The Woman of Cabin 10

The Woman in Cabin 10 
by Ruth Ware 


Blurb: 

Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. The sky is clear, the waters calm, and the veneered, select guests jovial as the exclusive cruise ship, the Aurora, begins her voyage in the picturesque North Sea.

At first, Lo's stay is nothing but pleasant: the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparkling, and the guests are elegant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo's desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong.

My Reaction:
Glancing through several reviews, I see that this book inspires some strong negative reactions. I feel a little more lukewarm about it. It wasn't great, no, but I thought it was a reasonably enjoyable suspense/thriller page-turner type of book-- with a few caveats. It sounds like maybe this book was promoted as Something Amazing, and when it couldn't live up to the hype, readers were not pleased. Or maybe I was just in a more generous mood when I read it. In any case, about those caveats...

First, I didn't really like Lo that much. I know, I know! Not all protagonists have to be "likable"-- but honestly, sometimes they should be. In this instance, a less irritating protagonist would've made the book better. Lo was a bit too rude, at times. Her poor treatment of her boyfriend, in particular, was frustrating to read. Then there were all the times she (stupidly) self-medicated with alcohol-- more than a little annoying to read about for the fifth or sixth time. Perhaps most damning of all, Lo is just not that bright, unfortunately. She certainly doesn't have much to offer in the way of investigative journalism or common sense.

Then there were plenty of examples of things that didn't make complete, logical sense to me-- "Why would she do X? What about Y? Surely someone would've noticed Z!" kind of moments. You do have to suspend your disbelief a fair bit.

I was also disappointed that there was so little description of the surroundings-- the sea, the sky, the shoreline. I would have enjoyed a little more Scandinavian local color, but given that most of the action took place on a yacht, I guess that was never likely to happen. (It would've been nice, though.)

Those things aside, it was a fairly generic piece of mystery-driven escapism. It's not the best I've read in the genre-- not the cleverest, not the most edge-of-your-seat, not the fastest-paced-- but if you like these kinds of novels, you might like this one, too. I thought it was interesting enough!

(My nit-pickiest observation while reading this novel was probably that the American boyfriend used some phrases that sounded very British-- definitely not believable from a guy from New York. But maybe that was just me...)

Addicted to Scraps

Addicted to Scraps: 12 Vibrant Quilt Projects
by Bonnie K. Hunter


Blurb:

Forever change the way you look at scraps! Best-selling author, Quiltmaker columnist, and esteemed teacher Bonnie K. Hunter shares 12 large, multicolored scrap quilt patterns in her signature style. Learn how to sew leftover strips into usable fabric that's readily available for projects with Bonnie's easy-to-use Scrap User's System. This complete guide to scrap quilting includes full-size templates, 2 paper-piecing patterns, and a full chapter on quiltmaking basics for scrap addicts.

My Reaction:
Bonnie K. Hunter is known for her scrap-friendly style of quilt design.  If you love quilts that use up anything and everything (including "ugly" fabric, out-of-fashion prints, and small leftover bits and pieces), you owe it to yourself to take a closer look at her patterns.

This book has patterns for a dozen quilts in her colorful, playful, scrappy style.  I recommend visiting this post on Bonnie's blog to preview the patterns in Addicted to Scraps.  There are a lot of small pieces in some of these quilts, and yes, they can be a bit "busy".  But "busy" isn't a four-letter word (ha ha) for some of us.  So-called busy quilts are usually what I'd call happy, energetic, and fun.  If you agree, you'll probably find a lot to love here or in one of the designer's other books. 

If you're interested in organizing your jumbled bags or boxes of scraps into more readily usable cuts of fabric, be sure to check out the information on Bonnie's Scrap User's System.  I've yet to implement it, but one of these days...

String Fling

String Fling: Scrappy, Happy and Loving It!
by Bonnie K. Hunter


Blurb:

Bonnie is back! And this time she's introducing us to a world of string piecing. Strings are strips and scraps usually too small to be useful for other projects, but they are just right for these 13 new quilts. Within these pages you will find a twist on traditional, time-honored designs along with some new ideas straight from Bonnie's scrappy imagination.

My Reaction: 
If you love a scrappy style of quilting, you'll want to look at some of Bonnie K. Hunter's patterns.  She has that "everything including the kitchen sink" style that (in my ever-so-humble opinion) feels truer to the classic "mend and make do" quilt aesthetic than the matchy-matchy, perfectly coordinated style, where every piece of fabric comes from one collection of prints.  That's not to say that a matchy-matchy quilt is inferior or wrong in some way.  It's just a different style.  Personally, I find a busy mix (and sometimes even intentional clash) of prints and colors charming.  If you do, too, give this a look!

The patterns in this particular book (as you might have gathered from the title) all include string piecing.  I won't bore you with definitions and descriptions you could easily look up on your own; suffice it to say that string piecing is easy, fun, and addictive.  I'd say string piecing is an ideal introduction to quilting, since there are so few rules to follow.  If you can sew a (reasonably) straight line, you can string piece.

These patterns take the idea of string quilting and run with it in different directions-- and in varying degrees of difficulty.  There's room to grow new skills in these pages.  Recommended for fans of the scrappy style!

(This book also describes Bonnie K. Hunter's system for cutting and storing scraps so that they're at their optimal usefulness.  I haven't implemented her system in my own relatively young stash, yet, but it's interesting, and I'm keeping it in mind for the future.  If you're drowning in scraps, it does seem like a great way to create useful cuts of fabric that are easier to transform into quilts.)

The Eye of Argon

The Eye of Argon
by Jim Theis


Blurb:

This is not a hoax. Jim Theis was a real person, who wrote The Eye of Argon in all seriousness as a teenager, and published it in a fanzine, Osfan, in 1970. But the story did not pass into the oblivion that awaits most amateur fiction. Instead, a miracle happened, and transcribed and photocopied texts began to circulate in science fiction circles, gaining a wide and incredulous audience among both professionals and fans. It became the ultimate samizdat, an underground classic, and for more than thirty years it has been the subject of midnight readings at conventions, as thousands have come to appreciate the negative genius of this amazing Ed Wood of prose.

My Reaction:
Donald and I read this... long short story? extremely brief novella?... together after seeing that it had been chosen for the "book club podcast" 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back.  I'd never heard of it before this and can almost guarantee that, were it not for the podcast, would never have read it.

It's such a short work that you can't really write much about it without giving away what passes for the plot.  Suffice it to say that it's amazingly bad-- yet perversely entertaining.  This has undoubtedly been the most fun I've had reading something so poorly written.

It must be experienced to be fully appreciated.  I might have shared a quote to tempt you, at this point, but there are too many dizzyingly awful ones to choose among; I couldn't do it!  However, it's available for free online (be sure to find a version with the illustrations), and it doesn't take long to read.  If you're a connoisseur of bad literature, it's not to be missed.

Like other reviewers before me, I don't know how to rate The Eye of Argon!  Is it one star because the writing is so unfathomably atrocious-- or five stars because it had us howling with laughter?  A three-star rating seems impossible, because there's nothing mediocre about this... this... whatever it is.

The Pole Vault Championship of the Entire Universe

The Pole Vault Championship of the Entire Universe
by Conor Lastowka


Blurb:

Kara Everglades has just finished her first year of high school and is longing for an adventure. So far her only option is an invitation from some upperclassmen to watch them drunkenly race a bunch of bullfrogs in a ditch. To be honest, she was hoping for something a bit more exciting.

Her grandfather, Cornelius Everglades, is a renegade who founded his own island micronation. Unfortunately, the rest of the world refuses to acknowledge it (possibly because he’s gone about the nation-building process using wildly illegal and unethical means).

When Cornelius shows up at Kara’s door needing her help and promising an adventure, Kara agrees to go along with his far-fetched plan to put his micronation on the map, even though a) she thought Cornelius was dead, and b) his scheme depends heavily on Kara wearing a mascot costume.

If Kara had known about the giant alien spaceship currently speeding toward her grandfather’s country with the intent to subjugate and humiliate mankind, she might have reconsidered.

My Reaction:
Donald and I decided to read this together after enjoying the "372 Pages" podcast by the author, Conor Lastowka, and Michael J. Nelson (of MST3K and Rifftrax fame).  We didn't know what to expect, but considering that the author writes for Rifftrax (and was funny in the podcast), we were optimistic.

It took me a little while to acclimate to this style of humor (which often veers into the absurd), but once we'd settled in, it was a very funny read, and we laughed more and more frequently as the story progressed.

At first, I thought the book was tailored for a young adult audience (mainly because of a teenage protagonist and the cartoony cover art), but some adult language (and maybe a few of the jokes) soon disabused me of that notion.  (Not that modern YA is pure as the driven snow, as far as cursing goes.  An older YA reader could enjoy this book, but I wouldn't say it's necessarily geared toward that audience.)

Both Donald and I thought that Cornelius was a strange, completely unsympathetic character (especially for a long-lost grandpa)-- and I'm not sure how I felt about Kara's increasing resemblance to him-- but this isn't exactly the kind of novel you should take too seriously, so though I don't really like Cornelius, I enjoyed the humor he brought to the story.

We agreed that the strongest parts of the novel were those featuring the aliens, which we thoroughly enjoyed.  (I wouldn't mind reading more about them, in fact.)

Recommended to anyone in need of a good laugh!

The Matrix

The Matrix
by Jonathan Aycliffe


Blurb:

After the death of his wife, Scottish scholar Andrew Macleod finds solace in his research. Delving into an ancient text entitled Matrix Aeternitatis, Andrew allows himself to be drawn into an inner circle of evil from which there is no escape. Poised on the edge of the horrific abyss between life and death, Andrew's life will never again be his own.

My Reaction:
(No, not that one.  The "Matrix" in this novel is an ancient-- and evil-- book of magic.)

You'll recognize most of the bits and pieces of this novel-- particularly if you've a penchant for good old-fashioned atmospheric horror and Lovecraftian "weird fiction".  However, recognizing the signs, knowing full well what's coming, and (mentally) shouting at the characters, "Stop, for goodness' sake!"-- that's all part of the fun of this type of book.

If you don't mind predictability, there's plenty to enjoy here.

One thing, though, that I can never understand in books of this type (and it does seem to happen fairly often) is this:  How can a character who has witnessed all sorts of magical, mystical, paranormal phenomena be so certain that none of the "good stuff" could possibly also be true?  No God, or in this case, no heaven.  I guess it's supposed to contribute to the overall feeling of gloom and dread-- no light at the end of the tunnel-- but I find it illogical and strange.

I'd give this 3.5 stars if possible.

Stranger at Wildings

Stranger at Wildings
by Madeleine Brent


Blurb:

Here is a tale of charm and adventure-- set in Europe around the turn of the century--whose colorful action ranges from a touring circus in Hungary to the fox-hunting society of the English countryside to the elegant circles of wealth and fashion in London. It is the story of a spirited young woman of eighteen who has left an unhappy, uncertain past in England and made a new life for herself as a trapeze artist in a small touring circus... 

But that forgotten past will stumble upon her one day, beside a stream in Hungary, where the circus has pitched its tents for a time. It will come in the form of a mysterious young man-- handsome, appealing, yet curiously remote-- whose appearance is the beginning of a strange, dangerous intrigue that involves deception, romance, disappearance and, in the end, the revelations of a family's darkest secrets.

My Reaction:
This is the third "Madeleine Brent" novel I've read, to date.  The first, Moonraker's Bride, I loved; the second, Merlin's Keep, was slightly less of a favorite, but I'd still give it 4.5 stars.  Stranger at Wildings is another star down the ladder, for me.

I enjoyed parts of the book and the overall tone-- it's one of those books where you know everything will turn out okay and nothing too bad will happen to the main characters-- but there were also times when I couldn't suppress an eye-roll or even an inward groan.  I don't remember feeling that way about Moonraker's Bride.

Perhaps part of my problem with the book was that circuses and medical ambitions aren't exactly tailored to my personal literary sweet spots, though I did enjoy aspects of the circus element better than I would've expected.  Also, while I knew to expect amazing coincidences, some of these were a bit much!

So, not a favorite, but a decent read.  I'd recommend it to fans of the genre, but not as an introduction to the author.

No Fond Return of Love

No Fond Return of Love
by Barbara Pym


Blurb:

Dulcie Mainwaring, the heroine of the book, is one of those excellent women who is always helping others and never looking out for herself-- especially in the realms of love. The novel has a delicate tangle of schemes and unfulfilled dreams, hidden secrets and a castle or two. Told wonderfully in the deadpan honesty that has become a Pym hallmark, this book is a delight.

My Reaction:
Donald and I chose this almost at random as our latest "shared read-aloud" book. We were in need of something for our next read and selected this from what I already had loaded on my Kindle. Choice was limited (lots of horror on there, at the moment), and this was the closest to our usual fare of light humor. I'd been meaning to try some Pym, but had never really planned on it being shared reading material. However, it served that purpose better than I would've predicted, and I think we both enjoyed it!

I found my first Pym to be much as advertised-- a relatively quiet, unassuming story (a not particularly romantic romance) about a year or so in the lives of a smallish cast of characters, most of whom are members of the English middle class.

Essentially, it's a modern/mid-century comedy of manners. The sense of humor is mild and restrained ("dry" is probably the standard descriptor), but it is unquestionably there and springs up at some unexpected moments.

Embedded in a rather simple tale of ordinary people are moments of keen insight and honesty, just slipped in here and there, casually-- the type of observations where you instantly recognize yourself and your own life (for better or worse!). Those tiny blips of brilliance give this novel a surprising depth and complexity that elevate it to the level of "literature".

I believe I first came across Pym as a recommendation for fans of E.F. Benson's Lucia series. I would agree with the suggestion, but with the caveat that (based on the little Pym I've read) Benson's Lucia novels have a slightly acrid, often biting sense of humor and more outsized character personalities than Pym's, where the humor is softer, muted-- more representative, maybe, of real life. Benson makes me laugh harder, but Pym is more profound (and a little bittersweet).

I'll certainly be reading more from this author!

Slade House

Slade House
by David Mitchell


Blurb:

Down the road from a working-class British pub, along the brick wall of a narrow alley, if the conditions are exactly right, you’ll find the entrance to Slade House. A stranger will greet you by name and invite you inside. At first, you won’t want to leave. Later, you’ll find that you can’t. Every nine years, the house’s residents—an odd brother and sister—extend a unique invitation to someone who’s different or lonely: a precocious teenager, a recently divorced policeman, a shy college student. But what really goes on inside Slade House? For those who find out, it’s already too late... 

Spanning five decades, from the last days of the 1970s to the present, leaping genres, and barreling toward an astonishing conclusion, this intricately woven novel will pull you into a reality-warping new vision of the haunted house story—as only David Mitchell could imagine it.

My Reaction:
I'm not sure why, but somehow I had the impression that this short novel included some seriously gruesome horror. I was almost a little worried that it might be too much for me. (I like atmospheric and psychological horror, but my tolerance for body horror is low.) That worry was needless, as Slade House is less horror than it is paranormal science fiction.

The novel starts off promisingly. The shifting points of view add a layer of interest, and characters are quite distinctive and well-drawn, considering how briefly we meet each one. I was intrigued and enjoyed following the trail of breadcrumbs and putting the pieces together.

However, at some point, my interest began to wane. For one thing, it became a bit too repetitive. (By the very nature of the story, there has to be some repetition, I suppose, but it could've been handled more skillfully.) It stopped being spooky, then the ending had a definite flavor of deus ex machina. It was a little too "been there, done that" in the last paragraph or two, as well.

To be honest, I also have a bad taste in my mouth from two or three things that felt out of place in the context of the novel. I've forgotten the one(s) from earlier in the book, but the last one came just a few pages from the end-- a reference to "neocons" in a list of "vultures" that also includes "feudal lords", "slave traders", "oligarchs" and "predators". I just... Why? (I'm curious how the author would even define "neocon", since it seems to be a chameleon term that means something different to each person who uses it.)

Meh, whatever.

I enjoyed much of the first half (or more), but sadly, it eventually fizzled. It's a quick read, though, so it doesn't take much of an investment of time and energy to give it a try.

Armada

Armada 
by Ernest Cline


Blurb:

Zack Lightman has spent his life dreaming. Dreaming that the real world could be a little more like the countless science-fiction books, movies, and videogames he’s spent his life consuming. Dreaming that one day, some fantastic, world-altering event will shatter the monotony of his humdrum existence and whisk him off on some grand space-faring adventure.

My Reaction:
(This was a shared read-aloud with Donald.)

This really isn't good (in my ever-so-humble opinion).

The only reason I was willing to read Armada at all (at Donald's suggestion) was so we could continue with the "podcast book club" we listened to as we read our way through Ready Player One. It was one of those weird situations where you start a book knowing you probably won't like it, simply for the perverse "pleasure" of marveling over just how bad and ridiculous it is.

I could go into the details of what makes it bad, but there are plenty of reviews that have already done so (and I didn't take notes). A short, generalized list? It copies too freely from other movies/books that did the story better. The characters aren't believable. It's largely predictable. The action scenes put me to sleep. Implausible, ludicrous things happen and are said and done for no apparent reason. Bottom line? It's not very good.

However, I will say that I don't think this novel is particularly worse than Ready Player One, so I don't understand why RPO (currently, at least) has such a higher rating than Armada. Neither book seems especially original to me, neither has much literary value-- and at least Armada didn't subject me to detailed descriptions of characters playing crappy old video games.  (Apologies if you love those old video games. To a non-gamer like myself, they are so incredibly boring to read about. Gameplay descriptions don't belong in a novel, no matter how much the author enjoys actually playing the game.) If you're going to like one, why not the other? Apparently people were willing to overlook the same shortcomings in RPO, for some reason.

If you're of a certain temperament and sense of humor, you might enjoy reading Armada specifically to goggle and guffaw.  Consider the 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back podcast for a guided tour of the absurdities; it may help motivate you to read through the rough patches. There are some true gems in there, but you will struggle through the action sequences. (Honestly, you can probably just skip 99% of those and not miss a thing.)

While skimming a few Armada reviews before writing my own, I saw someone mention that a sequel to RPO is in the works. If that ever comes to fruition-- and if the "372 Pages" podcast tackles it-- I suppose we might end up reading that one too... (Not sure if I should hope for or against it, at this point.)

On a related note, we've yet to see the Ready Player One film adaptation. We're waiting for the Rifftrax treatment to be released, to make it more palatable.

The Little Stranger

The Little Stranger
by Sarah Waters


(Edited) Blurb:

One postwar summer in rural Warwickshire, Dr. Faraday, who has built a life of quiet respectability as a country physician, is called to a patient at lonely Hundreds Hall. Home to the Ayres family for over two centuries, the Georgian house, once impressive and handsome, is now in decline, its masonry crumbling, its gardens choked with weeds, the clock in its stable yard permanently fixed at twenty to nine. Its owners—mother, son, and daughter—are struggling to keep pace with a changing society, as well as with conflicts of their own. But are the Ayreses haunted by something more sinister than a dying way of life? Little does Dr. Faraday know how closely, and how terrifyingly, their story is about to become intimately entwined with his.

My Reaction (with some mild SPOILERS toward the end):
This is my first experience with this author, so I had no preconceptions based on her other novels, a fact that may have actually been in the book's favor, if the bulk of the reviews I've skimmed are any indication.  I enjoyed it, on the whole-- and while that would normally inspire me to add the author's other novels to my mental "books to read" list, reviews by Waters fans disappointed by The Little Stranger have made me hesitant. (That may sound counterintuitive, but the reasons fans mentioned for not liking this book as much as her others gave me the impression that this one is actually better suited to my own tastes, compared to her other works.)


Positives:  
While the pacing was slow at times, it held my interest through 500+ pages.
The setting is perfect for those of us who love a good gothic thriller.
The novel is populated with distinct, interesting characters.
There are some chill-bump-inducing moments.

Negatives:
It really could have been tightened up a little.
The "romance" was frustrating and disappointing (on all levels)-- intentionally so?
If you're reading for the horror, there's probably less than you'd like.
There's a lack of momentum and crescendo as scary moments are frequently weakened and undermined by the juxtaposition of too many non-scary ones.


Overall, while I enjoyed reading it and found it well-written, this is a darker, sadder tale than the first section of the novel led me to expect.  I'd even go so far as to say that it's depressing.  I don't usually think of myself as an incurable optimist, but I persisted in believing we were headed to a relatively happy ending and was rather dismayed as tragic events followed one after another.  No, there is no happy ending for these characters.  That sense of depression is probably more enduring and memorable than the fleeting moments of supernatural terror.

Speaking of endings, The Little Stranger is fairly open to interpretation (madness, a variety of possible supernatural culprits, unreliable narrator, etc.).  I think I know what the author intends us to believe (the reflection in the window is the closest thing we get to an outright answer, I'd say), but she leaves room for us to draw our own conclusions.

I can tell I'll be thinking about this one for a while, even now that I've finished it.  I wouldn't want to read it again, but I "enjoyed" it this time, even with its numbing series of disappointments and descending cloud of depression.  I'm looking forward to seeing the film adaption, at some point.  I hadn't realized there was a film adaptation until after I'd started reading, but it was a welcome surprise.

The Death of Mrs. Westaway

The Death of Mrs. Westaway
by Ruth Ware


Blurb:

On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes very quickly that the letter was sent to the wrong person—but also that the cold-reading skills she’s honed as a tarot card reader might help her claim the money.

Soon, Hal finds herself at the funeral of the deceased…where it dawns on her that there is something very, very wrong about this strange situation and the inheritance at the centre of it.

My Reaction:
I found this quite an enjoyable (fairly light) read! This may have been my first experience with what I'd call a "modern gothic thriller", but I liked it and will probably seek out more.  (Is that a genre?  Are there even more to find?)

I liked seeing how the author took the classic gothic tropes (creepy, decaying house, suspicious people, mysterious pasts, unsettled atmosphere, etc.) and translated them to a modern setting (complete with the Internet, smartphones, cars, and other modern conveniences). I thought it was pretty well done!

One "modern" thing that I found a bit jarring was the occasional cursing. I mean, of course I've read modern books with swearing, but you get fairly deep into this novel before the cursing starts, so it took me by surprise and felt... "wrong". Out of place, really. (I'm well aware that most readers won't think twice about this, but it's something I noticed and didn't really like.)

There are also times when Hal does things I feel skeptical of (as in "Why wouldn't you just do X after what happened earlier?!" or "Why didn't you do that before?!"), but that always seems to happen in books, movies, and TV, so I cut a little slack. There's also some fairly cliched dialogue during the "confrontation scene"-- but again, it's so common, I'm not exactly surprised by it. (Not angry; just disappointed.)

On the positive side, there were enough twists and conflicting possibilities to keep me second-guessing myself-- a desirable quality in a mystery.

The tarot cards thread woven through the story is unusual and feels like a natural fit for this novel. I am about as far as you can get from a "tarot person", so I knew nearly nothing about tarot.  It was interesting to see the subject approached from the unique perspective of someone who knows it intimately but is still a skeptic.

I'd ideally give this 3.5 stars, but will round up to four. Just don't take it too seriously. It's a highly improbable tale-- like so many thrillers-- which is part of the reason why it's so entertaining.

Lord Emsworth and Others

Lord Emsworth and Others
by P.G. Wodehouse

Blurb:

In Lord Emsworth and Others, readers are treated to a selection of familiar characters and places, in new and unfamiliar circumstances. Fans and initiates will be highly entertained.

My Reaction:
(This was a shared read-aloud with Donald.  As always, Wodehouse is perfect for reading aloud!)

I loved the first story (set at Blandings Castle)-- hilarious and masterfully written!-- but was surprised to find that so many of the rest of the stories were framed around golf (told by the Oldest Member).  There were also a few stories starring Ukridge (a Wodehouse character I don't remember having come across before), and one about a member of the Drones Club.

The non-Blandings tales are amusing (even for someone who neither knows nor cares much about golf), but nothing could match the genius of "Crime Wave at Blandings", which had us both not just chuckling but uproariously laughing, time and again. 

I'd recommend this collection on the strength of the first story alone, but if you appreciate Wodehouse, you'll probably enjoy the whole thing.

Borealis

Borealis
by Ronald Malfi


(Edited) Blurb:

On a routine crabbing expedition in the Bering Sea, Charlie Mears and the rest of the men aboard the trawler "Borealis" discover something unbelievable: a young woman running naked along the ridge of a passing iceberg. The men rescue her and bring her aboard the boat. But they will soon learn her horrible secret. 

My Reaction:
I thought a horror novella might ease me back into the wonderful world of reading, after the painful ordeal of The Far Pavilions (which took me forever to read-- and I didn't actually even finish it).  Also, the cover art and title were appealing.

I wanted something brief, to the point, and exciting enough to keep the pages turning.  To give credit where it's due, Borealis certainly is short, and it does get right to the point.  Things happen pretty quickly, and at least I managed to finish it, which is a nice change of pace after two DNFs in a row.

But.

I'm sorry.  I must come across as such a complainer in most of my book reviews.  I am picky, I admit, but if you're not going to be honest, why bother with reviews?  The problem is, I didn't really enjoy Borealis.

This was at least partly due to a mismatch between book and reader.  It's not that I don't like horror, but I want atmosphere over guts.  This had too much gore for me.

More importantly, I would've appreciated a few more hints as to what the "woman" was.  The beginning was intriguing (reminded me strongly of the opening of Peter Straub's Ghost Story, which was the best part of that novel, too), but after finishing the book, I look back and find it frustratingly vague.  (She ages like a normal person?  Or can she take on whatever appearance she wants at any time?) I need a little more to go on, to be satisfied by horror.  I want to have at least a theory about the nature of "the Enemy".

I'm still not sure what to think about the ending.  I couldn't believe that was it!  Not a satisfying conclusion, at all.

To sum it up, it could've been better.

DNF: The Long Ships

by Frans G. Bengtsson 
(translated by Michael Meyer)


Blurb:

This saga brings alive the world of the 10th century AD when the Vikings raided the coasts of England.

Acclaimed as one of the best historical novels ever written, this engaging saga of Viking adventure in 10th century northern Europe has a very appealing young hero, Orm Tostesson, whose story we follow from inexperienced youth to adventurous old age, through slavery and adventure to a royal marriage and the search for great treasure. Viking expeditions take him to lands as far apart as England, Moorish Spain, Gaardarike (the country that was to become Russia), and the long road to Miklagard. The salt-sea spray, the swaying deck awash in slippery blood are the backdrop to fascinating stories of King Harald Blue Tooth, the Jomsvikings, attempts to convert the Northmen to Christianity, and much else. Like H. Rider Haggard, Bengtsson is a master of the epic form.

My Reaction:
This was to have been a shared read with Donald, but we didn't get very far.  I think we were only 16 or 17% through the book (having skipped the introduction for fear of spoilers) when we decided that we just weren't that into this saga.

My main interest in the book was that it was about the Vikings and written by a Swede.  Donald (my husband) is Swedish, so I thought this might be something we could both enjoy.  I don't really know much about the Vikings, but obviously they're one of the more exciting parts of Scandinavian history, so I was curious.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that the book was boring, but it wasn't exactly gripping, either.  You know that nothing too terrible will happen to Orm, since he's the hero of the saga and has to live at least until the end.  That knowledge takes away much of the suspense you might otherwise feel on his behalf, which has a flattening effect.

However, I think what bothered me more was that the novel suffers from "Too Much Action Syndrome".  It's just a fairly simple, straightforward cataloging of the events of a fictional character's life.  "And then he did this, and then he did that, and then (after a spate of lackluster poetry) he did this other thing."

Aside from our hero and Krok (who does stand out, as the leader of the expedition), one character is hardly distinguishable from the next-- or at least we both had a hard time remembering who was who and what their names were.  In keeping with the rest of the book, the characterization felt shallow.

There wasn't enough conversation, charm, and distinct personality (to suit my tastes).  Maybe this changes for the better, later in the book, but we tired of waiting for more depth and color in the tale.

I'm disappointed that we didn't enjoy this more.  It wasn't dreadful, but we weren't excited to keep reading.  After my recent capitulation to the interminable The Far Pavilions (and the flood of elation that followed), I didn't hesitate to suggest that we could set this aside as a DNF, and so we did.

Maybe one or the other of us will try reading it with better luck, at some point in the future.  If so, I suspect it will be Donald who conquers Red Orm; this has been another reminder that sagas really aren't for me.

Since I haven't come close to finishing it, I feel guilty giving it a star rating, but since goodreads seems to require that, I'll have to give two stars...

DNF: The Far Pavilions

The Far Pavilions
by M. M. Kaye

(My Ruthlessly Edited Version of the) Blurb:

This sweeping epic set in 19th-century India begins in the foothills of the towering Himalayas and follows the adventures (and romance) of Ashton/Ashok/Ash.  A young orphan born to English parents but raised as an Indian, he struggles to belong completely in either culture. 

(Some think that) M.M. Kaye's masterwork is a vast, rich and vibrant tapestry of love and war that ranks with the greatest panoramic sagas of modern fiction.

My Reaction:
I have been slogging arduously through this "saga" for months and months (because I've lacked motivation to read, not because it's at all challenging material), only to finally decide that the time has come to throw in the towel and let this become a DNF (Did Not Finish).

The novel started off promisingly enough, and I did enjoy parts of it and was touched by aspects of it (Ash's adoptive mother, Sita, in particular), but the enjoyable moments became too few and far between, and I eventually recognized that there wasn't anything that could happen in the remaining quarter of the book to make it worth continuing to read.  So I just skimmed the rest!

I found that my two main predictions proved correct...

SPOILERS FOLLOW!!
.
.
.
.
(Wally dies; Ash and Anjuli go off in search of their peaceful valley in the Himalayas)
.
.
.
.

...which was all I even remotely cared to know, at that point, and skipping to the end means that I probably saved myself another month or two of forcing myself to read something I no longer wanted to read.  (Ah, sweet relief!)  Basically, I spared myself the Second Afghan War portion of the novel, and I count myself lucky. 

The Far Pavilions has 964 pages.  A book that long might be okay if it's a real page-turner.  This was not one of those books.  Also, the novel seems to have been promoted as more of a romance than it really is, so there's an element of false advertisement.  (Though to be honest, I don't think a stronger emphasis on the romance would've helped in this case, because this author's version of romance leaves me cold... It's not her strong suit, imho.)

If you're interested in the history of India as part of the British Empire, give this a look.  Personally, I found it just didn't keep me interested enough, so I rarely wanted to read it, which is a very bad quality in such a long book!  Part of the problem is that I'm probably just not cut out for sagas.  Terribly sorry, but I get bored; I got bored, and now I'm so so so happy to put this book behind me and never look back.

I'm giving it three stars because while I just couldn't find the will to finish it, parts of it were good.  I think it deserves three stars despite my difficulties with it.

The Fifth Elephant

The Fifth Elephant
by Terry Pratchett


Blurb:

They say that diplomacy is a gentle art. That its finest practitioners are subtle, sophisticated individuals for whom nuance and subtext are meat and drink. And that mastering it is a lifetime's work. But you do need a certain inclination in that direction. It's not something you can just pick up on the job. 

Which is a shame if you find yourself dropped unaccountably into a position of some significant diplomatic responsibility. If you don't really do diplomacy or haven't been to school with the right foreign bigwigs or aren't even sure whether a nod is as good as a wink to anyone, sighted or otherwise, then things are likely to go wrong. It's just a question of how badly...

My Reaction:
Has it really been over three years since we read Jingo (the previous book in this series)?  I can't believe how fast the time goes...

I've only ever read Pratchett as a shared, read-aloud experience, and I think we usually select one of his novels at Donald's suggestion.  I enjoy Pratchett's work while I'm reading it, but it doesn't seem to leave a lasting impression on me, other than a vague memory of "generally amusing".  Part of the problem is that I just don't connect with his work emotionally, for some reason.  (Well, maybe with poor little Gaspode... What can I say?  I have a soft spot for dogs!)

So, knowing how I typically react to Pratchett, The Fifth Elephant was as expected.  It was entertaining.  Parts of it were very funny.  I enjoyed reading it (except maybe for a few parts, such as some of the comparatively dull dwarf stuff... and Angua's angst, which merely annoyed me, because evidently I'm not a huge Angua fan).

It was a good experience, all told-- but no matter how many of these books I read, I don't think I'll ever feel like I truly care about most of these characters or think about them unprompted in my daily life, the way you do with some of your favorite books and characters.

The next time Donald suggests Pratchett, I'll probably give my usual mental shrug.  "Eh, yeah, ok.  Might as well."  I'm sure I'll enjoy it once we're reading, but the prospect won't fill me with great excitement, because it never does!  (I even feel a little guilty about it, but there it is!)

However, because I do enjoy (most of) the reading in the moment, I'll grant this one 3.75 stars and round up to four.

Clouds of Witness

Clouds of Witness
(Lord Peter Wimsey #2)
by Dorothy L. Sayers


Blurb:

When blood stains his family name, Lord Peter fights to save what he holds most dear. 

After three months in Corsica, Lord Peter Wimsey has begun to forget that the gray, dangerous moors of England ever existed. But traveling through Paris, he receives a shock that jolts him back to reality. He sees it in the headlines splashed across every English paper—his brother Gerald has been arrested for murder.

The trouble began at the family estate in Yorkshire, where Gerald was hunting with the man soon to be his brother-in-law, Captain Denis Cathcart. One night, Gerald confronts Cathcart with allegations about his unsavory past, leading the captain to call off the wedding. Just a few hours later, Cathcart is dead, with Gerald presumed to be the only person who could have fired the fatal shot. The clock is ticking, and only England’s premier sleuth can get to the bottom of this murky mystery.

My Reaction (with marked SPOILERS):
(This was another shared read with Donald.)

This is the third "Lord Peter" book we've read. The first in the series, Whose Body?, didn't make a lasting impression on me, for some reason. I can barely remember anything about it at all, good or bad. (This may say as much about my memory as it does about the book.) More recently, we read a collection of short stories, which I enjoyed (on the whole), but which skips down the entire chronology of the novels (and obviously is made up of short stories, which I don't usually like quite as much as novels).

In brief, this was enjoyable in spots, a little less so in others. I'm happy enough to continue the series, especially since I understand that some of the strongest books are yet to come.

I found it more than a bit ridiculous that...

Um, spoiler alert?

...in this group of people (including Lord Peter himself!), cheating at cards was apparently more scandalous and less understandable/forgivable than cheating on your spouse. I'm not at all impressed by that, if I'm honest, and it has slightly lowered my good opinion of Wimsey, for the moment. Maybe he'll redeem himself in the next book.

While a particular plot point... Hm.

Time for another SPOILER ALERT!

As I was saying, while a particular plot point (the fact that the "murder" wasn't actually a murder at all) may have been relatively fresh and original when this was written, it doesn't have quite the same element of surprise, these days.  Add to that the fact that I don't love it when murder mysteries turn out that way and we have another minor strike against this book, from my point of view. That said, if you don't guess what's happened, you get all the same fun of trying to unravel the mystery, no matter what the solution turns out to be.

To end on a positive note, I enjoyed the overall feel of the book-- especially the bright spots of humor. As has been said before, Lord Peter is a more intelligent and capable version of Bertie Wooster, which is a selling point for the Wodehouse fans among us. He even has his own type of Jeeves in the unflappable Bunter!

Lucky Jim

Lucky Jim
by Kingsley Amis


Blurb:

Regarded by many as the finest, and funniest, comic novel of the twentieth century, Lucky Jim remains as trenchant, withering, and eloquently misanthropic as when it first scandalized readers in 1954. This is the story of Jim Dixon, a hapless lecturer in medieval history at a provincial university who knows better than most that “there was no end to the ways in which nice things are nicer than nasty ones.” Kingsley Amis’s scabrous debut leads the reader through a gallery of emphatically English bores, cranks, frauds, and neurotics with whom Dixon must contend in one way or another in order to hold on to his cushy academic perch and win the girl of his fancy.

My Reaction:
(Shared read with Donald.)

I chose this novel from one of those lists of "best humorous fiction", possibly suggestions for fans of P.G. Wodehouse. Apparently, it's a classic. The funniest novel of the last century! (Or latter half of the last century, depending on who's making the list...)

Hm. Well, skimming some reviews, it's clear that I'm not the only one who feels slightly befuddled by its generally high ranking. Now, to be fair, there are amusing moments, but it's simply nowhere near as funny as you'd expect it to be, based on its sterling reputation.

Maybe the comparisons to Wodehouse threw me off... (Wodehouse is better, by many magnitudes. And he manages hilarity without being nasty or mean-spirited, which is even more impressive!)

Lucky Jim has its good points, but I don't think it's a masterpiece. I didn't love it, and it doesn't inspire me to read more from this author.

Oh, and the face-making gimmick got old. Remembering all the time I wasted trying to picture the latest weird face he was making, I'm considering docking the book another star... But no, I'll be generous and stay with three out of five. (Yes, it's a generous three-star rating. You don't realize how tempting it was to shrug and just skim the last half of the book.)

Ready Player One

Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline


Blurb:

In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.

My Reaction:
(This was a shared read with Donald.  We also listened to the 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back "podcast book club" from Rifftrax's Michael J. Nelson and Conor Lastowka.)

Let me preface this by saying that I was a child in the 80s (and a teen in the 90s)-- and what's more, I get the appeal of nostalgia.  (And yes, I am convinced that in the 80s-- and honestly, many other decades-- music was better, on average, than what I hear on the radio now.)

I'm also an unashamed consumer of many "nerdy" franchises.  (Not that anyone is ashamed of being a nerd/geek in the modern world.  At least some version of so-called "nerdiness" has been cool for quite some time, now.  It's all pretty mainstream...)

However, even with my nerdy 80's-kid cred, I felt no warm fuzzies while reading this book, and I'm amazed that it's so beloved.  (After Fifty Shades of Grey, I should've known better...)

Admittedly, I've never been much of a gamer, but I don't think it would've made much of a difference if I had been.  The problem is, pop culture references can only take you so far.  There needs to be something of substance to make a novel good, and this one is lacking.

The concept of the OASIS is interesting (though not exactly groundbreaking), but the characters were not as likeable as they're clearly supposed to be, the writing was rife with "telling, not showing", the numerous gods were falling over themselves to leap from their varied machines... Do I really need to go on?  It's all been detailed in other reviews.

Essentially, a glut of references to the nerd culture of the 80s (and sometimes 70s, 90s, etc.) is apparently supposed to be enough to sustain an entire novel.  Well, it's not.  It's not enough to make me love or even like the characters.  It's not enough to add drama or a sense of purpose.  It's not enough to make sense of this dystopian future where the world is a steaming pile of crap just a few years from GAME OVER-- which doesn't seem to stop people from living almost their entire lives hooked into some glittering digital utopia.  (Where is the food coming from?  The OASIS seems to run pretty smoothly, considering the energy crisis... Who's making all these "rigs" that everyone has?)

Ugh.  I just don't get this book's popularity, at all.  (And that's before I factor in the author's pompous atheist screed, creepy masturbation manifesto, and the unnecessary inclusion of "UberBetty".  Dude. Some stuff you really ought to just keep to yourself.)

It's just not good!

(Also, how does one categorize this?  Apart from some adult themes, it has a YA vibe, and the main characters are young adults, but most of the references-- the only possible reason to read this thing-- are clearly aimed at an older audience who would have been young adults/children/conscious in the 1980s.)

That said, I suspect that the movie-making professionals will manage to make the movie better than the book.  For one thing, it would be difficult not to improve upon the source material... For another, it seems likely that the story (such as it is) will work better on screen than in writing.  It should be much easier to stack up the layers of visual and audio references.  I'll probably see it, at some point, just out of curiosity.  Er, well, unless the reviews are awful...

Reading about someone playing "classic" video games and reciting movie dialogue line by tedious line was not enjoyable; let's see if Spielberg and co. can make watching it any more palatable.

Hot Water

by P.G. Wodehouse

Blurb:

At French seaside Château Blissac, J. Wellington Gedge from California wants to go home. His larger richer wife wants him to be a Paris Ambassador, blackmails Senator Opal, publicly dry, with a letter to his bootlegger in her safe. Jewels attract criminals tough 'Soup' Slattery and 'Oily' Carlisle, who mourn female partners here unknown.

Amid confusion of assumed identities and one real undercover detective, 'Packy' Patrick Franklyn, rich ex-Yale footballer, wants Jane Opal to be happy. Jane's fiancé poor writer 'Egg' Blair Eggleston is touted by Packy's fiancée culture-lofty Lady Beatrice Bracken. Rakish 'Veek' Vicomte de Blissac returns for holiday festival where men drink, fight, and find love-- or at least reward from safe.

My Reaction:
First, this was a shared read with Donald.  Any time I read Wodehouse, Terry Pratchett, or Donald Westlake, it's almost certainly going to have been a "shared reading".  Some books are just much better when read aloud!

If you generally like Wodehouse, you'll like this book, too.  I wouldn't say it was one of my personal favorites (maybe a bit repetitive at times, too many American characters, lacking the typical English country house setting and the cozily familiar recurring characters), but it was still very good.

Hot Water is light and funny, with all the twisty plotting, witty humor, and charm you'd expect from the author.