Finished August 20
Interred with Their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell, read by Kathleen McNenny
This book gave me the same feeling as Da Vinci Code. A quest for a long lost object, man and woman previously unknown to each other working together towards goal, with some help from others, lots of murders, lots of travel, lots of action.
In this novel Kate Stanley, currently directing Hamlet at the Globe Theatre in London, is visited by her academic mentor, Roz Howard. Roz has "found something big" and wants Kate's help to find it. But later that day Roz is found dead in the theatre and Kate feels someone stalking her. The prize that Kate is headed towards is Shakespeare's long-lost play Cardenio, and the clues she finds take her back to North America before returning to England. She is barely one step ahead of a killer, and using all her Shakespearean knowledge to figure out where to head next.
The book deals not only with the lost play, but also the identity of Shakespeare himself, bringing up many of the theories around the playwright's identity.
I found Kate an interesting character, and there was lots of action, never a dull moment. The Shakespeare element is strong and interesting (to me at least) and an author's note at the end talks about the elements of truth contained in the book, which was also very interesting.
A good read.
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
Tuesday, 19 August 2008
Teen Read
Finished August 19
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
This is a great read, with a strong female protagonist (Frankie). Frankie is going into her sophmore year at Alabaster, an expense boarding school that her older sister and her father also went to. Over the summer, she has grown into her body and is quite goodlooking. She also has a sharp mind. She immediately gets a senior as a boyfriend, the goodlooking Matthew Livingston. When she finds herself sometimes ignored in favor of Matthew's friends, and feels herself being boxed in by others' opinions of her, she takes matters into her own hands.
Frankie has a good sense of herself, is aware of potential weaknesses, and knows she is every bit as smart as the boys in the school's exclusive secret society. As she infiltrates the society, she shows that she is not to be underestimated.
I really liked this character, and she displays a good sense of self.
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
This is a great read, with a strong female protagonist (Frankie). Frankie is going into her sophmore year at Alabaster, an expense boarding school that her older sister and her father also went to. Over the summer, she has grown into her body and is quite goodlooking. She also has a sharp mind. She immediately gets a senior as a boyfriend, the goodlooking Matthew Livingston. When she finds herself sometimes ignored in favor of Matthew's friends, and feels herself being boxed in by others' opinions of her, she takes matters into her own hands.
Frankie has a good sense of herself, is aware of potential weaknesses, and knows she is every bit as smart as the boys in the school's exclusive secret society. As she infiltrates the society, she shows that she is not to be underestimated.
I really liked this character, and she displays a good sense of self.
Monday, 18 August 2008
Memoir
Finished August 17
Half-Assed: a weight-loss memoir by Jennette Fulda
I saw this memoir in the new books that came in and it looked intriguing. Fulda lost more than half her body weight, and while I don't need to lose that much, I definitely need to lose weight. In this memoir she concentrates more on the mental aspects of her journey, the thoughts that went through her head, the inner arguments that she engaged in, and how she changed as a person on the inside, not just the outside.
She has a great sense of humour and yet remains sensitive to many of the issues that come up around weight loss and how society reacts to those who are overweight.
As she says, there is no secret, no diet is perfect, and we all wander from our course occasionally, but the key is to keep at it. To not let one slide develop into an avalanche.
I found her writing engaging and interesting and her story intrigued me enough to take a look at her website, which I also found interesting.
This is no ra-ra book for Jenny Craig or South Beach or Atkins, but an honest account of the journey to a happier life.
Half-Assed: a weight-loss memoir by Jennette Fulda
I saw this memoir in the new books that came in and it looked intriguing. Fulda lost more than half her body weight, and while I don't need to lose that much, I definitely need to lose weight. In this memoir she concentrates more on the mental aspects of her journey, the thoughts that went through her head, the inner arguments that she engaged in, and how she changed as a person on the inside, not just the outside.
She has a great sense of humour and yet remains sensitive to many of the issues that come up around weight loss and how society reacts to those who are overweight.
As she says, there is no secret, no diet is perfect, and we all wander from our course occasionally, but the key is to keep at it. To not let one slide develop into an avalanche.
I found her writing engaging and interesting and her story intrigued me enough to take a look at her website, which I also found interesting.
This is no ra-ra book for Jenny Craig or South Beach or Atkins, but an honest account of the journey to a happier life.
Friday, 15 August 2008
Scandanavian Mystery
Finished August 14
What Never Happens by Anne Holt, translated by Kari Dickson
This is an interesting mystery from a Norwegian author, and part of a series, although this is the first one I've read.
When a famous woman TV show host is killed and her tongue has been cut out and displayed on the desk in front of her, the media is agog. The police, led by Adam Stubo, struggle to find motives and suspects in the crime. When a second woman is killed, this time an up-and-coming politician, the police are unsure whether the crimes are committed by the same person. Stubo calls on his wife, Johanne Vik, who is on maternity leave, to assist in finding the answers to the crimes. Vik trained as a profiler with the FBI, but left the organization with a bitter taste in her mouth and no desire to revisit that past. As celebrities continue to die, Vik is forced to call on her FBI education and her intuition to figure out who is killing and why.
This book has an interesting plot, and the whys of the murders are even more interesting. We see into the characters of the various people involved.
I liked it.
What Never Happens by Anne Holt, translated by Kari Dickson
This is an interesting mystery from a Norwegian author, and part of a series, although this is the first one I've read.
When a famous woman TV show host is killed and her tongue has been cut out and displayed on the desk in front of her, the media is agog. The police, led by Adam Stubo, struggle to find motives and suspects in the crime. When a second woman is killed, this time an up-and-coming politician, the police are unsure whether the crimes are committed by the same person. Stubo calls on his wife, Johanne Vik, who is on maternity leave, to assist in finding the answers to the crimes. Vik trained as a profiler with the FBI, but left the organization with a bitter taste in her mouth and no desire to revisit that past. As celebrities continue to die, Vik is forced to call on her FBI education and her intuition to figure out who is killing and why.
This book has an interesting plot, and the whys of the murders are even more interesting. We see into the characters of the various people involved.
I liked it.
Thursday, 14 August 2008
Fascinating Book
Finished August 12
Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman, read by John Apicella
This short book was so fascinating that after I finished listening to it, I listened to it again, the second time sharing it with a fellow librarian as we commuted together. She also found it fascinating.
The Brafman brothers use examples and research to show the many forces that cause us to engage in irrational behavior. These include loss aversion, the diagnosis bias, and the chameleon effect. Loss aversion is the tendency to go to lengths to avoid a perceived loss. Diagnosis bias is our tendency to ignore information that doesn't fit with our initial take on a person or situation. The chameleon effect is the tendency to take on behaviors that have been arbitrarily assigned to us, sometimes even without our knowledge. The many examples that they use to show how these tendencies show up in real life situations and cause unhappiness, loss and even death are eye-opening. They include an epilogue that gives tips on avoiding the pull of irrational behavior that are useful.
As I said, I found it utterly fascinating.
Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman, read by John Apicella
This short book was so fascinating that after I finished listening to it, I listened to it again, the second time sharing it with a fellow librarian as we commuted together. She also found it fascinating.
The Brafman brothers use examples and research to show the many forces that cause us to engage in irrational behavior. These include loss aversion, the diagnosis bias, and the chameleon effect. Loss aversion is the tendency to go to lengths to avoid a perceived loss. Diagnosis bias is our tendency to ignore information that doesn't fit with our initial take on a person or situation. The chameleon effect is the tendency to take on behaviors that have been arbitrarily assigned to us, sometimes even without our knowledge. The many examples that they use to show how these tendencies show up in real life situations and cause unhappiness, loss and even death are eye-opening. They include an epilogue that gives tips on avoiding the pull of irrational behavior that are useful.
As I said, I found it utterly fascinating.
Tuesday, 12 August 2008
Murder Mystery
Finished August 12
Voices by Arnaldur Indridason translated by Bernard Scudder
This was my first read of Icelandic mystery and I found it very good.
The main detective, Erlendur, is a fascinating character himself, and the murder victim in this book has his own interesting history.
I found the dynamic between the police characters interesting, and especially that Erlendur seemed to have such free range to act how he wanted in the course of the investigation, more or less setting up house in the hotel where the murder took place.
Characterization is very imporant here and the police have to look at everyone involved closely to find motivations for people's behaviour. Nothing is as it first seems.
The murder victim is the doorman at the hotel, killed in the room he lived in, in the hotel basement. One of his secrets is the past life as a child soprano, the most famous in Iceland. But everyone here has secrets, even Erlendur.
Voices by Arnaldur Indridason translated by Bernard Scudder
This was my first read of Icelandic mystery and I found it very good.
The main detective, Erlendur, is a fascinating character himself, and the murder victim in this book has his own interesting history.
I found the dynamic between the police characters interesting, and especially that Erlendur seemed to have such free range to act how he wanted in the course of the investigation, more or less setting up house in the hotel where the murder took place.
Characterization is very imporant here and the police have to look at everyone involved closely to find motivations for people's behaviour. Nothing is as it first seems.
The murder victim is the doorman at the hotel, killed in the room he lived in, in the hotel basement. One of his secrets is the past life as a child soprano, the most famous in Iceland. But everyone here has secrets, even Erlendur.
Monday, 11 August 2008
Pre-Civil War Novel
Finished August 11
Soul Catcher by Michael White, read by William Dufris
This saga of slave catcher Augustus Cain takes us from the Mexican-American War through to the civil war as Cain looks back on a life running from his past as he engages in what he intends to be his last job as a slave catcher. He has been drawn into the occupation due to a skill in tracking and finding slaves that he first identified as a young man.
Rosetta is the runaway slave that he has been hired to find. She runs from a master who has taken his ownership in every way he could and runs to save her soul from that subjugation.
As their lives become entwined, in the days before the Civil War, Cain must face the past he is trying to forget and face up to what his life has become. Rosetta fights to gain her freedom, and yet must also face the subtleties of human behaviour.
This is a journey in a very physical sense, but also a mental journey for both of the main characters. There is a lot of history contained in this story, as well as extremely well-written characters. The reading of the book by Dufris is excellent and captures the characters of the various players in the story.
I loved this novel.
Soul Catcher by Michael White, read by William Dufris
This saga of slave catcher Augustus Cain takes us from the Mexican-American War through to the civil war as Cain looks back on a life running from his past as he engages in what he intends to be his last job as a slave catcher. He has been drawn into the occupation due to a skill in tracking and finding slaves that he first identified as a young man.
Rosetta is the runaway slave that he has been hired to find. She runs from a master who has taken his ownership in every way he could and runs to save her soul from that subjugation.
As their lives become entwined, in the days before the Civil War, Cain must face the past he is trying to forget and face up to what his life has become. Rosetta fights to gain her freedom, and yet must also face the subtleties of human behaviour.
This is a journey in a very physical sense, but also a mental journey for both of the main characters. There is a lot of history contained in this story, as well as extremely well-written characters. The reading of the book by Dufris is excellent and captures the characters of the various players in the story.
I loved this novel.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)