Yes, I know - who is she kidding? This week is almost over! Well, life has a funny way sometimes of getting in the way, which is exactly what's happened this time. Work, mostly, but other stuff too. Seems like the new year has brought lots of tasks with it, things that must be done RIGHT NOW, which means that I've had to put the blog on hold until I addressed the impatient things. I've finally gotten through most of them, so now I'm able to get back to this, the book news, which I would much rather have been doing anyway!
"The Swan Thieves" by Eliabeth Kostova. "Psychiatrist Andrew Marlowe, devoted to his profession and the painting hobby he loves, has a solitary but ordered life. When renowned painter Robert Oliver attacks a canvas in the National Gallery of Art and becomes his patient, Marlowe finds that order destroyed. Desperate to understand the secret that torments the genius, he embarks on a journey that leads him into the lives of the women closest to Oliver and a tragedy at the heart of French Impressionism." Well, it sounds as good as her first work, "The Historian" did when it was getting ready for release. Unfortunately, I found that novel impossible to get through, so I don't really know what to think about this one. There's a big media campaign again, so we'll see...
"36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction" by Rebecca Goldstein.
The author of a best-seller about why God doesn't exist has a mid-life crisis. Sounds like it could go either way, so I'll reserve judgment for now. It is a hot topic, though, what with the "new atheists" gaining a little bit of ground out there, in turn giving the Moral Majority complete snit fits.
"Alice I Have Been" by Melanie Benjamin. Yes Virgina, there is an Alice. Her name was Alice Liddell and she was the inspiration for Lewis Carroll's hapless heroine so many years ago. The author writes a fictional account of the "real" Alice, who is preparing to celebrate her 81st birthday. She reflects on her long life, sadly revealing that she is truly tired of being known as "Alice". Lots of buzz on this book.
"Betrayal of the Blood Lily" by Lauren Willig. The newest installment in Willig's Pink Carnation series. Think Regency romances with a good bit of mystery and intrigue. My sis read the first few (might have read them all, I can't keep track!) and said they were pretty good.
"The First Rule" by Robert Crais. Crais returns to a character first introduced in "The Watchman" - Joe Pike. Expect gritty crime drama. Look for his other series starring Elvis Cole - hubby really likes those a lot.
"Sleepless" by Charlie Huston. It's always a happy day in my world when I learn that Huston has a new book. I've been reading him for a few years now, mostly his Joe Pitt vampire detective series, but anything by him is usually good. Huston doesn't pull any punches - expect lots of very dark, disturbing, gritty realism. Life ain't pretty in Huston's view, and this time he's writing about an undercover cop looking to stop the flow of Dreamer, an illegal street drug that gives people what they really want - sleep.
"Saving Ceecee Honeycutt" by Beth Hoffman. A debut novel about a 12-year-old girl in the South being raised by her crazy mother and cranky father. The mother is killed by an ice cream truck, leaving an aunt to step in and save the day. Sounds like it could go either way - cute, promising new writer of Southern stories or just completely cliche.
"Treasure Hunt" by John Lescroat. Another entry in the author's series about Wyatt Hunt's San Francisco detective agency, starring one of his younger assistants, Mickey Dade. Never read anything by Lescroat, but patrons seem to like him. Biggest mystery? How to pronounce his last name! (we finally found a site that says it should be something like les-kwaw. Weird...)
"Where the God of Love Hangs Out" by Amy Bloom. Short stories. Expect very literary work, lots of relationship stuff, not a lot of action. And short stories are tough - some do it very well, others, not so much.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
"Driftwood Summer" by Patti Callahan Henry
As usual, I read a description of this way back when, thought it sounded good, reserved a copy to come much later, then couldn't remember why I wanted it in the first place. Oh yes, I thought as I read the back cover, the family owns a little bookstore! That must be it....
Well, it certainly wasn't what I thought it would be. Call it "family drama" and not overly good at that. The story revolves around the three Sheffield sisters, their mama, and the aforementioned Driftwood Cottage Bookstore. Riley, the eldest sister, runs the store that Kitsy, her mother, bought 12 years ago, right around the time Riley's son Brayden was born. Riley is a single-mom, hard-working and responsible, but a bit dull. She used to be absolutely fearless in her teen years but now worries about everything, including losing the bookstore.
Her mother, Kitsy Sheffield, is controlling, domineering, and all the other adjectives you can think of that would be used in this sort of work. She's also written as a typical, well-off Southern woman of leisure, the kind that starts having "cocktails" around 4 in the afternoon. When she falls down a flight of stairs and lands in the hospital, Riley learns that some broken bones and bruises are the least of her worries - Kitsy has cancer. It's serious, but of course, Riley is not to tell her sisters. The Sheffields are preparing for the 200th birthday party for Driftwood Cottage; the building used to sit on a plantation before it was moved to its current location in Palmetto Beach, Georgia, where it served as a summer rental for tourists for years. And this party has to come off without a hitch - the bookstore is drowning in debt, and if Riley can't make enough money on the week's worth of festivities, Mama has declared that she will sell the property.
Riley calls in her two younger sisters to help her out. Maisy is the middle child, not much younger than Riley, and the sort of woman who always falls for the "wrong" man (ie - married or otherwise taken). She and Riley used to be the best of friends until the summer that a boy showed more interest in Maisy than in Riley. They've barely spoken since Maisy ran off to California, where she still lives and works in interior design. Adalee, the youngest Sheffield sister, is the baby of the family, not arriving until 8 years after Maisy. She's in college, failing most of her classes, and determined to spend her summer partying and hooking up with her current beau (and loser), Chad. Neither Maisy nor Adalee is thrilled with Riley's demands that they get themselves to work, and neither can understand why Riley is always caving in to their Mama's every whim.
Then there's Mack Logan, the boy who broke Riley's heart, the boy that had been her best friend for several summers running - until the summer that he noticed Maisy. Mack and his father, Sheppard Logan, return to Palmetto Beach to enjoy the celebrations; the family used to spend their summers at Driftwood Cottage. Mack spends time with both Riley and Maisy, but he has concerns of his own regarding his father. Will he rekindle his relationship with Maisy? Or will he realize that he loved Riley all along?
So what's not to love? Several things. First of all, the story revolves around the three sisters, but is only told from the alternating perspectives of Riley and Maisy. This made Adalee come off like a third well, not important enough to merit her own chapters, which made me want to read her side of things. Sure she's a lot younger, but wouldn't her perspective on her two older siblings round things out nicely? I also felt like things never really seem all that dire; I never really believed that there would be anything other than a happy ending. This goes for all the "tension" points - Riley losing the bookstore, the romantic "triangle" between the two sisters and Mack, the sibling rivalry between Riley and Maisy, etc. Come to think of it, the "romance" never felt very real, either, more like the idea of a summer romance. Overall, the characters were a bit on the cliched side, very one-dimensional, and that meant they never really clicked with me.
The one thing that did resonate was the sibling rivalry, and I think that's why I'm so disappointed with this book. Riley and Maisy had this huge falling out, a betrayal of trust on both their parts that actually sent Maisy into a tailspin and off to the other side of the country. They've barely spoken in years, yet they manage to mostly patch up their differences in just one week? Are you kidding me? Speaking as a sister, and as someone who has had a situation where she did not speak to her sister for almost 4 years, this is just complete crap. Trust me when I tell you that it takes much longer than a mere 7 days to get that train back on the tracks.
I did finish this book, but I can't say I really enjoyed it, more like I tolerated it. Maybe I just don't like the "family drama" genre, but really - I think I just didn't like this book very much.
Well, it certainly wasn't what I thought it would be. Call it "family drama" and not overly good at that. The story revolves around the three Sheffield sisters, their mama, and the aforementioned Driftwood Cottage Bookstore. Riley, the eldest sister, runs the store that Kitsy, her mother, bought 12 years ago, right around the time Riley's son Brayden was born. Riley is a single-mom, hard-working and responsible, but a bit dull. She used to be absolutely fearless in her teen years but now worries about everything, including losing the bookstore.
Her mother, Kitsy Sheffield, is controlling, domineering, and all the other adjectives you can think of that would be used in this sort of work. She's also written as a typical, well-off Southern woman of leisure, the kind that starts having "cocktails" around 4 in the afternoon. When she falls down a flight of stairs and lands in the hospital, Riley learns that some broken bones and bruises are the least of her worries - Kitsy has cancer. It's serious, but of course, Riley is not to tell her sisters. The Sheffields are preparing for the 200th birthday party for Driftwood Cottage; the building used to sit on a plantation before it was moved to its current location in Palmetto Beach, Georgia, where it served as a summer rental for tourists for years. And this party has to come off without a hitch - the bookstore is drowning in debt, and if Riley can't make enough money on the week's worth of festivities, Mama has declared that she will sell the property.
Riley calls in her two younger sisters to help her out. Maisy is the middle child, not much younger than Riley, and the sort of woman who always falls for the "wrong" man (ie - married or otherwise taken). She and Riley used to be the best of friends until the summer that a boy showed more interest in Maisy than in Riley. They've barely spoken since Maisy ran off to California, where she still lives and works in interior design. Adalee, the youngest Sheffield sister, is the baby of the family, not arriving until 8 years after Maisy. She's in college, failing most of her classes, and determined to spend her summer partying and hooking up with her current beau (and loser), Chad. Neither Maisy nor Adalee is thrilled with Riley's demands that they get themselves to work, and neither can understand why Riley is always caving in to their Mama's every whim.
Then there's Mack Logan, the boy who broke Riley's heart, the boy that had been her best friend for several summers running - until the summer that he noticed Maisy. Mack and his father, Sheppard Logan, return to Palmetto Beach to enjoy the celebrations; the family used to spend their summers at Driftwood Cottage. Mack spends time with both Riley and Maisy, but he has concerns of his own regarding his father. Will he rekindle his relationship with Maisy? Or will he realize that he loved Riley all along?
So what's not to love? Several things. First of all, the story revolves around the three sisters, but is only told from the alternating perspectives of Riley and Maisy. This made Adalee come off like a third well, not important enough to merit her own chapters, which made me want to read her side of things. Sure she's a lot younger, but wouldn't her perspective on her two older siblings round things out nicely? I also felt like things never really seem all that dire; I never really believed that there would be anything other than a happy ending. This goes for all the "tension" points - Riley losing the bookstore, the romantic "triangle" between the two sisters and Mack, the sibling rivalry between Riley and Maisy, etc. Come to think of it, the "romance" never felt very real, either, more like the idea of a summer romance. Overall, the characters were a bit on the cliched side, very one-dimensional, and that meant they never really clicked with me.
The one thing that did resonate was the sibling rivalry, and I think that's why I'm so disappointed with this book. Riley and Maisy had this huge falling out, a betrayal of trust on both their parts that actually sent Maisy into a tailspin and off to the other side of the country. They've barely spoken in years, yet they manage to mostly patch up their differences in just one week? Are you kidding me? Speaking as a sister, and as someone who has had a situation where she did not speak to her sister for almost 4 years, this is just complete crap. Trust me when I tell you that it takes much longer than a mere 7 days to get that train back on the tracks.
I did finish this book, but I can't say I really enjoyed it, more like I tolerated it. Maybe I just don't like the "family drama" genre, but really - I think I just didn't like this book very much.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Thoughts on 2009 and the past decade
Yes, I'm going to do it, too. All the TV shows are doing their "look back on the year" spots, and since this is the end of our first decade in the 2000s, we get to look back at that, too. I figured, why not? I have thoughts and feelings about this subject, darn it! LOL....
So how was my 2009? It was OK. We didn't accomplish everything we'd hoped, but we didn't fail miserably, either. Jeff and I managed to keep hammering away at our debt while saving money at the same time - no small feat in this economy. Granted, it would be a lot easier with both of us working, but at least we DO have an income, right? There are a lot of folks out there where both husband and wife are out of work, and a lot of times, they have kids, too. We're very lucky that it's just us, and trust me, we know it. We did manage to take two long weekends away to the beach, which was a miracle in itself - my hubby and I successfully travelling together, that is! We have a horrible track record when it comes to vacations; we're lucky we haven't killed each other. Not only did we take two this year, they were both fairly pleasant and we enjoyed our time away. We're already planning to go back next year!
I still have my job at the library, which I still love, and I know how lucky that makes me. Yes, it's been hard - the economy has brought in more patrons, and they're stressed out like you wouldn't believe, making our jobs here a bit more difficult and delicate. We feel for our patrons that are out of work, and we celebrate when they get the job. Tax season is right around the corner, and I am NOT looking forward to it this year, as NC has decided that they will not be sending out forms to libraries this year. OMG, what a nightmare! Think I'll start stocking up on alcohol now...
As for the decade, well, it's had its ups and downs, just like any decade I suppose. On the highlight reel for myself? I met and married Jeff, moved here to NC, and found my calling in library work (something I had once feared - didn't want to be the old spinster librarian w/a million cats!) I still have my car, Merlin, and both Jeff & I are healthy. We're ending the decade with money in the bank, which is a very good thing, and we're looking toward the future.
We did have some very low points, though, and when I say low, I mean low. We both lost grandparents in 2000, within months of each other, and we were close to them. We moved here - very stressful - and then couldn't find work right away, leaving us with very little money to live on. And being the proud idiots we are, we wouldn't look for help - we just charged all our necessities, hoping we could pay it back someday. We both had major automotive repairs to the tune of several thousand dollars over the last 10 yrs, but we couldn't really afford to get a new (or newer) car, meaning we just had to whip out the plastic and suck it up. And we had a few very rough years in our marriage, bad enough that I think we both thought about divorce more than once.
All that is behind us now, and I for one am looking forward to 2010 and the next decade. I know that our fortunes will really head in the right direction; we're working together as a team, which makes all the difference. We love each other and have worked thru our personal differences (for the most part!). And even though we don't have everything we'd like to have right this second, we know we'll have it someday, which is good enough. Patience, grasshopper, patience.
I wish all my friends out in cyberland a happy, healthy, and properous New Year. Take a few minutes to think about the good things in your life, and say "good riddance!" to the rubbish. Tell people you love them and show kindness to strangers. And let's try to make all that last past January 2nd, shall we?
So how was my 2009? It was OK. We didn't accomplish everything we'd hoped, but we didn't fail miserably, either. Jeff and I managed to keep hammering away at our debt while saving money at the same time - no small feat in this economy. Granted, it would be a lot easier with both of us working, but at least we DO have an income, right? There are a lot of folks out there where both husband and wife are out of work, and a lot of times, they have kids, too. We're very lucky that it's just us, and trust me, we know it. We did manage to take two long weekends away to the beach, which was a miracle in itself - my hubby and I successfully travelling together, that is! We have a horrible track record when it comes to vacations; we're lucky we haven't killed each other. Not only did we take two this year, they were both fairly pleasant and we enjoyed our time away. We're already planning to go back next year!
I still have my job at the library, which I still love, and I know how lucky that makes me. Yes, it's been hard - the economy has brought in more patrons, and they're stressed out like you wouldn't believe, making our jobs here a bit more difficult and delicate. We feel for our patrons that are out of work, and we celebrate when they get the job. Tax season is right around the corner, and I am NOT looking forward to it this year, as NC has decided that they will not be sending out forms to libraries this year. OMG, what a nightmare! Think I'll start stocking up on alcohol now...
As for the decade, well, it's had its ups and downs, just like any decade I suppose. On the highlight reel for myself? I met and married Jeff, moved here to NC, and found my calling in library work (something I had once feared - didn't want to be the old spinster librarian w/a million cats!) I still have my car, Merlin, and both Jeff & I are healthy. We're ending the decade with money in the bank, which is a very good thing, and we're looking toward the future.
We did have some very low points, though, and when I say low, I mean low. We both lost grandparents in 2000, within months of each other, and we were close to them. We moved here - very stressful - and then couldn't find work right away, leaving us with very little money to live on. And being the proud idiots we are, we wouldn't look for help - we just charged all our necessities, hoping we could pay it back someday. We both had major automotive repairs to the tune of several thousand dollars over the last 10 yrs, but we couldn't really afford to get a new (or newer) car, meaning we just had to whip out the plastic and suck it up. And we had a few very rough years in our marriage, bad enough that I think we both thought about divorce more than once.
All that is behind us now, and I for one am looking forward to 2010 and the next decade. I know that our fortunes will really head in the right direction; we're working together as a team, which makes all the difference. We love each other and have worked thru our personal differences (for the most part!). And even though we don't have everything we'd like to have right this second, we know we'll have it someday, which is good enough. Patience, grasshopper, patience.
I wish all my friends out in cyberland a happy, healthy, and properous New Year. Take a few minutes to think about the good things in your life, and say "good riddance!" to the rubbish. Tell people you love them and show kindness to strangers. And let's try to make all that last past January 2nd, shall we?
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Starting the year out right!
Well, actually, I'm starting 2010 out right - by getting you ready for the first week of new releases! I know, I'm impressed with myself, too. Don't worry - I'm sure this won't last...
OK, for the week of January 4th, here's what we can look forward to:
"Committed" by Elizabeth Gilbert. This is the author of the incredibly popular "Eat, Pray, Love", a book that I finally read and ended up enjoying quite a bit. This work picks up where EPL left off; Gilbert has found her true love Felipe, a very hot, older Brazilian. They've continued their long-distance relationship for the past year with Felipe spending 90-day stretches in the U.S. with Gilbert. However, after taking one of their non-90-day-in-the-USA trips, Felipe is denied entrance to Gilbert's homeland. The couple are told that the only way he can come in again is for them to be married. However, Gilbert is reluctant to do so, nor does she want to leave Felipe for good. She begins a year-long exile, reading up on the subject of marriage, and in the end confronting her own fears. I have high hopes for this book, as I understand there will be a lot of historical background on the subject of "wedded bliss". Wonder if Oprah will have her on again?
"Impact" by Douglas Preston. Another thriller starring CIA operative Wyman Ford, who was also in Preston's book "Blasphemy". Publisher's Weekly says there are three storylines here which eventually intersect. Fans of scientific thrillers should be happy with this. Interesting that he is not writing with Lincoln Child...
OK, for the week of January 4th, here's what we can look forward to:
"Committed" by Elizabeth Gilbert. This is the author of the incredibly popular "Eat, Pray, Love", a book that I finally read and ended up enjoying quite a bit. This work picks up where EPL left off; Gilbert has found her true love Felipe, a very hot, older Brazilian. They've continued their long-distance relationship for the past year with Felipe spending 90-day stretches in the U.S. with Gilbert. However, after taking one of their non-90-day-in-the-USA trips, Felipe is denied entrance to Gilbert's homeland. The couple are told that the only way he can come in again is for them to be married. However, Gilbert is reluctant to do so, nor does she want to leave Felipe for good. She begins a year-long exile, reading up on the subject of marriage, and in the end confronting her own fears. I have high hopes for this book, as I understand there will be a lot of historical background on the subject of "wedded bliss". Wonder if Oprah will have her on again?
"Impact" by Douglas Preston. Another thriller starring CIA operative Wyman Ford, who was also in Preston's book "Blasphemy". Publisher's Weekly says there are three storylines here which eventually intersect. Fans of scientific thrillers should be happy with this. Interesting that he is not writing with Lincoln Child...
"Iron River" by T. Jefferson Parker. This is the third book in Parker's Charlie Hood series, and I'm happy to report that my hubby just finished the first two. He said they were fabulous, action-packed easy reading. I'm sure he's going to be happy to hear that this book is coming out! The Hood books are police procedurals.
"Noah's Compass" by Anne Tyler. Recently our collection development team here at the library had to reassess our needs and wants, including which authors would be considered "must-have" for all branches, which ones could be picked up for a select few, and which ones might not be picked up at all anymore. Tyler is an author that I lobbied for dropping down to a select few, as her books just do not circulate very often. I was surprised how many on the team wanted to keep her. I don't know if they read her, or if they've actually got demand for them. Either way, I consider her to be "literary", which isn't a high-demand category here. PW seems to like it, saying she's written another good work about a "flawed" character. Not really on my list of reading, though.
"Remarkable Creatures" by Tracy Chevalier. Another historical work from Chevalier, who hit it big with "Girl with a Pearl Earring" back in the late 1990s. I think this is another one of those authors who hit it big almost right out of the box, then has slowly and consistenly flagged as time goes on. I know I don't have many patrons asking for her stuff, nor can I get it to circulate when I display it.
"The Summer We Fell Apart" by Robin Antalek. The father is a playwright, the mother a cult-actress, the grown kids a mess. This is a debut novel set in New York and Los Angeles and covers 15 years of family dysfunction (which sort of makes one wonder at the title, doesn't it?) It sounds like it could be promising but I'm not one for the family drama genre.
"Thereby Hangs a Tail: A Chet and Bernie Mystery" by Spencer Quinn. I cannot wait to read this! Probably one of my favorite books of 2009 was "Dog On It", the debut of Chet (the dog) and Bernie (the detective). It was funny and a great little mystery, all told from Chet's point of view, which I was worried would end up as "too cute!" Luckily, Quinn got it right - you really believe that Chet is talking to you, and he acts just like you'd think a dog would act. It was recommended by Stephen King in one of his EW columns, and I totally agree.
"The Good, the Bad, and the Uncanny" by Simon R. Green. Green now has an even ten book in his popular Nightside series starring John Taylor, the man who can find anything. I can't wait for this, but I have to catch up first - somehow I missed the previous book, "Just Another Judgement Day". These are always good little reads - nothing too long, big on action with just enough fantasy.
"Inked". A collection of four novellas by some of the better authors in paranormal writing. Look for new works by Karen Chance, Marjorie M. Liu, Yasmine Galenorn, and Eileen Wilks. I usually like this sort of thing, so I'm looking forward to it.
"Kitty's House of Horrors" by Carrie Vaughn. Book 7 in the Kitty Norville series, which I'm very anxious to read. Kitty is talked into participating in a supernatural TV reality series. Of course, this being our favorite werewolf DJ, you just know things will start going wrong in a hurry. This has been a very strong series, and again, I look forward to reading this one!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
"Dexter by Design" by Jeff Lindsay
Lindsay returns to the Dexter that we all know and love (and perhaps fear just a bit). After a small mis-step with his third in this series ("Dexter in the Dark"), Lindsay comes smashing back with "Dexter by Design". I'm very happy with the results; there are only a few small things to worry about, rather than the whole work.
The book opens with our favorite blood-spatter analyst and psychopath on his honeymoon in Paris with new wife Rita. Dexter is not overly impressed by all things French, certainly not like his wife. However, all is not lost; Rita drags him to an art exhibit that proves to be most enlightening. The final work is the most daring, and Dexter is duly impressed - Jennifer's Leg is a series of video pieces that appear to show a young woman cutting off bits of her own leg with a chainsaw. Rita and several of the other gallery patrons are horrified, refusing to believe that the video vignettes are "real" - only Dexter knows how incredible they are, having done some of the same work himself.
Back in Miami, he continues to hone his "human" disguise, playing the good husband and now-step-father to Cody and Astor. Of course, his new kids have a dark side of their own, one that Dexter intends to nurture just as his foster-father, Harry, did with him. Dexter's Dark Passenger is back and looking for new playmates, and it appears that one just hit town. Bodies are being found in very public places, bodies with their insides taken out and displays of items left insides, bodies that are proving to be very bad business for the Miami Tourism Board. This is a case where the old adage about any publicity being good publicity is just not true. Dexter's Dark Passenger is intrigued by these bodies, but doesn't really have much to say to its host, not until Dexter's sister Deborah has been knifed while attempting to question a suspect.
After Debs is rushed to the hospital, Alex Doncevic is arrested and brought in for questioning, only to be released soon after. He returns with a very high-profile lawyer, claiming that he will sue Miami P.D. for false arrest; Dexter is brought in to the captain's office and asked again about the incident. Events play out quickly, and the chase is on. But just who is Dexter chasing? Doncevic, or someone else? And what about the email Dex receives, the one with a link to a video on YouTube, a video clip that shows someone that looks very much like Dexter from behind, doing what Dexter does best? Is this a new playmate? Or is this the end of Dexter?
Most of the characters that have appeared in the previous books are back, such as Dexter's sister, Debs; her boyfriend, Kyle Chutsky (who may have CIA connections or something equally mysterious); fellow analyst Vince Masuoka (without all his dirty jokes this time); detective Angel Batista (but not nearly enough); and of course, Doakes, Dexter's nemesis on the force. Now, if you've only watched the series, be aware - there are some very big differences between the TV show and the books. Doakes is one of those very big differences, and if you follow both, you know what I'm talking about. If not, read the books because Doakes is so much more interesting in the books, especially after he's "modified".
The little things that I mentioned at the beginning of the review are just that - probably petty little things. Such as Cody and Astor. I get the beauty of Dexter having to instill some sort of "moral code" in them, just as Harry instilled in Dexter. But let us not forget - Harry did it to keep Dexter from just randomly killing people; Dexter wouldn't know "moral" if it came up and bit him in the butt. And while I do see shades of Dex in Cody, I just don't pick up the same thing in Astor. Her actions almost feel like a sibling jealously of Cody - if he can do it, I can do it - that sort of thing. I'm not entirely convinced that she's got the real killer instinct, nor do I think both children need to be little potential psychos. I also wonder about Dexter's blood slides, the ones he collects from his playmates. Now that he's a married man with a family, where exactly are those precious mementos? The book mentions something about his "office" and that Rita doesn't go in there - has he stashed them there? It just doesn't feel very safe to me; would you put something that important, private, and potentially damaging in a room that could be accessed by anyone in your house? It didn't state that his office was locked and he the only one in possession of a key. What if Rita gets a hankering to do some spring cleaning?
Just little picky things, I think, but still...
Overall, a much, much better entry than that third book, but not quite as good as the first two in the series. I do dearly love Dexter, though, and I can't wait to see what happens next.
The book opens with our favorite blood-spatter analyst and psychopath on his honeymoon in Paris with new wife Rita. Dexter is not overly impressed by all things French, certainly not like his wife. However, all is not lost; Rita drags him to an art exhibit that proves to be most enlightening. The final work is the most daring, and Dexter is duly impressed - Jennifer's Leg is a series of video pieces that appear to show a young woman cutting off bits of her own leg with a chainsaw. Rita and several of the other gallery patrons are horrified, refusing to believe that the video vignettes are "real" - only Dexter knows how incredible they are, having done some of the same work himself.
Back in Miami, he continues to hone his "human" disguise, playing the good husband and now-step-father to Cody and Astor. Of course, his new kids have a dark side of their own, one that Dexter intends to nurture just as his foster-father, Harry, did with him. Dexter's Dark Passenger is back and looking for new playmates, and it appears that one just hit town. Bodies are being found in very public places, bodies with their insides taken out and displays of items left insides, bodies that are proving to be very bad business for the Miami Tourism Board. This is a case where the old adage about any publicity being good publicity is just not true. Dexter's Dark Passenger is intrigued by these bodies, but doesn't really have much to say to its host, not until Dexter's sister Deborah has been knifed while attempting to question a suspect.
After Debs is rushed to the hospital, Alex Doncevic is arrested and brought in for questioning, only to be released soon after. He returns with a very high-profile lawyer, claiming that he will sue Miami P.D. for false arrest; Dexter is brought in to the captain's office and asked again about the incident. Events play out quickly, and the chase is on. But just who is Dexter chasing? Doncevic, or someone else? And what about the email Dex receives, the one with a link to a video on YouTube, a video clip that shows someone that looks very much like Dexter from behind, doing what Dexter does best? Is this a new playmate? Or is this the end of Dexter?
Most of the characters that have appeared in the previous books are back, such as Dexter's sister, Debs; her boyfriend, Kyle Chutsky (who may have CIA connections or something equally mysterious); fellow analyst Vince Masuoka (without all his dirty jokes this time); detective Angel Batista (but not nearly enough); and of course, Doakes, Dexter's nemesis on the force. Now, if you've only watched the series, be aware - there are some very big differences between the TV show and the books. Doakes is one of those very big differences, and if you follow both, you know what I'm talking about. If not, read the books because Doakes is so much more interesting in the books, especially after he's "modified".
The little things that I mentioned at the beginning of the review are just that - probably petty little things. Such as Cody and Astor. I get the beauty of Dexter having to instill some sort of "moral code" in them, just as Harry instilled in Dexter. But let us not forget - Harry did it to keep Dexter from just randomly killing people; Dexter wouldn't know "moral" if it came up and bit him in the butt. And while I do see shades of Dex in Cody, I just don't pick up the same thing in Astor. Her actions almost feel like a sibling jealously of Cody - if he can do it, I can do it - that sort of thing. I'm not entirely convinced that she's got the real killer instinct, nor do I think both children need to be little potential psychos. I also wonder about Dexter's blood slides, the ones he collects from his playmates. Now that he's a married man with a family, where exactly are those precious mementos? The book mentions something about his "office" and that Rita doesn't go in there - has he stashed them there? It just doesn't feel very safe to me; would you put something that important, private, and potentially damaging in a room that could be accessed by anyone in your house? It didn't state that his office was locked and he the only one in possession of a key. What if Rita gets a hankering to do some spring cleaning?
Just little picky things, I think, but still...
Overall, a much, much better entry than that third book, but not quite as good as the first two in the series. I do dearly love Dexter, though, and I can't wait to see what happens next.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
"Quatrain" by Shraon Shinn
A few years ago, my good friend at Half Price Books sent me a little paperback called "Archangel" by the author Sharon Shinn. I was flummoxed as to why, since I had seen this same title several times in my years there at the store; the darn thing never seemed to sell. I certainly never felt the urge to read it, either, so I was just going to skip it. But the good friend insisted that I at least try it, saying it was a very, very good book, and not to be put off by the blah cover art, the list of characters on the inside, or the map of this strange world the author had created. Sigh. I finally gave in - and doggone it, she was right. That was a fabulous book, and I loved it so much that I read the other four books in the series. As you can guess, when I learned that Shinn had put out this work of novellas that re-visit some of her worlds, including Samaria from "Archangel", I couldn't wait to read it. I'm going to review the stories for you in the order I read them, rather than the order they appear in the book. Stick with me, and you'll see why...
I did what I almost always do and started with the shortest of the four (not that it's that much shorter, just a few pages, but this is a weird quirk I have - reading shortest to longest). "Gold" tells the tale of Crown Princess Zara, a young girl who is sent away from her father's castle to keep her safe from an impending war. She is sent to the kingdom of Alora while her brother is sent elsewhere; her parents know that it's better to split up the children in such a troubled time. She travels to Alora with Orlain, a good young man (not of noble birth, though) whom she has a crush on. Once in Alora, Zara must keep her wits about her; often humans visit the aliora only to stay forever with them, enchanted by the strange yet beautiful beings. Zara's mother has mixed her a month's worth of potions that she must drink every night so as not to fall under the aliora's spell. Does Zara do as she's told? Does she fall for the handsome aliora named Royven? Will she return to Castle Auburn when it's safe again? Sadly, there are no surprises here. In fact, this is by far the weakest story of the four, so much so that had this been my introduction to Shinn, I would have stopped right there and sent the book back. Thank goodness I knew better! However, I can say that I will not be looking for the "Summers at Castle Auburn", the book that introduced her readers to the aliora. I thought they were just too cliche - the uber-beautiful fae that can make you forget all your troubles (indeed, even your former life) and want to stay in their world forever. Barf.
Things picked up with "Blood", the second novella in the book. This is more like it - two clashing cultures, one patriarchal, the other matriarchal. A man and a woman from each culture meet and form a bond, not necessarily a romantic one, but a close one nevertheless. Kerk is a gulden man who lives with his step-mother, her husband, and their children. His own mother left Gold Mountain when Kerk was a child; his father remarried, then died. His step-mother made some wise moves so that Kerk wouldn't end up homeless, and it's obvious that she loves him, but he still longs to find his biological mother. His memories of her are faint, but he knows where she fled - the Lost City. It is there that he meets Jalciana, an indigo woman who has been helping the gulden women who flee their abusive husbands. Jalci is rich and privileged, and as an indigo, she has the power and the prestige. She offers to help Kerk find his mother, but tells him it won't be easy - the Lost City is called that for a reason. Women who have run their don't want to be found; their new lives are too precious to them. Kerk and Jalci form a bond, one that you'd love to see turn into a full-blown romance. Wisely, Shinn leaves us hanging on that count. And as she did in the Samaria books, neither culture is all-good or all-evil; she infuses each with the subtle nuances that keep from devolving into caricature.
"Flame" introduced me to the world of the Twelve Houses, and to Senneth, a mystic who can control fire. Not only can she create it, but she can also control it, including killing it. It's a very handy talent, letting her do things like warm the air around her so that she's never cold, bring a cup of tea up to temperature (something I'd love to be able to do), etc. But in this world, it's always dangerous to reveal your talents - mystics scare the common folk, often risking death from the villagers. Senneth is drawn into a more "normal" life by a well-meaning friend. She's given a nice dress, a haircut, and is thrown a small dinner party by said friend. There she meets a group of people from a nearby village, including Degarde, his sister Julia and her daughter Halie, as well as Albert and his wife Betony. When Albert starts discussing his difficult business dealings with the Lirrenfolk, Senneth offers him advice. Albert is so impressed he asks her to come along with him to "help", which she eventually (and very reluctantly) does. While visiting with Albert and her new "friends", small fires start in the village. Senneth puts them out, saving the town, but of course, at a price - there are those in the town that claim she is the one starting the blazes. Can she find the real culprit before she faces greater danger? A very solid if somewhat non-exciting story.
Finally, we come to the best, which is why I saved it for last, both in this review and in my reading order. I knew I wanted to wait to read about Samaria again, sort of draw out the anticipation, and I was right to do so. "Flight" was like visiting old friends - delightful. Salome lives and works on a farm, taking care of her almost-grown niece Sheba. She has a dull but good life. So she is none too happen to learn that angels have heard the pleas for a weather intervention (you'll have to read the series to understand - for now, just go with it); not only have they stopped the rain, they have decided to stay and attend a celebration dinner. Salome had her fill of angels when she was young, and these angels in particular make her dread the evening. She tries to stay in the kitchen as much as possible so as not to see any of them, but all her caution is for naught - she runs into the Archangel himself, Raphael, when she sneaks into the kitchen for a midnight snack. Salome warns Raphael away from Sheba, indeed, away from all the young girls at the farm; he just laughs. The angels do leave, which relieves Salome greatly, and she and her niece make plans to go with friends from the farm to a festival in nearby Laban. Unfortunately, there are angels there as well, including one that Salome knows very, very well from her past - Stephen. It's a bittersweet reunion, and there's trouble almost as soon as they reconnect; Sheba goes missing. Salome knows exactly where she is, and she must ask Stephen for help in rescuing her. This is Shinn at her best, and I fell back into the arms of the angels with a great gladness. In fact, I want to go back and read the books again, try to find the first time that Salome is introduced, because I'm almost certain that I've read about her before. Not from her first-person narrative, but through the eyes of another character, I'm sure. What a wonderful way to end this book - I knew there was a reason I saved it for last! (sort of like dessert...)
Overall, this is a solid offering of Shinn's work, all but the story "Gold", which you could easily skip over. The other three are enough to make me want to read the books that started them, or re-read them, as the case may be.
I did what I almost always do and started with the shortest of the four (not that it's that much shorter, just a few pages, but this is a weird quirk I have - reading shortest to longest). "Gold" tells the tale of Crown Princess Zara, a young girl who is sent away from her father's castle to keep her safe from an impending war. She is sent to the kingdom of Alora while her brother is sent elsewhere; her parents know that it's better to split up the children in such a troubled time. She travels to Alora with Orlain, a good young man (not of noble birth, though) whom she has a crush on. Once in Alora, Zara must keep her wits about her; often humans visit the aliora only to stay forever with them, enchanted by the strange yet beautiful beings. Zara's mother has mixed her a month's worth of potions that she must drink every night so as not to fall under the aliora's spell. Does Zara do as she's told? Does she fall for the handsome aliora named Royven? Will she return to Castle Auburn when it's safe again? Sadly, there are no surprises here. In fact, this is by far the weakest story of the four, so much so that had this been my introduction to Shinn, I would have stopped right there and sent the book back. Thank goodness I knew better! However, I can say that I will not be looking for the "Summers at Castle Auburn", the book that introduced her readers to the aliora. I thought they were just too cliche - the uber-beautiful fae that can make you forget all your troubles (indeed, even your former life) and want to stay in their world forever. Barf.
Things picked up with "Blood", the second novella in the book. This is more like it - two clashing cultures, one patriarchal, the other matriarchal. A man and a woman from each culture meet and form a bond, not necessarily a romantic one, but a close one nevertheless. Kerk is a gulden man who lives with his step-mother, her husband, and their children. His own mother left Gold Mountain when Kerk was a child; his father remarried, then died. His step-mother made some wise moves so that Kerk wouldn't end up homeless, and it's obvious that she loves him, but he still longs to find his biological mother. His memories of her are faint, but he knows where she fled - the Lost City. It is there that he meets Jalciana, an indigo woman who has been helping the gulden women who flee their abusive husbands. Jalci is rich and privileged, and as an indigo, she has the power and the prestige. She offers to help Kerk find his mother, but tells him it won't be easy - the Lost City is called that for a reason. Women who have run their don't want to be found; their new lives are too precious to them. Kerk and Jalci form a bond, one that you'd love to see turn into a full-blown romance. Wisely, Shinn leaves us hanging on that count. And as she did in the Samaria books, neither culture is all-good or all-evil; she infuses each with the subtle nuances that keep from devolving into caricature.
"Flame" introduced me to the world of the Twelve Houses, and to Senneth, a mystic who can control fire. Not only can she create it, but she can also control it, including killing it. It's a very handy talent, letting her do things like warm the air around her so that she's never cold, bring a cup of tea up to temperature (something I'd love to be able to do), etc. But in this world, it's always dangerous to reveal your talents - mystics scare the common folk, often risking death from the villagers. Senneth is drawn into a more "normal" life by a well-meaning friend. She's given a nice dress, a haircut, and is thrown a small dinner party by said friend. There she meets a group of people from a nearby village, including Degarde, his sister Julia and her daughter Halie, as well as Albert and his wife Betony. When Albert starts discussing his difficult business dealings with the Lirrenfolk, Senneth offers him advice. Albert is so impressed he asks her to come along with him to "help", which she eventually (and very reluctantly) does. While visiting with Albert and her new "friends", small fires start in the village. Senneth puts them out, saving the town, but of course, at a price - there are those in the town that claim she is the one starting the blazes. Can she find the real culprit before she faces greater danger? A very solid if somewhat non-exciting story.
Finally, we come to the best, which is why I saved it for last, both in this review and in my reading order. I knew I wanted to wait to read about Samaria again, sort of draw out the anticipation, and I was right to do so. "Flight" was like visiting old friends - delightful. Salome lives and works on a farm, taking care of her almost-grown niece Sheba. She has a dull but good life. So she is none too happen to learn that angels have heard the pleas for a weather intervention (you'll have to read the series to understand - for now, just go with it); not only have they stopped the rain, they have decided to stay and attend a celebration dinner. Salome had her fill of angels when she was young, and these angels in particular make her dread the evening. She tries to stay in the kitchen as much as possible so as not to see any of them, but all her caution is for naught - she runs into the Archangel himself, Raphael, when she sneaks into the kitchen for a midnight snack. Salome warns Raphael away from Sheba, indeed, away from all the young girls at the farm; he just laughs. The angels do leave, which relieves Salome greatly, and she and her niece make plans to go with friends from the farm to a festival in nearby Laban. Unfortunately, there are angels there as well, including one that Salome knows very, very well from her past - Stephen. It's a bittersweet reunion, and there's trouble almost as soon as they reconnect; Sheba goes missing. Salome knows exactly where she is, and she must ask Stephen for help in rescuing her. This is Shinn at her best, and I fell back into the arms of the angels with a great gladness. In fact, I want to go back and read the books again, try to find the first time that Salome is introduced, because I'm almost certain that I've read about her before. Not from her first-person narrative, but through the eyes of another character, I'm sure. What a wonderful way to end this book - I knew there was a reason I saved it for last! (sort of like dessert...)
Overall, this is a solid offering of Shinn's work, all but the story "Gold", which you could easily skip over. The other three are enough to make me want to read the books that started them, or re-read them, as the case may be.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Uncle Stevie says...
We just got the newest edition of Entertainment Weekly here at the library yesterday afternoon, and it include Stephen King's "Best Books of 2009". I love end-of-year lists, and of course, I also love Uncle Stevie, so I was curious as to what would make his best-of list. I was familiar with most of the titles (in fact, hubby dearest has read one of them, #10), but what really surprised me was his #1 pick. I'd already read it! And not because he picked it! I won't tell you what it was - that would ruin the surprise. And you can't find the answer in this blog anywhere either. I just checked and it turns out it was one of the books that I did not review.
Yes, I'm a slacker. I don't review all the books I read. So sue me!
What I really wanted to share with you, dear readers, is Uncle Stevie's recommendation for an upcoming novel, one that he says will just absolutely blow us away. The book is called "The Passage" and it will be released June 8, 2010. King is calling it an "epic vampire novel", saying it's "your basic don't-miss reading experience". Hmmm..... I do love me a good vampire book. I'll have to keep my eyes out for it, try to make sure we get copies for the library. I just hope that it doesn't turn out to be like "The Historian"; I wanted to read this one so badly, and when I got it, I just could not get into it. Found it boring, boring, boring. However, the Bookbabe's dad just read it, and he says to stick with it, that there's a lot of really interesting historical stuff, and yes, finally you get to the juicy vampire bits.
We'll see. I have a lot of books on my to-be-read pile right now!
Yes, I'm a slacker. I don't review all the books I read. So sue me!
What I really wanted to share with you, dear readers, is Uncle Stevie's recommendation for an upcoming novel, one that he says will just absolutely blow us away. The book is called "The Passage" and it will be released June 8, 2010. King is calling it an "epic vampire novel", saying it's "your basic don't-miss reading experience". Hmmm..... I do love me a good vampire book. I'll have to keep my eyes out for it, try to make sure we get copies for the library. I just hope that it doesn't turn out to be like "The Historian"; I wanted to read this one so badly, and when I got it, I just could not get into it. Found it boring, boring, boring. However, the Bookbabe's dad just read it, and he says to stick with it, that there's a lot of really interesting historical stuff, and yes, finally you get to the juicy vampire bits.
We'll see. I have a lot of books on my to-be-read pile right now!
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