The God of Small Things

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy has been re-shelved about 142 pages into the story. I just can't seem to get into it. And there are so many books to read. Maybe I'll pick it back up and finish it one of these days but for now it will get dusty.

The Dark Water

The Dark Water by David Pirie tells the adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle and his friend Joseph Bell. Doyle is stalked and hunted by a man known as Cream. Much like Holmes Moriarty this man figures profoundly in Doyles life.

I picked this book up at the library on a whim. And it is a very fast and easy read. I found myself immersed in the story and enjoying it. But I also found myself distracted and my mind would wander. I don't know if it was the book or my mood but I even put it down about 120 pages into it and thought to return it unfinished. But I picked it back up and finished it in no time. I'm glad I at least found out the end to the mystery.

Teckla

Teckla by Steven Brust is the 5th book chronologically in the Vlad Taltos series. I love these books. Fast reads with enough action and mystery to keep me hooked.

Please Don't Come Back from the Moon

Please don't Come Back from the Moon by Dean Bakopoulos tells the story of a small midwestern town. One day almost all the father's up and leave. The explanation: they went to the moon. How else could they disapear so completely.

This is the story of how the abandoned sons grew up and what their lives became. Would they join their father's? What would they all become as they grew older?

It's a fascinating story. An easy read. Nothing incredibly deep or life changing. But I read a review when this book first came out and they said it was marvelous. I enjoyed this story and I"m glad I read it.

In the Hand of Dante

In the Hand of Dante by Nick Tosches is quite a read. I enjoyed this book. The author is raw and graphic. But also heartbreakingly beautiful in his writing style. The story is fascinating. And this is the second book in a row in which I feel that the author is truly a deeply knowledgeable person with more brains in their pinky than the a roomful of average people. Damn is this man smart.

But much like Club Dumas this is not a book that makes you feel stupid. On the contrary. It's entertaining and educational. It is also a great adventure into the seedier sides of life.

The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte is a stunning book. Very intriguing, highly intellectual, yet all the time remaining on solid ground with a writing style that flows easily, isn't pretentious, and allows any reader to enjoy the story. I could have felt a bit out of my league reading this but the author does an excellent job of "keeping it real" for lack of a better way to describe it. It is the story of a manuscript, a chapter from Dumas' Three Musketeers. Is it authentic? And if so why are there two different handwriting's on the pages? Why is one set white and the other blue?

While trying to find out the authenticity of the manuscript the main character is plunged into another mystery. That of a book of which there are only three known copies in the world. Believed to have been destroyed for it's satanic content could any of the three be the actual original? Or are they all copies? Do they differ in anyway that might be telling?

The main character suddenly finds himself in trouble. Someone wants him dead. And the two mysteries are somehow tied together.

You'll have to read the story to find out more. It's a fast paced read. A fascinating look into the world of book collecting. As well as a little bit of history. You learn a lot in this book but find yourself enjoying the education.

The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad is a very good read. I learned a great deal about the Afghan culture as well as enjoyed a good story. The author lived with a family for several months and this is their story. She tells us a little about each family member. Telling us their story from each of their own perspectives. It's a fascinating tale.

If you ever wanted to know more about this region of the country this is an excellent and fast read.

Dead Run

Dead Run by P.J. Tracy is book three in the Monkeewrench series. I started the book late Saturday night and finished it early in the afternoon Sunday. I couldn't stop. I couldn't read fast enough. What a wild ride. It was just fabulous. I can't even begin to tell you how much I have fallen in love with the characters. The story is fast paced and exciting. You won't be able to put it down. My mother in law tells me that #4 - Snow Blind is even better. How can it get even better? I'm almost afraid to find out. I had promised myself that I would space these books out, that I didn't want to run out of them so quickly. But dang it, like a heroin addict I couldn't' stay away. I just couldn't. The book called to me. It called...................

The Memory Keepers Daughter

The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards was a really good read. It is beautifully written and has wonderful character development. I think I most enjoyed the twins - the two children the story focuses around. For me their story was the most interesting and important. I almost wish the story had focused more on them and less on the parents.

I also found some plot changes to be a bit abrupt. Momentous things happened to main characters and it is just sort of thrown at you. I'm not sure how the author could have done any better but I just felt a little cheated for lack of a better way to describe it.

Kind of like coming home one day and haing our mom yell from the laundry room that the dog died. Just a little too abrupt and matter of fact. You would think you would get a little more "feed in" before the actual news is dropped into your lap.

But aside from some abrupt plot turns I really did enjoy this story. Part of me hopes that she writes a follow-up novel. I would love to spend more time with the twins.

Electric Michelangelo

Electric Michelangelo by Sarah Hall tells the story of Cy from his youth and through the rest of his life. Cy is a talented artist who is befriended by a tattoo artist. The artist takes Cy on as an apprentice and this story follows Cy's career. From the shores of England to Coney Island and back. This story spans from the turn of the century through 2 world wars. It's a good read. I don't regret it, but it was slow and some what repetitive. The author has some beautiful prose in this book. And that made it well worth the read.

Live Bait

Live Bait by PJ Tracy is book two in their Monkeewrench mysteries. PJ Tracy is a mother and daughter writing team. I loved this book as much as the first. And I was on the edge of my seat till the very last page. This was a stupendous story. And it poses the most interesting moral questions.

I loved it. It made me laugh and it made me cry. It REALLY made me cry. I wasn't expecting to get so emotionally involved in the characters. But I'm in it for the long run. I can't wait to read the next one.

Monkeewrench

Monkeewrench by PJ Tracy is mystery writing at it's best. This was absolutely a wonderful read. I fell in love with the characters, the story, everything. It was just marvelous. And it was everything we hope for when we read a mystery. Actually it was everything we hope for in a book period. I recommend this to everyone!

You are Not a Stranger Here

You are not a Stranger Here by Adam Haslett is a marvelous collection of short stories. I loved every single story in this book and found myself wishing to hear more about each character.

I thought I could pick a favorite story or two in the book but I can't. I found each and every one of them fascinating.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See is a remarkable book set in 19th century China. Told through the eyes of Lily we learn what life was like for women in the remote villages. From foot binding, to 10 day wedding fasts, mother-in-laws, to sacred friendships, this is an amazing and very educational story.

I loved every word in this book. The story is beautifully told. And I was enthralled by the characters and their lives.

Shadows Fall

Shadows Fall by Simon R. Green is another fabulous story from a wonderfully creative author. I loved this story. Absolutely loved it. But I have loved everything he has written. The ONLY thing that surprised me a tad in this book is how much more graphic his violence was. Normally he leaves a great deal to your imagination. But in this book he spells it out for you in black and white. There was no guessing how gruesome a scene was.

This story is about the town where legends and hero's go once people stop believing in them. The town is magical and amazing. Green mentions Shadow's Fall several times in his Nightside series and this story goes into detail about life within it's ever changing boundaries.

I, Mona Lisa

I, Mona Lisa by Jeanne Kalogridis was simply a wonderful read. The story tells the tale of the woman behind the famous painting. And it does so in a rich and captivating way. If I could go back in time I would want to go to Florence in the time of DaVinci, Michelangelo, and the Medici. So when I saw this book on the store shelf I had to get it. It was a chance to live, if even for 500 pages, in the world I so admire.

Now, I know this is fiction based on historical fact. So I realize that what takes place in the story is far from an accurate historical count but if there is a story behind the Mona Lisa it might as well be this one.

I passed this story on to my father to read. It's the kind of tale that you don't want to keep to yourself. It paints too beautiful a story to keep to oneself.

Haunted

Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk is hands down the strangest and most disturbing book I have ever read. This man makes Stephen King look like a romance writer.

I don't know if there are even words to adequetly discribe how freak'n weird this book is.

The plot is basically this: a group of rag tag authors all sign up to go away on a three month writers retreat. All their needs are to be provided for. The only thing they have to do is write.

Made up of short stories, poems, and chapters about what is happening at the writer's retreat this book reads more like an episode of "Survivor" on crack, meth, LCD, and pcp all at once. This is one seriously demented book. And of course no matter how queezy I got, no matter how badly I wanted to shake off the images it put in my head I coudn't stop reading. This book is a train wreck in print.

This is the stuff that nightmares are made of. And I can't wait to pick up another book by this author. He's seriously a demented man.

Oxygen

Oxygen by Andrew Miller tells the tale of three men. Two are brother's and one is a Hungarian author living in Paris. One of the brother's is translating the work of the author but they never meet. The story focuses around the brother's and their mother who is dying of lung cancer. The third character, the author, in a separate story is approached by a group of people struggling for political freedoms. They need his help moving a package into Hungry.

I was a little less than half way through this story when I almost gave up on it. The reviews for this story are excellent. Except one review saw the entire focus of the story to be about cancer and the slow and painful death from it. Because I didn't necessarily want to read a book that heavy and probably depressing I put it down. But something niggled at me and I picked it back up.

I'm glad I did. This story didn't necessarily have a huge point. There was no grand moment, no dawning of any ages, but it was a good story. Very well written and quite interesting.

The Love-Artist

The Love-Artist by Jane Alison was a really interesting book to read. Set in ancient Rome and centering around the story of Ovid this is a fascinating fictional look at a portion of his life. The story was inspired by the few remaining lines from one of his works, Madea:

"I gave you your life. Now you're wondering, will I take it, too?"

The author built a marvelous story around the person that inspired those lines as well as the entire work.

This is a fast and wonderful read. For historical fiction it captures your interest and your imagination from the first page.

Changing Planes

Changing Planes by Ursula K. LeGuin was a fun and fascinating read. The book is a "travel guide" about 15 different planes or worlds that you can visit while you wait at an airport for your actual plane. The flying machine kind.

Each chapter describes a different world. The people that inhabit the worlds are not all humanoid. They are at different levels of advancement/technology. They have varying beliefs, languages, religions, etc.

Overall this was a very fun story and I enjoyed the light-hearted humor. I also enjoyed the ideas expressed in each plane and how they compare to our world, it's practices and it's beliefs. This would actually be a very fun book to read on a trip. On a plane to be more precise. An escape from the "rushed" waiting of air travel. After all, it's the monotony of air travel that started the whole thing..............