I really don't know what to say about The Gaslight Dogs. I read a lot of books in a wide variety of genres/styles. I have never read anything like thiI really don't know what to say about The Gaslight Dogs. I read a lot of books in a wide variety of genres/styles. I have never read anything like this book. I don't think I ever found the terror that I should have felt. The scenes that should have frightened me just broke my heart. The one thing the author never does is give everything away. Even though the book seems to have a definitive ending, by the end, there are still many unanswered questions. I am looking forward to reading the next installment, but will be okay if there isn't one. I kind of like that I can use my imagination to fill in the blanks....more
If I had a thinky-book shelf, The Elegance of the Hedgehog would surely land there. There's a huge dose of philosophy and analysis of the arts in it. If I had a thinky-book shelf, The Elegance of the Hedgehog would surely land there. There's a huge dose of philosophy and analysis of the arts in it. I kind of wish I were fluent in French so I could read it as it was written. There were a few places where the translator obviously got some things wrong. (At one point Paloma says that Colombe is her younger sister when it's clear that she's older.)
Not a lot happens in The Elegance of the Hedgehog, but that's okay. Not all novels need to be plot-driven. I will say that the ending shocked and saddened me. I hope that's not a spoiler.
The audio production of this book was very good. I especially loved the narrator who read Paloma's parts. She was perfect....more
It took a long time to get through this book. I downloaded it as an ebook from a really good independent because it wasn't available for my Nook from It took a long time to get through this book. I downloaded it as an ebook from a really good independent because it wasn't available for my Nook from Barnes & Noble. The formatting of the ebook made it really hard to read and the material, like most of Tim Powers work, is very dense.
That said, The Stress of Her Regard was very enjoyable, especially for anyone who loves English Romantic literature. Some of the main characters include Lord Byron, John Keats, and Percy & Mary Shelley. I did move the book from my fantasy shelf to my horror shelf because it seemed to be the more appropriate place for it since it dealt with monsters that are kind of a cross between vampires and living statues. They're frequently called vampires in the book, but that's only part of what they're like. This book has some great action and really gruesome horror. However, Powers does a good job of inserting some comedic relief at all the right parts.
Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that you're really sick of books about vampires. However, these vampires are truly inhuman monsters. They're not even as fluffy as Count Dracula. They definitely don't sparkle. ...more
I really like the direction Carrie Vaughn is taking the Kitty Norville series. She does a really good job of tapping into pop culture and dragging it I really like the direction Carrie Vaughn is taking the Kitty Norville series. She does a really good job of tapping into pop culture and dragging it into her novels. In Kitty's House of Horrors, she uses the phenomenon of reality TV shows that throw celebrities together to live in a house for a few weeks. Things start off pretty well when Kitty and a dozen other members of the paranormal community begin their stint on reality TV. However, things go south quickly and people die. It's a well-done twist on the classic trope established by Agatha Christie in And Then There Were None.
As usual with the Kitty Norville books, Kitty's House of Horrors is a very quick read. That's part of what makes it fun....more
My favorite TV show when I was a little girl was "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir". I loved the story of a romance between a widow and the ghost who occupies My favorite TV show when I was a little girl was "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir". I loved the story of a romance between a widow and the ghost who occupies the house she moves into. The Mystery of Grace gave me the same feeling I got from that old TV show. It's beautiful and poignant. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to give anything away.
The Mystery of Grace is different from the other Charles de Lint novels I've read. It's much more introspective and romantic. I will warn you that the ending is ambiguous, but I like ambiguous endings.
The audio production was good. The woman who read Grace's POV chapters was excellent, even if some of her Spanish pronunciation was off. The man who read John's chapters was okay, but not great. ...more
Ordinary Thunderstorms is an extremely flawed novel. It's ostensibly a mystery, but it never completely solves that mystery. The protagonist makes a sOrdinary Thunderstorms is an extremely flawed novel. It's ostensibly a mystery, but it never completely solves that mystery. The protagonist makes a series of very odd choices that don't strike me as being believable. The ending is kind of a non-ending with a lot of loose threads, yet it's clearly not setting up a sequel. Yet, I give it 4 stars for the beauty of the writing. Boyd does an amazing job describing his characters and the setting. He uses an astounding vocabulary, but doesn't sound like he's using a thesaurus. The imagery in this book is incredible. It's just the plot that was weak and full of holes. I suppose I should have given this book three stars, but I was impressed enough with the word craft to give it an extra.
The narration was very good. Gideon Emery puts emphasis on all the right parts, but doesn't sound like he's acting out the part.
I liked this book a lot, but it's probably not a good choice for those who want a tight plot and a solid wrap-up in their mysteries....more
This book is long. It's really, really long. It seems even longer than it really is because so much happens so quickly. It's actually even longer becaThis book is long. It's really, really long. It seems even longer than it really is because so much happens so quickly. It's actually even longer because there are four more books in the series and this first installment doesn't resolve one gosh-darn thing.
I liked the characters and there were some interesting magical aspects to this fantasy. However, it did get pretty repetitious. It was also very predictable because it starts out with a vision that tells you that the Fey warrior princess and the Islander prince are going to be in love. It's not only a self-contained spoiler, but I'm pretty sure the incident in the princess' vision won't even happen until a book or two down the line.
I was really surprised at the imbalance between male and female characters. Only 1 of the 6 or more primary characters was female. There were only two other female point-of-view characters and we don't get very much from one of them. The female characters do seem to be a bit better developed than the males, but not by much. Considering that the Fey treat females as full equals to males, it surprised me that women had such a small part.
The audio production of this book was serviceable. The narrator wasn't terrible and he did a good job of giving each character his/her own voice. ...more
Call me crazy, but I like fantasy novels to be plausible. I like magic as long as it has an explanation or usage that seems "realistic" within its ownCall me crazy, but I like fantasy novels to be plausible. I like magic as long as it has an explanation or usage that seems "realistic" within its own fictional world. Mythological creatures need to make some sort of sense.
When Barnes & Noble offered the first book of Naomi Novik's Temeraire series as one of its Free Fridays books, I wasn't going to pass up a chance to read it for free. It has received so much praise from people who know their fantasy. I just have to say that it was okay, but it didn't wow me. The first part was really good, but it started dragging enough in the middle and the end that I started questioning the world Novik created and it started seeming really implausible.
The first thing that got me was the way dragons are hatched with a full command of the English language or whatever language they are exposed to in the egg. They not only know human language, they speak it. I'm pretty sure dragon physiology would not allow them to speak any human language. Novik doesn't even use the telepathic communication angle that other writers have used to work around this.
The second thing that got me was the feeding of dragons. They seemed to subsist on very little given their size and there were always plenty of cows and sheep around to keep them fed. Given the number of dragons in captivity, it seems like it would take an awful lot of resources to keep those dragons fed. I'm sure the environmental impact wouldn't be pretty.
I also wasn't convinced by the battle scenes. It just seems like it was impossibly difficult to fight a war from the back of a dragon, especially with all the harnesses.
There was a lot more that didn't convince me, but I won't go into it. However, I will say that Novik's formal prose was perfectly suited to the period of His Majesty's Dragon. She got the language right and never slipped into modern usage.
If you love dragons, you might love this take on them. I'm not a big fan though. This book was okay, but not great. I don't think I'll be reading the rest....more
Starship: Rebel was an okay book, certainly not great. Maybe if I hadn't seen so many episodes of Star Trek and hadn't been reading science fiction foStarship: Rebel was an okay book, certainly not great. Maybe if I hadn't seen so many episodes of Star Trek and hadn't been reading science fiction for 40 years, I might have enjoyed it more. However, the SF tropes seemed tired and worn out here. The characters are one-dimensional and the plot is very predictable. Most of them survive where no human should survive.
Now, onto my review of the audio production. I loved Jonathan Davis' narration of The Windup Girl. He's got a voice that reminds me of William Shatner's documentary narrations from the Sixties and Seventies. Say what you will about Shatner's acting, he had the perfect narrator voice. With Starship: Rebel, Davis faced a pretty large problem that didn't get handled well. Resnick used an awful lot of dialogue indicators in this book. Davis does a great job of giving each character his or her own voice, then has to use his regular voice to say "he said" or "she replied". On top of that, Resnick feels the need to add the dreaded adverbs to his he-saids. I may have been able to overlook it in text, but it was just distracting....more
I've always enjoyed China Miéville's weirdness. In Perdido Street Station and The Scar, he created two places on a very vivid world and populated themI've always enjoyed China Miéville's weirdness. In Perdido Street Station and The Scar, he created two places on a very vivid world and populated them with all kinds of interesting people of several species. In The City & The City, he created an interesting idea and used a murder mystery format to show it to us. Despite the oddness of these stories, I had no problem understanding what was going on.
Kraken starts off promising and ends great, but there's a huge hunk in the middle that I just couldn't understand or follow. There are so many characters and organizations and their motives seem to be in perpetual flux. I just couldn't keep track of who was who and what was what.
The real strength of this novel comes from its language. With the use of dialect, Miéville really made me feel like I was in the middle of London watching real people trying to stop/start an Apocalypse.
Weird doesn't even begin to describe this novel and I don't think I can do it justice in this review. Frankly, I think it's one of those books that really requires two readings to "get it". I don't have time to reread it, so I'm going to remain ignorant about a lot of things.
In many ways, this reminded me of Charles Stross' stories about The Laundry. It seems to be set in the same London that Bob Howard lives in....more
I don't know if I would give this book 5 stars if I just read it. However, Samantha Eggar's narration of the audiobook is phenomenal. She really voiceI don't know if I would give this book 5 stars if I just read it. However, Samantha Eggar's narration of the audiobook is phenomenal. She really voiced Alice's emotions perfectly. There were a couple of times that I just ended up sobbing.
Now, I'm going to try to talk about content. Alice I Have Been takes the known facts of Alice Liddell's life and tries to explain the mystery of why Alice and her family had absolutely no contact with Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) starting around the time she was 10 or 11 years old. I hope it's not a spoiler to say that I am very uncomfortable with the theory Melanie Benjamin bases this novel on. I did find it interesting to learn that Dodgson was a math professor who was a photography buff. When I did a Google search of his photos while listening to this story, I found it a bit creepy that he mostly photographed little girls.
Although I don't read many historical fiction books, I have noticed that some of them try to include every detail about the historical period. (See my review for Dracula the Un-Dead.) It can be really annoying and too many details take away from the novel. Benjamin completely avoids that trap. She includes plenty of detail, but does it in a completely natural way. Her description of Victorian clothing and manners were especially good.
I'm not a fan of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass, but I was really fascinated by the story behind the story, even if it's highly fictionalized. There's one scene near the end where an elderly Alice meets the man who was the basis for Peter Pan. He's about thirty years old. Benjamin gives the reader just enough of a glimpse of him to leave me wanting to see her write a book about him....more
I want to know what book the blurb is describing because it has nothing to do with the book I just read. Light is a very confusing book with three ploI want to know what book the blurb is describing because it has nothing to do with the book I just read. Light is a very confusing book with three plots taking place in two time periods, 400 years apart. It's quite poetic, but not very comprehensible. Around page 200, I had to go back and re-read chapter one. It reminded me of something by Tim Powers. Having finished, I don't think I could really tell you what this book was about. All the story lines do come together, but it's just weird. I think it's one of those books you need to read twice to "get"....more
One of my pet peeves in non-fiction is when the author makes herself a central character, unless it's an undercover piece. The story of John Gilkey, tOne of my pet peeves in non-fiction is when the author makes herself a central character, unless it's an undercover piece. The story of John Gilkey, the bibliodick on his tail, and the world of rare book collecting is truly fascinating. This book would have made a 5-star read if the author had kept herself out of it. She spends half the book telling us how she got Gilkey and Sanders to open up to her, how uncomfortable she felt going into a bookstore with Gilkey, and how hard she tried to understand the drive to collect rare books.
I think The Man Who Loved Books Too Much would make a great movie. Gilkey's story reminds me a lot of the movie "Catch Me If You Can" with Leonardo DiCaprio.
As for the audio production, it was good. I felt like the narrator was telling me a story the way a friend would. ...more
I really don't know what to say about this book. My main comment would have to be that the publisher's blurb is completely useless. You keep waiting fI really don't know what to say about this book. My main comment would have to be that the publisher's blurb is completely useless. You keep waiting for the two main characters to meet and connect, but they don't until the book is nearly over and then it's anti-climatic. I felt a lot of sympathy for both Becca and Buckley and was cheering them on, but it came to nothing. The book totally fizzled by the end and I think the author kind of cheated with the "where they are now" epilogue for all the characters, including minor ones. I did find the stuff about lightning strikes interesting and I loved the descriptions of Becca's paintings and her creative process.
I really disliked the narrator for the audio book. She did a very poor job with the voices of children and men. (For a narrator who does children well, check out the guy who does The Irresistible Henry House. He does great children and women.) On the non-dialogue parts, she was so monotone. I was really torn between 2 and three stars because I think the narration negatively affected my reaction to the story.
This might be a good book to check out of the library. It's short and it does have some good stuff in it. It's got a couple of main characters who are worth knowing. I definitely suggest avoiding the audio version....more
Palimpsest is one seriously weird book. Consider the concept: If you have sex with someone with a map tattoo, you will "dream" that you are in the citPalimpsest is one seriously weird book. Consider the concept: If you have sex with someone with a map tattoo, you will "dream" that you are in the city of Palimpsest. Palimpsest is a really f'd up place, but people are desperate to go back. They are so desperate to go back and visit other parts of the city that they will have sex with anybody who has part of the map tattooed on them, sexual attraction and orientation have nothing to do with anything.
While there are a lot of sexual encounters in Palimpsest, none of it is erotic. It's quick and desperate. Each encounter leaves the characters and the reader emptier than the last. The characters aren't even attracted to the people they have sex with. It's especially uncomfortable when heterosexual characters are having homosexual encounters that they don't want but need so they can return to Palimpsest.
The city of Palimpsest itself is surreal, like a dream or a nightmare. It's full of improbable people, impossible places and undefinable rules. It can only be reached by way of post-coital dreams unless you find the secret way to become a citizen.
I give this book three stars because I'm not sure if I liked it or not. The writing is evocative and poetic. It captures the surreal quality of dreams perfectly. However, the desperation got to me. It was depressing and I never did quite figure out why the characters wanted to be a part of Palimpsest so much. It was like a drug and the story had a psychedelic quality to it that didn't quite appeal to me. However, I do give Valente points for creating something that was unlike anything I have ever read.
Palimpsest is a Hugo Award nominee this year, but I'm not really sure why. It strikes me more as psychedelia or surrealism than SF&F. I suppose if you assume that the city of Palimpsest is real and that the map tattoos and everything that happens in the city are magic, then it might be borderline fantasy. I just didn't interpret it that way....more
I really don't want to wait for the next Flavia de Luce book to come out. I really love these and I want more. The narration is pitch-perfect on the aI really don't want to wait for the next Flavia de Luce book to come out. I really love these and I want more. The narration is pitch-perfect on the audio production. The narrator is wonderfully enthusiastic, just like Flavia....more
Here's a dilemma. I gave the first book of Peter V. Brett's Demon Trilogy, The Warded Man, five stars. However, the second book, The Desert Spear, is Here's a dilemma. I gave the first book of Peter V. Brett's Demon Trilogy, The Warded Man, five stars. However, the second book, The Desert Spear, is so much better. I don't want to go back and reduce the rating on the first book. I need more stars.
Rather than picking up where The Warded Man left off, The Desert Spear starts off another part of the world at a time that is parallel to some of the events in the first book. It gives us the point of view of a character that we were introduced to in the first book. Along the way, we get to see some of the events from The Warded Man in a different light. When the story catches up to the point where The Warded Man left off, we start to see how everything meshes. We are also introduced to two other POV characters, the little girl Arlen was promised to as a boy and a couple of mind demons. We learn a lot more about demons and the core throughout this book, but there's a lot more to learn.
What I liked about both of the books so far in this Trilogy is that they both have real endings. I know there's more to come, but each book is satisfying in itself and doesn't leave me wondering how any given character is going to get out of a particular situation. Brett does a good job of leaving the characters with their current situations resolved and ready to move on to the next stage. The characters grow and change in ways that are believable to me.
As with The Warded Man, I listened to the audiobook version of The Desert Spear. It has the same narrator, so there was good continuity between the two books. I will definitely listen to the last one in audio format as well....more
Michael on the Books on the Nightstand podcast is constantly raving about this book. After listening to an excerpt, I downloaded it in audio. The SweeMichael on the Books on the Nightstand podcast is constantly raving about this book. After listening to an excerpt, I downloaded it in audio. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is a totally charming mystery that reminds me a lot of the old Agatha Christie novels. Flavia DeLuce is a very compelling detective, especially when you consider the heroine is only eleven. Despite the age of the protagonist, this is a book for grownups. However, I didn't find anything I'd object to having a child read. I would have loved this when I was Flavia's age because this is exactly the kind of thing I was reading then. This isn't high literature, but it's a lot of fun.
The audio was great too. The narrator perfectly captured Flavia's enthusiasm, especially about chemistry. I'll definitely be continuing to listen to this series in audio. ...more
I picked up The Eyes of Darkness audio book for $4.95 on Audible and that was about what it was worth. Shortly after I started listening, I had to takI picked up The Eyes of Darkness audio book for $4.95 on Audible and that was about what it was worth. Shortly after I started listening, I had to take a look and see when it was published. What really started me wondering was when Koontz describes the dead boy's room with its model airplane collection. I don't know any boys in this day and age who build model airplanes. Heck, I don't think they can even buy model glue or enamels anymore. Other missing things that would have made things easier for everyone are cell phones and GPS devices.
One of the bigger problems with The Eyes of Darkness is that it doesn't seem to know what kind of book it is. Is it a mystery/thriller? Is it a romance novel? Is it paranormal horror? It seemed to try going in all directions at once.
The Eyes of Darkness reminded me a lot of Stephen King's Firestarter. The latter was written later and was a much better book. They share the themes of big, secret government entities taking advantage of kids with special abilities and have no morality whatsoever. They also share the theme of parents willing to risk everything to save their children.
The audio production of The Eyes of Darkness was okay. The narrator had a tendency to be a bit over-dramatic and that didn't enhance the story. The story itself was interesting enough to make me keep listening and the ending was pretty exciting. However, it was merely okay and it was very dated....more
The Irresistible Henry House is an irresistible novel. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) I was as charmed by Henry's story every bit as much as the women inThe Irresistible Henry House is an irresistible novel. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) I was as charmed by Henry's story every bit as much as the women in his life. About 3/4 of the way through listening to the story, I realized that it reminded me a lot of the movie Forrest Gump. Well, maybe not so much. Henry isn't an innocent and he doesn't love his mama. In fact, he doesn't really have a mama. Henry started out life as a practice baby in a practice house with six different practice mothers rotating mothering duties each week. As a result, he never really forms any strong attachments and never really has any strong male role models. Instead, he learns to be a social chameleon so everyone likes him and women love him.
So, why was I reminded of Forrest Gump? This novel covers a quarter century of American (and English) life at a period of enormous change from the post-WWII era through the 1960's. Henry meets famous people like Walt Disney and the Beatles. Dr. Benjamin Spock makes an appearance too. Henry becomes an Everyman who allows us to experience what it must have been like to be young during such a pivotal period in American/British civilization. And, you can't help but root for Henry. He's despicable in many ways, but you know that's because he's lost.
The audio production of this novel was very good. The narrator does and excellent job with the dialogue, especially Henry's. Whatever age Henry is, the narrator reads his dialogue appropriately. He doesn't do such a great job with the women's dialogue, but he's pitch-perfect with children's voices. It's very easy for children to be read badly, and the narrator here doesn't fall into the usual traps, like lisping and baby talk.
I highly recommend this book if you want something that raises interesting ideas but doesn't get totally depressing....more