September, 2017: A bumper crop of great books

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September, 2017: A bumper crop of great books

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1CliffBurns
Sep 1, 2017, 12:50 am

Kicking off September with a thriller dealing with the election of the next Pope.

All sorts of conspiracies and shenanigans abound in Robert Harris' CONCLAVE.

An accomplished book, marred by (in my opinion) one glaringly unbelievable scene.

Harris is usually lots of fun...

2bluepiano
Modifié : Sep 1, 2017, 6:41 am

C'mon, what's the glaringly unbelievable scene? I'm guessing it's nothing to do with a Catholic press secretary being denied an audience with His Holiness out of sheer malice, so what is it? someone under the age of 82 being considered as a candidate? a clandestine marriage? a bear using indoor plumbing?

3CliffBurns
Sep 1, 2017, 10:42 am

It involves a search of the Papal apartments after the death of the previous Pope. Certain hidden drawers, a key plot discovery.

Nope.

4BookConcierge
Sep 6, 2017, 6:18 pm

Unless - Carol Shields
Digital audiobook narrated by Joan Allen
4****

Reta Williams is a successful author and translator, a wife, and a mother to three teenage daughters. Her oldest daughter, Norah, is a 19-year-old freshman at university, when Reta and her doctor husband, Tom, discover that Norah has apparently dropped out, and spends her days sitting on a Toronto street corner, with a signed around her neck that reads simply “Goodness.” The mystery of how and why her daughter has come to panhandling in this way is the major plot point of the novel.

However, this really isn’t a plot-driven story. It’s a character study: of what it means to be a woman, a mother, a writer, a feminist. Reta is worried sick about Norah, but she is still a wife, still meets friends for lunch, does laundry, buys gifts, works on her latest book, and she writes letters (which she doesn’t send) in response to articles she reads. Yet, while Reta continues to lead her life, she cannot stop thinking and worrying about Norah.

I finished this book nearly two weeks ago, but I’ve been thinking about it ever since. I simply didn’t have the words to describe how I felt about it. The best way is to quote from the novel itself:
“A life is full of isolated events, but these events, if they are to form a coherent narrative, require odd pieces of language to cement them together, little chips of grammar (mostly adverbs or prepositions) that are hard to define, since they are abstractions of location or relative position, works like therefore, else, other, also, thereof, theretofore, instead, otherwise, despite, already, and not yet.
....Unless, with its elegiac undertones, is a term used in logic, a word breathed by the hopeful or by writers of fiction wanting to prise open the crusted world and reveal another plane of being, which is similar in its geographical particulars and peopled by those who resemble ourselves.”

This is the last book that Shields wrote, though it is the first by her that I’ve read. I cannot help but wonder how much of Reta’s internal dialogue was really Shields’. (The author died of breast cancer within a year after the novel was published.)

Joan Allen performs the audiobook. She is a gifted actress, and is perfect for this work. She made Shields’ prose virtually sing.

5CliffBurns
Modifié : Sep 6, 2017, 8:35 pm

Finished Dennis Lehane's SINCE WE FELL.

Another thriller marred by plausibility problems--something happens halfway through the book and you go "oh, c'mon".

That's never good.

Really tainted the whole book. Too bad, I'm a fan of his work.

6Cecrow
Sep 7, 2017, 8:48 am

>4 BookConcierge:, have a copy I haven't gotten to yet. Thanks for that review, it sounds well worthwhile.

7BookConcierge
Sep 9, 2017, 9:08 am

Binti - Nnedi Okorafor
4****

Binti is the first of the Himba people ever to be accepted at Oomza University, the finest university in the galaxy. But in order to take advantage of the scholarship, she’ll have to leave her family, her village, her entire way of life, and travel among strangers (her fellow students) who neither understand nor respect her traditions.

This is a coming-of-age story, an adventure, a buddy road-trip, and a space opera all in one small package. I loved Binti. She’s resourceful, mentally and physically strong, a loyal friend, a compassionate person, and a canny negotiator. I loved the way that she slowly developed a relationship with Okwu, the young Meduse warrior (?), carefully observing and strategically offering information and help once she understood the issue.

Science fiction is not my favorite genre (understatement), but I might read more of this series.

8BookConcierge
Sep 9, 2017, 9:12 am

Dune - Frank Herbert
3***

From the book jacket: The novel that will be forever considered a triumph of the imagination. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family – and would bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.

My reactions:
Okay … science fiction epics are just not my thing. That being said, I do recognize and appreciate what has made this such an enduring classic in the genre. Herbert has created a complex world, with warring factions, political intrigue, and a great main character in Paul Muad’Dib. The action moves the plot forward at a consistent pace, and there are scenes that just stopped me in my tracks (those worms!). But despite all that I was just “meh” about the book. I liked it okay, but it’s not special to me. I think if I had read this when I was in high school or college I would have rated it higher, but it just doesn’t appeal to my reading tastes at this stage of my life.

The audio is probably part of the reason I was lukewarm to the book. It is narrated / performed by a variety of talented voice artists. Simon Vance is the main narrator, with the characters each voiced by a different actor, including Scott Brick, Orlagh Cassidy, Euan Morton, and a full cast. That would probably have been fine, adding drama and making it easier for the listener to identify the many different characters. But the producers also added sound effects and a soundtrack of music that just irritated me no end. I particularly hated the “thrum” of a large engine that was used as background in several scenes; the first time I heard it I thought there was some problem with my car engine!

9anna_in_pdx
Sep 9, 2017, 4:22 pm

Book concierge, I always enjoy your reviews. I loved Dune (long, long ago when I read it as a teenager). But I cannot imagine listening to an audiobook as long as Dune. Or shorter than Dune. In fact I seem to be unable to do audiobooks. I cannot even do podcasts. I just can't keep from trying to do something else while listening. Then, I'm no longer listening.

Thus far my eyesight has held out better than my hearing, which is fortunate for me.

10BookConcierge
Sep 10, 2017, 9:40 pm

Death at Wentwater Court - Carola Dunn
Digital audiobook performed by Bernadette Dunn
3***

Daisy Dalrymple is the daughter of a Viscount, but she has made the rather shocking decision to make her own way as a writer. She lands an assignment for a series of magazine articles on country manor houses, and finds herself at Wentwater Court in January 1923 to begin research on her first piece. Lord Wentwater’s young wife has recently been the focus of some unwanted amorous attention, and several guests express obvious jealousy and animosity. So the atmosphere is tense and somewhat uncomfortable … and then one of the house guests drowns in an ice skating accident. Or was it murder?

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery debut. Daisy is a delightful central character and amateur sleuth. She smart, resourceful, observant, and compassionate. The plot is sufficiently complicated to keep the reader guessing; I identified the culprit only a few pages ahead of Daisy. I also like the developing new relationships between Daisy and Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher. I’m a little unhappy with how the book ends –but it’s true to the time, place and social class.

Bernadette Dunn does a fine job voicing the audio book. She reads at a good pace, and I was never confused about which character was speaking.

11BookConcierge
Sep 10, 2017, 9:42 pm

>9 anna_in_pdx:
Anna ... listening to audiobooks has made me a better listener! Before I retired, I had a long commute to/from work and I started listening to audiobooks to pass that time. Now that I'm no longer commuting, I do find that I "invent" errands and drive the "long way" so I can listen to those audiobooks.

12BookConcierge
Sep 11, 2017, 4:30 pm

Under Fishbone Clouds - Sam Meekings
3***

From the book jacket: (This) is a universal love story, a family saga, and a journey through Chinese history, myth, and culture. Following a young Chinese couple as their love grows, and is tested, during Mao’s Cultural Revolution, this debut novel provides a personal glimpse into the birth of modern China.

My reaction:
I’ve had this debut novel on my tbr since it was first published in 2010. I was intrigued by the love story coupled with 20th Century Chinese history. And I loved that part of the book. Jinyi is a hero whose experiences are far different than anything I’ve gone through, but whose character is universal. He embodies resilience, determination and love for his wife and family. Yuying grows from the somewhat spoiled eldest daughter of a “bourgeoise” restaurant owner to a humble, devoted and fierce wife and mother. Despite all they go through they remain steadfast in their love and never give up hope of reconciliation during the times they must be apart.

The format Meekings used to tell this story, however, did not resonate with me. He has the Kitchen God narrate the story. The Jade Emperor has challenged the KG to fathom the intricacies of the human heart, so the KG decides to follow this couple from their courtship to their old age. Well that’s not completely out of line; I’ve certainly read and enjoyed other books with a similar omniscient narrator. However, Meekings has the Kitchen God frequently interject his own story, his conversations with the Jade Emperor, and various Chinese folk tales. I found these to be completely unnecessary disruptions to the main story arc. Of course, if he were referring to Western fairy tales or folk tales, he might have been able to simply mention “Cinderella” or “Chicken Little” and I would have instantly understood the reference. Not the case with traditional Chinese folk tales, so I understand why Meekings would feel he has to give us the full story. Still, I found it distracting and thought it interrupted the story arc.

13BookConcierge
Sep 13, 2017, 9:01 am

The Invention of Hugo Cabret- Brian Selznick
5***** and a ❤

Hugo Cabret is an orphan who lives in the Paris Train Station, taking care of the clocks as his uncle trained him to do. His secret project, though, is finishing the invention his father was working on when he died. He steals parts from a toy shop – small gears and screws and springs. But when he’s caught, he gets embroiled in an even bigger mystery.

What a treasure! This inventive, unusual novel in words and pictures, won the Caldecott medal for illustration. The reader really needs to spend some time pouring over these intricate drawings, for they forward the story. The text skips from section/chapter to section/chapter, with the intricate illustrations filling in the plot.

The book is intended for children, but will delight adults as well. The story of Hugo, Isabelle and Papa Georges is enthralling, and kept me guessing. But the drawings … oh, the drawings! They are rich and subtle and complex and detailed, showing incredible depth of field and use of light and shadow.

It's a hefty book - some 525 pages, and the paper is thick. But it's a very fast read. The first time I read it straight through in just a couple of hours. But on this second reading I took more time to pour over the illustrations, really studying the detail.

(NOTE: This is a re-read, and I've updated my review on this second reading)

14BookConcierge
Sep 13, 2017, 9:06 am

The Good Girl - Mary Kubica
Digital audiobook narrated by Lindy Nettleton, Johnny Heller, Tom Taylorson, and Andi Arndt.
3.5***

From the book jacket: Born to a prominent Chicago judge and the stifled socialite wife, Mia Dennett moves against the grain as a young inner-city art teacher. One night, Mia enters a bar to meet her on-again, off-again boyfriend. But when he doesn’t show, she unwisely leaves with an enigmatic stranger. With his smooth moves and modest wit, at first Colin Thatcher seems like a safe one-night stand. But following Colin home will turn out to be the worst mistake of Mia’s life.

My reactions
Kurbca write a good psychological thriller. She uses four narrators: Eve (Mia’s mother), Colin, Gabe (the detective), and Mia (for just the epilogue); and two time lines: “Before” and “After.” In this way, the reader quickly knows that Mia is back at home with her family, but finding out what, why and how things exactly happened takes patience … and several twists in the plot.

I was caught up in the intrigue, and interested in these characters and how they fit together. The changing points of view and time lines kept me off balance, much as the characters in the scenario might feel, each of them having only a piece of the puzzle and struggling to make sense of, and even survive, a situation they could not possibly control.

What I most look for in this genre is a plot that keeps me interested, and keeps me guessing. Kubica delivered that. After that final plot twist, I went back and skimmed over it to see if there were clues I had completely missed. There were.

The audio book is narrated by four talented voice artists, though I don’t know who performed which characters. They were all very good, maintaining a great pace and making it easy to follow the back-and-forth time line and perspective.

15Cecrow
Sep 13, 2017, 9:49 am

>13 BookConcierge:, I saw the Scorsese movie and it didn't lure me to the book. I've flipped through it a couple of times at the bookstore and thought the pictures would be mostly filler, but sounds like it deserves a closer look.

16CliffBurns
Sep 14, 2017, 11:26 am

Finished Richard Kadrey's THE EVERYTHING BOX.

Diverting supernatural caper novel, but he's written far better books.

17drmamm
Modifié : Sep 20, 2017, 7:04 pm

Finished The Alchemist over the course of two plane flights. I liked it, although it wasn't quite as "life changing" as others have described it. A little bit of a slow set-up, but the story moved along quite nicely after that, and the slow set-up helped to set up the final payoff at the end.

18BookConcierge
Sep 19, 2017, 4:49 pm

The Zookeeper’s Wife - Diane Ackerman
Audiobook performed by Suzanne Toren
4****

When Germany invaded Poland, and the Nazis occupied Warsaw, they began the determined extermination of that country’s Jews. But many Polish citizens helped to shelter their Jewish friends and neighbors. This is the story one of family, and the wife and mother in particular: Antonina Zabinski, the zookeeper’s wife.

It’s a fascinating story, and well told. Jan Zabinski was the director of the Warsaw Zoo, and he and his family lived in a villa on the zoological garden grounds. Antonina and their son, Rysz, had a personal menagerie at the villa, and frequently cared for baby zoo animals there as well. Additionally, they had a wide circle of friends and hosted parties and gatherings. All this coming and going made their sheltering of Jewish refugees that much easier, allowing them to hide their “guests” in plain sight. That did not make their work with the resistance any less dangerous, and Jan did spend some time in a labor camp as a prisoner of war.

Ackerman did extensive research, including interviews with survivors, family members, and neighbors to chronicle, as accurately as possible, the events during the war years.

Suzanne Toren does an excellent job performing the audio book. She is a talented voice artist and was able to differentiate the many characters and nationalities. I particularly liked how she used her own voice for third-person narrative, but switched – effortlessly – into a “Polish” or “German” or “Yiddish” accent as called for when voicing a quoted statement.

19BookConcierge
Sep 19, 2017, 4:56 pm

Eventide - Kent Haruf
Digital audiobook performed by George Hearn
5*****

Continuing the story of the residents of fictional Holt, Colorado, the novel features some of the same characters that readers came to love in Plainsong. The McPheron brothers see Victoria Roubideaux move off their ranch to begin college; Maggie Jones once again displays the compassion and good sense that make her such a wonderful teacher; Tom Guthrie and his boys make an appearance as well. And social worker Rose Tyler finds that the burden of helping people who sometimes cannot be helped is made a little easier with a strong shoulder to cry on. New characters move the story of the town and its residents forward: a young boy helps his aged grandfather, a woman with two girls tries to find her way now that her husband has left, and a couple with limited resources have difficulty caring for their two children.

Life can be hard in Holt. Accidents cause injury and death. Alcohol fuels violent tendencies and foolish behavior. Misunderstandings lead to wounded egos and bruised sensibilities. Then again, there are scenes of tenderness and caring that touch my heart and give me faith in humankind. People rise to the occasion and help one another without thought to payback or obligation. Couples find humor in their situation, or reach out to comfort one another. People made hard decisions and move forward with courage and grace in the face of adversity.

And I just have to comment on how Haruf paints the landscape. I felt the bitter wind of a December midnight, saw the weak sunlight on wide open fields, smelled the squalor of an unkempt trailer, or relished in the sights and sounds of a spring afternoon.

I came late to the party when it comes to reading Haruf. But better late than never. As I came to the end of this novel I found myself mourning his passing all over again. A week or so after I finished listening to the audio, I picked up the text and read it again, cover to cover.

George Hearn does a fine job narrating the audiobook. He has the perfect pace and tone for this quiet novel. He really brings these characters to life; I particularly love how he voices the McPheron brothers.

20CliffBurns
Sep 20, 2017, 11:04 am

Finished a so-so detective novel, THE TWENTY-YEAR DEATH: FALLING STAR by Ariel S. Winter.

A narrative spread over three books but I'm not sure the excessive length is required for a relatively undistinguished tale.

21BookConcierge
Sep 25, 2017, 2:48 pm

Saint Monkey - Jacinda Townsend
3***

From the book jacket: Fourteen-year-old Audrey Martin, with her Poindexter glasses and her head humming the ¾ meter of gospel music, knows she’ll never get out of Kentucky – but when her fingers touch the piano keys, the whole church trembles. Her best friend, Caroline Wallace, daydreams about Hollywood stardom, but both girls feel destined to languish in a slow-moving stopover town in Montgomery County.

My reactions:
I’m about a generation behind these girls, but I was interested in a story set in the late 1950s – an era when I was first becoming acutely aware of popular music and could hardly wait to grow up and join my cousins dancing to Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Fats Domino records. Audrey and Caroline are in a similar hurry to grow up, to be done with school, and to go out into the world. They desperately want something MORE out of their lives than small town Mt Sterling, KY can give them.

When the book opens Audrey is reeling from the death of her father, in the Korean War. She and her mother live with her Grandpap, who adored his son, and who encourages Audrey to play the piano like her Daddy used to do. Her mother, lost in grief, tries to find solace in a bottle of bourbon. Caroline’s family is still intact; her father, Sonnyboy, has a steady job “down to the ice plant,” while her mother, Mauris, does alterations in the back room of the local department store. But both girls are loners. Neither one deemed pretty or popular, they stick together until ….

Townsend has the two girls take turns narrating, so that several chapters are told from Audrey’s point of view, followed by several chapters from Caroline’s point of view, then back to Audrey, etc. In this way, the reader gets more of the story than either of the girls, who go long stretches without talking to one another, despite their very close friendship as children.

I remember the pain when my best childhood friend seemed suddenly to have “outgrown” me; when our interests diverged and we were no longer exclusively one another’s confidante. My heart broke for both Audrey and Caroline as I witnessed their growing pains.

Despite being able to connect with these characters, at least in theory, I found this a very slow read. It took me 12 days to read the book. I did NOT dislike it, but it just never really captured my attention. Still, Townsend is a talented writer, and some of the scenes she paints are very vivid. I’d definitely read another book by her.

22BookConcierge
Sep 25, 2017, 2:57 pm

Lamb In His Bosom - Caroline Miller
5*****

Cean Carver weds Lonzo Smith on a fine Spring day in 1832, and they leave her parents’ home for the six-mile journey by ox cart to their new homestead. This 1934 Pulitzer winner deals with a backwoods country existence in rural Georgia, following the Carver / Smith families until shortly after the Civil War. Over the course of several decades, the book explores what life was like for these farmers of pre-Civil War America. They battle weather, wild animals, disease, and injuries. And, when called, the men leave to fight a war they never wanted, and have no stake in.

It takes a little while to get used to the language and style, but it’s a wonderful book. At times it’s plodding, but there are extraordinary moments of brilliant writing. Descriptions so vivid you can feel the heat, smell the blood, hear the birds or the wail of panthers. It is a simple story, of simple people, but their lives are anything but simple.

Cean Carver Smith is the focus of much of the novel. Over the course of the book she gives birth to fourteen children, mourns the death of several of her family members, endures moments of panic, and perseveres with courage and dignity. She is steadfast in her resolve to provide for her family, to love her husband and parents, and to endure.

What is so special about the book is that it gives voice to the majority of rural farmers of this era. People with limited education, no slaves, many children, and a deep faith that hard work would reap rewards. Miller was the first Georgia writer to win the Pulitzer, and the success of this novel prompted the publisher to go seeking other Southern writers. Thus, was Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind discovered. That book quickly surpassed this one in popularity, and more’s the pity in my opinion.

23CliffBurns
Sep 27, 2017, 11:43 pm

Finished Bertolt Brecht's WAR PRIMER.

An inventive combination of words and images, Brecht using poetry and newspaper/magazine photographs to depict the horrors of World War II.

One of the best books I've read this year.

(I own a nice edition recently released by Verso Books--lots of helpful accompanying notes.)

24RobertDay
Modifié : Sep 28, 2017, 8:56 am

I've made a start on China Miéville's retelling of the story of the Russian Revolution, October. This was inspired by a recent review which I read, combining comments on this work and on Tariq Ali's The Dilemmas of Lenin, which is also on the TBR pile. As we are coming up to the centenary of the October Revolution, I thought it would be helpful to get these events properly in order in my head by taking in these two recent works on the subject. I doubt I'll have time to absorb all the other books I have on the various revolutions in Russia up to 1917 (32 books in all, from Trotsky's History of the Russian Revolution to Bulgakov's The White Guard), let alone begin to relate these to the later course of Russian and Soviet history.

25CliffBurns
Sep 28, 2017, 10:36 am

Those two books, OCTOBER and DILEMMAS OF LENIN, are at the top of my TBR pile as well.

Hopefully in the next month...

26CliffBurns
Oct 1, 2017, 1:13 am

Finishing off the month of September with two books, James Carlos Blake's FRIENDS OF PANCHO VILLA (good historical fiction) and THE LAST COMMUNARD (rather thin biography of minor revolutionary figure).

27bluepiano
Oct 1, 2017, 4:02 am

>24 RobertDay: I'm dead curious to know how you will find October. My knee-jerk reaction when reading your post was, That sounds a bit like casting Miley Cyrus in Tosca, but no doubt I'm underestimating Mieveille. (And if 'retelling' is in publisher's description he's got a bit of leeway in any case.)

28CliffBurns
Oct 1, 2017, 11:30 am

I've seen interviews with Mieville talking about the book and his breadth of knowledge is impressive.

A fiction writer handling history in a narrative fashion might be just the way to present such a complex, fascinating event as the October Revolution.

http://www.historicalmaterialism.org/blog/october-and-its-relevance-discussion-w...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tvCfiLzee8

29BookConcierge
Oct 1, 2017, 12:15 pm

Blood, Bones and Butter - Gabrielle Hamilton
Book on CD read by the author
3***

Subtitle: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef

From the book jacket: Before Gabrielle Hamilton opened her acclaimed New York restaurant Prune, she spent twenty fierce hard-living years trying to find purpose and meaning in her life. … Hamilton’s ease and comfort in a kitchen were instilled in her at an early age when her parents hosted grand parties, often for more than one hundred friends and neighbors. The smells of spit-roasted lamb, apple wood smoke, and rosemary garlic marinade became as necessary to her as her own skin.

My reactions
I’ll say this for Hamilton – she can definitely write. I was fascinated by the stories of her upbringing, and her “wild-child” phase. I was interested in (and horrified by) her journey through the bars and joints of New York, and her multiple attempts at college. I laughed, cheered and gasped at the anecdotes of her years working for the big catering companies, and the summer camp. But she kind of lost me when she got to her marriage. She is open about marrying so that her husband – an Italian physician – could secure his Green Card, but then she seems to also demand that he be the idyllic spouse. They keep separate apartments and she’s angry that he’s not “there for her” more. On the other hand, she has a great relationship with her mother-in-law.

But what really shines in this memoir is her relationship with food. I relished in the descriptions of both simple (vegetables and cheese for lunch) and elegantly complicated meals.

Hamilton narrates the audiobook herself, and she does a very fine job.

30BookConcierge
Oct 1, 2017, 12:17 pm

The Complete Maus - Art Spiegelman
3***

This book combines the two original graphic novels: Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History – and – Maus II: A Survivor’s Tale: And Here My Troubles Began.

As his father was aging, Art Spiegelman took time to interview him about his life in Poland before and during World War II. The result was this ground-breaking “comic” – a graphic novel in which the Jews are mice, the Nazis are cats, and the Poles are pigs.

The first comic followed his parents, grandparents, extended family and friends as they met and married, and built their businesses. It shows how the Nazis rose to power and how the Polish people were stunned by changes brought about by the Nazi regime. It ends shortly after Spiegelman’s parents are sent to Auschwitz. The second volume explored life in the camp, liberation and how his parents found one another again.

Throughout both works, Spiegelman interjects himself into the story, with a contemporary tale of his somewhat contentious relationship with his father and the interviews he had with him. I found these panels to be a distraction from the central story of his parents’ survival. On the other hand, they did serve to break the tension, and to remind the reader that Vladek and Anna did, in fact, survive the horrors inflicted upon them.

In general, I am not a great fan of graphic novels. I usually find the artwork too dark and the text too minimal and simplistic. That’s not the case for this work. I thought it was easily accessible and a way to introduce the subject to an audience that might not read a traditional book. However, while I appreciate it, and understand why it has garnered such acclaim, it just didn’t work very well for me.

31RobertDay
Oct 1, 2017, 12:46 pm

>27 bluepiano: >28 CliffBurns: Three chapters in and we're up to March. I'm finding the style easy, and I'm learning the street layout of Petrograd because of where people are and where they need to get to for events to happen. I don't recollect so many sentences with no verbs in Miéville's fiction, though. But treating the account as a story does actually help in setting down from the start some of the more esoteric organisations and groups. As for the proper names, well, I've never worried too much about walk-on characters in Russian novels, so the same easily goes for walk-on characters in Russian history.

32BookConcierge
Oct 7, 2017, 4:40 pm

Dreams of Joy - Lisa See
Digital audiobook performed by Janet Song.
3***

This is the sequel to Shanghai Girls and any synopsis, no matter how brief, will include a spoiler for anyone who hasn’t read the first book. So, I’m going to dispense with that, other than to say that this book really focuses on China and the results of the cultural revolution.

The novel gives the reader an horrific look at the Great Leap Forward and the devastating results of grandiose ideas imposed with little practical thought. The scenes of privation and starvation, of people willing to eat “anything” are disturbing and enlightening. I was already familiar with this episode in China’s recent history, but watching it unfold through these characters made is somehow “personal” and gave it much more impact. See also explores the meaning of love in this book: parent/child love, young love, love between friends, love of country.

My main problem with the book was the central character: Joy. She was so immature and naïve, so stubborn in her refusal to listen to reason, so rash in her actions ... I just wanted to throttle her. On the other hand, Pearl really shines in this story. Talk about a strong heroine!

Janet Song does a fine job narrating the audiobook. She has great pacing and a style of reading that really gives a sense of the culture. I’ve listened to other books set in China, narrated by Song, and she’s equally wonderful reading them all.

33BookConcierge
Oct 7, 2017, 4:55 pm

Death on the Nile - Agatha Christie
Audio book performed by David Suchet
4****

Christie is at her best in this mystery starring Hercule Poirot.

Linnett Ridgeway has everything – beauty, youth, intelligence and incredible wealth. When her dear friend Jacqueline de Bellefort asks her to please give her fiancé, Simon Doyle, a job so that they can get a start in life together, Linnett agrees. But a few months later it is Linnett and Simon who are on their honeymoon, though Jackie seems to turn up everywhere … even aboard their cruise ship up the Nile. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!

When Linnett is found dead in her cabin, the obvious suspect is Jackie. But at least five people can swear that she couldn’t possibly have done it. So who is the murderer? And why? Hercule Poirot may be on holiday in Egypt, but his “little grey cells” are working overtime. There are plenty of suspects and almost as many motives.

David Suchet is perfect in his performance on the audio. He reads at the brisk pace a mystery requires, and seems to effortlessly handle the many different voices required for the large cast of characters. I could listen to him all day.

UPDATE: 28Sep17 – finished a re-read of this classic Christie.