A life in books

I am a wife, a mother, a lawyer, and a reader, but long before I was any of those things, I was a reader. I've been a reader since, as my mother tells it, I was around 3 years old, and would sit with my baby brother on my lap and read nursery rhymes to him from a Mother Goose book.

This Mother Goose book:




Which, miraculously, given my age, is apparently still in print. I remember the cover well, the black checkerboard around the outside. I do not remember reading the rhymes aloud, and I suspect that I wasn't reading at all, but rather, was simply reciting them from memory for the benefit of my little brother.
 
I can still recite many of these rhymes from memory, from Wee Willie Winky (who ran through town) to Humpty Dumpty (who had a great fall) to There Was a Little Girl (who had a little curl and was, unfortunately for all concerned, occasionally horrid).
 
But I don't remember learning to read, and I don't remember not reading. What I do remember is books. Hundreds of them, books that I loved, and that were important to me, and that made me who I am today.
 
I've been thinking alot about this blog, and about making it more than just a record of my reviews. I know that I'm basically the only one reading it, and so, why not. Why not tell the story of my life in books, while I'm keeping track of what I read today, and what I'll read tomorrow.
 
The internet is an amazing thing. It has enabled me to connect, on amazon and on goodreads, with other readers all around the world. One of my online friends is a woman who reads a lot of young adult and lives in Estonia. Estonia! We can trade recommendations and talk about the books that we both have enjoyed - or not. The people in my real life, they largely don't get me and my fascination with, and my adoration of, the written word. What a boon to be able to find other people, who are just as passionate about stories, all around the world, and to hear their stories about books that they've loved.
 
So, the first book I've been told I read is the one pictured above.

An Impartial Witness by Charles Todd

An Impartial Witness by Charles Todd


My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is the second book in the Bess Crawford series by Charles Todd, which I read directly on the heels of the first.

***Plot Summary***

Once again, Bess Crawford finds herself at the center of a mystery when she sees the wife of a burn patient, whom she recognizes from the photograph that her patient carries with him always, saying farewell to a man at a train station as she boards her train to return to the war front. She can see that the goodbye is emotionally draining for the woman, and that she appears fraught and upset, while the man is cold and uncaring. It isn't long after her return to the front that she receives a newspaper that contains news of the woman's murder on that same day, obviously shortly after Bess has seen her at the station.

When Bess learns that her patient has committed suicide after learning of his wife's murder, she takes it upon herself to try to find out who has committed the murder, and why.

***Review***

Once again, this book successfully immersed me in the life of WWI England. Bess Crawford is a warmly likeable character, a nurse, who moves between civilian life and military life in a way that seems very natural. I am a bit skeptical that movement between the war front and England was quite so easy as these books make it out to be, given that all of the characters seem to flit back and forth between London and the French front with about as much as difficulty as I have driving my car to my local grocery store for a gallon of milk. This is a small thing, though, and is a necessary plot device given that most of the primary characters are, in some way, associated with the war effort.

I am enjoying the ongoing character development of Bess, Simon, and her parents. I don't know if we are moving in the direction of a romance developing between Bess and Simon, but that is definitely one possible narrative arc for the books.

As for the mystery in this case, it was rather easily solved when it came right down to it. With any mystery novel, though, the investigation is more of the point than the solution, and the authors did a good job of moving the story along and maintaining interest. Bess is, perhaps, not as quick as some of the amateur sleuths, as she seems, sometimes, to fail to make connections that seem fairly obvious to the reader.

One of the things that I really liked about this book, though, is the focus on the war wives, and how difficult it was to serve your country by keeping the homefires burning. Often, the focus is on the hardships suffered by the soldiers, and make no mistake about it - their hardships were the greater. However, I think that acknowledging that it isn't easy to be the one left behind made for an interesting story in this novel.

Once again, I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to historical mystery readers. It's well-written and well-edited and a solid, if slightly uninspired, example of the genre.

Not Mary Russell, but not bad, either

A Grave Talent by Laurie R. King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

***Plot Summary***

This is the first book in the Kate Martinelli series, set in San Francisco. When a third child ends up a victim of a homicide, Kate, newly promoted, is called into the investigation with her partner, Al. The bodies of the victims are found off of The Road, a commune-like place established by a wealthy, if somewhat eccentric, San Francisco resident. As the clues pile up, suspicion falls upon an artist who has been released from prison after she was convicted of the strangling death of a child as a teenaged girl. Kate and Al must sort through the clues and misdirections to find the truth about the murders, past and present.

***Review***

Let me start by saying that I am a huge fan of Laurie King's Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series, which I recommend over this modern police procedural. It is not that I didn't enjoy this book, because it was a well-written, serviceable mystery, but the Mary Russell books are truly excellent. The subject matter of this book is disturbing, but the deaths of the children take place largely off-screen.

Laurie King excels at characterizations, and this book is no exception. Kate - or Casey as she is known for most of this book - is a fascinating, complete character. She behaves in ways that are consistent, and her compassion and integrity are very convincing.

If this book has a weakness, it is a little bit slow. Because it is the beginning of a series, Ms. King spends a lot of time introducing her characters. This slows down the action somewhat, and the first part of the book drags a bit, in my opinion. In addition, some of the psychological aspects of the book aren't terribly convincing.

Overall, I'd give it between 3 and 4 stars - an engaging read, but not extraordinary. The author is capable of more, but this one didn't disappoint.


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Vampires: Reloaded

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Andrew Fukuda has returned vampires to their rightful spot at the top of the food chain.

***Plot Summary***

Boy is human (or heper, as they are called in this book). Boy doesn't want vampires to know that he is heper, or they will eat him. Boy is very good at hiding the fact that he is heper. Humans have been basically hunted to extinction, except for the few that are kept in a breeding program by the government. People are unhappy with government (good to know some things never change . . . even vamps are anti-government) so government announces that there will be a Hunt to catch and eat those last hepers. Lucky vampires want to be chosen by lottery to participate in the Hunt. Unlucky Boy gets chosen instead. Disaster ensues.

***Review***

This is a very fast read, which I consumed, like a vampire consumes a heper, in about two and a half hours. By the end of the book, I was flipping screens frantically to get to the resolution.

Pros: it's pacey. The vampires are bloodthirsty, and not even remotely emo. Yay for non-emo vamps! They also do not sparkle in any way, shape or form. There are no heper/vamp romances, mostly because the vamps are so overcome by bloodlust at the scent of a human that they simply tear into any heper they happen to find. The book is also interesting, because it really reimagines a society of vampires, who have become just as rulebound and civilized as the humans they replaced. There are some interesting twists, one of which is pretty obvious, the other one took me by surprise.

Cons: the book is somewhat predictable. There are some minor issues with the believability of the world building, especially the attitude of the MC toward the captive hepers. It also felt a little incomplete, although this leaves plenty of room for the sequels to fill in the gaps.

I really did enjoy this book, though, and look forward to the next installment in the series. The issues with the book were relatively minor and did not interfere with my enjoyment of the story. And, again, yay for non-sparkly, non-emo vamps.

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A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd

A Duty To The Dead by Charles Todd


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is my first Charles Todd mystery and I would rate it somewhere between 3 and 4 stars.

***Plot Summary***

Elizabeth (Bess) Crawford is a WWI nurse who is on leave because the hospital ship upon which she served, the Brittanic, hit a mine and was sunk. She was injured in the explosion, and returns to England to recover her health before being sent back to the front. While back in England, she is compelled to fulfill a promise she made to a patient prior to his death, to deliver a message to his family. Upon arrival in Kent, at the home of the Grahams, she delivers the message, and is ultimately drawn into the family's affairs as she becomes concerned that a grave injustice has occurred and that a man has been committed to an insane asylum for a murder he did not commit.

***Review***

A Duty to the Dead started out rather slowly, but picked up pace at approximately the fifty percent mark (I read it on a kindle). I really enjoyed the writing, and thought that the main character, Bess Crawford, was well-drawn and likeable. I have read Maisie Dobbs, and enjoyed those as well, and though there are similarities between the two main characters, they are very different women.

One of the things that drew me to this book was the setting. I am a sucker for a good historical mystery, and WWI England is a setting that was a bit different from the series that I have read in the past. The descriptions and other historical background about the setting was convincing.

This book focuses very closely on Bess Crawford, and did not introduce a lot of supporting characters who are likely to reappear from book to book. Her father was an interesting character, and I expect to see him again. There is absolutely no romance in this particular installment, so readers who are looking for an ongoing romantic arc may be disappointed with this book. It is possible that one will be introduced later in the series - I am hopeful that the authors will reveal a romantic interest for Bess. Finally, the ultimate resolution of the mystery made sense, but was a bit predictable. In addition, there were characters who bore responsibility for the events that occurred who emerged largely unscathed. Some remorse for their part in the events would have been nice.

The writing is solid and grammatically correct, and I did not notice typographical errors. I enjoyed this book enough that I will read additional books in the series. Duty to the Dead was an above average read - a high-three-star or low-four-star read.

Paper Towns by John Green

Paper Towns by John Green


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is my second John Green book, although it will not be my last. I already have An Abundance of Katherine's available, and I am certain that I will, at some point, read Looking for Alaska. Mr. Green is an exceptional writer who writes lyrical and compelling books about his youthful characters. I loved this book only slightly less than I adored The Fault In Our Stars.

***Plot Summary***

This book is primarily character driven. The plot is quite slender, actually, set in the final few days before the main character, Quentin, is set to graduate from high school. The book begins with a flashback of an event that occurred when Quentin was younger, and still best friends with his neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman. Quentin is an ordinary young man, while Margo is quite extraordinary - one of those crucible-like characters that tends to clarify and refine the people in her orbit. Quentin has been in love with Margo from afar for years.

The book begins with a crazy night of brilliantly vindictive revenge, planned by Margo to extract vengeance from the people who, at this point, have wronged her. Margo seeks an accomplice for her adventures, and asks Quentin to accompany her. The first part of the book is consumed by their edgy, Bueller-esque adventures. After that night, Margo disappears, and Quentin and his friends spend the remainder of the book trying to discover where she has gone, and whether she wants to be found, through the clues that Margo has left behind.

***Review***

I loved this book. The first part of the book is genuinely funny - Margo is a criminal mastermind par excellence, plotting and executing her revenge with extraordinary precision and cleverness. I laughed out loud several times while I was reading it. Once that night of high-jinks and mayhem is completed, however, the book quickly becomes much more serious.

John Green has created a set of supporting characters that I will remember for a long time. Ben and Radar, Quentin's best friends, and Lacey, who was Margo's best friend and was the victim of one her crazy revenge plots, who was a much better friend to Margo than she realized. Somehow, when Margo leaves, Quentin manages to fill her power position in the school - a spot of blackmail always being useful - and Ben, Radar and Q really come into their own during the waning days of high school, in a way that anyone who has ever graduated from high school will appreciate.

Overall, this book is not as mature, perhaps, as The Fault In Our Stars, but it is the work of a writer who knows teens, who knows how to put together a sentence and tell a story. John Green has a knack, more than any other current writer, for avoiding cliches when he writes about teens. His characters are real, not merely stock representations pulled from the bank of angsty teen characters. They are flawed, interesting and complete.

If you aren't reading John Green, you should be.

Easy by Tammara Webber

Easy by Tammara Webber


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Tammara Webber consistently writes and publishes books that are high quality. There is no need to qualify the review of this, or, frankly, any, of her self-published books with a tag along the lines of "excellent for a self-published book." I've read all four of the books that she has published. They have attractive covers, and the prose inside of them is well-written, grammatically correct and largely error free. Kudos.

So, with that introduction, there are a few things that I want to say about this book, both about the romance and then, in a moment, about her realistic and sensitive exploration of the subject of college acquaintance sexual assault.

So, first, the romance. This book has been compared to Beautiful Disaster by some of my reader friends. This comparison does a disservice to this book. Easy is better than Beautiful Disaster. So, so, so much better.

I love Jacqueline. She is strong and intelligent and exhibits more than a little bit of backbone. She has a great deal of self-confidence, but even more importantly, she treats herself as though she is a worthy person. She is saddened by the break up of a long term relationship, and is appropriately emotive, but never does she devolve into a caricature of a heroine who wallows in self-pity by collapsing into a mass of self-indulgent drama. Fiction could use a lot more Jacquelines.

The romance is sweet and unfolds naturally. Lucas is a genuinely likeable guy, who treats Jacqueline with respect as their relationship develops. He is the kind of guy that, if you are the mother of a teenaged girl, you hope your daughter will meet when she gets to college. Hardworking, intelligent, unentitled, compassionate, and strong.

This book is worth reading for the romance.

It is, however, the backstory where Ms. Webber really shines. I have no idea what her personal experience includes, but, as a sexual assault prosecutor, I felt that her treatment of college acquaintance sexual assault was beautifully done.

There are only three things required for a rape to occur. A victim, an opportunity, and a rapist. All too often, even in fiction, writers treat rape, especially acquaintance rape, as though, somehow, non-rapists sort of accidentally commit it. This book, thankfully, takes a much more realistic, appropriate, non-victim blaming approach. It is empowering to young women who may have been the victim of this crime, while acknowledging that society, often, treats rape victims in a disparaging, irresponsible, and cruel manner. It is not uncommon for the community to rally around the rapist - the Buck's of the world - while treating the victim as though she has committed some sort of a crime by reporting that she was sexually assaulted.

I don't want to allow this review to digress into a public service announcement, but there is a reason that rape, and especially rape committed by an acquaintance, is an extremely underreported crime. Ms. Webber's book provides an explanation of that phenomenon in a way that is sensitive and well-done. I very much admire her for her treatment of this subject. If she makes one victim feel better - as though it isn't her fault - then she will have accomplished something truly remarkable with this story.

Overall, I'd give this book 4 1/2 stars, and would just say "thank you" to the author.