Irene Iddesleigh

Irene Iddesleigh

by Amanda McKittrick Ros

Blurb:

When I went looking for a blurb for this book, I found instead the description on Wikipedia, which described it as "a romantic drama novel. ...  Its publication in 1897 was financed by Ros's husband as a gift on their tenth wedding anniversary.  The plot centers around the complicated love life of a Canterbury lady named Irene.  It is widely considered one of the worst books of all time and has been panned by critics for its use of purple prose and poorly-constructed plot."  I  think that's about as much of a blurb as this one deserves!

My Reaction:

I read this with Donald for the 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back book club podcast.  We'd never have read this, otherwise.  I'd never heard of it before this, either, despite its apparent infamy.  

I rarely read anything other than fairly "fluffy" books for fun, these days, but when I was younger and spent more time reading, I actually enjoyed "classics" and read them recreationally.  I don't have trouble understanding old-fashioned writing, for the most part, but the intros ("fortune cookies", to fellow 372 listeners) to some of these chapters were... Phew.  

Well, to be relatively brief, Irene Iddesleigh definitely deserves its reputation as a very poorly-written book.  However, once you've marvelled over the bizarre, sometimes impenetrable writing style for a few chapters, you start to wonder if it's worth it... Is this all there is to it?  Fortunately, there are some entertaining plot developments a bit further on, to save the day, and the book isn't long enough to have much of a chance to drag.  There are laugh-out-loud moments, but to avoid spoilers, I'll just say that we enjoyed the unintentional humor.  (The podcast makes it fun, too.)  

After we finished this novel, we noticed that the author's self-published volumes of poetry were available to us for free (via Prime Unlimited), so we skimmed some of it, and wow, is it bad!  If you have the chance to read her poetry for free, it's worth a chuckle or two.  (I wouldn't spend a dime on it, though!)

I feel certain that this author wasn't a very pleasant person, in many ways.  For instance, she's strangely insistent that her "hero" is a great man, despite all evidence to the contrary.  Annoying!  And then there's her poetry, which paints even more vividly the picture of a vicious personality.  It's amusing that someone who saw fit to censor herself (dashes instead of the word "hell", for instance) was also wishing that some people's buttocks would be whipped with hooks.  If you self-righteously chortle over the idea that So-and-So (some lawyer who angered you) is surely suffering eternal damnation in the fiery pits of Hell, I don't imagine God cares much whether or not you write out the actual word. Somehow, I don't think God is smiling approvingly, so why bother with the falsely conscientious, "Oh, no, I would never curse!  Heavens to Betsy!  How crass!"  (Still, I can't deny I laughed at her over-the-top, bilious hatred of the lawyers of her acquaintance!)

The Ivy Tree

The Ivy Tree

by Mary Stewart


(Edited) Blurb:

An English June in the Roman Wall countryside; the ruin of a beautiful old house standing cheek-by-jowl with the solid, sunlit prosperity of the manor farm-- a lovely place, and a rich inheritance for one of the two remaining Winslow heirs. There had been a third, but Annabel Winslow had been presumed dead for years.  However, one day a young woman calling herself Annabel Winslow comes "home" to Whitescar and sets big changes into motion.

My Reaction:

I've loved some of the other books by Mary Stewart that I've read.  I'm never sure how much is down to the strengths and weaknesses of the individual books and how much is "me" and how I may have changed over the years, but I didn't like The Ivy Tree as much as I remember liking many of the others.  It may be difficult to explain my problems with this book without giving away twists and turns, but I'll try... 

-- Didn't love the romance; was disappointed that it was so slow to start.  

-- Found it difficult to know how to take Con, until too far into the book.  I'm sure that was intentional, but I didn't find it enjoyable to read!

-- Found the big twist a bit of a cheat.  Predictable, yet you talk yourself out of it because of the way the book is written.  (The twist shouldn't be possible, really.)  It just didn't "wow" me.  

-- Felt slow for most of the book; not much happening, most of the time.

-- Found the horsey parts completely boring-- not a horse person.  They can be pretty animals, but it's not an obsession I enjoy reading about.  If it had been a dog, I'd probably have been riveted. 😁 (Actually skimmed the horse section of the "thrilling denouement", as well as the driving scene.  Yawn!  Too drawn-out, in my opinion.)

-- Too much "oh, but I'm only a woman!" stuff.  I don't consider myself a militant feminist, but it was so frequent that it was difficult to ignore.  I had to roll my eyes a few times.  Ditto for the Irish stuff with Con.  Blurgh.  

-- Came away feeling very "meh" at the end.  

For positives, there were some nice descriptions of the setting... And I'm always interested to see similarities to Jane Eyre, though in this instance, they were too weak an echo and made me wish I was reading that instead!  Um... There was a character named "Donald" (my husband's name). 😜 That's not necessarily a positive or a negative for most people, I'd assume, but I'm struggling to come up with specific good things!  I enjoyed some aspects of it; I just didn't come away loving the reading experience as a whole.  

Seven Lies

Seven Lies

by Elizabeth Kay

Blurb:

It all started with just one little lie. But we all know that it never ends there. Because, of course, one lie leads to another…

Growing up, Jane and Marnie shared everything. They knew the other’s deepest secrets. They wouldn’t have had it any other way. But when Marnie falls in love, things begin to change.

Because Jane has a secret: she loathes Marnie’s wealthy, priggish husband. So when Marnie asks if she likes him, Jane tells her first lie. After all, even best friends keep some things to themselves. If she had been honest, then perhaps her best friend’s husband might still be alive today…

For, of course, it’s not the last lie. In fact, it’s only the beginning…

My Reaction:

Hm.  This was good in parts, but I was hoping for more.  The rather slow, meandering pace (never a great thing in a "thriller") didn't do this book any favors, and I felt a bit let down by a less-than-satisfying Big Moment conclusion.  

The protagonist is... I guess she's more sympathetic, in a way, than she has any right to be.  At least, I think I felt some twisted sympathy for her at times, when I was reading the book.  Looking back, now, after a few days, I'm much less sympathetic.  More weary of her than anything else.  She's self-destructive, but it's not just herself she destroys.  She's been dealt a crappy hand by life, but she amplifies her misfortunes and unhappiness by making poor choices (to put it mildly).  Her life didn't have to spiral out of control like this.  It's deeply depressing, if you try to care about any of these characters at all.

Also, Marnie (the supposed "goodness and light" counterbalance to the darker character of Jane) is irritating.  On the surfaces, she's perfect, but... Is it just me?  I think she turns into a bit of a user (after a significant life event that I won't name here, in the interests of avoiding a spoiler), expecting Jane to be available to clean or come to her aid whenever it's convenient for Marnie, then dropping Jane the instant she's gotten what she needed.  Yes, she's understandably distracted by this major life event, but she's making time for other people in her life.  And yes, Jane hasn't really been a true, sane friend to Marnie by the time all this happens, but Marnie doesn't know that, so it hardly excuses the hot-and-cold act.  Ugh. 

I hated that every single character seemed to have some tragic backstory.  Widowhood soon after marriage, miscarriage, infidelity, dementia, cancer, anorexia, on and on.  Just one terrible, sad thing after another.  Real life has enough of that.  I don't want tragedy after tragedy in my reading, too, thanks so much.  (This really wasn't the right book for me...)

As I mentioned before, I was disappointed by the Big Moment; it felt slightly silly and anti-climactic, especially after it was teased/telegraphed/hinted at by the (weirdly inconsistent) obsessive journalist character.  It also didn't help that I'd figured out who Jane was addressing quite a while beforehand, so that wasn't a surprise, either. 



--SPOILER ALERT-- 

I found it strange that the police so easily accepted that Charles fell down the stairs and died instantly of a broken neck.  Wasn't there plenty of evidence that he'd been lying there, alive, for hours?  He was bleeding, right?  Unless I'm mistaken, people don't bleed the same way after they die, so a halfway-decent forensics team would've spotted that and looked more closely.  I'd have found it more realistic if it had been presented that they decided he'd fallen, injured himself, been unconscious for a while, eventually struggled to stand/move, and had slipped and fallen a second time with enough force to then break his neck.  

Also, what kind of weird "luck" does Jane have, to be presented with this golden opportunity to take out her nemesis?  It's a mere week after her dramatic confrontation with Charles and Marnie, and then this just... happens?  Hm.  Okay, if you say so!

--END SPOILER--

My final word: This book had some interesting ideas and was well-written in parts, but it didn't quite completely come together for me.  I think it would have been more effective if it had been more tightly edited, and it probably works better for people who don't mind a steady diet of misery.  

Modelland

Modelland

by Tyra Banks

Blurb:

No one gets in without being asked. And with her untamable hair, large forehead, and gawky body, Tookie De La Crème isn’t expecting an invitation. Modelland—the exclusive, mysterious place on top of the mountain—never dares to make an appearance in her dreams.

But someone has plans for Tookie. Before she can blink her mismatched eyes, Tookie finds herself in the very place every girl in the world obsesses about. And three unlikely girls have joined her.

Only seven extraordinary young women become Intoxibellas each year. Famous. Worshipped. Magical. What happens to those who don’t make it? Well, no one really speaks of that. Some things are better left unsaid.

Thrown into a world where she doesn’t seem to belong, Tookie glimpses a future that could be hers—if she survives the beastly Catwalk Corridor and terrifying Thigh-High Boot Camp. Or could it? Dark rumors like silken threads swirl around the question of why Tookie and her new friends were selected . . . and the shadows around Modelland hide sinister secrets.

Are you ready? Modelland is waiting for you. . . .

My Reaction:

We read this along with the "372 Pages We'll Never Get Back" book-club podcast.  

This is one of the most bizarre books I've ever read, even for 372-Pages!  (It's not the worst thing we've read, though.  Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff was literally unreadable, in my opinion, and Shadow Moon was the most awful, painful slog of anything we've read for the book-club.)

As I was saying, this novel is just one weird thing after another.  There are times that you can see where she probably drew inspiration (from Harry Potter, for instance), but more often than not, I had no idea what would happen next, because it's just that kooky.  (Kooky Tookie.)

While I didn't enjoy the book, per se, it was certainly interesting, in its way.  I'm curious what the author had planned for the rest of the books in this series.  It was meant to be a trilogy, I believe, but after this novel's lack of success, it seems unlikely the other books will ever be written, even though Tyra Banks is moving forward with other "Modelland"-related projects.  I wouldn't really want to read another book set in this universe, but I'd be curious enough to skim a synopsis.  (There were quite a few unanswered questions at the end of "Book 1".)

Modelland revealed some odd things about its creator.  For instance, there's some real animosity toward actors here, which is a bit funny coming from a supermodel.  Then there are the strange ideas about what's romantic or sexy in a brand-new relationship between teenagers.  Jumping right to thumbs in mouths?  Smoothing your beloved's eyebrows with saliva on your thumb? (Ugh, so disgusting!  Please, don't rub your spit on someone's face as a sign of affection or desire!)

The very long section of "Acknowledgements" at the end was almost sad to read.  It felt so optimistic about this novel's chances of success, referring to future books in the series... The way she documented exactly where different parts of the book were written (for posterity), because surely the legions of adoring fans would be agog to learn every little detail about the creation of this beloved work of fiction... Yeah, kind of sad, until I reminded myself that the author is extremely wealthy and is a famous model/TV personality/whatever else she does/has done.  I'm sure she bounced right back from any disappointment over this book's reception! 

Other Worlds

Other Worlds

by Barbara Michaels

Severely Edited Blurb:

In a London Club, Houdini, Conan Doyle, and other psychic investigators and debunkers gather to tell ghost stories. Their purpose is to tell the tale, and then each will pick it apart to try to find an explanation for the phenomenon in question. The first story is one of the most famous historical hauntings in U.S. history: the Bell Witch in Tennessee. The second is a moderately well-known haunting in Stratford, Connecticut, called, appropriately, the Stratford Haunting. Each tale is told, and then the guests gather around the club describe their understanding of whether the hauntings are either fake or very real.

My Reaction:

Well, the title (Other Worlds) certainly sounds like it could be creepy and interesting and typical of a Barbara Michaels gothic thriller.  The reality, unfortunately, is nothing like her usual tales.  I'm sorry, but I found it dry and dull.  I recognize the Bell Witch, so I don't expect a satisfying conclusion-- or indeed, anything from this retelling to be worth this slog... I just can't.  Not right now.  Maybe I'll pick it up again at a later date, but for now, it's a DNF!  I stopped 15% of the way through.  On to greener pastures! 

(Incidentally, this is the second DNF I have for this author.  With the other one, Smoke and Mirrors, I think I quit after the first page or two, because something annoyed me, I peeked at a few reviews, and I had my suspicions confirmed.  Political plot?  Heavy on the "Democrats are good, Republicans are evil"?  Oh, good grief!  No, thanks.  Life's too short.)

The Hunting Party

The Hunting Party

by Lucy Foley

Severely Edited Blurb:

A group of thirtysomething friends from Oxford meet to welcome in the New Year together, a tradition they began as students ten years ago. For this vacation, they’ve chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands—the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves.  However, after a decade, the weight of secret resentments has grown too heavy for the group’s tenuous nostalgia to bear.

By dawn on New Year's Day, a blizzard has shut the lodge off from the rest of the world-- and one of the group has been murdered.

Keep your friends close, the old adage goes. But just how close is too close?

My Reaction:
I always want to like this kind of book-- just mindless "thriller" entertainment-- but sometimes they disappoint, and it's rare that one is anything particularly special.  More often than not, they don't live up to expectations.  Characters do things that don't make sense, and frequently the characters themselves are all so horrible that I don't care what happens to them, one way or the other!  That was definitely the case with this one.  

I'm not sure what I think about the format of the book... It's a fairly large cast, and it took me a while to get all the characters straight in my head.  Then there's the fact that not only does the POV shift among a handful of characters from chapter to chapter, but we toggle back and forth in time between before and after the murder-- and yet we're not explicitly told/shown who the murder victim is until rather late in the novel.  By that point, I'd long since sussed out the identity of not only the victim, but also the murderer!

Everything was dragged out longer than it needed to be, and some "twists"/red herrings or minor mysteries about characters' backstories were needlessly, endlessly teased.  Practically everything that was supposed to be a surprise failed to do so.  More than a bit cliché and predictable.  

Maybe it's a nit-picky thing, but it drove me crazy when the author repeatedly used question marks incorrectly.  If it's not a question, it doesn't get a question mark!  Or have the rules of grammar and punctuation changed since the last time I took an English class?  Where was the editor? 

To top it all off, the epilogue hits you with something that makes no sense.  To avoid spoilers, let's just say that the murderer apparently doesn't even face trial for all of the crimes s/he committed in this book!  To be honest, I didn't initially notice that myself-- just reeling from the onslaught of cliché after cliché, really-- but after skimming a few other reviews, I saw it mentioned and realized that those reviewers were correct.  Very strange!  It's a huge, glaring error of that type that makes you question, again, what the editor was thinking.  

Meh. 

Golden Urchin

Golden Urchin 

by Madeleine Brent

Blurb:

Mitji lived with the Aboriginal tribe for as long as she could remember, but with her white skin, thin nose, and red hair, she does not look like the rest of the tribe.  As she nears womanhood, her oddness has made her an outcast and she must leave her people. She goes on a walkabout, in search of the walypalya, the tribe with red hair and white skin like her own, who had come from the great waters— perhaps they would receive her kindly and let her stay with them. On her wanderings she comes upon a white man, lying half-dead in the blazing heat, and nurses him back to health. Together they made their way to his home. There, Mitji becomes known as Meg and comes to understand that she is herself one of the walypalya. There are new dangers amongst this tribe, and Meg must confront the terrors of a long sea voyage before she can find happiness on the other side of the world. Only the knowledge gained from her Aboriginal tribe can guarantee her survival and that of her friends.

My Reaction:

Golden Urchin is a fascinating, well-written escapist adventure with excellent pacing and a truly heroic heroine.  I knocked my rating down down half a star to 4.5 (and round down, since half-stars aren't available on Goodreads) because I felt there was room for improvement in the romance department, and it wasn't quite a five-star book for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Madeleine Brent does it again!

Mitji/Meg's adventures are endlessly interesting to read, especially when she's surviving in the wilds of Australia and Africa.  Of course, I have no idea how realistic some of this information is... For instance, I've watched survival shows and seen people get terribly ill from suddenly switching to a diet of only meat, so I'm curious how certain things in this book would actually have worked out.  I also have my doubts that a naturally very fair-skinned person can somehow become more or less sunburn-proof, just through exposure to sun as a child.  It was still fun, though, and as long as you read it as escapist literature and not a survival guide, none of that matters.

Yes, it's predictable in many ways.  It has a formula to follow, but it does so in such a way that it still holds your attention.  To be honest, I don't mind a certain amount of "formula".  You know (in broad strokes) what to expect, and that can be comforting.  Even if I know the general direction the story's headed, I'm interested in exactly how it will get there, and the book is the journey to that destination, not merely the ending itself.  

Mitji/Meg is sometimes almost too perfect, but I never found her version of "a little too good to be true" annoying enough to want to stop reading.  I like her best as "Mitji"; she's especially captivating in the early chapters.

The romance... Well, I don't want to venture into spoilers, but it's just not to my tastes, unfortunately.  I seem to remember that the romance in Moonraker's Bride was better, and I think I liked that book better, over all, but Golden Urchin is a wonderful adventure and tale of survival.  I'm glad to have more novels by Madeleine Brent yet to read for the first time.

The Wife and the Widow

The Wife and the Widow

by Christian White

Blurb:

Set against the backdrop of an eerie island town in the dead of winter, The Wife and The Widow is an unsettling thriller told from two perspectives: Kate, a widow whose grief is compounded by what she learns about her dead husband’s secret life; and Abby, an island local whose world is turned upside when she’s forced to confront the evidence of her husband’s guilt. But nothing on this island is quite as it seems, and only when these women come together can they discover the whole story about the men in their lives. Brilliant and beguiling, The Wife and The Widow takes you to a cliff edge and asks the question: how well do we really know the people we love?

My Reaction:

I chose this novel after reading that it had an amazing, unusual twist.  Well, who doesn't love a good twist?!  (...pointedly ignoring people who claim not to love twists...)

To give credit where it's due, there is a surprising twist.  Unlike the person who recommended this book, I don't know that I'd go so far as to say that I've never seen that type of twist before, but it was still unexpected.  

The problem is that I didn't enjoy most of the book.  It was difficult to care much about most of these bland characters, and while I understood their motivations, I found those motivations irritating and unsympathetic, and the whole thing left me cold.  Slightly annoyed, mostly cold.  


SPOILER-Filled Tidbits:

--  The scene between the two teens in the old ferry terminal... Sorry, not what I want to read.  Not by a long shot.

--  John is an idiot.  Why go back and speak to Abby and Eddie about his decision to come forward?  He says he's already decided what he's going to do, with or without them.  He had to know that there was some risk involved.  Abby practically threatened him, even back when he was a teenager.  Did he really think it was a good idea to tell her his intentions and then meet the two of them (as he thought he was doing) in an isolated spot?  What real difference would it have made, talking to them first?  If he'd made up his mind to go to the police, he should've just done it!  But you know what?  Who cares?!  Does any reader honestly care that John was killed?   

--  Never heard of a "she-oak" before this.  Sounds kind of funny, like a folksy way of saying a female oak, if some oaks were male and others female (which apparently they aren't).  "Observe the maternal instinct at work as this she-oak provides a sheltering canopy to protect her precious saplings..."

--  Abby and Ray's discussion just prior to his "confession"... First, she tells him why she can't believe he killed someone, and her reasons include such gems as "because I once saw you weep without shame during an airline ad" and "I've seen you add lavender oil to your bathwater".  Oh, and the dude has been known to laugh insanely at Funniest Home Videos.  (Well, he's human, isn't he?!)  So someone who enjoys the scent of lavender can't possibly be a killer, I guess.  (Again, doesn't almost everyone like lavender?)  To tell the truth, if I see someone weeping without shame during an airline ad, that might be enough to make me doubt their emotional stability!  I'm not saying it's a red flag for murdering tendencies, but it certainly would raise an eyebrow.  

--  During the same conversation as above, Ray admits that he's been worrying that he's unable to provide enough for his family, feels that he's barely keeping his head above water, and sometimes fantasizes about escaping to a different life.  Relatable enough.  Abby asks why he hasn't ever talked to her about those feelings, and he replies, "Come on, Abby, I'm not one of your girlfriends. ... Men aren't like that."  UGH.  (eyeroll, etc., etc.)  Good grief.  I'm really struggling to reconcile Manly-Man Ray who can't talk to his own wife and Touchy-Feeling Ray who enjoys a lavender bath and weeps at sappy commercials.  

--  I'm not a parent, and some people insist that anyone who isn't a parent is incapable of using imagination or the powers of observation to get even the faintest grasp of what it is to be a parent, but working with just the feeble understanding I do possess (another eyeroll for you, here), I can't agree with Ray and Abby's decision to protect their creepy son Eddie from the repercussions of his actions.  Eddie was young.  He was scared.  There was a witness (John) who would have testified to the fact that that man had come in and basically threatened them.  The victim wasn't entirely innocent, and as a minor, Eddie could have been okay.  It's not as though he went on to live a rich, fulfilling life with the knowledge of his guilt hanging over his head, anyway.  Imagine knowing that your parent took the fall for you, at the cost of decades of freedom... It would be crushing.  How could you live with that guilt, even aside from the guilt of the crime you committed?

(Interesting that both this book and the one I last read involved an adult character taking the fall for a crime committed by a younger relative...)  

The Turn of the Key

The Turn of the Key

by Ruth Ware

(Edited) Blurb:

When Rowan Caine applies for a dream position as a nanny, it seems too good to be true.  She's smitten with Heatherbrae House-- by the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.

What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare-- one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.  How can she explain the eerie, sinister events that led to this tragedy when she doesn't understand them herself?  She has only herself to rely on as she attempts to untangle the mystery and prove that she is innocent of a terrible crime.

My Reaction:

This novel gets a split ranking from me.  Despite some nitpicks, I'd give the bulk of the book a solid 3.5 or 4 stars for enjoyment value.  The ending, unfortunately, is disappointingly vague and abrupt.  I guess an overall rating of 3 seems fair, but if you can't stand ambiguous endings, give this a pass! 

(Based on some information the author shared with fans after her book's publication, using the process of elimination, you can probably make a decent guess about the main character's fate, but I still found it a dissatisfying conclusion to read.)


Nitpicks (with many, many SPOILERS):
-- I couldn't believe the length of the section of Rowan figuring out how to operate the shower.  Her difficulties with the control panels in general are a little dull and repetitious, and her embarrassment over speaking instructions to "Happy" is slightly absurd.  Was Alexa really that new-fangled in 2017? ...Okay, I looked it up, and Alexa's general release was in mid-2015.  Yes, maybe it feels a little strange to speak to a computer the first few times, but I still think it's overplayed in this novel.  It's not that embarrassing to do, especially when there's no-one else around.  

--  Another example of the above: "Was I going insane, talking aloud to a household appliance?"  Yes, Rowan, your marbles are well and truly lost.  Hey, I talk to appliances and other inanimate objects all the time, and they aren't even "smart".  I'm a little quirky, but definitely not insane.  (I am, however, irritated by the boring trope of "Oh, gosh, you must be mad, talking to yourself!")

-- There's a silly scene where Rowan removes her blouse to clean off some oatmeal, and the handyman accidentally walks in on her and sees her topless.  As in completely topless.  But... Would any woman really attend an interview for a nannying position wearing a thin silk blouse and no bra?!  It's just a weird fashion choice.  It was totally unnecessary, too, because surely it would be embarrassing to have a stranger unexpectedly see you in just your bra.  Wouldn't that be enough?  

-- At some point, I forgot that all of this is supposed to be a letter Rowan is writing from prison to a lawyer she hopes to convince to represent her in her murder trial.  When she next addressed him by name, it was jarring.  I'm familiar with this type of framing device-- and a certain amount of this type of thing is only to be expected-- but it is rather awkward and ridiculous when a character somehow remembers entire conversations from weeks/months ago and includes tedious, irrelevant events in detail.  This doesn't feel like a letter.  (The long account of her attempt to have a shower becomes even more bizarre when you consider that she wrote all of that to the lawyer!)

-- It requires a powerful suspension of disbelief to accept that Sandra, the doting and tech-savvy mother, would not Google her prospective nanny and scope out her social media.  I guess she just trusted the background check and references, but it's odd.  Teenaged Rhiannon managed to suss out the truth easily enough, and it doesn't seem like it was that difficult to realize that something didn't add up.  Rowan/Rachel's take on the situation?  "But truthfully, it had never occurred to me that anyone would join the dots so assiduously."  Hm.  

-- Ugh, the sex scene as written by Rowan/Rachel to the lawyer... So, so embarrassing!  "--I can't write this to you.  I can't write this but I can't stop remembering it.  I don't know how to stop."  Ow, the cringing!  Just write, "One thing led to another, and yada yada yada, I got up and left after he fell asleep."  

--  I have to admit, I never saw the major twists coming.  Definitely didn't guess that Bill was Rowan/Rachel's father, and it never crossed my mind that she was lying about her identity, either.  I assumed that Maddie fell off the roof while on her way to the window to the attic, so I didn't get that quite right, either.  

--  Call me callous, but it didn't make sense for Rowan/Rachel to keep Ellie's secret.  Ellie is a child.  She wouldn't be punished, as such.  Instead, she'd get some much-needed help and therapy.  Her life wouldn't be ruined any more than it already will be.  She knows what she did-- there's no escaping that-- and when she's old enough, she'll realize that it was also her fault that Rowan/Rachel went to prison and could have been convicted of a crime she didn't commit.  

--  Would it really be possible for Ellie's letter to reach Rowan/Rachel sealed and unread?  Don't they screen prisoners' mail?  Argh!  If that's the case, this ending makes no sense!  (And that's basically how I feel about the ending, in a nutshell.  It makes no sense.  Oh well!)

One by One

One by One
by Ruth Ware

Blurb:

Getting snowed in at a beautiful, rustic mountain chalet doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world, especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a cozy fire, and company to keep you warm. But what happens when that company is eight of your coworkers…and you can’t trust any of them?

When an off-site company retreat meant to promote mindfulness and collaboration goes utterly wrong when an avalanche hits, the corporate food chain becomes irrelevant and survival trumps togetherness. Come Monday morning, how many members short will the team be?

My Reaction:

Three stars out of five, from me.    

The title and something I read promoting this novel made me think it would be more along the lines of Christie's And Then There Were None, but it's not as compelling, dark, and terrifying as that.  Unlike some people, I didn't feel immediately certain of the murderer's identity, so that's a positive-- but unfortunately it was a little of a disappointment when it was revealed.  Not how I was hoping it would go.

On the whole, it was okay.  I didn't like most of the characters, and not just the ones you're supposed to hold in disdain.  I didn't particularly care for most of the ones that you are meant to like, so... ~shrug~  Meh.  

I could've done without a few political/"woke" references toward the end.  We were doing so well for most of the book, but then at the end, I guess the author just couldn't help herself.  It wasn't necessary.  Didn't add anything to the story.  Another disappointment.  

This last bit's a spoiler, so consider yourself warned...
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I didn't like the way that we're obviously supposed to applaud Erin's excessive sensitivity when it comes to the dead characters, when to me she's just being ridiculous.  She's in a life-or-death situation where accessing a phone is of the utmost importance, and yet she makes a huge deal about how awful she feels about using (the dead) Elliot's thumb in order to unlock his phone.  ...When he was alive, Elliot seemed pretty practical.  I really don't think he'd mind Erin touching his hand after his death.  It's not as though she were defiling his body!  

(Strange, though, how she had to work so hard to get the thumbprint to work, but Liz seems to have no such difficulty.  Speaking of Liz, the fact that she doesn't think twice about using Elliot's thumb is clearly supposed to be a meaningful moment of contrast between psychopath Liz and caring healer Erin.  Ugh.)

There's a similar moment later in the book, when Erin has to quickly and quietly cobble together a skiing outfit from whatever's available in the locker room.  She looks down and realizes she's wearing clothes belonging to another dead character.  "The thought that I'm literally stepping into a dead girl's clothes makes my stomach lurch with guilt."  Oh, good grief!  You're borrowing her clothes in a desperate attempt to save your life.  I'm sure she'd have told you to take them with her blessing.  It's not as though you're idly searching through her suitcase and stealing whatever clothes take your fancy.  Such a stupid thing to waste time thinking about.  (And such a stupid thing to include in the novel.)  

There are other quibbles (how many sleeping pills does it really take to kill someone, for instance, how did Liz know which jacket Eva would wearing, considering that she's wealthy enough that she might have more than one, and so on)... But that's enough. 



END
SPOILERS

It was entertaining in parts, and a nice enough way to pass some time, if you enjoy the genre.  

The Quilters Push Back

The Quilters Push Back
(Miranda Hathaway Adventures #7)

by Mary Devlin Lynch, Debbie Devlin Zook, and Beth Devlin-Keune

Blurb:

Not even Cutler Pennsylvania is immune from the serious drug epidemic spreading across the nation. When local kids started dying, Cutler Quilt Guild Number One jumped into action. Using every skill they have from sewing to surveillance, they are determined to find the drug dealers and push them out. It might be time for Harriet to dust off her taser!

My Reaction:

(This was another 372-Pages podcast/book club selection.  Shared read-aloud with Donald!)

I was excited that the podcast hosts chose a quilting-themed series for their first "cozy mystery", because, well, I'm a quilter!  Actually, I still feel a little strange calling myself a quilter, but I have a closet full of fabric, I own a mid-arm quilting machine, and I guess I've been doing it long enough now that it's not a lie, even though it still feels weird, like some craft-world version of "stolen valor"! I'm fine saying "I quilt", but calling myself "a quilter" seems more formal-- and contestable.  "You can't really call yourself a quilter until you've completed 50 quilts, mastered the scant quarter-inch seam, and publicly chastized someone for calling a quilt a 'blanket'!"

I've read a few cozy mysteries in the past, before getting bored because I didn't really enjoy them.  Those were about crochet and other niche interests; this was my first time reading a quilting-themed novel.  To call it "quilt-themed" is quite a stretch, to be honest.  There is very little quilting in the story.  (Spoiler alert!  We went back and read the first book and half of the series, too, while we waited between podcast episodes, and those also had precious little quilting or quilting talk in them-- but at least there was more of an effort, in the first one.) 

I realize that even quilters might not enjoy reading a book with too much actual quilting as the focus of the story, but there was so little quilting here that it felt pointless to make it part of a quiltilng series.  The group could easily have been focused on nearly any other hobby.  All you'd have to do would be to change the name of the group (or guild, in this instance) and have them make something other than pillows for their fundraiser-- jewelry, crochet potholders, knitted hats, baked goods, jam, BBQ ribs, etc.   (Come to think of it, those pillows were more about embroidery than quilting, anyway!  And they did an almost identical fundraiser in the first book of the series!!)  

Anyway... This wasn't particularly well-written (for a variety of reasons), but it was unintentionally hilarious at times.  Donald loved all the times that "everyone" in a group simultaneously performed various actions (laughing, smiling, cheering, nodding-- lots of nodding).  Oh, and this: "Gabe snapped pictures as quietly as he could with the window rolled down."  The mental image of someone trying to take photos "quietly"!  Photography isn't typically all that noisy-- especially these days, with digital cameras and phone cameras-- and there's not much you can do to make it even quieter.  Then there's the way "bad girls" are described (their hair, clothes, and make-up), the utter lack of undertstanding of how the legal system works, and a general air of naiveté.  

This hasn't inspired me to seek out more cozy mysteries.  Maybe there are some genuinely good, interesting, well-written series out there, but I'm not in any hurry to start searching for them, right now.

Incarnate

Incarnate

by Ramsey Campbell

Blurb:

Five people are brought from London to participate in a controlled experiment studying prophetic dreaming. But the results are so ominous that the program is cut short.

Now a monstrous presence is in the subjects' lives, a creature created by their group dream eleven years ago, drawing them inexorably into its awful vortex.

My Reaction:

I'm disappointed!  This could have been so much better.  The basic idea of the book has potential, but it's far too long, lacks focus, and fails to deliver. 

So much of the book crawls at a snail's pace, and much of it is inconsequential or repetitious.  There's a powerful sensation of waiting for something, anything to happen.  Everything feels nebulous in this novel, soft-focus and hazy.  I thought that perhaps this was intentional and specific to this novel, given that it is about dreams.  Perhaps the author was trying to evoke a dreamlike atmosphere, because there are definitely times when he makes the reader question what is and isn't actually happening.  However, I've since read a review or two that indicates that this is simply the author's typical writing style.  (Apparently he's a master of the short story, but I'm not sure I've ever read anything of his before this.  I'd look for a short story before I'd venture to try another of his novels.)

I kept hoping that things would come together, but when the book draws to a close, it's more of a headscratcher than a satisfying conclusion.  I want things spelled out in a bit more detail than that.  A little too facile, and a little less impressive than I'd hoped.  Very disappointing!  



SPOILERS FOLLOW!

So much of the book was frustrating to read!  I can only take so much of hating Eve (and Helen/Nell, to be honest).  I grew weary of watching the blob-thing tormenting poor Geoffrey.  (Incidentally, the man must've been a saint to put up with the infuriating Joyce for so many years!)  And don't even get me started on Danny Swain.  (Yuck!)  In the end, it felt like a whole lot of frustration for nothing, because the ending was so unrewarding.  Blah.  

I'm also annoyed that two of the characters I actually liked (Susan and Geoffrey) died/were lost in the dream.  One more layer of disappointment!

At least it's done.  I can't wait to read something different, after that long slog!

Bitesized Audio Classics

Bitesized Audio Classics
Read by Simon Stanhope

This is a bit of a different kind of review for me.  The subject is not a book or a traditionally produced audiobook, but a YouTube channel.  

If you like English mystery, ghost, and suspense short stories from the Victorian and Edwardian eras-- and the audiobook format-- you may enjoy Bitesized Audio Classics.  I happened to stumble upon one of the stories and have since listened to a few more and subscribed to the channel for future listening. (I like them for easy listening while doing a diamond painting!)

These short stories are selected and narrated by UK-based actor and voice artist Simon Stanhope, and they have the same sound quality and professional polish as traditional audiobooks.  The stories are all in the public domain, but while some will likely be familiar to fans of the genre, others were new to me.  

Definitely worth a listen!

Snowflakes

Snowflakes
by Ruth Ware

Blurb:

Leah has spent her formative years isolated on a remote island with her family. But their quiet existence, far from the devastated mainland, is cracking. Father, sensing a coming threat, demands that a wall be built. As the stone blockade rises, Father’s paranoia escalates. So does Leah’s dread that the violence the family left behind has found its way to their sanctuary.

My Reaction:
The audio version of this short story was available for free, and I've enjoyed some of the author's novels, so I decided to give it a try. 

...Well, I guess it was one way to spend some time while washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen, but I don't like the story.  

Problems:

--Ugh, political overtones!  No thanks!

--Predictable "twist".

--Depressing.  (I won't get into spoiler territory, but it wasn't my cup of tea.)

--The little girl (? how old was she, exactly?) and her singing just annoyed me. I must be a cold-hearted so-and-so, but yuck.  Especially in audiobook form, that was irritating!

At least it was short, right?!  I doubt I'll bother with the other stories in this collection (from other authors).

The Gift of Fear

The Gift of Fear

by Gavin de Becker

Blurb:

TRUE FEAR IS A GIFT. UNWARRANTED FEAR IS A CURSE. LEARN HOW TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE. A date won't take "no" for an answer. The new nanny gives a mother an uneasy feeling. A stranger in a deserted parking lot offers unsolicited help. The threat of violence surrounds us every day. But we can protect ourselves, by learning to trust-- and act on-- our gut instinct.

In this empowering audiobook, Gavin de Becker shows you how to spot even subtle signs of danger-- before it's too late. Shattering the myth that most violent acts are unpredictable, de Becker, whose clients include top Hollywood stars and government agencies, offers specific ways to protect yourself and those you love, including... how to act when approached by a stranger... when you should fear someone close to you... what to do if you are being stalked... how to uncover the source of anonymous threats or phone calls... the biggest mistake you can make with a threatening person... and more. Learn to spot the danger signals others miss. It might just save your life.

My Reaction:

I kept seeing this book being mentioned, and I became curious.  I listened to the audiobook version, which probably increases the chances that I'll actually finish a work of nonfiction, but also means I might not be paying full attention the whole time I'm "listening".  My retention suffers when I only listen, too.  But hey, at least I gave it a try.  

Parts of the book are interesting and potentially helpful, but there's also a lot of repetition, less useful information, and statements that awoke my inner skeptic.  The author is only human, and I don't agree with him on a few points.  (He doesn't seem to believe that guns can be useful for self-defense, for instance. I know that's wrong.  Sometimes the only way to survive violence is to have a weapon of your own.  By all means, don't buy a gun if you don't want to, but there's nothing wrong with someone else wanting a gun for self-protection, so long as they are responsible, practice gun safety, and keep it out of the hands of children.) 

Some of the information feels a little outdated, which is not surprising, considering that it was published in the late 90s.  Technology has advanced by leaps and bounds in the past twenty years, and the Internet and social media have opened up new risks and areas of concern.

The section about assassination and celebrity stalkers is not relevant to the average person, and it doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the book.  It does seem that the author chose to write about it because it interests him, since it's his job and allows him to mingle with famous people.  I disagree with his attitude that assassinations are the most important crimes in the world.  Sure, the course of history will most likely be affected more by the murder of a world leader than by the murder of an ordinary person, but personally, I care much more deeply about "everyday crime" than assassinations.  Besides, how likely am I to ever need to know about assassins or celebrity stalkers?  It's not something I need to think about or waste my energy on-- because it doesn't interest me, as an average, everyday person.

I think I was expecting more practical, real-world advice on how to identify danger and react to it in specific situations.  Instead, this book's message is mostly just "trust your instinct", or your gut, or whatever you want to call it (but don't worry, because that's bad...).  I already try to do that, and I think I have decent survival instincts, so... I'm not sure how much I learned.  

One thing that I'll try to remember from this book is the fairly boring advice to "simply" ignore someone who is an annoyance but not an active threat.  It's something we've all heard before.  Your little brother is pestering you?  Ignore him.  He'll soon get bored and go away.  The same holds true for adults, according to this author.  If someone is "refusing to let go" (pestering, making a nuisance of themselves, not picking up on hints to leave you alone), give them one clear message that you are not interested.  Don't phrase it to encourage hope that it's a temporary  or conditional refusal, but avoid being insulting.  Leave them their dignity to avoid provoking them into aggression.  After that clear, uncompromising message, stop engaging.  Some people crave attention in any form, and if they can't get positive attention, they're satisfied with negative attention.  Ignoring them is like robbing a fire of oxygen.  It's the fastest way to quell the flames.  It sounds easier said then done, but it's probably a wise strategy. 

Nothing Serious

Nothing Serious

by P.G. Wodehouse

Blurb:

This book contains further stories of members of the Drones Club and several adventures related by the Oldest Member of the golf club. Many old friends reappear - Bingo Little and Mrs Bingo, Freddie Widgeon, Ambrose Gussett, Agnes Flack, Horace Bewstridge and many more. It includes: "The Shadow Passes", "Bramley is so Bracing", "Up From the Depths", "Feet of Clay", "Excelsior", "Rodney Has a Relapse", "Tangled Hearts", "Birth of a Salesman", "How's That, Umpire?" and "Success Story".

My Reaction:

(This was a shared read-aloud with Donald, like all P.G. Wodehouse, Terry Pratchett, and 372-Pages books.)

We read this one in bits and pieces between books and reading assignments for the comedy podcast book club 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back.  As always, P.G. Wodehouse doesn't let you down, and you feel happier after reading than you did before.  (Well, I do, at least.)  It's an uplifting, stress-busting soul-tonic in text form!  

I believe our favorite story in this collection was "Birth of a Salesman", the one featuring Lord Emsworth, but I also particularly enjoyed "Success Story".  The golf stories were better than I would've guessed, given that I know little about golf (and care even less).  However, after a while, the gimmicks and framing device were wearing slightly thin, so I was glad that the last few stories moved on to other subjects. Still, on the whole they were good.  (They really aren't "about" golf.  You don't need to like or know much about the sport to appreciate them.)

I wouldn't say that this collection is Wodehouse's finest work, but they still hit the spot when you're in need of a little humor, and the title is a perfect description of his writing as a whole.  

Ready Player Two

Ready Player Two 

by Ernest Cline

Blurb:

An unexpected quest. Two worlds at stake. Are you ready?

Days after Oasis founder James Halliday's contest, Wade Watts makes a discovery that changes everything. Hidden within Halliday's vault, waiting for his heir to find, lies a technological advancement that will once again change the world and make the Oasis a thousand times more wondrous, and addictive, than even Wade dreamed possible. With it comes a new riddle and a new quest. A last Easter egg from Halliday, hinting at a mysterious prize. And an unexpected, impossibly powerful, and dangerous new rival awaits, one who will kill millions to get what he wants. Wade's life and the future of the Oasis are again at stake, but this time the fate of humanity also hangs in the balance.

My Reaction (with SPOILERS aplenty):

(This is another one to blame on 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back.  Shared read-aloud with Donald.)

Look, I'll be honest.  There's no way I would ever have read this if it weren't for the 372-Pages podcast.  I didn't like the first one (Ready Player One).  In fact, I don't remember much about it, except that I didn't like it and it felt like an endless description of people playing video games. (Why?!  Who could possibly like that?! Well, judging by the reviews and ratings, lots of people!  I'm just not one of them.)

Anyway, after RP1 and Armada, I went in knowing I'd dislike it, but parts of this one were even worse than I expected.  I don't know where to begin, how to organize my thoughts about this book...

Let's just make an unorganized list:

Again, there will be SPOILERS, so consider yourself warned!

-- The characters are no more likeable than they were the first time around.  And they're stupid.  They're grinning and high-fiving and whatever else they do like they're just out for another adventure with the Crew, yet the fate of billions of lives hangs in the balance!  

-- No-one needed (much less wanted) to know that much about Wade's "private life".  Why sully the pristine memory of Rivendell in this way?  Blurgh!

-- The L0-Five was totally unnecessary.  Just a waste of pages, and even worse, every time they popped up, we were subjected to an insufferable description of them kneeling to the High-Five. (Insert barf emoji here.)  The hero-worship is absolutely sickening, especially when you consider how undeserved it is!

-- Thanks, dude, for the play-by-play description of yet another crappy old video game.  Really enriched my life.  (Note: No matter how hard you try to make a pixelated video game sound lush and immersive and awe-inspiring, it doesn't change the fact that it's none of those things.)

--  So poorly written.  Abysmal.  ("Then" this, "then" that, "then", "then", "then"!  "And", "and", "and"!  It's like listening to a young child making up something on the fly.  Okay, I start too many sentences with "and" in my reviews, but I honestly think that's different.  I'm not being paid or trying to tell a story, here, for Things 1 and 2.)

-- What was with all the "needle-drops"?  Did someone complain that "classic 80s music" was neglected in the first book, so he decided to pump up the volume, pump up the volume, pump up the volume, dance dance annoy annoy in this one?  I love a lot of 80s music, but reading about it here just made me roll my eyes.  Ooh, good one. You mentioned a song I know.  I must be one of the cool kids, now. (Nerdy is the new cool, right?  Well, at least it was for a while.  I guess "woke" is the new new cool. ...sigh... It was nice while it lasted...)

-- The Prince section.  Good grief.  What was he thinking?  Seriously, what?  You could almost feel sorry for him when you see that he's written himself into a corner and has no clue how to get out.  Almost, but not quite, since he basically just shrugs his shoulders and says, "Ta-da!  I don't know how it happened, but we won!"  

-- He's back up to his old tricks again with the absolute inability to create and hold any tension whatsoever.  Oh, you think we're building up to some uncertainty?  You suspect that we're going to have cause to worry about our heroes for a bit?  NO!  Deus ex machina here, deus ex machina there, deus ex machina ev'rywhere!  Zero tension, ever.  Just slurp up the references, slap a goofy grin on your face, and desperately seek someone with whom to lock eyes and exchange a knowing look.  Congratulations, you're in The Club!  What do you want with characterization, plotting, and a modicum of suspense?  You're getting validation for having a passing familiarity with retro pop culture, you lucky reader, you!

-- Wade takes a tongue-lashing for not being an expert in The Silmarillion, which is unintentionally hilarious.  First, hardly anyone reads that, unless they are a true Tolkien-obsessed fanatic.  Second, Aech makes it sound like Wade has been somehow shirking his duty by not keeping constantly boned up on obscure titles.  ...But this quest has come out of the blue! They had no warning and no reason to expect that it would ever matter, especially after they won ownership of the OASIS, in the first book.  It's just ridiculous for her to be angry with him about this!  It felt like someone berating their high school Quiz Bowl teammate for not studying hard enough before a match. "Dude!  You're supposed to be our expert in landlocked European countries, but then you don't even know the GDP of Armenia!  I can't believe this, man!  You just cost us the tournament!  I hope you're happy, Wade, you utter piece of crap!"  

-- (I genuinely just had to look up the protagonist's name for that last one, that's how little impression he makes.) 

-- I think I'm losing steam, here.  One can only rant for so long before it happens...

-- The repetition!  Either the author can't remember what he's already told us or he has a low opinion of his audience's short-term memory.  

-- This author has form for casually dropping in some amazing things with no explanation-- "yada yada yada"-ing it.  (Curing cancer, anyone?) This time, he decided to spring "The Singularity" (a.k.a. "the posthuman era") on his unsuspecting readers.  Okay, I guess it might not count as springing it on them when it was fairly predictable that this might be where things were heading. I wish I could express how barf-worthy I found this entire last section of the book, but... Well, once you've described something as "barf-worthy", what else is there to say, really?  

...Okay, I've thought of some more things to say. 

First:  Once again, the author thinks we're stupid.  He keeps repetitively explaining that this means that people whose memories/brains have been downloaded/uploaded/whatever are "immortal".  I don't think you fully grasp what he's saying here, guys!  That means (whispers, with a bulging-eyed fanatic's facial expression) they'll never die.  They'll never know "the sting of human mortality". They're "going to live on forever".  "Death would have no more dominion."  And so on and so forth.  ...Erm, did you get that, or do I need to explain it for you again, speaking veeeeerrryyy sllllooooowwwwlllly? 

Second:  There's no point going into it, but I personally don't believe a person's soul can be downloaded/uploaded/slurped into a computer.  I'm skeptical that even one's memories can be digitized in that way, but for argument's sake, say they can; I guarantee that a copy of my memories won't be me anymore than a video of my 9th birthday party is a true, actual, meaningful, revisit-able copy of that snippet of time.  It's at best a visual and audio record of one angle/point of view of that party.  It's nice to have, but what a joke to suggest that it's anything like the rich, vivid experience of living it when it actually was happening!  Suggesting that one of these digital "clones" of someone's memories is a copy of the person is laughable.  (Go ahead, call me narrowminded and shortsighted.  I can take it.)

Third:  Where did all those embryos come from?  I don't think Wade ever told us!

Fourth:  They didn't ask permission to copy people's memories and eventually wake up those copies of them?  ...So much for ethics!

Fifth:  The description of the existence of these digitized "people" sounds rather hellish, if you take the time to think about it.  Sure, opportunities for limitless experiences, etc., but when you have eternity, the word "limitless" ceases to have any meaning.  Eventually, you'll get bored.  Tired.  Maybe even wishing for death.  Stuck with the same "people" forever.  Unable to forget anything! (!!!)  I don't know... That doesn't sound like paradise to me. 

Sixth:  "Life is good.  But it's very different from our lives back home."  Listen, Wade 2.0.  You're not alive.  Your "life" isn't actually life... But whatever.  

Seventh:  So let me get this straight.  Wade 2.0 and all the other 2.0 Crew are the ones charged with finding this theoretical Earthlike planet, (somehow) investigating it and deciding if/when to land, growing and (somehow) raising the embryos to begin populating the new world, etc.?  (This world-- assuming it's habitable for humans-- will certainly have its own set of completely unknown dangers and threats.  You're not going to just step off the Vonnegut and find a veritable Garden of Eden with only polite, hospitable lifeforms awaiting you.)  And you're telling me that Wade is the one in charge of making all these critical decisions?  ...I... I just... Look, don't count on this whole Proxima Centauri thing working out, is all I'm saying.  

Eighth:  That's how it ends.  With two Wades.  Truly a nightmare scenario.  (In passing, I suppose there can be infinite copies of any given person, in this world.  That's... weird.)  The copy of Wade is going off to explore the final frontier and the original will eventually die.  (So much for immortality!  This is no more true "immortality" for Wade 1.0 than saying that he'll be "immortal" if he has a child or that he'll live on through his legacy with the OASIS, the ONI, etc.)  In the meantime, the author wants us to know that "the people who remain back on Earth are still facing plenty of huge problems.  But they also still have the OASIS as their collective means of escape." So... Nothing's really changed, then.  The Earth is still dying (?) and everyone on it is just twiddling their thumbs while everything circles that great big cosmic drain in the sky.  Indulging in that good ol' OASIS opiate of the masses.  What a beautiful end to a wonderful tale!

Bonus:  Wade 2.0 tells us (in very long-winded fashion) that they've taken a "backup of our entire civilization" ("humanity's greatest hits").  "And someday perhaps we will encounter another civilization like our own to share it with.  Then we'll finally get a chance to compare notes."  Nooooo!!  He's going to start an intergalactic war!  Those aliens will sit through two or three of Wade 2.0's vintage 80s video game walkthroughs and they'll decide to do the rest of the multiverse a favor and vaporize Earth from afar!  Can you imagine many worse candidates for Ambassador for Earth than Wade Watts?!  

The only positive here was that it was (unintentionally) funny to read, especially when reading along with the podcast.  

Venetia

Venetia
by Georgette Heyer

Blurb:

Beautiful, capable, and independent minded, Venetia Lanyon's life on her family's estate in the country side is somewhat restricted. But her neighbor, the infamous Lord Damerel, a charming rake shunned by polite society, is about to shake things up.

Lord Damerel has built his life on his dangerous reputation, and when he meets Venetia, he has nothing to offer and everything to regret. Though his scandalous past and deepest secrets give Venetia reason to mistrust him, a rogue always gets what he wants.

As Venetia's well-meaning family steps in to protect her from potential ruin, Venetia must find the wherewithal to take charge of her own destiny, or lose her chance at happiness.

My Reaction:

I've had this on the go for a while.  Simply couldn't seem to get into the story until fairly far along in the book, probably because not much happened for the first half or so, and I wasn't motivated to read very often.  

Venetia has its good points, but I didn't love it.  Heroine too beautiful?  Hero too "meh"? (Yes, I've seen the comparisons to Mr. Rochester, and that occurred to me while reading, too, but Mr. Rochester has a keener sense of humor and regrets his past-- and has an excuse for at least the beginning of his "bad behavior".  Damerel, on the other hand, just feels a little skeevy at times.) 

Part of my problem is the attitude that of course (some? most?) married men will philander.  Apparently, women of maturity and wisdom accept it as a natural part of marriage. Repugnant nonsense!  Is it supposed to be a joke?  I didn't find it amusing.  

There was also very little in the way of tension or romantic suspense, since the "hero" kisses the heroine upon their very first meeting and they are clearly mutually infatuated for the entire novel.  I couldn't muster much enthusiasm.

It just wasn't for me, unfortunately.