The Dangers of Working Too Much

I went back through the list of books I added to my list on Goodreads and realized that somewhere along the line (about when I was shifted to a different position at work), I started spending more time at work than at home. The result was that I no longer had time to read for fun. Clearly, this hiatus from reading didn't bode well for my chances of completing the 100 book challenge by the end of next month. Since I took a break from roughly May to August (4 months of not reading!!), I am going to give myself an extension until Christmas (3 months from today).

Now, I know that I made the rules for this challenge, and the only person I am letting down is myself etc etc etc. But, I deserve this reprieve, and need the excuse to make time for myself since work isn't slowing down any time soon.

So, more books will be read and more posts will be made this weekend.

Thanks for hanging in there readers!

#23. In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker

320 pages, Science Fiction

In the Garden of Iden is set almost entirely in 16th century Spain and England. The story opens with the Spanish Inquisition - expected for something set in this time period. 5 year old Mendoza is arrested and questioned on suspicion of being a Jew. Terrified, she is held in a dungeon thinking that she is going to die, when an unlikely savior comes along. A representative of The Company - a 24th century bureaucracy more secretive than the CIA - asks Mendoza if she would like to join their ranks.

The Company, as it turns out, has discovered how to travel back in time, but not forward. They select certain people to join their ranks - turning them into immortal cyborgs so they can live through the many centuries to see the fruition of their efforts on behalf of their benefactor. These employees are charged with collecting samples of flora and fauna from a certain era that have become extinct in the future, securing what will become 'lost' artifacts and works of literature and never, ever having their cover blown - blending in with the 'mortals' as best as possible.

I thought that this was an extremely inventive idea for a science fiction novel. It was like historical science fiction, if anything like that exists. Mendoza was a compelling character, and the fast pace of the novel made it a quick read. Although the events in this first novel seem inevitable to some degree, I really enjoyed how Baker let them unfold. I am also glad that there are a few other 'Company' novels to tempt me at the end of this project. I would definitely recommend this book, and will certainly read more of Baker's work. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

#22 - The Conjurer by Cordelia Frances Biddle

320 pages, Mystery

The Conjurer is set in Philadelphia in 1842 and is the story of how the sheltered life of Martha Beale changes after her father, a wealthy financier, disappears while hunting. Rather than making her own choices, her father's sinister secretary, Owen Simms, manipulates her until he has exerted complete control over her life and her decisions. In spite of the preponderance of evidence to the contrary, Martha believes her father might still be alive, and Thomas Kelman, a skilled investigator who is also assistant to the mayor of Philadelphia, investigates Lemuel Beale's disappearance, along with the ritual murders of several young prostitutes. Concurrently, a conjurer, Eusapio Paladino, enters the picture - complicating matters with his visions of the murders and his affair with a wealthy society woman.

I, surprisingly, really enjoyed this book. It was almost more historical fiction than mystery, but the sinister elements and unknowns made it fit handily into the 'mystery' genre. Martha was a likable enough character - a bit naive for the age she was given in the book, but I suppose that is to be expected in a woman of that time period. I found Emily Durand, the wealthy socialite, to be actually be a more interesting character than Martha - she at least does more than sit around feeling sad about her situation. Additionally, the subtitle 'A Martha Beale Mystery' is really quite misleading. I kept waiting for Martha to do something to solve the mystery, then at least to have a hand in someone else solving the mystery, then to acknowledge that there was actually a mystery occurring. I was disappointed in this regard.

That being said, it was an interesting story with (perhaps more than) its share of compelling characters. I would certainly recommend it as a good introduction to this author, and will probably read other books by her. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Time to Write

Well, readers, I have thankfully had plenty of time to read many new and delightful books over the past few weeks. I have not, unfortunately, really had time to sit down without distraction and write about them.

It is so easy for me to fall into a book and block out everything that is going on around me. If only writing was such an easy task!

Hopefully I will get myself back on the writing track sooner rather than later - before my list of books with a post coming soon becomes longer than the ones I have already posted about!

#21 - The Queen's Dollmaker by Christine Trent

331 pages, Historical Fiction

The Queen's Dollmaker is the story of the life and love of Claudette Laurent, a French woman making her living as a doll maker in England, during the French revolution. The story begins with young Claudette, still living in France, having a chance meeting with young Marie Antoinette, sent to France from Austria to marry the king. Claudette's initial impressions of the young princess shape her opinions of the French royalty in the years to come.

After the initial meeting with the princess, the story flashes forward to Claudette's late teen years. There is a devastating fire in the Paris quarter where she and her family live, and nearly everything in her father's doll shop burns. While the family tries to help their neighbors, Claudette's parents are killed. Penniless and now an orphan, with no friends or family to call upon for aid, Claudette finds herself wandering to the docks. There, she meets a man promising to pay the fare of any French women who want to go to England to become 'maids'. Once they are gainfully employed, they will pay him back. She is naively taken in by this offer, and boards the ship to England.

Aboard the ship, Claudette befriends Beatrice du Georges and her daughter Maguerite. Together, the three barely escape the clutches of the ship master and find themselves employed as maids by an overbearing, social climber of an English matron who both hates and exploits their nationality. Throughout this harsh employment, Claudette and Beatrice save up enough money to finally escape servitude and begin their own business making fashion dolls. Though this endeavor too has a rocky start, Claudette is eventually excels in her sphere; her dolls even catching the eye of the French monarch herself. This seemingly benign career choice leads Claudette down a path of adventure, hardship, betrayal and eventually love and redemption.

The lives of the historical figures in The Queen's Dollmaker - Marie Grosholtz, The Princess de Lamballe, Count Axel Fersen, King Louis XVI, and most notably Queen Marie Antoinette - are blended together with the fictional quite masterfully. Chapters about life at Court and Marie Antoinette's troubled monarchy and marriage mirror Claudette's difficulties. The Queen fails to understand why the people do not love her as she loves them, because she has done nothing differently from any preceding monarchs. The Queen strives to eschew the ornamentation that comes along with her station, and uses a considerable amount of money to create a pastoral life on the grounds of Versailles. This contrast with Claudette's financial struggle for independence makes the French Revolution seem inevitable.

The opulence of the wealthy; the filth, despair and wretchedness of life in a Paris prison during the revolution; the horror of the guillotine; the house arrest and murders of the royal family - all are told faithfully and from the perspectives of the true historical figures of the royalty and the fictional yet still realistic experiences of Claudette.

Not being a huge fan of historical fiction, I purposely chose a story about a period with which I was already familiar. It was very interesting to me to read about the revolution from the royal perspective as well as that of someone more common. Not that I don't understand the desire to break off the bonds of the monarchy's irresponsible leadership and oppression of the French people, but I have always been appalled by the tactics used by the revolutionaries in France. This part of the tale was very emotional for me. The fictional part of the story - Claudette's life and love - was interesting but had too much of the soap opera feel for my taste. All in all, it was an enjoyable book, but it, like most historical fiction, just made me want to read history instead. I would give it 3 out of 5 stars.

#20 - Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey

645 pages, suggestion

Let me just come right out and say that I sort of recommended this book to myself. I saw it on the shelf at the library and, being a fan of Carey's work, decided that I must read this book. There was no way around it - I cleared my schedule and got to reading. Seriously. Now that I come to writing about it, I have to ask myself, how does one sum up a 645 page book in a couple of paragraphs? Particularly one as engaging as Naamah's Kiss. When I googled reviews of Naamah's Kiss, almost every single review used the word 'lush' to describe Carey's prose. I couldn't put it better myself. Carey has masterfully created a rich and intriguing alternate history of our own world. Her prose is stunning, and I laughed and cried in various places throughout this book, just because of the beauty of her words.

Naamah's Kiss is the first book in the third trilogy set in Carey's alternate historical world, with at least part of the action taking place in Terre D'Ange. The first trilogy is the story of Phedre, and begins with Kushiel's Dart, and the second trilogy is the story of Immriel, and begins with Kushiel's Scion. Because I really don't think I can sum this one up succinctly, I have included the summary from the book jacket:

FROM THE BOOK JACKET:
Once there were great magicians born to the Maghuin Dhonn; the folk of the Brown Bear, the oldest tribe in Alba. But generations ago, the greatest of them all broke a sacred oath sworn in the name of all his people. Now, only small gifts remain to them. Through her lineage, Moirin possesses such gifts - the ability to summon the twilight and conceal herself, and the skill to coax plants to grow.

Moirin has a secret, too. From childhood onward, she senses the presence of unfamiliar gods in her life; the bright lady, and the man with a seedling cupped in his palm. Raised in the wilderness by her reclusive mother, it isn't until she comes of age that Moirin learns how illustrious, if mixed, her heritage is. The great granddaughter of Alais the Wise, child of the Maghuin Donn, and a cousin of the Cruarch of Alba, Moirin learns her father was a D'Angeline priest dedicated to serving Naamah, goddess of desire.

After Moirin undergoes the rites of adulthood, she finds divine acceptance...on the condition that she fulfill an unknown destiny that lies somewhere beyond the ocean. Or perhaps oceans. Beyond Terre d'Ange where she finds her father, in the far reaches of distant Ch'in, Moirin's skills are a true gift when facing the vengeful plans of an ambitious mage, a noble warrior princess desperate to save her father's throne, and the spirit of a celestial dragon.



Having read the other six books set in this universe, Naamah's Kiss definitely has a different flavor than the Kushiel books. Perhaps it is because Moirin is only half D'Angeline, or perhaps it is because this book deals more with Naamah than stern Kushiel. There is still a fair amount of sex in this book, and (as with the other books I have read by Carey) it follows the D'Angeline precept "Love as thou wilt". One thing I enjoy about Carey's style is that even the sex scenes are beautifully written - cheesy play by play sex scenes of crappy romance novels they are not.

Naamah's Kiss crosses over to many genres - it has elements of romance, high fantasy and alternate history. If it is like her other trilogies, this will also be an epic adventure and love story as well. I highly recommend this author to anyone who is looking for a new fantasy type series to read. And, I think I would start with Naamah's Kiss rather than her complete series. This one is much easier to follow for someone new to the series, and (as discussed above), the sex scenes are...different in the other books. I give this one a 4.5 out of 5.

#19 – The Final Key: Part two of Triad by Catherine Asaro

339, Science Fiction

After I read Schism (see post #18), I just had to read the final book in the duology. I am still not sure why this was a duology rather than a single book - too long, perhaps? There were quite a few loose ends to be tied up in Schism – what would happen to Althor? Would Shannon go home or not? Was Soz going to finish military school? What the heck was going on with Eldri? Who would Kurj pick as his heir? These and many other questions were abuzz in my mind when I started The Final Key. I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting – it literally began with the last chapter of Schism. Any answers to my questions were not exactly forthcoming.

Even though I had all these burning questions in my mind, it was much more difficult for me to get into The Final Key than it was for me to get into Schism. Perhaps it was because I wanted my questions answered that I initially wasn’t really so interested in the main focus of the story – The Dyad. It could also have been that this was one of the science-y parts of this science fiction novel. In Asaro’s universe, space travel is possible because highly gifted empaths have some degree of control over where they are going. If they are good enough at military school, the chosen empaths are equipped with nano technology that makes them a sort of cyborg. Well, a mechanically assisted being at any rate. They can communicate with their ‘node’, and their node, in turn, can communicate with their space ships, etc to allow space travel.

The most gifted of empaths, the Ruby Pharaoh (Soz’s aunt) and the military leader, Kurj (Soz’s half brother) use special chairs called Dyad chairs to impose their consciousness into the web of space. While using the Dyad chairs, they can sense everything that is going on – Kurj can direct the military while the Ruby Pharaoh can manage communication and other travel through space. As the Skolian society grows, Kurj and the Ruby Pharaoh are increasingly taxed as they are called upon to hold the fraying threads of the net of space together.

As the Cold War style standoff with the Traders finally becomes open war, events are set in motion that forever change the structure of the Dyad into a Triad – with, it appears from the Final Key, alternates who can help lift the burden off of Kurj and the Ruby Pharaoh. I was gratified that my questions were answered, and there were resolutions to the serious issues left open-ended at the end of Schism. Additionally, the introduction of the Triad has certainly piqued my interest in the series as a whole. While I didn’t enjoy The Final Key as much as Schism, it was still satisfying to read. I would give this one a 3.5 out of 5.

#18 Schism: Part one of Triad by Catherine Asaro

389 pages, Science Fiction

One thing that is true of most Science Fiction and Fantasy books is that they are part of a series. There is just something about both of these genres that lends itself to the lengthy saga. One of the downfalls to reading a lot of Science Fiction and Fantasy is that this section at my local library is usually fairly scant. When you do find a book that looks intriguing, it is usually one of the middle books in a much larger series. When I found Schism: Part one of Triad, I thought 'Finally - the start of a series!'. While I was incorrect about this book being the start of a series, I discovered with a little internet checking that it is a good entry point to the Skolian Empire series by Catherine Asaro. So, I commenced with the reading.

Although it is the tenth book in this series, Schism is apparently a 'prequel' if you will, going back to an earlier point and describing what is undoubtedly an important part of the history of the series as a whole. Schism sets up the initial hostility between the Skolian Empire and the Traders, and gives a lot of back story to Eldrinson and his many children, central figures in the Skolian Empire because of their empathic ability.

Schism starts off in the idyllic setting of Lyshriol, which, for all its beauty, seems to be a somewhat backward planet in comparison with the technological advances of the Skolian Empire. The principal characters are the of Eldrinson's older children: Soz – the brilliant warrior princess whose father wants her to stay home and have babies; Althor – the strapping, gorgeous star fighter who is banished from home for his 'unnatural' attraction to other men and Shannon – the delicate, elfin child whose extreme empathic nature makes him leave his family in search of others like himself.

Having initially fought with his children over their desires to broaden their horizons and use all their abilities to join the Skolian military, Eldrinson rethinks his position when Traders come to Lyshriol and he is captured. He endures terrible torture at their hands, and comes to the realization that he was foolish to be so old-fashioned about his children's dreams.

I really enjoyed this story, and I couldn't wait to get the next book from the library. Truly, the end of Schism was so emotional. And it just – ended. The rift between Eldrinson and Soz was healed, but there were so many things left unresolved. I couldn't get my hands on The Final Key quickly enough. I have read several reviews where people assert that this was just 'mining the back story' to sell more books, and a kind of rehash of earlier events. Having never read anything in this series before, I certainly couldn't tell.

Being primarily a fantasy reader, the events on Lyshriol were really enjoyable for me. The constant cutting from Lyshriol through space to the military school where Soz and Althor were students made the book a page turner. Just when I got involved with one part of the story, Asaro would cut to the other part, and I would get involved in that. All in all, this was a great book, and one of the better sci-fi books I've read. In some ways, the un-advanced planet vs. the technological behemoths reminds me of Dune (quite possibly my favorite sci-fi book of all time). I would definitely give this one a 4 out of 5, and I look forward to reading all the books in this series!

#17 The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C Hines

344 pages, Fantasy

Did you ever wonder what happened to your favorite Disney princesses after their happily ever afters? Especially if those princesses were kind of frisky and warrior babe-esque? No? Well, you aren't alone. I have no idea what possessed me to pick this book up at the library, but something about it intrigued me.

The Stepsister Scheme is the story of Princess Danielle's (aka Cinderella) quest to find her kidnapped husband, Prince Armand. The prince and princess had been enjoying their life as newlyweds, Cinderella trying to learn as quickly as possible how to be a 'proper' princess when the unthinkable happens. Cinderella's evil stepsisters have ensorcelled her beloved prince and taken him away to the Kingdom of the Fairies. With the assistance of Snow (Snow White, naturally) and Talia (Sleeping Beauty), special helpers/assassins hired by Armand's mother, Danielle vows to find her husband and rescue him from her stepsisters' evil clutches.

The story is complicated by the fact that, although Danielle loves her husband, love is not enough to conquer all and triumph in this fairy tale world. She has no skills to track him, defend herself or discover the kind of magic that has him bound. In fact, she initially seems to be without any useful skills whatsoever. Here is where her cohorts come in handy.

The reader quickly discovers that the skill and grace with which Talia was fairy-blessed makes her a deadly enemy. She initially takes on the brute force protection of the trio, but Danielle eventually impresses upon Talia her desire to learn to defend herself. Snow's gift is for magic. She primarily uses the infamous magic mirrors for a variety of things, but she knows some spells too. Her general knowledge of magic and fairy tale creatures are useful in many ways as well, and the battle to rescue Armand would be lost without Snow's powerful spell casting ability. Finally, initial uselessness aside, Danielle uses her ability to communicate with many types of creatures to gain their aid throughout her ordeal. She also has a cleverness that the other two don't quite match throughout the story.

This story was brain candy at its finest. It was like someone took the Disney version of a few fairy tales, combined that with the Grimm version and created a strange fan-fic sitcom novel. I can't say that it wasn't entertaining. In fact, it made what would have otherwise been a crappy and dull day fairly interesting. The story did, however, lack any kind of substantial character development, and I wondered if that was perhaps because Hines was using characters already created by someone else. The only exception to this rule was with the character of Talia. In the Grimm version of the tale, Sleeping Beauty is NOT awakened by the kiss of her true love. She is instead wrenched from her unending rest by the birth of twin children, 9 months after the prince (already married, by the way) attempts to rouse her. The sleep and the subsequent awakening have left Talia with many scars, which are touched on in The Stepsister Scheme. Notable about this character is her bravado in the face of, what is to her, sheer terror, and her unorthodox romantic interests.

Like any good fairy tale, The Stepsister Scheme ends with a happily ever after for Danielle, her friends and Prince Armand. This was definitely an entertaining read, but I probably won't read any more books in the Princess series for this project. I would rank this one with 2.5 stars - slightly better than 2 stars, but not quite up to 3.

#16 Blood and Iron by Elizabeth Bear

430 pages, Fantasy

Blood and Iron is an urban fantasy saga, juxtaposing the nature loving and never aging Fae against the iron and industry of the modern age. There are two camps of Fae - the Daoine Sidhe and the Unseelie Court, the more evil of the two. There is also a human group of Magi, The Prometheus Club, pitted against the Fae and trying to prevent them from gaining a foothold and re-establishing their dominance. All three groups are vying for the support of the newest Merlin, born every 500 years and the embodiment of magic. Gaining the support of the Merlin would turn the tide for the winner of her support.

The Seeker of the Daoine Sidhe, Elaine, was a changeling child, betrayed by her lover (a werewolf) and sold to the Fae. She is bound to service by the Mebd, Queen of the Fae, and her job, in addition to winning the alliance of the Merlin, is to find the other changeling children and bring them home to Faerie. Elaine's mortal mother, Jane, is highly placed in the Prometheus Club. She is driven by rage over her child, taken from her, and has vowed to destroy Faerie. She uses Matthew Magus as pawn in her scheme, for he is also driven by rage against the Fae.

The story finally comes to a head in a mythical battle for survival. A bridge built of blood and iron is forged by the Prometheus Club to cross into Faerie, and Elaine, the Merlin and the Dragon Prince gather all their allies and the Unseelie Court to their aid. Many are lost in the battle on both sides, but there is no clear victor. By the end of the book, the Prometheus Club and the Fae have come to an uneasy truce and will both continue to exist.

To say that I didn't like the book would be an understatement. The plot was convoluted, to say the least. I couldn't understand who the protagonist was supposed to be until I was about halfway through the book. It was more soap opera than story, with too many characters and subplots. What made the book even more disappointing, though, was that I could see so much potential. The prose is absolutely beautiful, and Bear is an extraordinary wordsmith. How sad that there is no meaning or feeling behind her beautiful words! I didn't care about any of the characters in the book, and I was thrilled when I finally got to the last page. Now if only I could get back the three days it took me to read this monstrosity...

I had previously read a science fiction book by Bear, and my feelings were much the same. I originally thought that I didn't like that book because it was sci-fi and not my usual cup of tea. I was apparently wrong. I can honestly say I will never read another book by this author, and I give Blood and Iron 2 stars out of 5. If the prose hadn't been so beautiful, it would definitely rank at 1.

#15 - The Green Rider, by Kristen Britain

471 pages, Fantasy

I decided I needed a good, healthy dose of fantasy to get out of my reading rut and The Green Rider certainly delivered the dose I needed. The Green Rider is set in the realm of Sacoridia, a land steeped in magic but where 'magic' is a dirty word, and magic users are scorned by most society.

Karigan G'ladheon is the brassy, young adult daughter of a wealthy merchant. She has just been in a fight at school with the son of a nobleman, and is going home to explain to her father why she has been expelled. As she worries over what she will tell her father, one of the fabled Green Riders, pierced by two arrows bursts through the woods and onto the road. Karigan goes to help the man who is clearly dying. He tells her that he carries a life or death message for King Zachary, and begs her to accept the responsibility to deliver the message to him. Karigan reluctantly agrees to the behest, the rider makes her swear to never read the message and finally bestows upon her his brooch depicting a golden winged horse. When Karigan grasps the brooch in her hand, she has no idea that by accepting and being accepted by this token, she has awakened in herself the ancient magic of the Green Riders.

With his dying breath, the rider warns Karigan to "Beware the Shadow Man", an ancient agent of evil who has seized the chance to use his forgotten magic to bend the world to his will. In addition to magic, the Shadow Man has tantalized lesser nobles and the passed-over older brother of King Zachary with his gifts of power. He, in addition to the Weapons controlled by the nobles and the wicked would-be king pursue Karigan on her wild flight to deliver her message in time to save her land.

When I read the Aknowledgements page of The Green Rider (yes, I always read them), I was delighted that Kristen Britain thanked, among others, Terry and Jeri Goodkind (see my first entry for more about Terry Goodkind). I took this as a good sign. Britain also thanked a friend for exposing her to The Lord of the Rings books, and I can certainly see their influence in The Green Rider.

Perhaps the mention of Terry Goodkind in the beginning of the book made me have unrealistic expectations of what the story would be like. Goodkind's work has so many different levels, and tends to be quite complex. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy The Green Rider, the story was just much less complicated than I anticipated. Still a thoroughly delightful tale, The Green Rider would be acceptable for a younger audience as well. I would rank this one a 4 out of 5. I already checked out the second book in the series - I can't wait to find out what happens next!

#14 The Truce at Bakura, by Kathy Tyres

341 pages, suggestion (Science Fiction)

Having never read a Star Wars book before, I decided to grab one of the few my father in law recommended over the holidays and dig in.

The Truce at Bakura starts off where the sixth movie (the third that was actually made) leaves off. The Rebel Alliance has just blown up the second Death Star, saving Endor, Vader/Anakin has just killed the Emperor, and all the members of the Alliance are trying to regroup. While they are licking their wounds, they discover among the space debris an ancient probe of some sort containing a message imploring the Intergalactic Empire for urgent assistance arrives from the Outer Rim. Obi Wan speaks to Luke, and, just like that, our favorite rebels - Luke, Leia, Han, Chewy and the droids - are en route to Bakura.

We learn that an evil race of space reptiles, the Ssi-Ruuk, plans to use Bakura as an entry point to the realm of the Empire. They see humans as soulless, lesser beings and want to 'free' them by turning them into a sort of battery to power all their equipment - fighters, freighters, etc. While the Ssi-Ruuk cannot sense the Force, they have captured and brainwashed an orphaned human, Dev Sibwarra, who is Force sensitive but untrained. Dev uses his gift to sense the approach of Luke and the Ssi-Ruuk, in addition to enslaving the Bakurans, set their sights on capturing him, hoping his mastery of the Force will aid them in their conquest.

In addition to the mission of saving Bakura - in cooperation with the Empire's troops stationed there - Luke, Leia and Han all have their own agenda when they arrive at the secluded, Outer Rim planet. Han wants to protect Leia and try to further their relationship, bristling when she 'dismisses' him to do her job. Leia tries to ferret out information about opposition to the Imperial government and align another planet with the Rebels. Luke, is distracted from his higher calling to help the planet and the force user when faced with an attractive young senator who gives rise to somewhat baser desires.

I liked how this book introduced an Imperial general and gave a little of his back story, allowing the reader to experience the internal struggle of a talented general who bristles under the iron fist of the evil Empire. I also enjoyed the few chapters told from Chewy's perspective. It was interesting to finally understand thoughts and emotions from one of my favorite characters. The story itself, while fairly engaging, seemed to use the same formula as the movies - big, bad enemy threatens small and backward planet; Our Heroes swoop in to save said planet in the nick of time; all the 'real' work is done by Luke; formerly evil Force user is converted to the side of the righteous; said Force user dies in the end, absolved of his sins; Luke is sad and lonely; Han and Leia bicker.

Admittedly, this wasn't the best book I've ever read, but I'm a Star Wars geek so I enjoyed it. I would have to go with a 2 out of 5 rating though - the plot was predictable (see above), and unless you are a huge Star Wars fan, this genre is definitely not one I would recommend.

#13 My Life in France, by Julia Child

414 pages, autobiography

Well, after the distaste left in my mouth reading about Julie Powell, I decided to grab Julia Child's autobiography, My Life in France. Although this book was also used to gather material about Julia Child's life for the movie Julie & Julia, I decided to count it as my first foray into the world of biographies. Reading the forward, you learn that Julia dictated this book to her grand-nephew, and he is responsible for the actual writing. That being said, anyone who has watched reruns of The French Chef can see Julia Child's personality behind every word contained within the covers of this work.

My Life in France touches on Julia Child's childhood, young adult experiences, time in college, early beginnings in the OSA (the predecessor to the CIA) and how she met her beloved husband Paul. These experiences were described in what was more of a 'highlights' section in the first chapter. The remainder of the book is like a delightful romp through France (mostly). Julia - via Alex - regales the reader with delightful vignettes of dinner parties, cooking classes at Le Cordon Bleu, traveling through the French countryside, shopping at open air markets and embarking on and completing the journey to publish Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The final chapters describe Julia and Paul's final station with the US Government in Norway, their return to America, Julia's time on the delightful public television cooking show, The French Chef, and the writing of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume II -the sequel to her masterwork with Simone Beck and Luisette Bertholle.

Reading this book was actually very enjoyable. Julia Child led an amazingly interesting life. She lived in Sri Lanka, China, France, Germany and Norway. She spoke English and three other languages, learned in her travels with her husband because of his service in the US Government. Her continuous and monumental love and support of her husband, even in the face of highly stressful circumstances was inspiring, as was the fact that she began work on The French Chef when she was 50 years old.

I loved experiencing France (one of my favorite places) through her eyes. And her stomach! As someone who has a tendency to remember travels based on the delicious new food I tried in my destination, I could easily identify with this habit of Julia Child's. Her description of the smells and tastes of Paris and southern France is so vivid that I felt like I was there. Reading this book was a very rewarding experience. Julia Child is a delightful personage, and hearing her words was as enjoyable as it was inspiring. I give this one a 5 out of 5.

#12 Breathless by Dean Koontz

337 pages, suggestion

I am really glad that this book was a recommendation, because I would have no idea how to classify it otherwise. It crosses multiple genres and is written as though it were four separate stories, which do eventually intertwine. The structure of the stories makes for short chapters and creates a constant page turner.A large part of the story focuses on Grady Adams, a solitary carpenter and Cammy Rivers, his friend and the vet in their small Colorado town. Also prominently featured is Grady's Irish wolfhound, Merlin. One day, while walking Merlin, Grady comes upon two mysterious yet miraculous creatures. He is both intrigued by and a little frightened of these creatures, although they seem to be simply curious about Grady and Merlin.

With the introduction of the creatures, later named Puzzle and Riddle, this book begins the threads of several different stories. The stories are all eventually joined by at least one primary similarity, and most of the characters do come together in the same central plot by the end.

I must say that I have never read anything by Dean Koontz, so I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. I did get the impression that this wasn't his normal style of writing, but it was still enjoyable. There were many things that appealed to me in this story; the element of fantasy, the nature of the story itself, the descriptions of the beautiful Colorado quiet country. I liked the quality of having four separate plots, with each chapter essentially focused on another character. Telling the story in that manner certainly made it a page turner, and I wasn't surprised that it only took me two days to read it.

The characters were fairly complex, especially for this type of story. I was often wrong in my guesses of what the characters would do and what made them tick, and Koontz was able, in one book, to plumb the depths of the human spirit as well as the heights. Although there were certainly sad and appalling parts of this story, it was a relief to read a book that had a happy ending, especially after reading 1984. I would certainly recommend this book to a friend, and I would probably read something by Koontz again, but this was not a life-changing experience for me, so I will have to go with a 3 out of 5 stars.

#11 1984 by George Orwell

Classics, 245 pages


My desire to read 1984 has been growing for quite some time now, especially given the way it is bandied about in the media these days. I was glad to have a classic really draw me in for a change. And for the same classic to be under 300 pages.

1984 is a kind of political science fiction novel where the world is divided up in to thirds, with each third ruled by a war-mongering hegemon. It is unclear if all three societies have the same political and social climate, but life in Oceania is reduced to a bleak, gray, anti-Utopian caste system society with Big Brother always watching.

Winston Smith, the protagonist, lives in London - now a part of Oceania. He works as a middle bureaucrat in the Ministry of Truth, helping Big Brother censor everyone's behavior and rewrite the past so that it falls in line with Big Brother's desires and predictions. Winston begins to grow disgusted with the constant oppression and drudgery that is life in the totalitarian society of which he is a part. He longs for freedom, forged by an uprising of the proletariat or to join the fabled Brotherhood in its fight against Big Brother's tyranny.

At the Ministry of Truth, Winston encounters O'Brien - a member of the inner circle. Winston recognizes a kind of kinship with O'Brien. He begins keeping a journal, for O'Brien in his mind. When O'Brien finally offers Winston the chance to meet with him and the possibility to join with the Brotherhood, Winston jumps to take it. Because of his actions, Winston is ultimately captured by the Thought Police and incarcerated in the horrifying Ministry of Love, where he is 're-educated' and taught to once again love Big Brother.

The story of 1984 is really kind of miserable and depressing, but the prose is clear and the book itself is fairly easy to read. If ever I read a book that I could understand being deemed a 'classic', this is definitely it. The ideas Orwell puts forth are still relevant in today's society. Corey and I have had many thought provoking discussions about how 1984 has been and could be applied to society today, and isn't that enduring quality the real definition of a literary classic?

While I wouldn't go so far as to say that today's media is intentionally changing its past articles to fall into line with the current ideology of a particular political party, I would definitely assert that the media is moving farther and farther away from reporting just straight facts. Any source you use for your news and information always has some type of political slant, and I do get the impression that we are not nearly as well informed as we think sometimes.

Likewise, it also seems true that our personal liberty has been gradually eroded, although not to the degree that this has happened in 1984. Corey is currently reading this book, and I can't wait for the lively political discussions that will ensue in our household after he is finished. I rate this one a 5 out of 5. If you haven't read it, you definitely should!

#10 Julie & Julia by Julia Powell

Movie books, 307 pages

Well, I must be easy to read or something, because I received three (well, two gifts plus one from myself) copies of the movie Julie & Julia for Christmas this year (thank you Dad & Andy). Also from my dad, I received a copy of the books Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously and Mastering the Art of French Cooking, so I decided to use this as one of the books for my little book reading project.

First, let me say that the movie was actually quite nice (the parts about Julia Child were, at any rate). It was an interesting way to not make a biopic about Julia Child's life; comparing the life of Julie Powell to that of Julia Child -- even though I couldn't really understand why I would care that Juile Powell decided to undertake this project (maybe it was because Julia Child was someone I knew of while Julie Powell just as well may have been fictional to me?). I would definitely watch the movie again, if only for the delightful portions with Meryl Streep as Julia Child. I thought that Julie Powell, was whiny and irritating, and hoped that I would like her more in the book.

Well, if I hoped to like Julie Powell when I read the books, I was in for a shock. Julie Powell in the movie is actually less whiny than the Julie Powell in the book. Also, there are far fewer snatches of sanity by way of Julia Child vignettes in the book - I was really glad that they beefed that part up in the movie. In spite of Julie's negativity, I did enjoy the book, to a point. I love to cook and entertain, and I really got where Julie was coming from when she talked about the scandalous delight of making some delectable dish to seduce someone, or how food and cooking can be kind of sensuous in a way. I totally identify with the joy that a person gets when they can cook and serve really good food to people who are really important to them. To me, those parts of the book were the parts that really shone. I know that there has to be some kind of conflict that is resolved to make a story compelling, and I don't expect something I am reading to be without adversity or free of a main character reaching the breaking point. There just seemed to me to be too much in Julie Powell that I really didn't care about.

If you are interested in this story, just see the excellent movie adaptation of the book. It has far more to offer. I give the book 2 out of 5 stars.

# 9 – Peril at End House by Agatha Christie

Mystery , 249 pages

I have always wanted to read a book by Agatha Christie, and choosing one to start with was kind of daunting – there were many in the mystery section at my local library. I chose Peril at End House for what you may think is a ridiculous reason, and maybe it is. I just really like to say the word ‘peril’. Seriously.

Peril at End House starts with Hercule Poirot and his Watson-like friend, Hastings dining on a patio while Poirot vacations in Southern England. Poirot is delighting in his recent retirement from his life of solving crimes and how he is unlikely to return when the fetching Nick Buckley has a narrow brush with death, right in front of their table. Poirot is intrigued when he finds that this is the fourth such incident, and decides to take upon himself the task of solving this crime before Ms. Buckley is killed.

I know that is a painfully short review, but I found this to be such a delightful book that I don’t want to spoil any of the mystery for any of my readers. I really enjoyed Christie’s writing style, and I could picture Hercule Poirot as though he were actually in the room with me (in my head, he is a French version of Adrian Monk). The ending was a surprise to me, although I had my suspicions about at least one of the characters.

Particularly after dragging my feet through Catch-22 , Peril at End House was like a breath of fresh air. This was quite an enjoyable read, and if you are new to reading mysteries or an old pro, I highly recommend it. 4 out of 5 stars from me.

Various Books to add

Well, it appears that I got a little behind on my little reading project, thanks to both the holidays and Catch-22 (see below). I do have several books to add to my list that I finished over the long weekends from work for the past two weeks. In the next few days, you can expect to see reviews of Peril at End House by Agatha Christie, Julie & Julia by Julie Powell and Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay. Additionally, I seem to be breezing through 1984 by George Orwell, so hopefully the whole book will go as quickly as the first part has.

Also on my list: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme, Liberty and Tyranny by Mark Levin and a Star Wars book lent to me by my father in law.

In spite of my minor setback, I am optimistic that I will still be able to read 100 books by October, but I will have to get back in the saddle, and quick! My fingers are crossed, and my schedule is cleared!

#8 - Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Classic, 561 pages

So, I finally finished Catch-22. I swear it was one of those books that just seem to get longer as you are reading it. I actually finished it several weeks ago, but I am just now getting around to sharing my thoughts on the experience.

Catch-22 has an extensive cast of characters, and, rather than proceeding in a linear fashion, the plot is more like a series of vignettes recounting some of each characters back story and then highlighting their association with the protagonist, Yossarian. Although the plot is so non-linear, the book does have a definite end, and Yossarian does go through some degree of development throughout the book. I think.

When you read Catch-22, you are plunged into a black comedy set in World War II Italy. Yossarian is a bombardier, currently in the hospital at the start of the book. There is really nothing physically wrong with Yossarian, he just feigns illness as much as possible because being in the hospital is the only way to ensure that he is grounded.

After his release from the hospital, and upon discovery that the required number of combat missions for each man in his unit has been increased (just when he had almost met the first required number of flights), Yossarian, sometimes aided by his cohorts, sometimes not, decides to go on the offensive about being permanently grounded or shipped back home.

He tries various avenues to accomplish his goal: Telling the doctor that he was ill or crazy, who tells him that, according to “catch-22”: if Yossarian were crazy, he would not object to flying the missions. But if he is not crazy and does not want to fly the missions, then he is capable of flying them and must do so. Yossarian sabotages information in the intelligence tent to end the need for a mission. He turns back during one flight, pretending that his equipment is defective. He appeals to Major Major Major, who tells him that he ultimately cannot do anything to help, and then he appeals to the Chaplain, who is too spineless to do anything. Finally, following the death of Nately, one of his dearest friends, Yossarian flat out refuses to fly any more missions.

When the Air Force realizes that Yossarian cannot be dissuaded, the officers try to make a deal with Yossarian. The only catch is that the deal is ethically repulsive to him; they will send him home as long as he likes them. If he does not give in, he will be court-martialed for being involved in black market practices. Yossarian protests but the officers claim they are justified in jailing an innocent man to keep the war effort going. Seemingly left without any other choices, Yossarian runs away to avoid a court-martial. The story ends with this act, but there is really no resolution.

It isn't that I didn't like Catch-22, but the discussion of missions and the military men whoring around really started wearing on me after a while. The story was really fairly interesting, and the narrative style chosen by Heller (vignettes rather than a linear plot) was certainly an intriguing choice. If only it had been 200 pages shorter, I think I would have enjoyed it much, much more. There are some really poignant sections of prose, and some quite funny sections as well - it is a black comedy, after all - but this book was quite the trial for me.

I could certainly see the value of reading this book in a high school class - it seems well suited to group discussion. Likewise, I can see many chapters, parallels between characters and real-life figures and differences between characters within the story that would make great questions/topics for papers for an English class. Also, the book isn't awful, and if you are the type of person who enjoys military stories, you would probably enjoy it much, much more than I did. Personally, I will never read this book again, and it is a relief to be through with it. I would have to give it a 3 out of 5.