Finished May 26
Twenty Chickens for a Saddle by Robyn Scott
Robyn Scott had a rather peripatetic childhood and this memoir covers the ages from six to adulthood when she was in Botswana. Her parents had both grown up there and came back with her and her two younger siblings when she was almost seven. Her father worked as a doctor, travelling to small village clinics, at first by air and then by car. Her mother homeschooled the children until high school, when they went to boarding school (her and her sister in neighbouring Zimbabwe and her brother in neighbouring South Africa). At first they lived near her paternal grandfather and his second wife, in a shared yard. The children spent a great deal of time exploring their environment, learning about the plants and animals that surrounded them. They also learned about the people, the culture and the superstitions, mainly through the contact with her father in his capacity as a doctor. When they move to their own farm, near the border with South Africa, she encounters a different environment and a different mindset as a lot of the neighbours there are Afrikaans. During her years growing up, AIDS became a prominent feature in Africa, and because of her father's profession she was very aware of the issues.
This memoir was absolutely fascinating in its glimpse into another culture and way of living and I found it engaging, humourous and enlightening.
Highly recommended.
Tuesday, 27 May 2008
Short and Sweet
Finished May 25
The Bachelor's Cat: a love story by L.F. Hoffman
I picked this up because it was mentioned in one of the lists I follow as being the favourite of another librarian, and because I like cats (having two of my own).
It is a nice read. An artist, the bachelor in question, is going through a bad stretch when he finds a very young kitten on his doorstep and no sign of an owner. He takes it in and looks after it and finds himself growing attached quickly.
He has a on-again-off-again relationship with a beautiful sexy young woman, with the relationship generally controlled by her wants and needs. During one of the off phases he meets another woman, who is not his usual type and begins a relationship with her. When the first girlfriend comes back for the next on-phase he is torn between the two women and the cat plays a role in the final decision that he makes.
Cute, a bit schmaltzy, but honest.
The Bachelor's Cat: a love story by L.F. Hoffman
I picked this up because it was mentioned in one of the lists I follow as being the favourite of another librarian, and because I like cats (having two of my own).
It is a nice read. An artist, the bachelor in question, is going through a bad stretch when he finds a very young kitten on his doorstep and no sign of an owner. He takes it in and looks after it and finds himself growing attached quickly.
He has a on-again-off-again relationship with a beautiful sexy young woman, with the relationship generally controlled by her wants and needs. During one of the off phases he meets another woman, who is not his usual type and begins a relationship with her. When the first girlfriend comes back for the next on-phase he is torn between the two women and the cat plays a role in the final decision that he makes.
Cute, a bit schmaltzy, but honest.
Saturday, 24 May 2008
More Suspense
Finished May 23
Delusion by Peter Abrahams
This novel of suspense takes place when events that happened twenty years ago are called into question. Back then, Nell and her boyfriend Johnny Blanton were surprised one evening by an attacker who killed Johnny. Nell was the only witness and a culprit was soon identified, convicted and sent to jail. Later, Nell married the policeman who handled the case, Clay Jarreau, and he adopted her child by Johnny, Norah.
Now a video has come to the surface that gives an alibi to the convicted man. Nell is stunned by the news and starts to question her memory and what happened when she picked out the man. Meanwhile, Norah is acting strange and having trouble in college and won't talk to Nell and Clay about her behaviour. Clay becomes hostile in the face of Nell's search of the past and a rift opens between them. A casual friend of Nell's, LeeAnn is a reporter who is bent on tracking down the truth, and Nell learns a lot from her.
As this case gathers together the suspense builds and danger looms. Nell is the only character with real depth, although the convicted man, Alvin Dupree, has some interesting thought processes. A good page-turner with lots of action.
Delusion by Peter Abrahams
This novel of suspense takes place when events that happened twenty years ago are called into question. Back then, Nell and her boyfriend Johnny Blanton were surprised one evening by an attacker who killed Johnny. Nell was the only witness and a culprit was soon identified, convicted and sent to jail. Later, Nell married the policeman who handled the case, Clay Jarreau, and he adopted her child by Johnny, Norah.
Now a video has come to the surface that gives an alibi to the convicted man. Nell is stunned by the news and starts to question her memory and what happened when she picked out the man. Meanwhile, Norah is acting strange and having trouble in college and won't talk to Nell and Clay about her behaviour. Clay becomes hostile in the face of Nell's search of the past and a rift opens between them. A casual friend of Nell's, LeeAnn is a reporter who is bent on tracking down the truth, and Nell learns a lot from her.
As this case gathers together the suspense builds and danger looms. Nell is the only character with real depth, although the convicted man, Alvin Dupree, has some interesting thought processes. A good page-turner with lots of action.
Thursday, 22 May 2008
Sad Mystery
Finished May 21
The Collaborator of Bethlehem by Matt Beynon Rees
This is the first mystery is what promises to be a series featuring Omar Yussef, a teacher at the UN girls school in Bethlehem. Omar is in his fifties and has lived in Bethlehem since he was a child. He lives with his wife Maryam and their son and his family. He has two other children who have left to go abroad. He is a teacher who believes in using reason and judgment rather than just believing what you are told or what you read and he encourages this kind of thinking in his students, sometimes drawing the criticism of administration or parents. Omar used to teach at the Freres school, which is where his grandchildren now go.
When one of his former students George Saba, a Christian, is accused of being a collaborator in the death of a young Palestine guerilla, he finds that he must try all avenues to clear George's name. The guerilla is the husband of another of his students and she gives him important information in his cause. He finds himself up against the guerilla organization, the police, and sometimes his own friends and family. Omar is a man who fears the outcome, but who cannot stand back and watch while his friend is framed.
I was moved by this story, and found Omar a complex character.
The Collaborator of Bethlehem by Matt Beynon Rees
This is the first mystery is what promises to be a series featuring Omar Yussef, a teacher at the UN girls school in Bethlehem. Omar is in his fifties and has lived in Bethlehem since he was a child. He lives with his wife Maryam and their son and his family. He has two other children who have left to go abroad. He is a teacher who believes in using reason and judgment rather than just believing what you are told or what you read and he encourages this kind of thinking in his students, sometimes drawing the criticism of administration or parents. Omar used to teach at the Freres school, which is where his grandchildren now go.
When one of his former students George Saba, a Christian, is accused of being a collaborator in the death of a young Palestine guerilla, he finds that he must try all avenues to clear George's name. The guerilla is the husband of another of his students and she gives him important information in his cause. He finds himself up against the guerilla organization, the police, and sometimes his own friends and family. Omar is a man who fears the outcome, but who cannot stand back and watch while his friend is framed.
I was moved by this story, and found Omar a complex character.
Wednesday, 21 May 2008
Another in the same series
Finished May 20
Voice of the Violin by Andrea Camilleri
I had the next one in the series handy and I was already there in my head, so decided to continue with the fourth book. This continues the personal storyline between Salvo and his girlfriend Livia that developed in the previous book, and allows both characters to develop. On the mystery front, one of Salvo's men hits a parked car on the way out of town and both men are surprised to see the car undisturbed on their trip back. Salvo does a little private investigating and has someone call in the crime he discovered. As he pieces the story of the beautiful victim together, he must delve into her personal life, involving husband, friend, and lover. Reporting to a new commissioner who doesn't like him, Salvo has the investigation taken out of his hands, but can't keep from discovering more things about the case. This book has lots of action, and some more good food too.
Voice of the Violin by Andrea Camilleri
I had the next one in the series handy and I was already there in my head, so decided to continue with the fourth book. This continues the personal storyline between Salvo and his girlfriend Livia that developed in the previous book, and allows both characters to develop. On the mystery front, one of Salvo's men hits a parked car on the way out of town and both men are surprised to see the car undisturbed on their trip back. Salvo does a little private investigating and has someone call in the crime he discovered. As he pieces the story of the beautiful victim together, he must delve into her personal life, involving husband, friend, and lover. Reporting to a new commissioner who doesn't like him, Salvo has the investigation taken out of his hands, but can't keep from discovering more things about the case. This book has lots of action, and some more good food too.
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
Third in Series
Finished May 20
The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri
Inspector Salvo Montalbano attempts to avoid getting drawn into a case involving a Tunisian killed on a fishing boat, and instead focuses on a case of a man found stabbed to death in the elevator of his apartment building. The elderly man is found quite soon after he has been stabbed, and his wife has an alibi, having left early that morning to visit her sister. It becomes apparent that the dead man had a mistress who he met in his office on a regular basis, and as they track down the mistress, they discover that there may have been more going on in the office than it appeared. When the mistress and her young son disappear, Montalbano attempts to find them.
Livia, Montalbano's girlfriend has a larger role in this book, and becomes more than just a surface character. Food continues to play an important role and I recommend making reservations in an Italian restaurant for after your reading!
The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri
Inspector Salvo Montalbano attempts to avoid getting drawn into a case involving a Tunisian killed on a fishing boat, and instead focuses on a case of a man found stabbed to death in the elevator of his apartment building. The elderly man is found quite soon after he has been stabbed, and his wife has an alibi, having left early that morning to visit her sister. It becomes apparent that the dead man had a mistress who he met in his office on a regular basis, and as they track down the mistress, they discover that there may have been more going on in the office than it appeared. When the mistress and her young son disappear, Montalbano attempts to find them.
Livia, Montalbano's girlfriend has a larger role in this book, and becomes more than just a surface character. Food continues to play an important role and I recommend making reservations in an Italian restaurant for after your reading!
Atlantic Fiction
Finished May 19
Ragged Islands by Don Hannah
The main character here is Susan Ann Roberts, lying in a hospital in Toronto, while her two children and some of her grandchildren make their way to her side. As she lies there her mind takes her back to the places in the Maritimes that were important to her life. She visits her Aunt Aggie's farm, her foster parents' house in Shediac, finally making her way to Ragged Islands where she lived all her married life and alone until her recent move to Toronto. Along the way she meets people that meant something in her life. Some of them are ones she always had questions about such as her birth mother. Some of them she had never met before. She also meets up with a beloved childhood pet.
This is an interesting way to revisit a life, but I found it a bit choppy. Ultimately it didn't bring Susan Ann the closure she was wanting, but it did bring a different type of closure, and that may be all we can really expect.
Ragged Islands by Don Hannah
The main character here is Susan Ann Roberts, lying in a hospital in Toronto, while her two children and some of her grandchildren make their way to her side. As she lies there her mind takes her back to the places in the Maritimes that were important to her life. She visits her Aunt Aggie's farm, her foster parents' house in Shediac, finally making her way to Ragged Islands where she lived all her married life and alone until her recent move to Toronto. Along the way she meets people that meant something in her life. Some of them are ones she always had questions about such as her birth mother. Some of them she had never met before. She also meets up with a beloved childhood pet.
This is an interesting way to revisit a life, but I found it a bit choppy. Ultimately it didn't bring Susan Ann the closure she was wanting, but it did bring a different type of closure, and that may be all we can really expect.
Amusing Fiction
Finished May 18
Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips
This is a wonderfully entertaining read. The Olympian Gods have been reduced to sharing an old decaying house in London and doing mundane jobs to make ends meet. Aphrodite does phone sex, and Artemis is a dogwalker. Apollo is still as full of himself as ever, and when a spat between him and Aphrodite spirals out of control, Alice and Neil, mortals, end up caught in the middle.
Alice is a cleaner, first at the TV studio where Apollo does a pilot episode for a psychic show, and then as a freelance cleaner. She is hired by Artemis to clean the gods' house, which certainly needs it. Neil is Alice's friend, but he has stronger feelings for her which he has been too shy to articulate. Apollo's interest in Alice draws Neil's jealousy, but when things escalate, Neil is forced by Artemis to step in and be a hero.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and found it an engaging read. Knowledge of Greek myths assists in understanding all the humour, but is not an absolute necessity.
Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips
This is a wonderfully entertaining read. The Olympian Gods have been reduced to sharing an old decaying house in London and doing mundane jobs to make ends meet. Aphrodite does phone sex, and Artemis is a dogwalker. Apollo is still as full of himself as ever, and when a spat between him and Aphrodite spirals out of control, Alice and Neil, mortals, end up caught in the middle.
Alice is a cleaner, first at the TV studio where Apollo does a pilot episode for a psychic show, and then as a freelance cleaner. She is hired by Artemis to clean the gods' house, which certainly needs it. Neil is Alice's friend, but he has stronger feelings for her which he has been too shy to articulate. Apollo's interest in Alice draws Neil's jealousy, but when things escalate, Neil is forced by Artemis to step in and be a hero.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and found it an engaging read. Knowledge of Greek myths assists in understanding all the humour, but is not an absolute necessity.
Teen Read
Finished May 16
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Jenna Fox has moved from Boston to California with her mother and grandmother. Her father still commutes to Boston and only visits California occasionally. Jenna was in an accident and spent a great deal of time recovering, but there is something more going on, and she isn't sure what. Her grandmother, Lily, whom she has always been close to, doesn't seem to like her anymore. Her mother seems nervous and overly protective.
At first Jenna can't remember anything, but she is given home movies to watch to jog her memory and gradually, slowly she begins to remember. Some of the things she remembers seem odd, like she shouldn't have been old enough to remember them. Some raise more questions. What really happened in the accident and following it and why doesn't anyone want to give her the answers?
As Jenna begins to find out the truth of her recovery, she must face larger questions.
This is a great book, that raises all kinds of discussion questions. It would be a good book club choice.
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Jenna Fox has moved from Boston to California with her mother and grandmother. Her father still commutes to Boston and only visits California occasionally. Jenna was in an accident and spent a great deal of time recovering, but there is something more going on, and she isn't sure what. Her grandmother, Lily, whom she has always been close to, doesn't seem to like her anymore. Her mother seems nervous and overly protective.
At first Jenna can't remember anything, but she is given home movies to watch to jog her memory and gradually, slowly she begins to remember. Some of the things she remembers seem odd, like she shouldn't have been old enough to remember them. Some raise more questions. What really happened in the accident and following it and why doesn't anyone want to give her the answers?
As Jenna begins to find out the truth of her recovery, she must face larger questions.
This is a great book, that raises all kinds of discussion questions. It would be a good book club choice.
Suspenseful Listen
Finished May 16
No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay, read by Christopher Lane
Cynthia Bigge wakes up the morning after a big argument with her parents and finds her family missing. No sign of either of her parents or her older brother Todd. Both her parents cars are missing and there is no note. Uneasy, but making excuses she goes to school, but finds that her brother isn't there either. The police can find no trace of them.
Now, twenty-five years later, Cynthia is still wondering what happened and a local crime show does a segment on her missing family. Cynthia starts to see a strange car in the neighbourhood, gets a mysterious phone call, and finds her missing father's hat on the kitchen table.
Cynthia's husband Terry is sympathetic, but wonders about her behaviour and is concerned that she may be making things up. When she races after a man in a mall that she is "sure" is her brother, he really begins to worry.
Cynthia was brought up by her aunt Tess after her family's disappearance and still has a close relationship with her. She also has a close relationship with Rollie, her father's friend and the principal of the high school where Terry teaches. Terry starts to ask them questions about the past, and Cynthia and Terry hire a private investigator to dig deeper to see if the truth can be found.
There were moments here where I could guess what was coming next, but that never interfered with the suspense. I could hardly wait to get back in my car to hear the next segment.
No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay, read by Christopher Lane
Cynthia Bigge wakes up the morning after a big argument with her parents and finds her family missing. No sign of either of her parents or her older brother Todd. Both her parents cars are missing and there is no note. Uneasy, but making excuses she goes to school, but finds that her brother isn't there either. The police can find no trace of them.
Now, twenty-five years later, Cynthia is still wondering what happened and a local crime show does a segment on her missing family. Cynthia starts to see a strange car in the neighbourhood, gets a mysterious phone call, and finds her missing father's hat on the kitchen table.
Cynthia's husband Terry is sympathetic, but wonders about her behaviour and is concerned that she may be making things up. When she races after a man in a mall that she is "sure" is her brother, he really begins to worry.
Cynthia was brought up by her aunt Tess after her family's disappearance and still has a close relationship with her. She also has a close relationship with Rollie, her father's friend and the principal of the high school where Terry teaches. Terry starts to ask them questions about the past, and Cynthia and Terry hire a private investigator to dig deeper to see if the truth can be found.
There were moments here where I could guess what was coming next, but that never interfered with the suspense. I could hardly wait to get back in my car to hear the next segment.
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