Shannon (sturlington) follows her bliss in 2016

For next year's challenge, I have decided to follow my reading bliss. That means I'm not going to set hard number goals, and I'm not going to commit to any CATs, although I will note any matches I do happen to read. I pledge to read what I want when I want. I'm going to follow my desires and the fates (i.e., randomness) in picking my next read in the hopes that one great book will lead to the next in a serendipitous fashion.

My focus will again be on books written by women, primarily in the horror, suspense, and science fiction genres. I'm also going to be seeking out classics, mostly from the TBR pile. I have a long list of recommended books that I might choose from randomly. And I plan to start rereading some of my favorites from my library that I last read 15 years or more ago (since 2001 was the first year I started journaling my reading in a systematic way).

It should be an adventure. No one, least of all me, knows where it will lead.

And since "bliss" implies the wedded kind, that will set the theme for my challenge. There will be 6 categories in 2016 with no overlap.

Ratings:

5★ - Mind-blowing. Highly recommended.
4.5★ - Between good and great--still deciding. Highly recommended.
4★ - Powerful or important. Recommended.
3★ - Entertaining but likely forgettable. Take it or leave it.
2★ - Poor. Not recommended
1★ - Either hated it or abandoned it.

Category 1: Something Old



These will be books I already own, either from the bookshelf or the Kindle, mostly classics.

Total read so far: 12

January: The Expendable Man by Dorothy B. Hughes (3★); Black Sun by Edward Abbey (3★); The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (4★); The Scarlet Plague by Jack London (4★); Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende (5★)
February: Dracula on audio by Bram Stoker (5★); Let Me In by John Ajvide Lindqvist (2★)
March: The Secret Garden on audio by Frances Hodgson Burnett (2★)
April: The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks (2★); Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne (4★); Geek Love by Katherine Dunn (4★)
May: Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko (3★)

Category 2: Something New



These will be new books I can't resist buying and Early Reviewer wins.

Total read so far: 8

January: The End Is Now edited by John Joseph Adams and Hugh Howey (3★)
February: Bad Wizard by James Maxey (3★)
March: The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (3★); The Unseen by Alexandra Sokoloff (3★); The Cipher by Kathe Koja (3★); The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle (3★)
April: The Dead Lands by Benjamin Percy (2★)
May: Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives edited by Sarah Weinman (5★)

Category 3: Something Borrowed



These are books I borrow from the library and my Little Free Library.

Total read so far: 11

January: The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi (4★); Lost Canyon by Nina Revoyr (3★)
February: Gold Fame Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins (4★); I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdardottir (3★)
March: Far North by Marcel Theroux (4★); Lock In by John Scalzi (4★); Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor (4★)
April: A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay (4★); Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton (3★); Ammonite by Nicola Griffith (4★)
May: The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North (4★); The Book of Phoenix by Nnedi Okorafor (3★); The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (4★)

Category 4: Something Blue



Since blue is my favorite color, these books are favorites: rereads of old favorites, new books by favorite writers, recommendations from favorite people.

Total read so far: 5

January: The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood (2★)
February: none
March: Negotiating with the Dead by Margaret Atwood (5★)
April: The Wave in the Mind by Ursula K. Le Guin (3★)
May: The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King (4★); Amphigorey Again by Edward Gorey (4★) -- reread

Category 5: First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in the baby carriage.



These are books I read with my 8-year-old son.

Total read so far: 5

February read-alouds: The Westing Game (4★)
March read-alouds: Matilda (5★); The Bad Beginning (4★)
April read-alouds: Five Children and It (3★)
May read-alouds: The Reptile Room (3★)

Category 6: The Hope Chest



These are nonfiction, cookbooks, and other miscellaneous reads.

Total read so far: 1

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay (4★)

Where in the world am I?

Here's where I will post my world and US maps showing where the books I'm reading take place.


visited 10 states (4.44%)
Create your own visited map of The World or Amsterdam travel guide for Android

Africa: Who Fears Death (Sudan)
South America: Daughter of Fortune (Chile)
Eastern Europe: Dracula (Romania); Far North (Russia)
Western Europe: I Remember You (Iceland); Let Me In (Sweden); The Nightingale (France)
United Kingdom: Matilda and The Secret Garden (England); The Wasp Factory (Scotland); Five Children and It (England)
Polar Regions: Little Black Lies (Falkland Islands)


visited 12 states (24%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or Amsterdam travel guide for Android

Arizona: The Expendable Man; Black Sun; The Water Knife
California: The Maltese Falcon; The Scarlet Plague; Daughter of Fortune; Lost Canyon; Gold Fame Citrus
Kansas: Bad Wizard
Massachusetts: A Head Full of Ghosts
Missouri: The Dead Lands
Nevada: The Heart Goes Last (Las Vegas is the setting for part of the book)
New Mexico: Ceremony
New York: The Ballad of Black Tom
North Carolina: The Unseen
Oregon: Geek Love
Virginia/Washington DC: Lock In
Wisconsin: The Westing Game

1. Less than 200 pages: Black Sun
2. Senior citizen is the protagonist: The Scarlet Plague
3. Survival story: The End Is Now
4. About an airplane flight: Far North
5. About a writer: Negotiating with the Dead
6. About the environment: The Water Knife
9. Adventure: The Dead Lands
10. One-word title: Dracula
11. Title has a musical reference: The Ballad of Black Tom
12. Title uses wordplay: Little Black Lies
15. About/by indigenous person: Ceremony
17. Published before I was born: The Maltese Falcon
18. Features a theater: The Bad Beginning
19. Debut novel: The Library at Mount Char
20. In translation: Let Me In
22. Coming-of-age story: Matilda
23. Comics: Amphigorey Again
24. Self-published: Bad Wizard

3. Less than 10 years old: Gold Fame Citrus
4. Short story collection: Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives
5. Women in nontraditional roles: Lost Canyon
6. Published before 2000: The Westing Game
7. African-American author: Bad Feminist
9. Different genre by the same author: I Remember You
10. Award winnner: The Cipher
12. Women in combat: The Nightingale
13. By/about a woman: The Unseen
14. New-to-you author: The Expendable Man
15. Set in Latin America or Asia: Daughter of Fortune
16. African author: Who Fears Death
17. Made into a movie: The Secret Garden
19. Female critter: The Book of Phoenix
20. Author over 60: The Heart Goes Last
23. From your "to be read" pile: Ammonite

Ready for a year of lovely reading!

I wholeheartedly support your challenge and hope you will enjoy a year of no stress or deadlines (except library due dates).

I love your theme, happy reading!

Great setup! I especially like the inclusion of a category for old favourites. Enjoy your reading year!

Wonderful theme! Best of luck to you next year!

I love that you are going to read what you want whenever you want. Nice categories and pics too.

You have room for everything you might happen to pick up so I predict a year of reading bliss for you! :)

Looking forward to discovering where your reading desires take you in 2016!

I like your set-up with the focus areas. Nice!

Great idea with lots of leeway. Is that a Su Blackwell paper cutting in post #6? Also love the picture at the start of your thread. I forgot all about an opening picture.

I'll bet you'll have a great reading year! I especially like Where In The World Am I.

Nice set up! I love Something Blue for your favourites.

Thanks, everyone!

>20 dudes22: No, although her work is beyond gorgeous. I found all these images on Pinterest. This one was done by an artist on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/185276790/the-tree-of-love-book-art-book-sculpture

Love the set up! It's an idea worth following.

Great setup and lovely pictures. I like you idea of Something Blue for favourites, blue is my favourite colour, too. :)

I like your approach! I look forward to seeing where the reading winds take you :)

Good luck with the follow your bliss reading. I intend to do more of that this year myself. To heck with thinking I 'should' read something when I want to read in a series or a favorite genre.

Potential reads for GeoCAT
I know I said I wasn't going to follow the CATs religiously, but I couldn't help but put together a list of potential reads for the GeoCAT now that the months are decided. I actually really like this list because while it's doable, it also stretches my reading a bit and gets me out of a sci fi/horror rut. Almost all of these books came off the wishlist or TBR, so we'll see how many of them I actually get to.

January: Daughter of Fortune
February: A Thousand Splendid Suns
March: The City & the City
April: Burial Rites
May: Ceremony (I have a lot of options for this month, but this book is by an indigenous writer.)
June: Big Little Lies
July: Breath, Eyes, Memory
August: Things Fall Apart
September: The Lowland
October: The Ghost Bride
November: The Sheltering Sky
December: White Teeth and The Nutcracker (for Christmas)

Encouragement to actually complete this list would be much appreciated!

>28 sturlington: I'll join you in reading Things Fall Apart in September! :)

Yay! Sounds good. Maybe we'll get a group read going.

Oh wait, Northern Africa is November. I will read it whenever ;)

But it is Nigeria, no?

>32 sturlington: Indeed it is.

>28 sturlington: - I'd be interested in reading Things Fall Apart with you guys.

Ok, I got the months confused. Then I got confused. :-) Southern Africa is August--that's when I'll be reading Things Fall Apart. I also omitted Eastern Asia. Should be fixed now.

Ah, I see now :) I was geographically challenged when planning my reads -- for some reason I thought Nigeria would be southern Africa. This will be an educational challenge!

Now I am confused... Nigeria is sub-Saharan (i.e. southern) Africa. Here is one of many sources:

http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/guide/afr-countrylist.html

>37 leslie.98: Right, that's why I have it in August.

>37 leslie.98: D'oh! You are quite right -- I at first thought Nigeria was northern Africa, and then sturlington set me straight, and then I got confused when I explained my confusion. Yesterday was a woolly-headed day for me!! :S

>39 rabbitprincess: Ha ha, me too! I kept thinking I had the wrong month. It didn't help that my list was wonky to begin with. Well, we're all straight now, I think.

>23 sturlington: - checked out that link. She has some nice stuff too!

I got the feeling that more than one of us are doing less focusing in 2016

Aaah, reading bliss sounds so good. I'm going to have to check out the Geo cats, I'm always late to the party.

I'm thinking about my reading goals for this year. Here is what I'm hoping to achieve:

1) Read books very soon after I purchase them because books that have sat on the to read pile for a while tend to go stale and I don't feel as excited about reading them.

2) Purchase more books from my local bookseller or get them from the library. Use Amazon mainly for books I can't get from any other source (such as older books now available on Kindle).

3) In 2015 I read a lot of SF/F by women and got a little burned out on the genre. In 2016 I want to focus more on horror, thrillers, and suspense, particularly exploring some older writers such as Patricia Highsmith, Daphne du Maurier, and Dorothy Hughes, and related. I will be participating in the HorrorKIT more than any other challenge, I think.

4) This year I started listening to classics on audiobook, and that went really well for me. I finally finished up all the finished novels by Jane Austen that way! I want to continue this, focusing on free/low-cost audiobooks for Kindle available through Amazon.

5) For fun, and in honor of the GeoCAT challenge, I'm going to try not to repeat a setting! (US states count separately.) I'll keep track of locations using the maps. I may not strictly follow the GeoCAT monthly categories, though, because that may interfere with following my bliss.

6) I will be doing both Bingo cards but only noting after the fact. In other words, I'm not picking my books just to get a square on the card. This is just for fun, to see if I can get a bingo on either card.

May you have a full year of reading bliss! You've taken a very thoughtful approach to your reading. It's encouraging me to think about what I want to accomplish next year.

I like your goal #1 even though I would have a very hard time doing that myself :)

>46 leslie.98: I think that is the hardest of my goals, tbh.

Well, I set up some mini-categories that more or less conform to what we're reading in the Horror! group. They are in >10 sturlington:

I think this is doable because I picked all the categories and possible titles based on what I've really enjoyed reading lately and what I want to read more of, so I'm staying true to following my bliss. I'm also leaving myself open to getting sidetracked or new discoveries. I'm pretty excited about the coming year and can't really wait to get started. In fact, I may not wait!

Stopping by to drop a star. Following my bliss this year led me to my best reading year since, well, forever, both in terms of quantity and quality. Wishing you the same in 2016!

>49 paruline: Thank you, and I hope you top yours, if that's possible. Here's to great reading all around!

Great and fun categories. Happy reading!

Such a great idea - I'm heading in the same vein of keeping it enjoyable. I am prone to reading things because I "should" even if I'm not really feeling it, so props to you for doing what you like! I'll be lurking around to see what you come up with ;)

Happy new year!

January challenges:
Embrace your uniqueness (RandomCat): The End Is Now, Lost Canyon
Early modern horror (HorrorKit): The Expendable Man -- well, not really; I picked it for this category, but it's more crime thriller than horror
Owned more than a year(SFF Kit): The Scarlet Plague
South America (GeoCat)/D and U (AlphaKit): Daughter of Fortune

The first book of the year!


The End Is Now: Apocalypse Triptych, Volume 2, edited by John Joseph Adams and Hugh Howey: This is a second in a series of short story anthologies called the "Apocalypse Triptych." The first volume, The End Is Nigh, contained stories that occurred just before an apocalyptic event. This stories in this volume take place during the apocalypse, and many continue from where the stories in Volume 1 left off.

This collection was not as strong as the first volume. There are fewer stories, for one thing, and despite the intention that they stand alone, many suffer from being in the middle--they don't feel truly complete. I skipped a couple of continuing stories when I didn't care for the opening in the first collection. The strongest stories were again by Tananarive Due and Seanan McGuire; both were nicely horrific, and neither were about zombies. Yes, there were several zombie stories. What is the fascination with zombies, anyway? I personally have had enough to last a lifetime.

I will probably continue on with the third volume, just to see how my favorite stories end. 3★

Categories: Something New | Apocalypse/Speculative Fiction/Anthology | RandomCAT: Embrace your uniqueness | BingoDOG: Survival story

Just posting to make is easier to follow along!

>56 LibraryCin: *waves*

I finished The Expendable Man by Dorothy B. Hughes, a noir thriller published by New York Review Books in their classics line. Review forthcoming. I liked Hughes' taut writing, but particularly enjoyed her setting of 1960s Phoenix, Arizona, so much so that I'm abandoning my original January reading plan to read some more books set in the Southwest. I wonder how many I'll get through before I get tired of desert settings?

Shannon, have you read Megan Abbott's fictional version of the trunk murderess case? It's called Bury Me Deep and is set in Phoenix in the 1930s.

No, but I will look for it. Thanks!

Sometimes you've just got to read what you want to read. A good idea to structure your challenge accordingly. Have a fantastic reading year!

>60 AHS-Wolfy: Absolutely!

Unfortunately, the library is hampering my plans to read more in the Southwest. I am on the waiting list for one request, the other is coming from somewhere else (possibly Nepal), and the third turned out to be almost 700 pages long, which is more than I'm willing to gamble on a new-to-me writer. Honestly, what is with all the big bloat? I understand that some stories legitimately take 600+ pages to tell, and if the writing is good and the story is enthralling, I'm willing to put in the time. But I seriously doubt that so many books have to be that long. Ideal length for me is around 350 pages, especially if I'm just getting to know the writer.

Anyway, I did start Edward Abbey's Black Sun, which is set in the Southwest and is very short. The writing is lovely, especially in reference to nature, but it was written in the early '70s (and shows it), and Abbey's attitude toward women is... cringe-worthy, at the least. I shall probably finish it today or tomorrow.

>61 sturlington: Could always count the big ones as two entries (that's what I'm doing this year). That way you don't feel the need to pick something a little easier and if it's something you want to read anyway I think that's a legitimate way of not avoiding those chunkier tomes.

>62 AHS-Wolfy: Yes, that's a good suggestion. The real issue for me is that a big book will keep me from reading 2-3 shorter ones in the same time, and I have so many I want to read. But I usually give each book about 50 pages, and if it really grabs me, I'll go for it.

The Expendable Man by Dorothy B. Hughes

A young doctor driving from California to a family wedding in Phoenix, Arizona, sees a teenage girl hitchhiking on a desert road and stops to pick her up, setting in motion a chain of events that will have him suspected of murder when her body turns up a few days later.

The "expendable man" of the title refers of course to the protagonist, who becomes the wrong man conveniently accused of murder for reasons that the reader is not let in on until about 50 pages into the book. The suspense comes in following the doctor as he tries desperately to clear his name before he is arrested, which would ruin his burgeoning career even if he did avoid prison. This is a taut, cleanly written thriller that moves relentlessly forward and allows readers a glimpse into a world that is usually not explored in crime noir. I suspect it would have been even more exotic and galvanizing for readers in Hughes' day than it is now. Hughes also creates a wonderful sense of place with her Phoenix setting, a desert town on the verge of becoming urban. This was an interesting read, if a little dated, although I felt it could have been a bit more subtle and multilayered, not quite so straightforward in terms of good guys and bad. I expect for its time, though, it needed to be. High 3★

Categories: Something Old | Noir/Crime Classics | Women BingoPUP: New-to-me author

I really need to read that book. It's not like I don't have a copy in my house right now.

Black Sun by Edward Abbey

Will Gatlin has withdrawn from the world and become a firespotter in an isolated camp on the Grand Canyon when he meets a much younger woman, has an affair with her, and--sigh!--begins to live again.

Before I get into the story, I will say that Abbey's descriptions of the natural world in this short book are wonderful. He never names the setting, but I was able to recognize the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, a fascinating and beautiful place, based solely on his descriptions. Still, this is a cringe-worthy and dated story about an older man--an older, hairy, and unshowered man, to boot--initiating a much younger woman into the ways of physical love. I mean, bleargh. The poor girl is so naive that not only is she a virgin, she doesn't even know the names for things. Gatlin has to teach her everything, and she proves to be a willing student, ready to try almost anything anywhere. Also, pages are spent on her physical attributes--her breasts, in particular--and her cute way of dressing, not at all appropriate for camping in the wilderness but conveniently perfect for getting an old man's goat up. If all that weren't enough, Gatlin's friend--who has no reason for being in the book, as far as I can tell--periodically writes him long, sexist letters about his affairs, his wives constantly leaving him (for obvious reasons), and his perverse fantasies regarding college girls and free love. I'm thankful to be several decades removed from this time. Also, if this book weren't so short and the natural descriptions weren't so lovely, I doubt I would have finished it.

Toward the end, the girl seems to get a bit fed up with Gatlin's relationship style and goes off for a few days to think things over. She never returns. Of course, this is such a tragedy for Gatlin, who was just starting to rejoin the world, and now this happens to him. He assumes that the girl has hiked down into the canyon and met with an accident. I like to think that she decided she could do much better, drove to San Francisco, opened a vegetarian restaurant, and settled into a fulfilling lesbian relationship. Hmm, maybe I should write the sequel.

I originally bought this book based solely on the gorgeous cover in this reissued edition. This was the first book by Abbey I have read, and I suspect it will be the last. Low 3★

Category: Something Old | American Lit | BingoDOG: Less than 200 pages

>65 RidgewayGirl: Kay, it's a quick read. I'll be interested to read your thoughts on it.

I've got the Hughes book somewhere and while I probably read it years ago I have no memory of doing so. Maybe I should pull it out as it sounds interesting.

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

Yes, I'm a sucker for gorgeous book covers. Since I'd just read another noir novel, The Expendable Man, I thought I'd go ahead and knock out The Maltese Falcon, which I already had on my shelf, while I was waiting for my library books to come in. Eh, it was better than The Thin Man, but as a writer, Hammett doesn't come close to Raymond Chandler. He's good with dialogue, though, which is probably why his books made such great movies--better than the books, in my opinion. I'll give this one props for helping to invent a genre and a ton of tropes. And I think I'm done with crime noir for the time being. Low 4★

Categories: Something Old | Noir/Crime classics | BingoDOG: Published before I was born

After a detour to California, I'm now reading The Water Knife, which is set in Nevada and Arizona...continuing my Southwest streak.

The Morning News has just announced the shortlist for the Tournament of Books! I've opened a discussion thread, if you're interested.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/214782

Colonel Brandon has passed away.



So sad to see that Alan Rickman has died. His movies have given me many hours of pleasure. We just had our traditional Christmas viewing of Die Hard. He will be missed.

OMG, that's sad news. One of my favourite actors.

>71 sturlington: Clay...Bill Clay
I think that was the first movie I saw Alan Rickman in - I thought he did a great job.

And I'll take a book bullet on The Expendable Man.

I'm sad about Alan Rickman. Truly, Madly, Deeply is my favorite of his movies. I'll have to rewatch it soon.

Too many of the good ones leaving us. I think this year needs a do-over.

2016 is starting out sadly as we lose another celebrated artist. Alan Rickman has brought joy to many with his superb acting and will be missed.

>71 sturlington: The news just showed a clip from Sense and Sensibility as part of their story about him. Hearing his voice brought it home in a way the online articles didn't. So sad.

>71 sturlington: He played such a wide range -- while I loved him as Colonel Brandon and Prof. Snape, my first thought is always his character in Galaxy Quest. (*blushing*)

>78 leslie.98: Just watched that one! Love it! It's one of the few movies I've ever watched twice in a single day.

The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi

In the near future, climate change has brought about drought and constant dust storms in the American Southwest, resulting in the collapse of several cities as well as the state of Texas, and violent clashes among the rest over access to water. Las Vegas is ruled by Catherine Case, head of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, a ruthless and intriguing character who wasn't in the book nearly enough. Angel Velasquez works for her as a "water knife," cutting other's water supplies so that Vegas can have their water. Case sends Angel to Phoenix, a city that is slowly dying, to investigate the murder of one of her undercover operatives. There Angel stumbles into a plot involving double-crossers, ruthless California operatives, an idealistic reporter who wants to expose the conspiracy, and a Texas refugee in the wrong place at the wrong time. Everyone is after the same Maltese falcon...I mean, senior water rights, which is apparently the key to controlling the Colorado River.

This is a thriller wrapped in a dystopian setting. This near future Phoenix is choked with dust and awash in brutality. Prostitution, torture, gangs, crazy guys with packs of hyenas as pets -- all here. California state operatives bomb dams. New Mexicans string up Texan refugees as a warning. This near future vision of the United States is completely unrecognizable and yet seems all too plausible.

Once the three main characters--Angel, Lucy (the reporter) and Maria (the refugee)--come together, the plot starts to roll. There are near escapes, shootouts, betrayals, all kinds of excitement. It's not a plot that would stand up to too much scrutiny, but who cares? The overwhelming importance of water rights in a setting where the rule of law clearly has no more meaning is not adequately explained, but the rights are a McGuffin anyway that keep the characters moving and changing sides. The characters themselves are conflicted, figuring things out as they go along, and seem very real. Although Case, as one of the most intriguing characters, isn't around enough for readers to figure out what makes her tick. This is a violent, brutal book, not recommended for the faint of heart, and it also functions as a warning of what climate change can drive us to become. It ends rather abruptly, though, without a real wrap-up--perhaps a sequel is in the works? Low 4★

Categories: Something Borrowed | Dystopia/Speculative Fiction/Thriller | BingoDOG: About the environment

Shannon, I keep seeing this book, without any idea of what it's about and no impulse to find out. And now you've got me thinking that i might like it.

>81 RidgewayGirl: Escapist fare but well done and I'm a big fan of cli-fi right now (climate change fiction).

>80 sturlington: I need to read more from that author. Only read The Wind-up Girl so far and liked it a lot. I do have a couple of others on the shelves though not that particular title but it's good to see another positive review for his books. Glad you enjoyed it.

>83 AHS-Wolfy: I liked this one better than The Wind-up Girl, as a matter of fact. I got interested in reading it because there was a short story by Bacigalupi in The End Is Nigh, which was either an excerpt from the novel or had the same characters. I haven't read any other books by him, but I have read some of his short stories in anthologies. A writer to follow, definitely.

The Water Knife sounds interesting.

I was just telling my husband we sould really watch Galaxy Quest this weekend!

After I read The Water Knife I tried reading Cadillac Desert which is the true story of water in the west. I made it half-way through before giving up.

>86 mamzel: Was it too "dry"? Sorry.

I thought I'd use my thread this year to also track what I'm watching -- movies/tv. Last night we rented Spy starring Melissa McCarthy. I'd definitely recommend it for comedy fans. It's a fun spoof on spy movies, one in which women are basically getting everything done and the James Bond types are bumbling around.

>87 sturlington: I have seen Spy as well -- I thought it was an excellent satire of the 'James Bond' type of spy movie! I second your recommendation.

I first heard of The Water Knife at a convention during a "What to read next" panel. It sounds fascinating.

And yes, I am in mourning for Alan too. I coach a Future Problem Solving team and my girls got nothing done the day he died, they were so upset. The next day I threatened a few of them with the cutting out their eyes with a spoon, a la Sheriff of Nottingham.

The Scarlet Plague by Jack London

In an post-apocalyptic San Francisco, an old man describes to his grandsons how a plague destroyed civilization.

This short story feels like an ur-story for George Stewart's Earth Abides (also set in San Francisco). It doesn't really have a plot; rather, it's just a description of civilization's quick fall from disease and a meditation on how easily humanity could return to savagery. Frequent readers of apocalyptic fiction will recognize a lot of ideas that were later fleshed out by other writers, but London should get credit for being one of the first. This might also be considered an early steampunk story, as well. London's vision of the future--the plague hits in 2013--includes dirigibles and steam power, as well as some radically altered version of U.S. government. However, it's also terribly classist and sexist. But it's short enough to read in one sitting and would be of interest to anyone studying this genre of fiction. Low 4★

Categories: Something Old | Apocalyptic/Short story | SFFKit: Owned more than 1 year | BingoDOG: Senior citizen is the protagonist

Oh dearie me, I may have just come up with my challenge idea for next year.

>91 sturlington: Love it! I have an idea, too, but I'm not sure I can form it into actual categories...

>92 christina_reads: Oh, that's my favorite part! The problem is, now I want to do my new challenge right away. I wonder if people ever run simultaneous challenges...

Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende

I put off reading this for a long time because I had heard that Allende writes magical realism, a genre that does not usually agree with me. When I did finally read it, I was surprised to find that this novel doesn't match my conception of what "magical realism" is. Perhaps it is a new use for the term: fiction that is realistic but nevertheless magically transports we readers to another time and place, and installs us completely in the head of the protagonist.

Eliza is discovered as an infant abandoned on the doorstep of a British brother and sister living in Valparaiso, Chile. Over the objections of her straitlaced brother, Rose Sommers--a headstrong, independent woman who says that the best thing about marriage is "becoming a widow"--adopts and raises the child, but keeps her at arm's length. When Eliza is sixteen, she meets Joaquin Andieta, an idealistic and penniless poet, and she falls headlong into the uncritical passion of first love. Just then, the Gold Rush begins in California, and Andieta disappears from Eliza's life to seek his fortune there. When she learns she is pregnant, Eliza decides to track down her lover. With the help of a Chinese physician who came over on her uncle's ship, Tao Chi'en, she stows away in the hold of a ship bound for San Francisco, where she becomes very ill. During that miserable voyage, Eliza experiences a rebirth, and she emerges from the ship into daylight as someone completely new and without identity, disembarking into a city that is also brand new and making itself into something unique and purely American. The rest of the story reveals how Eliza rebuilds her identity while searching for her lover. She dons a series of disguises until finally she is able to re-emerge as herself, a woman not defined by the strictures of her day but constructed from within.

Set against the backdrop of the mad rush to California in search of gold, Allende reveals history through the eyes of the people who lived it but don't usually get to tell the story: women and non-whites. She creates a diverse and three-dimensional world that feels both real and different from the stories we usually get to hear. Eliza's journey of self-discovery absolutely swept me away. 5★

Categories: Something Old | Historical fiction/Women's stories | GeoCAT: South America | Women BingoPUP: Set in Latin America or Asia

This is my favorite Allende book, too!

>95 mamzel: It was for me a wonderful introduction to this author. I'm sure I'll read more by her.

>94 sturlington:
I'm reading The House of the Spirits now and it's my first Allende. I'm liking her style a lot, so I'll take a BB for Daughter of Fortune from you.

>I have that one and 2 more on my TBR. Guess I should get going and start to read them.

>94 sturlington: I am listening to the audiobook of this now so I didn't read your review -- I'll have to come back and compare impressions when I am done :)

>94 sturlington:, I also loved that book.

Daughter of Fortune sounds great - onto the list it goes!

>94 sturlington: I read Daughter of Fortune a few years ago and liked it a lot. I was thinking it had a sequel but must be wrong because I don't see anything that I think is related in her titles. Now I'm wondering if the sequel is about a daughter or granddaughter? Don't know, I have a couple of her other titles in my TBR and you know how it is, I can't explain why I haven't read them yet!

>94 sturlington: Ooh! I've been meaning to get around to this one; Portrait in Sepia was the first of Allende's books that I read--it's the story of Eliza's granddaughter and I really loved it. I also just finished Daughter of Fortune and this one is sitting on my nightstand waiting for me. A bit out of order, but they are such great sagas :)

Yes - Portrait in Sepia is the sequel to Daughter of Fortune.

>104 dudes22: Thanks, I'm going to add it to the pile.

Glad to see your wonderful review for Daughter of Fortune! I am sure I will get around to reading my copy at some point, but not this month. ;-)

Favorite read of January: Daughter of Fortune
Most disappointing: The Heart Goes Last - review to come

February challenges:
It takes two (RandomCat): The Heart Goes Last (finished early; also fits the SFF Kit) and Let the Right One In (also fits the HorrorKIT)
Horror in translation (HorrorKit): I Remember You
Published in last 5 years (SFF Kit): Gold Fame Citrus
Central Asia (GeoCat):
J and B (AlphaKit): Bad Wizard

The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood

Not every book by a favorite author can be great (with the exception of Jane Austen). Inevitably, a disappointment comes along, and here comes one from an author who is a personal hero of mine, Margaret Atwood.

Set in a near future in generic any city, this satirical dystopia is about a young couple living in their car after a general financial collapse. Of course they jump at the opportunity to join Consilience, a utopian manufactured community where everybody has everything they need, so long as they agree to two conditions: they will spend every other month in prison, and they are completely cut off from the outside world. "Check in anytime you like, but you can never leave." Turns out, of course, that Consilience is a front for all sorts of underhanded activities, which really should have been obvious from the get-go. This book was originally published as a series of e-novellas, and it has that disjointed, making-it-up-as-we-go-along quality. This is very black humor that is often not funny. Atwood's messaging regarding security and freedom is pretty heavy-handed, the sexual content is more than a little disturbing, and the end just left me cold. It feels like a throw-off and certainly in no way resembles Atwood's more masterful dystopias, Oryx and Crake and The Handmaid's Tale. Atwood is such a strong writer than even a bad book by her is better than most other books, but the low rating is earned because I really expect so much more. 2★

Categories: Something Blue | Dystopia/Satire | RandomCat: It takes two | SFFKit: Published in the last 5 years | Women BingoPUP: Author is over 60 years old

Lost Canyon by Nina Revoyr

Deliverance meets the movie Crash in this survival adventure.

Well, that summary is perhaps a bit too pithy for what this book is and what it's trying to be. It concerns three Los Angelinos--Gwen, an African-American youth counselor; Oscar, a Hispanic realtor; and Todd, wealthy white lawyer--who go for a four-day hike in the Sierra Nevada mountains, led by Tracy, their thrill-seeking Japanese-American female trainer. I mention race because it is important to this story, and Revoyr spends some time setting up the back stories of the three hikers, jumping into each of their heads. Despite the idyllic natural setting, the tension begins to build before they even start hiking, as they first stop at a strange country store and then are told by the park ranger that their chosen trail has been closed due to a wildfire in the area. Egged on by Tracy, they decide to take the ranger's suggestion and hike a little-known trail outside of the park, for which their only guide is a decades-old, hand-drawn map. After one nice day hiking, they take a wrong turn, and events get terrifying fast. As the suspense picks up, so does the pace, making this a very quick read.

Through this straightforward adventure story, Revoyr is trying to take on race relations and turn stereotypes on their head, as she fleshes out her three point-of-view characters and shows how they each rise above expectations and overcome the challenges being thrown at them left and right. She does a great job making these three feel like real people, allowing the reader to wonder what we'd do if we were in their places; however, her villain comes across as somewhat cartoonish in contrast. Of course, the character who most intrigued me was Tracy, whose decisions were pretty much responsible for their predicament, and it was frustrating that we were never allowed to really know her. At the end, she literally disappears, which left me feeling dissatisfied. Overall, though, this is not only an exciting adventure story, but also raises a lot of interesting issues, about how we view one another and ourselves, and how extreme situations can help us get to the truth. High 3★

Categories: Something Borrowed | Adventure/Survival story | RandomCAT: Express Your Uniqueness | Women BingoPUP: Women in nontraditional roles

This was the latest in my Southwest kick. Indeed, I only picked it up because I thought it was set in Nevada (it's actually set in Sierra Nevada). I could definitely keep on with this theme until I run out of selections. Sense of place is really important in Southwestern fiction, and I am loving that aspect of these reads.

Recent movies/TV watched: Holes with my son--entertaining flick but I like the book better. Finished Dexter--disappointing ending to a mostly great series.

Note: Touchstones above go to books, not films. Well, the book is usually better, right?

I also recently rewatched American Beauty and had some thoughts. Skip ahead if you haven't seen the film because I'm about to spoil it. (Cross-posted from another thread.)

Kevin Spacey's character in American Beauty is the prototypical man-boy in Lester Burnham, isn't he? He quits his job to work in a fast food restaurant, masturbate, smoke dope, lift weights, buy a muscle car, and mack on a teenage girl. But on a rewatch, it occurred to me that maybe this movie is much more subversive than I originally thought. The events of the film are presented through Burnham's distorted, thoroughly unreliable point of view (he is the narrator). It is only in the last few minutes of his life that Burnham sees how wrong he has been about pretty much everything. His wife is not a nagging shrew but is only unhappy because her partner has turned into unsupportive dead weight, another child for her to raise. His daughter is not a bitch but a damaged child searching in vain for a father. His daughter's friend is not the nymphet Lolita of his fantasies but just a naive young girl and his fantasies are basically about child rape. And the kid next door who he so romanticizes, his "hero," is actually just a skeevy drug dealer and quite possibly a sociopath who no sane dad would want dating his daughter.

In fact, Lester is killed by another version of a man-boy, the character played by Chris Cooper, who has refused his whole life to grow up and admit to the truth about himself or about the world. When that truth finally hits him in the face, he reacts in the most immature way possible, with gun violence.

All those people who watch this movie and admire Lester Burnham and want to be like him are actually part of the joke. Because Lester Burnham is thoroughly unadmirable, in every possible way, and his scant redemption comes far too late. I think what the movie's real message is that yes, there is a lot that is soulless and twisted about modern society, but regressing to man-boyhood is not the way to deal with it.

Well, maybe I'm projecting, but that's what we do with art. I just still want to like this movie.

I need to rewatch American Beauty. I don't think I was paying attention when I saw it and it was some time ago.

>110 sturlington:
I think you're absolutely right - I never saw Lester as a hero, but rather a tragic character. It's been a long time since I saw it as well and could do with a rewatch.

>110 sturlington: - Your theory really makes me want to rewatch the movie. I remember loving it even though Lester is a sad sack. Some of his observations really hit the mark though.

>111 RidgewayGirl:, >112 -Eva-:, >113 LittleTaiko: I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on the movie if any of you do attempt a rewatch.

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

This was a reread of a book I remember fondly from childhood with my son--probably too old for him, and I suspect much of it went over his head, but he was game nonetheless. It held up well for me. Still love the characters, the setting, the fun mystery. The reading went slow (this is not a good read-aloud book), and I kept wanting to race ahead to the end. I hope my son will pick this up again when he gets older and enjoy it as much as I did as a young reader. 4★

Categories: Baby carriage | Children's mystery | Women BingoPUP: Published before the year 2000

Dracula by Bram Stoker

A reread (on audio) of a book I last read as a pre-teen or youngish teen. I don't remember exactly when I read it, but I do remember the book: it was a large hardcover, text printed in columns, with deep blue and black illustrations. I wonder what happened to it. My current edition is also lovely, from Penguin Classics (cover pictured above). I have to admit that I'm amazed at what my younger self read all the way to the end. Of course, back then we didn't have video games, tablets, DVDs (or even VCRs), or personal computers. We had three television stations. (I'm making it sound like the way-back old days, but truthfully, I am not that old--things have changed a lot!) There wasn't much to do but read, and I was game for just about anything. So I read this, along with Mark Twain, Shakespeare, Sherlock Holmes, whatever we had around the house, which was a lot.

Well, getting through all of Dracula might have been a chore. The best part is the first section, when Jonathan Harker is in Dracula's castle. The horror imagery is fantastic: Dracula climbing head-first down the sheer side of his castle; the three women gathered around the sack that contains a child; the wolves howling. Stoker maybe should have stopped here, because after Dracula moves to London, the novel really bogs down. The prose acquires a decidedly purplish tint, and Van Helsing is oftentimes nothing less than ridiculous. The genteel Victorian sexism starts to grate, and really, it is just too long to wait before the final hunt, which feels a little anticlimactic after all the build-up.

I'm still rating this 5★ because Dracula is a book that spawned a thousand imitators and really helped create modern horror. It is worthwhile going back and reading these novels that spawned the tropes, even with their now-apparent flaws.

I listened to an ensemble cast version with Tim Curry as Van Helsing, which was nicely done. Curry didn't have a big enough part. He was the only reader who didn't make Van Helsing's accent sound ridiculous.

Categories: Something old | Classic gothic horror | BingoDOG: One-word title

>116 sturlington:
I've listened to that audio version as well - it is truly brilliant!

>109 sturlington: - Great review. I love the word pithy. I wish people would use it more often. ;-)

New acquisitions! Treated myself to several books, mostly anthologies.



Loosed Upon the World: The Saga Anthology of Climate Fiction
Sisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology
Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives
Four Ways to Forgiveness

Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives is marvelous!

>120 RidgewayGirl: Someone around here hit me with that BB--maybe it was you.

Gold Fame Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins

In the near future, drought has rendered the Southwestern US nearly uninhabitable. A mountain-high sea dune called the Amargosa has spread over large portions of the Mojave Desert in Southern California. Most people have evacuated, but some remain in Los Angeles, living off rationed soda and scavenging from abandoned homes of millionaires. Ray and Luz are two of them, but when they take a two-year-old girl, they realize they need to give her a better life. They set out on a treacherous crossing of the desert, where they encounter a cult-like group surviving at the edges of the great dune sea.

This was an odd and compelling book. Before Ray and Luz leave Los Angeles, the story seems a little slow, but once they set out, it changes radically. There is more than a touch of magical realism here, as the landscape in which they become stranded is so radically different from the America we know that it could be an alien planet. Here Watkins becomes experimental and playful with her prose, adding to its dreamlike quality. This bizarre landscape exerts an almost mystical hold over the people who fall into it and become trapped there, as if the dune sea itself is a conscious thing with its own needs and desires. This is the kind of book that the reader drifts through, not a page turner but strangely fascinating, and when it's over, we're unsure exactly what we've experienced. We only know that it has affected us. 4★

Categories: Something borrowed | Apocalyptic/Speculative fiction | SFFKit: Published in last 5 years | Women BingoPUP: Less than 10 years old

>119 sturlington: Yay book haul! I will be interested to hear what you think of Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives. I got hit with that BB too.

>123 rabbitprincess: Next month, our Horror reading group is doing Women and Horror/Suspense, so it might be a good read for then. I'm hoping it will lead me to discover more writers.

I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

In alternating storylines, a couple and their friend go to a deserted, creepy island in the dead of winter to renovate an old house and encounter the supernatural, while a psychiatrist tries to solve the three-year-old mystery of the disappearance of his young son. These seemingly unrelated events turn out to have much in common, although a lot of it is coincidental, which can stretch the reader's suspension of disbelief.

I preferred the storyline on the island, which had a lot of genuine jumpy moments and a high creep-out factor. I found that the alternating points of view broke the story up too much for my liking, and dissipated the suspense. All too often, a chapter ended on a cliffhanger, but when the story returned to it, it turned out to be nothing or unresolved. I found the writing awkward and over-explanatory, which may have also been a fault of the translation. For me, though, the hardest to swallow were the coincidences and connections, which seemed forced. The final ending, in which the father decides to buy the house where all the horrible things happened was just too much.

So, mixed reactions. A lot of scares, a nice little ghost story, but over-complicated and over-plotted. 3★

Categories: Something borrowed | Horror/Ghost stories | HorrorKIT: Non-English | Women BingoPUP: Different genre by the same author

Remind me, if I ever get it into my head to go to an isolated place in the dead of winter and restore an old abandoned house as a bed and breakfast, that this is a BAD IDEA. This is the second book with this premise that I've read recently (the other was House of Echoes, and nothing good ever happens in these situations.

>122 sturlington: That sounds good!

>122 sturlington: and >126 Tara1Reads:

It does sound interesting.

I love the cover art for Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives! I look forward to hearing what you think about it.

>119 sturlington: Nice acquisitions! I too love the cover of Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives.

Let Me In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

The story is set in 1980s Stockholm, Sweden, where a young boy who is bullied at school befriends an androgynous vampire-child living in the next building.

So many times I thought about putting this down and not picking it back up, but I had gotten so far into the almost 500 pages that I forced myself to keep going to the end. One thing that strikes me about Swedish fiction: it is bleak, bleak, bleak! Unrelentingly so. There is no pleasure to be had from reading ultra-realistic horror featuring pedophiles, child prostitutes, hopeless alcoholics (so many alcoholics), sadistic juvenile delinquents, repressed and abusive cops, ineffectual single mothers, dreary apartment blocks with broken-down playgrounds. Even the 12-year-old protagonist, Oskar, the most pitiful boy in the world, fantasizes about stabbing people and collects news clippings about serial killers. This book was relentlessly depressing. The horror was of the gross-out kind, not the scary/creepy kind that I prefer. Castration, attempted anal rape of child-vampires, hydrochloric acid burning off someone's face--those are just the highlights. And it went on for far too long. I really didn't need to know about all of these side characters and their depressing, meaningless lives. I just wanted it to be over. Oh, did I mention all the annoying ellipses?

I will say that there might be a good story buried in this overlong book somewhere. The vampire conceit is interesting and different, a counterpoint to Anne Rice's child-vampire in Interview with the Vampire. If the book had been edited and focused more on the central story, and if Oskar had somehow managed to rise above his own pathetic-ness at the end, it probably would have been much better.

This book has really turned me off Swedish fiction, perhaps for good. 2★

Categories: Something old | Horror/Vampires | RandomCAT: It Takes Two | HorrorKIT: Non-English | BingoDOG: In Translation

>130 sturlington: Oh, that's too bad. I'm about a third of the way into listening to the audio (I won't likely finish before the end of the month, but shortly after). I could say I'm liking it better than you are, but what I'm liking is the main storyline between Oskar and the girl (I don't see the spelling of her name in your review!). With audio, it can be a bit too easy to tune it out when not holding my attention, but it's not so bad that I (at least at this point) would rate it as low as you have. At this point, I'm probably at a 3 (ok) or 3.5 (good). Probably more a 3.

>131 LibraryCin: Her name is Eli. You're right that their storyline is by far the most interesting part of the book.

I don't want to spoil anything for you since you aren't that far in. But I will say I thought the book was stronger at the beginning and weakened further in. That's why I got so far before I started thinking about not finishing. But I really do hope you like it better than I did. The reviews are mixed, but I lot of people did really like the book.

>132 sturlington: Thanks, good to know! I hope it doesn't get worse for me. Again, sometimes harder to tell with the audio. It's just so easy to lose focus!

Gold Fame Citrus and Lost Canyon sound good and are added to my list.

Favorite read of February: Gold Fame Citrus
Most disappointing: Let Me In

Challenges completed: 4 out of 5

March challenges:
Celebrate (RandomCat)
Horror by women (HorrorKit): The Unseen; The Cipher
Alternate worlds (SFF Kit): Bad Wizard (finished early; review to come); Who Fears Death; The Library at Mount Char (also AlphaKIT)
Eastern Europe (GeoCat): Far North (also fits SFF Kit)
L and Q (AlphaKit): Lock In; The Ballad of Black Tom (LaValle)

Bad Wizard by James Maxey

In this sequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy has grown up and become an investigative journalist. She still has the silver slippers, which help her go places she otherwise wouldn't be able to get into. She's investigating War Secretary Diggs, the former Wizard of Oz, who has constructed a huge factory in Kansas to build dirigibles. His goal: to get back to Oz, and Dorothy must stop him.

I enjoyed this lightweight adventure (albeit with a high body count). Maxey clearly knows much more about Oz than I do, and he's evolved the main characters and brought in one new and interesting one: Esau, billed as the "Flying Monkey Man," a former carnival sideshow freak and engineering genius who constructs gliders and jumps from hot air balloons as his act. Diggs' theory on what Oz actually is was really intriguing, and I wish that aspect had been followed up more. Clearly, this loving tribute to the Oz books is left open for a sequel. 3★

Not my usual fare, but I read this because Maxey is from my hometown, and this was our book club pick (we frequently try to read local authors). Note: This is a self-published book but it is available for the Kindle at a pretty low price.

Categories: Something New | Fantasy | SFFKit: Alternate Worlds | AlphaKIT: J and B | BingoDOG: Self-published

>131 LibraryCin:
Not sure how far you've gotten in it yet, but Eli is a boy, FYI. :) If a vampire actually has a gender, that is... :)

>137 -Eva-: Yeah, I didn't want to give that away if she hadn't gotten to it yet.

>138 sturlington:
I thought that was handled already 1/3 way into the book, but perhaps I'm remembering wrong. Thanks for that heads-up - I'll edit and put that under a spoiler even if it doesn't really change anything about the story.

I'm not sure when it was revealed but I think you're right that it doesn't change the story really.

I can see why she was confused about the name. I read it as e-lie but in the movie the pronunciation is closer to e-lee.

>137 -Eva-: I've skipped your "spoiler", though I'm probably 2/3 of the way through now. Maybe I'll read it when I'm done. :-) Although I might now guess at what the spoiler is, but I'll hold off on it, anyway, just in case.

On the audio, Eli's name (though at some point, it was spelled out, so I would have found out the spelling at that point) is pronounced as "E-lay", which is why I really wasn't sure of the spelling (and I still can't figure out how Eli is pronounced Elay, but what do I know!? LOL! If I was reading it, I would have thought "E-lie", as well.

I don't think the book has gotten worse for me at this point. I'm still thinking of it about the same: 3-3.5 stars (between ok and good for me).

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Read aloud to my son after we both saw the musical adaptation.

I missed this Roald Dahl growing up because I was too old when it came out. I can see why this book is such a favorite for so many people who encountered it as children. Matilda is a wonderful character, and the Trunchbull is such a terrific villain. It's at the same time a very sweet book and also a bit subversive, with many of the adults being so horrible and Matilda getting the better of them. It's also a beautiful homage to the power of reading and the great difference caring librarians and teachers can make in children's lives. I really enjoyed reading it even at this late date, and my son loved it too. 5★

Categories: Baby Carriage | Children's fiction | BingoDOG: Coming-of-age story

Far North by Marcel Theroux
Makepeace's family originally moved to a settlement in Siberia to remove themselves from the modern world. But now, due to climate change, modern civilization has collapsed, and Makepeace patrols the frontier alone, where the greatest danger is from other people.

This was a simply written book, but the narrator has such a unique voice that I found it very compelling. Essentially, this story is a Western. Even though the setting is unusual, it is still the wild frontier, and Makepeace's guns are her most important possession. Makepeace herself is a self-appointed sheriff who patrols her deserted town and tries to deny her loneliness and her longing for some sign that civilization has not broken down completely. When she gets that sign--a plane crashing in the woods nearby as she is on the verge of committing suicide--she leaves her home and embarks on a journey, but where she ends up is entirely unexpected. Makepeace is a subtle and fascinating character, marked by lye burns on her face, androgynous, self-reliant, so closed that even in her own narrative she doesn't reveal everything about herself, at least not directly. This book is a musing on the world that humankind is making, whether such a world is inevitable, and how it might be salvaged. Despite its bleakness, I found it quite beautiful. 4★

Categories: Something borrowed | Speculative fiction/Apocalyptic | GeoCAT: Eastern Europe & Russia | SFFKit: Alternate worlds | BingoDOG: About an airplane flight

>142 sturlington: Matilda is one of my favourites! Glad to hear it was a hit with both you and your son.

Lock In by John Scalzi

An epidemic sweeps the world, leaving a sizable percentage of the population "locked in," still conscious but unable to move their bodies. The disease makes changes in their brains, though, that allow neural networks to be connected to virtual environments and remote-controlled robots, allowing the Hadens, as they're called, to live their lives.

This was a lightweight, entertaining read. The "big idea" behind the story is fantastic, but the story itself is a pretty basic FBI procedural/thriller. Although it's amusing reading about the "locked in" FBI agent protagonist getting into robot fights, I expected a few more twists and turns. The bad guy is fairly conventionally evil, and the plot is neatly laid out for the reader to follow without any guesswork. I also wish more time had been spent on the plight of the Hadens who are locked in. While exploring the virtual worlds they have created is fun, this disease sounds agonizing and torturous, and that aspect is never fully explored. Scalzi's writing is fast-paced, his dialogue is witty, and his plot is cinematic. I may have wanted more, but as a fun, quick read, this delivers. Low 4★

Categories: Something borrowed | Science fiction/Police procedural | AlphaKIT: L

I really enjoyed my read of RedShirts, but haven't read any other Scalzi books yet. Lock In sounds like my kind of read. Great review!

Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing by Margaret Atwood

This short book is a collection of six lectures Margaret Atwood gave on writing. This is not a typical writing handbook, dispensing now-cliched advice like "write what you know" and "show, don't tell." Rather, Atwood tackles the question of what does it mean to "be a writer." What is the writer, anyway, and why are writers compelled to write? She ends up posing more questions than she answers.

The six lectures each address a different aspect of the Writer. Using examples from literature, poetry, and mythology, Atwood positions the writer as six archetypes. Atwood's insights are unusual but will ring true to anyone who has felt the urge to write, or indeed, to any creator, I suspect. 5★

Additional notes on each lecture are on my blog.

Categories: Something Blue | Nonfiction/Writing | BingoDOG: About a writer

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

After her parents die in a cholera outbreak, spoiled Mary is sent from India to Yorkshire to live in the home of her uncle, where she has nothing to do until she discovers a walled-in garden and a hypochondriac boy.

This is another one of those books I missed as a child. I'm not sure it ages well or reads well for adults. As long as the story focuses on Mary, it's pretty enjoyable, but once Colin comes in--and basically takes over--it gets somewhat boring, treacly sweet, and more than a little didactic. I didn't like the way Mary basically disappears by the end either.

I'm glad I listened to it because it's probably easier to hear the Yorkshire accents than read them. I probably would have given up on this if I tried to read it. As it was, I got bored around the time Mary shows Colin the garden. 2★

Categories: Something Old | Juvenile fiction/Audiobook | Women BingoPUP: Made into a movie

>148 sturlington: I read The Secret Garden to my granddaughter a couple of years ago and she really enjoyed it. In hindsight, I wonder if it was me stumbling through the Yorkshire accent that tickled her funny bone!

>149 DeltaQueen50: I'm sure it was her grandmother reading to her. Books really do change when they are read aloud to someone.

Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

This was a pretty difficult review to write. I still feel like there is a lot I haven't unpacked from this story. I may come back and revise it. Also, there are plenty of unmarked spoilers.

Onyesonwu is the mixed-race daughter of a rape with hair and skin the color of sand, despised by both her mother's and father's people, who discovers that she possesses great magical powers: shapeshifting, resurrection of the dead, and the ability to transport herself into an alternate reality.

This story is set in a post-apocalyptic Sudan, so far in the future that the people have forgotten their history and only know what is written in the Great Book, a religious text all children have to study. Only a few vestiges of modern civilization remain--some computers and handheld electronic devices, as well as water capture stations that enable people to live in the desert. (At one point, Onyesonwu and her companions take shelter from a storm in a cave where they discover a mound of dead computers and other electronics, which frightens them for unspecified reasons, hinting at an ingrained fear of the trappings of our modern civilization.)

Onyesonwu's mother's people, black Africans called the Okeke, have been murdered, subjugated, and enslaved by Arabic Africans called the Nuru, with the blessing of the Great Book. White people seem completely unknown to either race--perhaps mostly killed off in whatever apocalypse happened?--and Onyesonwu only meets one white character, a sorcerer-mentor whose skin color completely mystifies her. Another race of nomadic red people live in the desert in the center of a gigantic sandstorm; they practice magic routinely and seem to have no modern counterparts.

Onyesonwu's mother was brutally raped and impregnated by a Nuru soldier. Onyesonwu discovers later that her biological father is a sorcerer who will lead a genocide of the Okeke. She undergoes female genital circumcision at the age of 11, believing that this will make her family more accepted in her village. This causes her to involuntarily transport into an alternate plane, where she attracts her father's attention. Onyesonwu undergoes training in the magic arts so that she can protect herself from him, and eventually learns that she is prophesied to defeat the genocide.

Onyesonwu is an angry young woman. She is angry at the enslavement of the Okeke based solely on their race, and angry at the Okeke for subjugating themselves to slavery. She is angry at the treatment she and her lover Mwita receive because they are mixed-race outcasts, or Ewu. She is angry at the treatment of women by everyone--rape, prostitution, enforced celibacy of unmarried women via the FGC rite, the refusal of the village sorcerer Aro to take her on as a student at first just because she is female.

Onyesonwu's story is a subversion of the Christ story. She is prophesied to free her people from enslavement, and she knows that she will have to sacrifice herself as a result. She embarks on her own hero's journey to confront her father, taking her lover and best friends with her as traveling companions. She enacts several miracles along the way, but these are miracles of vengeance and wrath, not healing and teaching. She blinds an entire village. In another village, she makes all the men disappear and impregnates all the women. She is stoned to death as she has foreseen, but once her body is dug up and reburied, she is able to avoid her execution and escapes from the desert land to a distant paradise.

Because of her anger, Onyesonwu is not an easy savior to admire or like. Not only does she lose her temper frequently and unleash her great powers on everyone around her, but she also is impatient and snappish with her friends and often elects to run away instead of confront conflict. While she comes to regret some of her decisions, such as undergoing the circumcision rite, she doesn't show remorse for many of her deeds. Her anger is part of her, and justified. Probably she would be unable to accomplish what she does without it.

But Onyesonwu's anger--women's anger--often makes us uncomfortable, and we are unused to seeing it as the focus of literature. That, and many other things, can make this a difficult book to read. Onyesonwu turns her critical eye on everyone around her. No one is an innocent in this world--except perhaps the mysterious red tribe, where Onyesonwu experiences a period of learning, growth, and relative tranquility. This book is steeped in magic, unfamiliar cultural references, and an ambiguous history. Sometimes we have to read between the lines; other times, we have to let events flow without questioning the logic too closely. Opening ourselves up to this story may be difficult, but the experience is powerful and rewarding. 4★

Categories: Something Borrowed | Apocalyptic/Magical realism | SFFKit: Alternate worlds | Women BingoPUP: By an African author

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

I just reread this aloud to my 8 year old. My initial assessment below stands, with an additional note that this book is a lot of fun to read aloud. My son was completely involved in the story and immediately wanted to move on to the sequel.

In this, the first installment of “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” the reader is warned right from the beginning that if a happy ending is what they want, they’d better look elsewhere. But I still think most readers with a developed sense of humor will be charmed by this parody of Victorian-style children’s novels, in which children are routinely orphaned and placed at the mercy of scheming relatives, cold porridge and itchy clothes.

One of my favorite devices was the author’s habit of defining any difficult word he happened to use in the course of telling the story, such as “fitfully” and “mystical”, as well as elaborating on such abstract concepts as the difference between literally and figuratively doing something. Intelligent children who aren’t bothered by stories in which horrible things happen to other intelligent children (who yet always seem to persevere through the strength of their own character and wits) will not only get a funny, fast-paced, engaging story but might also learn a thing or two along the way. 4★

Categories: Baby carriage | Children's fiction | BingoDOG: Features a theater

Far North sounds great, and while I didn't read your whole review for Who Fears Death (for fear of spoilers!), I'll take a book bullet for that one also!

>153 LisaMorr: I hope you like them both!

>151 sturlington: Wow. That sounds amazing. I love the idea of a fantasy post-apocalyptical tale that's not set in some western and white part of the world.

>152 sturlington: I ended up reading the entire series to my kids, beginning when my son was in kindergarten and my daughter was eight. They adored them. And I liked how they were clearly written with oral reading in mind. They were one of the few series where when the kids wanted one more chapter, my voice was able to comply. We tried the How to Train Your Dragon series next, but those were impossible to read more than a few pages at a time. And the vocabulary stuff was brilliant. I'd have one of the kids tell me what had happened in the previous chapter before I'd begin reading, and they got really good at giving a clear, concise summary. Enjoy the series! My son still loves anything with orphans.

>155 RidgewayGirl: I hope you seek out Nnedi Okarafor. I'm definitely going to read more by her.

Isn't it amazing how some books are so expertly crafted to be read aloud? And of course you don't know it until you actually try doing it. It gives me yet another skill to admire and appreciate in really good children's authors.

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

When she was eight, Carolyn and 11 other children from her neighborhood were "adopted" by Father after their parents were all killed. Father is possibly a god, or close enough, who has an enormous library, and each child is assigned to learn a catalog in that library. Carolyn gets languages. As she grows up under Father's cruelty, Carolyn hatches a scheme to overthrow him, which she sets in motion at the beginning of the story.

First, let me say that there's a lot to admire in this debut fantasy novel. The style and content reminded me a lot of Neil Gaiman (although without as much humor). This is a story wrought on a grand scale, well-plotted and spun out in a controlled way, so that the lightbulb comes on for the reader at the very end and everything clicks into place. Nicely done.

But it kind of left me cold, and I think I realized why (unmarked spoilers to come). The main characters are essentially gods, in terms of their almost unlimited power. They can resurrect the dead, erase memory, turn back time so that certain events may as well not have happened. Therefore, although the stakes seem high, they really aren't. Death isn't permanent. Everything that happens can be undone. It's hard to get emotionally invested.

Also, Carolyn by necessity is cold, aloof, hard to get to know. I'm not sure she would make any better a ruler of the universe than Father. I wasn't really rooting for her, even though I think I was supposed to be.

So I admired this book, but I didn't get emotionally involved with this book. Also, the violence is excessive and brutal. I guess if any dead person can be resurrected, then you have to be creative with the deaths. The endless scenes of child abuse are pretty difficult to take. If you love animals, this is probably not a good choice for you either. (I'm still wondering what happened to Petey.)

I think this author has a lot of potential, so I'll be watching out for his next book. High 3★

Categories: Something new | Dark fantasy | SFFKit: Alternate worlds | AlphaKIT: L | BingoDOG: Debut novel

I'm not reading your comments on Who Fears Death as I'm hoping to read that one sooner rather than later and am afraid of spoilers. But I peaked at your rating and was glad to see it was a four stars read for you.

>157 sturlington:
Yep. I agree!

The Unseen by Alexandra Sokoloff

Newly arrived at Duke University, a psychiatry professor becomes interested in the files of the world-famous parapsychology lab, which was abruptly shut down 40 years ago following a mysterious experiment. She decides to investigate and ends up helping to re-create the experiment in a strange house in the rural North Carolina pine country, which unleashes a ghost or evil spirit or madness or something.

Not enough scares and took too long to get going. The paranormal investigators only just arrive at the haunted house halfway through the house. There is also a romance angle that I felt detracted from the story. We never did find out who Laurel had hot sex with in that kind of disgusting 'it's rape but it's a dream and anyway I like it' scene. The house itself was cool, but the suspense failed to build, and the ending was muddled and anti-climactic. Not a great example of the haunted house genre, although not terrible either -- just forgettable. I mainly kept reading because of the North Carolina angle. 3★

Categories: Something new | Horror/Ghost stories | HorrorKIT: Horror by women | Women BingoPUP: By or about a woman

The Cipher by Kathe Koja

Nicholas and his sometime-girlfriend Nakota discover a hole to nowhere in the floor of the storage room in Nicholas's apartment building and become irresistibly drawn to it, with bizarre results.

The hole--which Nakota christens the Funhole--is never explained. It has the attraction of the unknown, of something completely outside the realm of mundane existence, which is why Nakota is fascinated by it, despite its obvious dangers. Nicholas's fascination stems at first from his obsession with Nakota, but then he too is ensnared by the Funhole. He becomes literally infected by it and thus belongs to it and is the owner of it in some weird way, which enrages Nakota. Things do not end well.

This is a very strange book, written in almost a stream-of-consciousness fashion. Koja doesn't bother to explain what's happening; as readers, we have to accept that it is happening or go find another book. That can be somewhat frustrating, but the writing is good, and Koja brings this claustrophobic world, with its smells and oozing liquids and wounds, to life. She rubs your face in it, in fact. My main complaint is that I don't think this is quite a novel. It goes on a bit too long, and I think it would have been more effective if it were shorter. High 3★

Categories: Something new | Horror/Weird | HorrorKIT: Horror by women | Women BingoPUP: Award winner

>160 sturlington: I totally agree with your thoughts on The Unseen. I remember thinking "Muddled, slow to get going and forgettable" about this book as well.

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

Charles Thomas Tester is a hustler in New York City in 1924, duping white passersby into thinking he is an authentic black blues singer, when he really only knows three songs. He is hired to bring a certain book to an old white woman, but knowing the book's power, he removes the last page before he delivers it. This brings the wrath of the NYPD down on his family and also attracts the notice of Suydam, who shows Tester what real black magic is. Tester, now 'Black Tom,' becomes Suydam's right-hand man in his quest to open a portal to Outside and let the old gods back in.

Okay, I did know this was Lovecraftian before I read it. LaValle was a childhood fan of Lovecraft's stories, and this is both his homage to Lovecraft and his rebuttal of Lovecraft's undeniable racism. It is a retelling of one of Lovecraft's most notoriously xenophobic stories, "The Horror at Red Hook," which I have never read, nor do I want to read it. However, I think some familiarity with the original story would be helpful in reading LaValle's novella; I just read a couple of Internet summaries. LaValle very cleverly turns Lovecraft in on itself to offer a different version of events, one that underscores the racism of the time as it really existed and in the writing and reading of Lovecraft and others. LaValle is a good writer, with a nice sense of character and place, and this story is just long enough to make its point.

But... As with all things Lovecraftian, I find myself unmoved. Cthulhu just does not impress me. Perhaps it was because I, unlike every other horror writer and fan, never read much Lovecraft as a child, and I find him practically unreadable as an adult, although I certainly recognize his influence in so much of the horror I read and do enjoy. Cthulhu and its associated mythologies is just too outlandish for me to buy into it, I think. So while I did appreciate this story for what Lavalle was doing and for the quality of his writing, it really didn't horrify me.

This was the first story by LaValle I have read, and I look forward to reading more of his work. High 3★

As an interesting side note, this is the second book in a row that I have read that features: a cipher; a portal into nothingness; a figure inside that you do not want to see. Lovecraft, your fingerprints are everywhere.

Categories: Something new | Horror/Weird | AlphaKIT: L | BingoDOG: Title has a musical reference

Favorite read of March: Far North
Most disappointing: The Unseen

Challenges completed: 4 out of 5

April challenges:
Earth Day (RandomCat): The Dead Lands
Slashers and Serial Killers (HorrorKit): The Wasp Factory (also GeoCAT)
NPR's Top 100 SF/F List (SFF Kit): Journey to the Center of the Earth (also GeoCat and AlphaKit)
Polar Regions, Islands, and Bodies of Water (GeoCat): Little Black Lies
V and H (AlphaKit): A Head Full of Ghosts

I really kind of want to read The Ballad of Black Tom.

>147 sturlington: Nice review of Margaret Atwood's Negotiating with the Dead. I have it on the shelf - maybe time for a re-read.

>165 RidgewayGirl: Read it. It's short, can be read in one or two sittings. I'd like to hear your take. How do you feel about Lovecraft: love him, hate him, indifferent, never tried him?

>166 VivienneR: Thanks, it really got me thinking.

The Dead Lands by Benjamin Percy

It's 150 years after a superflu epidemic and subsequent nuclear missile strike/power plant meltdown have decimated America. When the crisis hit, the city of St. Louis walled themselves off from the rest of the country and called themselves the Sanctuary; no one but the rangers are permitted outside the wall, where it's believed that nothing survives but mutant sand wolves and giant spiders. Then a rider appears, a girl with completely black eyes. She has brought a message of distant Oregon where there is still water and green things grow. Her name is Gawea and she takes Meriweather Lewis, a woman ranger named Clark, her lover and her brother, and a doctor back with her. They are on a mission to meet up with Aran Burr, a sorcerer-psychic type. It's a harrowing journey, and when they get there... well, things aren't as they seem, of course.

(Aren't the names just too cute? Lewis and Clark--do you get it? Of course you do.)

This post-apocalyptic/dark fantasy/horror/quest/adventure reminded me strongly of The Stand, Swan Song, and The Passage. I think Percy is earnestly trying to add his own contribution to the mix, but this book just falls short. There is a certain roteness to it, a by-the-numbers feel, that detracts from any suspense that might have been engendered. The characters, with their allusionary names, never really come to life. Percy is definitely of the "anyone can die at any time" school, and that too seems predictable, like he's killing people off just to kill them off. Crucially, the reader doesn't particularly care.

There are a few good scenes. The mutant albino bats part is pretty exciting, but it seems unconnected to anything else. There was one part, where just for a second, when we get in Gawea's head for the first time, that I felt excited, as if this novel was not heading where I thought it was heading. But that spark was quickly stamped out. I finished the novel not because I wanted to but because I had come too far to give up on it.

This book seems manufactured, as if it were assembled in a factory. It's not badly written, but it doesn't spark emotion. It never feels truly real. Its promising premise enticed me to buy it, but for me, it was a disappointment. 2★

Categories: Something new | Apocalyptic/Horror | RandomCAT: Earth Day | BingoDOG: Adventure by

>167 sturlington: I've never read Lovecraft -- I didn't encounter him early enough to be able to overlook the racism.

>169 RidgewayGirl: Yeah, he's almost impossible to read as an adult, I think. You can still enjoy Lavalle's story but I'd recommend reading a summary of the Lovecraft story first. Here's one I found that was amusing: http://www.tor.com/2015/03/03/lovecrafts-most-bigoted-story-no-really-the-horror...

>170 sturlington: Thanks. That was wild.

>168 sturlington: such a shame, it sounded promising! Thanks for the review.

Here is a beautiful eulogy by Allan Gurganis memorializing the owner of local independent bookstore Quail Ridge Books and reflecting on the recently passed controversial law. This reminds me why I keep loving my home state and why it's a great place to live despite the way our elected legislators seem determined to drag us down.

My North Carolina State of Mind http://nyti.ms/1qd3H6L

>173 sturlington: Thanks for this. When he wrote of her death: "the subtraction would be painful anytime", I thought that's it, that's what we all hope can be said of us. Just those few words explains it all.

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

When she was 8 years old, Merry's big sister Marjorie developed severe schizophrenia -- or perhaps, as their dad came to believe, she was possessed by a demon. Desperate for both money and a cure, Marjorie's parents agreed to let a reality TV show film her exorcism, with disastrous results.

This horror novel is structured to stretch the bounds of the unreliable narrator, and mess with the reader's mind. At first, the story is related by 24-year-old Meredith, who admits that her memories of what happened are foggy and full of holes. Interspersed with this are blog posts picking apart in detail the filmed (and edited) version of events; the blog turns out to also have been written by Merry under a pseudonym. The bulk of the story is actually seen through the eyes of 8-year-old Merry, who is kept in the dark by the adults around her as to what is happening and is prone to inventing things, as all children are. It is clear early on that Merry's family is no longer with us, so Meredith in her different incarnations is the only one left who can tell the story. Even as she describes Marjorie's increasingly disturbing episodes, we have to question them. Is she really possessed, or is she faking -- she tells Merry at one point she is -- or is the demon making her say that as well? Like most good horror fiction, this book keeps the reader constantly off-kilter.

A Head Full of Ghosts is a treat for the horror fan, as it is packed with references to classic horror fiction and films. It is clear from her blog and bookshelves that adult Merry is a huge horror fan herself and frequently compares her supposedly true story to fiction. The Exorcist references are obvious, and the book gleefully plays with the tropes introduced in that book and film, but there are also allusions to Lovecraft, Stephen King, Shirley Jackson,, Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper," and the entire genre of found footage films, among many others.

Tremblay ratchets up the tension relentlessly, until we are compelled to keep reading to find out what happens at the exorcism and what becomes of Merry's family. But--again like a lot of good horror--Tremblay lets readers draw their own conclusions about what actually happened. This ambiguity may frustrate some readers, but Tremblay leaves enough clues to help us come to a satisfying resolution.

The next paragraph is going to be one long spoiler.

While many of the horror allusions in the novel are explicit, one is only implied, but if you have read both books, the connections to Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle are immediate and obvious. Both have younger sisters with "Merry" names and beloved older sisters. In both novels, the families are poisoned at the dinner table and the older sister gets the blame. If Merry in A Head Full of Ghosts is meant to be directly compared to Merricat in We Have Always Lived in the Castle, then it makes sense that Merry is the one who came up with the idea to poison her family, not Marjorie. Marjorie was not meant to eat the poisoned sauce, just as Constance did not eat the poisoned sugar--unfortunately, Marjorie (either knowingly or unknowingly) did, leading to a different and unplanned outcome. Remember, Merry is our only narrator, and we can't really trust anything she says. I'm not denying that Marjorie really was mentally ill, which set all of the events in motion, but was Merry crazy too or was she the one who was actually possessed by evil? Maybe a little of both, but the cold that creeps in at the end leads me to believe that, despite the obvious meddling by the film crew in the exorcism scene, there is indeed a supernatural element to this story.

It would be lots of fun to reread this book and look for clues as to whether my conclusions are correct. Tremblay's clever ambiguous reading lets every reader bring their own interpretation to it. This was a fun and compelling read, and a terrific addition to, as well as commentary on, the horror genre. High 4★

Categories: Something borrowed | Horror | AlphaKIT: H

PS If you've read the book, I'd love to hear your interpretation of events, but please use spoiler tags!

Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton

Three years ago, a horrific accident killed both Catrin's sons, leaving her hungry for revenge against her best friend, Rachel. Just as she is about to enact her plan, a young boy disappears--the third one is as many years--setting off an unforeseen chain of events.

This is a fast, suspenseful read, and Bolton keeps us turning the pages. The story is told in three parts, from three different points of view over the course of the same six days, so that the different pieces gradually fall into place. The setting is the Falkland Islands, and a strong sense of place is what makes this thriller stand out. In the course of telling the story, Bolton delves into the history, culture, wildlife, and environment of this remote, isolated, and relatively unknown place. At the center of the story is the insulated and sheltered community of the islanders, who can't accept that one of their own might be a killer. The pace picks up tremendously toward the end, with so many quick twists and turns that they begin to seem contrived. The final two twists, while helping tie everything up, did not fit my understanding of how the characters would behave, slightly spoiling the ending for me. All in all, this was an entertaining book to spend a weekend with. High 3★

Categories: Something borrowed | Crime/Thriller | GeoCAT: Polar Regions, Islands, and Bodies of Water | BingoDOG: Title uses wordplay

As a warning, this book is pretty brutal to both young children and animals.

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

A selection of essays, some personal, most examining pop culture (movies, books, television, music) through the lens of sexism and racism.

Gay is a very accessible, often funny writer. My favorite essays in this collection were the more personal ones at the beginning, which often turned out to be unexpectedly moving. I liked reading about how she adjusted to being a college professor at a small-town, Midwestern university and how she got into competitive Scrabble. Once the essays got less personal and more "bloggy," I didn't like them as much, although there were interesting insights throughout. Mostly I felt that just as Gay was really beginning to dig in to her subject, the essay ended. I would have liked to have had more in-depth writing and less of the superficial kind I associate with web publishing. I had read a version of her essay on unlikable heroines before and found it inspiring. I also thought the essay on privilege was one of the most accessible approaches to the topic I have found. I definitely enjoyed Gay's nonfiction more than her novel and would welcome a memoir or other longer-form nonfiction work from her. 4★

Categories: Hope Chest | Nonfiction/Essays | Women BingoPup: African-American writer

The Wasp Factory by Iain banks

Frank lives with his hippie, reclusive father on a small island off the coast of Scotland, where he engages in strange ritualistic behaviors and animal torture. Oh yes, he also murdered three of his relatives when he was a child. And his older brother Eric, who has been in a mental institution for setting dogs on fire (among other things), has escaped and is making his way home.

I did not care for this book. I found it simply unbelievable. The murders Frank committed were absurd and bizarre in their execution. The reason for Eric's mental break was completely unfathomable. The animal torture seemed gratuitous and inserted for shock value only. Frank's professed misogyny seemed to have no rational basis. Nothing about this spoke of truth to me. I finished the book only because it was short and because I was expecting a twist at the end that might shed some light on this bizarre and disgusting subject matter. There was a twist, and not one I expected, but it only amplified the unbelievability of the entire story. Perhaps if the point of view hadn't been so limited, if I had been able to learn more about Eric and, crucially, Frank's father, I would have accepted this story more. As it is, I think Banks was trying to make some important points about gender, but when all the characters are psychopaths, it becomes quite difficult to extrapolate a general commentary about society from it all.

In addition, I think the twist of Frank being female rather than male and still being completely off his nut draws some not-very-nice conclusions about transgendered people, although I don't think Banks intended it that way. 2★

Categories: Something old | Horror | GeoCAT: Polar Regions, Islands, and Bodies of Water | HorrorKIT: Serial killers and Slashers

I seem to be giving out a lot of 2 stars this year, more than last year. So far, I have given that rating 5 times. I keep getting disappointed by books I think I'm going to really like, which tends to result in a harsher rating than books I wasn't expecting that much out of.

It would be nice if you could balance the 5 2-star books with 2 5-star books. Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

>180 mamzel: Thanks, that would be nice!

What I've been watching:

Recently finished Fortitude, which is a thriller-mystery set on an island close to the Arctic circle. Very strange show, reminiscent of Twin Peaks without the humor, very engaging. Stanley Tucci plays a detective investigating some strange deaths. I believe this is streaming on Amazon Prime.

Just started Occupied, which is set in the near future in Norway. It's in Norwegian and English. It's set in the near future, when Norway is stealthily occupied by Russian soldiers because they stopped oil and gas production. I've seen two episodes; so far, it's very taut and well done. Jo Nesbo is credited as the creator, for those who like him. Streaming on Netflix.

I finished the excellent series Justified, based on Elmore Leonard's short stories, streaming on Amazon Prime. We are also continuing House of Cards and Daredevil, both great series on Netflix.

Is it just me, or is TV better than movies these days? I also love being able to watch a series continuously, like reading a novel. Any recommendations for what to watch on Netflix or Amazon?

I think TV is becoming better than movies, and changing because we now tend to binge watch, rather than watch one episode a week. If you like crime shows, I loved The Killing, which you have probably already seen. I've started The Bridge, which is sub-titled and so I have to watch it without doing other things at the same time and so it's going more slowly, but it's excellent. I also really like Wallander, Orphan Black and The Fall. And Jessica Jones if you like noir and/or superheroes. It has a decidedly woman-centered focus.

>183 RidgewayGirl: I also enjoyed The Killing. And of course, Orphan Black. So glad OB is back on air. The hiatus was terribly long.

>183 RidgewayGirl: and >184 VictoriaPL: I need to give Orphan Black another try. I fell off on Wallandar but I found it terribly bleak. I also loved The Killing and The Fall, and we are all finished with Jessica Jones and waiting for the next season. My husband likes the superhero shows. I tend to have to watch the crime when he's doing sports.

I've been enjoying watching Crossing Borders on Netflix alternating with the also excellent Longmire series. I caught the first season of CB but was pleasantly surprised to see there were three all together. It features a group of detectives from different countries investigating crimes for the International Criminal Court. I love the settings all around Europe and car chases in little Fiat-like cars.

mamzel, Crossing Borders isn't available on German Netflix. I'll have to look for it after we return to the US this summer.

>186 mamzel: Yes, that sounds good.

On Amazon I enjoyed Mozart in the Jungle. There are two seasons of that so far. It's an fun look at the backstage lives of musicians in a metropolitan orchestra. I totally binge watched those catching a whole season in one sitting.

I got annoyed at Amazon the other week. I had a hankering for revisiting Babylon 5. It was not available on Netflix so I checked Amazon. They wanted me to pay for each episode!?!?! Really? A twenty-year old series?

eta We have been Prime customers since it was originated.

Ammonite by Nicola Griffith

Marghe has an opportunity to travel to the newly rediscovered planet nicknamed "Jeep," where a virus killed all the male colonists and some of the women, resulting in an all-female society that has developed in primitive conditions over generations. When she arrives, though, she finds herself connecting with the planet and the women who live there in unexpected ways.

Marghe's character, as our guide to the world of Jeep, was particularly well-developed. I was intrigued early on by learning of her long practice of meditation and extensive work with biofeedback. These qualities make her very receptive to the unique aspects of Jeep's ecosystem, which helps believability, particularly when it comes to the issue of reproduction. I related well to the searching qualities of Marghe's character and how she grows into herself after coming to Jeep. The environment there is uniquely suited to self-discovery, if the individual is open to it.

Jeep is an interesting world that seems very real. The alien life and weather patterns are truly alien, and Griffith describes the planet's environment in almost sensual terms. While in many ways Jeep seems a paradise, it is not a utopia by any means. Life can be very difficult there, particularly in the frozen northern region. Jeep seems more like a real place than an ideal escape from Earth's gender-based social problems.

With the non-gendered names and large cast, it is easy to forget when reading Ammonite that every character is a woman. That's not to say that some characters are actually men in disguise. I never felt this was true. Instead, Griffith explores the entire range of human behavior in her characters. Some characters are wise mentors. Some are stern leaders who hide their self-doubts. Some are selfish, stubborn, impulsive, or even corrupt. Marghe is particularly traumatized when she is kidnapped by a northern tribe who then treat her more as an animal than a person. Even though these characters all come across as fully human, their social structure has evolved in a radically different way, with what I think may be seen as a more feminine (or more humane) outcome. The characters are more forthright and open with one another, particularly on issues of love and family. Kinship and other relationships are extremely important and are also fluid, not wholly dependent on having a genetic connection. Disputes are arbitrated and resolved mostly without violence. Storytelling and art are valued as true professions worthy of communal support. There is violence, but violence is seen as an aberration and not inevitable. This is a compelling vision of what a world can be. 4★

Categories: Something borrowed | Science fiction | Women BingoPUP: A book off the TBR

>190 sturlington: Very interesting. Thanks for the review.

The Wave in the Mind: Talks and Essays on the Writer, the Reader, and the Imagination by Ursula K. Le Guin

As a collection, this is something of a hodgepodge, but there are many valuable nuggets to be mined, so it's a worthwhile book for any aspiring writer to consult from time to time. The personal essays in the first section, "Personal Matters," are especially worth reading because Le Guin is a terrific writer and an interesting person. Other essays throughout the book, particularly Le Guin's thoughts on gender, are also interesting. Do what I did--leaf through the book and read what catches your fancy. It's sure to be worth your while. 3★

Categories: Something blue | Nonfiction/Essays

Expanded thoughts, particularly on the last section specifically about writing, are on my blog here: https://shannonturlington.com/2016/04/27/writing-advice-from-ursula-k-le-guin/

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

I listened to this as an audiobook, which I have found to be the most effective way of making my way through the classics. It was a fun adventure story, a little goofy--I can see why it would appeal to younger readers. I certainly had to curtail my skepticism; for example, how did three men port all the food and lamp oil they needed for several months themselves? For me, the first-person protagonist's voice made all the difference. Harry (as he was called in the audio version) was not really a natural-born explorer; he preferred decent meals and a soft bed, and he was given to panic attacks and fits of hyperbole. I liked him. Jack Sondericker, the narrator, was excellent. He brought a lot of expression to his reading and gave all the characters terrific accents. 4★

Categories: Something old | Science fiction classics | GeoCAT: Islands, Bodies of Water and Polar Regions | SFFKit: NPR's list | AlphaKIT: V

Favorite read of April: A Head Full of Ghosts
Most disappointing: The Wasp Factory

Challenges completed: 5 out of 5

May challenges:
Color Your World (RandomCat): Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (still listening)
Nonfiction (HorrorKit): Amphigorey Again by Edward Gorey (reread)
Space opera (SFF Kit):
North America (GeoCat): Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko
O and P (AlphaKit): The Book of Phoenix by Nnedi Okorafor

>193 sturlington: I am working my way through Journey to the Center of the Earth right now. My way of working through the classics is through Daily Lit which e-mails me a page or two a few times a week. If I want to read more I just push the button and the next page is immediately sent to me. I am finding it rather silly, but enjoyable nevertheless.

>195 DeltaQueen50: I'm not sure I would have finished reading it as a print book but the narrator was really amusing. I kind of zoned out during some long descriptive sections. The goofiness is what makes it good, IMO.

I tried Daily Lit before. It's a good idea but it still didn't help me get through Great Expectations.

>Great Expectations was quite the slog. It just about put an end to my reading Dickens!

>197 DeltaQueen50: I kept trying and failing to like Dickens, and I finally gave up. I figure we are just not meant to be.

Five Children and It by E. Nesbit

Five children left on their own during summer holidays discover a sand-fairy called a Psammead in a gravel pit who will grant them one wish each day. Of course, the wishes go awry in a humorous way, but thankfully, the effects wear off at sunset.

I never got around to reading Nesbit as a child. I read this aloud to my 8-year-old son. We both enjoyed the humorous adventures and the cranky Psammead, and it led to lots of conversations about wishes and unintended consequences. I found the characterizations of the girls don't pass muster for modern sensibilities, and the chapter about Indians was uncomfortably stereotyped. Despite those hiccups, this was a fun read. 3★

Categories: Baby carriage | Children's fantasy

Note: I have also finished Geek Love but I am ruminating on it and want to write a longer review.

>199 sturlington: I loved Five Children and It back when I was young. Given your comments, maybe I should avoid rereading it as an adult & keep my happy memories.

>199 sturlington:
It was one of my favorites as a child - I may stick with my childhood memories as well... :)

It's still a charming book, just with some outdated sensibilities. But yes, sometimes it's best to hang onto our memories.

Catching up on threads and wanted to comment on The Wasp Factory - so glad to see that I'm not the only one who really disliked that book.

Geek Love by Katherine Dunn

A carnival owner and his wife decide to "create" their own sideshow attractions by experimenting with drugs, radiation, and the like during pregnancy.

With that outlandish premise, Dunn leads the reader through the tent flap and, gradually, deeper and deeper into the bizarre and isolated world of the traveling carnival that incubates the Binewski children. The five children are: Arty, born with flippers for arms and legs; the conjoined twins Elly and Iphy; the narrator, an albino, hunchback dwarf named Olympia; and baby Chick, with the most special powers of all. As they grow up, separated from the world, never really sure where the carnival is at any particular time, and constantly reinforced with how special they are when compared to the "norms," a certain warping is bound to occur. We are fully ensnared by this time as Dunn gradually ratchets up the horror, introducing more demented characters and increasingly grotesque elements, but we've paid our money and we're going to look. Even as we silently think that she can't go there, that is indeed where Dunn chooses to go.

But yet, despite the grotesqueness and strangeness of these characters and this story, it is at its essence about family: what makes a family, what we will do for our families, what our families do to us. This book is not just about ogling freaks. It's about contemplating the freak inside. 4★

Categories: Something old | Horror

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

When Harry August dies, he is reborn as himself at the same time and to the same parents, but with the memories of his previous lives intact. When he learns that another person like him is manipulating history for his own selfish ends, and accelerating the end of the world, Harry knows that he must stop him.

This is an interesting concept that bears more than a passing familiarity to the plots of Life After Life by Kate Atkinson and The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell. However, North's novel is bound to suffer by comparison. It doesn't delve into the details of history as in Atkinson's novel or take on the social critiques that Mitchell does, and it doesn't carry the philosophical heft of either. It is more of a character study, exploring the tedium of living the same life over and over and what someone rather ordinary like Harry might choose to do with all that time. There is also a rather mad scientist-esque plot that doesn't really get going until the second half of the book but helps the pace pick up quite a bit. It was an intriguing story, and I kept turning the pages, but at times, it felt thin and flat. I was intrigued by the concepts North was exploring but frustrated by her refusal to dive in too deeply. The ending had a "what now?" quality to it. The most interesting question raised--of whether someone like Harry should interfere in events to change known outcomes and the impact that might have--got more of a one-sided answer than I felt it deserved. The always-intriguing concept of multiple parallel universes was barely touched on, leaving the reader wondering if any of these lives were really of much significance after all. High 3★

Categories: Something borrowed | Science fiction

The Book of Phoenix by Nnedi Okorafor

As a prequel to Who Fears Death, it is impossible not to compare these two books. I think that Who Fears Death was much more successful than The Book of Phoenix on several levels. The Book of Phoenix tells the story of the apocalyptic event that created the far future world of Who Fears Death, instigated by a genetically engineered immortal weapon named Phoenix.

Who Fears Death sits clearly in the realm of fantasy/magical realism. This genre choice works well for the style of story, which incorporates African myth and folklore. The Book of Phoenix is more a science fiction story--or to be accurate, it employs the tropes of superhero comics with a nod to SF. Yet the style is deliberately that of oral storytelling, presumably drawn from African traditions (given the themes), with a tendency toward repetition, circling around events, and some unnecessary tangents. I didn't think these two choices meshed at all well together. I had several unanswered questions regarding the more science fictional aspects of the plot that probably wouldn't have bothered me as much in a more fantastic setting.

Both stories center around a female character with incredible powers who is also incredibly angry. Who Fears Death did not feel the need to justify or soften its heroine's anger, who is reacting to the sexist and racist oppression she experiences. The Book of Phoenix focuses on racial oppression, particularly the exploitation of African peoples by the West, and this theme is very powerful. Unlike Who Fears Death, though, it has no corresponding feminist message. Toward the end, as Phoenix is wreaking her vengeance, there is a very disturbing paragraph, where Phoenix notes that as a woman, she is unable to control her anger or channel it properly. If she were a man, she would have been a better superhero, she seems to say. This observation comes out of nowhere and is difficult to explain. Are we supposed to believe that this is simply Phoenix's naivete talking? If so, it's clumsily handled and, I think, stands in opposition to the theme I enjoyed most in Who Fears Death, which was the power and rightness of women's anger.

I am not very familiar with African myths beyond the basics of Yoruba, so I can't really comment on these themes in either books, although I am certain that Okorafor has knowledgeably incorporated myth into both. However, it's hard to miss the biblical references. If Who Fears Death can be seen as an upending of the Christ story, with an angry and vengeful Christ figure at its center, then The Book of Phoenix is clearly Old Testament, with all its falls: the fall of the tower, the fall of angels, the fall of man, culminating in a waterless flood, the scorching of the Earth with fire. Is Phoenix then a Lucifer figure? She sees herself as a villain, not a heroine, and she seems to root her villainy in her femaleness (Eve in the garden). Are we supposed to condemn her then, or is this another upending? Given the sheer evil of the forces she was up against, I don't want to condemn her. I just don't feel like Okorafor gives us enough to really understand what she is trying to say with this book. It's frustrating.

That's how I mainly felt upon finishing: frustrated. I was looking forward to having some of the unanswered questions in Who Fears Death answered. I don't feel they really were. I still don't understand how Phoenix's story--which becomes the basis of the Great Book, or the religious text that everyone abides by in Who Fears Death--is twisted to justify the oppression and enslavement of black Africans by Arabic Africans. I didn't feel a true continuity between these two stories. I think I would have been better off letting Who Fears Death stand alone. Low 3★

Categories: Something borrowed | Science fiction/Apocalyptic | AlphaKIT: O | Women BingoPUP: About a female critter

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King

Stephen King seems to have taken a cue from Neil Gaiman and has included a brief introduction to each of the stories (and two poems) in this new collection. I like the additional information. This is a standard collection, entertaining but not outstanding. I had read several of the stories before in other formats. Running themes include aging, mortality, dealing with the curve balls thrown at us by life. (King also tackled the mortality theme in his recent novel Revival, which was outstanding.) The mood was more elegiac than horrific, although the first story about an alien car that eats people is vintage King. I enjoyed many of the outliers more, though, such as the comic story, "Drunken Fireworks." (4★)

Categories: Something blue | Horror/Short stories

>207 sturlington: That's the one with the kindle. I know it ended badly, but I still want that kindle! And thanks for the reminder to read Revival.

>208 RidgewayGirl: Yes, I read that one years ago. Good story. I'm a sucker for Dark Tower tie-ins.

I've never read The Dark Tower - with some exceptions like his new Finders Keepers series, King does short stories much better than full novels, in my opinion - but that kindle. I know King wants us to think there's a dark side, but I would like that kindle.

>210 RidgewayGirl: Revival is a shorter novel than his usual. I noted this as one of its strengths. I like most everything King writes, except when I hate it, I really hate it. I loathed Blockade Billy. That's one of the stories in The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, but I didn't read it again.

Amphigorey Again by Edward Gorey

This is the last of the Amphigorey collections and also a sort of memorial to Edward Gorey. The images in the last piece, about the letter "Z," fade out at the end, which was touching. As a collection, though, it's pretty light, especially when held against the previous three Amphigorey volumes. Nothing really stands out, and a lot seems to be a rehash of already expressed ideas. A few works were unfinished. Still and all, it is Gorey, and something is better than nothing. We miss you, still. (4★)

Categories: Something blue | Gothic/Art | HorrorKIT: Nonfiction | BingoPUP: Comics/Graphic novel

DNF: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

I received this book unexpectedly as an Early Reviewers win. I honestly don't recall requesting it. Something about the description must have caught my attention, because I have made a rule not to request an ER book unless I'm already familiar with the author or title, or if it's nonfiction on a subject of interest. This is my attempt to whittle down the number of ER wins that it turns out I am allergic to, and I think it's working. (I also only request 1 or fewer books each month, which seems to be increasing the quality of my wins as well.)

This is a science fiction-thriller about multiple universes. The multiverse is a pet interest of mine, which is probably what led me to request the book. I opened it and immediately groaned when I saw the short, choppy sentences and sentence fragments, each one sequestered in its own paragraph, a writing style that I find particularly annoying. Also, the book is written in present tense, and right away, the narrator reveals that he knows his own future. If a writer is going to do something irritating like write in first person, he at least needs to do it in a believable way. I did a little research and found out that Crouch started out as a so-called "indie" (read: self-published) writer, which explains a lot about his style. I review a lot of self-published books as a freelance book reviewer, and let me tell you, these quirks run rampant. Anyhoo, I gave this the requisite 50 pages (as dictated by Nancy Pearl), decided life was too short, and moved on. I will pass this book on to someone who will appreciate it more than me. (1★ for abandonment / no categories)

Taking advantage of sub par weather for the Canadian long weekend to try and get caught up with some threads.

>193 sturlington: - What a classic!

>196 sturlington: and >197 DeltaQueen50: - Great Expectations is one of the few Dickens reads that I did enjoy, but that stems from my high school days. Everything I have read of Dickens in the past decade has been a slog.

The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket

Second in the series, read aloud to my 8-year-old. Like the first one, this was witty and a good read-aloud. Unfortunately, the premise is getting a bit repetitive at this point, and despite appearances, not a whole heck of a lot actually happens in this book. Nevertheless, we are both still enjoying this series, but I am somewhat afraid I will end up reading all 13. Perhaps it's time to gently encourage my son to read the rest of the installments to himself. 3★

Categories: Baby carriage | Juvenile fiction

If I read all of The Series of Unfortunate Events aloud to my children, you can do the same! I did have them summarize the previous night's reading before we began and I credit that and the clever way new vocabulary is introduced to how well the children have done in reading comprehension tests. Also, it was fun hearing my son, who was then in first grade, use "penultimate" correctly and casually in a sentence.

And these books are easy to read aloud. So many aren't. Try reading the first book in the How to Train Your Dragon series. A chapter of that exhausted my mouth, whereas I could read one of the Snickett books for an hour at a stretch.

>216 RidgewayGirl: I do agree with you about them being easy to read aloud. However, I like variety. We will see. :-) We are reading Harry Potter now so it depends on if he gets into that and wants to continue.

Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives edited by Sarah Weinman

This is an excellent collection of short stories by women writing dark suspense fiction toward the middle of the twentieth century. Including fourteen stories, this collection--well-curated by editor Sarah Weinman--is neither too short nor too long. While all of the stories aptly fit the theme and have an appropriately noirish mood, each one stands out as a unique and compelling work. I savored these stories like a box of fine chocolates. Some of the authors, such as Patricia Highsmith and Shirley Jackson, will already be familiar to many readers, but this collection presents a terrific opportunity for discovering new writers. While Weinman laments in the introduction that many of these writers, popular and lauded in their day, have been forgotten over time, a perusal of Amazon reveals that many of their longer works have been revived in electronic form for the Kindle--at reasonable prices, too. I foresee many hours of happy reading time ahead, inspired by the authors included in this terrific collection. 5★

Categories: Something new | Suspense/Anthology | RandomCAT: I do! I do! (June) | Women BingoPUP: Short story collection

>215 sturlington: >216 RidgewayGirl: I'd read 7 or 8 of the Series of Unfortunate Events volumes to my younger daughter years ago but she ended up finishing the series on her own, and I haven't gotten around to doing so myself. If you enjoy orchestral music, I highly recommend Lemony Snicket's The Composer is Dead.

Had to abandon Ruby. I'd like to read a book that doesn't have any rape in it. Especially child rape.

Also, I'm behind on my reviews. Hope to catch up tomorrow.

Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko

Tayo returns home to the Laguna Pueblo reservation from World War II suffering from PTSD and attempts to cure himself by reconnecting with the traditional ceremonies of his people.

This was a slow read, mostly because the language is very poetic and demands a lot of attention to be paid. In fact, poetry is woven into the narrative at several points, which were probably my favorite sections. The poems relate traditional stories and comment on the events of the main narrative. (I would like to go back and reread the poems by themselves at some point.) Silko pays a lot of attention to the natural environment of the story, and these descriptive passages are among the most beautiful.

The first part of the story shows Tayo's suffering from his memories of the war, from his lifelong feeling of not belonging (he is half Native American and half white), and from the loss of the two people who meant the most to him, his cousin and his uncle. He is afraid that if he doesn't get better, he will be confined to a mental hospital. So he goes to a native healer who "prescribes" a ceremony for him.

At this point, I had trouble following events and discerning what was real and what was magical realism. This is also the point in the story when a fierce anger toward white people, who lie to Native Americans and to themselves, begins to bubble to the surface. This anger is justified but surprising, given the peaceful, nature-oriented tone of the writing. Tayo eventually finds a way to explain the actions of the whites, but I'm not sure that I entirely believe the anger has been soothed, nor am I convinced that it should be. The final scenes include some shocking violence, which again I wasn't sure was adequately explained by Tayo's reasoning.

I think this book demands to be reread. Close attention needs to be paid to the symbolic aspects of the ceremony and to the parallels between Tayo's story and the traditional stories of the ancestors, which can probably only be done after the initial reading has been absorbed. Only then can this story be fully understood, I suspect. High 3★

Categories: Something old | Native American literature | GeoCAT: North America | BingoPUP: By or about an indigenous person

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

During the German occupation of France in World War II, two sisters take different paths to resistance. The older sister, Vianne, tries to protect her daughter and home from the hardships of rationing, food and fuel shortages, and Nazis billeting in her house, but eventually is compelled to actively save Jewish children from deportation to concentration camps. Her younger sister, Isabelle, joins the active resistance right away, becoming the legendary "Nightingale" who leads downed pilots over the Pyrenees and out of France.

This is a page-turner that vividly depicts the hardships of living under Nazi occupation. I found Isabelle's story the most compelling, probably because it was the most adventurous, and because it highlighted prejudicial attitudes toward women and how Isabelle used those to her advantage. I also (reluctantly) liked the romance angle. The constant state of jeopardy that children were placed under, as highlighted by Vianne's story, was distressing but I think well told. I also thought the small details about the deprivations of occupation were interesting. Toward the end of the novel, the horrors of war seem piled on and become almost overwhelming. The finale was a bit predictable and overly sentimental. Overall, though, this was a fast and absorbing read about life for women during wartime. 4★

Categories: Something borrowed | Historical fiction | Women BingoPUP: Women in combat

Now would be a good time to start a new thread for the second half of the year.

>222 sturlington: Yay! Glad you enjoyed The Nightingale.

>224 VictoriaPL: I probably wouldn't have read it if it weren't my book club selection, but it was a gripping story and I tore through it.