Dreams and Shadows

C. Robert Cargill
2013
978-0062190-423

The back of the book touted it as a 'modern American tale' and promised faerie, which was enough for me to give it a go.  Definitely not a book for children, it had far more myth, violence and complexity than I was expecting - in short, it was the story I didn't know I'd been looking for.

Beginning with two boys: Ewan, stolen from his parents and promised a future as a fairy, and Colby, who meets a genie and starts on an adventure.  Neither has any idea just how important they are to each other, in spite of the warning signs.

By the time these two are grown, the world is a far less exciting place than it had been when they were children - but that's about to change, and sometimes excitement is the last thing you want.

I really struggled with the first hundred pages or so.  It was a bit frustrating, not really knowing what was happening or why, but the moment Book Two began, when the boys are grown, everything clicked into place and I couldn't put this down.

This is no rose-tinted tale of magic and beauty, this is balls-out terror and violence, and it's brilliant.  Everything is brought together both painfully and seamlessly, the way it needs to be, leaving you with the feeling you've been well and truly educated about the ways of the world.

This is exactly the kind of book you finish and immediately want to start again, because this time you know just a little more about why.

The ending surprised me, although it shouldn't have, and I found myself sympathising with Gossamer about the fact he'd never get home again.  This book managed to strip away any expectations I had, and replaced them with a sort of fascinated dread.

Finished 22/10/14
Rated 4.5 / 5

City of Sins

Daniel Blake
2011
ISBN 9780007384501

Contains spoilers for Soul Murder, the first book in the series.

Soul Murder

Daniel Blake
2009
ISBN 9781439197486

Opening with a stock-standard raid in a bad neighbourhood, this book holds nothing back. Patrese and Beradino begin with a murder, an arrest, and a shooting, but are quickly catapulted into a whole different league: high profile men of the city are being burned alive.

With few clues and personal issues clouding the way, this book starts relatively slowly but quickly builds into a gripping, tension-filled ride of double-guessing and double-dealings.

I was kept guessing until the very end, and was taken by surprise, without feeling like I'd missed something obvious. The hints were in place, but presented in such a way that I don't know if anyone could have picked it.

Religion features heavily in this story. The fundamentals of both Christianity and Islam are explored more than I'd expected, and I found the casual way the Bible was quoted and God was referenced became a little distracting. Still, it was important to the story, and Patrese's reluctance to engage religion in any form helped to counterbalance the fervour of everyone else.

I really enjoyed this. Not being the usual kind of book I read, I wasn't sure how I'd go with it, but it was a refreshing change, and the heaviness of some of the details weren't so strong as to put me off reading.

Date finished: 08/12/13

Rating: 4/5

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Neil Gaiman
2013
0062255657

When you're 7, the world is huge, adults are to be trusted, and magic exists in that but-not-really kind of way.

And then all of a sudden you find a hole in your foot and you learn that the world is a much bigger - and smaller - place than you could ever have imagined.

This is the story of a boy who finds himself a new friend and a dreadful new enemy, and how he does his best to stay safe.  It's an interesting tale, but it didn't draw me in the way Gaiman's books usually do.

I couldn't quite find enough sympathy for the young narrator, and was more interested in the rest of the story.  So many things were alluded to that held so much promise, but the main story crowded them out.

This is the first Gaiman book I've read that I haven't quite connected with, and I have a feeling that a re-read in a year or two might yield a different result - once the hype has died down some, and I can read it without expectation.

Date finished: 18.11.13
Rating: 3/5

Red Lily

Nora Roberts

2005

9780515139402

I’m not one for romance novels.  I fell into this trilogy as a club read, and while the romance side of it seemed contrived and over the top, the ghost story drew me in enough to read the second book, and now the third.

Hayley is the last woman left of the three, so it’s her turn to give in to all sorts of hot flushes, fantasies and knee-buckling kisses.  Her man, the son and heir of the house, is the usual perfect blend of masculinity and endearing irritating traits that all of the other men in the trilogy had, and they skirt around each other with no real obstacles, except for the insane ghost.

Amelia, the ghost, is the real star of this story.  Hardened and unbalanced, her story is finally exposed, and the truth about what happened over a hundred years before comes to light.

The happy ending (for everyone, naturally) came too quickly, after an entire book devoted to building the tension.  Everything was tidily wrapped up within three pages, and it seemed like a bit of an anti-climax.  Even a last look at Amelia, being at peace, would have brought more closure.  Instead, there was an extract from the next book that Roberts released.

I left this series with a feeling of dissatisfaction, and I’m a bit mystified at how she’s such a popular writer.

Finished 17.11.13
Rated 2/5

The Book Thief

Markus Zusak
2005
978-0-375-84220-7

Liesel meminger is the daughter of a communist - a precarious thing to be in 1939 Germany.  She is given to a foster family in a new town, and she is taught to read from a gravedigger's manual - the first book she steals.

Words become her life, along with her new papa and Max, the Jewish fighter who is living in their basement.  Max, who depends on Liesel to be his eyes in a terrifying, hateful world.  There is also Rudy, the boy next door, her best friend and partner in crime, who can't understand why she steals books and not food.

Liesel is watched by the narrator, the busiest narrator during one of his busiest periods, and he shares her story in her own words.

Exquisitely crafted, this story lures you in to a life of everyday poverty, the spectre of war and of battles with bullies.  There is humour to be found here, and love.  And heartbreak.

This is a story that will stick with me for a long time to come.  It is haunting and chilling, intense in dark moments and endearing in lighter ones.

This is a story that I'm immensely grateful to have found.

Finished 16/11/13.
Read for Online Book Club December group read

The Dark

James Herbert
1980
ISBN 0330376209 

Bishop, paranormal investigator and skeptic, finds himself confronting an idea that goes against every scientific theory he has - that evil has managed to become a physical force, invading the minds of Londoners.  The evidence - and the bodies - pile up, but how can it be stopped?

Written in 1980, this book easily translates to the present day.  The medical and scientific terminology still fits, and serves to deepen the disquiet this book brings to the reader.

The tension builds smoothly, and I did find myself how any kind of ending could fit within the remaining pages and still do justice to everything that preceded it - and with the resolution presenting itself in the final few sentences, I was a little disappointed at the sudden, rushed climax.

The afterword tempered that slightly, but I would have liked it to be a bit more detailed.  Even so, this was a solid horror based on the scariest of ideas - that of man indulging in his darkest thoughts.

Finished 06.10.13

The Boy who Lived with Ghosts

John Mitchell

2013

ISBN 0615793207

This is not a book I would choose without a prompt to do so, but I’m glad I gave it a go.

The settings - housing estates and pubs - paint a vivid picture right from the beginning, and the interactions of the family members bring to life an interesting and volatile childhood that, although it’s revealed in a touching and amusing way, is quite shocking at the same time.

I liked the way John parroted the phrases of the adults around him, casually pointing out that he’d break his bloody neck one day, and the way he started each chapter with a complete deconstruction of any earlier optimism made it hard to remember that this isn’t fiction - this was a real childhood, shocking in places and difficult by any standards.

Margueretta takes centre stage, claiming any and all attention, healthy or not, and in the early days of mental illness diagnoses, created every kind of tension in an already tough situation.  I felt sympathetic to the entire family, but perhaps for John’s mother most of all, and her breakdown was more expected than surprising. 

This was a fascinating glimpse into a different time, and a different way of life.  

Finished 28/10/13
Read as monthly read for OnlineBookclub.org

Hyddenworld: Awakening

William Horwood

2011

0230712614 

This book opened with a more in-depth retelling of the final chapters of the book that preceded it, which I appreciated.  Dropping catch-up details throughout a book can get irritating, so it was a refreshing change to have it all done and out of the way right from the beginning.

Spring was about Brum, and Englalond.  This second installment has expanded the world to Europe, and the entire Earth, and follows characters on all sides of the struggle for the Spring gem.  Less about Jack and more about the world at large.

Judith, the Shield Maiden, is a tortured character, one moment a child and the next more adult than her parents, but her story was less interesting to me than that of Bedwyn Stort.  I wouldn’t have guessed from the first book that his thread would have been such an important one.

I found this book to be more interesting and slightly more adult than the first book.  The language is still wonderfully easy to absorb, in spite of the more complex politics and ideas, and hints of things to come.  It follows well with the idea of each book being a season in the story, and I’m looking forward to seeing how Autumn and Winter develop.

Finished 16/10/13

Hyddenworld: Spring

William Horwood
2009
0230712606

This is a re-read – I first read this book in 2010, and thoroughly enjoyed it.  This time around was prompted by finding the second book in the series, and wanting to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything important.  (it turns out that wasn’t necessary, as the first part of the second book seems to be the last few chapters of book one, which is helpful)

Easy to read and beautifully composed, this book seems at times to be written for children – the language is easy to absorb and brings to life the forgotten corners of semi-rural England – but the themes and politics keep it interesting for an older audience.

The characters are flawed, in the generally adorable manner of a trusted circle of good guys, without being overly saccharine.  The world-building isn’t overbearing, and is as much a part of the story as the unfolding of their journey.

Jack and Katherine’s love story is slow and sweet, although I did find that Jack settling into life at the cottage at the beginning seemed to be less smooth than the rest of the narrative.

I really enjoyed this as a quick retreat from the world over lunchbreaks.  Not too demanding, and interesting enough that I’m already into the sequel.

Finished: 11/10/13

The Fiction Class

By Susan Breen

Arabella’s world revolves around her two main challenges in life: her relationship with her mother, and figuring out the ending to her novel.  Neither seems like a solvable problem, but her writing class, and the conclusions she draws about her students, at least gives her a starting point.

When she is told her mother is sick, she realizes how little time she actually has left to come to terms with who her mother is – and whether or not she’s up to trying to fix their relationship.

Interspersed with her writing classes and accompanying exercises (which I didn’t do, as I was too eager to get on with the story), the story of Arabella and her mother has an arresting appeal.  Both are flawed, both are stuck on their side of their arguments and both are unwilling to budge.

I found this book quite refreshing in that there were no perfect people; even Arabella and her conclusions about people where truly human – unbalanced and unfair, but able to be changed as she discovered more about the people around her.  To me, this made her more likeable, as she was someone that I actually related to, rather than the perfect, demure but strong heroine she was named after.

In fact, the only person I didn’t like in this story was Chuck, and for the same reason that Arabella herself was reluctant to like him.  He seemed too perfect, and there wasn’t really any progress made in understanding him, or why Arabella liked him.  I thought that the others in her class were much easier to understand, as they were as flawed and human as Arabella herself.

This isn’t the normal kind of book I go for, but I’m really glad I picked this one up.  It was well-written (as a book about an author would need to be!), and I really enjoyed it.

Rating: 4/5
Date finished: 23/11/12

The Last Sky

By Alice Nelson

This is the story of Maya Wise, who chooses to hide her stories between the other stories she stumbles across.  Left in Hong Kong while her husband pursues his obsessions in the desert.  She exists in a lonely haze of other people’s lives, and the feeling that she doesn’t belong.  While that’s something that everyone can relate to, to some degree, I found it difficult to understand the lack of passion in Maya’s life.  Her apathy made it difficult for me to sympathise with her, and I was much more interested in the story of Ken’s education in China that in finding out what conclusions Maya draws about her own life.

The tone of this book struck me as dreamy, and it was a relaxing read in spite of my impatience with Maya.  Hong Kong is presented as a true melting pot of cultures, and the contrasting memories of Australia, with it’s trees and sea views, and both places were as interesting as any of the characters.

Rating: 3/5
Date Finished: 14 November 2012

The Witches of Chiswick

By Robert Rankin

Robert Rankin truly is the master of ridiculously entertaining, hilariously funny tall tales.  In this tale, Will Starling meets The Lad Himself, Huge Rune, and is set the task of solving the impossible, while thwarting the most evil, most encompassing and most devious plot of all time.  All without paying for a single hotel room, and avoiding large killing machines with European accents.

Starling is a bit of a git, and his clashes with Barry were a bit of a mystery to me.  If a sprout lodged in your ear is offering advice, wouldn't you at least pause long enough to listen to his theory, what with him being right in your brain and all?  Although, if it was me, I'd be reaching for a long skewer as well, especially after hearing about Larry and what he got up to inside someone's noggin.

I liked this book; really enjoyed it.  Except for one tiny little niggle.  I'm used to Rankin's characters finishing an adventure with no sense of resolution or purpose, but I don't like that feeling myself, and the final few paragraphs would have had me throwing the book across the room in a sulk, if I hadn't been reading it on a rainy highway several hours from a room in which to throw it.

I suppose that's half the fun though...

Date finished: 22/10/12
Rating:  5 out of 5

The Poe Shadow

By Matthew Pearl

A nonfiction theory couched in a fictional tale of mystery and conspiracy... this book was much larger in scope than I'd expected, and much more intelligently written.  So many threads have been pulled together that I was a little surprised that I was able to keep up with the different names, roles and theories about each character.

Not being an American, I haven't had much exposure to Poe and his works, so much of this was completely new to me, but it was fairly easy to pick up.  I assume that this story has been written with the same formal style that Poe himself used, and once I got used to the slightly slower atmosphere, it was really enjoyable.

The mystery itself was vague, which wasn't a bad thing, and the pace was both steady and surprising.  Set in the nineteenth century, there was quite a bit about proper etiquette and the do's and don't's of civilised society, which was interesting, but it didn't detract from the progress of the mystery itself.

I did feel that the climax of the book was separated from the mystery a little bit - Quentin's own fate was far more interesting to me than Poe's, by the end.

Rating: 3 out of 5 - would read another book by Pearl, but not sure if I would actively seek one out.
Date finished: 08/10/12

Edit: realised I'd managed to mess up the rating...

What-The-Dickens

The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy
By Gregory Maguire

This book is two stories in one.  The first is a (possibly) post-apocalyptic 'real' world tale of a man and his young cousins.  It's serious and dire, and serves as a stark contrast to the main story, a fantasy tale about an orphaned tooth fairy named What-the-Dickens.  As this second story is being told to the children in the first tale, it's much lighter and clearly has a much younger target audience.

Although it deals with some pretty serious stuff (death, loneliness) it manages to do so without dragging the reader down, keeping it light-hearted and amusing.

Both tales are left with no definite conclusion, leaving you to wonder, or, better yet, imagine your own endings.  Utterly different to Maguire's Wicked, this book is loosely structured, enchanting and sweet.  It's easy to imagine this one as an animated movie.

My rating: 4 / 5

Something Wicked This Way Comes

By Ray Bradbury

I've never read any of Bradbury's book before, but this one popped up as a book club read.  It took me the first half dozen chapters to slow down enough to savour the way it had been written, and once I settled into the poetic, hazy imagery, I really enjoyed it.

I know that a lot of other, more talented authors have said a lot about Ray Bradbury and his writings, so I'm not going to try and describe the story itself - except to mention that it was different to in-your-face gory horror that abounds today.  Poetic, imaginative and beautiful, I thought it was superb.

Oh look!

A blog that I forgot I had! Let's see - if I ever get to the end of the book I'm reading, I'll have to remember to start posting again.

The Time Travellers Wife

By Audrey Niffenegger

One of those books that absolutely everyone raves about, I stayed well clear of it until last year, when I picked it up at a boot sale for a buck (what's not to lose?). I'm glad that I came to it eventually, and discovered that the adoration professed by everyone who reads it is pretty much spot on. The characters are flawed and human, each wrapped up in their own problems, but still likable, and the love story that is weaved around is exquisitely played out.

I have read this before, so had an idea of what to expect, but I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this story, even if it was powerful enough to bring me to tears. I hope the movie can measure up to the sky-high expectations this book gave me.

Date finished: 13/11/09
Year total: no idea!

The Last House in the Galaxy

Andy Secombe

The blurb suggested a funny book, which was enough for me to give it a try.  I'm glad I did; this is a relatively light read, taking place all over the galaxy as the rebels try to steal a device out from under the Evil Dictator that would give them the advantage.  With not-very-subtle comparisons to Star Wars and a thoroughly British sense of storytelling, this wasn't so much laugh-a-minute as it was a case of reading for an hour and not realising that time was passing.

Although I didn't get the sense that it was part of a series, I'd be keen to see what else I can find by Secombe.  If it's much like this book, it'll be totally worth the effort.

Date finished: 21/03/09
Year total: 12

The X Files: Goblins & Whirlwinds

Charles L Grant

Two separate stories, these are set near the first season of the show, before too much of the Conspiracy is looked into.  Goblins deals with a military experiment gone astray, and comes to a climax at night in torrential rain.  Whirlwinds takes place in the Southwest desert and involves Indian magic.

Both were good reads, and it's possible to pick up the conversations as they flow on the show; I'm not sure a non-fan would get much out of these stories, but they were a good way to spend an afternoon, almost nostalgic.

Date finished: 18/03/09
Year Total: 11