Night Watch

Night Watch
by Terry Pratchett

Blurb:

'Don't put your trust in revolutions. They always come round again. That's why they're called revolutions. People die, and nothing changes.'

For a policeman, there can be few things worse than a serial killer at loose in your city. Except, perhaps, a serial killer who targets coppers, and a city on the brink of bloody revolution. The people have found their voice at last, the flags and barricades are rising...

And the question for a policeman, an officer of the law, a defender of the peace, is:

Are you with them, or are you against them?

My Reaction:
(This was a shared read-aloud with Donald, as usual with Pratchett, Wodehouse, and anything I read for the 372-Pages podcast.)

We read this in bits and pieces. It served as a stop-gap when we were caught up on the 372-Pages reading assignments and waiting for the next podcast episode.  That reading method isn't the best when you want to remember every detail of the plot, but fortunately for us, I think we mostly appreciate Pratchett for humor and general style.  

I'm not sure how much of it is the book and how much is "real life" bleeding into my entertainment, but this book felt sadder and more serious than I usually expect from Pratchett.  

The events of the latter part of the novel (especially from finding the lilac and on until the second time-travel) seemed a bit skimmed over, but on the other hand, I rarely enjoy descriptions of action/battle scenes, so that was probably a good thing! 

The social commentary (about revolutions, rioting, and the plight of law enforcement) was particularly interesting and timely to read in 2020!

Sleeping Murder

Sleeping Murder
by Agatha Christie

Blurb:

In Agatha Christie’s classic, Sleeping Murder, the indomitable Miss Marple turns ghost hunter and uncovers shocking evidence of a perfect crime.

Soon after Gwenda moved into her new home, odd things started to happen. Despite her best efforts to modernize the house, she only succeeded in dredging up its past. Worse, she felt an irrational sense of terror every time she climbed the stairs.

In fear, Gwenda turned to Miss Marple to exorcise her ghosts. Between them, they were to solve a “perfect” crime committed many years before.

My Reaction:
I'm a big fan of Agatha Christie's work on TV and film (though some adaptations are better than others).  However, I haven't read many of her novels (maybe three others, besides this one), and I thought I'd try to remedy that, especially since some of the adaptations take great liberties with the original material. That combined with my Swiss cheese memory might make some of the mysteries feel almost new to me.  

I've seen one or two TV adaptations of this novel before, and at least one of them must have made an impression, because I remembered the identity of the murderer very early in the book.  It's not quite as entertaining to read a murder mystery when you already know who the murderer is, as well as most of the key points of how s/he did it and tried to cover it up.  It was still fine, but I did lose my motivation to read quickly.  

This is a great whodunit, especially if you don't go in already knowing the answer!  

Midnight Sun

Midnight Sun
by Stephenie Meyer

Blurb:

When Edward Cullen and Bella Swan met in Twilight, an iconic love story was born. But until now, fans have heard only Bella's side of the story. At last, readers can experience Edward's version in the long-awaited companion novel, Midnight Sun.

This unforgettable tale as told through Edward's eyes takes on a new and decidedly dark twist. Meeting Bella is both the most unnerving and intriguing event he has experienced in all his years as a vampire. As we learn more fascinating details about Edward's past and the complexity of his inner thoughts, we understand why this is the defining struggle of his life. How can he justify following his heart if it means leading Bella into danger?

My Reaction:
This was a shared read with Donald, for the 372-Pages podcast/book club.  It completely slipped my mind to write a review right after we finished it, so these aren't my freshest reactions...

It's been a long time since I listened to the audiobook of Twilight. (I don't believe I ever read it, just listened to the audiobook.)  I remember finding it entertaining for what it was-- a young adult paranormal romance, part of the vampire-and-zombie-obsession / cultural phenomenon that I'll cheerfully admit I enjoyed. 

So yes, I thought Twilight was fine.  I'm not sure what my opinion would be if I read it today, but I suspect I'd still think it was at least "okay".  This, on the other hand, drags.  It's unnecessarily lengthy, painfully repetitious on some points, and generally-speaking, it lacks charm.  A super-fan might enjoy reading the same story less skillfully told from Edward's point of view, but the casual reader won't enjoy the experience.  Edward doesn't come across well, the plot is thin and slow-moving, and there are even a few instances where you may have trouble following the story if you aren't already familiar with Twilight.  

It's more or less what I expected.  No real surprises.  

Reading Midnight Sun reminded me of why I'm not a fan of "reunion shows" or new seasons of old TV shows.  There's a reason why I still haven't watched the "new" episodes of Gilmore Girls.  You can't go back, and if you try, the results are almost always depressing.  Everyone looks so much older.  Some of the actors have died.  That makes me feel older and sadder, too.  That ineffable something that you loved about the original is missing, never to return.  You can't bring it back, and no attempt to recapture the past can ever truly succeed.  It's really better not to try.  

But hey, at least we got some laughs out of it with the 372-Pages podcast!

The Other

The Other
by Thomas Tryon

Blurb:

Holland and Niles Perry are identical thirteen-year-old twins. They are close-- close enough, almost, to read each other’s thoughts, but they couldn’t be more different. Holland is bold and mischievous, a bad influence, while Niles is kind and eager to please, the sort of boy who makes parents proud. The Perrys live in the bucolic New England town their family settled centuries ago, and as it happens, the extended clan has gathered at its ancestral farm this summer to mourn the death of the twins’ father in a most unfortunate accident. Mrs. Perry still hasn’t recovered from the shock of her husband’s gruesome end and stays sequestered in her room, leaving her sons to roam free. As the summer goes on, though, and Holland’s pranks become increasingly sinister, Niles finds he can no longer make excuses for his brother’s actions.

My Reaction:

It took me a while to finish The Other, but I did enjoy it! 

The book gets off to a slow start, but I hesitate to complain about the pacing, since some of the slower, more extraneous elements of the novel were actually my favorite parts.  Certain passages are beautifully written, pleasantly evocative... Almost the kind of thing where you want to climb into the book and live there for a while, except that there's something slightly off the whole time in this book's world, and you aren't sure you'd make it out alive! 

There's a strong sense of nostalgia (for childhood, but particularly for childhood during a period well before my own birth!) woven through the "slow" parts of the book, and I'd hate to have missed out on them.  The normal, almost-idyllic childhood moments contrast well with the horror of the story, too, but there's no denying that the first good chunk of the book is slow-moving.

Aspects of the novel are predictable, it's true, though the major twist, which probably should have been obvious to a reader in 2020, didn't even occur to me until soon before it was revealed.  I was too busy thinking about other things (such as the identity of the narrator and what would happen by the book's end, rather than what may have happened before the story starts). 

In any event, I found it a good read in the genre of "literary horror" (or at least more literary than most horror).  

One more thing, though.  There were times where I felt a kind of mental whiplash over the age of the twins.  I couldn't remember exactly how old they were-- 12 or 14, I thought... the blurb says 13-- because they seem by turns to act too young or too old for their age. 

I guess maybe 13 is a funny age, on the cusp between childhood and the teen years, but there were a few times when I thought one or the other of the twins seemed to behave oddly for their age-- either too immature or with a little too much knowledge of the ways of the world.  One or the other is fine, but to go back and forth was discombobulating. 

Maybe I was mixing up the twins, earlier in the book, before I'd really settled in.  I can well believe that Niles is a "young 13" and Holland a dirty-minded, older-than-his-years type of 13-year-old.  (I think we can all agree that-- mercifully!-- neither of the two are a typical 13-year-old boy! Still, it took me out of the story repeatedly, stopping to think, "Wait a minute... How old is this kid, anyway?!")

Service With a Smile

Service With a Smile
by P.G. Wodehouse


Blurb:

The final Uncle Fred novel marks his return to Blandings Castle to relieve Lord Emsworth's woes: a nagging secretary, prankster Church Lads, and a plot to thieve his prize-winning sow. Uncle Fred must serve up his brand of sweetness and light to ensure that everything turns out very capital indeed.

My Reaction:
(Shared read with Donald.)

We started reading this one months (no telling how many months) ago, then set it aside to keep up with whatever 372-Pages book was going at the time. Somehow, we never got around to picking it back up again, until the past week, when we wanted some light reading. It was still on my Kindle, so we picked up where we left off.

It didn't take long to remember enough of the story to feel that we weren't completely lost-- and honestly, with Wodehouse, the humor and style of the language itself is much more important (for me, at least) than the plot. I don't think this is one of his best, but it still had us laughing again and again.

As always with Wodehouse, this little novel left me in a better mood than it found me. I need to remember this the next time my spirits need lifting!

My Immortal

My Immortal
by Tara Gilesbie


My Blurb:

This Harry Potter fanfic follows the trials and tribulations (and the bizarre wardrobe choices) of Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way, proud goth and vampire, after she enrolls at Hogwarts. She meets all the most notable characters from the Harry Potter universe, but you won't recognize them, because in this fic, none have any depth or retain any of their canon characteristics/personality traits-- to the point that most have been transformed into vampires and have even been renamed to sound more "goff" for this hilariously bad exercise in wish-fulfillment.  It is a truly epic example of the Mary Sue. 

(Or IS IT?!?!)

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

It's another 372-Pages bookclub podcast selection!

Once we began reading this, I realized that I'd started it years before after seeing it mentioned online. I didn't get very far back then, but this time around, I loved every poorly written sentence.

I simply can't believe that this could possibly be "real". There's no question that there are some staggeringly terrible writers out there, but this... this is probably too outrageously, entertainingly awful to be true. Some of the malapropisms are just too, too perfect. (Tom Bombadil, anyone?) And the way that characters can do absolutely anything "sexily"... It's just not possible that this could be real. (Right?)

Anyway, I suppose it doesn't matter whether or not it's actually "sincere", so long as the author and her audience enjoy(ed) the experience. We laughed and laughed while reading-- and having the podcast to go along with it is just the cherry on top!

The Art of Inheriting Secrets

The Art of Inheriting Secrets
by Barbara O'Neal


Blurb:

When Olivia Shaw’s mother dies, the sophisticated food editor is astonished to learn she’s inherited a centuries-old English estate—and a title to go with it. Raw with grief and reeling from the knowledge that her reserved mother hid something so momentous, Olivia leaves San Francisco and crosses the pond to unravel the mystery of a lifetime.

One glance at the breathtaking Rosemere Priory and Olivia understands why the manor, magnificent even in disrepair, was the subject of her mother’s exquisite paintings. What she doesn’t understand is why her mother never mentioned it to her. As Olivia begins digging into her mother’s past, she discovers that the peeling wallpaper, debris-laden halls, and ceiling-high Elizabethan windows covered in lush green vines hide unimaginable secrets. 

Although personal problems and her life back home beckon, Olivia finds herself falling for the charming English village and its residents. But before she can decide what Rosemere’s and her own future hold, Olivia must first untangle the secrets of her past.

My Reaction:
Another DNF.

I listened to probably more than two-thirds of the audiobook-- selected because I could listen for free on Amazon-- but at some point I lost patience and stopped listening. I'd planned to skim through to the end just to satisfy my curiosity, but it's been months, and I find my curiosity simply isn't that strong! Maybe I'll still skim through, but I think I can guess more or less what will happen, and if I'm wrong... (shrug)

My SPOILERY annoyances:
-- I'm not bothered by a little Anglophilia, but Olivia takes it to sickening, barf-worthy extremes. I was embarrassed on her behalf. The whole "as Lady of the Manor, I must learn this, do that, change who I am" thing made me sick. I guess I'm too American for that nonsense. Inheriting a beautiful home? Fun and exciting to think/read about! Doing right by the community as you take possession of this historically significant home? Great! But all the airs and graces and "you must do it this way because this is how it's done because we say so"? No, no, a thousand times no.

-- Olivia's obsession with the age difference between herself and Samir? Ugh, so, so boring! But then when they "hook up", it's possibly even worse. I wasn't expecting so much sex in this book, and it was unwelcome. (Please, more house renovation/mystery and less village gossip, family drama, food talk, and sex!)

-- Such a slow pace. Dragging its feet the whole way.

-- Very obvious "baddies".

-- Didn't really care for the "closeted lesbian grandmothers" subplot. Sorry, not what I was expecting from this book. Just didn't care. Like the heroine's food obsession. (Seriously. Can we stop with the food already?) I just couldn't care less!

All in all, it wasn't what I was expecting, and I didn't like what it was enough to get over that and stick with it until the end.

I'm sure Olivia and Samir end up together, her plans for the house work out (one way or another), and there's a happily-ever-after. That much was never, ever in doubt.

Every House is Haunted

Every House is Haunted
by Ian Rogers


Blurb:

In this brilliant debut collection, Ian Rogers explores the border-places between our world and the dark reaches of the supernatural. The landscape of death becomes the new frontier for scientific exploration. With remarkable deftness, Rogers draws together the disturbing and the diverting in twenty-two showcase stories that will guide you through terrain at once familiar and startlingly fresh.

My Reaction:
This is a DNF. 

Every so often I think a creepy short story would hit the spot, but unfortunately, I must be very picky when it comes to horror short stories.  I so rarely actually enjoy them!  I only read three in this collection before calling it quits.  "Ace" was just "okay" for me, "Autumnology" was far too short for me to get into at all, and "Leaves Brown" was another "okay".  They're not long or involved enough for me.  I know short stories tend to be open-ended, but these were open even by that standard.  Worse, I didn't find them scary or even particularly eerie.

No sense in continuing, as I suspect "okay" is going to be my strongest reaction.  I can see how some readers might enjoy them, but they're not for me.  It's a shame; I love the title, but the stories don't seem to match it, in my ever-so-humble opinion.

Thornyhold

Thornyhold
by Mary Stewart


Blurb:

The rambling house called Thornyhold is like something out of a fairy tale. Left to Gilly Ramsey by the cousin whose occasional visits brightened her childhood, the cottage, set deep in a wild wood, has come just in time to save her from a bleak future. With its reputation for magic and its resident black cat, Thornyhold offers Gilly more than just a new home. It offers her a chance to start over.

My Reaction (with SPOILERS):
The Mary Stewart novels I'd read previously were her older "travel mysteries". Those followed a formula very similar to this one, but with a couple of exceptions. Mainly, there was much less drama, suspense, and action in this tale, and the setting is England instead of a more exotic locale.

I quite enjoyed aspects of this story. I liked Cousin Geillis, the suggestions of magic were fun, and I have a soft spot for novels in which a character inherits or purchases a property. I love living vicariously through the exploration-- the discovery-- the fixing up and putting-things-right. (In fact, I would've enjoyed the book much better if it had gone into greater detail on these points.)

There are also a couple of word pictures of the beauty of the night that I absolutely loved. I could almost feel the autumn evening-- something I'm already longing for as we slip into steamy June. Stewart's amazing ability to capture and express the essence of a setting is as strong as ever in Thornyhold.

Unfortunately, this book suffers from an extreme case of instalove. My tolerance for instalove has eroded with the passage of time, and I've reached the point where it can very nearly ruin a book for me.

Authors (though in this case, she's no longer with us), please listen. Not every book has to contain romance as a central plot. It's okay to merely hint at things that might eventually come to pass. If you can't spare the time, effort, or pages to fully flesh out a realistic romance that develops at a pleasing pace, I'd much rather if you didn't inflict upon your readers a breakneck-speed love story. These too-fast romances are flavorless and dull. It's like meeting two strangers, watching them flirt briefly and then declare undying love with barely a breath in between-- and then being expected to grin foolishly (and maybe even wipe away a tear or two) at the romance and emotion of what you've just witnessed. I can't care.

Anyway, this was very fast even for instalove. I didn't like the romance element of this story at all, honestly.

Then there's young William. He wasn't as bad as the child characters in "this type of book" sometimes are, but he was still rather bland and... meh. If you turned him over, you'd probably find "Wholesome English Youth" stamped somewhere. Just too much of a type... If we'd had more time with him, I might have felt I knew him a bit better. That's a big part of most of my problems with this book: It needs more pages and a more nuanced, involved mystery.

As it is, the mystery is very transparent, and I found it frustrating that Gilly is so slow to see the obvious-- and refuses to stand up to her overbearing neighbor (Agnes). And then, when it finally all comes to a head, she won't even tell her new love about it, because her rival/enemy is also a woman and there's a "code" (or something?). I guess I'm mean, but you'd better believe I would've told him every last gruesome detail! It's no more than she deserves!

The ending's too sugary-sweet. Where's the spice?! Where's the vinegar?! I didn't need to see Agnes suffer agonies-- perfectly happy to have her merely hoist with her own petard-- but Gilly barely even stands up for herself and is far too noble. Very unsatisfying. Blah.

After enjoying the first half or more of the book so much, I found the conclusion disappointing and lackluster.

Digital Fortress

Digital Fortress
by Dan Brown


Blurb:

Before the multi-million, runaway bestseller The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown set his razor-sharp research and storytelling skills on the most powerful intelligence organization on earth--the National Security Agency (NSA), an ultra-secret, multibillion-dollar agency many times more powerful than the CIA.

When the NSA's invincible code-breaking machine encounters a mysterious code it cannot break, the agency calls its head cryptographer, Susan Fletcher, a brilliant and beautiful mathematician. What she uncovers sends shock waves through the corridors of power. The NSA is being held hostage...not by guns or bombs, but by a code so ingeniously complex that if released it would cripple U.S. intelligence.

Caught in an accelerating tempest of secrecy and lies, Susan Fletcher battles to save the agency she believes in. Betrayed on all sides, she finds herself fighting not only for her country but for her life, and in the end, for the life of the man she loves.

From the underground hallways of power to the skyscrapers of Tokyo to the towering cathedrals of Spain, a desperate race unfolds. It is a battle for survival--a crucial bid to destroy a creation of inconceivable genius...an impregnable code-writing formula that threatens to obliterate the post-cold war balance of power. Forever.

My Reaction:
Donald and I read this for the 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back bookclub/podcast.

I have to admit, I enjoyed reading this-- but only because it was so hilariously bad.

...You know, when reading a novel with the intention of mocking it, I sometimes feel the tiniest little twinge of guilt if it's a self-published work. It feels... if not wrong, at least not exactly nice to make fun of the writing of someone who is clearly not particularly good at writing, doesn't do it for a living, and may not be completely... well, "with it", if you know what I mean.

That's not to say I won't still chortle and guffaw-- because I will and do-- but sometimes I find I can't enjoy it to the fullest.

But when the author is someone famous for writing-- someone who's sold hundreds of millions of copies-- I can gleefully point and laugh without the slightest inhibition. 

It's been good.


Things That Got the Biggest Laughs (off the top of my head):
-- How stupid "geniuses" are in this book! It's insane! They are some of the least intelligent characters I've ever read. I mean, I really strained my poor brain to try to comprehend that Susan could be hottt and have a genius-level IQ, only to find out that a genius-level IQ means diddly-squat in Dan Brown's world, based on how stupid Susan proves to be. She's not the only wildly successful numbskull, either. Evidently it doesn't take smarts to land a high-ranking job at the NSA. (Good to know!)

-- Dan Brown's apparent disdain for Spain. (Kewl, that rhymes!) I mean, seriously! It was funny and a bit curious the first time or two, but then it just keeps on coming-- and it's still amusing, but it grows from "curious" to "utterly bizarre". He had to be aware of what he was doing, right? I can't believe this happened by accident. It was a calculated, relentless attack on a whole country. Very strange.

-- The way that characters automatically repeat whatever they've just heard. It happens so many times! A little of that is fine, but it was so frequent as to be noticeable. Lazy writing. (I wonder what percentage of the dialogue was this parrot act...)

-- That time that the hero got an innocent stranger killed! Not buying the "excuse", either. David Becker's as good as a murderer, y'all.

-- The fact that the bodies of bystanders keep piling up, but we're evidently only supposed to care whether or not David and Susan end up together at Stone Manor. (By the way, what is with that name? "Stone Manor"? What a hideously boring name choice! And this is coming from someone who as a child called her white stuffed cat toy "Snowball". But I'm not getting paid the big bucks to come up with creative, evocative, non-painfully-clichéd names.)

-- The END. Wow. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, if you haven't already read it, but man, the characters really take it to another level of "I Can't Believe Supposedly Intelligent Characters Could Be THIS Dumb". And let's drag it out over several chapters, why don't we?! Really get the readers banging their heads against the wall in the grand finale!

-- The "twist". Didn't see it coming-- have it give Dan Brown that much credit. However, it wasn't quite the zinger I think he thought it would be, because I didn't really care about either of those characters, to be brutally honest. (...Well, ok. I didn't really care about any of the characters! Definitely one of those books where you know that the hero/heroine will be fine at the end, but you couldn't care less if they lived, died, whatever.)


Not the worst thing I've ever read, but very poorly written, considering this is a best-selling author. Perfect for 372-Pages.

When I Was You

When I Was You
by Minka Kent


Blurb:

After barely surviving a brutal attack, Brienne Dougray rarely leaves her house. Suffering from debilitating headaches and memory loss, she can rely only on her compassionate new tenant, Dr. Niall Emberlin, a welcome distraction from the discomfiting bubble that has become her existence.

But Brienne’s growing confidence in her new routine is shaken when she stumbles across unsettling evidence that someone else is living as…her. Same name. Same car. Same hair. Same clothes. She’s even friended her family on social media. To find out why, Brienne must leave the safety of her home to hunt a familiar stranger. 

What she discovers is more disturbing than she could have ever imagined. With her fragile mind close to shattering, Brienne is prepared to do anything to reclaim her life. If it’s even hers to reclaim.

My Reaction:
This is a tale rife with coincidence and implausibility. (More on that in the spoiler section below.) It's a thriller that moves slowly for the first third, then picks up steam just about the time that the coincidences and illogical behaviors become overwhelming.

You'll need to suspend your disbelief to enjoy this one, but if you're able to do that and are in the mood for mindless, "suspense lite" entertainment (à la Lifetime movies), it's not a terrible choice.


SPOILERS 
to
follow...


I think my biggest gripe with this one is the bizarre, unlikely coincidences and strange choices characters have to make in order for the plot to "work" (to the degree that it does work, that is).

I mean, seriously. What are the chances that Brienne's mother would essentially adopt a son who just so happens to have a friend (and eventual girlfriend) who is the mirror image of Brienne herself? That in itself is insane.

Then there are all the odd behaviors-- such as Brienne's friends cutting off contact so completely (no chance for the truth to come out) and Brienne's own unwillingness to involve the police (until very late in the book). The closeness of Sam and Brienne's relationship didn't ring true, either, given how very little time they spend together. I feel that could've worked if it had been given more time and space, but as it was presented, it was far too rushed to be believable.

There are more, but those illustrate my point.

The Wolf Road

The Wolf Road
by Beth Lewis


Blurb:

Elka barely remembers a time before she knew Trapper. 

She was just seven years old, wandering lost and hungry in the wilderness, when the solitary hunter took her in. In the years since then, he's taught her how to survive in this desolate land where civilization has been destroyed and men are at the mercy of the elements and each other. 

But the man Elka thought she knew has been harboring a terrible secret. He's a killer. A monster. And now that Elka knows the truth, she may be his next victim. 

Armed with nothing but her knife and the hard lessons Trapper's drilled into her, Elka flees into the frozen north in search of her real parents. But judging by the trail of blood dogging her footsteps, she hasn't left Trapper behind-- and he won't be letting his little girl go without a fight. If she's going to survive, Elka will have to turn and confront not just him, but the truth about the dark road she's been set on. 

The Wolf Road is an intimate cat-and-mouse tale of revenge and redemption, played out against a vast, unforgiving landscape--told by an indomitable young heroine fighting to escape her past and rejoin humanity.

My Reaction:
Elka is a powerful character with a distinctive voice and real depth, and because Elka is the novel, that means the novel has depth and unique appeal as well.

This is the most compelling book I've read in a long while. For the most part, I'd say it's very well-crafted, too. I've seen another reviewer refer to moments that strained her suspension of disbelief, and I agree they are there, but fortunately the story is strong enough that I could shrug them off and continue with the adventure.

The Wolf Road deals with some dark and truly horrific subjects, but there are also many moments of honest beauty, and the overall message is one of hope. I loved it.


Tidbit:
"'Ain't no monster. Monsters ain't real 'cept in kids' imaginations, under the beds, in the closets. We live in a world a' men and there ain't no good come out of tellin' them they monsters. Makes 'em think they ain't done nothin' wrong, that it's their nature and they can't do nothin' to change that. Callin' 'em a monster makes 'em somethin' different from the rest of us, but they ain't. They just men, flesh and bone and blood. Bad'uns, truth, but men all the same.'"

Moon People 1: The Age of Aquarius

Moon People: The Age of Aquarius
by Dale M. Courtney


Author's Blurb:

This Book is based on the turning point for Earth into a new era of space travel and the beginning of the Age of Aquarius. The story focuses on one Man by the Name of David Braymer and his adventures from High school teacher to 1st Science Officer on board the Lunar Base 1 Mobile Base Station and his encounters with Alien Life forms through out our universe and the space Battle of all battles David experiences. I hope you enjoy the many adventures of David Braymer and his conquest in space and our journey into the Age of Aquarius.

My Reaction:
(This was a shared read-aloud with Donald-- another excellent 372-Pages bookclub-podcast selection!)

Wow.  I have to give it a one-star rating based on its complete lack of literary merit, ignorance (or arrogant dismissal?) of basic rules of grammar, printer-paper characters (cardboard has some substance to it, so "cardboard cut-outs" was too generous), water-thin plotting, etc.

BUT.
I say, BUT!
I have to admit that I enjoyed this book significantly more than several other books we've read for 372-Pages. The entertainment value is there!

It all comes down to what you're looking for in a book. If you need a laugh, give it a go (and check out the podcast linked above).

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go whip up some delicious stemage for supper.

Unspeakable Things

Unspeakable Things
by Jess Lourey


Blurb:

Cassie McDowell’s life in 1980s Minnesota seems perfectly wholesome. She lives on a farm, loves school, and has a crush on the nicest boy in class. Yes, there are her parents’ strange parties and their parade of deviant guests, but she’s grown accustomed to them.

All that changes when someone comes hunting in Lilydale.

One by one, local boys go missing. One by one, they return changed—violent, moody, and withdrawn. What happened to them becomes the stuff of shocking rumors. The accusations of who’s responsible grow just as wild, and dangerous town secrets start to surface. Then Cassie’s own sister undergoes the dark change. If she is to survive, Cassie must find her way in an adult world where every sin is justified, and only the truth is unforgivable.

My Reaction:
I listened to the audiobook version and found it riveting. I loved the can-do, positive attitude of the protagonist. Honestly, if it weren't for Cassie, I might not have liked this book at all. The subject matter is dark and disturbing, the "mystery" is average, and I found the ending rather rushed and not completely satisfying-- but for the bulk of the book, Cassie is the focus, and I loved her!

I also loved the flood of nostalgic memories brought on by the 1980s rural setting. (I grew up in a rural community in the 80s, though we lived on a relatively busy highway, and I mostly stayed close to home-- much more sheltered and fenced-in than the "meet up with the neighborhood kids each morning and don't come home until just before dark" version of "retro childhood" that's so common in fiction and other people's memories of youth).

Caitlin Kelly's narration was great. Unfortunately, sometimes narrators "interpretations" distract from the story, but in this case, it was a big positive. Cassie's personality came through loud and clear.

I saw an epilogue mentioned in another review and went to read it on the author's website. She left it out of the book (and audiobook) because she wanted readers to form their own ideas of what happened to her characters after the events of the book. Overall, I think she did well to leave it off (though clearly not everyone agrees).


SPOILERS to follow!!

Skip the next part
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SPOILERS!!


I was glad that Cassie turned out okay-- married, even had kids. I never doubted that she'd be alright. She's a survivor, and no way would she have been denied a life of her own.

What I wasn't so thrilled about was that she and Sephie lived with their mother after Cassie "told her story". On one hand, that's probably what Cassie wanted, but on the other... Their mother had to know what was happening, and she failed to protect her daughters. She left them alone with their father-- gave him the opportunity to terrorize and abuse. She was complicit!

I understand that she had been abused herself, growing up-- (wasn't that heavily implied?)-- and that it's complicated, but I hated their mother, and I still do. She didn't do enough. She barely did anything! Even apart from failing to protect them from abuse, she seemed so cold toward her children. A couple of the saddest moments are when it's clear that she doesn't express normal affection and love for her daughters. Doesn't tell them she loves them. Almost forgets/barely acknowledges their birthdays. (You don't need a lot of money to make a child feel special on his/her birthday.)

I know, I know! She wasn't "raised right", probably doesn't know how to be a good, loving mother, but some people manage to overcome those kinds of obstacles and grow into wonderful, admirable people. This woman didn't. She was caught in the cycle of sickness, and I just found it really sad that her daughters were stuck with her, even after escaping their evil father. (And to be honest, I'm not buying that she wouldn't have gone back to her crappy first husband, once he got out of jail...)

I was also sad that Sephie ended up living with their father, as an adult. That part seemed very odd... Is that realistic/typical behavior? I've mentioned surprise that their mother didn't end up back with her creepy abuser of a husband, but I'm even more surprised that Sephie would live with him. I can believe that she might maintain contact and pretend everything was normal, but moving in with him is shocking and hard to swallow.

On the other hand... It's just occurred to me that Sephie was named after Persephone, who was doomed to spend a portion of her life in the Underworld, living as the wife of Hades... And Cassie was named after Cassandra, who was cursed with knowledge of the future that no-one would believe. Cassie does repeatedly try to speak to people in authority (police, her parents), and is always ignored, until the very end. I have a feeling these things aren't coincidental.


SPOILERS over!

It feels strange to say that you liked or enjoyed a book with these kinds of themes, but I did! I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone, but I found Cassie a very worthwhile character, and I'm glad to have met her.

In the Dark

In the Dark 
by Loreth Anne White


Blurb:

A secluded mountain lodge. The perfect getaway. So remote no one will ever find you. 

The promise of a luxury vacation at a secluded wilderness spa has brought together eight lucky guests. But nothing is what they were led to believe. As a fierce storm barrels down and all contact with the outside is cut off, the guests fear that it’s not a getaway. It’s a trap.

Each one has a secret. Each one has something to hide. And now, as darkness closes in, they all have something to fear—including one another.

Alerted to the vanished party of strangers, homicide cop Mason Deniaud and search and rescue expert Callie Sutton must brave the brutal elements of the mountains to find them. But even Mason and Callie have no idea how precious time is. Because the clock is ticking, and one by one, the guests of Forest Shadow Lodge are being hunted. For them, surviving becomes part of a diabolical game.

My Reaction:
I listened to the audiobook version of In the Dark-- another selection made on the basis of availability through Kindle Unlimited-- and I'm happy with the choice. This is the best KU-sourced audiobook I've come across since I started listening to them on the Echo Dot. (So convenient for listening when my hands are dirty busy in the kitchen or working on something in the craft room!)

In the Dark is atmospheric and creepy-- it kept me guessing-- even the detective/search-and-rescue parts were engaging (which I didn't expect at first)-- and it also helps that it's geared toward fans of Agatha Christie (the master of the murder mystery).

Now, I still have some nit-picks (the narration felt a tad melodramatic to me at times, I couldn't stand the "kid voice" [a frequent irritation in audiobooks, I find], I got a little bored during the summing up scene, I'm not sure about the believability or realism of some of the motivations and decisions, I was a bit let down by the "whodunit"-- though I didn't have anything else specific in mind-- and so on), but over all, I really enjoyed it.

I will say that if you think you might want to read Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (and want to avoid spoilers), you should do that first, because there are major spoilers for that novel in this one.

Speaking of spoilers...

Skip the next section of this review to avoid spoilers for not only In the Dark, but also both And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express...

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I'd already picked up on the parallels between And Then There Were None and this book before ATTWN was first referenced, so it was amusing when that novel became such an important part of the plot.

The parallels between this novel and ATTWN are very clear-- a group of (mostly) strangers invited to an isolated location under false pretenses, all turning out to be guilty of a crime, their being killed one at a time in shockingly violent ways, etc.

However, while listening, I also felt that there were similarities to Murder on the Orient Express.

MotOE is about a group of seemingly unrelated people all seeking revenge/justice for the murder of a child. The events of In the Dark are also triggered by the desire for justice after a child's murderer goes unpunished. Whereas in ATTWN (almost all of) the criminals don't know one another and are guilty of completely unrelated crimes (...as far as I can recall), in In the Dark the guilty parties are all linked to a single crime... And in MotOE, the group of revenge-seekers (who are also murderers, by the end of the book), are also all linked to a single crime (though they are the family/loved ones of the victims). The judge in ATTWN isn't a sympathetic character, from what I remember, but we do sympathize with the judge-jury-executioners in MotOE, as we are meant to sympathize with Stella. ...I don't know; there's more, though it's all kind of a jumble-- but while listening, I definitely felt that this novel was inspired by both ATTWN and MotOE.
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(Spoilers over now!)

It feels like this could be the first in a series, possibly. There's a complicated relationship that is still just beginning by the end of the book. However, on the other hand, it might be best left to the reader's imagination. The setting is supposed to be a quiet backwater town where serious crime is almost unheard of, so it's unlikely that there would be enough fodder for another crime mystery novel or three set in the same location. However, little things like that don't usually deter writers of crime fiction!

This author's name is one I'll remember for another time!

Shadow Moon

Shadow Moon
by Chris Claremont and George Lucas


Blurb:

War and chaos have gripped the land of Tir Asleen. An ancient prophecy reveals one hope: a savior princess who will ascend to the throne when the time is right. But first, a Nelwyn wanderer must face forces of unimaginable malevolence and dangerous, forbidden rites of necromancy that could bring back a powerful warrior from soulless sleep.

My Reaction:
Shadow Moon was the latest selection for the 372-Pages podcast (and a shared read-aloud with Donald). I can safely say that I would never have read this book, otherwise. I hadn't even seen Willow until shortly before starting the book-- in preparation for reading-- and neither movie nor novel were especially appealing to me.

(I think that I have some resistance to new-to-me fantasy novels, though I usually enjoy them well enough once I start. I just never believe I will like it, for some reason. It doesn't tantalize me like some genres do. I was more open to fantasy as a younger reader, and maybe it's time to give some of it a try. Part of the problem is that fantasy = looooong books, in my mind, and that's a turn-off.)

Anyway, the 372-Pages verdict was that this is the worst thing they've read to date. I certainly didn't enjoy the book, and there were times when I dreaded reading it, but I can't agree that it's the worst. No, for all its many faults, Shadow Moon is not as bad as Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff, in my opinion, though I can see why Mike and Conor might disagree. (Bob Honey had more in the way of comedy fodder, and ultimately I think it comes down to the sheer number of pages and words. This was a long, long book. At least the steaming pile of crap that is Bob Honey was short. Still too long for me to endure, though. The only DNF of the podcast, so far.)

So... Shadow Moon... The chief problems are as follows:

-- If you read it because you liked Willow, you'll be disappointed by the fact that there's almost an entirely new cast of characters, and even the ones from the movie who do survive into the bulk of the book are changed to the point of being nearly unrecognizable.

-- What passes for a plot is stretched thin, and it moves at a snail's pace.

-- The characters aren't endearing or even interesting. Some are mere cardboard cutouts.

-- The descriptions of "magic" are far too long and repetitive. I would've been okay with a little of it, but honestly, at some point, you just stop caring. The endless descriptions of Thorn suffering agonies or being exhausted likewise hold little appeal. When a character bounces right back from being ripped apart on the molecular level (or something like that), there's no chance of anything ever truly harming him, so why even bother paying attention?

-- There's nothing good or enjoyable in this world, apparently, and the whole book is very "blah". A well-plotted, fast-moving dystopian novel is one thing, but in something as sluggish as this, it's just one more reason to not want to bother.

I was vaguely curious about how the story progresses into the second and third books-- though not curious enough to want to read the books!-- so I looked them up online. I've had no luck finding a detailed synopsis or answers to my specific questions. It's a fittingly dissatisfying end to my experience with this novel.

I was considering awarding the book 1.5 stars rounded up to 2, mostly in reaction to the mere suggestion that Bob Honey is the superior work... But after writing this review, I realize that I can't do it. This is a one-star book, I'm afraid.

In the Woods

In the Woods
by Tana French


Blurb:

As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours. 

Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a twelve-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox—his partner and closest friend—find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.

My Reaction (with SPOILERS):
Since there's a recent TV adaptation based on this series, I did my best to avoid spoilers, and as a result, I went into this book with a couple of misconceptions. Unfortunately, that's led to me feeling dissatisfied, now that I know more about the series of books.

You see, I thought this was the first of a trilogy, but now I discover that it's actually one in a longer (more loosely connected) series and that the books aren't all told from the same character's perspective. If I understand correctly, none of the others (to date) are from Rob Ryan's point of view, and he likely doesn't play a major role in any of the other books. This is a problem for me.

When it became clear that "Rob's mystery" (the two missing kids from the 1980s) wasn't going to be solved by the end of the book, I wasn't terribly surprised. With two more books left in the trilogy (as I thought it was), I expected to find the conclusion in the third book. Then, when things started to fall apart between Cassie and Rob, I was disconcerted, but figured it would just be grist for the mill in the second and third books. You must have conflict to have a story, etc., etc.

Now that I know that this book is essentially a stand-alone, as far as the 1980's mystery is concerned (and that there is unlikely to ever be more written about Cassie and Rob as a couple), all the allowances I made for the book as I read it have fallen by the wayside. Before, I'd been making excuses. Yes, the pace was slower than I'd have liked, but we'd get there eventually-- and true, Rob was very stupid and snobbish at times, and he was an idiotic jerk to Cassie, but it would all be resolved in Book 2 or 3, surely-- right? Nope.

It's unfortunate. I'd really enjoyed the better parts and aspects of the book and was curious about where the next two would take the story, but I'm not satisfied with the lack of a true conclusion for the (far more interesting) older mystery. I've read the theories (and had come to a similar conclusion on my own-- definitely picked up on some supernatural vibes throughout the novel), but it's not enough to leave me happy.

And as for Rob and Cassie-- ugh. I was never agog over their (not-so) perfect platonic relationship, to be honest. It seemed... improbable and even somewhat obnoxious (like the too-frequent, too "current" pop-culture references). "We're special. We're not like other people. We have a bond no-one else could understand, to the point that we practically read one another's mind. We'd never let romance complicate our perfect relationship. ...Oops, we let romance mess things up! Now we'll spend the rest of the book hurting one another and refusing to communicate. Aren't we quite the pair of tragic, star-cross'd lovers?" ...But anyway, even if they annoy me, I still wanted to see them work things out-- and now I know that's not happening. Ugh. No, I don't like it.

Maybe, maybe if I hadn't gone into this expecting a self-contained trilogy with a typical trilogy-style story arc, I might have been able to accept that this was a different kind of story-- not remotely happy or even satisfying. Then again, maybe it would've bothered me just as much, no matter what I'd been expecting. All I know for certain is that it's left me feeling bitter and frustrated.

I might at some point try the next in the series, which is told from Cassie's point of view, but I'm disappointed that it's not a true continuation of In the Woods. And if what I'm picking up from reviews is correct (that this author likes her characters best when they're suffering), I'm just not sure when I'll have an appetite for more.