Spuddie's March 2007 reads (long)
- From: Spuddie <spuddie@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2007 07:06:04 -0500
I know I won't finish my current read by tonight, so here's what I've
been up to in March. A very good, well-mixed month. Apologies for the
length of the post.
1. A FEAST FOR CROWS by George R.R. Martin. #4 in the Song of Ice and
Fire epic fantasy series. I had pre-ordered this book when it became
available because this is without a doubt one of my very favorite
fantasy series. Then I heard a lot of fans saying it wasn't as good as
the others because Martin "split" the book-this one and the next were
originally intended to be one book but it was too cumbersome. So this
book only deals with about half the characters. Some are ignored
completely and others only briefly mentioned. I still loved the book,
though I can't wait to see what the other characters have been up to,
and I'm mightily sick of Cersei Lannister! I love Martin's writing
style and his "world" and will likely pre-order A Dance With Dragons
when it comes out too, but I don't think I'll be waiting as long to
read it! A.
2. THE TIDAL POOLE by Karen Harper. #2 in the Elizabeth I historical
mystery series, this one set during the days immediately after
Elizabeth's coronation as Queen of England. A young woman acquainted
with some of Elizabeth's friends is found murdered, with the deed
apparently occurring during Her Majesty's coronation parade. When
beseeched by a friend to protect her foster son, who is being accused
of the crime by Elizabeth's cousin the Duchess of Suffolk, the queen
gathers together her "privy council" and sets out to investigate the
crime. While I thoroughly enjoyed the story, I admit that the idea of
the Queen of England dressed in male servant's clothes and sneaking
around, breaking and entering with her cohorts in the dead of night is
a bit silly. The author certainly has a vivid imagination-and as it's
fiction, I reckon she's allowed. A.
3. S IS FOR SILENCE by Sue Grafton. #19 in the Kinsey Millhone mystery
series set in 1980's California. I keep waiting to get tired of this
series, but so far it just hasn't happened. There were a few books
that were better than others, but this one I enjoyed as much as any of
them. Kinsey is hired by a friend of a friend to attempt to locate her
mother, who left without a trace when she was seven years old. Much
speculation ensued in the small town where they lived-was Violet
Sullivan murdered by her violent husband? Had she run away with a
lover, never looking back even once at Daisy, her daughter and only
child? Daisy needs some closure and hopes Kinsey can provide that.
Kinsey doesn't hold much hope in uncovering much in a 34-year-old
case, but once she begins to interview people and ask questions, she
finds all four tires slashed on her car and takes that as a hopeful
sign that someone has something to hide. A.
4. KNIGHT LIFE by Peter David. Fantasy parody of the Arthurian
myths/books in which King Arthur appears in modern-day New York in the
guise of one Arthur Penn, and decides to run for mayor of the city.
With his refreshing and bold new ideas, he quickly gains notoriety
with the help (?) of Merlin, now in the form of an eight-year-old boy,
Gwen DeVere, his secretary, and Percy Vale, his accountant as well as
a host of other familiar characters. I thought the humor was a bit
forced at times, but it was quite funny in other places. Full of puns
and wordplay, but not as skillfully written as the author's later
fantasy parodies featuring Sir Apropos of Nothing, which I REALLY
enjoyed. This one was good, but not great. B.
5. THE SNACK THIEF by Andrea Camilleri. #3 in the Salvo Montalbano
Italian police procedural series. Once again Salvo manages to be
offensive to almost everyone while investigating the murder of an
elderly man in an elevator. When he learns it is (at least
peripherally) related to an international case in which a man was shot
on a fishing boat, he's like a pit bull that won't let go as he
manipulates the stupid secret service and his superiors into dropping
the answers he needs into his lap. Also with some serious personal
conflicts and things to go through, Salvo spends time soul searching
and consuming various gustatory delights along the way as well.
Enjoyable as always-don't know how such an ornery cuss manages to be
so likable, but like him I do! A.
6. QUARANTINE by Jim Crace. This is one man's version of Jesus' forty
days and forty nights (or his 'quarantine') in the desert. I expected
to DNF this book before I started it, but it was actually very
interesting and difficult to put down. It's told from not only the
perspective of Jesus, but also at different times from the POV of
several other interesting characters who are doing their own version
of 'quarantine' in nearby caves. I'm not a Christian and don't believe
in "Jesus as the son of God" thing but I still found the whole story
very interesting. Looking for more of Crace's work. A-.
7. A SPECTACLE OF CORRUPTION by David Liss. #2 in the Benjamin Weaver
historical mystery series set in 1720's London. Weaver is a Jewish
thief-taker who is wrongly convicted of a murder and hauled off to
Newgate prison. With the help of some unknown benefactor, he makes his
escape and sets out to prove his innocence. What seems a simple plot
to get him off the street ends up being a complicated political
machination to the point where nothing is what it seems and there are
multiple and varied possible explanations for every action. I really
enjoyed this book. I liked the first in the series too, but found it
sloggy and slow-going at times. This one moved at a much faster pace
and held my interest all the way through. Looking forward to the next
Weaver book in 2008 and will definitely be moving Liss's other
non-series books up the TBR stacks. A.
8. SHOOTING AT LOONS by Margaret Maron. #3 in the Judge Deborah Knott
series, this one taking place on the Crystal Shore of North Carolina
where Deborah has gone to sit in for a judge in another county while
she spends time at her cousins' seaside island cottage. Before she
knows what's going on, Judge Knott is standing over the dead body of a
neighbor who's been shot. Though determined not to get embroiled in
the investigation, it isn't long before Deborah is hearing far too
much local gossip and finds her interest piqued. When she discovers a
*second* body a few days later and uncovers some other illegal
goings-on, she begins to wonder what information is connected to what,
and which are red herrings. Enjoyable, light read though all the
southern dialogue with the "ya'lling" and "Daddying" gets old after a
bit. I still like this series, though! A.
9. MOURN NOT YOUR DEAD by Deborah Crombie. #4 in the Duncan
Kincaid/Gemma James Scotland Yard police procedural. A commander in
the police force who lives in a remote village is found with his head
bashed in in his kitchen. Was the motive personal, professional, or
purely a random act of violence brought about as part of an attempted
burglary? Duncan and Gemma, both feeling decidedly awkward after their
tumble in the sack at the end of the last book, set out to find the
answers, and find much more than they'd bargained for. I really enjoy
this series and marvel that I just discovered it last year. I did
guess accurately at 'whodunit' very early in the game and even got the
'whydunit' right, but of course had no proof til closer to the end.
But it really didn't spoil the book for me at all and I don't think
the next in series will be on my TBR stacks for too long! Seems to get
better with each book in the series. A+
10. THE BONE DOLL'S TWIN by Lynn Flewelling. #1 in the Tamir Trilogy
fantasy series. Wow! What a gripping story! Young Tobin is a Prince of
Skalar, a haunted and strange prince. Kept isolated by his father at
their country keep, Tobin and their household are 'haunted' by a
demon, who is actually Tobin's twin who died at birth. His mother has
been mad and unhinged since the night of his birth and his father
often absent away fighting one war or another for his brother-in-law
the King, so Tobin's only friends are the household servants and Nari,
his nurse. Those people closest to Tobin know a secret about him but
cannot reveal it. A strange and somewhat gruesome tale at times, the
whole storyline fascinated me and the author's writing style made the
book VERY difficult to put down. It certainly read much 'quicker' than
its 500+ pages would have you think. A+
11. GREYWALKER by Kat Richardson. First in the Greywalker paranormal
mystery series featuring P.I. Harper Blaine, a young woman in Seattle
who died briefly during a scuffle with an unruly client and woke up a
new person. Or rather, one who can go into the Grey, that murky area
between life and death where ghosts, vampires, and all manner of
strange beings exist. Harper thinks at first that she's having some
lingering effects from her head injury or hallucinating, but when an
open-minded doctor gives her the business card of a couple who deal in
the paranormal, she seeks them out and begins to learn about her new
ability-or is it a curse? Very intriguing storyline coupled with a
comfortable, easy-to-read writing style made this book hard to put
down. I like Harper, but I don't feel like I really *know* her very
well yet and am looking forward to seeing her character grow as the
series progresses. The only detrimental thing I can say is that the
frequently repeated descriptions of the foggy, swirling mists and
Harper's dizziness, nausea, pain, racing heart, etc. as she went
'into' the Grey got to be?well, repetitive, after awhile. Will
definitely be reading more in this series, though-well done! A-
12. EVERYDAY MAGIC: SPELLS AND RITUALS FOR MODERN LIVING by Dorothy
Morrison. I've actually been working my way through this one for a
couple of months and finally finished it. I did find a few useful
potions and herbal combinations and scribbled a few things into my
journal, but parts of this book struck me as just sort of silly,
especially some of the incantations where the author forced the lines
to rhyme. I got the giggles a few times reading those! Mostly I write
my own spells anyway for the little bit of ritual/spellwork I do and
it's more the "spirit" of the thing that counts, IMO, not making
things rhyme! I'm keeping this on my bookshelf, but it probably won't
be one of those books I refer to regularly. B-
13. THE GUILT OF INNOCENTS by Candace Robb. Most recent (#9) in the
Owen Archer historical mystery series set in 1300's York, UK. When
tensions mount between bargemen and students, accusations begin to fly
when a barge man named Drogo is murdered. First the students are
blamed, as it was known that Drogo took the scrip of a student, so
it's felt they were bent on revenge. Then a priest who runs a grammar
school near the Abbey falls under suspicion. Owen is charged by the
Archbishop to get to the bottom of the murder, which sends him off to
the country in search of clues as winter approaches and his wife
Lucie's delivery date draws near. A second murder complicates the
plot, but as Owen and his helpers investigate, it's clear that the two
are tied together. I just love this series, although I can't really
say it's for the strong plotlines. The mystery was fairly obvious
rather early on. I kept waiting for the author to spring a surprise on
me, but it didn't happen. The characters, the author's writing style
and the immersion into the time period are what keep me coming back to
this series. This one did not disappoint. A.
14. EVAN'S GATE by Rhys Bowen. #8 in the Evan Evans cozy police
procedural series set in the fictional Welsh town of Llanfair. Evan is
now a plainclothes Detective Constable just out of training, and his
first case involves a missing little girl. The child and her mother
are visitors to the area and it is feared that she was abducted by her
Russian father, who has been estranged from the mother. But when Evan
is digging up the sewer and water lines at the country cottage he's
bought and finds the skeleton of a child, speculation runs rampant
about the possibility of a serial killer. When it's determined that
the skeleton is probably that of a young girl that Evan played with as
a child 25 years previous, and that her whole family is in the area
for a relative's 80th birthday party, Evan remembers that his old
playmate looked very much like the missing girl and wonders if one of
the family members is the culprit in both cases. Love this series
also-I figured out the mystery way ahead on this one too, but enjoy
the setting and the characters so much that it doesn't really matter.
Excellent as always, in fact, even better. A+
15. SUMMER OF THE BIG BACHI by Naomi Hirahara. #1 Mas Arai series,
featuring an older Japanese-American gardener in Southern California
who is a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. Mas's past has always
haunted him. He lives in a run-down old house, alone, his wife having
died of stomach cancer a few years previously and his lone daughter
living in New York. Mas mows lawns, trims hedges, plays cards and
loves his old 1956 Ford pickup. When strangers come to town asking
about Joji Haneda, an old friend of Mas's from Hiroshima, he knows
that the past is coming back to take vengeance. This will be a summer
of bachi (karma) for him. When the grandson of an old friend shows up
asking questions and then is arrested for murder, Mas does his best to
free the young man though he wants to take the path he has always
taken-the path of non-involvement. Very unique writing, dialogue?you
felt immersed in the culture and yet at the same time struggled to
understand just what was happening and why certain things were so
relevant. I really liked this book and will be looking for the next in
series. A.
16. MURDER?NOW AND THEN by Jill McGown. #6 Lloyd/Hill British police
procedural mystery. I had a heck of a time getting into this book and
very nearly didn't finish it. I couldn't believe it, as I've
absolutely loved all the previous ones in the series, but this one
felt terribly slow, draggy, and kept bopping back and forth between
present time and 15 years previously-looking at crimes and murder
cases during both time frames, obviously-and how the one from the past
affected the present-day situation. It just was NOT interesting to
me-aside from Lloyd and Hill, I couldn't give a hill of beans about
any of the main characters or their stupid lives, and wished they'd
all be killed off! LOL I admit to skimming the last quarter of this
book just to get it over with?I have not given a book this low of a
grade in ages-I think it may be partially that I marked down just
because I expected the usual stellar performance from McGown and
didn't get it! C-
17. JAR CITY by Arnaldur Indridason. Icelandic police procedural
featuring detective named Erlandur-that's his first name, since most
Icelanders go only by their first names, even in the phone book,
apparently! An elderly man is found bludgeoned to death in his
basement flat and that begins to unravel a whole parcel of strange
facts that set Erlandur off on several different tangents. Apparently
his detective's nose is accurate though because his instincts prove
right. A sad, heartbreaking tale set in a very interesting backdrop of
Iceland, which I know next to nothing about. Excellently written,
difficult to put down, with a new character to love. I felt that
Erlandur was very well fleshed out, but I hope the author plumps up
his co-workers and his family members more next time around. Looking
for the next one! A.
18. THE WHITE MARE by Jules Watson. First in the Dalriada Trilogy, an
epic historical saga that begins in the first century A.D. Scotland.
This is the story of Rhiann, the Ban Cré of the Epiidi tribe, who
dwell in the highlands of Alba, as Scotland was referred to then. It
is also the story of Eremon, a Prince of Eire (Ireland) who washed up
on the shores of Alba with a small band of his men after a battle with
his own uncle for the right to the throne. Coincidentally, they arrive
during the funeral of the Epiidi King, who is Rhiann's uncle. Since
the Epiidi are without an heir, it is now Rhiann's job as last female
survivor with royal blood to produce one. After Eremon spends some
time with the Epiidi, the scheming leader of their Druid council names
Eremon as their war chief and arranges a marriage between him and
Rhiann and the saga begins. I really enjoyed the book despite it
having definite "romantic" plot twists at times. It is set during the
time of the Roman invasion of Scotland and apparently the next two
books in the trilogy span a couple of centuries, so I'm looking
forward to those as well. Watson knows how to tell a story, that's for
certain, and this one is staying on my Keeper shelf. A.
DNF: THE WELL OF LOST PLOTS by Jasper Fforde. #3 in the Thursday Next
series, I tried several times to read this book and finally gave up. I
did enjoy the others in the series but in small doses. The humor is
very "busy" and intense and a little goes a long way. Since I'd
already read the fourth in this series, I think that may have partly
spoiled this book for me since I knew what eventually happened. But
mostly, it just became too annoying.
DNF: THE ANTIPOPE by Robert Rankin. First in the Brentford Trilogy
(which has something like 9 books in it now), I was very disappointed
in this book. I've read some of Rankin's newer books and really
enjoyed them-found them howlingly funny, in fact. Reading this book
was like dragging a dead body through sludge. It dragged and dragged,
the humor was forced-in spite of that, I gave it about 75 pages and it
just didn't get better. Obviously Mr. Rankin has learned some things
over the years since his more recent work is much, much better.
Cheryl
~~~When my friends and I played cowboys and Indians, I was always
the Chinese railroad worker.~~~ (from "Death to Smoochy")
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