BOOK REVIEW: And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander

Emily Bromley, a beautiful young woman is under persistent pressure to marry from an overbearing mother. Even though she would prefer never to marry, she accepts the proposal of wealthy Viscount Philip Ashton as a means of escape. Her new husband has a passion for hunting and shortly after their wedding departs for Africa for hunting. When the young bride is informed of her husband’s death due to fever, she feels relief rather than grief for she barely knew the man she married.

During her year of half-mourning, Emily begins to learn more about Philip from his friends as they pay condolence calls. Intrigued by the picture painted, she begins to study Greek literature and antiquities in an effort to learn more about the man she married. During her studies she develops a friendship with Cecile du Lac, a wealthy Parisian, and Colin Hargreaves and Andrew Palmer, Philip’s best friends.

As Emily learns more about her husband’s life, she begins to develop feelings for him. The more she discovers, the more worried she becomes that his death wasn’t an accident. Colin and Andrew are both behaving oddly and Emily uncovers that Philip may have been involved in unscrupulous activities. Uncertain who to trust, Emily decides to investigate on her own.

Tasha Alexander’s debut novel And Only to Deceive: a novel of suspense is a delightful mystery set during the Victorian period. While the story is engaging and the mystery fascinating, what is most compelling is the portrait she paints of the life of a young Victorian woman desiring independence. In the afterword Alexander describes her motivation in developing the character of Emily: “I was determined not to create twenty-first-century characters, drop them into bustles and corsets, and call them historical.”

She has succeeded in this novel, obviously doing extensive research to uncover the ethics and principles guiding Victorian upper class society. And Only to Deceive brings the Victorian period to life, capturing the small details of a widow’s life and the severe restrictions they face during their period of mourning. The small points of etiquette, such as opening the curtains facing the street or wearing a dress made out of a fabric other than crepe, could destroy a widow’s place within respectable society. Within this setting Alexander incorporates subtle commentary on the social politics of the time without hindering the pace of her mystery.

Lady Emily Ashton’s second adventure A Poisoned Season is scheduled for release in April 2007. Hopefully this series will maintain the historical depth exhibited by the first novel.


ISBN10: 006114844X
ISBN13: 9780061148446

Trade Paperback
336 Pages
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: October 10, 2006
Author Website: www.tashaalexander.com


tags: books book reviews Tasha Alexander mystery

BOOK REVIEW: Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl

Since the death of his wife, itinerate professor Gareth Van Meer has traveled extensively across the United States with his daughter Blue. He never spends more than one semester at a school before moving on with the result that, by age 16, Blue has attended 24 different schools. Their travels provide fertile ground for Gareth to instruct his daughter on life, literature and everything in between, with the result that Blue is erudite, overly educated and socially awkward. To ensure Blue’s entry into an Ivy League school, Gareth is determined that his daughter will have an uninterrupted senior year and so he settles them in Stockton, North Carolina where Blue is scheduled to attend the elite St. Gallway School.

Shortly after her arrival in Stockton, Blue meets Hannah Schneider, the magnetic film studies teacher at St. Gallway School. Through Hannah, Blue is introduced to the BlueBloods, the ruling aristocracy of the school who meet each Sunday night at Hannah’s home. When a student ends up dead during a party at Hannah’s home, Blue and the BlueBloods decide to investigate and later, on a camping trip in the Great Smoky Mountains, Hannah ends up dead dangling from a tree.

Special Topics in Calamity Physics is told as a flashback and readers are aware from the start that Hannah meets her death by hanging. When readers first meet Blue, she is in her freshman year at Harvard University and is trying to make sense of the past year. Structuring her reminiscences as a survey course of “great literature,” each chapter bears the title of a classic work as well as contextual similarities to the chosen work, as a means of framing this difficult period in her life.

Blue has whole-heartedly adopted her father’s philosophy of communication: "Always have everything you say exquisitely annotated, and, where possible, provide staggering Visual Aids." Least readers worry that the continual annotation becomes too distracting, rest reassured that Blue’s distinctive voice supports her unique style of narration. Lovers of mysteries may moan that Marisha Pessl’s love of all things literary and erudite provides an onslaught of information which interferes with their enjoyment of the mystery central to this weighty novel. For some readers this may hold true and those readers might be wise to take a pass on Special Topics in Calamity Physics.

Pessl takes time to build the tension in Special Topics in Calamity Physics, walking readers calmly through introductions to the players and the scene. However, the pace quickly escalates about a third of the way into the book and from there readers may feel like they are on a runaway train. The pace, combined with Pessl’s thousands of references to books, movies, and popular culture result in a novel that often leaves the reader off-balance and confuse as to what actually happened – a state reminiscent of teenage angst. Pessl uses language as a shield and a mirror, reflecting the emotion of her characters while protecting them from extensive scrutiny, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty and illusion.

In the end, Special Topics in Calamity Physics is a difficult novel to penetrate and within which to gauge what truly happened to Hannah Schneider. As one reviewer comments: “Pessl…is like an explosion, her energy going off in all directions, her power not under control.” This is directly attributable to her youth as a novelist. Special Topics in Calamity Physics is an amazing achievement for any writer and is extraordinary as a debut novel. Marisha Pessl is a writer to watch as she discovers her métier and matures into her talents.

Read the review at Curled Up with a Good Book.


ISBN10: 067003777X
ISBN13: 9780670037773

Hardcover
528 Pages
Publisher: Penguin Books
Publication Date: August 3, 2006
Book Website: www.calamityphysics.com


tags: books book reviews Marisha Pessl literary fiction mystery

BOOK REVIEW: Was She Pretty? by Leanne Shapton

In every relationship there are more than just two players, there are the specters looming in the background – the ghosts of past partners. This is the topic explored by Leanne Shapton in her debut Was She Pretty? This slender volume invites readers to explore the truths of modern love, their darkest fears and secret anxieties through her line drawings and prose.

Tracing a group of interconnected friends, the narrator outlines each ex with unemotional prose, capturing entire relationships in single lines: “Martin had never mentioned his hauntingly beautiful ex-girlfriend Carwai to Heidi.” Shapton’s spare prose leaves room for the reader’s imagination to fill in the blanks based on their own experiences and emotional reaction. Don’t be surprised if she manages to conjure up ghosts from your own past.

The sparse narrative makes for a quick read but Shapton’s novel remains with the reader. She appears to suggest that jealousy refines a relationship, enhancing it – if the relationship survives. Our partners’ exes haunt us while at the same time we ourselves are exes. Was She Pretty? explores this engaging dichotomy, asking: what is it about exes that creates this love/hate relationship? While she offers no answers, the journey into one’s own psyche is a fascinating one.


ISBN10: 0374299269
ISBN13: 9780374299262

Hardcover
198 Pages
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Publication Date: November 7, 2006


tags: books book reviews Leanne Shapton relationships

BOOK REVIEW: The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

Tucked away on a second story in Manhattan’s Upper West Side is a hidden gem, Walker & Daughter. This treasure trove of textiles is the result of years of hard work by Georgia Walker: knitwear designer, proprietress and single Mom to Dakota. Years ago, when James walked away during her pregnancy, Georgia wasn’t sure she’d make it. Thanks to the support of her mentor (and clerk) Anita, Georgia’s business has thrived and so has Dakota.

More than just a shop, Walker & Daughter is a haven for many of the customers and the result is The Friday Night Knitting Club, started by some of the regulars. As James returns wanting a larger role in his daughter’s life and an old “friend” from high school shows up, Georgia will need all the support these supportive knitters can provide.

The Friday Night Knitting Club, Kate Jacobs’ debut novel, while set within a knitting group really could be written in any setting. Superficially about knitting, in reality this is a novel about the importance of friendship and love. Georgia has closed herself off from the world and has focused everything into Dakota and making a success of her store. She has eliminated the possibility of getting hurt again, but she has also remained aloof from the friendship offered by customers and employees. Jacobs’ message is a universal truth - life will quickly pass you by if you turn your back on possibility.

Jacobs has cleverly divided her book into sections representative of the various stages of knitting projects that also tie into her unfolding novel. These sections are written as knitting instruction but are true to life: “You have to experiment to see what works. But there’s a similarity no matter the method: you either try or you don’t…Casting on is as much a leap of faith as technique.”

After a slow start, The Friday Night Knitting Club engage its readers in the unfolding life dramas of the knitting club members. However, readers expecting a superficial, happy novel of sisterhood should be prepared for some heart-wrenching moments as The Friday Night Knitting Club takes an unexpected turn.


ISBN10: 0399154094
ISBN13: 9780399154096

Hardcover
352 Pages
Publisher: Putnam
Publication Date: January 18, 2007



tags: books book reviews knitting Kate Jacobs fiction

Debut a Debut Contest

Just a reminder that the "Debut a Debut Contest" begins tomorrow. All the details can be found here.

My aim to post a review each day this week as my participation in this contest. If you are participating in the contest, please leave a link in the comments so I can enjoy your reviews.

BOOK REVIEW: In Arctic Waters by Laura Crawford

Written for the rhyme “This is the House that Jack Built,” In Arctic Waters grew out of a science unit on the Arctic. Laura Crawford was fascinated with the animals of the region and created this fascinating story for her grade two class. Like the original rhyme, children will be delighted by the rhythm of Crawford’s story:

“This is the seal, bouncing along
That teases the narwhal, big and strong…”

Ben Hodson’s illustrations are bright, engaging, and sure to delighted children. They will enjoy looking at the pictures as much as hearing the story. This quickly became a favourite for the three year old to whom I read it and he has now memorized parts of the rhyme.

In Arctic Waters is published by Sylvan Dell Publishing, a young company committed to creating picture books to excite children’s imagination. Each book contains a compelling story supplemented by a “3 – 5 page page ‘For Creative Minds’ section that includes fun facts, crafts, vocabulary and games…to support National Science and Math Standards.” Carefully vetted by experts in the field (scientists and educators) to ensure scientific accuracy, these volumes are sure to engage your child’s creative spirit.

Certainly I had no idea that a walrus’ age is calculated by counting the rings in their teeth, the same as is done with trees. The child I read In Arctic Waters to was delighted to find out that walruses use their whiskers to touch and feel; however he was most intrigued to find out that beluga whales shed their skin in the summer by rubbing on gravel.

Read the review at Armchair Interviews.


ISBN10: 0976882345
ISBN13: 9780976882343

Hardcover
32 Pages
Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing
Publication Date: February 2007

BOOK REVIEW: Mason-Dixon Knitting by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne

In 2002, Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne met on the Rowan Yarns online forum and a legendary correspondence was born. Yankee Kay and Tennessean Ann are the personalities behind Mason-Dixon Knitting and over the years they have developed a dedicated following of knitters who enjoy their irreverent correspondence and breezy guidance through Knitopia.

Mason-Dixon Knitting: The Curious Knitters' Guide: Stories, Patterns, Advice, Opinions, Questions, Answers, Jokes, and Pictures is a superb collection of thirty-four patterns that has knitters around the world obsessively knitting Baby Bibs O’ Love and Mitered Square Blankets.

The projects here are useful, sure to inspire beginners and experienced knitters alike. Beginners who are tired of scarves can choose from washcloths, towels, bibs and rugs, as Kay and Ann tell us “Remember: No project is too ambitious if you crave the result enough.” To that end they’ve included patterns for beautiful nightie and robe set made from linen yarn, log cabin bedspread and an elaborate lace lining for Moses baskets.

Kay and Ann provide knitters permission to experiment and play with yarn. Their Mitered Square Blanket proves that playing with colour is the “most fun part.” This basic pattern can be knit in anything from two to forty colours, as a blanket or bedspread. The project is limited only by the knitter’s imagination.

Full of Kay and Ann’s trademark wit and style, Mason-Dixon Knitting is a must have for all knitters. Expect it to quickly bear all the signs of a well-loved favourite.

Try out the Log Cabin throw (PDF download).

Read the review at Armchair Interviews.


ISBN10: 0307236056
ISBN13: 9780307236050

Hardcover
160 Pages
Publisher: Potter Craft
Publication Date: March 28, 2006
Author Website: www.masondixonknitting.com
All important Pattern Errata for Mason-Dixon Knitting


tags: books book reviews knitting Kay Gardiner Ann Shayne

BOOK REVIEW: Wendy Knits: My Never-Ending Adventures in Yarn by Wendy D. Johnson

I'm quite behind on my reviews of knitting books, so for the next few days I'll be posting reviews for a number of them - and a few other stragglers sitting in my "reviews to be written pile." Then beginning February 12, I'll be posting reviews to participate in the Debut a Debut contest. Anyone else planning to participate?

Wendy D. Johnson is one of the luminaries of the knitting world. Her blog has more than 3 million visitors per month, a testament to the power of her prose. Wendy Knits: My Never-Ending Adventures in Yarn is her eagerly awaited first book which combines Wendy’s reflections on a life lived with yarn and twenty of her knitting patterns.

Wendy’s writing is conversational, you feel like she’s sitting next to you telling her stories. The patterns are interspersed throughout the book beginning with the simplest projects (a dishcloth) and culminating in a steeked Scandinavian pullover. Regular readers of her blog may find some of the content familiar but here readers receive more than just glimpses into Wendy’s knitting life. For example, her chapter on “knitting for charity” explains how Wendy began the charity “Knit-alongs”, a feature of her blog, and why she is a passionate supporter of pet rescue organizations. Her passion for the cause is evident and I suspect that many a catnip mouse will be knit after reading Wendy Knits.

A knitter can easily knit their way through this book and beginning knitters will find projects which increase gradually in difficulty; however, the strength of this book is the insight it provides into the creative process of an incredibly prolific knitter. The only complaint about Wendy Knits is that the book has been produced in black and white. Colour photos would have really enhanced the value of this book and made the projects even more appealing.

Sample Pattern: Wendy's Easy One-Skein Hat

Read the review at Armchair Interviews.


ISBN10: 0452287324
ISBN13: 9780452287327

Trade Paperback
212 Pages
Publisher: Plume Books
Publication Date: April 25, 2006
Author Website: www.WendyKnits.net


tags: books book reviews knitting Wendy D. Johnson

BOOK REVIEW: Naughty Needles by Nikol Lohr

The past few years have seen knitting rapidly expand beyond a granny craft. With the explosion of knitting blogs, knitting has come out of the closet with a variety of designers creating racy lingerie and adult garments. Nikol Lohr’s recently published book of knitting patterns Naughty Needles: Sexy, Saucy Knits for the Bedroom and Beyond invites knitters to “knit naughty” and explore their inner sex kitten.

Channeling classic 40s Fredericks of Hollywood, Lohr’s patterns can be knit in playful and vampy versions. Those aiming for the Austin Powers Fembot look can knit their nighties in feminine pink while the bad girls can go for racy black. Bikinis come in several dress-up styles ranging from Gidgit to b-movie cave girls, and the various patterns aim to provide something for all skill levels.

The later half of Naughty Needles contains patterns for adult dress-up and games. As Lohr states, her Baby Blue Ball Gag “is a dandy stash-buster and a wonderful short-row primer.” Her knitted straitjacket can be knit in a compos mentis version for those who are no longer a danger to others or themselves.

NB: There is partial nudity and adult activity shown in some of the photos, as well as some “explicit” illustrations. Knitters may wish to keep this stashed safely out of reach of young children.

Visit the official Naughty Needles website for some free patterns and wonderful wallpaper for your computer.

Read the review at Armchair Interviews.


ISBN10: 0307337375
ISBN13: 9780307337375

Trade Paperback
144 Pages
Publisher: Potter Crafts
Publication Date: December 19, 2006
Author Website: www.thriftyknitter.com


tags: books book reviews knitting Nikol Lohr

BOOK REVIEW: Kabbalah: a Love Story by Rabbi Lawrence Kushner

"If I write Kabbalah, no one but Kabbalists will read beyond the first pages. But if I conceal the Kabbalah inside a story, then people will have to read the Kabbalah to find out how the story ends." - Moshe de Leon from Kabbalah: a Love Story

Hidden within the bindings of an ancient copy of the Zorah (the master text of Kabbalah) is a document which answers one of the heart’s eternal questions. The document is a love letter or theology, Rabbi Kalman Stern isn’t sure which. He had received the ancient Zorah on a trip to Israel and has been using it ever since as a prop in his courses on mysticism. Today in a moment of abstraction, he fiddled with the cover and found the document which began botzina d’qardinuta (the seed point of beginning, the flash of light) and alma d’ah-tay (the mother-womb of being, the darkness).

Shortly after finding the hidden document, Rabbi Stern attends a lecture “The Seed Point of Beginning” by Dr. Isabel Benveniste, an astronomer. Isabel and Kalman meet to discuss Kabbalah and eventually develop a relationship. Their burgeoning relationship is shown in counterpoint to the one between Moshe ben Shem Tov de Guadalajara (Moshe de Leon) and his inspiration, the wife of Don Judah. Moving between the thirteenth century Castilan, the 1940s and present day, author Rabbi Lawrence Kushner slowly unveils how these various stories interconnect and in doing so, share knowledge of Kabbalah.

Kabbalah: a Love Story is Kushner’s debut novel, although he is a well-respected author of many non-fiction works on Jewish mysticism. At times the novel’s dialogue is uneven and readers may wish he had developed his characters further; however, these minor flaws are far outweighed by the manner in which Kushner weaves together his story lines.

Kushner’s novel is as complex as its subject. On the surface it is the promised love story, although an untraditional one. At its heart, it is a story of history, faith, knowledge, seeking and of course, Kabbalah. Like many of the best allegorical novels, Kabbalah: a Love Story can be read repeatedly, each reading unwraps new layers and meanings.

Read an excerpt from the book here.


ISBN10: 0767924126
ISBN13: 9780767924122

Hardcover
196 Pages
Publisher: Morgan Road Books
Publication Date: October 10, 2006
Author Website: rabbikushner.org


tags: books book reviews Rabbi Lawrence Kushner Kabbalah Jewish mysticism

BOOK REVIEW: Knit.101 by the editors of knit.1 magazine

Targeting 18-35 year-olds, Vogue® Knitting launched knit.1 in 2006 to appeal to the edgy, hip young things that had begun to take up knitting and crochet. They partnered with Lion Brand® Yarn to create designs which could be made inexpensively with yarn which is widely available.

Following up on the success of this new magazine, knit.1 has now published knit.101: the indispensable self-help guide to knitting and crochet. Collecting together techniques and patterns, knit.101 covers everything from casting on to construction and everything in between. Rather than having the patterns at the end, knit.101 intersperses technique with patterns, leading beginning knitters through a series of projects which will help them learn technique while, as editor Adina Klein states, making "…a one-of-a-kind creation…with your two cute little hands!"

Two-thirds of the book covers knitting, one-third is crochet. There are patterns here for bags, iPod holders, legwarmers and string bikinis. If you are a devotee of the magazine, then you probably won’t need this book. Many of the projects featured have already been published in the magazine. If you’re looking for a book to teach you or someone else how to knit or crochet and you fit the demographic of knit.1, then this book will suit you perfectly.

Read the review at Armchair Interviews.


ISBN10: 1931543968
ISBN13: 9781931543965

Softcover
160 Pages
Publisher: sixth&spring Books
Publication Date: January 2007
Magazine Website: www.knit1mag.com


tags: books book reviews knit.1 magazine knitting crochet

BOOK REVIEW: Knitting Memories edited by Lela Nargi

Knitting is more than just a craft or the creation of something to wear. Between the knitter and yarn there is a tactile experience and a time of reflection, a chance to meditate or let the mind wander as it will. Between the knitter and the knitting is a relationship and it is this that Lela Nargi explores in Knitting Memories: Reflections on the Knitter’s Life. This collection of sixteen essays has been written by knitters and non-knitters, givers and receivers, knitting stars (such as Lily Chin) and hospice-care workers. Here they reflection on the insights knitting has brought to their lives.

In her introduction, Nargi shares the story of her two-year-old daughter Ada’s relationship with knitting. As she thought about the pieces Ada was drawn to, Nargi shares the philosophy she used to pull together the disparate elements of this collection.

“These pieces of knitting…are intricate stories waiting to be unraveled, and mostly they are stories about relationships…The story can be one that has to do with history, tracing knitting’s broad and narrow channels through the ages, linking knitters to ancient craftspeople or perhaps just our own mothers and grandmothers. And the story is also, sometimes, one about pure imagination – the way knitting exists in our minds as fertile territory to be plumbed, picked at, reveled in, and perhaps eventually presented to others so that they, too, may share in the imaginings.”

What makes this collection more than yet another collection of knitters discussing the meditative aspects of knitting or the joy of giving, is the inclusion of essays by non-knitters. Of particular note is Cedric N. Chatterly’s essay “Virginia” share the joy she and her knitting have brought to his life. In "Silent Communion," Robert Bruce Cowan writes compellingly about his resentment for the activity which steals away his wife making him feel “the house isn’t big enough for the both of us.” Yet he also realizes that his world is perfectly at peace when he is puttering and she is knitting.

This small hardcover is the perfect item to tuck into a knitting bag for moments stolen between projects or when the knitter needs to be reminded of their place in the larger story.

Read the review at Armchair Interviews.


ISBN10: 0760326487
ISBN13: 9780760326480

Hardcover
224 Pages
Publisher: Voyageur Press
Publication Date: August 31, 2006
Author Website: www.lelanargi.com



tags: books book reviews Lela Nargi knitting book Betty Christiansen Lily M. Chin Clara Parkes Reine Wing Hewitt Elanor Lynn essays

BOOK REVIEW: Passionate Thirst by Cameron Dean

Candace Steele has a serious grudge against vampires. An undercover agent in a Las Vegas casino, her job is to provide the guests security against vampires. It’s a job she enjoys; seducing them and at the critical moment driving a stake through their hearts.

It all stems back to the love of her life, and the relationship that almost killed her. Ash, an incredibly sexy vampire, was the love of her life until the night a moment of passion almost lead to her death. Not only did the incident leave her scarred emotionally, she now senses vampires when they are near.

Her latest assignment is personal security for Temptation McCoy, the hot singer headlining at the casino. At the welcome party, Candace feels a cold, tingling sensation which means there is a vampire as part of the young diva’s entourage. To make matters worse, Ash is suddenly back in town and Candace finds she isn’t as resistant to him as she had hoped.

Cameron Dean’s debut novel Passionate Thirst is the first of her Candace Steel Vampire Killer trilogy. A number of publishers have started to publish new series “back-to-back” (one a month), presumably since readers are impatient for subsequent volumes and to take advantage of the voracious appetite readers of paranormal romances have for the genre. (Keri Arthur’s debut series, “Riley Jenson Guardian,” is also being published this way beginning in January 2007.) The other two installments in Dean’s trilogy, Luscious Craving and Eternal Hunger, were published in December and January respectively.

Candace Steel is a delightful heroine; she has a troubled fashion sense, she’s grumpy, she can kick serious vampire butt and she’s still in love with her ex – even though she has something special going with Detective Carl Hagen. Essentially she’s flawed yet lovable and readers will quickly be rooting for her to win.

Readers expecting steamy scenes á la Laurell K. Hamilton should look elsewhere. Passionate Thirst balances sex scenes with action and plot development, while never quite delivering as much “steam” as the cover suggests. Dean has provided an interesting introduction to her trilogy and it will be exciting to see how the series develops over the next two volumes.

Read the review at Curled Up with a Good Book.


ISBN10: 0345492536
ISBN13: 9780345492531

Mass Market Paperback
301 Pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: October 31, 2006


tags: books book reviews Cameron Dean paranormal romance vampires Candace Steele

Contest Notice - Debut a Debut

West of Mars (my friend Susan) and her friend Erica are hosting a fantastic contest aptly named "Debut a Debut." You can find all the details here however the basic details are this:

How to Enter
1. Buy, find, or borrow a novel that is an author's debut.
2. Read the novel.
3. Write a review. It does not have to be a professional review. Provide a brief plot synopsis and then mention your likes or dislikes or other thoughts you had while reading.
4. Post the review online - either on a website or blog (reviews at BookCrossing or Gather would certainly count) between February 12th and 17th.
5. Send the permalink of the post to West of Mars or Writing Aspirations in an email message or post a comment to the main contest post with a link to your review.

I was amazed when I reviewed the list to see how many debut novels I've read in the past year. Here's a list with links to my reviews:

Albyn Leah Hall -- The Rhythm of the Road

Diane Setterfield -- The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel

Jed Rubenfeld -- The Interpretation of Murder

Julie K.L. Dam -- Some Like it Haute

Keith Donohue -- The Stolen Child

Melissa Clark -- Swimming Upstream Slowly

Paul Cavanagh -- After Helen

Sam Savage -- Firmin

Tom McCarthy -- Remainder

I haven't decided yet what I'm going to read for this contest; however, a number of the titles are in my to be reviewed pile so I'll have to go hunting.

Here's my question for readers - are you going to participate and what are you planning to read?

BOOK REVIEW: Final Paradox by Mary E. Martin

Norma Dinnick is sure that the named executor of her estate is trying to poison her, or else he’s in league with the upstairs tenants to drive her mad, all in a bid to ensure she doesn’t change her will. When she requests Harry Jenkins do something about both the will and the upstairs tenants, he discovers that Norma may be on brink between lucidity and madness – there are no upstairs tenants.

In a bid to forstall Archie (the executor), and protect his client’s safety, Harry follows her instructions and files claim against Archie and the others pursuing a claim on some valuable shares. Unfortunately the motion sets of a chain of events ending up with murder in open court and the reappearance of an acquaintance from Harry’s past. Now Harry must help sort out Norma’s tangeled memories if he hopes to track down the shares - and protect her life.

Final Paradox, the second volume in the Mary E. Martin’s Osgoode Trilogy, once again sees honest lawyer Harry Jenkins up against lawyers willing to twist the legal profession for their own gain. Like Conduct in Question, the book which introduced Harry, what sets Final Paradox apart from other legal thrillers is Harry’s personal struggles and development. Readers will enjoy Harry’s challenges in running his small law practices, intergenerational conflicts with his junior, his difficulties of dealing with an aging parent, and his burgeoning relationship with Natasha.

Unfortunately the central mystery in Final Paradox feels convoluted and contrived, while the villains are not nasty enough to fully engage reader in the action. Natasha is too enigmatic in this outing and readers may be left wondering why Harry doesn’t just walk away. While entertaining, Final Paradox is shadowed by the much stronger Conduct in Question. Hopefully the next in the series will provide a better showcase for Martin’s delightful Harry Jenkins.

Read the review at Front Street Reviews.



ISBN10: 0595407609
ISBN13: 9780595407606

Trade Paperback
268 Pages
Publisher: iUniverse
Publication Date: November 10, 2006


tags: books book reviews Mary E. Martin mystery Toronto Harry Jenkins

BOOK REVIEW: The Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martínez

In Oxford, Mrs. Eagleton is found smothered in her apartment by an Argentinian graduate student and his mentor, a leading mathematics don. Arthur Seldom had been drawn to her home by a cryptic note containing her address, the time, a circle and the words “the first of the series.”

Seldom’s latest book, reflecting on the parallels between the crimes of serial killers and mathematical theorems, has drawn significant attention. He suspects the killer is challenging him to a duel of wits, taunting him to figure out the series and stop the murderer. His theory begins to carry more weight as further murders, and coded notes, are found.

The Oxford Murders is a thinking person’s whodunit. Atmospheric yet challenging, philosophical yet logical, Guillermo Martínez has crafted a mystery which, while meditating on lofty subjects, does not talk down to his readers. Even though the pace moves along rapidly, readers have time to investigate the subtleties of the relationships among the main characters.

The clearest exposition on Martínez’s main message in The Oxford Murders is found part way through the novel when Seldom, musing on the crimes and the infinite number of solutions, states: “…the known terms of a series, any number of terms, are always insufficient.” He then goes on to elaborate: “If a man is no more than the series of his actions, I realized, then he can’t be defined before his death: a single action, his last, could wipe out his previous existence, contradict his entire life…Man was no more than what I most feared.”

Guillermo Martínez has a PhD in Mathematical Science and it should be clear to readers that this watertight mystery was written by a master of maths – for two separate yet equally important reasons. First, and perhaps most importantly, the mathematical elements are described clearly and concisely, providing even a novice mathematician the opportunity to follow Seldom’s explanations.

Second, solving a crime is as methodical as proving a mathematical theorem and the best mysteries have at their core an elegantly simple solution, yet provide an array of plausible solutions. Martínez pulls together an astonishing array of clues and red herrings to create an enthrallingly complex mystery, which holds up under both logical analysis and Wittgenstein's Finite Rule Paradox.

The Oxford Murders is the first book by Guillermo Martínez to be translated into English. Sonia Soto has managed a difficult feat with grace, translating a dense mystery without losing the ease or flavour with which Martínez imbued the original Spanish. A film version, staring John Hurt and Elijah Woods, is currently in pre-production.


ISBN10: 014303796X
ISBN13: 9780143037965

Trade Paperback
208 Pages
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: October 31, 2006


tags: books book reviews mystery Guillermo Martínez Wittgenstein's Finite Rule Paradox

BOOK REVIEW: The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier

In the not-so-distant future, a deadly plague has rampaged through the world. The Blink begins with redness of the eyes causing an uncontrollable blinking response and kills its victims within hours. Within a short period it becomes water and airborne, killing millions of people almost instantaneously.

In The City, inhabited by the recently departed, the effects of the plague are first felt as a onslaught of new arrivals. Suddenly people rapidly start disappearing and soon the exodus has disrupted the flow of The City. New arrivals, who used to stay an average 30 years until the last person remembering them dies, now move on within hours. Soon Luka Sims, the publisher of the only newspaper in The City believes himself to be the only remaining resident and wonders whom he knows who is still alive, until the day he finds the blind man. Together they explore the endless streets of The City, searching for the remaining tenants and with each new person found they piece together a puzzling truth – they are all still there because they know Laura Byrd.

Fighting her way across the frozen tundra to find a way to contact the outside world, Laura Byrd has no idea why her fellow scientists failed to return to their research station. She traces their steps to Ross Ice Shelf research station and finds it deserted. It is only then that she discovers she may the last person left alive.

In The Brief History of the Dead, Kevin Brockmeier takes these two streams of narrative and creates a novel which gains cohesion as the narratives begin to merge. The premise of The City, a step in the move to the afterlife, is fascinating. The novel as a whole is clearly a meditation on the power of memory and its resilience.

As Laura spends months in isolation and then in a fight to stay alive, her thoughts move from deliberate remembrances to free associations and fragmentary memories. At one point, a character in The City asks “how real are our memories” and this is clearly one of the central questions Brockmeier is addressing. Brockmeier’s writing suggests that he believes there to be a difference between the two types of memories; though he leaves it up to his readers to decide.

Laura’s fight for survival is compelling; however, Brockmeier’s writing is the strongest in the chapters set in The City. The voices of the dead resonate with readers and many deserved to be developed further. It is clear from the novel that the dead are aware that Laura may be the last person alive and when she dies, they may move on as well. The issue Brockmeier does not address (and one which may have strengthened the novel) is what emotions this pending departure inspires.

In an interview at Powells.com, Brockmeier states: “I was curious as I wrote the book about how those residents would react to the circumstances of their existence, what kind of relationships they would form, and what they would do when it came time for them to pass out of living memory.” He has accomplished the first part of this goal brilliantly; it is only his failure to explore of the second part of this goal which keeps The Brief History of the Dead from receiving 5 stars.

Read the review at Curled Up with a Good Book.


ISBN10: 1400095956
ISBN13: 9781400095957

Trade Paperback
272 Pages
Publisher: Vintage
Publication Date: January 9, 2007


tags: books book reviews apocalyptic fiction afterlife Kevin Brockmeier

BOOK REVIEW: Un Lun Dun by China Miéville

Zanna and her friend Deeba have been noticing a lot of strange events lately. There was the fox that intently watched them on the playground and then bowed to Zanna. Certainly the oddest was the umbrella that dragged itself from a rubbish heap to hang from Zanna’s bedroom windowsill. The girls give chase to the umbrella and find themselves in a strange place called Un Lun Dun, a funhouse version of their own city. This new place is filled with animated milk cartons, unbrellas, talking books and flying double-decker buses, as well as with an odd collection of people.

Shortly after their arrival in Un Lun Dun they meet Obaday Fing, a tailor whose head is a massive pin-cushion, and Brokkenbroll, king of broken unbrellas. Zanna is disturbed to find out she’s the Shwazzy - the Chosen One – prophesied to save Un Lun Dun from a great evil, the Smog.

All goes terribly wrong when Zanna is injured soon after their arrival. She’s returned safely home but Un Lun Dun seems doomed. Deeba may be the only hope for this fantastical city, but will Un Lun Dun accept the help or the unchosen one, or lie down and accept its fate?

Award-winning author China Miéville’s fifth novel, Un Lun Dun, is his first written for the young adult market and is filled with his illustrations of the mysterious creatures met by Zanna and Deeba. While this book is being marketed to middle and high school students, there is much here to recommend this book to adult readers. Fans of the films of Jan Švankmajer, specifically his 1988 film Alice, will find familiar elements in the world of Un Lun Dun.

Miéville, as well-known for his politics as for his writing, is a member of the Socialist Workers Party. His writing has indications of his political leanings; however, he has stated that: “…when I write my novels, I’m not writing them to make political points.…but because I come at this with a political perspective, the world that I’m creating is embedded with many of the concerns that I have...”

Un Lun Dun is sure to win Miéville many new fans and delight current ones.

Read the review at Armchair Interviews.


ISBN10: 0345495160
ISBN13: 9780345495167

Hardcover
448 Pages
Publisher: Del Rey Books
Publication Date: February 17, 2007


tags: books book reviews young adult fiction fantasy China Miéville

Hyperion Books - Spring/Summer 2007 Titles

Here are my picks from Hyperion Books' Spring and Summer titles. A number are the trade paperback releases of books which were released in hardcover last year, so hopefully new readers will discover some great reads.

* Queen of Broken Hearts: A Novel by Cassandra King (February 2007)
* The Master Plan: Himmler's Scholars and the Holocaust by Heather Pringle (Trade Paperback, February 2007)
* A Model Summer: A Novel by Paulina Porizkova (April 2007)
* Not on Our Watch: A Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond by Don Cheadle and John Prendergast (May 2007)
* Grief: A Novel by Andrew Holleran (Trade Paperback, June 2007)
* The Late Bloomer's Revolution: A Memoir by Amy Cohen (July 2007)

BOOK REVIEW: Spinning Dixie by Eric Dezenhall

Presidential Press Secretary and professional spinmeister Jonah Eastman commits hari-kari after commenting on a Yemen-born suicide bomber who killed himself and 24 football fans: “It’s hard to believe Western civilization is going to be taken down by a bunch of cabdrivers.” While his career is in a nosedive, his recent loose lips leave him free to help the mysterious blond who shows up at the White House gates carrying a letter from his teenage love Claudine Polk.

Jonah hies off to Tennessee to help save Claudine’s beloved family plantation, Rattle & Snap, from his teenage nemesis and Claudine’s soon-to-be ex-husband J.T. Hilliard. Can this Yankee spin-doctor help his southern belle start a second civil war and perhaps save his own future at the same time?

Billed as a blending of The West Wing, Gone with the Wind and The Godfather, Spinning Dixie is the fourth Eric Dezenhall novel to feature Jonah Eastman. Spinning Dixie, while on the surface a novel about politics and spin, is a novel about first love and the compelling force it can have even 25 years later. Alternating between the summer after Jonah’s senior year in high school and the present, Dezenhall has created a scenario certain to unleash havoc – a New Jersey kingpin’s grandson in Tennessee wooing the granddaughter of a Confederate general on her family’s plantation.

Not having read any of previous three novels, it was difficult to determine where Spinning Dixie fits into Jonah’s story. The novel stands on its own and is chock-full of characters certain to steal readers’ attention: Jonah’s flamboyant grandmother DeeDee; Claudine’s little brother Six; or “the Panamanian,” a colleague of Jonah’s who specializes in intelligence work.

The most compelling sections of this novel are the parts from Jonah’s teenage years. Dezenhall has captured the dichotomy of youthful passion; the hopefulness and sense of wonder, the undercurrent of doom and the inevitable painful ending. The tension between Jonah and Claudine’s worlds turn their romance into one of epic proportions, the doomed romance which has the power – even 25 years later – to draw Jonah back into Claudine’s sphere.


ISBN10: 031234063X
ISBN13: 9780312340636

Hardcover
336 Pages
Publisher: St. Martins Press
Publication Date: December 26, 2006
Author Website: www.dezbooks.net


tags: books book reviews media spin American politics

What did you read in high school?

A friend who is in teacher's college sent me a message asking if I would fill out a survey for one of her classes. What she wanted was for me to think back to high school and try to remember the books I studied from grade 7 through to the end of high school.

What's interesting is that I have no memory of the books read in grade 7 or 8 at all, and little memory of the books in grades 12 & 13. (Yes, I was in high school when Ontario still had grade 13. It certainly gives readers a better picture of my age!)

So this got me thinking. I can't figure out why I remember the books we read in grades 9 - 11 books clear as a bell, while I remember what I was reading outside of school for the rest of the yearw.

I was at a private high school and our Shakespeare plays were chosen each year depending what was playing at Stratford. We would read the play, watch the movie version and then go see it live. I know which Shakespeare plays we studied, just not which grade I read it in.

Grade 9 - Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton, Who Has Seen the Wind by W.O. Mitchell, Animal Farm by George Orwell
Grade 10 - The Pearl by John Steinbeck, The Chrysalids by John Wyndham, Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Grade 11 - The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner, As for Me and My House by Sinclair Ross, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Grade 12 - Tess of the D'Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (can't remember the rest of the books)
Grade 13/OAC - The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence (can't remember the rest of the books)

Shakespeare:
As You Like It
King Lear
The Tempest
Macbeth
Hamlet

So how closely does my high school reading list match up with yours? Do you remember what you read then, or do you have clearer memories of your "non-school reading?"

Simon & Schuster - Spring 2007 Titles

Too often publishers appear to publish most of their titles in the fall in anticipation of the holiday buying season. I was therefore pleased to find most of the publishers have strong spring lines with an interesting range of titles.

Simon & Schuster don't have a lot of well-known authors in their spring 2007 line; however, there are some great treasures to be found for readers willing to take time with their catalogue. Here are my picks for the spring season:

* Him Her Him Again The End of Him by Patricia Marx (January 2007)
* The Night Buffalo: A Novel by Guillermo Arriaga (February 2007)
* Looks to Die For by Janice Kaplan (February 2007)
* A Family Daughter: A Novel by Maile Meloy (February 2007)
* Broken Paradise: A Novel by Cecilia Samartin (February 2007)
* The Secret Supper: A Novel by Javier Sierra, Translated by Alberto Manguel (February 2007)
* The Lying Tongue by Andrew Wilson (February 2007)
* The Spellman Files: A Novel by Lisa Lutz (March 2007)
* The Rossetti Letter by Christi Phillips (March 2007)
* The Expected One: A Novel by Kathleen McGowan (Trade Paperback, April 2007)
* The Killing Jar: A Novel by Nicola Monaghan (April 2007)


tags: books reading spring and summer books 2007 publishing Simon & Schuster

Raincoast Books - Spring/Summer 2007 Titles

Raincoast Books is a Canadian publisher and distributor producing a wide range of fiction and non-fiction titles for adults and children. They distribute many well-known imprints in Canada including: Bloomsbury UK, Chronicle Books, Harcourt (HBJ), & Hesperus Press, as well as many others. A full list is available on their website.

The following titles (my picks) are listed by publication date rather than by publisher, except for Hesperus Press.

Raincoast Books
* Paris: the secret history by Andrew Hussey (Bloomsbury USA, January 2007)
* Audrey Hepburn: the Paramount years by Tony Nourmand (Chronicle Books, January 2007)
* Loyal to the Sky: Notes from an Activist by Marisa Handler (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, February 2007)
* If Minds Had Toes by Lucy Eyre (Bloomsbury UK, March 2007)
* Linger Awhile by Russell Hoban (Bloomsbury UK, New Format, March 2007)
* A Book Addict's Treasury by Lynda Murphy and Julie Rugg (Frances Lincoln, March 2007)
* White Man Falling by Mike Stocks (Alma Books, March 2007)
* Welcome to Everytown: a journey into the English mind by Julian Baggini (Granta Books, April 2007)
* Pretty in Punk: 25 Rock, Goth, and Punk inspired knitting projects by Alyce Benevides and Jaqueline Milles (Chronicle Books, April 2007)
* Untapped: the scramble for Africa's Oil by John Ghazvinian (Harcourt, Inc., April 2007)
* Divas Don't Knit by Gil McNeil (Bloomsbury UK, April 2007)
* Return to Akenfield: portrait of an English village in the 21st Century by Craig Taylor (Granta Books, Trade Paperback, April 2007)
* The Nature of Monsters: a novel by Clare Clark (Harcourt, Inc., May 2007)
* The Catastrophist: a novel by Lawrence Douglas (Harcourt, Inc., May 2007)
* The Gravedigger: a novel by Peter Grandbois (Chronicle Books, May 2007)
* Volunteer: a traveller's guide to making a difference around the world by Lonely Planet (Lonely Planet, June 2007)
* The Pantry: its history and modern uses by Catherine Seiberling Pond (Gibbs Smith, May 2007)
* When We Get There: a novel by Shauna Seliy (Bloomsbury USA, May 2007)
* Virgins: a cultural history by Anke Bernau (Granta Books, June 2007)
* Austenland: a novel by Shannon Hale (Bloomsbury USA, June 2007)
* Becoming Shakespeare: how a provincial playwright became the world's foremost literary icon by Jack Lynch (Walker & Company, June 2007)
* Sugarcane Academy: how a New Orleans teacher and his storm-struck students created a school to remember by Michael Tisserand (Harcourt, Inc., July 2007)
* The Museum of Dr. Moses: tales of mystery and suspense by Joyce Carol Oates (Harcourt, Inc., August 2007)

Hesperus Press
* The Watsons by Jane Austen (March 2007)
* Sanctuary by Edith Wharton (March 2007)
* Cousin Phillis by Elizabeth Gaskell (April 2007)
* The Calligraphers' Night by Yasmine Ghata (June 2007)
* A Simple Story by Leonardo Sciascia (June 2007)


tags: books reading spring and summer books 2007 publishing Raincoast Books Chronicle Books Hesperus Press Bloomsbury USA Berrett-Koehler Publishers Bloomsbury UK Frances Lincoln Alma Books Granta Books Harcourt, Inc. Gibbs Smith Lonely Planet Walker & Company

Henry Holt & Company - Spring/Summer 2007 Titles

Here are my picks from Henry Holt & Company's Spring and Summer titles. Some exciting books are being released in trade paperback from Owl Books and I would highly recommend Disaster: Hurrican Katrina and the failure of Homeland Security by Christopher Cooper and Robert Block.

Henry Holt
* The Short Bus: a journey beyond normal by Jonathan Mooney (June 2007)
* My Colombian War: a journey through the country I left behind by Silvana Paternostro (July 2007)
* The Master Bedroom: a novel by Tessa Hadley (August 2007)
* Letter from Point Clear: a novel by Dennis McFarland (August 2007)

Metropolitan Books
* Helpless: a novel by Barbara Gowdy (April 2007)
* Inglorious: a novel by Joanna Kavenna (June 2007)

Owl Books
* Book by Book: notes on reading and life by Michael Dirda (Trade Paperback, May 2007)
* Brutal Journey: Cabeza de Vaca and the epic first crossing of North America by Paul Schneider (Trade Paperback, May 2007)
* Disaster: Hurrican Katrina and the failure of Homeland Security by Christopher Cooper and Robert Block (Trade Paperback, June 2007)


tags: books reading spring and summer books 2007 publishing Henry Holt and Company Metropolitan Books Owl Books

BOOK REVIEW: Slow Man by J.M. Coetzee

In a suburban neighbourhood of Adelaide, Australia, a cyclist is knocked off his bicycle, a small act with far-reaching consequences. When Paul Rayment opens his eyes, he is immediately required to give consent to the operation that will amputate his leg at the knee. Refusing to consider using a prosthesis, and profoundly uncomfortable to be reliant on others, Paul returns home under the care of a string of nurses. It is only with the arrival of Marijana Jokić - a Croatian nurse - that Paul’s life begins to turn around and he falls in love with his down-to-earth caregiver. That is until Elizabeth Costello arrives on his doorstep; an unstoppable force who demands Paul take an active role in his own narrative and accept responsibility for his actions.

Slow Man, J.M. Coetzee’s first novel since his Nobel Laureate win in 2003, is his latest meditation on care, aging and the nature of existence. The “slowed man” of the title, Paul Rayment, finds himself both physically slowed by the accident and mentally slowed by depression and an inability to accept his new reality. Elizabeth Costello’s arrival (the titular character of Coetzee's 2003 novel) and machinations are designed to force Paul out of his slowness by holding a mirror before him. She questions his motivations and demands that he face the roots of his desire for Marijana: is it his desire for love; his desperation to leave a legacy; or a fear of his own mortality which drives his desire to take Marijana and her children as his own family.

The Observer (UK) suggests that, rather than Elizabeth intruding into Paul’s novel, he has intruded into hers. “She explains her presence by quoting to Paul the opening section of his novel [Slow Man], the bike and him flying through the air and so on. Far from intruding on his novel, she suggests, he has intruded on hers: “You came to me [Paul], that is all I can say. You occurred to me, a man with a bad leg and no future and an unsuitable passion ... where we go from there I have no idea. Have you any proposal?”

When Marijana shares her fears for her son Drago, Paul offers to pay for Drago’s schooling. Rather than the “help” Paul believes he is providing, in reality he is forcing himself into Marijana’s world the same way Elizabeth has forced herself into his. The consequences of this act of misguided charity ripple throughout the rest of the novel, reinforcing Coetzee’s key point on motivation. Elizabeth points out repeatedly that, no matter what the motivation behind an action, one is still responsible for the fallout – a lack of self-awareness or premeditation does not relieve one of guilt or responsibility.

A meditation on loss, motivation and the creative process, Slow Man is a thought-provoking work raising more questions than it answers. Coetzee’s spare prose is brilliantly exhibited here; however, this is not one of his more accessible works. The bickering dialogue between Elizabeth and Paul, a post-modern meditation on the creative process will not appeal to all readers. A first-time reader of J.M. Coetzee will have a better introduction to his skillful writing through reading Disgrace or Life & Times of Michael K.

Read the review at Curled Up with a Good Book.


ISBN10: 0143037897
ISBN13: 9780143037897

Trade Paperback
264 Pages
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: October 2006


tags: books book reviews J.M. Coetzee Nobel Laureate Author