March 30, 2008 at 6:14 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Favourite Books, Fiction and Literature, Mystery and Suspense, World Literature
42. Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie (Mystery) 272 p.
This is my first read for the Anything Agatha Challenge, and the first of the six Christie detective novels I’ve never read. Unfortunately, although it’s true this book was new to me, the story wasn’t, since I’d already seen A&E’s 2-hour version. Still, even though I remembered how the murder was committed, I didn’t remember any of the surrounding details.
Murder in Mesopotamia is narrated by Amy Leatheran, a trained hospital nurse. Through a series of events, she finds herself at a dig in Iraq, taking care of Mrs. Leidner, the charming and beautiful wife of a prominent archaeologist. Mrs. Leidner is very nervous and jumpy, and although no one takes her fears very seriously, it soon seems they were justified: Mrs. Leidner is murdered. Local police welcome the help of Hercule Poirot, passing through on his way to Baghdad.
The case is an interesting one, and Nurse Leatheran is an engaging narrator. Another character, Dr. Reilly, describes her writing style as “vigorous, individual and entirely apposite,” and it’s true. Christie also takes the opportunity to make little jokes with her fans, as Miss Leatheran makes observations about Poirot that are funny if you know the truth about him. I also liked the little details of her reactions to archaeology, and her comments about some of the other characters.
I think the real test of quality for any mystery novel is the re-read. Of course, it’s true to a degree for pretty much every book, but more so in the mystery genre. I would never count any mystery novel as a success unless I can fully enjoy it even when I already know the solution. Murder in Mesopotamia passes that test, perhaps not with flying colours, but well enough that I’ll count it among some of my favourite Poirot novels.
Pages read: 11,696
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, 888 Challenge, Agatha Christie, Anything Agatha Challenge, Poirot, What's in a Name?
March 17, 2008 at 11:10 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Children's Literature, Favourite Books, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
33. The Curse of the Blue Figurine by John Bellairs (Children’s Horror) 200 p.
I was lucky enough to find a used bookstore in Toronto that had copies of several of John Bellairs’s children’s books in the old Bantam Skylark softcover editions, for only $3 each. The special thing about them is that, unlike the “updated” cover art on new editions, these older versions feature the Edward Gorey cover art—and they’re the editions I read as a child.
The Curse of the Blue Figurine is the first in Bellairs’s longest-running series, featuring 12-year-old Johnny Dixon and his friend, Professor Roderick Childermass. (Like all Bellairs protagonists, Johhny is a smart, somewhat lonely boy who gets along better with adults than with most kids his age, and who has a close friendship with an intelligent and sympathetic adult.)
The story is set in 1951, and Johnny’s mother has just died. His father, who was an air force pilot during World War II, has jumped at the chance to fly in the Korean War, and has sent Johnny to live with Grandpa and Gramma Dixon, in Duston Heights, Massachusetts. He and his grandparents go to St. Michael’s Church, and he attends the attached Catholic school.
One winter night, after Johnny and his Grandpa have helped to shovel out Professor Childermass’s car, the Professor tells Johhny the story of Father Baart, a 19th-century priest, formerly the rector of St. Michael’s, who may have been an evil sorcerer, and who is said to haunt the church. When Johnny finds a blue figurine and an ominous warning hidden in a hollowed-out book in the church basement, he becomes convinced it has something to do with Father Baart.
I found John Bellairs’s books incredibly frightening when I was a child. Even though they don’t hold the same level of suspense for me these days, they’re still lovely and charming to read. Bellairs creates some wonderfully quirky personalities, and every character vibrates with life, from Johnny’s Gramma to the school bully. I love Johnny, who is a shy and timid, a bookworm and a worrier—not the kind of kid who regularly stars in horror novels.
The most entertaining character is Professor Childermass, a small, middle-aged man with a bad temper and a kind heart. And he has a fuss closet!—a place where, dressed in sweatpants and a sweatshirt, he can vent his frustrations by ranting, yelling, cursing, and pounding on the walls. On the inside of the door is a sign, bearing the words:
TO FUSS IS HUMAN;
TO RANT, DIVINE!
I love it.
It’s such a shame that this book, and all of Bellairs’s kids’ books, were re-issued without the Edward Gorey covers, because they were, and are, such an integral part of my enjoyment of the books. Unlike many illustrators, who seem never to have opened the book, or even glanced at a synopsis or description of the characters, Edward Gorey always drew actual scenes from the book, and the characters always looked exactly right. I couldn’t find a good picture of the cover, but the drawing of Father Baart is perfect; I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cover that was so right.
Pages read: 9,658
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, 888 Challenge, John Bellairs, Johnny Dixon, What's in a Name?
March 13, 2008 at 5:05 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Children's Literature, Favourite Books, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
28. Silver on the Tree by Susan Cooper (Children’s Fantasy) 274 p.
I thought about taking a break from The Dark Is Rising sequence and saving this book for a while. Then I thought about how much I wanted to know what happened next, and that idea went out the window.
Silver on the Tree brings Will Stanton together with all his old friends from the previous books, as the Light gathers to do battle against the Dark.
Susan Cooper’s writing kept me glued to the page right to the end, as usual, even though this wasn’t my favourite book in the series. Actually, it was probably my least favourite, although not by much—the quality of these books is very consistent.
The only thing I didn’t like was the way the series dealt with memory. The Old Ones, who are unambiguously the heroes of the story and represent the forces of good in the world, often use their supernatural abilities to alter the memories of ordinary humans.
This seems dodgy to me, especially since mostly it seems to be done out of expedience rather than necessity. I could accept the power to alter memory as one which could be used for good or evil, with only the Old Ones having the wisdom to use it responsibly—except that as far as I can see, they don’t use it responsibly, or seem to acknowledge that morality even comes into the case. Not an important point, but it bothered me a bit while I was reading the series.
On the other hand, I really liked some of the points made about racism in the book. The book was published in 1977, but there’s one particular conversation that still happens today:
“Not much I don’t know about Indians and Pakkies, after all these years. Of course I got nothing against them personally. Very intelligent, well-educated, some of them. Got myself an op from an Indian doctor at the memorial hospital last year—clever little chap, he was.”
Barbara said, in the same polite voice, “I expect even some of your best friends are Indians and Pakistanis.”
Her father gave her a sharp warning glance, but the words went flickering quite over Mr. Moore’s stubbly head.
It’s sad that even thirty years later, that passage is still funny because I’ve heard that attitude so often. That doesn’t make Susan Cooper any less awesome for writing the scene, though!
Pages read: 8,114
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, 888 Challenge, Susan Cooper, The Dark Is Rising, What's in a Name?
February 25, 2008 at 6:06 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Fiction and Literature, World Literature, Young Adult Literature
21. Swimming in the Monsoon Sea by Shyam Selvadurai (YA) 274 p.
Amrith is a kind, sheltered fourteen-year-old living in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Raised by his mother’s childhood friend, Auntie Bundle, and her husband, Uncle Lucky, after his parents’ deaths, he has no blood relations of his own, and no close friends. That changes when his Canadian cousin Niresh arrives for a visit, and the two boys become close.
As usual, Shyam Selvadurai draws a wonderful portrait of Sri Lanka, this time of Colombo in August, 1980. Amrith is a very charming character, polite and intelligent.
I bought an ARC of this book without realizing it. It’s the first time I’ve ever read one, so I was pleased to discover only a few errors, mostly missing words and a few mistaken words (like “whetted” for “vetted”.)
I’ve always enjoyed Shyam Selvadurai’s writing, so I wasn’t surprised to find myself absorbed in Swimming in the Monsoon Sea. It was Selvadurai’s first young adult novel, though, and it’s nice to see that he made the transition from adult to YA fiction without any signs of difficulty.
Pages read: 6,472
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, Shyam Selvadurai, What's in a Name?, World Lit Challenge II
February 21, 2008 at 3:26 am · Filed under Book Reviews, Favourite Books, Historical Fiction
19. Trade Wind by M.M. Kaye (Historical Fiction) 551 p.
I think, if I had to choose the one word that would best describe this book, it would be “fraught”. Or “harrowing”, perhaps. Imagine a Gothic romance, set in mid-19th century Zanzibar, with an American heroine who happens to be a passionate do-gooder and a committed abolitionist. And a hero who is a smuggler and occasional slave-trader.
If you think you can see where this is going, you may have read too many historical romances. Although the book’s own blurb leaves no doubt that Hero Hollis and Emory Frost will end up together, how they get there is more than a little surprising. At least, it surprised me.
The best thing about M.M. Kaye’s writing is how genuine it is. Even when composing a novel that would have been trashy in most other authors’ hands, she keeps her characters both human and psychologically believable, and she is meticulous in her historical research. (She does take a few liberties with the history of the period, but the changes are scrupulously noted in a postscript.)
The only drawback about this book is its attitude toward rape, which I found a little disturbing, but not surprising, given the time and social milieu in which it’s set.
I always enjoy a book by M.M. Kaye, and Trade Wind is no exception. Raiders, slave traders, witch doctors, sultans, gold, jewels, shipwrecks, picnics, kidnapping, disease, gun running…seriously, this book has something for everyone!
Pages read: 5,944
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, Chunkster Challenge 2008, M.M. Kaye, What's in a Name?, World Lit Challenge II
February 13, 2008 at 3:46 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Mystery and Suspense, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror, World Literature
10. Snake Agent by Liz Williams (Mystery, Fantasy, Science Fiction) 267 p.
Detective Inspector Chen Wei is Singapore Three’s snake agent, the police officer who deals with the city’s supernatural crimes. He is approached by the wife of a prominent citizen whose daughter, a young girl who ought to be among the peach orchards of Heaven, has instead been photographed in Hell. Investigation at the funeral parlour shows that all Pearl’s paperwork seems to have been in order, her entry visa properly filed, so Chen has no doubt that something sinister is going on. He teams up with an agent from Hell’s Ministry of Vice, while his wife, Inari, deals with problems of her own.
Snake Agent isn’t quite like anything I’ve ever read before. It blends elements from a number of genres—mystery, fantasy, science fiction, horror—into a cohesive whole. The story takes place in the near future, in a modern city, but with a background of Chinese Taoist culture and beliefs. While this isn’t the best book I’ve read recently, the sheer novelty of the setting and some of the characters more than made up for it, and there are even a few funny moments:
The ghost-tracker scuttled along, casting about itself with its long whiskers. Its claws clicked on the pavement. Passers-by took one look at Detective Inspector Chen hastening down the road with a lobster on a string, like one of the more eccentric French surrealists, and gave him a very wide berth. (85)
I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for the next books in the series, The Demon and the City and Precious Dragon. (Frankly, the books in this series are worth buying for the cover art alone, which I loved as soon as I saw Carl V.’s recommendation—not surprising, since they’re drawn by Jon Foster, who is probably my favourite cover artist ever.)
Pages read: 3,195
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, Detective Inspector Chen, Liz Williams, Unread Authors Challenge, What's in a Name?, World Lit Challenge
February 11, 2008 at 3:33 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Favourite Books, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
8. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (Science Fiction) 226 p.
At the age of six, Andrew Wiggin, who prefers to be called Ender, is taken from his family to be trained as a soldier. Test results and close observation have convinced Earth’s military, in the form of a certain Colonel Graff, that Ender may hold the key to the planet’s defence. The enemy are the buggers, a race who have already sent two invasion forces with near-disastrous consequences for humanity. Once at Battle School, a combination of coursework, games, and psychological manipulation are used to train Ender for the most important battle of all.
Some time ago, I picked up a copy of First Meetings, a group of four stories set in the Enderverse, including the original Ender’s Game, a novelette that appeared in Analog in 1977 (it wasn’t expanded and published as a novel until 1985.) Somewhat against my better judgement, I read the novelette. Having heard so much about the novel, I wanted to read it. Once the novelette was in my hands, though, I couldn’t help but read it, even though I feared that it would provide an inferior experience and lessen my pleasure when it came time to read the “real” story. I was justified in the former fear, but not the latter.
The novel is by far the better telling of the story. It takes everything that was good about the novelette, and adds a wealth of detail, character development, and emotion, without a single wasted word. I thought knowing the end would make reading the novel pointless; instead, it only made clear to me how little Card depended on a flashy climax to keep the reader’s interest. As well as having more time to explore the existing characters from the novelette, the expanded form gave Card room to create many new secondary characters, all of whom are worth the space they’re given in the novel.
My trip to the bookstore today will definitely include a search for the first sequel, Speaker for the Dead. If you’re the slightest bit interested in SF or war fiction, and you haven’t read Ender’s Game yet, do it. Now. Today.
Pages read: 2,589
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, Ender quartet, Enderverse, Orson Scott Card, Sci-Fi Classics Challenge, Unread Authors Challenge, What's in a Name?
January 10, 2008 at 2:02 pm · Filed under Book Reviews
I had to participate in this challenge, just because I knew the list would be a lot of fun to create. And it was. Here are the 6 books I plan to read/have read for the What’s in a Name? challenge (along with some alternates):
- A book with a colour in its title:
- A book with an animal in its title:
- A book with a first name in its title:
- A book with a place in its title:
- A book with a weather event in its title:
- A book with a plant in its title:
Tags: Book Lists, What's in a Name?
