Shelly's Book Shelf

Life in Books Meme

2013-05-18T12:51:00.000-04:00

Here's a really old draft I've discovered while deleting spam comments. (Actually, I was turning off comments from an old post that seems to be attracting them like maggots to a dead body.) I really need to not start blog posts and not finish them right away. I'm too forgetful to keep drafts. And I think I've kept this one sitting around because I was having a hard time coming up with answers. So, I've decided to post it undone, so folks who haven't seen this can give it a try. And maybe one of these days, I'll get around to trying it, too.
-----

How I found this meme is a bit involved. I saw a tweet about it from AAKnopf that led me to a blog called Reactions to Reading where I saw:

A fun meme doing the rounds that I first spotted at Petrona is
Using only books you have read this year (2009), cleverly answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title.

Now, I haven't read nearly enough books this year to do this, so I'm doing it for the decade so far, 2000-2013. And I have to add, I wish I'd come up with this idea. It's very cool.

Describe Yourself:
How do you feel:
Describe where you currently live:
If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
Your favorite form of transport:
Your best friend is:
You and your friends are:
What’s the weather like:
Favourite time of day:
If your life was a:
What is life to you:
Your fear:
What is the best advice you have to give:
Thought for the Day:
How I would like to die:
My soul’s present condition:

What I'm Reading

2013-05-18T12:47:00.002-04:00

Yup, I'm still around. Since January, I've been reading George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones. It's gotten a bit tough reading this first book in his series while watching the TV version of the first half of the third book this spring.

Typically, I read books, then watch the adaptations, but the HBO series has been so good, it inspired me to seek out the books, which is working out nicely as the book is filling in a lot of backstory and character pov that's missing in the excellent series.

So, since I'm a slow reader and this is a looong book, it'll still be a while before I post another review here.

Which hasn't stopped comment spam on this blog, at all. ;)

Spies of the Balkans

2012-12-10T17:14:00.001-05:00

TITLE: Spies of the Balkans
AUTHOR: Alan Furst

As I work through all of Alan Furst's books in trade paperback, I'm constantly reminded of how meticulous a researcher he is and how skilled he is at weaving the knowledge he's gained about the years leading up to and through World War II into a work of fiction, skill that includes breathing life into a set of heroes, both likely and unlikely.

In this book, he set his tale in Greece, a country whose activities during the Second World War are largely unfamiliar to me. As with the other books of his I've read, Furst engages his characters in a series of actions and events that paint a picture of life in Greece as it prepares for the threat of a German/Nazi invasion.

Costa Zannis, a Greek police official who works on special cases, uncovers a German spy at the waterfront in Salonika at the start of the book, and over the next year or so, finds himself called up for active service in the Greek army, is injured and returned home, becomes involved in an underground network sneaking Jews out of Germany to Egypt or Turkey, and falls in love, all while planning for the safety of his mother and brother should the Germans invade, his activities taking him to a number of European cities.

When I read Furst's books, I feel as if I'm there with the characters, experiencing their world, and this is no exception. The pacing is solid, the actions required of Costa growing in seriousness and urgency until the Germans are at the border and he's faced with the decision of whether or not to leave his homeland. Despite the intrigue and tension, this is at its core, a simple tale well told.

Bad Reviews

2012-11-19T14:39:00.003-05:00

Publishers Weekly compiled some of the worst reviews of literary classics. Enjoy. I'm partial to the last one for its succinctness.

Spies of Warsaw

2012-09-15T12:36:00.002-04:00

TITLE: The Spies of Warsaw
AUTHOR: Alan Furst

Though not one of Furst's best, this is a solid tale of spying in Poland at the brink of the Second World War. Col. Jean-Francois Mercier, a hero during the previous war, in his role as military attache in the French embassy in Warsaw, is tasked with discovering German activities as pertain to a possible invasion of France. From cocktail parties where things that are said merely hint at things not said to cultivating workers at German factories to spy on their bosses, Mercier is a man who spends most of his days in the shadows. A widower with grown daughters, he's also considered one of the more eligible bachelors until he meets League of Nations lawyer Anna Szarbek who is living with a Russian journalist in Warsaw.

The book is mostly episodic with no overall plot save the real life activities of Nazi Germany. The missions Mercier undertakes are thrilling in the way of true life spying, full of danger and intrigue without the chase scenes and explosions found in the more James Bond type fantasies of today's media. It's the realism against the painstakingly researched backdrop of history that makes Furst's books so good. If only there had been more plot to go with this one.

Sculptures Left in Library

2012-08-15T12:45:00.004-04:00

This is too cool not to share, and as it's book/library related, I'm posting the link here. Someone's been leaving little paper sculptures in libraries in Scotland.

Wherever I Wind Up

2012-06-28T01:41:00.001-04:00

TITLE: Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity, and the Perfect Knuckleball
AUTHOR: R.A. Dickey, with Wayne Coffey

R.A. Dickey

More than a baseball book, Dickey's memoir is the story of perseverance, faith, overcoming adversity in both his personal and professional life, and finally, redemption. Dickey, currently a starting pitcher with the New York Mets and the only knuckleball pitcher still practicing the craft, pulls no punches in examining and sharing the traumatic events in his life, from his rough childhood through his early successes on a baseball field, through the years he was mired in the minor leagues, and finally, to success.

A child of divorce and the son of an alcoholic mother and an increasingly distant father, Dickey suffered sexual abuse when he was eight at the hands of a babysitter and a teen boy he encountered one fateful day, resulting in shame he locked away deep inside him and never shared for decades. Reckless acts, deep bouts of doubt and lack of confidence, he had only the love of his wife and his faith in God to sustain him, until thoughts of suicide lead him to finally seek therapy. He's been on a painful, yet incredible journey and I was a bit teary-eyed by the end of the book.

Dickey majored in English lit at college and it shows in the prose. He's an articulate athlete and the story he has to share is compelling. Even if you're not a baseball or sports fan, you might want to give this a try. Baseball is only the backdrop for a very human story.

And yes, I got to meet him at a book signing at Barnes & Noble back in April. :)

River of Darkness

2012-06-21T12:17:00.000-04:00

TITLE: River of Darkness
AUTHOR: Rennie Airth

First in a mystery series. I suspect the others won't have quite the emotional impact of this one, but I'm hopeful, because Airth is a marvelous writer. The prose isn't the best or prettiest and the book seems to be written in a somewhat stilted third person, but that doesn't matter. Here, the story and characters rule, and what a story. In a matter-of-fact way, a not-very-matter-of-fact story unfolds in the English countryside in the years following World War I. John Madden, a war vet and an inspector with Scotland Yard, is sent to investigate the brutal murders of a couple and their servants at a secluded manor. Madden, who lost his wife and baby before the war, brings his emotional baggage to the job, but his outlook on life is challenged when he meets Dr. Helen Blackwell, a vivacious doctor who administers to the town surrounding the manor. As John begins to suspect a serial killer is at work, with Helen's encouragement, he looks into the relatively new and controversial area of criminal psychology for answers.

This isn't much of a whodunit; the killer's pov is introduced about midway through the book, although it isn't clear he is the killer right off. But as the book develops, it becomes somewhat of a battle of wits as Madden and his team try to get the killer before he kills again. There's a thrilling climax, and the satisfaction in learning how all the pieces of the puzzle/loose ends all fit in. I'm looking forward to reading more of John Madden's adventures. In fact, I've got the next two on order.

Child 44

2012-05-28T14:19:00.000-04:00

TITLE: Child 44
AUTHOR: Tom Rob Smith

First in a trilogy. Set primarily in 1953 (there's a prologue set 20 years earlier) in the Soviet Union, this mystery/thriller packs a real punch. Leo Demidov, a war hero now working as a security officer in the MGB in Moscow, is tasked with hunting down dissidents. A naive, idealistic believer in the rightness and justice of the Soviet system, Leo has blinders on when it comes to the basic lies holding the Soviet system in place. When a colleague's son turns up dead in a bizarre fashion and the State claims it was a mere accident, the seed of doubt is planted in Leo's mind that things might not be as they seem in Stalin's USSR. But it's not until he's assigned to investigate his own wife and refuses to denounce her, that he truly begins to question the realities of the Soviet system. After all, there can be no murder in a system where everything is perfect; only deviants can commit crimes. For every death, there must be a swift resolution, from labeling it an accident to finding a drunk or homosexual to blame.

Throughout the book, Leo remains a loyal citizen, but he slowly loses his naivete. Forced into exile with his wife, Leo must work a menial job with the local militia far east of Moscow, Leo discovers more deaths of children that match the circumstances of his former colleague's dead son. But to investigate means risking far more than exile this time, yet Leo knows the killer will keep killing unless someone stops him.

Smith captures the paranoia of Stalin's Russia and captures what it must have been like to live in a society where neighbors turn in neighbors as a survival technique and no one can be sure who among them is a spy for the State. Against that backdrop, Leo is compelled to solve a mystery that becomes increasingly dangerous for him, his wife, and the parents he left behind in Moscow.

The book works as a mystery and as historical fiction and while I started figuring out aspects of the mystery ahead of the reveal, that didn't diminish the storytelling in the least. My only quibble with the book is that Smith uses a technique I've seen before and don't like, using dashes and italics to set off dialogue rather than using quotation marks. I don't know how this got started, but it's really annoying, making me think I'm reading someone's thoughts rather than their spoken words. But that doesn't take away from a compelling story well told.

The Speed to Read

2012-05-16T22:44:00.000-04:00

Source: Staples eReader Department

I'm a slow reader, taking my time, savoring the words, reading sentences twice if I particularly like them. My results on this were 6 per cent below average, which wasn't as bad as I'd feared.

Banned Books of 2011

2012-04-16T20:43:00.001-04:00

Mostly teen titles, and some classics. Seems the banners missed the point of these books. along with being censors.

The Harsh Cry of the Heron

2012-04-15T13:26:00.002-04:00

TITLE: The Harsh Cry of the Heron: The Last Tale of the Otori
AUTHOR: Lian Hearn

I thought I was done when I finished the Tales of the Otori trilogy. Then I discovered this book. Taking place 15 or so years after the trilogy, the story continues the intrigue in a magical version of medieval Japan. The Three Countries have known unparalleled peace and prosperity under Takeo and Kaede's rule, but old enemies are plotting against them. In addition, the emperor has noticed. Not pleased by Takeo's unsanctioned rule, he has demanded a personal appearance of Takeo in the capital.

Hearn opens up her storytelling in this book by telling the tale from many viewpoints, not just the two or three in the previous stories. Most notably are the povs of Takeo's three daughters: Shigeko, the eldest, who does not possess his special Tribe talents; and the twins, Maya and Miki, whose talents might surpass those of their father. As twins, they are considered bad luck by the populace and feared by everyday folk. Their own insecurities lead them to actions that help drive the story.

This is a complex tale with less action than the earlier trilogy, but one as intriguing and beguiling as those books. The end is fitting, yet leaves me wanting more, a true sign of a good writer telling a good story.

Started Early, Took My Dog

2012-01-03T13:04:00.000-05:00

Ah, the last book of the year. It was a bit of an unusual year for me, in that I mostly read series. Few authors, but more books than in recent years, for a total of 15 books, which is more than a book a month, which for me lately, is good. And I was happy to end the year with the most recent Jackson Brodie book.

TITLE: Started Early, Took My Dog
AUTHOR: Kate Atkinson

Jackson Brodie is often a poor excuse for a detective. He can be so dense sometimes. And he's often his own worst enemy. But he's honest, has a good heart, good instincts, is a decent guy, has a habit of hooking up with women who are wrong for him, and ends up always doing the right thing. He also has baggage. A lot of baggage. His sister was murdered when he was a boy and he's never gotten over it, especially because her killer was never found. Both his parents are dead, his older brother killed himself. He's got a teen daughter, an ex-wife, an ex-lover and a son by the ex-lover, and a fake wife who emptied his bank account. Then there's the near-death experience in a train wreck in a previous book, and it's understandable that Jackson has issues.

In this tale, he's looking for the true identity of a woman who was adopted as when she was a toddler. Concurrently, a retired policewoman, Tracy Waterhouse, buys a little girl from a prostitute, an event that propels the action of much of the story. As the story progresses, a series of events, small and large and amazingly coincidental, knit together to form a whole that is riveting and emotional. How Jackson's investigation ties into a 30-year old murder of a prostitute that Tracy and her partner discovered forms the backbone of the plot. Add in an aging actress sinking into dementia, a dog Jackson rescues from his abusive owner, and a mysterious man in a gray car, and you've got a typical Atkinson novel, one with stories that reach into the past and lead back to an explosive climax when all the scattered elements come together.

The mystery isn't the point, exactly. I figured out most of it, even if I didn't nail the actual killer. This is more than a mystery. It's a novel with a mystery driving it. It's more the story of lost and found children, abuse and survival. And it makes for addicting reading.

Labels and Tagging

2011-12-18T14:41:00.002-05:00

I just noticed I've been remiss around here when I post reviews. I once tagged the books for genre and somewhere along the line, I stopped doing that. I'm going to start again and I've gone back and tagged some. I hope to go back and do the rest. So a big mea culpa from me to all tagging fanatics, of which I'm one, so I really have no excuse. Not even laziness (I have labeled the entries "reviews") or forgetfulness (well, maybe this one) can be blamed.

Faithful Place

2011-12-18T14:24:00.002-05:00

TITLE: Faithful Place
AUTHOR: Tana French

Tana French is writing mysteries set in Ireland, with overlapping characters but standalone stories, which is a nice twist on the mystery series. And as was the case with the first two (In the Woods and The Likeness), this one is more about the main character than the mystery that sets the story in motion.

Faithful Place is the impoverished neighborhood where Frank Mackey grew up. Mackey was once Cassie Maddox's boss when she worked undercover. Cassie appeared in the first 2 books, but not in this one. When Frank was 19, he was going to run away to London with his girlfriend, the love of his life, Rosie Daly. They'd arranged to meet at the top of the street, but Rosie never showed and Frank, believing she'd jilted him and gone off without him, went off on his own, turning his back on his dysfunctional family. Now, 22 years later and a divorced father of a young daughter, he's called back by his youngest sister, the only one in his family he's in touch with, because Rosie's suitcase has been found by workers in a long abandoned house on the street.

It isn't long before Frank is drawn back into the drama of his past life with his alcoholic father, crazy mother, and the dysfunction of his four siblings. When Rosie's decayed body is found in the basement of the house where her suitcase was discovered, Frank is also forced to question the things he'd long believed, about her, about his family, and about himself. This book is very much Frank's story and that of his love for Rosie and the antagonism between their families that had led them to that fateful decision to run off together.

Who killed her is almost beside the point, though the truth does come out, and while it wasn't much of a surprise for me, it was far simpler than the more complex solution I'd come up with. If you like intricate mysteries that challenge your powers of deduction, Tana French probably isn't for you. But if you like well written character studies wrapped around mysteries, you can't do wrong with her and with Faithful Place.

They Sure Didn't Know My Mother

2011-11-22T16:45:00.001-05:00

Random House has a list of books mothers would love. My mother, who read a lot of thrillers, mysteries, spy fiction, and the occasional science fiction novel, might read a book or two on this list, were she still alive, but I doubt it. Well, maybe the Grisham. She was the one, after all, who told me back in the '70s, to read Robert Ludlum and who let me read the James Bond books she and my father had in pb back in the '60s. Unless Grisham bored her they way he does me. Hard to say. What about your mother? Would she read/like any of these books?

Intriguing Blog

2011-11-09T21:16:00.001-05:00

I happened upon A Pretty Book when the blogger let me know she used one of my photos. It's a celebration of books and reading.

Brilliance of the Moon

2011-11-09T00:04:00.000-05:00

TITLE: Tales of the Otori, Book Three: Brilliance of the Moon
AUTHOR: Lian Hearn

I really need to stop procrastinating about writing these reviews, especially when I love the book. As often happens with series, I'm reluctant to finish reading the last book because I hate for the saga to end. In this last of a fantasy trilogy based on medieval Japan, the plot threads woven in the first two books come together as Takeo, a young man of mixed heritage, fulfills his destiny. His mother was one of the Hidden, an outcast religious sect, and his father had been a Tribe assassin. But Takeo is also heir to the Otori domain, and with the love of his life, Kaede, heir to the Mauyama domain, he uses his preternatural talents and his cunning to lead a patched together army against a variety of enemies to unite the Three Kingdoms in peace.

It's so hard to sum up a series like this because it's so much more and I don't want to spoil any of it. It's a tale of betrayal, battles, love, suffering, coming of age experiences, death, honor, and more. Only a couple of years are covered in the three books, yet it feels like so much more time passes as Takeo matures, finds his place in his world, and accepts his destiny while accepting the consequences, good and bad, that are part of it.

If you haven't read this series, give it a try. The fantasy element is minimal. It's more an alternate history with a touch of magic, told in a clear, straightfoward manner that aims right for the heart.

Grass for His Pillow

2011-09-18T17:13:00.004-04:00

TITLE: Tales of the Otori, Book Two: Grass for His Pillow
AUTHOR: Lian Hearn

The sequel to Across the Nightingale Floor, set in an alternate medieval Japan, picks up a few months following that book. Takeo has reluctantly left the love of his life, Kaede, and gone with The Tribe, his father's people, as part of a deal he made with them to allow him to avenge Otori Shigeru who had rescued him from certain death in the first book and become his adopted father. The Tribe claimed him due to his father having been a Tribe assassin who'd run away from that life.

In this book, Takeo, whose special talents and heightened senses surpass that of most of the Tribe's people, is being trained as an assassin, but the elders don't trust him, nor does he trust them. He believes his destiny lies elsewhere, but he's obligated by the agreement he'd made, to stay, until his heightened hearing reveals to him that he'll be killed on an upcoming mission. He escapes, instead, and sets out on a journey to claim Shigeru's domain from Shigeru's deceitful uncles and unite the many lands of the island realm.

Meanwhile, Kaede has returned to her home to find her mother dead, her father a step short of madness, and the estate in disarray. Though it goes against the laws of society for a woman to act like a man, she sets out to unite her family domain with that of her recently deceased kinswoman's, and the book follows these parallel story threads until Kaede and Takeo meet again, setting up the action for the final book of the trilogy.

This is a fully realized realm, with well-drawn characters, young people who make mistakes yet believe in their cause. The writing is plain and crisp and the book rarely lags. I've just started reading the next one and can't wait to read the fate of Takeo and Kaede.

Too Bizarre Not to Do

2011-09-15T14:51:00.001-04:00

You Are an Imaginative Thinker

You are a nonlinear thinker, and you're even surprised by the places your mind takes you.
You love to get lost in a story, whether it's your own or not. You love fantasy.

You are a positive and uplifting person. You inspire others to be better.
You are full of wonder and curiosity. You feel a strong connection to the world.

The Library Test

Blogthings: Free Quizzes for Everyone

In a few short months, I'll be on the other side of the equation, but for now, I'm the one saying "Have a nice day." But I'm not really a library user. My library card is gathering dust in my wallet. I much prefer to buy books and have my own library. No due dates that way. What I want is always on the shelf. And no one's grubby hands touch the books but mine! :)

Happy reading!

Across the Nightingale Floor

2011-08-07T18:22:00.000-04:00

TITLE: Across the Nightingale Floor, Tales of the Otori, Book One
AUTHOR: Lian Hearn

The first book of a fantasy, or quasi-fantasy trilogy that was named a New York Times Notable Book, published in 2002. The setting is a fictional, feudal realm that seems based on Japanese culture, along with a tribe of people who have magical abilities. Tomasu has those abilities, and is only fifteen when a warlord's army destroys his village, including his mother and stepfather. Tomasu's people are The Hidden, a religious sect feared and despised by many, but as he later learns, his father was of The Tribe, a people with heightened senses who can control the perceptions of others.

Rescued by Lord Otori Shgeru and renamed Takeo, Tomasu is taught how to best use his skills, while plotting his revenge against Iida, the warlord who killed his family. But Takeo's journey toward his fate isn't the only one being told. There's also Kaede, a girl around his age who has been sent into indentured servitude in order as part of a deal made by her father, an arrangement typical of the times. Kaede's awakening awareness of her place in society and her growing desire to rebel against it, coupled with Takeo's coming of age to fulfill his destiny forms the heart and soul of the book as their paths cross and love blooms. But the end is just the beginning, as both learn of the dangers and risks in their society and the political intrigues behind those dangers, a society that won't allow them to be together.

The writing is clear if a bit slow-going, but worth reading. These are wonderful characters coming of age in tough times, whose destinies are slowly revealed to them, destinies they would not have expected or chosen for themselves as circumstances force them into roles they were born to play.

Sarcasm on Amazon.com

2011-07-21T16:21:00.003-04:00

I honestly had no idea there was so much entertainment in reviews on Amazon.com. The ones posted on one book in particular are hilarious.

Bookmark Quiz

2011-07-17T13:37:00.003-04:00

Silly, frivolous fun. Partly, not fully accurate, but then, that's true for most of these. There's a bit of truth in them for most people, but not enough to make them reliable.

You Read to Learn

You are more than happy to help others with your skills and knowledge. You have a lot of wisdom to share.

You're very old fashioned. You have a strong set of values that you follow carefully.

You are continually acquiring new knowledge. You are a quiet and persistent learner.

You are a reserved and careful person, but you don't let that stop you from doing your thing.

The Bookmark Test

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

The Likeness

2011-06-14T18:00:00.000-04:00

TITLE: The Likeness
AUTHOR: Tana French

The Likeness picks up a few months after the end of In the Woods, with Cassie Maddox, one of the detectives on the case in that mystery now working in the Domestic Violence division. When a woman's body is found in a remote spot, Cassie is called in because not only does the woman look just like Cassie, but she's identified as Lexie Madison, an identity created by Cassie's former boss, Frank Mackey for Cassie when she was working undercover on a drug case. Frank gets the idea to pretend "Lexie" recovers from the stabbing and then have Cassie assume once more Lexie's identity, moving in with Lexie's grad school roommates at Whitethorn House. Reluctantly, Cassie agrees because she feels connected to this woman who looks like her and assumed her cover ID.

As the case progresses, the detectives working behind the scenes -- Frank and Cassie's boyfriend, Sam, from the Murder Squad -- discover the dead woman had a history of changing identities, so along with the mystery of who killed her and why is the added mystery of who she really was.

Although the book has a few plot twists, the killer isn't all that hard to figure out, although the how and why could've gone a few ways, and things did turn out to not be quite as dastardly as I'd figured. What makes the book special is the writing and characters. Cassie becomes enthralled with Whitethorn House and the life she begins living with Lexie's four friends. It's an idyllic existence until cracks start to appear as Cassie's investigation progresses. Cassie has to face what she, herself, wants from life as well as solve the crime.

The book starts out slowly. A hundred or so pages are mostly setup, but once Cassie arrives at Whitethorn House as Lexie, things start to pick up. What made me enjoy this book more than In the Woods, though, is that unlike the first book, this one resolves both mysteries it introduces. Once the murder is solved, we do learn who Lexie really was. Now if only French would write another book with Rob from In the Woods and resolve what happened to him and his friends when he was 12, I'd be a happy camper.