Dog Will Have His Day (Les Evangélistes #2) by Fred Vargas

And so began my month of reading female authors. You have seen the first two books already (unplanned). Now for the third.

Contrary to what I though when I picked this one up at my bookshop, Fred Vargas is a woman. A French woman, too, which is nice for the 'author country' pie chart on my reading stats, as I must admit, there are two countries which are looking a bit gluttonous.

Louis Kehlweiler is doing a stakeout. While there, he notices something - a bone in a pile of dog pooh. And of course, it is a human bone - which can only mean one thing - MURDER!

Yes, I am still on my murder mystery spree. Bear with me. I have only a little time left to finish setting exam papers, and then my brain can return to normal and not be begging for something relaxing.

I found this an unusual book. The protagonist is a combination between a spy, Sherlock Holmes and Columbo. Yes, see what I mean by strange?

Overall I found it an enjoyable read. Had I not been exhausted when climbing into bed with this one, I probably would have enjoyed it more. There were some things I found unusual though as far as the writing style went. In a way it read a bit like a play. Through the dialogue, you work out that the people around the speaker are reacting to what is being said, or arriving on the scene etc. Not everything is spelled out, which actually was a nice change. I did find it a bit jarring though, as my first instinct was to think "But no one was there! When he he arrive?", but after a while I really appreciated it because I knew it had taken out a gazillion words which were clearly unneeded (and when you are working against the clock, those words add up to hours).

The mystery itself was pretty good. The one part I found a bit unexpected, but then that didn't have anything to do with the main mystery and I was not prepared for it. Hell, I didn't have a clue to his backstory, so I didn't even know that that angle was even an angle. But, that is what happens when you don't start with the first book in the series - or at least, I am guessing that that would have been introduced in the first book.

It was a decent crime novel. I also liked that it was French. I've never read a French crime novel before. I should probably also mention that Vargas has also won the International Dagger award.

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

So what do you do when you buy the most talked about book of 2015, but are scared to read it because you don't want the perfection of the only other book by the author to be tainted? Yip! You put it off for a bit, and then bite the bullet!

I went into Go Set a Watchman thinking I would really hate every minute of it. I had heard things, things I did not like the sound of, things about characters I had respected being completely different, things about a certain other character being dead. Yip, I went into this expecting to hate it. And I didn't.

Go Set a Watchman is set nearly twenty years after To Kill a Mockingbird. Once again, I am sitting wondering how to say anything without spoiling things. If you are anything like me, I like going into a book knowing as little as possible. But talking about a book, by saying as little as possible, is near IMpossible. So what can I say? Yes, this book is about Scout, now mostly known as Jean Louise. Yes, someone is dead, and no, after reading To Kill a Mockingbird I did not feel that was touched on nearly enough to my satisfaction. But then, this was technically written before To Kill a Mockingbird - but I will get into that later. Some characters are very different. Pedestals are knocked down. Maybe it is a good thing? Maybe it is good to realise that men are fallible, no matter who they are. Some old favourites do not feature. There is no Boo; Miss Maudie was only mentioned as having existed (I think it was her at least, it was definitely one of the neighbours); Mrs Dubose returned from the dead. And then there is a new character who apparently grew up with Jem and Scout. Those were the unsettling parts - parts that either went against canon or my expectations.

But this book was written before To Kill a Mockingbird. This is where Harper Lee got her ideas, and for that, I thought this was a fascinating read. I liked seeing the raw characters, before they were honed and shaped into the characters I know so well. It is a 'rough' book though. It could do with some editing. But as Harper Lee did not want this book made public, I can't hold that against her. In fact, from the perspective of a wannabe writer, I found that it was not the final draft very enlightening too.

I was really concerned that this book was going to taint To Kill a Mockingbird for me but if last year's G10 class couldn't do it, nothing could I don't think it has. Although I think I might view some characters as being a bit more human than I always have, and I will probably always mourn another one.

I am glad I read it after all.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

I am going to try and not be embarrassed about all the typos and silly mistakes (redundant words and repetitions) in my April wrap up - which also happens to be the most-viewed post I have made in a long time. All I can say is that even English teachers have bad days - apparently those bad days are more frequent when setting a gazillion exam papers. I am also going to ignore editing it for now too, as I am falling far behind again on this blog and I would rather sit here and make progress than dig around in that.

Bel Canto. noun (music) a style of singing characterized by beauty of tone rather than dramatic power - The Collins English Dictionary

The above definition is pretty much all that I knew about this book on picking it up. I had seen it on many lists (no really - you want to spend hours of your life procrastinating this is the place to go) and that is usually a good sign. And, I should probably confess here that I have a soft spot for my classical tenors and reasonable doses of Sarah Brightman - the one soprano that I completely adore. While it might not be the traditional opera that is mentioned in Bel Canto, it is still beautiful music made with spectacular voices. So, I was hooked from the first page.

I think I am jumping the gun a bit. Perhaps I should give a small synopsis. There is a political function in the vice president's mansion in some unnamed country in South America. Terrorists enter and a hostage situation ensues.

I was expecting something heavy. Instead, I was captivated. I did not expect a hostage situation - I was expecting opera. But saying that this book is about a hostage situation, does not quite give the right impression. This is not about a Bruce Willis-wannabe coming to save the day by climbing through ventilation pipes. This is about people; people who are taken from their familiar settings and put in a completely different place. It is a fantastic idea and was pulled off masterfully. But the hostages are not the only people we learn to love. Even the terrorists creep into our hearts and make a bit of a home. Hmm.. I think I have just confessed to a dose of Stockholm syndrome.

There were parts where I laughed, especially parts about the prime minister in his new-found role.

In so many ways, this book could have been written just for me. Although sopranos are not my favourite singers (with the exception of Sarah Brightman), I could completely feel the effect of the singing in this. I love the piano, so even that aspect had me. I could understand perfectly how the music could have affected all in the house. It affected me and I was only imagining hearing it.

While I absolutely enjoyed this, it isn't a book I would recommend for folks who want a fast, pacey read.

April 2016 Wrap Up

As I said a few days ago, April was a horrid month. But I am not going to go into all that again. I would sooner put it all behind me. So let me get on with the good things that happened - and that was pretty much what I read.

First off the mark was Ripper by Isabel Allende. A serial killer is at work in San Fransisco and very soon, we learn, he/she is going to abduct the mother of one of the main characters. While I had really mixed feelings about this book while reading it, I have since felt that I was perhaps a bit unfair. No, this crime thriller was not written in the style of a crime thriller - which is what I was expecting. Yes, the pacing is completely off; very slow for the first two thirds, and then super fast for the last. But it really developed some very real characters. And it was written well too, which is not something one often gets to say about crime thrillers. I think this book is a dubious one to recommend. I can't guarantee you will enjoy it. But if you happen to be more interested in character development than in the puzzle of regular crime novels, then perhaps you will enjoy this.

After that was How to be Bad by E. Lockhart, Lauren Myracle and Sarah Mlynowski. This book follows three teenage girls as they go on a road trip together. I can't say that I enjoyed this one either. I am far too old for books like this. I did like how each character had a completely different voice - there was no mistaking that they were individual characters. I also liked how we would see the characters through one of the girls' eyes, and then realise just how wrong they were in their assumptions later when we would spend time in the heads of the other girl. But I found the boys to be 'Prince Charming-ified' which I personally thought was bull shit. I also wondered about some of the really stupid things they did (this is the part where my age really counted against me. I didn't see some of these actions as exciting adventures. I saw them as irresponsible and stupid, possibly dangerous.) I wouldn't really recommend this one to anyone. I am sure there are better books out there.

At this point, I was worried that my shoddy month was creeping into my reading, so I picked up what I hoped would be a safe bet - although, potentially still a risk - The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz. This is being marketed as the 4th book in the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson. Now I really enjoyed Larsson's books and I really hoped to enjoy this one too. When I read this, I was thrilled. More thrilled than I should have been, because I have realised since posting my review, just how different is really is to the original series. The fact that I had read the books about 2 years ago had dulled a lot in my memory. I still enjoyed this. Don't get me wrong. But these aren't Larsson's characters. Although, man! I love Lisbeth. I don't care who writes her, just give me more!

Can you tell that I read crime novels when I am stressed? The next book was a ... crime novel. I read The Snowman by Jo Nesbø. Women are going missing in Norway. Only a handful of bodies have been recovered. Can Harry Hole get to the bottom of it? This is my first Nesbø and I was ok with him as a crime writer. Yes, I predicted everything correctly, but that was OK. I have read so many crime novels now that that happens almost all the time. I can't say that Harry Hole is my favourite detective though. I am a bit bored with the homicide detective with a drinking problem, and I feel now, that it is just an easy character flaw to give. But the plot did have some interesting twists, so that was good. It was a quick and easy read too.

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion was the 5th book for the month. This one is an apocalyptic zombie book with a twist. The beginning really had me. I liked R. I liked his interest in words and I liked spending time in his head. I also loved the theory about eating brains. Something that makes sense, because brains really have very little substance to them as far as a food stuff goes. The end of the book was not my cup of tea though - or coffee really, because I don't drink tea. A few weeks after reading this, I am still trying to figure out how the premise of the book could really match with the final outcome for R. It didn't make sense - and still doesn't. I also felt that it was a bit of an 'easy way out' end. I don't plan to continue this series. I have heard from other folks who absolutely loved this, so don't trust me on this. maybe if you are into romance and zombies, you might enjoy this.

Next, because I was also thinking about my rather pitiful reading stats for the month, I picked up a play. Should be a quick easy read, right? Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller was an interesting read. This follows salesman, Willy Loman for jut a touch over a day, at the end of his career. Academically, I enjoyed the themes he covered. I also appreciated how his real character is revealed. But I did say that this was not such an easy read. It is jarring to read stage settings and directions while reading the plot. I have not usually had an issue with this while reading plays - not even Equus which also has a limited set and things that change. But this one had me puzzling things out. Maybe I am just mentally exhausted. Maybe Miller is just an over achiever. You can decide.

I then read The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton. In this book, we follow a mother and her deaf daughter through Alaska as they search for her husband. But they are not safe. They are being followed. I enjoyed almost everything about this except for the ending. Lupton made me climb into bed and shiver while reading this - which is quite the accomplishment. The writing was first class. I loved the way she portrayed the characters. And the little deaf girl was amazing. I loved almost everything about her in the book. But the ending was such a let down for me. I hate inconclusive endings. Sometimes I can agree that it works for the type of book, but not in this case. In this case I was just annoyed.

To end off the month, I read two Jack Reacher books by Lee Child: The Affair and A Wanted Man. The Affair was the story of Jack's last job in the army. A Wanted Man continued where book 15 left off. Both were the regular Reacher books. Enjoyable, but nothing amazing and out of this world (although when I read my first Reacher book, I thought it was). Child is very good at keeping suspense going. He drops little pieces of information and foreshadows. But, to be honest, if you have read one, you have read them all. Which is why I am crooking here and doing both in one. If you enjoy action packed thrillers or crime novels, you might enjoy these. If you like you reading more highbrow, then skip them. But I will tell you one thing, I could have done with a Jack Reacher in April.

Jack Reacher books by Lee Child

OK, so I am going to do a two-in-one post here. I read two of Lee Child's Jack Reacher books one after another, something I really should not do, so I might as well vaguely discuss both of them here.

A general overview of this action series. Jack Reacher is a former major in the US Army. He was a military cop, and as he points out, soldiers are meant to be tough, so the military police have to be tougher. With the exception of a few books, we follow Jack, post-military career, as he wonders around the United States, a country he has protected for almost all his life but hardly ever set foot in (his dad was a marine, so even before he was in the army, he was an army brat, living in multiple countries around the world). He does not have a house; he only owns what he wears and his toothbrush. Mostly Jack is a pretty relaxed guy - until someone wrongs him. Then 'someone' wishes they hadn't.

I like these books for some mind-numbing action. They are fun, usually fast-paced and predictable. The bad guy gets it. Jack wins. Oh, and there are usually some places where I chuckle, generally because I know someone is about to regret doing something stupid, like trying to pick a fight with Jack. These are not high-IQ reads. I save them for that point in the year where I am under so much pressure with work, that I need something completely simple and relaxing. The predictability of these help too.

The Affair (#16)

This book takes us back in time to Jack's last case in the army. A woman has been murdered in a small town where there is a military base. The military are being blamed, and too much information is made restricted. And then other people start dying.

This one was enjoyable for the reasons I gave above. But, if I was going to be picky, and I must confess that I was very picky when I was reading it, I hated the way the female sheriff was portrayed. She was supposed to be such a clever woman, but she made one stupid mistake after another. Even to something as simple as not realising that the murdered woman was dumped and not murdered where she was found because ... Well, I will leave you to read it if you are interested. But watching her blunder along made me cringe, for both her and for Jack, who kept telling me she was smart. Yeah bloody right.

Oh... and I am a bit dubious about the sex scene in this one. Usually they just fade to black, but this one didn't. Hmmm... not sure what I thought about how it was written.

I gave it 3 stars. It was enjoyable.

A Wanted Man (#17)

This one follows after Worth Dying For, or book 15 in the series. Jack is still carrying the injuries he got. He manages to hitch a ride in a car, but he does not know the reason for the roadblocks they keep driving through. But... it doesn't stay that way for too long. In the previous town, a man has been murdered and it has all sorts of important agencies looking very nervous.

I really should not read two after each other. I pick up on repetitive ideas and it gets a bit annoying. As a result, I didn't enjoy this one as much. But, still, it was not a bad book. It still had everything in it that I enjoy.

But, yet again, I found myself questioning the role of the females. In this book, the FBI agent that Reacher has contact with is a woman. And even though she is an FBI agent, I still found the fact that she deferred to him and followed his instructions, annoying. Yes, yes, I know the books are about Jack, and it wouldn't really do to have the hero of the story not make decisions, but ... I feel that these women should really be more assertive. I am glad that he has female agents and police in these books, but a part of me wonders if it is just for the attraction.

This one also got 3 stars from me.

The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton

I really enjoyed Sister by Rosamund Lupton, so I bought this one (it was on special - and I can't walk past a brilliantly priced book if I might like it) and Afterwards. Basically that means I own every book she has written.

The synopsis of this book had me. A mom, Yasmin, and her deaf daughter, Ruby, head through Alaska looking for her husband, who is presumed dead. However, they are not as alone as they think they are. They are being watched. Insert drum roll here.

This is going to sound like a very mixed review. In so many ways, this was a five star book, but the ending just didn't do it for me. Let me explain.

Lupton is a really good writer. In both this book and Sister, she created characters that felt really real. But, while I really did enjoy both perspectives in this novel, there were some occasions where I felt it was not necessary to have both perspectives on the same event. Yes, some were interesting, I won't deny that. I also enjoyed learning about Alaska from the point of view of the child. Her love and enthusiasm made something, that could have read like a dull textbook, sound fascinating. I also enjoyed Ruby's view on words. In fact, I liked almost everything to do with Ruby. Seeing the world through the eyes of a deaf girl was quite the experience. I particularly loved how Ruby explained words.

Noise: Looks like flashing lights, neon-bright; feels like rubble falling; tastes like other people's breathed out air.

Ruby in Quality of Silence - Rosamund Lupton

The pacing was a bit irregular, though. The first half of the book was a bit slow, and then everything happened. I know that we were learning about the characters at that point, but, although I had no objection, this is something that could put a lot of readers off.

Lupton was a genius at creating the atmosphere. Here, in Africa, on the Sunshine Coast, my feet turned to ice blocks reading about the snow storms. I love it when the book I am reading makes me feel like I am living with the characters. In this case I did. I think this was a magnificent example of writing about snow and weather.

So why did I only give it a 3 star rating (well, 3.5 for my own records)? Because the end was a disappointment. While this strategy worked well for Sister, it just felt like a lazy cop out. Yes, yes, "it is up to the reader to decide what they think happened". Bull shit. Sometimes ending a book on the climax works. In most cases it leaves the reader feeling like they had just wasted a heck of a lot of time to not KNOW. Guessing is not the same as knowing. To go through ALL THOSE DETAILED pages of the relationships of the characters and then leave everything hanging in mid air... The ending did not fit the rest of the book.

I have another book by Lupton here, and I sure as hell hope that she actually finishes that one. Her beautiful prose can be her signature mark, not her 'up in the air, figure it out for yourself' endings.

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

Here I am again, trying to pop out half a dozen reviews so that I can do my monthly wrap up. Wow. April was a horrid month for me. Not only did my car break down, but I was rear ended in a car accident while driving my mom's car, and then, just to make it 3 things on cars alone, my car was broken into and now I have a huge hole where my radio once was, and another deficit in my bank account for replacing a smashed window. And then, if that isn't enough, my dog was diagnosed with cancer and we have been told he has only about 6 months left. And all of that was happening while I trying to break world records for setting exam papers, as I do the work of 5 teachers. I didn't really read much, and I didn't get around to writing about what I did read.

This book has constantly popped up on reading lists and, as the matric setwork this year is The Crucible, also by Arthur Miller, I decided to give it a go.

This story/play, follows Willy, a salesman, at the end of his career. We see about 24 hours of his life, and in that time, a lot is revealed about his character.

I think I would have enjoyed this more if I had seen it as opposed to having read it. I found that I was taken out of the story when I had to figure out the stage settings and work out where the characters were supposed to be, when they were supposed to be and visualise what it was supposed to look like, especially with areas fading and others lighting up and props moving.

The story though was interesting. It provided an interesting commentary on the shallowness of the commercial life. Willy is a salesman, and although it seems as though his life has been a huge success and that people admire, respect, and even like him at the beginning of the book, it doesn't take long for us to see through the facade. By the end, we see a man who captures most of our own lives, someone who has given a lot of himself to still not be able to make ends meet, to be able to retire, or to enjoy what he has worked for. But even though I say that, I also cannot say that I liked Willy. His warped view on his life was frustrating - how could he not see that he was telling himself lies? His sons were interesting; children, now adults, believing these things about their father, believing that this fake level of success is possible and attainable for all. Which of course is something we tell children all the time. No one wants to be the person to tell kids the truth of the reality that awaits them in adulthood.

Although I can't say this was an enjoyable read, it was an interesting one. It has given me something to think about. I gave it 3 stars overall though, as I did say that I struggled to visualise the settings, which took me out of the story.