Continuation of the Odd series

Odd Hours, Odd Interlude and Odd Apocalypse by Dean Koontz, (352, 279 and 355 pages. 986 total)

When I first read Odd Hours and saw how weird the story lines had gotten, I started writing a post blasting the series for its severe digression from believeableness. But I held off and read the next book. Nope, not any more realistic. In fact it has slid even further down into science fiction. Again I started writing a post but deleted it unpublished, deciding to hold out a little longer. I was also in a small way enjoying the mixing of science fiction, but I was still disappointed in the turn. But then I read Odd Apocalypse and was forced to accept that if I wanted to keep reading this series, I would have to accept that it is most definitely crossing the line into science fiction.


In Odd Hours, Odd attempts to stop a group of people smuggling in nuclear weapons. Helping him, or confusing the daylights out of him is a cagey possible clairvoyant named Annamaria. Frankly I am not sure what role she is really going to play, but she is in all three of these book and I am still clueless.

Odd Interlude takes place at a small truck stop of a town that would not be a bad place to live except for the mutant alien guy holding the town hostage and killing people.

Finally Odd Apocalypse happens in a deserted western retreat that also seems like an awesome place to live except for the time traveling monsters and the secret cult that likes to kill people. So close.

I don't know if I can continue reading this series or not. I love Koontz's writing and I like Odd, but it takes me so long to accept what I am reading as possible that I lose interest. If this had started as a science fiction series it would not be a problem, but as it is only time will tell.

The first five books of the Meg Langslow Mysteries Series

Murder with Peacocks, Murder with Puffins, Revenge of the Wrought Iron Flamingos, Couching Buzzard Leaping Loon, and We'll Always have Parrots by Donna Andrews. (1475 total pages)

I am not sure how this series, and namely Murder with Peacocks, came up in the usual second floor discussions but it did. This, of course, cause a big rush on the book and created a staff waiting list. As people finished and talked about it with people from the other floors, some of them were drawn in as well. When I finally got my chance at the book I quickly devoured it. It is a light to overly light mystery series that strives in its unpredictableness.


This series, quite obviously, follows the life of Meg Langslow. In Murder with Peacocks she is trying to plan three different weddings that all seem to happen within days of each other. Luckily she finds an escape from the bridezillas in the serial murderer who seems determined to end at least one of the weddings. Murder with Puffins finds Meg and part of her family trapped on an island as a hurricane is hitting. Of course this is not enough excitement so there is also a murder. Since all the ferries to and from the island are closed, Meg has until the hurricane lets up to solve the murder, or risk them escaping.

Revenge of the Wrought Iron Flamingos has a murder at a craft fair with a Civil War reenactment going on at the same time. Couching Buzzard Leaping Loon sees an office prankster killed off with a huge list of suspects that wanted him dead. Lastly We'll Always have Parrots takes place at a convention, or con, for a tv series at which one of the lead characters is killed. Also someone has let loose a couple hundred monkeys and parrots just for the fun of it.


What I enjoy most from this series so far are the characters whom remind me of the ones from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. Quite silly at times, but still achieving the goal of the story, or solving the murder. I fully intend to keep reading this series, and as I sit here writing this review, have the next three books on the table next to me. Though I cannot help but wonder if anyone will ever question why so many murders happen around Meg.

Spiral into Horror

Uzumaki. Spiral into Horror by Junji Ito, 208 pages

Uzumaki came highly recommended by Christina as an excellent horror manga. It did not disappoint. The story follows a teenage couple as they experience and in some ways investigate the towns sudden supernatural events surrounding spirals.

At first I was leery of this book, simply because the plot seemed like it was going to be too weird to hold together. But Junji did an excellent job of not only keeping the plot on track and interesting but also was able to keep it eerily believable.

I am not sure if what I read was the omnibus version, or if there is any more to this story, but I certainly will look into it, and anything else that Junji has written. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good horror manga.

Les Miserables part 2

Les Miserables vol 2, by Victor Hugo, 724 pages

To say that this was a slog would be an understatement. It took me the better part of four months to make it through this volume. In fact it took me so long that I had to return the book multiple times and recheck it out!

But it was not entirely a bad book. The parts where the plot actually continued along were just fine. It was the 50 pages on the use of argots, or the multichapter history of Waterloo that really made this hard to finish. And by the end I swore out loud whenever Hugo started a sentence with "I am sure the read will forgive me if I digress...". NO! I will not forgive you! Get on with the story!

If you like to read authors that got paid by the word, or old classics that have withstood the test of time, then go ahead and give this a try. But know that I warned you about the fluff.

Metternich

Metternich: The First European by Desmond Seward, 272 pages

Wellington is the name most associated with the defeat of Napoleon, but it was Clemens von Metternich whom Bonaparte said "destroyed me systematically."  Metternich directed the foreign affairs of the Austrian Empire through the end of the Napoleonic Wars and was the chief architect of the Congress System that followed, dominating European affairs until the upheavals of 1848.

Long denigrated as a repressive reactionary, Metternich's achievement can be appreciated by comparing the results of the Congress of Vienna to the consequences of the Treaty of Versailles or the Yalta agreement.  His fear of revolution, far from being baseless paranoia, can only be seen as prophetic after the horrors of the twentieth century.

Seward's popular biography does an excellent job of describing Metternich's career without getting too entangled in political minutia.  Unfortunately, the personality of Metternich is not presented as vividly as his policy.

The Word

The Word by Hubert Crouch             391 pages

The Word is a second novel in the Jace Forman series. I haven’t read the first one; I didn’t find it necessary to have read it to enjoy this book.

The story opens with Ezekiel Shaw and his band of followers from the Brimstone Bible Church (BBC) are picketing the funeral of Second Lieutenant Lauren Hanson, who was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. The BBC believes in literal interpretation of God’s word. They can be compared to the Westboro Baptist Church. Other than the need to tighten the sentences (too many prepositional phrases), the scenes are vivid and distributing. It’s not surprising that her parents, after hiring Forman’s firm, to sue the BBC, reacted the way they did.

In a secondary plot, cub reporter Leah Rosen is doing her best to dig up the dirty truth about Cal Connors, one of Texas’ most prominent men. It has the same problem the major plot line does. However, Crouch intersperses the chapters well enough so that the high tension of the major plot  allows the readers to take a breath.

There is also a third plot line that pits Connors, his daughter, and his most reliable pharmaceutical witness against the system. Again, the same sentence structure problems. This part was rather buried and did little to enhance the major and secondary plot lines…and it’s the one that’s not resolved, which irritated me somewhat.

It was difficult to keep all the characters straight in the beginning once I was passed reading about the BBC and Jace.

Not surprisingly, as Crouch is an attorney, the courtroom drama is excellent. I even learned something about juries for federal cases: they don’t have to have twelve jurors, only eight.

All-in-all, The Word is a great read; I had trouble putting it down. 

I give The Word four out of five stars.

Bubba Done It

Bubba Done It by Maggie Toussaint
307 Pages


"Amateur sleuth and dreamwalker Baxley Powell is called in on a stabbing case. She arrives in time to hear the dying man whisper, "Bubba done it." Four men named Bubba in Sinclair County, Georgia, have close ties to the victim, including her goofball brother-in-law, Bubba Powell. She dreamwalks for answers, but the victim can't talk to her, leaving Baxley to sleuth among the living. The suspects include a down-on-his-luck fisherman, a crack-head evangelist, a politically- connected investor, and her brother-in-law, the former sweetheart of the victim's ex-wife. The more Baxley digs, the more the Bubbas start to unravel. Worse, her brother-in-law's definitely more than friendly with the victim's ex-wife. Between pet-sitting, landscaping, and dreamwalking, Baxley's got her hands full solving this case."

I originally had high hopes for this series but the characters have already become dull and hackneyed in the sophomore effort by Toussaint.  The humor is flat and the mystery not very compelling.  Not recommended.

Coming Home

Coming Home by Jack McDevitt
358 Pages


"Thousands of years ago, artifacts of the early space age were lost to rising oceans and widespread turmoil. Garnett Baylee devoted his life to finding them, only to give up hope. Then, in the wake of his death, one was found in his home, raising tantalizing questions. Had he succeeded after all? Why had he kept it a secret? And where is the rest of the Apollo cache? Antiquities dealer Alex Benedict and his pilot, Chase Kolpath, have gone to Earth to learn the truth. But the trail seems to have gone cold, so they head back home to be present when the Capella, the interstellar transport that vanished eleven years earlier in a time/space warp, is expected to reappear. With a window of only a few hours, rescuing it is of the utmost importance. Twenty-six hundred passengers--including Alex's uncle, Gabriel Benedict, the man who raised him--are on board. Alex now finds his attention divided between finding the artifacts and anticipating the rescue of the Capella. But time won't allow him to do both. As the deadline for the Capella's reappearance draws near, Alex fears that the puzzle of the artifacts will be lost yet again. But Alex Benedict never forgets and never gives up--and another day will soon come around..."

Readable but not particularly memorable.  The book reads more as a television episode in terms of drama and depth. 

Time Salvager

Time Salvager by Wesley Chu
380 Pages


"In a future when Earth is a toxic, abandoned world and humanity has spread into the outer solar system to survive, the tightly controlled use of time travel holds the key maintaining a fragile existence among the other planets and their moons. James Griffin-Mars is a chronman--a convicted criminal recruited for his unique psychological makeup to undertake the most dangerous job there is: missions into Earth's past to recover resources and treasure without altering the timeline. Most chronmennever reach old age, and James is reaching his breaking point. On a final mission that is to secure his retirement, James meets an intriguing woman from a previous century, scientist Elise Kim, who is fated to die during the destruction of an oceanic rig. Against his training and his common sense, James brings her back to the future with him, saving her life, but turning them both into fugitives. Remaining free means losing themselves in the wild and poisonous wastes of Earth, and discovering what hope may yet remain for humanity's home world."

Chu creates a fascinating world with time travel and well developed characters.  I would recommend and it looks like there will be a sequel down the road.  

Water Knife

The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi
371 Pages

"In the American Southwest, Nevada, Arizona, and California skirmish for dwindling shares of the Colorado River. Into the fray steps Angel Velasquez, detective, leg-breaker, assassin and spy. A Las Vegas water knife, Angel "cuts" water for his boss, Catherine Case, ensuring that her lush, luxurious arcology developments can bloom in the desert, so the rich can stay wet, while the poor get nothing but dust. When rumors of a game-changing water source surface in drought-ravaged Phoenix, Angel is sent to investigate. There, he encounters Lucy Monroe, a hardened journalist with no love for Vegas and every reason to hate Angel, and Maria Villarosa, a young Texas refugee who survives by her wits and street smarts in a city that despises everything that she represents. With bodies piling up, bullets flying, and Phoenix teetering on collapse, it seems like California is making a power play to monopolize the life-giving flow of a river. For Angel, Lucy, and Maria time is running out and their only hope for survival rests in each other's hands. But when water is more valuable than gold, alliances shift like sand, and the only thing for certain is that someone will have to bleed if anyone hopes to drink."

A good book of speculative fiction set in the near future where water has become all important in a world turned on end by global warming.  It takes a few chapters before you start to get sucked into the story and invested into the characters.  I would recommend. 

Book of Aron

The Book of Aron by Jim Shepard
259 Pages

"Aron, the narrator, is an engaging if peculiar and unhappy young boy whose family is driven by the German onslaught from the Polish countryside into Warsaw and slowly battered by deprivation, disease, and persecution. He and a handful of boys and girls risk their lives by scuttling around the ghetto to smuggle and trade contraband through the quarantine walls in hopes of keeping their fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters alive, hunted all the while by blackmailers and by Jewish, Polish, and German police, not to mention the Gestapo. When his family is finally stripped away from him, Aron is rescued by Janusz Korczak, a doctor renowned throughout prewar Europe as an advocate of children's rights who, once the Nazis swept in, was put in charge of the Warsaw orphanage. Treblinka awaits them all, but does Aron manage to escape--as his mentor suspected he could--to spread word about the atrocities?"

In the beginning of the book I didn't like it because the narrative style was choppy. While it is certainly not the best novel set in that period of time, it still tells a story that is worth hearing.

Gummi Bears Should Not be Organic

Gummi Bears Should Not be Organic by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor, 256 pages

When I saw this book come through the bestsellers, with its bright red gummi bear on the cover, I knew I had to read it. Unfortunately this book went downhill from there. I suppose if I would have read the back cover I would have known that most, if not all of the book would be about parenting. But I didn't and therefore was somewhat disappointed. I also thought that for a comedy book, it was not all that funny. Sure there were a couple lines that I chuckled at but nothing that really made me want to read more.

For those that are curious about the book I can sum it up for you. Raise your kids in what ever way makes them into functioning adults. There I just saved you a couple hours of reading. Though in all fairness maybe this book is more interesting to those that actually have kids...

Dante and Philosophy

Dante and Philosophy by Etienne Gilson, 327 pages

From one of the most distinguished scholastic philosophers of the twentieth century comes an analysis of Dante's work and his concept of philosophy.  Gilson is not primarily interested in identifying the features of Dante's philosophy, rather, he is determined to establish that Dante conceived of philosophy as sovereign in its own sphere, complementary but separate from theology and politics.  In the process, he presents a Dante influenced by, but not a slave to, the outstanding philosophers of his time, bringing him out from under the shadow of Aquinas.

Gilson spends much of the book refuting Mandonnet's curious interpretation of Dante - this is mostly wasted for readers to whom Mandonnet and his elaborate symbolism are unknown.  Even so, Gilson's insight, intellect, and wit make the book worth reading for any admirer of Dante.

Year Zero

Year Zero by Rob Reid, 357 pages

Aliens love music, but are dreadfully untalented at creating it. When they discover human music they become addicted and quickly begin downloading every piece they can find. It isn't until after they've done this that they realize they've just committed the biggest copyright violation since the Big Bang, and that the resulting fines is enough to bankrupt the universe. Their natural plan is to destroy the Earth, however Carly and Frampton decide to recruit Nick Carter, a music lawyer who is on the brink of being fired to arrange licenses and avoid disaster. Nick now has forty-eight hours to save humanity, find a way to keep his job, all while hopefully wowing the hot girl who lives down the hall from him.

The plot was fun and over the top, and the story was overall hilarious. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of Douglas Adams, and similar science fiction authors.

Beauty's Daughter

Beauty's Daughter: The Story of Hermione and Helen of Troy
by Carolyn Meyer
352 pages

What is it like to be the daughter of the most beautiful woman in the world?

Hermione knows . . . her mother is Helen of Troy, the famed beauty of Greek myth. Helen is not only beautiful but also impulsive, and when she falls in love with charming Prince Paris, she runs off with him to Troy, abandoning her distraught daughter. Determined to reclaim their enchanting queen, the Greek army sails for Troy. Hermione stows away in one of the thousand ships in the fleet and witnesses the start of the legendary Trojan War.
     In the rough Greek encampment outside the walls of Troy, Hermione’s life is far from that of a pampered princess. Meanwhile, her mother basks in luxury in the royal palace inside the city. Hermione desperately wishes for the gods and goddesses to intervene and end the brutal war—and to bring her love. Will she end up with the handsome archer Orestes, or the formidable Pyrrhus, leader of a tribe of fierce warriors? And will she ever forgive her mother for bringing such chaos to her life and the lives of so many others?

This story was a little flat. I was amazed at how they took the 10 years in Troy and summed it up in a few sentences. So we don't really see Hermione grow while in the Spartan camp - she goes from child to woman, and somehow has developed feelings for her cousin that we never see. Of course it goes over all of the main points of Troy (Achilles, Petrocles, Ajax, etc.)  but just lumps them in at one end. It's not a bad story, and a unique look at the Trojan War, but I didn't get any solid feelings on the main character - I didn't hate her, but I didn't really care for her either. 

Deception's Pawn

Deception's Pawn by Esther M. Friesner
386 pages

Maeve, princess of Connacht, seems to have won her freedom. Her father, the High King, is finally allowing her to explore the world beyond his castle. But Maeve soon discovers that being the High King's daughter doesn't protect her from bullying or the attention of unwelcome suitors.

Struggling to navigate a new court, she must discourage the advances of her father's rival, who is vying with her host's son for her hand in marriage. Maeve is a pawn trapped between these two boys. Her bold defiance will bring her to the brink of disaster, but her clever gamble may also lead to her independence. Though she faces danger and intrigue, Maeve will also discover what kind of person-and queen-she's destined to become.

I didn't enjoy this as some of Esther Friesner's other Princess of Myth stories. This one, as one reviewer put it, was basically "Mean Girls of the Iron Age" - Maeve is placed in another household and her other female companions can be quite nasty. I would have preferred some serious sword slinging to mud flinging. 

The Map: A Jackaby Story

The Map: A Jackaby Story (Jackaby #1.5)

by William Ritter
57 pages
 
Abigail and Jackaby must tame an enormous (and carnivorous) rabbit, defend a castle, and master a dirigible if they want to find the treasure and get back to New Fiddleham alive.

Abigail hopes that her birthday will slip by unnoticed and uncelebrated, but her employer, detective of the supernatural R. F. Jackaby, has other plans. Using magical party crackers that teleport the pair to unknown destinations in time and space and a cryptic map that may lead to a forgotten treasure, Jackaby intends to give Abigail what he considers to be the best gift of all--adventure.

This e-novella came out as a teaser/bridger for those who are waiting for Beastly Bones to be published. Although I prefer to hang out with Jacakby and Abigail for longer than 100 pages, this was a great "filler" while waiting for Beastly Bones. Miss Rook would prefer that Jackaby forget her birthday, but what he has in mind takes them on a while treasure seeking quest across England and even goblin territories based on the song Whisky in the Jar. If you enjoy time with these characters, this madcap mini adventure won't leave you wanting. 

Beastly Bones (Jackaby #2)

Beastly Bones by William Ritter
304 pages
Expected publication Sep 22 2015***


“I’ve found very little about private detective R. F. Jackaby to be standard in the time I’ve known him. Working as his assistant tends to call for a somewhat flexible relationship with reality.”

In 1892, New Fiddleham, New England, things are never quite what they seem, especially when Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer R. F. Jackaby are called upon to investigate the supernatural.

First, a vicious species of shape-shifters disguise themselves as a litter of kittens, and a day later, their owner is found murdered with a single mysterious puncture wound. Then in nearby Gad’s Valley, now home to the exiled New Fiddleham police detective Charlie Cane, dinosaur bones from a recent dig mysteriously go missing, and an unidentifiable beast starts attacking animals and people, leaving their mangled bodies behind. Charlie calls on Abigail for help, and soon Abigail and Jackaby are on the hunt for a thief, a monster, and a murderer.

If (like me) you couldn't get enough of R.F. Jackaby, here he is again with his stalwart assistant, Abigail Rook, defending New England from the creatures of the paranormal world. 

The dialogue is still full of whimsy Brittishisms, and snappy comebacks between Abigail and her employer. The book is still filled with mythical creatures (some of which I've heard of, and some I'm not sure that William Ritter didn't entirely make up). We are introduced to a host of new characters: a massive, gruff and friendly hunter; a snappy female reporter; 2 bickering scientists: one a younger, charismatic fellow and the other an older, austere, and rather pompous gentleman; plus the locals of a small town, farming community. The plot was a bit slow and felt forced, and some of the supernatural elements left me with more questions than answers. 

The worst part is that now I have to wait another year for the 3rd installment. :-(

***This review based on an uncorrected proof sent out by the publisher for prepublication review.

Ink and Bone

Ink and Bone (The Great Library #1)
by Rachel Caine
352 Pages

Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time.…
 
Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden.
 
Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library’s service.
 
When he inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life—and soon both heretics and books will burn.…

Black market book buyers, alchemy, alternate history, boarding school, rivalries, murder, government secrets... whew. Of course I picked it up because the premise was an alternate history where the Great Library of Alexandria survived. But the Library Controls. All. Information. Nobody is really even allowed to own books or a written word. Citizens receive tablets, and the library sends them a book, but when the citizen is done with the book their tablet is erased. No owning anything. Even newspapers don't stay around, so there's no written history. Our protagonist is sent to Alexandria in a scholarly competition among 30 kids to see who can get the 8 open spots in the library. So there are rivalries as in any competition, a very hard to please teacher, a rather uncaring government entity, and a dangerous assignment that proves which the Great Library of Alexandria values most: lives or words. 

I had high expectations of this book and it almost lived up to them. The beginning was rather slow, and didn't get interesting until we got to school. And didn't get exciting until their first real assignment. And to be honest, I thought some of the minor characters were more interesting than our protagonist. Despite this I still stayed up too late one night desperately reading, and wishing for the sequel as soon as I closed the book. 

Vanishing Witch

The Vanishing Witch by Karen Maitland
512 pages

The reign of Richard II is troubled, the poor are about to become poorer still and landowners are lining their pockets. It's a case of every man for himself, whatever his status or wealth. But in a world where nothing can be taken at face value, who can you trust? The dour wool merchant? His impulsive son? The stepdaughter with the hypnotic eyes? Or the raven-haired widow clutching her necklace of bloodstones? And when people start dying unnatural deaths and the peasants decide it's time to fight back, it's all too easy to spy witchcraft at every turn.

Karen Maitland has the talent to pluck you from your comfy armchair and plop you right into the middle ages with such detail you can almost smell the tanner's vats (although thankfully you can't). While I didn't enjoy this one as much as The Owl Killers or Company of Liars, it still kept me reading. I like books that have characters who are flawed - books with "perfect" characters tend to be boring. There are only a few in here that I would actually root for, but most who met their end, although they could be awful people, didn't deserve such a fate. And there were a few ARC reveals that I saw coming - but a major one I totally missed. All in all a very long book but still enjoyable, even if you've predicted the ending. 

Reawakened

Reawakened by Colleen Houck 400 pages
Expected publication August 11th 2015

Lilliana Young, a 17 year old New Yorker from a wealthy family, likes to study people. Unfortunately, neither of her parents find this a suitable hobby for their daughter. While studying the crowds at the Metropolitan Museum of Art one morning, Lilliana stumbles across a tan, muscular, barefoot and bare-chested bald young man wearing a pleated skirt, who's actions and speech make Lily think he wandered away from a hospital where he was being treated for mental illness. Except that he's actually a resurrected Egyptian prince with godlike powers and a childlike bewilderness at the sights and sounds of the Big Apple. And when Lily said she'd help him find his brothers she had no idea that she would soon be taken to Egypt searching through tombs and pyramids, escaping zombie crocodiles and giant worms, flying on gigantic birds-that-are-actually-princes, in attempt to help her Egyptian prince complete a ceremony that will save mankind for another thousand years.

Well I went into it not expecting much. I thought I might be entertained a bit, maybe slosh through some sloppy insta-love, possibly love triangle stuff that is in way too many teen books nowadays. Maybe a smart heroine who turns to goo because a guy takes of his shirt. I am very happy to report that instead, I loved this book. There's no insta-love: just a slow mutual respect and understanding (you know, more like real life). There's no teen love triangle (one girl, three hot Egyptian princes, who all follow the bro code). Amon, not realizing he was transported to Manhattan or how much has changed in the world in the last thousand years, is really adorable as he tries to figure out New York City based on his ancient Egypt understanding (to a taxi he shouts "Stop golden chariot!"). Lily is a strong character who doesn't swoon just because there's a hot guy around. She makes choices: some slow and with careful thought, and some on impulse. This story has humor, adventure, and a tender romance that just might make you sniff a little at the end... until you realize YES! there will be a sequel.

From Dawn to Decadence

From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life: 1500 to the Present by Jacques Barzun, 802 pages

For this impressive work, noted public intellectual Barzun drew upon a lifetime of reading and teaching to chart the great intellectual rivers flowing out of the springs of the Renaissance and Reformation, their tributaries and distributaries - Analysis, Reductionism, Abstraction, Self-Consciousness, Individualism, Emancipation, Primitivism, Scientism, and Secularism.

The book gives the effect of listening to a brilliant, garrulous lecturer as he takes the reader on a tour of the past five centuries.  Although he sometimes gets his facts wrong, some of his interpretations are questionable, and some of his conclusions are debatable, the breadth of his learning and charm of his delivery bears the weight.  He gives his own philosophy about two-thirds of the way to the end: "attend most carefully to the big points and judge the importance of details by their consequence."  The unorthodox construction, with relatively few endnotes, quick parenthetical page references back or forward, pull quotes, and reading suggestions embedded in the text propel the narrative briskly forward.  The narrative itself may be Barzun's greatest achievement, imagining the present as a part, and not necessarily the most important part, of an ongoing story, and thus attempting to reawaken a sense of historical consciousness at the end of an age.

Murder in the Afternoon

Murder in the Afternoon by Ella Jo Sadler   167 pages

On September 15, 1959, Quaker, Missouri, was a sleepy farm town. Locks didn’t need keys, neighbors weren’t strangers, and keys were left in car ignitions. Summer was still clinging to the community located about an hour-and-a-half south of St. Louis. 

Besides the farm, the Barr family ran a grocery store in the lower level of their family home. They lived above it.  Ella Jo Barr was 16 years-old.

Two teenage boys were seen walking along the dusty road that ran in front of the house. They carried a rifle. Not surprising at this time and in the place, and wouldn’t be terribly surprising today. They may have been hunting or target practicing.

The boys were hot, thirsty, and stripped to the waist. They wanted a car. As they approached the Barr homestead, they made a plan. First they went into the store, distracted Lynn Barr by ordering a sandwich. Then one of them shot Lynn in the back.

Upstairs, Lynn’s wife, Valle, thought she heard something, but noises were common on farms in the daylight. That and sound traveled without the benefit of trees to swallow it.

After the boys finished in the store, they made their way upstairs. Valle, hearing them climb the stairs, went to the door, where she was shot in the shoulder. They went inside the house. Now out of ammunition, when they encountered Ella Jo and her friend, Bobbie Lou Sharp, they beat them with the gun stock.

This horrific true tale about that brutal afternoon is a true story. Google “Barr Murders in Washington County MO 1959” for more info on the assailants and what happened that day.

This is not the best written book; it has a lot of holes. I suspect that’s because it’s all Ella Jo could remember. She wrote this book sixteen years after the events. Still it’s harrowing, unputdownable, and will leave readers with nightmares---and a little paranoid about leaving anything unlocked. 

The Devil’s Detective

The Devil’s Detective by Simon Kurt Unsworth, 289 pages

Thomas Fool is an Information man in Hell.  He investigates crimes, essentially.  An odd rash of crimes has cropped up in which humans are dead and their souls are missing.  Of course, this is happening while a delegation from Heaven is visiting and Fool is partially responsible for being the escort for the delegation, in addition to his regular duties.  The victims have been killed in particularly violent ways and Fool’s efforts in uncovering evidence seem to be blocked at every turn.  He is determined, however, to get to the bottom of the crime.  This was a pretty good book, but also fairly odd.  It reminds me a little of Jasper Fforde, but not quite as funny.  

An Ember In The Ashes

An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, 446 pages

Although Laia's people have been ruled by the Empire as long as she can remember and her parents and sister were killed for being part of the Resistance, Laia has always been too afraid to fight back until the day a Mask kills her grandparents and takes her brother for questioning.  Terrified, but willing to fight to get him back, Laia finds the Resistance and agrees to spy on the Commandant of Blackcliff Academy in exchange for help with rescuing her brother.  Elias is about to graduate from Blackcliff as a Mask, however, his plan is to run immediately after graduation.  He hates the Empire and longs to be free but a major, unexpected event, throws a monkey wrench in his plans.  This was an action packed fantasy novel that I really enjoyed and think that a lot of teens will also like.  I'll be eagerly awaiting the sequel.

Strength to Love

  

Strength to Love by Martin Luther King, Jr.   158 pages

There was more to Martin Luther King, Jr. than as the leading representative of the early 1960s Civil Rights Movement. He was a Baptist preacher first and foremost. And here we have a collection of his sermons, some written while he was jailed.

This is the third of the five books King collected/wrote before his tragic assassination in 1968. They were composed during the years 1955-1963. It’s also one of his most requested works.

Theses short and meditative sermons, crafted during the heyday of the Civil Rights Movement, are predominately about racial segregation in America. They have a heavy emphasis “on permanent religious values. I was amazed that the words spoken by King sixtyish years ago are purposeful today as they were back then. Well, the first ten spoke to today’s racial unrest; the other five didn’t for me, carry the weight of modern times.

His widow, Coretta Scott King, wrote in a Forward that was penned in 1981:  "I believe it is because this book best explains the central element of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s philosophy of nonviolence: His belief in a divine, loving presence that binds all life. That insight, luminously conveyed in this classic text, here presented in a new and attractive edition, hints at the personal transformation at the root of social justice: “By reaching into and beyond ourselves and tapping the transcendent moral ethic of love, we shall overcome these evils."

One of the things I thought about as I read, is that we, event in the 21^st Century, and especially here is St. Louis, are still practicing segregation. Oh the Colored Only signs may be gone, but look at our neighborhoods. And not only in St. Louis, but around the country, blacks and whites are segregated via their neighborhoods.  Interesting concept, in my opinion, and something on which to ponder.

Instinct

Instinct by Sherrilyn Kenyon, 351 pages

This is the most current book in the Chronicles of Nick series.  Don't try to read these books out of order.  Even though I've read them in order, I didn't remember all of the details from the last book and I was a little confused in the beginning.  These stories are fairly simplistic and predictable but I like them anyway.  They're kind of light reads, despite the subject matter.  In this book, Nick, who is the Malachi demon, sees the world start to go wrong almost immediately.  For much of the book, no one seems to really have any idea what is happening, just that they seem to be under attack from several fronts.  Of course, everyone's survival depends on Nick learning something about his Malachi self, which he can never do easily.  Teens who like fantasy and horror stories will probably like the series.

Buried Secrets

Buried Secrets by Irene Hannon, 378 pages

Even though these books have a definite rote story to them, I still have liked all of the books I've read by Hannon so far.  Basic story has been that the male protagonist is in or related to law enforcement, the female protagonist meets him, becomes somehow involved in an investigation and thus, is endangered because of the criminal element, and is then saved by the male protagonist, who she ends up engaged to by the end of the book.  In this particular story, the female in question is also in law enforcement, Lisa Grant, who, as chief of one of the St. Louis County municipalities, is actually in charge of the case.  A group of human bones have been found and she is in charge of solving the mystery that may or may not involve homicide.  Called in to help is Mac McGregor, a detective with St. Louis County.  As the two uncover more and more information, they grow closer and also find that the case may be more dangerous than they ever dreamed.  I enjoy Hannon's writing and her stories.  There's just enough of an element of danger to keep things interesting, even when you know that the protagonists will be fine in the end.

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne, 300 pages

After finding the notes of a famed alchemist, an intrepid Professor and his skeptical nephew embark upon an expedition to discover a passage to the Earth's core. Together with their devoted guide Hans they journey down an extinct Icelandic volcano and discover an astonishing subterranean world.

To me this wasn't as good as some of Verne's previous books that I read. I felt that the slower pace at the beginning of the book made it a little harder to get into. The characters themselves weren't all that interesting as we really don't learn that much about them, that and the wordy over descriptiveness hinder the enjoyment of this book.

Adamastor

Adamastor by Roy Campbell, 101 pages

A collection of poems by one of the foremost English language poets of the first half of the twentieth century, the poems of Adamastor are largely traditional in style, with Campbell's African background supplying an exotic element.  The dense imagery is difficult but rewarding, for his poetry is, like his description of a cobra, "venomous with truth."

Our Souls at Night

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
179 Pages

"A spare yet eloquent, bittersweet yet inspiring story of a man and a woman who, in advanced age, come together to wrestle with the events of their lives and their hopes for the imminent future. In the familiar setting of Holt, Colorado, home to all of Kent Haruf's inimitable fiction, Addie Moore pays an unexpected visit to a neighbor, Louis Waters. Her husband died years ago, as did his wife, and in such a small town they naturally have known of each other for decades; in fact, Addie was quite fond of Louis's wife. His daughter lives hours away in Colorado Springs, her son even farther away in Grand Junction, and Addie and Louis have long been living alone in houses now empty of family, the nights so terribly lonely, especially with no one to talk with. Their brave adventures--their pleasures and their difficulties--are hugely involving and truly resonant, making Our Souls at Night the perfect final installment to this beloved writer's enduring contribution to American literature."

A short novel that is touching.  I enjoyed it in one sitting.

A Paris Affair

A Paris Affair by Tatiana De Rosnay
114 Pages

"What takes place in Paris when husbands and wives tangle with infidelity? In this compulsively readable collection, Tatiana de Rosnay paints a portrait of forbidden loves in many shades - sometimes tragic, sometimes humorous, sometimes heartfelt, always with a dry wit and unflinching authenticity. A PARIS AFFAIR will take you on a vacation overseas, into the hidden lives of husbands, wives, boyfriends and girlfriends, where illicit desire wars with duty, and where a French take on romance will surprise you every time."

A short series of vignettes that leaves you wondering who peed on the author's Wheaties.   Women and men cheating on each other in Paris could be the subtitle.   Not recommended.

Ink and Bone

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
355 Pages

"In an exhilarating new series, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time.... Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly--but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden. Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family's spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library's service. When he inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life--and soon both heretics and books will burn."

Another book I highly recommend.  Caine has created what I hope is the start of a new series.

Goblin Emperor

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison 446 Pages
"The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three sons in line for the throne are killed in an "accident," he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir. Entirely unschooled in the art of court politics, he has no friends, no advisors, and the sure knowledge that whoever assassinated his father and brothers could make an attempt on his life at any moment. Surrounded by sycophants eager to curry favor with the naïve new emperor, and overwhelmed by the burdens of his new life, he can trust nobody. Amid the swirl of plots to depose him, offers of arranged marriages, and the specter of the unknown conspirators who lurk in the shadows, he must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor. All the while, he is alone, and trying to find even a single friend . . . and hoping for the possibility of romance, yet also vigilant against the unseen enemies that threaten him, lest he lose his throne-or his life. Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor is an exciting fantasy novel, set against the pageantry and color of a fascinating, unique world, is a memorable debut for a great new talent."
An excellent book, I highly recommend.  The whole goblin/elf theme is very subdued and has little to do with the story or plot

Broken Homes

Broken Homes by  Ben Aaronovitch
324 Pages


"My name is Peter Grant, and I am a keeper of the secret flame -- whatever that is. Truth be told, there's a lot I still don't know. My superior Nightingale, previously the last of England's wizardly governmental force, is trying to teach me proper schooling for a magician's apprentice. But even he doesn't have all the answers. Mostly I'm just a constable sworn to enforce the Queen's Peace, with the occasional help from some unusual friends and a well-placed fire blast. With the new year, I have three main objectives, a) pass the detective exam so I can officially become a DC, b) work out what the hell my relationship with Lesley Mai, an old friend from the force and now fellow apprentice, is supposed to be, and most importantly, c) get through the year without destroying a major landmark. Two out of three isn't bad, right? A mutilated body in Crawley means another murderer is on the loose. The prime suspect is one Robert Weil, who may either be a common serial killer or an associate of the twisted magician known as the Faceless Man -- a man whose previous encounters I've barely survived. I've also got a case about a town planner going under a tube train and another about a stolen grimoire. But then I get word of something very odd happening in Elephant and Castle, on a housing estate designed by a nutter, built by charlatans, and inhabited by the truly desperate. If there's a connection to the Crawley case, I'll be entering some tricky waters of juristiction with the local river spirits. We have a prickly history, to say the least. Just the typical day for a magician constable."

 I am enjoying this series although it has its valleys and peaks in writing and story development. 

Foxglove Summer

Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch.325 Pages  "When two young girls go missing in rural Herefordshire, police constable and wizard-in-training Peter Grant is sent out of London to check that nothing supernatural is involved. It's purely routine--Nightingale, Peter's superior, thinks he'll be done in less than a day. But Peter's never been one to walk away from someone in trouble, so when nothing overtly magical turns up he volunteers his services to the local police, who need all the help they can get. But because the universe likes a joke as much as the next sadistic megalomaniac, Peter soon comes to realize that dark secrets underlie the picturesque fields and villages of the countryside and there might just be work for Britain's most junior wizard after all. Soon Peter's in a vicious race against time, in a world where the boundaries between reality and fairy have never been less clear...."  The series remains strong and leaves the reader waiting for the next book.  What I enjoy about the books is that the hero of the story doesn't go through beating after beating and yet overcome the odds.  Peter Grant just steadily does his job and sometimes he ends up on top and sometimes gets his heinie handed to him.