Book Round-Up

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott: as tween I would have absolutely adored this fantasy novel about twins who discover they have magical powers, especially they way Scott throws in historical and mythological characters from all over the world. As an adult, I found the writing too simplistic. I'm not sure I will finish the series.

Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson: a meta-mystery that's a fun, modern take on the classic locked-room mystery, with a genre-savvy narrator who helpfully tells us which clues we can ignore and what pages the deaths happen on. I highly recommend it if you love mysteries and/or post-modern fiction.

Ten Thousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater: the second of her Regency Faerie Tales. This one was a riff on Cinderella, with a fairy godfather and a housemaid so angry at the injustices she and others experience she inspires the rest of the staff to engage in collective bargaining. Although I loved the idea that Effie's magic has the ability to stitch emotions into her mending and embroidery, I didn't enjoy this novel quite as much as the second one.

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher: this was an absolutely delightful story about a 14-year-old girl who uses her magical powers over bread to save her city, with the help of her two familiars -- a carnivorous sourdough starter named Bob and an adorably tough little gingerbread man.

The Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martínez: this is a re-read of a literary mystery set at Oxford and involving math (I love math!). It's very good, but I'd forgotten about the last set of deaths, which hit too close to home and leave a lingering misery in me. The movie version is not great.

Book Round-up

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen: Allen's latest, long-awaited (by me, anyway) novel is a delight. The writing itself was a little rough, but the story -- about lost mothers, found family, and grief -- made up for it, as did the ghosts and pesty little birds that plagued the characters' apartment building.

The Wailing Wind by Tony Hillerman: Next in the Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito mysteries, and a fitting choice for November, because the myth of La Llorona figures into the story. Which was both a murder to be solved and a heartbreaking love story.

[It looks like I never blogged the previous Hillerman books I read. Inspired by the excellent Dark Winds show last fall, I picked up a three-in-one volume of Hillerman novels: Leaphorn, Chee, and More. These books introduce Manuelito, whom I loved on the show, and all three were enjoyable, atmospheric mysteries. Another Hillerman novel -- Sacred Clowns, I think -- I read in college, and it was good, too.]

The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye by A.S. Byatt: Inspired by the movie 3000 Years of Longing (which I have yet to see), I reread Byatt's short story collection (the title story is what the movie adapts). These are elegant, literate stories that have the feel of fairy tales but are more complex and self-aware.

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater: An unexpected delight -- Atwater's book is a mash-up of regency romances and fantasy, with a good amount of social commentary; the Faerie Court in particular effectively satirizes the hypocrisies of the time. 

Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey: Another book I read in law school and forgot all about. It's an accomplished-enough mystery set in a woman's college that's light on action and heavy on psychological characterization, but it was a letdown after the wonders of Cloud Cuckoo Land. An unexpected racist description didn't help matters.