whereas Calliope is the muse of epic poetry (believed to be Homer's muse), Madoc's stories aren't heroic, but rather pure horror, presumably because he never wooed her, but took her powers by force.

"Dream of a Thousand Cats" has the advantage of being told in the voice of a non-human - if it hadn't been, the story would have been directly religious, which I doubt was the intent even though the Siamese is clearly a messianic character. Also, she met Dream before his imprisonment, supposedly, and, since the kitten dreams at the end, this story must be told after he is released - that's one long-lived cat. In essence, this is the Gaimanian equivalent of "if you build it, he will come," applied (surprisingly poignantly) to a cat to show that dreams are not only the stuff of the human mind.

"A Midsummer Night's Dream" is the most famous, and the funniest ("'I am that merry wanderer of the night?' I am that giggling-dangerous-totally-bloody-psychotic-menace-to-life-and-limb, more like it."), of the stories in the collection. The overall point is one of fiction creating truth ("History is written by the victors" and all that) since Dream is making the faerie folk stay in our world's conscience by having Shakespeare write about them (the actual Oberon and his people have left already). It is apt, since the faerie are known for their pride, that they are virtually mesmerized by their stage counterparts - especially Puck who even decides to step in. Another interesting part of this story is Dream's ruminations on the price Shakespeare has paid for his talent (i.e. Hamnet), which parallels his own history with Orpheus (see Fables & Reflections). Note that although faeries in our (and in Shakespeare's, time) are tiny creatures, the Aos Sí/Sidhe on which these faeries are based were a tall and slender race, which is why the Auberon of this tale towers over all the humans (the Sidhe are also what Tolkien based his elves on).

"Façade" is more about the deceptive nature of dreams than anything else - when the rest of us dream of being superheroes, superheroes dream of being human. Possibly, this story was spawned by Gaiman's friendship with Alan Moore who is a bit of a master at looking behind the proverbial mask of superheroes. It's not my favorite in this collection, but it is interesting to see how wishing to die can be as strong, if not stronger, than wishing to live. Element Girl may seem an odd pick for a main character, but she had such a small part in the DC universe that Gaiman got permission to kill her off - that might be the very mundane reason she's in it at all.

And, as in the other installments, there are numerous little jokes and quirks hidden throughout, like Fry poisoning himself when he owns a bezoar (the one he traded Calliope for), or like Kemp arguing for an expanded role (which his own role, Bottom, would have done in the play-within-the-play), or Auberon wearing a cuckold's horns. Just a few little quirks to make reading and rereading extra fun.

The script pages included at the end are fairly straight-forward - it's a sample of how Gaiman writes his scripts. I did like that one of his directions to the artist is, "FAIRLY SUBTLY, DOING ALL THE WORK IN THE READER'S HEAD." That's very much Gaiman - messing with our minds.

Great review! I love "Dream of a Thousand Cats," which has stuck vividly with me and haunts me a bit, especially since it's seemed like cats have been plotting our demise for a long time. ;)

LOL! I do understand why the older cat thinks it can't be done, though - ever tried herding cats?! :)

Hah! Indeed. Even herding one cat can be an ordeal.

Making mental note to come back and re-read your review of Sandman Vol. 3 after I get around to reading it next month. Darn, it is hard trying to pace these books out over the year! ;-P

Great review of Sandman!

Dream of a thousand cats is not one of my favourite stories but it does tend to stick in the memory

Love your Sandman reviews, Eva. You manage to gush and analyze at the same time - not an easy combo :)

Echoing everyone else, fab review! I do like all the variety of reviews this group read is producing.

Thanks!! The close reads are really why I'm liking this GR so much - normally, I would just mow through the series, thinking, "That's such a cool story. Next! That's such a cool story. Next! That's such a cool story. Next!" :)

I am beginning to think that I should always wait for you to read the next Sandman first and allow your review to guide me through. I just finished Vol 3 and, although, I didn't like it as much as The Doll's House still thought it was pretty amazing. "Facade" was my least favorite story, but I also know nothing about the DC comic characters, so didn't feel very connected to the story. And, hey, these are cool stories!

->276 DeltaQueen50:
LOL - that'll be for your next reread of the series :) I do prefer the installments that have a continuous story arc, but (as I probably say about most of them) this is still a bit of a favorite of mine. Kind of like when Rankin does a Rebus short story collection - I'd much prefer a novel, but I'll be very with a collection as well. :)

Speaking of a Rebus novel...



#13

Category: "Blood on Your Hands" 2/5

Standing in Another Man's Grave by Ian Rankin

After retiring from LBP, Rebus has joined the cold case unit, but his search for a potential serial killer is partially hampered by "Big Ger" Cafferty, who insists on seeing Rebus as a friend, and Malcolm Fox, who insists on seeing Rebus as an enemy. As a huge Rebus fan, I must admit that the joy of having him back may color my opinion of the quality of the work. And, he's just as grouchy and difficult as he ever was and, most importantly, as funny as ever. The best part of a Rebus-installment is not the plotting (which is decent and the resolution fairly standard), but the fantastic dialogue. Rankin is one of a few writers who consistently make me read the dialogue out loud to myself and this installment is no exception, especially since Rebus has quite a few hilarious comments to share with the world, whether they want to hear it or not. I did feel like Fox had more or less decided that Rebus was rogue rather than actually having any evidence of it and that didn't ring absolutely true, considering how his character has acted in his own books. He's not getting all that much room here, so mixing the two may have been the problem rather than anything else (even though Rebus' comments about Fox are worth it). There are quite a number of great landscape descriptions to be had as well (not a bad idea to acquire a map before reading), which does wonders with the whole mood of the book. It's also fun to note that the baddies who "run Aberdeen" have names that are reminiscent of a certain other Tartan Noir writer whose stories take place in Aberdeen and who frequently mentions Ian Rankin in his books.

Knowing that Ian Rankin is writing about Rebus again takes me to my happy place!

You won't be disappointed - he's very much his own "charming" self. :)

I am yet to read an Ian Rankin/Rebus novel. I have been tempted (I really liked an episode of the TV adaption I accidently caught a couple of years back) but never got around to it. Sigh, onto Mount TBR it goes.

There is a cute interview between Ian Rankin & Warren Ellis here:
http://www.mulhollandbooks.com/2013/01/28/standing-in-another-mans-grave-with-a-...

Paws- I've got a couple in the TBR pile somewhere based on the enthusiasm here on LT. I do have #1, but then skip to #11, so will wait til I get a couple more before I start. Although each time someone posts a review of one of his books, I'm tempted to start.

I may be the only person on earth, but I actually prefer Fox to Rebus. While I loved the earlier Rebus novels, I thought he was getting too bitter and cynical in the later books. And I like Fox. I hope he hasn't been relegated to a secondary role permanently.

Hello! I've never read anything by Rankin - is there any book you would recommend to start with?

->280 PawsforThought:
This isn't the place to start Rebus, mind. When you do get around to it, start earlier in the series.

->281 clfisha:
That's an excellent format - all author interviews should be conducted that way! :) I'm intrigued by his comments on Fox - I was under the impression he was trying his best not to make him that kind of character. I guess we'll see in future Fox installments (if there are any).

->283 RidgewayGirl:
I'm thinking Fox was in this one as an enlarged cameo rather than as a character in his own right, so I'm hoping Rankin is continuing his series separately as well. Perhaps having the both of them in the same police department without a clash of some sort would be unlikely. :)

->284 PersephonesLibrary:
I will always recommend reading a series in order, even if it doesn't matter too much in this case, so Knots and Crosses is my recommended place to start. If you don't care too much, I'd just pick whichever one is overall rated highest that you can get hold of easily. Definitely give him a try, though - if you like the voice, you'll have a lot of fun reading ahead of you!

285. Oh, I intend to start from the beginning. I always do. You've just reminded me to put the series on my list.

>277 -Eva-:: Have to borrow that one from my mum soon! Silly me, giving it to her for Christmas and not reading it first :P

#285: Thanks! :)

Oh, no, don't start at the beginning with Rebus. It takes Rankin a few books to find his footing and if I had read Knots and Crosses first, I would never have continued with the series. Start a few books in.

289. Never! ;) When I do get around to reading it, I'll start at the beginning; I don't like jumping into the middle and work my way out. But thanks for the warning, I'll keep it in mind for when I get to it.

#290 I'm like you. Absolutely OCD about starting a series with the first book.

@Ridgewaygirl is right about him getting really great a few books in, but you can tell from the beginning if you like the voice, I think. I have the same OCD about series and need to start at the beginning.

And I've learned to jump in at the middle somewhere. If the story is so soap-opera-ish so as to require it to be followed from the beginning, I know I won't like it. I can think of at least three series (including Rebus) that I would have written off if I had started with its lackluster beginning. Of course, some authors are fantastic from their debut novel, but most need a few books to find their voice. I'm sure I've written off a few great series because I started with the first one. It takes a lot to get me to revisit an author as there are too many books that I want to read for me to actually read them all in my lifetime. And they keep writing more.

I like to read out of order -- it's fun to fill in the holes by reading the earlier books in a series.

>293 RidgewayGirl:: Me too! I think the only series I have done my best to read in order is the Armand Gamache series (and even then, I started with Book 6 before reading 1, 2, 3 and so on).

Of course, this begs the question for some series - publication order or chronological order? Having read V. C. Andrews as a teen, I'm a firm believer in reading in publication order. It's shocking enough to find out that she married her brother but if you read the prequel first and knew he was also her father, it would ruin the whole surprise! (partially joking.)

Having said that, I just bought a book (which I rarely do) from an author I've never read before, and it's the 3rd or 4th book in the series. It's a romance series though, so each book in the series focuses on a different couple, so it shouldn't ruin any surprises (I hope). I really only bought it to support an independent bookstore. It will probably sit on my shelf unread for years.

295. Bwhahahaha!

Oh, the days of reading Virginia Andrews. So many, many hours. So much time lost.

BookLizard, I think you'll be okay reading a romance series out of order, unless it will spoil the earlier books to find out that true love did prevail and the couples featured in the earlier books are happily married?

->295 BookLizard:
I'd go with publication order. Chronological order almost always will spoil the following installments, unfortunately.

And, I just finished another first in a series. :)



#14

Category: "Hit the Highway" 3/5

White Sky, Black Ice by Stan Jones

In the remote Alaskan village of Chukchi, state trooper Nathan Action, who was born Inupiat but fostered by white parents, is struggling to come to terms with his own background, his feelings about the people and culture of Chukchi, and trying to figure out if a series of strange suicides are in fact something else entirely. I had a little bit of a hard time in the beginning getting a grip on the character, possibly because he isn't very comfortable with himself, but once the actual police procedural starts, the story hits the right pace. In addition to the mystery part, which is rather clever and only somewhat easy to guess, I did enjoy the parts about Inupiat culture and traditions and found the discussions about old life versus new very poignant. A big part of enjoyment of the story is that it feels completely authentic - the descriptions of the people and landscape are beautiful, raw, and sometimes very, very sad.

I like the sound of the unusual location for that one.

I liked White Sky, Black Ice when I read it a couple of years ago. The location and culture were a big part of the appeal for me.

Your review has made me put that one on my list. I've read few books that take place in Alaska, and this sounds like a good one.

Thanks! The location is what attracted me in the first place and it didn't disappoint. I've also read reviews from people who know the area well and they say Jones (who is local) got it exactly right. I will be reading more of the series! :)

White Sky, Black Ice has potential to be something I would read so on the list it goes!

"Apologies" in advance for this one - I don't think this'll ever be available in an English translation.



#15

Category: "Three More Days (and I'm Home)" 1/5

Huset på Arlozorovgatan by Simon Kudrischoff

A few neighbors in a house on Rehov Arlozov in Tel Aviv are brought together by their attempts to escape loneliness. Interspersed between the chapters are also an outline history of Chaim Arlozov's accomplishments and his murder. The various voices in this story are entertaining - each chapter has a different narrator - and as their backgrounds are gradually revealed, we grow more and more fond of them. The parts about Chaim Arlozov's life, though, are not really part of the story - the author explains in the extra materials that he only put it in so that Arlozov's story would be more known, but maybe he should have done that separately instead of forcing it into this story since it reads more like a Wikipedia entry than anything more insightful. The descriptions of Tel Aviv are quite nice, though, and it is obvious that the author has a great love for the city. Overall, a good debut with good characters, but be aware that the language sometimes gets a little too pretentious.

#16

Category: "Hit the Highway" 4/5

The Guards by Ken Bruen

Trying to get enough money to leave Galway after his dismissal from the Garda Síochána, Jack Taylor works as a private investigator and is hired to prove a series of suicides are in fact murders. This story is mainly about alcohol and violence and only a little bit about murder detection - it's almost a pastiche of the noir genre with all its hard-man accoutrements, but stops short of being silly. It certainly isn't the mystery that is at the forefront here, but rather Jack Taylor's addiction, his turbulent past, his current - somewhat mad - relationships, his propensity for violence, and his quite hilarious voice. There are some discussions on music, books, and pop culture that are interesting - and quite a few reading suggestions for the noir fan - but it's really the alcohol-induced events that get the most space, along with numerous complaints about the Gardaí's lack of ethics. I enjoyed spending time getting to know Taylor and his sarky voice, but I hope that he gets to be more hands-on in the crime-resolution portion of the next installment in the series.

I don't think whichever case Jack is working is truly the focus for the books in the series. They just provide the backdrop for some serious harm to befall him and occasional touches of light to brighten the otherwise unremitting darkness of his existence. If you do continue with the series though then be prepared to pick up a few more book bullets along the way.

Poor man. :) Good to know, I do like his voice enough to keep reading, but I don't want to expect for it to turn into a proper mystery series if it never does. Bookbullets galore in this one already - should probably start a separate Jack-list since it all veers over towards the darker side. :)

>306 AHS-Wolfy: Hehehe, you noir buffs crack me up.

#308 I knew there was a reason I had The Guards in my wishlist. ;)

There you go, Eva, a category next year based on Jack Taylor's recommendations!

I have only read Guards as of yet, but fully intend on continuing on with the series.

A Jack Taylor category is an excellent idea - it is about time to start planning for next year anyways, isn't it? :)

Well, since it's less than two hours left of February, I'm not likely to finish any more books, so here's this month's summary:

February Summary:

Number of books: 7
Pages: 2,678
CATs: 2

Category Progress:
1. "Three More Days (and I'm Home)" - total so far: 1
2. "Whole Wide World" - total so far: 0
3. "Blood on Your Hands" - total so far: 2
4. "Hit the Highway" - total so far: 4
5. "Everybody's a Victim" - total so far: 0
6. "Your Childhood" - total so far: 1
7. "A Long Long Long Time Ago" - total so far: 1
8. "Sing All Our Cares Away" - total so far: 1
9. "Restless Soul" - total so far: 3
10. "Slowburner" - total so far: 2
11. "Here It Comes Again" - total so far: 0
12. "There's a Touch" - total so far: 0
13. "Spinning Around in the Air" - total so far: 1

Best read of the month: Standing in Another Man's Grave by Ian Rankin - so, SO happy to have Rebus back!!
Least good read of the month: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon - it had some good parts and I was trying to like it, but the things I didn't like just kept aggravating me.

Next up is Season of Mists for the Sandman group and I'm starting The Count of Monte Cristo for the group read.

Moving on to a new thread since this one is getting a little long and unwieldy. See you at the next one! :)