Bookoholic13's 2011 Category Challenge

I'll be aiming for 9 books in each category for a total of 99 books, which should be about right for me, barring anything unforeseen. Again, the goal is to make the TBR-pile that lives in my house become small(er).

A couple of the categories may be will most likely be has already changed, but for now, they are as follows:

1. Israeli writers & Jewish Interest (modified category)
2. Nordic writers
3. Ian Rankin's Rebus-series (changed category) - COMPLETED CATEGORY
4. Non-fiction
5. YA novels
6. Graphic novels
7. Buzzed books / Classics (modified category)
8. Mystery & Thrillers
9. China Miéville Œuvre (changed category)
10. Books (or editions) that have no reviews on LT yet
11. "Whatevers"

Israeli writers & Jewish Interest

1. The Zigzag Kid by David Grossman Finished January 17th
2. Limassol by Yishai Sarid Finished March 9th
3. Confessions of a Closet Catholic By Sarah Darer Littman Finished May 28th
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Nordic writers

1. De fattiga i Łódź by Steve Sem-Sandberg (Sweden/Norway) Finished January 6th
2. Stum sitter guden by Anna Jansson (Sweden) Finished April 17th
3. Cirkeln by Mats Strandberg and Sara Bergmark Elfgren (Sweden) Finished May 21st
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Ian Rankin's Rebus-series - COMPLETED CATEGORY

1. Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin Finished March 5th
2. Hide and Seek by Ian Rankin Finished March 6th
3. Tooth and Nail by Ian Rankin Finished March 11th
4. Strip Jack by Ian Rankin Finished March 17th
5. Let It Bleed by Ian Rankin Finished March 26th
6. Black and Blue by Ian Rankin Finished March 28th
7. The Hanging Garden by Ian Rankin Finished April 2nd
8. Dead Souls by Ian Rankin Finished April 4th
9. Set in Darkness by Ian Rankin Finished April 9th

Non-fiction

1. A Week at the Airport by Alain de Botton Finished February 5th
2. Israel for Beginners: A Field Guide for Encountering the Israelis in Their Natural Habitat by Angelo Colorni Finished March 6th
3. Every Patient Tells a Story: Medical Mysteries and the Art of Diagnosis by Lisa Sanders Finished May 5th
4. On Call: A Doctor's Days and Nights in Residency by Emily R. Transue, MD Finished June 11th
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

YA novels

1. Tithe by Holly Black Finished January 22nd
2. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld Finished May 10th
3. Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld Finished May 18th
4. The Borribles by Michael de Larrabeiti Finished June 20th
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Graphic novels

1. How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden Finished February 21st
2. Box Office Poison by Alex Robinson Finished March 1st
3. Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch Finished March 26th
4. The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger Finished May 21st
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Buzzed books / Classics

1. One Day by David Nicholls Finished January 10th
2. We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver Finished February 4th
3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Finished February 27th
4. The Help by Kathryn Stockett Finished March 13th
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Mystery & Thrillers

1. Déjà Dead by Kathy Reichs Finished January 26th
2.The Postcard Killers by James Patterson and Liza Marklund Finished February 26th
3. The Falls by Ian Rankin Finished April 25th
4. Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin Finished May 3rd
5. A Question of Blood by Ian Rankin Finished May 7th
6. Fleshmarket Alley by Ian Rankin Finished May 16th
7. The Naming of the Dead by Ian Rankin Finished May 24th
8. Exit Music by Ian Rankin Finished May 27th
9.

China Miéville Œuvre

1. Un Lun Dun by China Miéville Finished February 13th
2. King Rat by China Miéville Finished April 8th
3. Perdido Street Station by China Miéville Finished April 15th
4. Embassytown by China Miéville Finished April 21st
5. The Scar by China Miéville
6. Iron Council by China Miéville
7. Looking for Jake by China Miéville
8. The City & the City by China Miéville
9. Kraken by China Miéville

Books (or editions) that have no reviews on LT yet

1. The Tattoo Chronicles by Kat Von D Finished January 18th
2. OKEJ - 80-talets största poptidning by Jörgen Holmstedt Finished January 30th
3. A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley Finished February 11th
4. The Black Book by Ian Rankin Finished March 20th
5. Mortal Causes by Ian Rankin Finished March 21st
6. Den röda damcykeln by Mats Ahlstedt Finished June 9th
7. The Borribles Go For Broke by Michael de Larrabeiti Finished June 27th
8. The Borribles: Across the Dark Metropolis by Michael de Larrabeiti Finished June 28th
9.

"Whatevers"

1. War Dances by Sherman Alexie Finished January 31st
2. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts Finished February 25th
3. Doctor Who: Peacemaker by James Swallow Finished March 15th
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Great topics and great graphics. Big old grin on my face.

Can't wait to see you fill the categories! Will be especially interested in Graphic novels....and the writers from the home turf of course :). I have a "Books everybody but me read years ago" category for my 1010, so I'm looking forward to seeing you populate your "You haven't read....!?" category too!

Good categories and I LOVE the eight ball graphic for 'whatevers'!

->13 NeverStopTrying:

Coming up with the graphics is half the fun... :) I did borrow the one for "Books that have no reviews on LT yet" from my 1010 Challenge, but I found new ones for the others.

->14 GingerbreadMan:

There are SO many books that I "should" have read that I just need to have a category to get me going. I'll try to get to some of the American classics that I missed by growing up in Sweden, but I'm not limiting the category to those. I'm excited about it myself! LOL!

->15 lkernagh:

I liked that one as well - I kept looking for book-related images, but then I decided to go at it from another angle. It was between the Magic 8-ball and a lotto-ticket. :) I'll use the lotto image in 2012 (did I just start planning for my 2012 reading...???).

I really like the 'no reviews' category idea. It's so altruistic.

For my library, it would be mostly cookbooks and reference material, which isn't very appealing, but I don't have very eclectic tastes.

->19 kristenn:

It's a category that's been with me since the 999 and I really like it - not only for the community-spirit part, but because I get to roam around my own library and sometimes find books that I (and others...) have just forgotten for some reason. :)

What's not appealing about cookbooks? Sounds delectable to me.... LOL!

Ha. Well yes. I actually love reading my cookbooks cover to cover. But reviewing them is so subjective without actually testing a few recipes. Although that gives me a category idea of my own...

I have provisionally picked a category for No reviews on LT for next year as well. Hope we don't end up with the same selections ;)

->21 kristenn:

Well, yes, the cooking bit is needed. :)

->22 AHS-Wolfy:

It's happened to me on both the 999 and the 1010 challenges that I finished a book for the category only to find out that someone had posted a review while I was reading. One of them wasn't really a review (I think it was the cover blurb or something like it), so I got count mine anyway. :)

Great categories and I am looking forward to seeing how you fill them.

->25 DeltaQueen50:

Thanks! I'm getting eager to start and have to keep reminding myself that I'm only half-way through my 1010 challenge...! :)

Hi Eva, just dropping by to say hi. I came by to have a look at how you've set this challenge up following Madeline's suggestion as I will be participating this year for the first time. Be seeing you around! :-)

@27

Welcome!!!!! Hope you'll enjoy it - I'm going to pop over to your thread to take a look!! :)

Just thought I'd drop by to cheer you on!

Thank you! I'll hopefully get through my heavy chunkster soon. It's really good, but I'm ready for something lighter. :)

First book of the year done and already I have a contender for best book of the year - if it continues like this, I'll be having a fantabulous reading year!!



#1

De fattiga i Lodz (The Destitutes of Łódź) by Steve Sem-Sandberg

Sem-Sandberg's story of life during the war in the Litzmannstadt Ghetto in Łódź, Poland, is quite immense, not only in physical size but in subject matter. Instead of telling a straight history of the Jewish ghetto, he immerses the reader in the day-to-day events, small as well as big, and introduces us to its people, small as well as big.

What I found particularly haunting wasn't the evils done by the German soldiers, although those atrocities are bad enough, but rather that most of the main characters - bad and good - are the regular inhabitants of the ghetto. I don't think it takes away from the horrors that some of the perpetrators are Jewish themselves, but rather adds to it; quite frightening it is, the thought of how callous people can become when they are in dire straits and, more importantly, how benevolent some of them stay, regardless of famine, cold, and torture.

The most remarkable part of this story, however, I think is not the events that are recounted, but the fact that Sem-Sandberg has managed to evoke the feeling of the ghetto and the time so incredibly well that any reader will think themselves transported back in time, as uncomfortable as that trip may be.

This novel, based on the Litzmannstadt Ghetto Chronicles, is currently (as of January 2011) only available in Swedish, but rights have been sold internationally, so hopefully an English translation will be available shortly. The only change I would have made would be to expand the Yiddish dictionary in the back and add translations of the German phrases. It is a very worthy winner of the 2009 August-prize, and I would highly recommend it to just about anyone.

Ha! Sometimes it takes an exile to push a book up the TBR, prize winner or not :) I've read loads of reviews for this book, but yours is the one that relly triggers my interest. Man tackar!

Sounds like a fascinating read Eva and a very nice review.

Congratulations on finishing your first book. Looks like a fascinating read, I'll have to watch out for the English translation.

@32

It's quite a heavy read and I had to step away at times, just to catch my breath, but it's just a fantastic document and I definitely recommend it. Since it's told so much from the "inside," it just evokes such a plethora of thoughts and feelings. Difficult, but great!

@33

Thanks! And, yes, it was quite, quite fascinating. I knew very little about the Łódź ghetto (the Warsaw one tends to get most attention) and was very pleased to learn so much.

@34

Thank you! It took a while to read due to its contents, but it was well worth it. Yes, I'm really hoping the English translation comes out soon - there are so many people I know would love to read it!

I felt similarly when I read The Zoo Keeper's Wife which was about Warsaw and the author did talk about the ghetto there and what life was like. I'll be looking for the English translation also.

@38

You reminded me that I have The Zookeeper's Wife waiting in Mt. TBR (along with a billion others, of course). I was going to try and fit it in this year, but I think I'll wait a while until I do more war-literature...!

Note to self: Lower expectations on books in "Buzzed" category! :)



#2

One Day by David Nicholls

I would describe this book as "stumbling;" it has some parts that are very lovely or especially realistic and some parts where you waver between incredulity and wanting to smack the characters over the head, one for being conceited and the other for being plain boring. Also, there is a lot of telling going on - we're being told how funny or pretty or attractive a character is, but it's not shown and we have to take the narrator's word for it. However, to counter balance, there are some really funny passages and situations and plenty of human interaction, which can be tragic or funny, depending on how your personal viewpoint. What really saves this, though, is the dénouement and the ending, which manages not only to tie together all the different strands of story, but somehow make previously semi-drab parts seem highly meaningful. A bit of a conundrum, then, since I would only recommend this to someone for whom the ending works, but you won't know if you are that person until you read it.

Hi! Just finding your thread. The Sem-Sandberg book sounds fascinating. I, too, hope they come out with an English translation soon -- hopefully, one that's skillfully done!

Note to self: Lower expectations on books in "Buzzed" category! :)
I know exactly what you mean!

Looking forward to seeing what you fill your Israeli authors category with. :)

I think it's a pass for me. I'm often wary of books that get hyped because inevitably the expectations kill the experience. Or in any case, most of the time.

About fannyprice's comment, I've read plenty of Jewish authors over the years, but the only time I consciously remember reading Israeli authors was when I was living there, eons ago. I've ordered a Daniel Silva book to try to remedy to that, but I'll be paying attention to your selections.

@41

The buzzes look so alluring when other people praise them, you just expect them to be the best, but most of the time they'll actually be better if you pretend you've never heard anything about them (if that's even possible). :)

@42

I have an entire bookcase just waiting! :) Hopefully, it'll be a mix of new stuff and the more "classic."

@43

It's always difficult with the books that you hear SO much about beforehand. The book above, One Day was so very different from what I had expected that I was disappointed about things that weren't there, but how can you fault something for not being what it never was? :)

Many of my favorite authors happen to be Israeli and there are loads of books at my house, so I needed that category to reduce Mt. TBR! I'll be reading in English translations - my Hebrew isn't good enough yet to read in the original.

but how can you fault something for not being what it never was?

I agree with you, but at the same time you can't fault yourself for having expectations based on a lot of hype! I know I'm always so IMMENSELY relieved when I read something popular and end up liking it more than just a little bit. Reading Sense and Sensibility right now, which is my first Jane Austen book and yes, relief! is the best word I can use for how I feel about it so far*!

My Hebrew USED to be good enough to read the YA books I was reading in the original as a kid when I was living there, but I'm sorry to say that would be very difficult going now. I could decipher most of it, but wouldn't necessarily know what the right vowels are or what most of the words mean!

Back to a bit of S&S and... sleep!

*ETA: Am by no means implying that Jane Austen is 'hyped' but just so very... ubiquitous!

@47

Well, I really want the hyped books to be good - I mean, who'd read a book wanting it to be bad?? But, I realize that they're not all going to be my cuppa tea, so I need to just pretend I've read nothing about them beforehand. Wish me luck on that. :)

Well, I'm a severe Austian (and my mum even more so), so I'm very happy you're enjoying Sense and Sensibility!! Pride and Prejudice is my personal favorite, but a lot of people argue that Emma is her greatest work - in any case, any of those will be a fantasic read!!

I am working on the Hebrew, but I get lazy - they all speak English anyways!! I would like to be able to read some Etgar Keret or Meir Shalev in original at some point, but when that point arrives, who knows?! :)

#3

The Zigzag Kid by David Grossman

Although Nonny wants to be just like his policeman father, somehow everything he does goes a little bit awry. When he is kidnapped by his father's nemesis a few days before his bar mitzvah, he is taken on a journey, which leads him not only all over Israel but also into his own history and being. Part of the key to the story lies in the book's original title, יש ילדים זיגזג = There Are Zigzag Children; our narrator knows he is a kid that doesn't fit in a regular mold - he is neither square nor circle - but during his journey, he learns that he is not an extreme anomaly like he thought, and that there are other zigzag kids in the world and that some of them are much closer to him than he could ever have imagined. Although it's difficult to change one's view of the world, Nonny grows strong enough to accept the unacceptable and, ultimately, it's his balancing the different molds and shapes that presents the happiest version - a square with a flash of lighting inside prevails in the end.

#4

The Tattoo Chronicles by Kat Von D

I'm a fan of Kat Von D's art and, regardless of what you think of her personally, you have to agree that she is one heck of a talent when it comes to tattoos. In this book, she relays some of the stories she has been told by her clients while working on their art - and adds her own comments on why this or that particular story was important or poignant to her. There are loads of beautiful photos in the book, not only of tattoos, but also of Kat's own art and, sometimes bizarre, collectibles. And, there are many, many, many stories/anecdotes/descriptions of her relationship with then boyfriend Nikki Sixx. This is the biggest beef I have with the book; it was described to me as a book about Kat's journal entries about her art, but I got loads of Kat's journal entries about what it's like to go out with Nikki Sixx, which is information that interests me little. It is a beautiful book with very nice print and some great stories, but had it been named Personal Journals, rather than Tattoo Chronicles, I would have given it a higher rating.

Must come back for all of the above. Just driving by to post the following:

I'm getting a new project started to get together great recommendations for books by themes. I've called it Books By Themes (BBT) and your suggestions are most welcome! Here's the link.

@51

That looks interesting - and reminds me that I was going to check in on the TIOLI...! So many books, so little time!

The Reading Globally group has theme reads as well - you may want to check in there for ideas, or to make sure there are no doubles. :)

Your categories are interesting.

I've noticed a lot of people have a YA category. It's something I considered myself but I'm so wary of YA books for some of the same reasons I avoid romance novels.

@53

There is such a wide variety of YA novels that you really don't need to pick "dumbed-down" ones - quite a few renowned authors, like Neil Gaiman and China Miéville write YA novels. Also, it's nice sometimes to just get a book you know you can get through in a day or so. :)

@ 54: That's true. After reading The Bone People, I'm ready for something a bit lighter--I'm thinking about reading The Secret History of the Pink Carnation next. Though in my usual contradictory manner, I also want to read Great Expectations. I'm debating about reading both at once.

#48 I know what you mean about wanting to like the books. I almost feel like there's something wrong with me when I find a book that everyone loves not to be to my liking. I'm not sure if I'll join the 75ers Austentathon all the way, but I do have Pride and Prejude, Mansfield Park and Emma. Just have to decided if I want to read them all this year. As for Hebrew, it's hard learning to speak a language when everybody switches to English. I'm guilty of doing the same thing when English speakers want to speak French to me. I just prefer going to the language that makes for easier communication. Natural, no?

#49 Looks life a fun book. I was so excited to find that I could read the Hebrew title! And I think that אני ילדה זיגזג ! :-)

#55 I got The Bone People from my SecretSanta here on LT this Christmas. I look forward to it but it does seem like quite a dramatic story.

@55

As long as the topics are far apart enough, I have no problem reading more than one book - I usually have two fiction (one for purse and one for home) and one non-fiction going at the same time. Dickens is hefty, but not difficult, so it could technically qualify as "lighter." :)

@56

I do try with the Hebrew because I like it so much and, although not intentionally, I sometimes get left out of conversations and it irks me enough to get motivation - for a while at least! :)

I hope we're all a little זיגזג !! :)

As most readers tend to be a quirky lot, I would say we probably are!

#5

Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black

This was quite a lot better than I had expected it to be. The parts about the regular human world were very gritty and believable, and the descriptions of Faerie made it seem beautiful and quite scary, which it should be. It's partly a love-story, but the main emphasis is on the intrigue and politics at the Faerie Courts. Mainly I appreciated the fact that anytime a character got into trouble, it was because something or someone bad overpowered them, raising the stakes, and not because they did something stupid (it's a pet peeve of mine: plotlines advancing because the characters act like idiots, AKA Sookie Stackhouse Syndrome). There are some details I feel could have been edited more thoroughly (like Corny keeping his car keys inside his locked car), but for a first novel it's quite impressive.

I'm זיגזג !

@61

As if we didn't know... LOL!!

Good to see that you liked The Zigzag Kid. One Day, I started because I liked the plot idea but only managed a couple of pages before deciding I couldn't be bothered. I try to avoid the hyped books unless it's an author I've enjoyed before, most of them end up being forgettable. Sometimes the hype inspires me to check out their backlist and I'll read one of those instead.
I really liked Tithe, it was one of the first urban fantasy books I read and got me looking out for others. Her latest, White Cat, is getting good reviews.

I'm now reading an interesting book called The Book of Dahlia by Elisa Albert. Without telling you anything else about the plot, I just have to say that I find it amusing that the author, every now and then, inserts a tranliterated Hebrew word - some translated; others not. The author is not Israeli, but the protagonsit's mother is.

This is a good book, by the way. I previously read this author's debut book which had been a book of short stories. They were good, but the novel is even a step up. Check it out, if you can.

@63

It was my first Grossman, so I was very happy too that I liked it. The goal is to get to See Under: LOVE, but I've tried that one before and need some more Grossman-practice first! :)

Exactly the reason I started One Day - the plot idea! Too bad it didn't work out.

I was happily surprised by Tithe - I have been scared of any book that might fall into the Twilight-pile or the Sookie Stackhouse-pile and this one could have been both of those and ended up being neither! After finishing, I noticed she's the cowriter of the Spiderwick books and those look fun, so I might give them a try!

@64

I have a copy of that one, but I was wary - is it very depressing? Whoever gave it to me warned me that I should only read it when I was in the right mood.

#64> I had it out from the library and started reading it a while back but couldn't get into it. I'm much more likely to give up when it's a library book. I'll look out for your review.

Holly Black - she wrote The Spiderwick Chronicles and Tony DiTerlizzi was the illustrator but the concept was by both I think. I loved them, it's children's rather than YA. I've also read her Valiant which is pretty good. I've read a lot of urban fantasy and most of it is much better than Twilight, though I avoid paranormal romance and try to get more humorous or adventure focused ones that have that gothic touch. I only managed a chapter of Sookie before deciding it's not for me. Have you read Emma Bull's War for the Oaks?

Last night we watched an Israeli movie that a friend gave us - Lost Islands. I love listening to the Hebrew and reading the English subtitles.

#67

Yeah, Sookie was not for me. I participated in a challenge and read 8(?) of them - pure horror. War for the Oaks is on the wishlist now. I thought you weren't supposed to recommend books that my library doesn't carry... :)

Was Lost Islands good?? I was looking at it at Steimatzky's the other day, but since my reading Hebrew is less than good, I couldn't decide if I wanted to buy it. New Israeli DVDs are ~$25, so I'd like to know something about the movies before buying!

> 66

The Book of Dahlia is a depressing book, but I'm so blown away by this author's storytelling that the depressing subject matter hasn't stopped me from reading through this book as quickly as I can. If you're wary of reading about illness or family dysfunction (that's pretty general so as to avoid spoilers), I'd avoid this book for a while. It's very sad in lots of ways. Perhaps you'd like to start with this author's debut book of short stories called How This Night is Different first. Eventually, get to this novel, though.

I picked this up initially because a lot of people said I would LOOOOVE it. Also, Netflix keep recommending "Bones" to me, but I want to read the books first.



Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs

#6

It's not the greatest in its genre, but it's pretty good for a first novel. I like Tempe, the main character, even though she sometimes acts like an idiot (the-homicidal-maniac-is-after-me-but-let-me-go-for-a-walk-alone-anyway-and-not-tell-anyone). Since I'm a sucker for forensics, I especially loved all the nice descriptions and explanation of techniques, although they are mainly for the reader rather than for the character to whom they are relayed. The story takes place in Quebec, so some of the dialogue is in French (along with translations), which helps to set the mood together with the descriptions of the seedier parts of town. It's not in any way a realistic description of the work of a Forensic Anthropologist, since Tempe does more detective work than forensic work, but an exciting story nevertheless. The characters are a little cardboard as well, but it looks like later books in the series are getting higher ratings, so I'll try some more. If nothing else I can read them for the bits about bones.

I've tried a few of Reich's books and am not a fan.
#68> I don't want to push you to spend $25 but it was quite entertaining, my husband described it as bittersweet drama/comedy. It's set in early 1980s Kfar Saba and about a large family with twin brothers who both fall for the same girl just before they head off to their army service.
We occasionally buy a few Israeli dvds from israel-catalog.com when they do a sale and/or offer free shipping.
One movie I'd love to see again that hasn't been released on dvd is Kol Mamzer Melech (1968), it probably isn't a great film, but is just one I remember enjoying. Have you seen Etgar Keret's films?

@71

I wasn't too impressed with the writing, but I really loved the forensic bits, so I'll try some more. Hopefully, they get better. :)

I think I'll get Lost Islands next time I'm at Steimatzky's - sound like it'll be worth a watch. Of Keret's, I've seen Meduzot (Jellyfish), which I loved and $9.99, which I thought was interestingly animated, but visual versions of Keret's stories will never be as imaginative as the stories, so I was underwhelmed. I also saw Wristcutters, but I felt they missed the point of the story so that was a dud for me. Do you like any of his films?

I liked both Jellyfish and Total Love, haven't seen the others.

I've not hear of Total Love, but I can see that it was shown here in 2000. Nothing on DVD unfortunately. :( I'll keep my fingers Xed!!

Ooooh! Israeli movies. They're so much fun. I liked the DVD of Jellyfish a lot. So much so, I watched it a second time with a friend of mine.

Just this past weekend, I saw A Matter of Size. Have either of you seen that movie yet? It was very good, being both funny and sad. I like that Israeli films are now not just about "Israeli matters".

@75

I saw the preview for that and it looked great - can't wait to see it!!

And, yes, very happy for movies that are not about the "Israeli issue."

@70 -- I've been a fan of the TV show "Bones" for quite a while, and I eventually gave Deja Dead a try too. I really didn't enjoy the book as much as the TV show, and they're quite different! (The TV show is set in Washington D.C. rather than Quebec; Tempe is younger and doesn't have children; the secondary characters are all very different.) So, even though you weren't in love with the book, I definitely encourage you to Netflix "Bones"!

Oooh Madeline, I've got to see that movie, just sent the link to my husband.

@77

I've realized now that they're quite different - for better or worse. :) I'll definitely try the TV series out.

An aunt of mine loaned my some Kathy Reich books some years ago and I ended up giving them back to her unread because had the impression that it would be too 'gory' for me. But then, I've watched many CSI and True Blood episodes sinced and barely batted an eye so I could probably have a go at her again. Would be neat for me too since I live in Québec.

Question: is the story based in QC city or province?

@80

I've only read the one and I wouldn't call it gory, really, but it may be and I just didn't notice. There is quite a bit of talk about autopsies and descriptions of the dead bodies, but only a couple of blood-instances. :)

It's Quebec, the province - she works in Montreal.

Hej!

Just dropping by to see what you are reading - I like your categories and you definitely have some interesting books going:-)

I hadn't heard about the the Steve Sem-Sandberg book before you're review, but sounds very interesting - heavy but interesting, so I've put it on my TBR list.

I picked up the One Day book on the airport recently, as the backside text promised a good story, but I think I better forget a bit about it before I read it...

It'd be fun to hear what you think about the OKEJ-book and if it is worth reading it! I read about it in Dagens Nyheter, and suspect it brings one down the memory lane of the 80s:-)

#81 autopsies used to be more than I could endure, but CSI has done away with my former queasiness with such things. Montreal eh? All the better.

@82

Hejsan!

The Sem-Sandberg is fantastic, but, yes, a bit heavy! Oh, and you probably know German, so you won't have to struggle with Google Translate that I did for some bits. :)

I don't think One Day is a must-read. I've since found out that his previous book was great and that's why this one got so much hype. Oops.

The OKEJ-book so far is hilarious!!! I had forgotten how incredibly ridiculous some of those photos were and some of the backstories are just gobsmacking. I'm about 1/3 through, but so far, so good!

@83

Give it a shot. It wasn't as good as I had hoped, but I've seen better reviews on later books in the series, so I'm keeping the hope. The locale is very much part of the charm!

If you grew up in Sweden in the 80s, OKEJ was the popular culture magazine to read - they covered all genres of music, movies, and TV. I had forgotten just how garish and outrageous the photos and stories were and had a fantastic time taking a trip down Memory Lane.



#7

OKEJ - 80-talets storsta poptidning by Jörgen Holmstedt

Så här i efterhand undrar man ju hur naiva vi var på 80-talet egentligen. Jag menar, hur kunde OKEJ's fotograf få "respektabla," så kallade tonårs-rebeller att klä ut sig till dvärgar eller sätta sig i en enorm svan gjord av papier-maché? (Stackars Noice, de råkade riktigt illa ut när Hans Hatwig hade varit och shoppat maskerad-dräkter!) Men hur roliga än fotona är, så är det historierna som OKEJ's medarbetare berättar om det som hände bakom scenen som är den riktiga behållningen i den här boken - här är dessutom det med som artisternas managers bad OKEJ att inte publicera, då iallafall. Det är imponerande (och lite skrämmande) hur mycket makt Hatwig och hans tidning hade över Sveriges musikscen under detta årtiondet. Om du växte upp med OKEJ så är en genom-bläddring en nödvändighet, men jag rekommenderar att den läses från pärm till pärm för allt det som var så coolt då och som är så pinsamt roligt nu. Om du är för ung eller för gammal för OKEJ, så kommer du nog mest att undra vad i herrans namn vi höll på med.

PS! I hate that the touchstones can't read å, ä, and ö!

#8

War Dances by Sherman Alexie

Any book by Sherman Alexie will contain quality writing and this one is no exception, although I wouldn't hold it up as one of his best. It's a somewhat uneven collection where a few stories and poems just punch you in the gut - in true Alexie style - but where many are too meandering or blurry to really carry their weight. Although I'm happy to have read it for such gems as "The Limited," "Breaking and Entering," "Another Proclamation," and the magnificent title story, "War Dances," it's unfortunately not a book that's going in my permanent collection.

That settles it - I need to read the OKEJ book:-) Thanks!

@88

There are a few guaranteed laughs to be had!!!

I'm sure if I could read Swedish I'd say great review on OKEJ! :-)
Never heard of Sherman Alexie before, and I'll think I'll tiptoe away now to keep my ever-growing wishlist from further expansion!

@90
It might just be the greatest review ever! :)

You're going to have to give Alexie a try eventually, so it might as well be now, right?! :) Here's one of my favorite poems of his: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/how-to-write-the-great-american-indian-novel/

No. Nope, no no no no no! I will not! (stomps her feet).

Ok. I'll go over and have a look. Tomorrow. I'm off to start a new book shortly.

@92

LOL! I keep a list of books and authors I'll check out once I'm getting close to being done with the ones I have. Wish me luck. :)

Yes, good luck with that. I'm deep into The Golden Compass right now. Going through the threads as quick as I can as am itching to get back to it!

#9

We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver

It's an intriguing idea to tell of a school killing from the perpetrator's mother's point of view, and I was especially pleased with finding out that I was not supposed to feel any empathy with any of the characters. It would have been easy to make it into a smarmy poor-misunderstood-us story, but Shriver fortunately refrained from that. Interesting as the idea is, it is unfortunately not a very interesting read. I have a hard time believing in Eva and Franklin as a couple. Why would a worldly, clever, successful woman who never wanted to have children suddenly want to become pregnant and why would she then stay with a husband who constantly tells her that she is hysterical, evil, deluded, and crazy - to the point where he allows his child to come to serious harm in order not to lose face. Unless she was a cowering, abused woman (which she definitely isn't), at some point she would act instead of just bumble along. However, it is quite an achievement of Shriver's, although I'm not sure it's intentional, that Kevin turned out to be the most appealing of the characters - he's certainly creative and also quite funny. I can only assume I'm not meant to be sympathizing with the sociopath. Although it was an OK read, I'm not recommending this one.

Good review Eva - I have We Need to Talk about Kevin on my TBR pile and every review I read keeps inching it closer to the top. your review provides a good balance. It is now just a matter of determining when I am in the mood for reading something that I might find rather intense.

@96

It's always difficult to gauge the books that everyone else seems to think are just fantastic, isn't it? This one had some really interesting bits, but I just found the characters so "not believable" that I couldn't suspend my belief properly. I hope you do like it - I have a feeling that for a reader for whom the characters work, it's quite a moving book.

#10

A Week at the Airport by Alain de Botton

Anyone who knows me will tell you I have a borderline unhealthy attraction to airports. Be it a major one, like Heathrow or LAX, or one of the smaller, like Ben-Gurion or (my hometown's) Landvetter, I will be the first one to volunteer to give you a ride or to pick you up. And I will linger for a long time after your plane has taken off or waiting for it to land.

I love watching people and luggage and planes and tarmac - just the thought of people traipsing about all over the world makes me giddy. Love it! So, when it comes to Alain de Botton's writing about being hired by BAA to spend a week at Heathrow as their writer-in-residence, I probably cannot be trusted to be an impartial judge (extraordinarily jealous as I am of his all-access pass and his opportunity to walk on 27L, where the inbound aircraft touch down).

Although the writing is more philosophical than technical, I really appreciated the behind-the-scenes information and the stories of the travelers and workers that de Botton met. Spending seven days and nights in Terminal 5 and its adjacent hotel, he got to see Heathrow from all angles, those that the rest of us see and those we never will have access to, no matter how much we ask to get a glimpse behind the curtain.

His story should invoke severe wanderlust in just about anyone. I only wish it had been a much longer book (it's only 100+ pages), but since it is a commissioned work, de Botton obviously had some restrictions, time- and otherwise.

@86 Great review! Yes, OKEJ was a very strange publication indeed. I think especially since, Sweden being small, it kind of tried to cater to and audience of like 10-20 year olds. There would be a spread with The Pinks, star eyed and 11 year old, and then some pics of Blackie Lawless flogging a very-close-to-naked female barbarian. Or remember full frontal nudity Dag Finn? OKEJ was VERY hit and miss, but exciting. (But boy, did those yellow, ugly text panels annoy when one tried to fins some cool pics for the wallet).

I like your review too. I understand about your attraction to airports. I've felt that way about them most of my life too. A gateway to endless possibilities! Though ever since the insane security measures, the idea of them has lost some of it's former magic for me. But I'll add this one to my WL. I have another book by this author that I haven't read yet called How Proust Can Change Your Life. It's been sitting there for quite a while so I guess I should put it on one of my lists so I don't overlook it for yet another year.

I love Alain de Botton. His The Art of Travel is one of my all time faves. No mention of airports that I recall, but its philosophical ruminations and beautiful writing definitely feed one's wanderlust.

@99

It was a truly bizarre phenomena - I can hardly call it anything else. I did remember the full frontal in the tub (and, yes, that pic is included). Hatwig was a graphic designer, I believe, but evidently one with a preference for garishness over aesthetics! :) A bit of lovely nostaligia, though - it wouldn't be possible to make nowadays when all artists have an entourage which would definitely have said no to many of those crazy ideas!

ETA: And some issues came with stickers! Do you remember those? Hilarious!

@100

See, I'm such a sicko that I even enjoy security - I find it fascinating!! Even though I managed to get on the profile list at Ben-Gurion and was searched so many times I had to laugh finally - which, of course wasn't a good idea. :)

I had never read anything by de Botton before and only got this one because of the airport connection, but I do like his writing, so I'd be willing to try something else.

@101

I had never even heard of him before - this book was given to me because I have this loony attachment to airports. I do want to try more of his writing, though, and The Art of Travel sounds like one I would enjoy!

I've read The Art of Travel and also liked it. He's done some tv series too, on happiness and architecture.

@105

Happiness, travel, and architecture. Interesting bloke! :)

Happiness, travel, and architecture, and a self-help book on Proust, don't forget! :-)

@107

LOL! Gets better by the minute!

#11

A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley

This third installment of Flavia de Luce's mystery-solving adventures is much like the previous ones: quite lovely. Our main character is still precocious and brave, but it seems she has grown up a smidgen, because at least some of the petulant sarcasm is gone. She's still a little too young to be completely believable, but with some suspension of belief, she makes for a great detective. This book introduces more of the family's money-problems, and had Flavia been a little bit older, it could have been used to great effect to raise the stakes, but as it is, she is a little too young to quite grasp the desperate situation fully so it is left somewhat in the periphery. I am very fond of Flavia and her probing nature and think this a great little mystery where, in the end, all the loose ends are tied together nicely without being too polished.

I've been waiting to read this one a long time and although the expectations were high, I was not in the least disappointed.



#12

Un Lun Dun by China Miéville

If it were possible, I'd like to visit the inside of China Miéville's head - it must be a wondrous place to be. The creativity is seemingly limitless and with every turn of the page, there are more extraordinary creatures to get acquainted with - everything from binjas (ninjas in the shape of trash bins) to evil giraffes (a very clever nod to Eddie Izzard). Un Lun Dun is like texts from Neil Gaiman, Jasper Fforde, and Lewis Carroll all mixed together and reinvented with quite a few twists. Underneath all the action and the wordplay there is an ecological message, but it's not too overbearing - even to an advanced/adult reader - and, with all the puns and wittiness, it's easily forgiven. I'd be very surprised if this doesn't stand the tests of time to become a true classic.

#109 I just got The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie a few months ago and intend to read it in the coming months. I've heard mixed reviews about this series, so look forward to finding out what it's like.

Try the first one - if you accept Flavia as a possibility (not everyone does - she is way too young to act the way she does) you'll probably like them. They are cosies, though, so don't expect any excessive blood spatters. :)

I'll probably throw The Sweetness into the Mystery March pile. I've started a thread you can join in anytime if you like.

eta: (grumble grumble typos!)

I'll head over and star it. Hopefully, I'll have some Rankins by March so I can go crazy! :)

ETA: Evidently I can't spell.

I've got a whole bunch of Rankins I need to read very soon (4 or 5 of them I think). Was going to try to fit them into my woefully overbooked February tbr, as need to send the to a fellow bookmoocher, but he's agreed to wait, so I've added them to my Mystery March reading pile.

>#109-Lucky you, you've got the new Flavia!I can't wait to read that one I enjoy Flavia I felt like she was a cross between Pippi Longstockings and the best of all teen amatuer detectives!

@115

That Mystery March thing is an awfully clever idea. A whole month of reading mysteries - legitimately! :)

@116

Oh, yes! I've been stalking the publication date on that one and it didn't disappoint!

There's a What We Are Reading: Mysteries thread in the 75ers group, which is nice as is there all year long, but devoting a month specifically for that creates a different kind of energy. I picked up the idea from my LT friend Mark (msf59) who started the Fantasy February thread (also over at the 75ers, but you're free to join in of course). I read more fantasy this month than I usually do in a whole year. It's been great!

I've been trying to follow along in the 75-group, but either I'm very unorganized or do people switch their links randomly? I have so many starred threads that even they start to get messy! :)

We have this understanding that when threads have upwards of 250 messages, we get a new one going so that people with slower internet connections can open the pages without trouble. The best way to find the latest threads is to go to the group's wiki page where all the links are listed an regularly updated. And yes, there's lots of action in this group, so everyone who tries to keep up has a hard time of it. If you look at the wiki, you'll see there's a thread called something like "How to deal with such a high volume group". We sure like to gab! :-)

Oh, that makes sense... I did think it was weird that some people just vanished, but I guess they made a new thread and I just didn't find it. Definitely checking out the wiki - thanks!!

Always glad to help! Especially when it's that easy. :-)

Not bad for a newbie, Ilana! You know everything already!! :)

Hi!

I have we need to talk about Kevin half read on my bedstand - we had it up for the book club mid-last year.... As you said it is an interesting idea - but there is something with it that puts me off finishing it... well, I'll leave it there until, I one day get over that... interesting to see your comments about it!

Thanks for the review of the de Botton book - it'll end up on my steadily growing to-be-read list:-)

#124 I'm a quick study Madeline. I had to develop that faculty at a very young age when we were moving around so much, I was put in a different school every year (sometimes twice in the same year), and never mind being transported back and forth between continents and having to continue with school (and languages) wherever it was I had left off. Somehow, even when I was dosing, I managed to pick up just enough information to pass exams and get good grades. Which means that I know just a tiny little bit about a lot of random stuff, which is considered to be a dangerous thing. ;-)

@125

The Kevin-book really wasn't anything to write home about in my mind, unfortunately. The de Botton-book, though, was very, very good! I loves me some airports!! :)

#13

How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden

For some reason, Glidden seems somewhat naïve about the ways of the world despite illustrating how extensively she has traveled before this trip, but if you can see past that issue, this is a great visit to the current land of Israel. Although American, Glidden herself if so eager to see the negative side of the Jewish State, the reader gets to follow along on an almost balanced view of the country. Note that this is a graphic novel about memories of a Birthright trip, and not a political treatise, so the issues are not dealt with in any depth, but for an "Israel Light" introduction, this does very well indeed. I especially appreciate how Glidden introduces several people whose opinions are contrary to what one would surmise them to be, based solely on preconceived notions, and she manages to illustrate how most people will surprise you once you make the effort to get to know them. And the ending is very apt when it comes to this particular country - there just aren't any easy answers.

I really like your review of Glidden's book, it's hard to define and you've managed to convey that.

Thank you! I was in a bit of a muddle for a while because there were parts I wavered about. Glad to hear my thoughts came through! :)

A belated thumbs up for you review of Un Lun Dun! Almost makes me want to swap my planned reading of Kraken (the only other Miéville I haven't read) for this challenge. Hmm, we'll see.

Thanks! This was my first of his books and I'm very excited to read more. Borders Books are (sadly) closing a bunch of their stores, so at the sale this weekend I picked up Perdido Street Station and The Scar. Hope those are two good ones! :-)

Both very good indeed! Perdido Street Station is a page turner like hardly anything I ever read. And Bas-Lag, where those two books take place, is a pretty interesting and weird place indeed. Someone made the comparison it's "like reading a painting by Hieronymus Bosch" and it makes a lot of sense to me.

"like reading a painting by Hieronymus Bosch"

Officially very intrigued!!! :)

#133 Perdido Street Station is already on my WL, but that comparison is indeed very intriguing!

#14

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

This is one heck of a story. Yes, based loosely on Roberts' life, but with huge amounts of classic tall tale and adventure story thrown in. A fantastic throng of characters buzz around each other in the hive that is Bombay of the 1980s and the reader is given a sometimes funny, sometimes scary, sometimes sad, but always exciting view into the lives of many of the millions of people of India - it's truly a tale of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

More important than the plotline (and the philosophic digressions), though, is the (sometimes quite flowery) language, with which Roberts describes the country: its smells, its colors, its mood, its viciousness, its music, its dancing, its food, its love, its joy, and foremost, its people. There is such a warmth and affection, even when describing the virtual pits of hell, that permeates the writing that even small details take on a little bit of sparkle.

Note, however, that it is mainly a criminal's tale about joining the mafia, so be prepared for some rather violent passages and quite a few ruthless characters.

#15

The Postcard Killers by James Patterson and Liza Marklund

I picked this up because it takes place in Sweden and is co-written by a Swedish author. This is the first book I've read of James Patterson's and it is also going to be my last. The collaboration between a Swedish and American writer sounds like an interesting idea, but it shouldn't be so obvious who wrote which parts; it's clear that Ms. Marklund is responsible for the parts where the American character uses Swedish syntax when he speaks English. Why wasn't there anyone around to check grammar? And, why would the Swedish protagonist be upset with the American for not knowing anything about the Ådalen riots - is that part of Swedish history supposed to be common knowledge to non-Scandinavians? And then there's the sex, which appears out of nowhere between characters who exhibit no such feelings until just before they almost literally tear each other's clothes off. And who afterwards cannot even fathom life without each other. On top of everything, the mystery is easily guessed. It's all a bit of a train-wreck.

Shantaram is one of the books in my towering TBR pile. Your review makes me want to dig it out now, but I think realistically it will have to wait for the summer.

@138

I was planning on waiting for a long holiday as well, but then a friend of hers gave my mum a copy and she started reading it, so we figured it would be fun if we read it "together." I'm really glad I did, but I totally understand waiting for the "right" time - it's a pretty hefty 900+ pages and if you're not in the mood for that, you won't like it.

I've read reviews both praising and disliking Shantaram and had it on my WL for a while, but the 900 pages truly intimidate me given the mixed reviews... maybe I'll look it up at the library, read 100 pages and THEN decide if I want to go on with it.

Not too surprised about your experience with Paterson. I've never read him myself, but have always distrusted his books which seem... suspicious to me, and this purely by instinct. Your review confirms to me that I'll want to continue staying well away. SO refreshing when one finds not only single books, but and author's entire OEUVRE to steer clear of! :-D

@137 Ha! I think we Swedes sometimes DO make the assumption our national traumas are known by the whole world, but snapping at an American for not knowing about Ådalen 31 seems a tad much.

I read one book by Patterson when I worked at a library to see what they were like as they're so popular. I was underwhelmed.

@140

It is a veeery looong book, but I must say it kept me interested 90% of the time. I've heard that he's writing a sequel, but I'll probably not pick that up - mainly because I have a feeling it'll be heavy on his personal philosophy and that was the least interesting part for me in this one - but I would recommend at least giving this one a try. Wait for a long holiday, maybe. :)

@141

The Ådalen part was SO weird. Much of that book was weird. I have one of Marklund's other books and I'll give that a try, but if this one was any kind of indication of her writing, then... Well, I'll just not get my hopes up. :)

@142

"Underwhelmed" is a very nice and diplomatic description - quite different from the words I was thinking while reading. :)

@144 As I rule of thumb, I'm sceptical of writers who put themselves on the cover of every ruddy book they publish. Therefore, I haven't read any Liza Marklund.

@146

Oh, is that her? There's a blond woman on the cover of mine, but I didn't realize that it was her. OK, really lowering my expectations now.

#16

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

This seems to have been assigned as mandatory reading to every American I know. Being Not-American myself, I have certainly heard about the book, but never picked it up until now, thinking I pretty much knew what it was about. It's a bit different from what I had expected, though. I should have known that a Classic novel would have more layers than the obvious ones, and although the story in itself is very interesting, it's the ending that really serves up the proverbial punch in the belly - I assumed that Atticus must be completely righteous for the story to work, but I should have known that no Classic would have become one had the resolution been that easy. A must read.

#17

Box Office Poison by Alex Robinson

I found this to be a fairly enjoyable story about a group of friends in New York during the 90s. It has received quite a few accolades, but I wasn't as enamored as I would have wished to be. The characters are somewhat interesting, the setting somewhat interesting, the events somewhat interesting, but nothing really stood out for me. It's all a bit starchy, even though I know that it's supposed to be about just regular people. Maybe I want my fictional "regular people" to stand out a little more than just any "regular people." The best character by far is the seemingly crazy landlady who turns out to be very far from crazy.

#18

Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin

I used to live in Edinburgh and love that city dearly, so I'll just start with my little caveat that I may not be entirely unbiased when it comes to this book. The Edinburgh I lived in wasn't quite the grimy underbelly that Rebus hangs out in, but I know its edges and that, of course, raises the stakes for me. This book turned out to be the start of a long series about Rebus and it's quite a good start. We find out the reason why Rebus is the "standard" cranky detective - and it's not your average-detective reason. The plot line is a little messy, but for a first novel it presents a nice array of characters, foremost a sarcastic detective who reads (and buys) huge amounts of books - what's not to like?

#19

Israel for Beginners: A Field Guide for Encountering the Israelis in Their Natural Habitat by Angelo Colorni

If you ignore the corny humor, the long lists of old jokes, and the numerous puns (most of which are inexplicably marked with "(!)" - apparently the typographical equivalent of a rimshot), you may glean some useful information from this book. Before getting on a plane to Israel, you should read the chapter named "Driving" to prepare you for an experience like no other and may prevent a cardiac arrest (yes, the drivers really are that crazy). The section on the Israeli personality is quite stereotypical, but apt in many ways; it may be comforting to know that being treated brusquely is the norm rather than a response to any wrong-doing on your part. Also, if you are planning on learning Hebrew, the section on idioms and slang is quite useful as well, albeit a little short.

Overall, though, it's not a book I would recommend, mainly because the writer takes cheap shots at pretty much every part of Israeli life (although he claims he does it in order to make a point), from the food (which is bad) to the Palestinians (who are terrorists who should just go home) to the young (whose music is dreadful) to workers (who do no work) to Arabs (don't get me started) to education (which is useless), etc. For a book marked as "humor," it's staggering how much hostility is crammed into its few pages. It's probably better for someone who shares the author's type of humor, but it wasn't for me.

#20

Hide and Seek by Ian Rankin

After reading this second book in the series about Rebus, I am officially a fan. The plot is very suspenseful and the shady characters are extremely shady, although it's a great guessing-game which ones are and which ones aren't the baddies (and which ones are a bit of both). Rankin has a brilliant ear for dialogue and his characters are one-of-a-kind, not only in their personalities, but in their actions, their outlook, and their humor, which is my preference when it comes to stories - I can live with a hazy plot as long as the characters are as solid as they are here. The literary theme is even stronger in this installment too with a plot which parallels Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Edinburgh's dual nature (a real-life one, by the way) is developed even further.

Just a note if you're following along here: there will be quite a few of Rankin's books read and listed here in the near future. I'm 100% blaming crediting avatiakh and Smiler69 for getting me addicted to interested in this series and now that I'm on a roll, I don't want to stop! :)

ETA: I now have a whole Rebus category in my challenge.

I love it - maybe I should reread the series!

Good reviews Eva and it is always great when a series takes hold of the reader. I haven't read the Rebus series yet but your reviews just might drag me in.

@151 -- I love your line about "(!)" being the typographical equivalent of a rim shot. It made me smile. :)

@154 & 155

It's so good. I have been wishing for a new series to get hooked on and, so far, this is definitely it!

@156

LOL - thanks! It's very annoying to read, though. I think there were at least a couple on each page.

> 151

I requested Israel for Beginners from ER , but didn't win it. However, from your description of that book, Eva, I probably would have been offended by it anyway. I don't like people taking cheap shots at Israelis, even if it's for the sake of humor. I liked your review, but will happily read a different book (which, fortunately, I did win from ER).

It's probably better for someone who shares the author's type of humor, but it wasn't for me.

That reminds me of when I had to review Cool Jew for ER. That book was supposed to be funny. However, I found it to be truly offensive. To each his own, I guess.

To Kill a Mockingbird has been on my wishlist for many years, but I've now moved it up to the "To Read This Year" list, and may just put it on next month's 'wanna reads' to make sure I get to it sooner than later. Not being American, it wasn't required reading for me either but I know I'm missing out on a masterpiece and will probably want to have my own copy of it.

A definite pass on Israel for Beginners since, apart from the fact that I'm not a beginner having lived there four years (centuries ago, mind you), I don't think I could put up with Colorni's brand of humour. Yes, Israelis can be brusque to the point of being rude (a cause for many arguments between my dad and I), and yes, the driving... 'insane' doesn't quite describe it. But the food... I remember the food almost above everything else. We ate so well there, between the amazing selection of fresh produce (which my dad says is no longer what it was unfortunately) to the countless restaurants featuring world cuisine... whatever. I will not have this man despoil my great memories.

I'm enjoying your Rebus Reviews and have no problem with taking the blame. What category did you replace? You're making me wish I had read them in order. I've got several Rebus novels to read this month and it keeps bothering me now that I'm all over the place and missing the flow of Rebus' personal life, but maybe your reviews will help me put the whole series back together again. :-)

@159

The author just seems like a grouchy old man who is unhappy with everything - apparently this translates to some sense of humor that I don't understand. Here's a sample, just to give you an idea of how it's written:

"Arabic music is characterized by a succession of whole tones, middle tones, semitones and quarter tones, all interpolated in such a way as to form a characteristic monotonous gelatinous wail. In blatant disregard to the open suggestion of the word refrain, a lot of refrains are tediously played over and over. Although Arabic music has been considered as the missing link between noise and lament, some people like the unbearable din it makes and insist that Arabic music is actually better than it sounds. Others argue that it may be so but only for as long as it is not played. In any case, Western ears are unfortunately unable to appreciate this type of melody nor can they distinguish it from an annoying whine and, given the choice, would generally prefer an old-fashioned earache."

Is that supposed to be funny? It just makes me think the writer is a bit on the dense side (and a bit racist). I'll be giving my copy away, but I'm not sure who would want it.

Someone gave me Cool Jew a while back, but after glancing through it, I just never picked it back up again. Maybe I should, if only to confirm it's not for me so I can give that one away as well. :)

@160

Mockingbird is a fairly quick read, albeit with a heavy subject. Definitely recommended. Apparently the film is fantastic too, but I haven't gotten to that one yet.

The food section in the Israel book was just plain wrong - it sounded as if the author just didn't care for Middle Eastern food at all, but that's hardly a reason to put it down. He also said that Israelis rarely eat fruit & veg (apart from salad at breakfast), but I that's just a crazy statement - I came away from Israel with vitamin overload from all the healthy stuff I ate! :)

Yes, loving the Rebus!! I am glad that I have the opportunity to read them in order, but the mystery bits aren't ruined by reading haphazardly, so it's not a huge deal. I'm reading Tooth and Nail right now and got to the part where the English detectives just doesn't understand a word Rebus is saying. My first three days in Edinburgh, I understood absolutely nothing of what people said. :)

ETA: Fixing spelling errors

I've started accumulating some of the Rankin books because of what I've read in some of the threads, but I don't have the ones at the beginning yet, and I really like to start at the beginning.

> 161

I'd definitely unload both books!

That quote you posted was horrible. I love listening to Arabic music if only because it brings me back to the streets of Arab towns in Israel. I love the exotic sound of it.

It certainly is egocentric, if not downright racist, to put down a type of music one neither understands nor appreciates. I know I would *hate* that book after reading your quote. There is nothing "funny" about it. I would have been hard pressed not to throw that book across the room (and hopefully out an open wndow) after reading such a "not funny at all" quote. I imagine the rest of the book to be just as bad.

That's not to say that there aren't things of which to make fun of in Israel. There are tons of things. It's just that disparaging type of humor that I intensely dislike.

Bring me a cup of sweet mint tea and let me simmer down... :)

> 62

Gak!!! Middle Eastern food is my favorite type of food...healthy, less meat, more olive oil, plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit. Not only on the kibbutzim I visited while in Israel, but also among my friends in cities and moshavim, just about everyone had at least a fruit or vegetable (e.g. avoacado) tree in his or her yard.

*moves that book from outside of my window into my compost pile...where it will eventually turn into a fruit or vegetable!*

I'd have given that book 1/2 star (if that much)!! I must not have won it because the good Lord didn't want my ire raised quite that high. :)

We should write our own Israeli humor book: LibraryThingers Experience Israel. :D

For sure, it would be full of love even though filled with Israeli idiosyncrasies.

@163

Luckily, I was able to secure most of the series on BM and PBS, so I could actually afford to wait. I am having problems with getting the first in the series (typical!), so I gave in and went to the library for that one. Even if it's not essential, it does add to the understanding of the characters to read the series on order, so I'm all for that. I'm glad I waited.

@164

Unfortunately, that quote is typical of the writing - I didn't even pick a particularly bad one! He writes as disparagingly about everything he doesn't like (and it's a lot!).

"Western ears are unfortunately unable to appreciate this type of melody"

Well, I'm sorry, dude, but speak for yourself! He makes a lot of assumptions that pretty much adds up to whatever he thinks isn't right is what everyone should think isn't right. That's the perfect recipe for making me disagree! :)

@165

Yes! The universe was protecting you from an anger-induced anerysm. :)

I've gone back to my initial 1.5 stars, but it's for the parts I mentioned above about the idioms and slang and language.

ETA: I showed some of the worst bits to Kobi and got a response that sounded something along the lines of, "grumble-grumble-ben-zonah-grumble." LOL!

grumble-grumble-ben-zonah-grumble

LOL!!! I agree!

I don't get to use that word very often, but that writer just seems like a schmuck.

LOL, just saw Madeline's "ben-zona grumble". :-D

Ilana, it was Kobi's "ben-zona grumble"... :)

I have to agree with Kobi on that one. Amazed that he got published, maybe (?!!) it was different in the original Hebrew.

I didn't ask which the "grumble-grumble" words were - sometimes it's a good thing my Hebrew is bad. :)

@174
I can't find any mention of a translator - I think it was written in English. But way to go looking for a silver lining!!! :)

I didn't ask which the "grumble-grumble" words were - sometimes it's a good thing my Hebrew is bad. :)

Just think, as your Hebrew language skills improve, so will your ability to detect fine nuances in book reviews given to you by others!! :D

@176

Oh dear, what did I miss now? :)

ETA: Oh, did you mean Auslander? Sorry, I meant to say "funny" - I thought it was a too bad you didn't find it funny since that was the main thing I liked about it. :)

You're not alone, Eva. Almost everyone who reviewed Auslander's book (and liked it) called it "hilarious". I didn't do much laughing when reading it. To me it was a great psychological portrait. I liked it mostly for that.

#21

Limassol by Yishai Sarid

I'm not entirely sure why this is described as a thriller, because, although it deals with a member of the Mossad, it's more about the main character's feelings and perspective than about the action he is involved in. As such, it's a fantastic portrait of the mind of someone who performs quite terrible, but in a way lifesaving, acts for a living. Our main character is an interrogator who, by some very violent means, extracts information from his prisoners. However, one part of his job is to infiltrate the enemy's camp and the ability to close off his true persona (integral to his task being successful) is leaking over into his real life and he ends up alienating his own family. The clincher being that he is convinced that it is necessary to do so, and when he starts to form bonds with the people he is infiltrating, that's when the true psychological collision takes place.

#22

Tooth and Nail by Ian Rankin

Rebus goes to London to help catch a serial killer. My favorite part of the Rebus series is that it takes place in Scotland and describes those vistas and that people, so I was a little wary of how he'd fare in London. He does well, though, especially because his counterpart, George Flight, is such a great character and the two of them have a very realistic, wavering "trustworthy-or-not-trustworthy" relationship. It's a great example of a Rebus-story with twist and turns to leads us off track, but still with a proper conclusion at the end.

Well, here's a book for my "Buzzed" category that deserves all the praise its gotten!



#23

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

This book has some of the best characters I've read in a long time and their voices are absolutely perfect for their personas. I really enjoyed reading about such important historic events (the civil rights movement) from such a different perspective - there are some real heroes here, the likes of which I'm sure existed in real life, and this is a great way of showing how each individual, each to his own abilities, is important in righting the wrongs of society. It has an important message, definitely, but, most importantly for me, it is a fantastic story, which I would recommend that everyone read.

#24

Doctor Who: Peacemaker by James Swallow

The Doctor and Martha go to experience the Wild West and end up battling aliens (what else?) disguised as humans instead. It's the first Doctor Who novel I've read and it's basically like reading an episode, except you have to do all the CGI in your head. Swallow is successful in making both the Doctor and Martha sound like they do on TV. Some of the quips, which Tennant is such a master of, sound a little too flippant in the text version, but as a whole it works very well.

#25

Strip Jack by Ian Rankin

Rebus is back in Edinburgh and is now struggling with, not the city's grimy underbelly, but rather its grimy "overbelly" when he tries to find out what happened to an MP's missing wife. It's a solid story and the characters are, as usual, very interesting, but since we're now dealing with affluent people whose crimes aren't committed because of a mix of desperation and societal influences, the stakes seem to be slightly lower than in the other Rebus-books. If you see this installment of the series more as a showing of inter-personal politics than a straight crime-story, it's a new angle that adds a little extra to the already three-dimensional world of the characters.

Well, it's the first day of spring and southern California has rain and 45 MPH "gusts" of wind. Clearly a sign to stay in bed and read all day. :)

184: It's snowing here. I too am planning on curling up with a good book and hibernating for another day. :)

I am glad you liked The Help, this one has been on my wl for a while now. With the Ian Rankin books, would you recommend starting at the begining of the series, or could a person pick up the storylines part way through?

@185
Definitely feeling a little better about our weather now. LOL! I just can't do snow - I moved 6,000 miles to get away from it (I'm originally from Sweden). :)

Yeah, you can start with any of the Rebus books, I think. There is an storyline about his ex-wife and daughter as well as his brother that might not make 100% sense, but it's filled in enough that it doesn't make a huge difference. Once I realized that it was set in Edinbugh, where I have lived, I just went ahead and mooched the lot, so that's why I'm reading them in order. I definitely recommend trying at least one - he's a great dialogue-writer, Rankin.

Excellent review of Limassol and the Help. I agree with you take on Limassol - it is more psychological than thriller. I have The Help on my TBR pile.... which means I hope to get to it sometime!

@187
Thanks!! I suspect the marketing department wanted Limassol to be a thriller, but the emphasis is on his relation (or lack thereof) with the people around him, so it doesn't quite qualify. Great book, though! And, definitely try to get to The Help - it's thick and has a heavy topic, but it's a fast read thanks to the beautiful characters!

#26

The Black Book by Ian Rankin

This is the fifth Rebus-novel I've read and I think it's my favorite so far. Not only are we up against a fantastic villain, Big Ger Cafferty (just the name!), but since both Rebus and DS Brian Holmes are attacked, the stakes are very high. As in previous installment of the Rebus-series, the story is jam-packed with some really callous characters that Rankin brings to life through his fantastic ability to write realistic, and quite funny, dialogue. I appreciated that both DS Holmes and DC Siobhan Clarke seem to have become permanent characters in the series since they both act as excellent foils to Rebus. Also, on a personal note, Siobhan is a (non-Catholic) Hibees fan like myself, so how could I not love her?

I'm glad you're enjoying the Rankin series so much. I'm getting to relive it through you and enjoying it a lot more in the process! I'm also very happy to have had a hand in encouraging your to get around to The Help, it certainly is a satisfying book and I like your take on it. Limassol sounds interesting. I read another review of it that didn't grip me before, but I'll have to look it up based on what you have to say about it.

what's up with the touchstones this morning? keep having to punch them in by hand... grrr...

I'm also noting Limassol as worth looking into, intriging plot I have to say.

I'm having a blast with Rebus! I have a feeling that I might stumble before I've read all of them, but right now I just want to keep going!

A bit of the problem with Limassol is that it's been marketed as a thriller, but it's rather a fairly slow psychological study. If you read lkernagh's review here on LT, that's a great description of what actually happens - luckily, I was warned by her "huh?"-moments, so when I started reading it, I knew not to read it as a full-action spy-novel.

More Rebus....



#27

Mortal Causes by Ian Rankin

Rebus continues to not disappoint. This installment follows a body found in Edinburgh's Mary King's Close to the perpetrators' possible involvement in the Troubles in Northern Ireland. It's full of the usual great characters along with some semi-secret societies and Rebus' fantastic nemesis, Big Ger Cafferty. As usual, Rankin is brilliant at sorting out the different voices and plots and Edinburgh, the City, plays its role very well by being as devious as it can be.

NB: If you get to go to Edinburgh, I highly recommend taking a tour of Mary King's Close - it's a like-no-other kind of experience!

And yet some more Rebus...



#28

Let It Bleed by Ian Rankin

This seventh part of the Rebus "saga" can get a little messy simply because of all the different parts of government that are involved, most of them referred to with acronyms that at least I had a little bit of trouble getting sorted in my head. The mystery is absolutely solid, though, and, as always, the characters are excellent.

Also, since it deals with the Information Technology sector as it was in 1996, it's very funny to read about the gadgets that were mere dreams back then and that are reality by now - with wonder in his voice, one of Rebus' friends describes what is now a smartphone, while his 1996 listeners almost scoff at his wild ideas.

As far from Rebus as you can get.... :)



#29

Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch

A beautifully made graphic novel about Mirka, an Orthodox Jewish girl, which introduces the reader to a well-functioning community without any comment on the "whys" but rather the "hows" of daily life in such a community. It is at its core a story about a little girl gaining her independence without breaking away, but with some fantasy and mythological elements to it. I have a tiny issue with the skill needed for Mirka to succeed in her task, but it's minor and is absolutely overshadowed by the drawing style, the lovely story telling, and the characters. It's definitely a story for younger readers, but is very readable for people of any age.

ETA: I appreciated the mention of tandtroll - the trolls that live in your mouth and drill holes in your teeth (at least they do if you're Scandianvian). :)

Oh, Hereville is definitely going on my list. Love the cover.

@196

It's a great book with beautiful graphics - I'm only hoping that there is more to come (I wanted it to be longer!).

#30

Black and Blue by Ian Rankin

Rebus is great form, making loads of enemies while trying to find out why an oil-rig worker has been murdered - or was he? Big Ger makes a hilarious appearance and we are also treated to a tour of northern Scotland with its various personalities and dialects. As usual, Rankin does a bang-up job of characterization and dialogue and when the higher-ups are trying to frame Rebus in order to keep him from investigating a case they don't want solved, the stakes are as high as can be. And with the added pressure of trying to find a serial killer who in turn is trying to find his own copy-cat, Rebus is up to his ears in trouble. This is one of my favorites of an already great series.

I love getting your impressions of the series so far Eva, and really glad you're enjoying them as much as you are.

I looked to see if there might be a copy of Hereville at the library, but no such luck.

@199

I am enjoying them a lot!!! So, thank you again to you and Kerry for nudging me in their direction.

My library didn't have it (i.e. Hereville) on order at all and then one day it was just there! Lucky shot that I walked by as the library-peeps were shelving the new books!!

#31

The Hanging Garden by Ian Rankin

Stuck looking for an old Nazi war criminal while gangland war is breaking out, Rebus is forced to make a deal with the proverbial devil, Big Ger Cafferty, when his own daughter is attacked. This is another captivating installment in the Rebus-series and, as usual, Rankin doesn't disappoint with excellent characters, great dialogue, and plot-twists that'll give you whiplash. I'm loving this series! Even though I had seen a TV-episode based on this novel, there are so many different layers that it was a thoroughly enjoyable read despite already knowing the resolution to some parts of the mystery.

I skipped this one and when for the follow up instead, so a few things in the storyline didn't make sense to me until I read the synopsis for The Hanging Garden.

Yes, Sammy in a wheelchair would be a "huh?"-moment. The background stories do add a lot to the story. You could definitely read them out of order, but the "bonus" you get from the overall story-arc is beneficial to say the least!

I'm learning from that experience and have endeavoured to read series in order as much as possible from now on.

#32

Dead Souls by Ian Rankin

Rebus' natural disgust for pedophiles causes him to endanger a man who may be less than dangerous and Rebus is then left to somehow manage a violet mob, set on murder. This is Rankin's tenth book about Inspector rebus, and there are just no signs of slowing down. As usual, Rankin's descriptions of the working-class neighborhoods of Edinburgh, its people, it's language, its desperation, are so spot on that it's easy to get lost in the emotions and the action. With a realistic and somewhat inconclusive ending, it's even easier to lose yourself in the characters since the frustration isn't only theirs, it's yours.

A strong contender for Best Debut Novel ever!



#33

King Rat by China Miéville

What a bizarre mix of demented fairly tale and urban suspense. Although it starts off as a somewhat ordinary mystery novel, it soon veers off into a fantastic, albeit quite gruesome, story about an ancient struggle come to its fruition in modern-day (ground, air, and downbelow) London. Not only does the plot rip you along on a mad and furious ride, but Miéville's vernacular is simply breathtaking. He can really somersault his vocabulary to fit the mood and meaning of his text, and then throw in an array of Cockney rhyming slang to make the image complete. I am in awe.

#34

Set in Darkness by Ian Rankin

Politics, office and otherwise, may be where Rebus falters the most, so when a prospective MSP is found murdered and rebus is teamed with an up-and-coming detective, things are sure to go awry. And, to my personal delight, Big Ger Cafferty (the funniest nemesis I know) is back on the streets and ready for a rumble with Rebus. Rankin is, as always, a master of the characters, the vistas, and the language of Edinburgh. This is the eleventh in the series and it's only getting better.

Glad you liked King Rat. Having only read and thoroughly enjoyed Perdido Street Station so far, I intend to check out more of this author's work and that one has already found a place on my tbr shelves.

@208

I'm a few pages into Perdido and it's very different from King Rat - not writing wise, but topic wise - but equally arresting, I think. I've only ever read Un Lun Dun before and I loved it, so, thus far, Miéville is a big hit for me! And, as usual, I can "blame" my fellow LT-ers for the introduction to his works - doesn't get better than that!! :)

Wow, you're really plowing through the Rebus series! Really happy I helped switch you onto it since you obviously are enjoying it a lot.

I haven't read any Miéville yet, but I've got Perdido Street Station on one of my wishlists. Guess I'll add King Rat on there too and see which one I get to first! though seeing as they have the former and not the latter at the library, looks like it'll be Perdido first!

eta: fixed touchstone

Loving the Rebus. I've turned one of the guys at work onto the books too, so now I have to read fast because he wants to borrow them. And, when I was chatting with my brother this weekend, he mentioned this great series he was reading, and it's Rebus as well! :)

I'm about 1/3 through Perdido and it's really great! They are very different and I shouldn't worry about reading in a particular order - I would definitely recommend trying the one you have first. It might not be your cup of tea at all...

Good to see that you're enjoying Perdido as well. I may go back to New Crobuzon for my next read with The Scar.

What a great feeling to come to a thread and just be soaked in Miéville! :) I liked King Rat a lot too, even if the Bas-Lag books are much stronger in my opinion. (That's saying a lot by the way. They are among my favourite books ever) There seems to be a Gaiman dependancy in King Rat that Miéville later sheds.

That being said, one of the things I really love about it is it's strong nineties feel. It's so full of a Zeitgeist, with it's drum and bass soundtrack, it's rave culture and it's ambience. Wouldn't you agree?

@212

I have The Scar lined up and if Perdido stays as great as it is now, I'm definitely continuing on!

@213

LOL, absolutely! Definitely early 90s flashback for me! I killed quite a lot of time crusing youtube after finishing the book! :)

You're absolutely right about the Gaiman influence, but it didn't bother me too much, it being a debut novel. I did make a special effort to read it as a first book since I've read reviews that simply say that it's not as good as his subsequent books and that's not really a fair way to judge it. Apart from Un Lun Dun, which I read first, I'll try to read them in order of publication.

Are the three books that take place in Bas-Lag connected story-wise, or do they just take place in the same world?

There are a few characters connecting the books (the main character in The Scar is Isaac's ex, for instance), and much of the basic world building is presented in the first book. But apart from that they are separate. Don't miss out the Bas-Lag short story Jack in Miéville's excellent short story collection Looking for Jake by the way!

OK, very good. I really need closure to the plot in Perdido - those moths are creeping me out!!

Also, I'm not too used to reading weird/new weird fantasy either, so I prefer to read something else inbetween two books. If the plot continued in the Scar, I would have to go straight to that one and I think I need a break from the opulence.

Looking for Jake is around here somewhere - read that one after Iron Council?

As I understood it, Looking for Jake has only one of the stories attached to the Bas-Lag series and that concerns a character that pops up only in Perdido. I hope so anyway as I read that particular story before starting on The Scar.

You understood it correctly, Wolfy!

I was quite set on starting with Perdido, but seeing the comments here about King Rat capturing the 90s zeitgeist and being influenced by Gaiman (I loooooove!), I might switch things around. Also, didn't realize that was his first. Anyway, doubt that'll be on my reading pile all that soon since there are tonnes of other books awaiting their turn in the meantime, but I'll put it on one of my "to read real soon" lists so it doesn't just languish on the wishlist forever!

eta: fixed touchstone

@218-219
Thank you!!

@220
You and me both with the tons of other books... :)

Thanks for the Rebus reviews. I have them at home, I keep passing over them for some reason. I must get them shipped out to me.

@222

I'm very enamored with the series right now! Partially because I used to live in Edinburgh where many of them take place, but mainly because Rankin writes characters and dialogue so well. Also, they are very funny, albeit with a humor that leans toward the darker end of the spectrum. :)

#35

Perdido Street Station by China Miéville

What a piece of work is...China Miéville's mind. Noble in reason, I can only assume from his writing, but definitely infinite in faculty. Reading Perdido is like wading through thick, delicious caramel - it makes for a slow read because of its intricate details and complex cabal of characters, laid out before the reader with an unerring ear for language, and it is absolutely impossible not to be beguiled by the world presented. Sure it's verbose, even prolix, but it's so eloquently done, without approximations, that I couldn't imagine even one word missing because it would detract from the whole.

But, more importantly, Miéville is not a one-trick pony, flaunting a flawless grasp of language; he does have something acute to say about life. Perdido isn't about evil versus good or about any single quest, it's about modern society and its workings. It has something to say about the working man's struggle, about freedom of speech, about racial division, about a totalitarian government's rights and responsibilities, about religious following, about ecological repercussions, and whether it is possible to exist in some sort of harmony with other beings when their history and outlook on life is completely different from yours.

Fortunately, despite bringing up important issues, Miéville manages to do very little preaching. This is in essence a fantasy, inhabited by a living landscape, hideous monsters, and the flawed friends who try to make the best of what's been handed to them. There are no easy solutions offered and no perfect ending, pretty much like life itself. I am, as ever, in awe of the imagination that brought it into being.

Another fabulous summing up by you, Eva! One of the things I really like about Miéville is how he uses fantasy to write about politics. It reminds me a bit of what the scandinavian crime writers started to do in the 70ies: take a genre that is looked down on as cheap entertainment and use it to talk about your society. Iron council for instance, is a classic (well, -ish) quest on one hand. On the other it's a discussion about imperialism and violence as a political method.

As for the ending: one aspect of it it's so heartbreaking it still makes me choke up a bit.

Great review and a thumbs up from me. Glad you enjoyed it.

@224 ditto it's a great review.

I would love to something visually set in Bas Lag. I know the result would probably be awful but a film/TV show/comic could be so stunning.

Congrats on achieving "Hot review" status, Eva!

Fantastic review Eva. Thumb! Good thing I already have this one on the TBR pile. My poor TBR pile is growing daily. **sighs**

@225

Thank you! You're absolutely right, this is pretty much as far from "standard" genre fiction you can get! Iron Council is in Mt. TBR, but I just received an advance copy of Embassytown, courtesy of LTER, so I'm reading that one first.

By the ending, I'm assuming you mean Yag. Big, fat, horrid knot in my stomach from that! At the same time, I'm pleased he didn't shy away from making it a proper reason just because we all love Yag. Heartbreaking for sure!

@226-229

Thank you all!! If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend for when you have some time to really get into it.

@clfisha: If I had won that $450 million in the US mega-lotto the other week, I may have put that down for a film-version! :)

I don't think I've ever had a "Hot Review" before, so thank you all for that as well!

Great review Eva, I just gave it the thumbs up too. Well-deserved Hot Review! Of course, if this one hadn't been on my WL already, I would have added it there pronto after reading your take on it! :-)

@232

Thank you! It's quite a read for when you have time to submerge yourself! :)

I know people are going bananas for Swedish mystery-writers, but I doubt this one will get translated into English - it's not much to write home about.



#36

Stum sitter guden by Anna Jansson

Nja, det här var väl inte en höjdare precis. Premissen har potential - kan det verkligen vara ett midvinterblot, i sann asa-anda? Delarna som handlar om historia är intressanta, men är alldeles för få och korta, och hela historien är berättad i lite för lösryckta vinjetter (boken är bara drygt 200 sidor). Man får aldrig riktigt något grepp om karaktärerna och när några av gåtorna löses genom att huvudpersonen kommer på svaren i en dröm så tröttnar jag - i dagens deckare måste dröm-lösningar ses som rent "fusk." (SPOILER-WARNING!) Mitt stora problem är dock att jag har svårt för deckare där mördaren är klart sinnessjuk - det verkar mest som en ursäkt för att mördaren skall kunna uppföra sig hur som helst utan att det behöver verka troligt. Det här är ju bara den första Maria Wern-boken och eftersom det har publicerats flera efter denna, så antar jag att kvaliten går upp allteftersom serien fortsätter, men jag kan inte påstå att jag är lockad att läsa mer, tyvärr.

I just noticed that my first book of the year (The Destitutes of Łódź by Steve Sem-Sandberg - post #31) is coming out in English on August 30th of this year under the name The Emperor of Lies. Just a heads-up since I knew a couple of you were interested in it.

Thanks for the heads-up on The Emperor of Lies. It sounds like an amazing book and I will put it on my wishlist and keep my eyes peeled for it.

Eva, have you read anything by Jens Lapidus? He's not on the English market yet, but I see the first two of the "Stockholm Noir" trilogy are available in French translation. I've already reserved the first one at the library and hope it's good because it's close to 600 pages and I'm terrified of big books!

@237

Oooh, that'll be interesting! Yes, I do like Lapidus very much, mainly because I'm impressed that a Swedish writer can write proper Noir. And, second (this is why a translation will be interesting) because he has a perfect pitch for Swedish immigrant slang! He's an attorney in real life, so he's been exposed to the people he writes about and he's got them down pat, I think. The books are a bit gruesome, though, but I think everyone knows that about Swedish writers now.... :)

Here is my review for the first book - there's a second book and a graphic novel out right now and the third book comes out in June, I think.

Thanks for the link to your great review, which I'm very glad that you wrote in English Eva (gave it the thumbs up)!

I heard about Jens Lapidus a couple of weeks ago for the first time via a daily email I receive from a French literary site: evene.fr. They had an interview with him, mostly about the movie Easy Money based on his first novel I think (?), so I mostly skimmed it (though I did see that there is mention of him being a lawyer), but what intrigued me was his claim that that most Swedish crime fiction writers fall into a mould which he tries to avoid. I haven't read enough Swedish crime fiction to be able to discern that at this point, but Noir always appeals to me so...

I find it interesting that (most?) Nordic fiction gets translated into French before English. I wonder why that is? For example, I read the whole of the Millenium trilogy well before the first book was translated into English.

By the way, the library has already made the book available to me. I'll pick it up toward the end of the month since have too many books to finish up this month still, but you'll be hearing about it for sure!

Thanks! I tend to write my reviews in English if I know that a translation is forthcoming or if there is at least a possibility that it will be translated.

I actually saw Lapidus in the Swedish newspapers not that long ago when he was defending someone in a fairly big trial (which I can't remember the details of now), so he's a bona fide attorney who happens to also be a writer.

Unfortunately the movie wasn't all that great - its big problem being that they skipped the part of the books which is most impressive, the language. Instead of having all immigrant characters speak Swedish slang with their own native "twang," they all just spoke their own language. Too bad.

I think the English-speaking world is just so inundated with original works that a non-English book must have garnered a lot of press before anyone bothers with it. Those of us from "smaller" languages normally read a lot of translated literature, so we naturally look outside of our language for books to bring in. It'll have to be translated anyway, so it doesn't matter if it's from French or German or Hebrew or wherever.

I do hope you like it - it is, like I said, fairly gruesome - and that the translation works. France also has a lot of immigrants, so hopefully they've found a translator that can do justice to the voices.

Since I speak and read both English and French equally well, I try to get the original versions when they're in one of those two language, and otherwise I usually try to get French translations for Latin languages (and Russian), and English for Germanic languages, which I guess makes sense. But then beyond the limitations of language, so much has to do with the skill of the individual translator, and then there's personal preferences too that it makes it really hard to choose sometimes. For example, Pevear and Volokhonsky are so highly recommended for their Russian/English translations, that I chose those novels they've translated in English over the French since the language in old and so-so translations often seem so wooden.

In recent past, I've been reading mostly English books, partly due to my heightened participation here on LT (with the majority of readers here being English-speaking only). At one point I realized that I had gotten several books that were originally French in the English translation!! Well, that won't fly with me, so I'll be giving those away and will be reading them as they were originally published. One reason I insist on such things is precisely to do with the example you give; when particular slang, or accents, or expressions that are not translatable are used, there is just so much that we lose as readers.

As for gruesome, most contemporary crime fiction novels are so stark—and yes, I've read a couple Swedish authors at least—I think (hope) I'm mentally prepared for that!

I've gotten some English language books by Scandinavian authors from friends here in the US and I have tried to read them, but I it just sounds so wrong - especially when they try to translate idioms, it's like nails on a chalk-board. And then, if the translation is poor in general I just get angry that they're misrepresenting the book. :)

Like the Israeli poet Bialik said, "reading a work of art in translation is like kissing somebody through a handkerchief."

I just wanted to give a heads-up - the books are about the mafia after all! :)

That's a great quote, and I must say I quite agree, even though I've never actually tried kissing through a handkerchief before!

I have! But, it was only after reading the quote. :)

Loved your review of Perdido Street Station, I just finished it this morning, what a great read. I've now read my first Jo Nesbø and am looking forward to reading more of his Harry Hole series, but I'm pretty sure they would be even better in the original Norwegian, there were bits here and there that don't ring quite true - the Norwegian essence was missing or something, but only on occasion.
Can't believe you've managed to read so many Rebus books already!
OK, I'm still on holiday and shouldn't be on LT, but just had to comment on your PSS review.

I have!

Lol! And, how was it??

@245

Thank you! YEY, so happy you loved Perdido - isn't it just amazing?! You were the one who nudged me to read Un Lun Dun and then Anders (Gingerbreadman) nudged me toward Perdido, so I'm very grateful for my lovely LT-friends. Please feel free to nudge away whenever!

I made my mum send me Nesbø's books in the Swedish translation, which is very similar to Norwegian and they are just great. I like Harry a lot and I hope you're not missing too much. Whenever you get to something awkward, just make up something better yourself. :)

I'm starting a new Rebus tonight and I'm having so much fun with the series! I've just finished Miéville's latest book and am writing the review for it, but then it's back to Scotland!

Hope you're having a fantastic holiday! I'm going to a BBQ tomorrow and have been promised Anzac biscuits - I've never tried those before, but they sound yummy!

@246

A bit clammy and tasting of laundry-powder. Not recommended! :)

Oh, China, China, China...



#37

Embassytown by China Miéville

In a place far, far away, lies Embassytown, inhabited by spider-legged, winged equine/insects, the Ariekei, who play Hosts to a little enclave of human settlers. For the longest time, they have been cohabiting peacefully, both groups providing the other what they cannot themselves make. Negotiations between the groups are held by engineered humans, the Ambassadors, created specifically to be able to approximate the Ariekei's language, which is physically impossible for a regular human to imitate. Until one day, a new Ambassador arrives, things go awry, and peace is disintegrating fast.

(SPOILER WARNING FROM THIS POINT)

Of course, of course, the ideas and workings of the Ariekei language are at the forefront (it wouldn't be Miéville if a discourse on language wasn't a part, after all). The Ariekei's advanced and simultaneously basic language does not allow for lies - the thought and the word are the same thing, so in order to speak a simile, they have to create the situation in real life before being able to think/speak it. Needless to say, it's a fascinating idea, and the lengths to which the Ariekei go in order to be able to think/speak are outrageously imaginative. Not only that, but just the idea that someone could get physically intoxicated by a paradox is not only funny, it's possibly a little nod to Miéville's own readers, who are no doubt the kind of people who are excited by adventurous and inventive language, who are receptive to a writer's greatest task: "to tell the truth with lies."

However, although this is clearly a book discussing the workings of language, the big issue here is politics. Colonial politics. And Miéville shines when it comes to asking the questions: How do two (or more) different peoples/species, living in the same space, manage to coexist without one culture obliterating the other(s)? How do we sit down and break bread (or share the hummus-bowl) without bickering about whose culture created it, which culture should reign supreme? When one generation is so determined to maintain the status quo that it will sacrifice itself only so that the next generation can live as tradition dictates, is it worth it? Are the old ways really that important, that great, that they can justify any action? Surely, there has to be another solution and so our heroes cannot be the Ambassadors, the elite, the politicians, but it has to be the rebels, the refuseniks, the people who dare to imagine the unimaginable and who will not accept "impossible" as the final answer.

Is there then a solution, a "happy ending" to it all? Would it be Miéville if there were? There is some kind of resolution, sure, but it's neither finite nor perfect. As always, Miéville is a master as creating imagined worlds that seem real - in this particular case actually alive - and part of that lies in the open-endedness of his stories. A polished ending would reduce the complexity of the whole and would render it less meaningful than its potential. As it is, in many ways, it's more real than real.

Sounds fascinating! Thumbs up from me!

Thank you! Yes, it was quite an amazing read.

We're both on a China kick it seems. Glad you enjoyed yours as well.

Absolutely - having a great time! I'm glad I made a whole challenge category all China. Definitely looking forward to the rest, but I'm going to try and pace myself - I don't want to OD. :)

My library has just notified me that they will be getting Emperor of Lies in by late August. I am looking forward to getting my hands on it!

Very good! I do hope you'll find it as intriguing as I did! It's a looong book and the topic isn't a breeze, so just be aware, but the quality is definitely there!

Catching up on this thread after my easter break. Love the discussion on translating, and your way of gently spreading the word on Scandinavian fiction :). I was a little scared to read beyond the "spoiler point" of your review of Embassytown, but am of course glad I did. Sounds incredibly fascinating, and I love how Miéville finds new angles to his "big theme" of cultural coexistence and imperialism all the time. Thumbs up from me!

Scandinavian fiction will take over the world!! :)

I thought better safe than sorry, so I added the warning just to make sure nobody got anything spoiled unintentionally. In truth, it's difficult to really spoil Miéville - I could tell you every little thing that happens and I still wouldn't come close to the real story! I love how savvy he is about talking about really important things without compromising the quality of the fiction. You could totally ignore the politics and still come out with one heck of a sci-fi story.

Hi Eva, I was just thinking of you so thought I'd pop by. Happy reading! :-)

Hey Ilana! Yes, I'm here and having some happy reading indeed. I've come to realize that for the 12-in-12 Challenge it'll be best if all my categories are "Books Recommended by LT-ers." I am in the middle of a non-fiction book, and it's great, but the lure of the Rebus got me again and the non-fiction book is still on my nightstand half-read.... :)

You're the second person I've seen today who's mentioned the 12 in 12 challenge. Guess I should start planning ahead for that one too then. And yes, I'll be sure to included a few categories for books that have been recommended via LT and other sources.

Glad you're loving the Rebus. It makes me feel better somehow about not having been completely in love with them myself. If that makes any sense. For my part, I'm really enjoying L'argent facile, Hens Lapidus' first books of the Stockholm Noir trilogy we talked about before. I have to say, I haven't come across anything that has shocked me so far though (referring to the warning you had given me).

LOL! I think I mentioned the 12-in-12 in one of the conversations I had about planning for the 11-in-11! :) It's just that the new books are so much shinier than the ones in my bookcase...

Part of the Rebus-love is the slang/language and the setting since I've lived in Edinburgh, so it's not strange that I love the books just a little bit more than you. I keep hearing the accent when I read the dialogue.

Very good to hear that Jens Lapidus' book works in French!! It'll get more gruesome towards the end, but forewarned is forearmed. :)

Yes, I'm sure that having lived in Edinburgh and being able to "hear" the accent makes a world of difference. I had no ear for it at all and kept feeling frustrated that I hadn't even visited the place yet. Something to look forward to one day maybe?

As for Lapidus, I wouldn't say it works brilliantly in French, but it's a good read all the same. And I can see right now (am just 1/4 of the way through) that things are just being set up right now and that worlds will collide and guts will explode all over the place sooner or later. lol.

I'm very biased, but I think Edinburgh is definitely worth a visit if you get the chance!

Let's see, maybe I've caveated the Lapidus book so much that you won't think it's gruesome at all. Caveat: I'm not sure "caveated" is actually a real word. :)

caveated: Not a word according to Merriam-Webster. But I'm sure if you dig around enough, you'll find it listed somewhere! Otherwise, you can always list it yourself over at UrbanDictionary. ;-)

eta: there you go, found it over here! http://www.thefreedictionary.com/caveated

Just catching up with your thread and had to say what a great review for Embassytown. I think you nailed it exactly, thumbs up from me.

I am glad its not me thinking about next years challenge, I keeping thinking of new categories.

@265

Thank you - glad to hear you had similar thoughts! It was quite a ride, wasn't it?

I've already changed two of my categories to make room for newly acquired books... Seriously, I'm supposed to almost exclusively be reading from Mt. TBR! :)

I knew ahead of time that there was no chance I was going to limit myself to Mt. TBR, which is why I created a Recently Acquired category. No guilt for me! ;-)

Wow, I am seriously impressed with the amount of reading you have already done this year. Ian Rankin is an author I have not yet read but will probably approach sometime very soon.

@267

OK, so my categories for the 12-in-12?

Category 1. Newly acquired following recommendation from fellow LT-er.
Category 2. Newly acquired following recommendation from fellow LT-er.
Category 3. Newly acquired following recommendation from fellow LT-er.
Category 4. Newly acquired following recommendation from fellow LT-er.
Category 5. Newly acquired ..... etc. etc. etc. :)

@268

Thanks, I seem to be having a really great reading year this year - timewise and bookwise! I was nudged in the direction of Ian Rankin's Rebus-books by a few LT-ers and I am really loving them!

#269 Right, that should just about cover it. :-)

I enjoyed your Ian Rankin reviews. I discovered Ian Rankin recently and finished the first two Rebus books. The next one is on my TBR shelf.

I'm also enjoying your China Mieville reviews. I'd read City and the City last year, as one of my friends had recommended his work, and it was definitely one of my favourite reads of 2010!

@272

Thank you!! If you liked the first two, I think you're going to like the rest of the series as well - they actually seem to get better and better as they go along!

I haven't read The City and the City yet, but it's on my challenge list for this year, and I'm looking forward to it very much!

Big surprise: I've read one of Ian Rankin's books about Rebus!! :)



#38

The Falls by Ian Rankin

Ancient time witchcraft meets modern day internet games. Although having a slightly convoluted plot and a not completely tied-up ending, this is still a fantastic story and Rankin's descriptions of Edinburgh and its people are first-class as usual. Especially the parallels between the historic crime and the modern day crime are utilized well and it is always entertaining to watch Siobhan slowly turning into Rebus, one book at a time.

And look, another one - a bloody brilliant one too!!



#39

Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin

Rebus has misbehaved and been sent away for "retraining." Or is the retraining for another purpose altogether? And is anyone ever going to let Rebus know what is actually going on? Rankin's dialogue is usually top-notch, but it really shines in this installment of the series - the police banter might as well be verbatim quotes from actual cops and "the boys" sometimes had me in stitches, even though the subject matter was quite serious. Great mystery, great descriptions, great characters - quite possibly my favorite of the series.

And here's a real surpirse: A book not about Rebus!!



#39

Every Patient Tells a Story: Medical Mysteries and the Art of Diagnosis by Lisa Sanders

I'm a huge fan of the TV-series House for which Dr. Sanders is technical advisor, so I was very excited to read her take on the "art of diagnosis." The cases described in this book are like reading an episode of Medical Mysteries and are scary, but also (obviously) absolutely fascinating. Sanders main thesis in the book is that doctors need to listen to their patients more and learn how to conduct proper physical examinations rather than simply rely on tests. Basically, she seems to say that doctors need to be better doctors, which is a weird statement unless you are a person who believes that doctors are infallible, which is a highly inadvisable belief to hold. Actually, she is making a statement about how doctors are educated in the US, but I'm not sure this book is an efficient way of affecting that process.

Then, the book takes a strange turn when it starts to talk about Lyme disease - what begins as a standard description of a patient case unravels into what can only be described as a rant against doctors who champion the idea (seemingly mistakenly) about a condition called "chronic Lyme disease." I understand that Dr. Sanders feels strongly about the issue and I appreciate her passion, but it's rather misplaced in this particular book.

The last section of the book talks about something I find very interesting - the internet's role in future diagnosis! This part discusses the beginnings of medical databases and how the internet has made most of them obsolete - enlightening and really rather funny for anyone who has ever Googled a symptom!

Sorry for the blip in #276, here's another Rebus! :)



#41

A Question of Blood by Ian Rankin

Rebus is sent to investigate a spree killing in a private school, one that involves his own family. The stakes are high for our hero in this installment and it should make for a tight read, but somehow the writing isn't really up to par - Rebus' involvement with the mystery seems to be almost less dogged than in other cases. There are some really grand emotional moments for Rebus, though, as well as a few great laughs and it's definitely a very good installment in a really great series.

But I like the blip in #276, in fact you caught my attention with that one! Darn, and I thought I was safe in Rankin land paying your thread a visit. ;-)

@278

Of course I will immediately return to the Rebus-series and try not to stir up any more trouble! LOL!

Hi Eva,

I'm in the middle of reading Israel for Beginners amd am finding it so extremely annoying that I've written my review before I've even finished that book. It is so horrible!! I can't believe the number of people who like this book! Are they just being polite to the author, or do they truly have that kind of warped sense of humor? Maybe there is something wrong with my own sense of humor. I can't believe what disparaging remarks that author makes about Israelis in his book. It's almost as if he were writing online and forgot to add the emoticons.

*end of rant*

By the way, The Jewish Week here in DC published a review of that book, but the review said little about what was thought about the book, but mostly had quotes of what was liked and thought funny. The author of the review, Aaron Leibel, said that Angelo Colorni managed to recall the real Israel "with an insider's wonderful sense of humor". Different strokes, I guess.

ETA: I did write to the publisher to say thanks for the book even though I disliked it.

I just started what seems to be a good book about the IDF called Matches by Alan Kaufman. I see it in your collection. Have you read it yet?

Oops. How did I manage to fall behind? Time goes by WAY too fast. You made me want to read Resurrection Men, though I still have no idea what this one is about! :-)

@280

It's pretty awful, isn't it? I can only surmise from the other reviews that those readers' sense of humor are the same as the writer's. Or that they're being nice because of "free-book syndrome." There are some parts of the book that are good - anything that has fact rather than jokes - but the poor taste parts ruined it for me.

I have not read Matches yet, but I know it's around here somewhere. It doesn't have any LT-reviews yet, but the ratings look high-ish. Looking forward to hearing what you think.

@281

Fall behind? Isn't that standard for LT? :)

I've been nursing a cold for a while now, and finally had a chance to stay home from work for a few days and thus managed to breeze through quite a few books. I was in that perfect state of "too-sick-to-work-but-not-too-sick-to-read!"

Resurrection Men is really good - Rankin's dialogue is normally great, but it's so spot-on in this book, I had to laugh sometimes! My family on my dad's side are all police officers, so I know the lingo very well. :)

> 282

Israel for Beginners for me was just a gruesome and painful read. I down-rated it to only one LT star now. For me, that book has hardly any redeeming features. I still have a few pages to go. :(

Re: Matches....

I just started it, like the way it's written, and am very interested in the subject - an American serving in the IDF. It's going to be a good read, for sure.

Hope you get over your cold soon Eva. But honestly, being too sick to read must be unbearably depressing. I've been there, so I know.

#284 Have to ask Madeline, why are you doing this to yourself? It doesn't say anywhere with ER books that you've obligated to actually finish the book if it proves to be a painful experience. I'd drop it, and pronto!

> 285

Believe it or not, it's a very short book. I want to read everything that was written to be sure my review of this book is accurate. My rating has been going down. I just dropped it today from 1.5 stars to 1 star.

ETA: I wonder if I'll hear back from the publisher?

> 286

...and the book got even worse (!) in the end. (Like my exclamation point? No pun, though. This was the truth.)

In the last few chapters, there were no good words for peaceniks (me, of course!), and no good words for Israeli Arabs (how can we have peace with any Arabs if we have no good words for those who live and work in Israel proper?). Blech!!

In addition, in another chapter, the author spoke so badly of the old Tel Aviv bus station that I literally burst out into tears. Despite its flaws, that diesel-filled neighborhood was such an "up" experience for me as I travelled all over Israel to visit family and friends the year I was there. That the old bus station is gone may be progress to some, but I have quite a large sense of nostalgia in my own heart for that place.

I am relieved to have finished Israel for Beginners book and hope never to see this book again.

By the way, I did post a link to the review by my local The Jewish Week if only because I felt so bad at having to give such a negative review for this book. Both my and (I hope) the other review link were heartfelt reactions to this book.

Now on to another book I like better...

#287 Yes, kadima! And I don't mean the political party either (!)

@Ilana

Thanks, much better now!

@Madeline

I wondered quite a few times why on earth this man is even in Israel if he hates it so much. Yes, I'm with Ilana, onwards!! :)

ETA: I've gotten books from them before (outside of LTER) and they don't normally respond to my letting them know the review has been posted.

I'm convinced short-lived colds happen just to remind us not to take good health for granted. Not really. They're a nuisance no matter what. Glad to know you're better.

Hm, I actually didn't find Cirkeln that scary - sorry I missed giving you a heads-up! Hope you find the book worth over seas postage. Can't wait to read your review!

Hmm. Strange. According to my "Your groups" window, the last message here is supposed to be one from Eva. But when I get in here my above message is the last I see. Is this a bug in the new design for topics?

And no there seems to be no message 292!

Wonkiness abound! :) That first chapter of Cirkeln is creepy!! I did love the book, though - I took a few days off to travel for my bday, but I'll be writing reviews soon.

Oh, I guess I can respond over here now - will this turn into message 292.1??

ETA, I guess not. So, what's the point in having the "Reply" button in every post...?

#292> The new changes now pick up when you edit a post, it will be noticed a lot in this group as we are all constantly editing our first few posts as we complete our challenge categories.

#292 They've already fixed quite a few bugs since yesterday. The reason you saw the mention that Eva left a message might have happened if Eva came in to edit one of her previous posts. I noticed that happened with my own thread, were I often go back to edit my various lists. I've already notified Tim about this problem in the "Bugs" thread (http://www.librarything.com/topic/116770), so I imagine they'll fix it soon. It's a good idea to visit that thread and post your issues to alert them. Some problems get fixed almost right away.

I've also asked Tim what the reply button is for. There are quite a few people wondering about that.

#42

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

From the very first pages, the characters in this story pulled me in. Their respective struggles are apt for the depicted time and since there are parallels to actual history, it was so easy to accept Westerfeld's amazing world building without any trouble. I have read the author's Uglies series and although I thought that series was very good, I think there's a huge probability that this one will outshine it by far, mainly because the stakes are so much higher in this one with World War looming over the characters' every move.

And then there are the absolutely beautiful illustrations, which aren't just aesthetically appealing, but also helpful. Sometimes the text threatens to get slightly too technical, but most of the time it is rescued by supplying a drawing instead, which is rather a clever choice by the writer to fit in more action while still getting his point across. My only problem (and it's hardly an actual problem) is that the second I finished I needed to rush out and get the second part of the series, if only to see what would hatch from those intriguing eggs.

#43

Fleshmarket Close by Ian Rankin

Rebus is juggling the murder of an asylum seeker, some mysterious unearthed human bones, and a girl who seems to have vanished out of thin air. There are slightly too many story lines to keep track of and a huge amount of information on bureaucracy, which slows the action down somewhat. However, as usual, the characters, the dialogue, and the vistas are absolutely remarkable, and I have a hard time faulting any part of this series only because I have so much fun reading, even to the point that I sometimes go back and reread some of the dialogue aloud to myself. In honesty, what else could you ask from any book?

#44

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

I really liked the first book in this series, Leviathan, but I thought this one was even better - no sophomoric slump in sight. Lots of action, some fantastic world building, beautiful and exotic vistas, and, my personal favorite, the "wee beastie," Bovril - it's the funniest little creature ever. I do really appreciate how even the smallest of secondary characters are memorable and seemingly three-dimensional and it's to Westerfeld's credit that he is not afraid to kill off characters that he must know that the reader loves - it really raises the stakes because you never know who will be in real trouble next. Excellent second part of the series and I can't wait for part three to be published!

#45

Cirkeln by Mats Strandberg and Sara Bergmark Elfgren

Part one of a forthcoming trilogy, which starts off with a spooky death and the introduction of a virtual barrage of characters. It's a little confusing, but once you've got everyone straight in your mind, this is one of the most captivating YA novels I've read. Six girls, all different - the outcast, the brain, the popular, the ugly, etc. - have to learn how to work together to defeat the evil power. Doesn't sound all that original, does it? It may have a standard premise and seemingly stereotypical characters, but it's certainly not a standard story. The two authors have managed to bring small-town Sweden (or anywhere, really) to life, along with a realistic depiction of teenage issues and feelings.

The supernatural part, which is the main story, often takes a back-seat to the mechanics of the various relationships and before you even know it, you have a personal stake in the well-being of these girls, even those you don't like. Thankfully, the characters never succumb to what I refer to as Sookie-Stackhouse-Syndrome - getting into trouble by acting stupid - and I am thankful to the authors for not taking the cheap way out; nobody dies unless the evil power is actually cleverer or stronger. I also appreciate that the girls don't suddenly bond and become bosom buddies once they realize that they will be needing each other's powers, but rather more realistically, the ones who don't like each other in the beginning still don't get along at the end. I am very much impressed with the writing, characterization, and plot and wish more than anything that the forthcoming installments don't let this one down.

#46

The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger

This didn't work very well for me at all. The story had such potential and a great start and I was willing to overlook the rather poor drawings, but the ending is so depressing and frankly a little rude to voracious readers that I was put right off. I was hoping for something that celebrated book-lovers and was given quite the opposite.

#47

The Naming of the Dead by Ian Rankin

With the 2005 G8 summit as background, Rebus is again going head-to-head with his arch-nemesis, "Big Ger" Cafferty. For those of us who weren't there, this installment of the series presents a very illustrative picture of the protesters, the marches, and the rest of the circus surrounding the summit. I must admit to laughing a little extra at Rebus' apparent involvement in Dubya's infamous crash. And then I'll just add what I say about every book in this series: Rankin is a genius when it comes to characters and dialogue and I can't stop myself from rereading certain bits out loud, just to revel in the sometimes hilarious writing.

Last one in the series. I'm very sad. :(



#48

Exit Music by Ian Rankin

Russian businessmen are in town with their wallets out and in their wake a Russian dissident poet is murdered and then our beloved rule-bending DI Rebus manages to get himself suspended a mere three days before his retirement. Doesn't stop him from directing the murder investigation, though - it wouldn't be Rebus if it did. I'm not happy that this is the last book in the Rebus series, but he does go out with a bang, which makes me happy. I've got all the parts I adore about the series in this last installment: fantastic dialogue, great characters, and lots of Edinburgh geography, all tinted with a little bit of Rebus' arch-nemesis, "Big Ger" Cafferty. I can only hope that Rankin comes up with a great way to bring Rebus back at some point in time, but if he doesn't, it's still been a really amazing ride!

#49

Confessions of a Closet Catholic by Sarah Darer Littman

What starts as an interesting premise soon becomes a bit of an overly didactic mess. It's a series of teachings about a dying grandmother, Judaism, and why not to feed chocolate to a dog, and it does it in a voice which is sometimes probable and sometimes that of an adult trying (and failing) very hard to sound like an 11-year-old. Recommended for a very young reader, beacuse I think anyone more advanced will be annoyed at having lessons shoved at them.

Looks like I got a little behind on my reviews - sorry to dive bomb you in my thread. :) I have been reading though, so that's good. But I've finished the Rebus-series (apart from a short story collection), so I'm having separation anxiety. So long, Rebus, and thanks for all the fish. :)

I've enjoyed your trip through Rebus' career. I've often thought of picking up the series but at 17 books plus a couple of bits it's a big commitment. You have made it sound worth it though. I also have the Scott Westerfield series on my wishlist already, just not got around to picking them up yet. Another positive review is always appreciated though so thanks for those. And I'm also hoping for an English translation for Cirkeln to appear sometime soon.

I may have gone a bit overboard with the Rebus. :) I used to live in Edinburgh and I think I may be missing it more than I care to admit.

Definitely recommending the Westerfeld and also hoping for an English translation of Cirkeln - I know quite a few people I would like to give a copy to!

I have had the final Rebus book Exit Music on my shelves for at least a couple of years now, I just can't bring myself to read it and actually end the series. I have loved and followed Rebus and his cronies for so long, it's hard to see the end of such a great series.

I also miss Rebus, I've read Rankin's next two books. Doors Open is a stand alone heist story and the other, The Complaints, introduces his new protagonist but nothing can compare with Rebus.

@301 Seems we felt very much the same about Cirkeln! It's really one of those rare instances when the execution is actually way more interesting than the premise. :) I also hold high hopes for the rest of this series, and hope the publisher is giving due time for the duo to write the forthcoming books. I'd hate for them to have to stress them out based on the apparent success of this first book.

->309 DeltaQueen50: & 310

So difficult to let go, right? I do have a copy of The Complaints, but I need a little bit of closure before I start... :)

->311 GingerbreadMan:

I was wary that my expectations were too high since I've been reading about it practically everywhere, but it was really right on target. Maybe we'll have a new Scandiavian movement - out with the detective stories and in with the occult YA! :)

Looks like you've been keeping busy Eva! I've had Leviathan on my shelves for a few months now... will get to it sooner or later, but it sure looks like you had a ball with it. I can't believe how quickly you went through the Rebus series—Wow! I think my biggest mistake is that I started with Exit Music as my first book. Silly, very silly, I know.

Yeah, I pretty much mowed through those books, didn't I. Now, of course, I wish I had read them slower so that I had some left, but I had a whale of a time, so all's well! And, yes, reading them in order did prove quite an advantage. Leviathan will be good, whenever you pick it up, I think.

Eva - So happy to hear you enjoyed Leviathan and Behemoth. I cannot wait for book three to come out and I agree, Bovril is just the Best character I have encountered in some time now!

Between the reviews you and Anders have posted for Cirkeln I cannot wait for an English translation to come available! I will have to resort to other books in the meantime.....

Bovril's the best! I can't help but to laugh every time it chuckles and says, "Mr. Sharp."

Fingers Xed about the English translation... I did think about it while I was reading and I think it'll work very well in translation as well - here's to hoping!

A translation in the UK is forthcoming. Random House will publish it. Don't know dates though.

Excellent! UK books always seems to make the quick hop over to Canada, so I can now look forward to this when it happens. Thanks Anders!

Hi Eva, haven't heard from you in a while... hope all's well in your part of the world. I haven't been posting so much on my 11 in 11 thread since I'm more than halfway through on several of my challenges and want to stretch it out over the year. But I'm reading plenty of books in the meantime and post regularly over on my 75ers thread. Hint hint. ;-)

->320 Smiler69:
Thanks!! Yeah, I've been a bit "hit-and-run" lately due to personal schtuff. I'll be back to (ab)normal soon. :) The 75:ers are a bit overwhelming to me - a very chatty lot, not in a bad way, but I'm (clearly) having problems keeping up with my current "Your Posts" threads... As long as we're reading a lot things are well, right?!

Right. I can't even look at "Your Posts" anymore because it's way too overwhelming, so I just looked at "Starred", which is only ever so slightly less overwhelming. Hope your schtuff is good stuff.

#50

Den röda damcykeln by Mats Ahlstedt

I have to admit, I only bought this because the blurb on the back told me it takes place in my home town - Fatima, one of the police officers, lives about a mile from my mum's house and the runaway girl takes refuge in a house two streets from where my grandparents lived. When I then I saw that I (as of today) was the only one on LT with a copy of the book, I had very, very low expectations. However, it turned out to be extraordinary. The stakes are enormous, the characters very believable, and the plot a riveter. Even if my expectations had been high, this would have easily met them. Unfortunately, seeing as this doesn't seem (for unknown reasons) to have been a huge hit in Sweden (at least not yet), I doubt there'll be an English translation. If you ever go to visit Kungälv (not likely, I know), don't miss Fatima's neighborhood pizza-joint, Amore; the interiors are just as bad as Ahlstedt describes, and the pizza is just as great!

To get 4 books written in the series then someone must think the author is doing something right. Sounds like a shame that it's not getting the wider acclaim to reach a bigger audience though.

It's a mystery to me - pun unintended - that only one book other than the one I have is owned on LT (the others listed come from my wishlist account). Especially now that the world seems to have gone bonkers for Scandianvian mysteries. Weird. When I go home next, I'll try and get the other ones in the series - perhaps this was the only great one? :)

Well the important thing I guess is that you enjoyed it, right? It's a mystery why some books become such huge hits and others don't. Or why some authors get published and others don't, for that matter, because talent is obviously not always the deciding factor, it seems.

The workings of book marketing is the true mystery, right? :)

Isn't it kind of creepy reading a book that's set in your home? That's what War of the Oaks is for me. I kept trying to figure out if the apartment building was the one my friend Roberta lived in, or the one right next to it.

Actually, it mainly made me crave my favorite pizza of theirs! :) I'm only ever there when I fly back to see my mum, so it was fun to "walk around" in the old neighborhood. It did make me a little homesick, though...

#51

On Call: A Doctor's Days and Nights in Residency by Emily R. Transue, MD

Transue started writing this as a series of emails to friends and family while doing her residency to explain what she was going through and why she occasionally had to go on an emotional walkabout and not be completely present for them. It's not so much about the mechanics of being in residency, although that is certainly a big part, but rather about the patients, their experiences, and her own reactions to them. What I really appreciated about her writing is that she seems completely honest about her emotions and reactions, not shying away from revealing feeling stupid or ignorant or overwhelmed or tired. It's a fairly quick read since each story is only a few pages, but it packs quite an emotional punch and I've come away with, if possible, an even higher respect for the difficulties of the medical profession than I had before.

Passing the Ahlstedt tip on to Flea, who's the mystery buff of the family. (She hasn't heard of this series either!) I lived in Kungälv for a year when I went to Nordiska (as I think I've mentioned before) and Flea's parents used to live permanently (as is important to point out) on Marstrand, so it should be a trip down memory lane for her as well :)

Totally out-of-the-blue great book - hope she likes!! I think one or two of the others in the series even take place on Marstrand, so she'll feel right at home! :)

Yes, you mentioned your stint at Nordiska - I think we were talking about my mum living close to Göteborgs Kex fabriken with all its yummy scents...! :)

Just de-lurking to say hi Eva!

->333 Smiler69:
Both lurking and de-lurking is welcomed! :) Hope you're having some good reading- and otherwise-time!

I am actually, both, in fact. I just did a monotype printmaking workshop this weekend which was a lot of fun. I'll be posting some of what we did on my art site soon. Have read quite a few books this month so far, several of which I still need to review and which will no doubt end up on my 11 in 11 thread soon.

I had to go googleimage (yes, that'a verb!) "monotype printmaking" - that looks so cool!!

I just went to googleimage it too, to get an idea of what you saw. What I did was very basic, since we were just learning the ABCs of this technique. It can be done using a press, but this workshop actually taught us ways that it can be done with very simple tools on a kitchen table basically, which makes it very accessible to anyone.

I realized those were advanced pics! :) I just wanted an idea of the technique. I saw some pictures that involved a rolling pin, so it didn't look like you needed a huge press to do it.

After the first half of the year, I'm doing well, having read 54 of my planned 99. However, my plans to reduce Mt. TBR haven't done so well, since about 2/3 of the books I've read so far were acquired this year. Let's see how well I do the rest of the year. :) I'll continue on a new thread seeing as this one takes hours to scroll through. :)



NEW THREAD OVER HERE!