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.