The Affinities

The Affinities by Robert Charles Wilson, 300 pages

“In our rapidly-changing world of "social media", everyday people are more and more able to sort themselves into social groups based on finer and finer criteria. In the near future of Robert Charles Wilson's The Affinities, this process is supercharged by new analytic technologies--genetic, brain-mapping, behavioral. To join one of the twenty-two Affinities is to change one's life. It's like family, and more than family. Your fellow members aren't just like you, and they aren't just people who are likely to like you. They're also the people with whom you can best cooperate in all areas of life--creative, interpersonal, even financial.  At loose ends both professional and personal, young Adam Fisk takes the suite of tests to see if he qualifies for any of the Affinities, and finds that he's a match for one of the largest, the one called Tau. It's utopian--at first. Problems in all areas of his life begin to simply sort themselves out, as he becomes part of a global network of people dedicated to helping one another--to helping him.  But as the differing Affinities put their new powers to the test, they begin to rapidly chip away at the power of governments, of global corporations, of all the institutions of the old world. Then, with dreadful inevitability, the different Affinities begin to go to war--with one another.  What happens next will change Adam, and his world, forever.”  Once I started this book I didn’t want to put it down.  The story is really compelling and it’s told very well.  I have to admit, I didn’t see the end coming, which only made it better for me.  I would highly recommend this to people who like a dystopian type of story.

The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf

The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper, 336 pages

Maggie is the alpha werewolf of her pack.  She knows that she needs to mate with another werewolf because their lines are dying out.  When a handsome human stranger shows up asking questions about werewolves Maggie knows that she should run him out of town but Nick is funny and charming and Maggie finds herself falling for him, in spite of herself.  Determined to push Nick away, Maggie finds herself with other problems too.  Someone seems to be trying to kill her and possibly other members of the pack.  Until she can figure out who it is, and eliminate the threat, the whole pack is in danger.  The second book in the series is funny and sweet.  Fans of paranormal romances will enjoy this series.

Cross Justice

Cross Justice by James Patterson, 420 pages

“The toughest cases hit closest to home. Alex Cross left his hometown, and some awful family tragedies, for a better life with Nana Mama in Washington, DC. He hasn't looked back. Now his cousin Stefan has been accused of a horrible, unthinkable murder, and Cross drives south with Bree, Nana Mama, Jannie, and Ali to Starksville, North Carolina, for the first time in thirty-five years. Back home, he discovers a once proud community down on its luck, and local residents who don't welcome him with open arms. As Cross steps into his family home, the horrors of his childhood flood back--and he learns that they're not really over. He brings all his skill to finding out the truth about his cousin's case. But truth is hard to come by in a town where no one feels safe to speak. Chasing his ghosts takes Cross all the way down to the sugarcane fields of Florida, where he gets pulled into a case that has local cops needing his kind of expertise: a string of socialite murders with ever more grisly settings. He's chasing too many loose ends--a brutal killer, the truth about his own past, and justice for his cousin--and any one of the answers might be fatal. In Cross Justice , Alex Cross confronts the deadliest--and most personal--case of his career. It's a propulsive, edge-of-your-seat thrill ride that proves you can go home again--but it just might kill you.”  I liked this as well as I’ve liked any of this series.  I thought it was a pretty solid thriller mystery that all Patterson fans will enjoy.

Take Me There

Take Me There by Susane Colasanti, 290 pages

Told alternately between three friends; Rhiannon, Nicole, and James, we follow their lives from Rhiannon’s devastating breakup with her boyfriend and its aftermath.  We get a little slice-of-life reality teen romance story.  This book was all right but I didn’t think it was her best story or that it was as well written as others I’ve read by her.  Teens who have liked her other books will probably like it but it wouldn’t be my first choice for a teen looking for this type of book.

The Cemetery Boys

The Cemetery Boys by Heather Brewer, 273 pages

"When Stephen's dad says they're moving, Stephen knows it's pointless to argue. They're broke from paying Mom's hospital bills, and now the only option left is to live with Stephen's grandmother in Spencer, a backward small town that's like something out of The Twilight Zone. Population: 814.  Stephen's summer starts looking up when he meets punk girl Cara and her charismatic twin brother, Devon. With Cara, he feels safe and understood--and yeah, okay, she's totally hot. In Devon and his group, he sees a chance at making real friends. Only, as the summer presses on, and harmless nights hanging out in the cemetery take a darker turn, Stephen starts to suspect that Devon is less a friend than a leader. And he might be leading them to a very sinister end. . . ."  I haven't liked all of Brewer's books.  I actually really dislike the Vladimir Tod series, although I understand why the teens like it.  However, I really liked this book. It was a great horror book for teens and I definitely plan to read Brewer's works going forward.

Fool’s Fate

Fool’s Fate by Robin Hobb, 631 pages

“The acclaimed Tawny Man trilogy from the heralded writer of epic fantasy comes to its thrilling conclusion as the fate of FitzChivalry Farseer is finally revealed.”  I think that these books just got better and better, actually.  I highly recommend this series, and all of her books, really, to anyone who likes fantasy.

Saint Odd

Saint Odd by Dean Koontz, 338 pages

“Odd Thomas is back where it all started . . . because the time has come to finish it. Since he left his simple life in the small town of Pico Mundo, California, his journey has taken him to places strange and wonderful, mysterious and terrifying. Across the land, in the company of mortals and spirits alike, he has known kindness and cruelty, felt love and loss, saved lives and taken them--as he's borne witness to humanity's greatest good and darkest evil.; Again and again, he has gone where he must and done what he had to do--for better or worse--with his courage and devotion sorely tested, and his soul forever changed. Every triumph has been hard won. Each sacrifice has taken its toll.  Now, whatever destiny drives him has finally steered his steps home, where those he cares for most surround him, the memory of his tragically lost true love haunts him, and one last challenge--vast and dreadful--awaits him. For Odd Thomas, born to serve a purpose far greater than himself, the wandering is done. Only the reckoning remains.”  The finale to the series was extremely satisfying.  I really liked the whole series and I feel like it wrapped up really well.

Resurrection Science

Resurrection Science by M. R. O’Connor, 272 pages

Despite my usual love of fiction, I do occasionally read something else. Often times, due to lack of interest on my part, it never gets blogged about. But Resurrection Science tickled my science fancy enough to make it noteworthy.

Resurrection Science talks about the various methods and efforts of scientist and researchers around the globe who are trying to slow, if not stop the extinction of various animals. Each chapter is arranged as its own essay on a topic. The species that are focused on range from tiny toads to rhinos, from extinct birds to Neanderthals.  Despite his obvious viewpoint, O’Connor takes the time to explain why some little toad in the backwaters of Africa is worth the thousands to millions of dollars it could take to save it. And though he did not fully convince me that every animal in the world is worth saving, he did make a fairly convincing case.

I would only recommend this book to people that like some hard science. O’Connor is heavy on the Latin and some of the real science that goes along with the conservation and preservation of endangered or extinct species. There are no sugar coatings, so do not read this book looking for happy endings or eternal optimism.

Only Pirate at the Party

Only Pirate at the Party by Lindsey Stirling, 258 pages

I don’t remember when or how I stumbled across Lindsey and her music on YouTube, but I am glad I did. I found her unique style and energy, and of course her music to be uplifting and yet somehow still soothing. It wasn’t long before I became a follower of hers, and I must admit recruited others to her music as well. Since then I have watched all her videos and while I was interested in how she got started and more about her life, I never sought it out.

It was by sheer chance, while browsing a book catalog, I noticed that she had this book. Luckily someone else had already ordered so I placed the only copy to be had on request and eagerly waited. Something about the title “Only Pirate at the Party” seemed to fit not only my impression of her, but also how I feel from time to time.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It has the same energy that you feel in her music. Even though it is an autobiography and has some dark events, it is still a very light read. Everyone that enjoys her music should take the time to read this book. It will only make you realize what kind of person Lindsey is, and help you to enjoy her music that much more.

Kate Daniels series continued

Magic Rises, Magic Breaks, and Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews, 1078 pages, three books

I find writing about books late in a series, or towards the end to be quite difficult. How much can I say about characters and not give early stuff away? If two characters are falling in love the first four books and get finally married, can I say that? Should I operate under the assumption of anyone reading the reviews for these books have read the previous books as well? So many conflicting thoughts.

In the past I have resorted to extremely vague, but hopefully entertaining posts to hopefully encourage a reader to continue through a series, yet not ruin anything for those just beginning their journey. And as you might have guessed by now, this post will continue that tradition.

If you were to break down the Kate Daniels series into a set of subplots, you would have action, romance, supernatural, lurking doom, and magic. As you might have guessed, all of these are slowly ramping up as the series heads for its climatic finish. There is more action as it takes larger and deadlier things to scare or even challenge the combination that is Kate and Curran. Especially as Kate learns how to control her father’s blood magic. The supernatural and lurking doom elements have shot through the roof especially with the reappearance of Roland. And finally the romance, which has thankfully stayed about the same. I am not sure I be able to like this series if we hit Sherrilyn Kenyon levels of romance.

All of this makes for a great addition to an already great series. I would certainly recommend this series to anyone who likes supernatural dystopian fiction, but wants to pass on heavy handed romance. Similar reading would include Patricia Briggs Alpha and Omega novels or her Mercedes Thompson series,  

Common Values

Common Values by Sissela Bok, 127 pages

Sissela Bok understands the natural skepticism which any attempt to define universal human values encounters in postmodern culture.  Still, in this short book, based on lectures delivered at the University of Missouri - Columbia in 1994, she maintains that such attempts are necessary, since the global nature of current crises demand engagement across multiple cultures.  Her solution is to limit the definition to a strictly minimalist ethics, including only the basic components indispensable for societal cohesion and therefore universal - rejection of violence, theft, and dishonesty.  While she admits that these elements are not sufficient for any culture, she maintains that they can serve as a basis for agreement between cultures, common ground on which to build solutions to problems of war, poverty, and the environment.

The Weight of Blood

The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh.  302 pages.

A small town that's suspicious of outsiders. Two disappearances, a generation apart.  Family secrets. These are all the elements that combine with compelling characters to make a great literary suspense novel.  We have the Dane family, who have lived in the Ozark Mountain town of Henbane for generations.  However, 16 year-old Lucy Dane is still treated like an outsider and people still talk about her mother, who up and disappeared years ago.  When one of Lucy's few friends is found murdered, Lucy feels that she has to get to the bottom of both disappearances.  However, when she starts making discoveries about her friend, and then about her mother, she starts to learn disturbing truths about the people around her.

I enjoyed this book, although I felt like could predict some of what was going to happen.  However, curiosity and investment in the characters kept me reading.  The author has a descriptive writing style that clearly paints the setting and makes you feel like you're there with the characters.  There is a feeling of dread that permeates the entire book, so even though you want Lucy to discover the truth, you're afraid of what she's going to learn.  I also worried for her; while some of the people in the town seem like they like her, I wondered if they would harm her to protect their secrets.

This is the author's debut novel, and I'll be curious to see what she writes next.

Shanghai Redemption

Shanghai Redemption by Qiu Xiaolong.  320 pages.

For many years, Chen Cao has managed to balance the interests of the Communist Party in China and the promises made by his job.  Both the deputy party secretary of the bureau and Chief Inspector of Special Investigations of the Shanghai Police Department, he was a rising star in the Party.  However, he has investigated one too many controversial cases and now finds himself stripped of his job duties (although under the guise of a new promotion and title).  As if this isn't enough, it now seems that someone is trying to set him up for public disgrace.

This is the ninth Inspector Chen Cao mystery, and the first one I have read. In this case, Chen Cao is technically in charge of a corruption case of a "Red Prince," who has connections and power that deflect Chen Cao's attempts to bring him to justice.  While set in today's China, there are elements from China's past that keep surfacing, which have dangerous overtones.  For example, "Red" songs from the time of the Cultural Revolution are becoming popular again.

While I wasn't familiar with this series, or the main character, I found the story pretty easy to follow.  It is steeped in Chinese history and tradition, and I found myself remembering what I have read and learned about the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. I think that if you have familiarity with this period in China's history, what drove both of these events, and what happened during and after them, you may feel more connected to the story.  However, if you know nothing about Chinese history, I think the story will still be interesting.  The author does a nice job of weaving together many elements and steadily increasing the pace of the story, while underscoring the feeling of unease and danger that Chen Cao is facing.  I'm tempted now to go back and try the first one in the series and see how I like it.

Jam on the Vine

Jam on the Vine by LaShonda Katrice Barnett.  336 pages

This story focuses on Ivoe Williams, a young black women who lives in Little Tunis, a poor, segregated town in central-east Texas.  Driven by her love of reading and the power of the written word, Ivoe earns a scholarship to a prestigious college in Austin.  However, when she returns home, she finds there are no opportunities for her, other than menial labor.  Undeterred, she continues seeking newspaper work, eventually moving with her family and settling in Kansas City.  With her former teacher and lover, she founds the first female-run African-American newspaper.  In the Midwest, in 1919, this is dangerous, but Ivoe risks her own freedom to call attention to the atrocities of what is happening in her own neighborhood and in the American prison system.

I enjoyed this book, although I sometimes found that I got a little confused when it would slip a bit in time, or abruptly change viewpoints.  The book moves between 1897 and 1925, and while you mostly have Ivoe's story, you also have her mother's story.  The interwoven stories of characters make this a rich book, that feels like a slice of history has been invigorated and brought to life.

Homo Sovieticus

Homo Sovieticus by Alexander Zinoviev, translated by Charles Janson, 206 pages

Homo Sovieticus is an unconventional novel - there is no plot, and the characters are caricatures with names like "Enthusiast" and "Writer".  The book is divided into small - half a page to two page long - anecdotes in which the narrator, a cynical Soviet emigre who describes himself as an Agent of the Soviet State, reflects on the life of an ASS in the Soviet Union and the life of an ASS in the West.

Zinoviev's perspective, driven home in one cynical, self-important vignette after another, is that something resembling the dialectic of Marxism is at work in history, but rather than a force for liberation, it is an idiot god fumbling about with human lives.  The individual is insignificant, rather, it is the masses that decide things, and the masses are venal, blind, and cruel.  The only meaningful difference between East and West is that in the USSR a desire to be free of the masses makes one an individual, while in the West such a desire only buries one deeper within the mass.

Being a Captain is Hard Work: A Captain No Beard Story

Being a Captain is Hard Work: A Captain No Beard Story by Carole P. Roman, Illustrated by Bonnie LeMaire   60 pages

In this 10^th episode of the series, Captain No Beard is in a hurry to get to Dew Rite Volcano. He’s in such a hurry that he doesn’t listen to his crew.

Mongo warns the captain about the dark clouds on the horizon.

Zach is trying to raise the flag, but the wind is getting stronger. He’s not sure the flag should be hoisted in such bad weather.

Polly is sent to the galley to make but squawks about the impending storm.

The rest of the crew is hard at work, too.

But Captain No Beard doesn’t care. He doesn’t listen to his crew. And before long, the storm Mongo first warned about is tossed the Flying Dragon around like autumn leaves. There is almost a fire in the galley and he almost loses Zach.

The illustrations are gorgeous. I love the Cloud Key, which identified the various clouds. Who knew there 10 types of clouds? I found only one problem: lack of diversity. Oh yes there were animals and people, but Roman missed a teachable opportunity. The lack of color made the teamwork the crew demonstrated and the lesson the captain learned weak and constricting. That’s why I gave Being a Captain is Hard Work 4 out of 5 stars.

The Cardinal's Sin

The Cardinal’s Sin by Robert Lane             332 pages

The Cardinal’s Sin is the third book in the Jake Travis series. I have not read the other two, and except for two sentences that seemed to reference one of the other books, I didn’t need to as this is a perfect stand-alone.

Jake and his girlfriend, Kathleen, are wrapping up a four-week  European vacation. The last city they visit is London before they head home to Florida. Jake would like nothing more than to lose himself in Kathleen, but his duties as a Special Ops assassin call. It’s an easy hit: a Cardinal out for him morning stroll in Kensington Gardens. Jake carries out his duties and is back in their hotel room before Kathleen awakens. As the Cardinal lay dying, his last sentence is “Forgive me my sin.” Jake found this odd. Shouldn’t it have been “forgive me my sins.” Plural, not singular. Jake frets about this as he and Kathleen head home.

But…and readers know there has to be a but…Jake learns that he has killed the wrong man. He didn’t kill a bad guy dressed as a Cardinal, but he killed a real Roman Catholic Cardinal. Oh brother.

Back home in Tampa Bay, Jake teams up with his partner, Garrett Demarcus, and a guy named Morgan, that I’m not really sure who he is, other than Jake’s neighbor.

As the three try to figure out what happened to the real target, Alexander Partetsky, the regular formula for PI novels unfolds. I did especially enjoy the sprinkling of literary references.

The Cardinal’s Sin is a good read. I think Jake would make an excellent TV character (Imagine Travis, PI).  It fits well into the genre, but it’s not a great read. And for that reason, I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Don't You Cry

Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica.   320 pages.

Ok, I've been waiting for this one since I read a review of it weeks ago.  I've enjoyed Mary Kubica's other suspense novels (The Good Girl, Pretty Baby), and this one sounded like a winner.

There are two storylines here, which eventually intersect.   We have Quinn Collins, who lives in Chicago, and whose roommate, Esther Vaughan, has disappeared.  A strange letter addressed to "My Dearest" is found among her possessions, but Quinn has no idea who this could be . . . or if Esther is really who she thought she was.   At the same time, in a small Michigan town about an hour from Chicago, 18 year-old Alex Gallo is intrigued by the mysterious girl who has starting coming to the coffee shop where he works.  However, what starts out as an innocent crush soon spirals into something much darker than he expected.

So, just who is Esther?  Is she the person Quinn has been living with, or a complete stranger who may have killed her previous roommate?  And just who is the girl that Alex is intrigued by?  Mary Kubica weaves together these two storylines into a dark web where you start to see connections between people and events, but still aren't sure of what may be happening.   This is the kind of story where you're pretty sure you know what's going to happen, and then something takes a turn and you realize you're not sure at all.  Kubica's characters all have flaws and secrets, and for me, this makes for a compelling story.  Combined with a steadily increasing pace and underlying sense of unease, this makes for my kind of read.

The English Way

The English Way: Studies in English Sanctity from St Bede to Newman, edited by Maisie Ward, 328 pages

The English Way collects short biographical essays about English Catholics from St Bede and Alfred the Great to Bishop Challoner and Bl John Henry Newman, written by some of the finest English Catholic writers 1933 had to offer, including GK Chesterton, Hilaire Belloc, Christopher Dawson, and Fr Bede Jarrett.  The whole is meant to sketch an "English way" of sanctity.

The collection has all the diversity and unevenness to be expected of a compilation of biographies by different authors, many of them originally appearing elsewhere.  Fr Jarrett's reflection on St Aelred of Rievaulx takes the form of an exploration of the nature and importance of friendship as it is found in the life of the author of Spiritual Friendship, while Belloc's contribution uses the life of St Thomas Becket to launch a cannonade against error, and Dawson devotes most of his piece on William Langland to a detailed critical study of Piers Plowman.  Perhaps the unexpected highlight is E I Watkin's impassioned defence of Baroque art in his celebration of the life and poetry of Richard Crashaw.  Still, the individual pieces, however worthy by themselves, never do coalesce to form a greater whole.

The Maid's Version

The Maid's Version by Daniel Woodrell.   164 pages.

This book focuses on Alma Dunahew, the mother of three boys who works as a maid for a prominent family in West Table, Missouri.  In 1929, her beloved younger sister is one of the 42 people killed in an explosion at the local dance hall.   Who is to blame?  Alma thinks she knows, but her pursuit of justice makes her an outcast in the town and causes a rift with her own son.  However, by telling her story to her grandson, she finally gains some peace.

This is an introspective book where it's easy to get pulled in to the story, feeling like you are a witness to what is happening. Woodrell's prose is simple, but evocative and emotional.  While this is Alma's story, it's more about the community who is facing the unexplained loss of so many people, and the suspicions and doubts that linger long after the event.

Until I looked for more information about this book, I didn't realize that there was a community disaster in West Plains, Missouri in 1928.  Woodrell changed some of the details, but there was an explosion at a dance hall which killed 39 people.  Lawyer's review on Goodreads includes a link to news stories about the actual event.