1843913917
9781843913917
1843913917
3.80
23,544
1904
Apr 01, 2013
it was amazing
The only other of the Oz books that I’ve read other than The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (which was the only one I knew as a child) is The Marvelous Land o
The only other of the Oz books that I’ve read other than The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (which was the only one I knew as a child) is The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904) but on revisiting it now after many years, I was surprised to find how, besides being a fun and imaginative adventure introducing plenty of new characters as also having us catch up with old friends, the book also simply overflows with witticisms, wisdom and puns. Even more surprising were the political threads, which I didn’t at all remember and which did have me wondering what Baum really thought of the suffragettes (more on that in a bit)! A very different book from the first, a book which I think while enjoyable for young readers, has a lot more to offer for older ones, with many threads to unravel.
In The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904) we meet a young boy Tip, whose been brought up by and lives with an old quasi-witch Mombi—quasi since she is not permitted to practice proper magic by orders of the good witch of the South, Glinda. As is usual, Tip isn’t treated all that well an made to do various chores. So, to get back at Mombi and have a little fun in the process Tip manufactures a Pumpkinhead, a stick figure complete with joints and a pumpkinhead, dresses it in colourful attire and positions it at a bend in the road go give the old woman a good scare as she returns from the market. But something very different is in store for the Pumpkinhead as Mombi jus happens to be bringing back with her ‘the powder of life’ and uses Pumpkinhead to test it. With this Jack Pumpkinhead comes to life and Tip is in for a punishment, to be turned into a marble statue. To escape this fate, he decides to run away with Jack Pumpkinhead to whom he is now ‘father’ to the Emerald city to the Scarecrow, now ruler there. Jack’s joints however are not very well made and along they way, Tip who has taken with him the powder of life uses it to bring to life a saw horse whom Jack rides. But after some adventures, as they get to the Emerald City and are briefly separated, Jack and Saw Horse meeting Scarecrow and Tip left outside, the city is attacked by the all-girl army of General Jinjur, armed with knitting needles, who quite easily oust poor Scarecrow.
Now Scarecrow, accompanied by Tip, Jack Pumpkinhead and the Saw Horse journey to the land of the Winkies to seek help from the Tin Woodman, but while that is forthcoming, neither the journey back to the Emerald City nor the confrontation with Jinjur and her army turn out very easy. Our adventurers are joined by Mr H.M. Woggle Bug, TE, and must face numerous challenges and obstacles in regaining the Emerald City, with even Glinda whose help they finally seek unable to vanquish their enemies with ease. And the outcome isn’t quite what they expect with secrets revealed and things taking a very different direction one would have imagined, as Oz’s throne is restored to its rightful ruler!
I was lucky to have an edition of this book from Dover Publications which is a faithful reproduction of the original with all 120 line-illustrations and 16 colour plates. These made my reading experience all the more special of this book which is miles above (and also in that sense very different from) its predecessor.
What stands out most when reading the book is the clever writing spread across the book, for instance, in the initial chapters, in the form of a dialogue between the not-too-bright Jack Pumpkinhead and Scarecrow when they first meet—a few pages along—where Jack claims and the Scarecrow accepts that they don’t understand each other as they belong to different ‘countries’ and require an ‘interpreter’ when all the while the reader can see they perfectly understand each other. When an interpreter is called, she takes the opportunity to have some fun before pointing out the obvious, the languages they’re speaking are one and the same:
"Where on earth did you come from, and how do you happen to be alive?”
“I beg your Majesty’s pardon,” returned the Pumpkinhead; “but I do not understand you.”
“What don’t you understand?” asked the Scarecrow.
“Why, I don’t understand your language. You see, I came from the Country of the Gillikins, so that I am a foreigner.”
“Ah, to be sure!” exclaimed the Scarecrow. “I myself speak the language of the Munchkins, which is also the language of the Emerald City. But you, I suppose, speak the language of the Pumpkinheads?”
“Exactly so, your Majesty” replied the other, bowing; “so it will be impossible for us to understand one another.”
“That is unfortunate, certainly,” said the Scarecrow, thoughtfully. “We must have an interpreter.”
“What is an interpreter?” asked Jack.
“A person who understands both my language and your own. When I say anything, the interpreter can tell you what I mean; and when you say anything the interpreter can tell me what you mean. For the interpreter can speak both languages as well as understand them.”
“That is certainly clever,” said Jack, greatly pleased at finding so simple a way out of the difficulty.
The Scarecrow has doubtless retained his brains (may be not so apparent from the preceding conversation) and from him spring many of the gems in this book. Like when his one soldier-strong ‘Royal Army’ declares himself scared of the all-girl army, he remarks
“But, for my part, not being a soldier, I am fond of danger…”
And when told that the Tin Woodman is having himself plated with Nickel,
“If his wit bears the same polish, how sparkling it must be!”
The Tin Woodman himself is not far behind, when he remarks to Jack Pumpkinhead ever aware and in fear of the shortness of his life (for pumpkins must spoil someday)
“Do not, I beg of you, dampen today’s sun with the showers of tomorrow. For before your head has time to spoil you can have it canned, and in that way it may be preserved indefinitely.”
Some of my favourites though came from the mouth of the Woggle Bug. When the Saw Horse breaks its leg and must have it replaced, for instance, he is rather irked:
"It was a shame that I broke my other leg!” it growled.
“On the contrary,” airily remarked the Woggle-Bug, who was walking alongside, “you should consider the accident most fortunate. For a horse is never of much use until he has been broken.”
And as he is a rather educated Woggle Bug (more on that in a bit), he can’t resist a good pun, even when checked repeatedly:
“I myself am Thoroughly Educated, and I say that puns display genius. For instance, were I to ride upon this Saw-Horse, he would not only be an animal he would become an equipage. For he would then be a horse-and-buggy.”
But before I go overboard on just this aspect of the book of which there are so many lines I’ve marked, I really must stop.
Of old friends from the first book, we meet the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman and also Glinda, the good witch but not Dorothy or the Lion. The Queen of the Field Mice and her subjects appear as well and end up playing quite an important role, both helping our band of travellers when they are headed back to the Emerald City to face Junjur and also as a pawn in one attack, using a stereotypical tool of fear! There are also plenty of new characters including the witch Mombi and General Jinjur, but among the standouts to me was the Woggle Bug. Mr H. M. Woggle Bug TE or Mr Highly Magnified Woggle Bug, Thoroughly Educated seems straight out of Lewis Carroll and I loved his Carrollian tale—of the rather fun way he became as he did—Thoroughly Educated and Highly Magnified and in a dapper costume. There are also Jack Pumpkinhead and the Saw Horse (rather at loggerheads—no pun intended—with each other) and a curious creature the party end up manufacturing from sofas, palm leaves and a Gump which helps them more than once and shows a rather dignified side when things settle down and it must decide on its fate.
There are many themes and aspects that one could tease out from the book whether issues of gender, guardianship/parenthood, rulers and reigns or even education, but since I don’t want to ramble on and on, I’ll confine myself to one other that really struck, and this was the political thread. In Jinjur and her band we have an all-woman army who thinks Scarecrow is incapable of ruling and wish to overthrow him and take over, but when they do, their interest is in the emeralds that line the streets of the city, the gowns that the treasury can buy them and chocolate which is prepared in the kitchens for Jinjur. The men of the city are made to do the work while women simply roam the streets and gossip. This picture I was sure was somewhere inspired by the suffragettes, confirmed now by a loose search on google, but it also had me wondering what Baum actually thought of them, an idea about which I was confused because he does have women ‘rulers’ in say, Glinda the good witch also with her all-woman (and far more capable than Jinjur’s) army and Ozma, the rightful heir who eventually takes over the throne of Oz. But he is certainly poking fun at the suffragettes as well, using stereotypical images and perceptions—whether this was meant as a gentle tease as some commenters suggest or hinted at some degree of disapproval, I couldn’t really decide.
When I embarked on this revisit of this second Oz book (part of very belatedly catching up with Lory’s #Ozathon24), I had expected another entertaining fantasy adventure. And while I did get that, I also got far more from this rich and clever book!
...more
In The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904) we meet a young boy Tip, whose been brought up by and lives with an old quasi-witch Mombi—quasi since she is not permitted to practice proper magic by orders of the good witch of the South, Glinda. As is usual, Tip isn’t treated all that well an made to do various chores. So, to get back at Mombi and have a little fun in the process Tip manufactures a Pumpkinhead, a stick figure complete with joints and a pumpkinhead, dresses it in colourful attire and positions it at a bend in the road go give the old woman a good scare as she returns from the market. But something very different is in store for the Pumpkinhead as Mombi jus happens to be bringing back with her ‘the powder of life’ and uses Pumpkinhead to test it. With this Jack Pumpkinhead comes to life and Tip is in for a punishment, to be turned into a marble statue. To escape this fate, he decides to run away with Jack Pumpkinhead to whom he is now ‘father’ to the Emerald city to the Scarecrow, now ruler there. Jack’s joints however are not very well made and along they way, Tip who has taken with him the powder of life uses it to bring to life a saw horse whom Jack rides. But after some adventures, as they get to the Emerald City and are briefly separated, Jack and Saw Horse meeting Scarecrow and Tip left outside, the city is attacked by the all-girl army of General Jinjur, armed with knitting needles, who quite easily oust poor Scarecrow.
Now Scarecrow, accompanied by Tip, Jack Pumpkinhead and the Saw Horse journey to the land of the Winkies to seek help from the Tin Woodman, but while that is forthcoming, neither the journey back to the Emerald City nor the confrontation with Jinjur and her army turn out very easy. Our adventurers are joined by Mr H.M. Woggle Bug, TE, and must face numerous challenges and obstacles in regaining the Emerald City, with even Glinda whose help they finally seek unable to vanquish their enemies with ease. And the outcome isn’t quite what they expect with secrets revealed and things taking a very different direction one would have imagined, as Oz’s throne is restored to its rightful ruler!
I was lucky to have an edition of this book from Dover Publications which is a faithful reproduction of the original with all 120 line-illustrations and 16 colour plates. These made my reading experience all the more special of this book which is miles above (and also in that sense very different from) its predecessor.
What stands out most when reading the book is the clever writing spread across the book, for instance, in the initial chapters, in the form of a dialogue between the not-too-bright Jack Pumpkinhead and Scarecrow when they first meet—a few pages along—where Jack claims and the Scarecrow accepts that they don’t understand each other as they belong to different ‘countries’ and require an ‘interpreter’ when all the while the reader can see they perfectly understand each other. When an interpreter is called, she takes the opportunity to have some fun before pointing out the obvious, the languages they’re speaking are one and the same:
"Where on earth did you come from, and how do you happen to be alive?”
“I beg your Majesty’s pardon,” returned the Pumpkinhead; “but I do not understand you.”
“What don’t you understand?” asked the Scarecrow.
“Why, I don’t understand your language. You see, I came from the Country of the Gillikins, so that I am a foreigner.”
“Ah, to be sure!” exclaimed the Scarecrow. “I myself speak the language of the Munchkins, which is also the language of the Emerald City. But you, I suppose, speak the language of the Pumpkinheads?”
“Exactly so, your Majesty” replied the other, bowing; “so it will be impossible for us to understand one another.”
“That is unfortunate, certainly,” said the Scarecrow, thoughtfully. “We must have an interpreter.”
“What is an interpreter?” asked Jack.
“A person who understands both my language and your own. When I say anything, the interpreter can tell you what I mean; and when you say anything the interpreter can tell me what you mean. For the interpreter can speak both languages as well as understand them.”
“That is certainly clever,” said Jack, greatly pleased at finding so simple a way out of the difficulty.
The Scarecrow has doubtless retained his brains (may be not so apparent from the preceding conversation) and from him spring many of the gems in this book. Like when his one soldier-strong ‘Royal Army’ declares himself scared of the all-girl army, he remarks
“But, for my part, not being a soldier, I am fond of danger…”
And when told that the Tin Woodman is having himself plated with Nickel,
“If his wit bears the same polish, how sparkling it must be!”
The Tin Woodman himself is not far behind, when he remarks to Jack Pumpkinhead ever aware and in fear of the shortness of his life (for pumpkins must spoil someday)
“Do not, I beg of you, dampen today’s sun with the showers of tomorrow. For before your head has time to spoil you can have it canned, and in that way it may be preserved indefinitely.”
Some of my favourites though came from the mouth of the Woggle Bug. When the Saw Horse breaks its leg and must have it replaced, for instance, he is rather irked:
"It was a shame that I broke my other leg!” it growled.
“On the contrary,” airily remarked the Woggle-Bug, who was walking alongside, “you should consider the accident most fortunate. For a horse is never of much use until he has been broken.”
And as he is a rather educated Woggle Bug (more on that in a bit), he can’t resist a good pun, even when checked repeatedly:
“I myself am Thoroughly Educated, and I say that puns display genius. For instance, were I to ride upon this Saw-Horse, he would not only be an animal he would become an equipage. For he would then be a horse-and-buggy.”
But before I go overboard on just this aspect of the book of which there are so many lines I’ve marked, I really must stop.
Of old friends from the first book, we meet the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman and also Glinda, the good witch but not Dorothy or the Lion. The Queen of the Field Mice and her subjects appear as well and end up playing quite an important role, both helping our band of travellers when they are headed back to the Emerald City to face Junjur and also as a pawn in one attack, using a stereotypical tool of fear! There are also plenty of new characters including the witch Mombi and General Jinjur, but among the standouts to me was the Woggle Bug. Mr H. M. Woggle Bug TE or Mr Highly Magnified Woggle Bug, Thoroughly Educated seems straight out of Lewis Carroll and I loved his Carrollian tale—of the rather fun way he became as he did—Thoroughly Educated and Highly Magnified and in a dapper costume. There are also Jack Pumpkinhead and the Saw Horse (rather at loggerheads—no pun intended—with each other) and a curious creature the party end up manufacturing from sofas, palm leaves and a Gump which helps them more than once and shows a rather dignified side when things settle down and it must decide on its fate.
There are many themes and aspects that one could tease out from the book whether issues of gender, guardianship/parenthood, rulers and reigns or even education, but since I don’t want to ramble on and on, I’ll confine myself to one other that really struck, and this was the political thread. In Jinjur and her band we have an all-woman army who thinks Scarecrow is incapable of ruling and wish to overthrow him and take over, but when they do, their interest is in the emeralds that line the streets of the city, the gowns that the treasury can buy them and chocolate which is prepared in the kitchens for Jinjur. The men of the city are made to do the work while women simply roam the streets and gossip. This picture I was sure was somewhere inspired by the suffragettes, confirmed now by a loose search on google, but it also had me wondering what Baum actually thought of them, an idea about which I was confused because he does have women ‘rulers’ in say, Glinda the good witch also with her all-woman (and far more capable than Jinjur’s) army and Ozma, the rightful heir who eventually takes over the throne of Oz. But he is certainly poking fun at the suffragettes as well, using stereotypical images and perceptions—whether this was meant as a gentle tease as some commenters suggest or hinted at some degree of disapproval, I couldn’t really decide.
When I embarked on this revisit of this second Oz book (part of very belatedly catching up with Lory’s #Ozathon24), I had expected another entertaining fantasy adventure. And while I did get that, I also got far more from this rich and clever book!
...more
Notes are private!
6
1
May 05, 2024
May 10, 2024
May 05, 2024
Paperback
0758202695
9780758202697
0758202695
3.62
1,706
Jan 01, 1909
Jan 01, 2002
really liked it
I received a review copy of this book from Chiara Giacobbe at Kazabo Publishing for which my thanks.
Described as the ‘American Agatha Christie’ though I received a review copy of this book from Chiara Giacobbe at Kazabo Publishing for which my thanks.
Described as the ‘American Agatha Christie’ though she was 15 years the latter’s senior, Mary Roberts Rinehart was a prolific writer of short stories, novels, plays and nonfiction. Although she wrote even as a teen, a serious turn to writing came only at the age of 27 when she and her physician husband lost their savings in a stock market crash. While she stared with writing short stories, it was her first novel, The Circular Staircase published in 1907 which brought her national fame and success.
I have been meaning to try something by Rinehart for some time now and my chance came when Chiara Giacobbe of Kazabo Publishing wrote to me about reviewing a ‘Modern Readers Edition’ (more about this in a bit) of one of Rinehart’s books that they’re bringing out, and of course I was glad to say yes.
The Man in Lower Ten was first published in 1909 and is Mary Roberts Rinehart’s second novel—a quite convoluted murder mystery that unfolds in part on a train and also involves a forgery trial, stolen papers, a variety of blackmail, humour and of course romance. The story is narrated in the first-person voice of Lawrence Blakely, a young attorney who is running a small firm with his best friend Richey McKnight; the two being in charge among others of a forgery trial for which Blakely agrees to travel to Pittsburgh to get the evidence of millionaire industrialist John Gilmore to secure the conviction. While the first part of his journey is smooth, the same can’t be said about the return which begins with him noticing some fellow travellers before they board the train and quickly spirals into confusion with passengers mixing up berths, his clothes and bag going missing (in which were the all-important documents), and to add to it all a murder discovered in the berth he originally was to occupy. Things become such that suspicion falls on Lawrence for the murder and in the presence it seems of a young woman on the train who has captured Lawrence’s heart. But before anything concrete can happen, another incident throws up more upheaval.
Now Lawrence is in some quite grave trouble with not only a possible murder charge hanging over his head but the vital papers for his trial missing (stolen?) and the girl he has fallen in love with clearly in need of help though he doesn’t know what the matter is. But amidst all this he isn’t friendless for Ritche McKnight is there to help as well as an amateur detective Wilson Hotchkiss, who initially seems an adversary but soon enough joins their ‘team’. There are also Lawrence’s formidable housekeeper Mrs Klopton, who while not involved with any of the mystery threads, does make sure he is well taken care of as does Blobs, the fifteen-year-old office boy at their firm who supplies some comic relief while protecting Lawrence!
This edition of The Man in Lower Ten has been rewritten for current-day readers by the team at Kazabo so as to make the book accessible and fun to people today for while interested readers may pick up the original text, sometimes language and writing style can prove a problem and make one’s reading of it seem like a drag or chore. Added to that, obscure or out of date references have one needing to stop and ‘google’, again impeding smooth reading. While some of us may not mind doing this (myself included), having to do so would perhaps dissuade many readers from picking up the book at all, and it is to these readers that Kazabo’s modern edition would especially appeal, in line with their idea of keeping reading fun!
And it did in fact to me as well; I found the rewritten edition moved smoothly and at a fast pace, even though the plot itself was not always fast-paced or action packed. And while they may have ‘updated’ the writing, they haven’t taken away from the feel or atmosphere of the story. Additionally, the short notes with each chapter clarifying or expanding on references from the period whether songs or poems or popular card games were very helpful (and saved the trouble of specifically looking them up).
While I didn’t manage to read significant chunks of the original text to compare, here's a short para from the original versus the updated version to give you a flavour of the changes:
Afterwards, when I tried to recall our discovery of the body in lower ten, I found that my most vivid impression was not that made by the revelation of the opened curtain. I had an instantaneous picture of a slender blue-gowned girl who seemed to sense my words rather than hear them, of two small hands that clutched desperately at the seat beside them. The girl in the aisle stood, bent toward us, perplexity and alarm fighting in her face. (original text; ch 4
Afterward, when I tried to recall our discovery of the body in lower ten, my most vivid impression wasn’t from the revelation of the open curtain. It was of a slender girl in a blue gown, seemingly sensing my words rather than just hearing them, with hands tightly clutching the seat beside her. The girl in the aisle stood leaning toward us, her face showing perplexity and alarm. (updated text; ch 4
As to the mystery itself, or mysteries rather, as Rinehart gives us plenty of threads, there are indeed several characters, details, twists and complications that one can’t really work it (or any of it) out quite till one is told. But it is interesting watching each development as it unfolds and each piece of information/clue as it is picked up (including from a vaudeville). Some elements involved in the solution/explanation are much in keeping with the social mores of the time but while this didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the mystery in anyway, I did find myself thinking of Christie’s stories which in many ways are not tied to their time as such, if that makes sense. Although we end up following only a limited number of characters from the train, there are still a fair few between the missing papers and the murder. While one can by and large keep track of them, there were a couple I did confuse though it didn’t stay that way for long.
Train settings are among my favourites for mysteries and I enjoyed this story for that element too, both conjuring up the experience of old-time train journeys as well as the mix ups about berth numbers which add much complication to the mystery threads, leaving our ‘hero’ more than bewildered. It was interesting to learn from Kazabo’s introduction to Pullman cars (aboard one of which our story is set) and Rinehart how the involvement of the ‘lower ten’ in this story made that berth ‘unsaleable’ for sometime after the book’s publication. One can but imagine how popular it must have been.
Lawrence Blakely might be the narrator of the story (rather reminiscent of one of those clients of Sherlock Holmes who are unwillingly involved in unpleasant experiences), but he isn’t really the ‘detective’ of the piece; rather he works with both McKnight and Hotchkiss, both of whom actively pursue clues and threads. He is a chivalrous young man, bent on protecting the girl he has fallen in love with, but here I felt his chivalry perhaps goes too far, almost harming his own cause for it prevents him from clearing up facts that could not only help himself but also the lady in question. Not the kind of ‘hero’ who enthusiastically dives into the challenge he has been thrown into and as a consequence not as endearing, but the emotions he experiences are still realistic and relatable. (I also held against him that he didn’t like cats ...more
Described as the ‘American Agatha Christie’ though I received a review copy of this book from Chiara Giacobbe at Kazabo Publishing for which my thanks.
Described as the ‘American Agatha Christie’ though she was 15 years the latter’s senior, Mary Roberts Rinehart was a prolific writer of short stories, novels, plays and nonfiction. Although she wrote even as a teen, a serious turn to writing came only at the age of 27 when she and her physician husband lost their savings in a stock market crash. While she stared with writing short stories, it was her first novel, The Circular Staircase published in 1907 which brought her national fame and success.
I have been meaning to try something by Rinehart for some time now and my chance came when Chiara Giacobbe of Kazabo Publishing wrote to me about reviewing a ‘Modern Readers Edition’ (more about this in a bit) of one of Rinehart’s books that they’re bringing out, and of course I was glad to say yes.
The Man in Lower Ten was first published in 1909 and is Mary Roberts Rinehart’s second novel—a quite convoluted murder mystery that unfolds in part on a train and also involves a forgery trial, stolen papers, a variety of blackmail, humour and of course romance. The story is narrated in the first-person voice of Lawrence Blakely, a young attorney who is running a small firm with his best friend Richey McKnight; the two being in charge among others of a forgery trial for which Blakely agrees to travel to Pittsburgh to get the evidence of millionaire industrialist John Gilmore to secure the conviction. While the first part of his journey is smooth, the same can’t be said about the return which begins with him noticing some fellow travellers before they board the train and quickly spirals into confusion with passengers mixing up berths, his clothes and bag going missing (in which were the all-important documents), and to add to it all a murder discovered in the berth he originally was to occupy. Things become such that suspicion falls on Lawrence for the murder and in the presence it seems of a young woman on the train who has captured Lawrence’s heart. But before anything concrete can happen, another incident throws up more upheaval.
Now Lawrence is in some quite grave trouble with not only a possible murder charge hanging over his head but the vital papers for his trial missing (stolen?) and the girl he has fallen in love with clearly in need of help though he doesn’t know what the matter is. But amidst all this he isn’t friendless for Ritche McKnight is there to help as well as an amateur detective Wilson Hotchkiss, who initially seems an adversary but soon enough joins their ‘team’. There are also Lawrence’s formidable housekeeper Mrs Klopton, who while not involved with any of the mystery threads, does make sure he is well taken care of as does Blobs, the fifteen-year-old office boy at their firm who supplies some comic relief while protecting Lawrence!
This edition of The Man in Lower Ten has been rewritten for current-day readers by the team at Kazabo so as to make the book accessible and fun to people today for while interested readers may pick up the original text, sometimes language and writing style can prove a problem and make one’s reading of it seem like a drag or chore. Added to that, obscure or out of date references have one needing to stop and ‘google’, again impeding smooth reading. While some of us may not mind doing this (myself included), having to do so would perhaps dissuade many readers from picking up the book at all, and it is to these readers that Kazabo’s modern edition would especially appeal, in line with their idea of keeping reading fun!
And it did in fact to me as well; I found the rewritten edition moved smoothly and at a fast pace, even though the plot itself was not always fast-paced or action packed. And while they may have ‘updated’ the writing, they haven’t taken away from the feel or atmosphere of the story. Additionally, the short notes with each chapter clarifying or expanding on references from the period whether songs or poems or popular card games were very helpful (and saved the trouble of specifically looking them up).
While I didn’t manage to read significant chunks of the original text to compare, here's a short para from the original versus the updated version to give you a flavour of the changes:
Afterwards, when I tried to recall our discovery of the body in lower ten, I found that my most vivid impression was not that made by the revelation of the opened curtain. I had an instantaneous picture of a slender blue-gowned girl who seemed to sense my words rather than hear them, of two small hands that clutched desperately at the seat beside them. The girl in the aisle stood, bent toward us, perplexity and alarm fighting in her face. (original text; ch 4
Afterward, when I tried to recall our discovery of the body in lower ten, my most vivid impression wasn’t from the revelation of the open curtain. It was of a slender girl in a blue gown, seemingly sensing my words rather than just hearing them, with hands tightly clutching the seat beside her. The girl in the aisle stood leaning toward us, her face showing perplexity and alarm. (updated text; ch 4
As to the mystery itself, or mysteries rather, as Rinehart gives us plenty of threads, there are indeed several characters, details, twists and complications that one can’t really work it (or any of it) out quite till one is told. But it is interesting watching each development as it unfolds and each piece of information/clue as it is picked up (including from a vaudeville). Some elements involved in the solution/explanation are much in keeping with the social mores of the time but while this didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the mystery in anyway, I did find myself thinking of Christie’s stories which in many ways are not tied to their time as such, if that makes sense. Although we end up following only a limited number of characters from the train, there are still a fair few between the missing papers and the murder. While one can by and large keep track of them, there were a couple I did confuse though it didn’t stay that way for long.
Train settings are among my favourites for mysteries and I enjoyed this story for that element too, both conjuring up the experience of old-time train journeys as well as the mix ups about berth numbers which add much complication to the mystery threads, leaving our ‘hero’ more than bewildered. It was interesting to learn from Kazabo’s introduction to Pullman cars (aboard one of which our story is set) and Rinehart how the involvement of the ‘lower ten’ in this story made that berth ‘unsaleable’ for sometime after the book’s publication. One can but imagine how popular it must have been.
Lawrence Blakely might be the narrator of the story (rather reminiscent of one of those clients of Sherlock Holmes who are unwillingly involved in unpleasant experiences), but he isn’t really the ‘detective’ of the piece; rather he works with both McKnight and Hotchkiss, both of whom actively pursue clues and threads. He is a chivalrous young man, bent on protecting the girl he has fallen in love with, but here I felt his chivalry perhaps goes too far, almost harming his own cause for it prevents him from clearing up facts that could not only help himself but also the lady in question. Not the kind of ‘hero’ who enthusiastically dives into the challenge he has been thrown into and as a consequence not as endearing, but the emotions he experiences are still realistic and relatable. (I also held against him that he didn’t like cats ...more
Notes are private!
1
Apr 28, 2024
Apr 30, 2024
May 01, 2024
Paperback
0380541718
9780380541713
0380541718
4.01
1,351
1979
Jan 01, 1984
really liked it
In The Luck Runs Out, Canadian–American author Charlotte MacLeod gives readers a truly enjoyable read, with a different from the usual setting, eccent
In The Luck Runs Out, Canadian–American author Charlotte MacLeod gives readers a truly enjoyable read, with a different from the usual setting, eccentric, exaggerated characters, a pignapping (with plenty of other animals around-none harmed), plenty of literary references, witty writing but amidst all the fun also a quite solid murder mystery.
The book, second in a series, is set on the campus of the fictional Balaclava Agricultural College, where Peter Shandy is professor of Botany and also happens to solve crimes with his wife, Libarian Helen Marsh Shandy (whom he met in book 1 which I haven’t yet read). The annual competition of the Balaclava County Draft Horse Association is coming up and contestants are amidst preparations while the farrier, Martha Flackley ensures the horses are in top condition. But as the horse shoes at the stables are found turned upside down one day, it seems a portent that their luck is about to ‘run out’ and so it does with a flurry of troubles being unleashed. First Helen and Peter, out to buy a sterling dinner service, are briefly caught amidst a heist with Helen taken hostage; then not long after a dinner party they throw, Martha Flackley is found dead—murdered—in a mash feeder and Balaclava’s prize pig Belinda, all 800+ pounds of her has been pignapped with the culprits leaving an array of menacing messages from pork chops to a ham sandwich with a bite taken out of it. The police are there to investigate of course but college president Thorkjeld Svenson also deploys the entire student body in search of Belinda, letting them loose to scour the college surrounds. Suspects there are plenty, among whom is also a group of which Birgit Svenson, one of Throkjeld’s seven daughters is part—the Vigilante Vegetarians.
Meanwhile other more personal developments are also afoot with some mild matchmaking being done on campus as the rather repugnant housekeeper Lorene McSpee has taken over Prof Tim Ames’ home and life, Helen’s friend Iduna Bjorklund is there for a visit as she must seek gainful employment having lost her family fortune, and Birgit and her beau, the devastatingly handsome Hajlmar Olafssen have had a fall out but no clue as to the cause. Have those upside-down (or did I mean right-side up) horseshoes really turned the fortunes of Balaclava upside down?
I loved this fun, crazy mystery all the way through and wasn’t quite sure what course things would take which meant I could enjoy the reveal as it came. But the mystery (and I will come to that) is just one of the elements of this book in which MacLeod also gives us a whole host of eccentric characters and situations, some pushed to the levels of almost ridiculous but with a restrained hand that they don’t go into caricature or spoof territory. We have Thorkjeld Svenson and his lovely wife Seiglinde with their seven daughters, of whom it is Birgit here that we are see most closely; Birgit’s boyfriend Hajlmar who may be handsome and talented but is also quite the klutz, even tripping over his own sheepdog mid-competition; Prof Ames who always forgets to turn on his hearing aid and whose home (now that his wife has passed on) has been all but taken over by the bleach spewing Lorene McSpee; Prof Stott devoted to Belinda; the attractive but substantial Iduna, skilled at the culinary arts and the Flackleys themselves, farriers to the college, among others, and who almost magically carry on their trade without the slightest break, one family member taking over from the other seamlessly (after a death) such that clients don’t even notice the change (nor, at least on Stott’s case, know much about them).
The writing is humorous and clever with plenty of literary allusions/references—Jane Eyre to Jonah; and with the 800-pound Belinda on the scene reminding one of a certain other fictional prize pig (across the pond), her creator is acknowledged too.
While keeping the comedic element in top form all through the book, MacLeod doesn’t compromise on the mystery itself and there are various developments as the story progresses, all culminating in an outcome that I certainly didn’t work out even if some links might have stood out. There is also a little touch of drama in the final ‘showdown’ as it were to unmask the culprits but only in the denouement do we find out how everything connects up. I loved that there was an afterword in the form of ‘Junction Jottings’ from the ‘Balaclava County Weekly Fane and Pennon’, three separate issues, in fact—which tell us not only the outcome of the Draft Horse competition but various subsequent events.
This was so much fun to read and Ieft me wanting to explore more of the series as well as MacLeod’s other books. ...more
The book, second in a series, is set on the campus of the fictional Balaclava Agricultural College, where Peter Shandy is professor of Botany and also happens to solve crimes with his wife, Libarian Helen Marsh Shandy (whom he met in book 1 which I haven’t yet read). The annual competition of the Balaclava County Draft Horse Association is coming up and contestants are amidst preparations while the farrier, Martha Flackley ensures the horses are in top condition. But as the horse shoes at the stables are found turned upside down one day, it seems a portent that their luck is about to ‘run out’ and so it does with a flurry of troubles being unleashed. First Helen and Peter, out to buy a sterling dinner service, are briefly caught amidst a heist with Helen taken hostage; then not long after a dinner party they throw, Martha Flackley is found dead—murdered—in a mash feeder and Balaclava’s prize pig Belinda, all 800+ pounds of her has been pignapped with the culprits leaving an array of menacing messages from pork chops to a ham sandwich with a bite taken out of it. The police are there to investigate of course but college president Thorkjeld Svenson also deploys the entire student body in search of Belinda, letting them loose to scour the college surrounds. Suspects there are plenty, among whom is also a group of which Birgit Svenson, one of Throkjeld’s seven daughters is part—the Vigilante Vegetarians.
Meanwhile other more personal developments are also afoot with some mild matchmaking being done on campus as the rather repugnant housekeeper Lorene McSpee has taken over Prof Tim Ames’ home and life, Helen’s friend Iduna Bjorklund is there for a visit as she must seek gainful employment having lost her family fortune, and Birgit and her beau, the devastatingly handsome Hajlmar Olafssen have had a fall out but no clue as to the cause. Have those upside-down (or did I mean right-side up) horseshoes really turned the fortunes of Balaclava upside down?
I loved this fun, crazy mystery all the way through and wasn’t quite sure what course things would take which meant I could enjoy the reveal as it came. But the mystery (and I will come to that) is just one of the elements of this book in which MacLeod also gives us a whole host of eccentric characters and situations, some pushed to the levels of almost ridiculous but with a restrained hand that they don’t go into caricature or spoof territory. We have Thorkjeld Svenson and his lovely wife Seiglinde with their seven daughters, of whom it is Birgit here that we are see most closely; Birgit’s boyfriend Hajlmar who may be handsome and talented but is also quite the klutz, even tripping over his own sheepdog mid-competition; Prof Ames who always forgets to turn on his hearing aid and whose home (now that his wife has passed on) has been all but taken over by the bleach spewing Lorene McSpee; Prof Stott devoted to Belinda; the attractive but substantial Iduna, skilled at the culinary arts and the Flackleys themselves, farriers to the college, among others, and who almost magically carry on their trade without the slightest break, one family member taking over from the other seamlessly (after a death) such that clients don’t even notice the change (nor, at least on Stott’s case, know much about them).
The writing is humorous and clever with plenty of literary allusions/references—Jane Eyre to Jonah; and with the 800-pound Belinda on the scene reminding one of a certain other fictional prize pig (across the pond), her creator is acknowledged too.
While keeping the comedic element in top form all through the book, MacLeod doesn’t compromise on the mystery itself and there are various developments as the story progresses, all culminating in an outcome that I certainly didn’t work out even if some links might have stood out. There is also a little touch of drama in the final ‘showdown’ as it were to unmask the culprits but only in the denouement do we find out how everything connects up. I loved that there was an afterword in the form of ‘Junction Jottings’ from the ‘Balaclava County Weekly Fane and Pennon’, three separate issues, in fact—which tell us not only the outcome of the Draft Horse competition but various subsequent events.
This was so much fun to read and Ieft me wanting to explore more of the series as well as MacLeod’s other books. ...more
Notes are private!
1
not set
Jan 2024
Apr 27, 2024
Paperback
1471192857
9781471192852
1471192857
3.68
19,492
Jan 07, 2020
Jan 07, 2020
really liked it
While young adult romance is a genre I wouldn’t usually pick up, let alone buy, I ended up acquiring a copy of this one after hearing about it on YouT
While young adult romance is a genre I wouldn’t usually pick up, let alone buy, I ended up acquiring a copy of this one after hearing about it on YouTube/Booktube a few years ago (likely close to its release in 2020) as this is set in Taipei and I had (and till reading it still hadn’t) read anything set there. While it is indeed primarily a teen romance (and thus geared to a very different audience than myself), it does also cover themes of racism and stereotyping faced by children of Asian immigrants, as also the disconnect and fraught relationships many have with their parents who while well-meaning have their own aspirations and resultingly unreasonable expectations from their children, never quite understanding them.
Loveboat Taipei is told in first person by our main character, Everett (Ever) Wong, an eighteen-year-old Chinese American just about to graduate high school and head to college where she is to study premed (The book in fact opens with responses to various applications she’s sent in). She has received several rejections but also admission to Northwestern University. Amidst this stack of premed applications, there’s another she secretly sent in—to the Tisch School of Dance as dance is the one thing she truly loves. For her parents through, it isn’t something that can put food on the table, and only adds to your CV as an extracurricular for other ‘more important’ careers. We get some background of her very strict upbringing (no boyfriends; no make-up (even lip gloss counts as make-up), modest dressing, focus on studying alone, etc.) and the future her family has envisioned for her.
Ever is more or less resigned to her fate (after all her parents have worked hard to get this for her—her father is trained as a doctor but working as an orderly in America since his degree is not recognised), but looks forward to a dance in the parade she has been preparing for with her best (perhaps only) friend Megan. But before any of that can happen, her mother swoops in and is packing her off for the summer. To Taipei to a summer school of sorts to study Mandarin, which she doesn’t know at all, and Chinese culture. Upset but once again with no choice, and believing her summer all but ruined, Ever arrives in Taiwan to attend Chien Tan, where she almost immediately runs into the one person she has hated all her life even though she’s never set eyes on him. Rick Woo, also the son of immigrants, seems to have been perfect at everything—spelling bee, football, studies, and a million other things and someone her parents have always measured her against. I’m sure you get the picture, and all how that’s going to turn out. Befriending her immediately though is Sophie Ha, Rick’s glamorous cousin and soon at the school a few others. Almost as soon as she comes in, she discovers that while there are Mandarin lessons and electives to be done, this isn’t quite the strict place she expected—students sneak off in the evenings to clubs, do exactly what they want and even have casual flings or serious relationships. So instead of a place where she thought she’d be trapped, she suddenly finds herself free from all her family’s rules and pledging in fact to break them.
Setting about doing so does seem like fun, but when things go too far and combined with misunderstandings send her almost rock bottom, she is forced to reevaluate whether breaking the rules is what she truly wanted. And more than that what does she really want in life—will living up to her family’s expectations be enough?
Romance is of course key in this one, and there is plenty of it all through—Ever has only had one serious crush in her life and that person is now dating her friend (we learn that complicated story as we read), and even here she isn’t determined to find love but it does come her way. There is the attraction to (even if she denies it) Rick and she also seems to have an admirer who is sending her beautiful sketches of herself. Alongside, we also follow Sophie’s attempts at finding love. There are plenty of dramatic moments on the way, and at times things did feel a bit much, but it was still fun enough. This is of course geared to older teens.
But the other aspects of the book in terms of the complicated relationships many of these kids have with their parents and what they face as immigrants appealed to me much more. On the one side we have Ever herself, who is intelligent and does well at school and whose parents want her, no expect her to be a doctor (fulfil their American dream). But she gets nauseous at the sight of blood and her heart lies in dancing. Yet she is well aware of the sacrifices her parents have made and caught between her wishes and wanting to do something for them who’ve given up so much for her. She laments how she isn’t close to her parents and can’t really share anything (not just hopes or dreams but even simple things like books or music) with them like others do. She is ‘American’ (and individual) and they ‘Chinese’ (and community driven) so they have that divide between them even when living as a family. Her parents are well-intentioned even if rather harsh (at least her mom), but it is when we get to see her father more closely towards the end that some of their perspective too comes in—in that they are first generation immigrants and find their daughter’s English so difficult and rapid that are unable to keep up. They also constantly question their decision to immigrate, and wonder whether they’ve done the right thing. So it isn’t the children alone who are struggling. On the other hand, is Sophie who is an intelligent young woman whose mother is unable to believe that she can do anything worthwhile beyond marrying money and as a result she seems unable to rely on her own abilities and only out to find a rich husband. Rick whose father had walked out on his family has had to take on too much responsibility, while there’s Xavier whose father is unable to understand or accept his dyslexia dubbing it a Western problem that Chinese can’t have. Each of these and others struggle, but while they have their differences with their parents, they are mature enough to also understand their parents sacrifices and viewpoints and how privileged they are compared to others. Yet, that balance between their own and their family’s happiness must be found.
The characters also navigate other relationships—romance and friendships—which in each case have their singularities and complications; unrequited love, over-possessive partners, even violent ones. There are also sibling relationships like Ever and her sister Pearl; or the cousins Sophie and Rick—always supporting each other.
Meanwhile we also have some other students, Sam, Marc, Peter, David and Benji, determined to break the stereotypes associated with Asian Americans, using every opportunity to take photos in certain places and poses to do so, even a performance in a concert the school ends up holding. Each of them (Ever, Rick, and Sophie included) have faced racism in some form or other—mostly verbal but still hurtful, and that is an experience that ties them. In terms of identity, Ever also starts to get comfortable with her Asianness, something she has tried to deny or run away from her whole life, an attitude that sadly many seem to adopt because of their environment—ending up with disdain of a sort for their own culture. [On a related aside, she finds herself able to openly enjoy foods that she refused to have in her lunch because the American kids would comment]. While she’s happy to break all the other rules, she does take her lessons seriously and Mandarin becomes less of a mystery.
Then there’s of course the reason I picked this book up in the first place, Taiwan. Once a fair way into the story we get some glimpses into the place—places of interest like the National Palace Museum, Sun Yat Sen memorial, National Theatre etc., also the lovely historical home Lin An Tai, besides other places in southern Taiwan as the students are taken on a tour. All of these are described but just enough for a YA novel (I’d personally have liked some more description). We also visit the affluent quarters of Taipei where Rick and Sophie’s relations live. In their classes are Bo fights and fan dancing, calligraphy and Chinese medicine and Rick and Ever also walk into a Taichi session on one occasion. The picture is balanced with the other side of the country where typhoons lead to damage and families losing all—the part of society which has to struggle for survival.
Ever herself is an interesting character to follow; on some levels, she was the typical teenager who did tend to annoy me, on others I could sympathise, and yet others appreciate her understanding. She does some fairly foolish (reckless really) things, but at her age and in her situation, one can’t entirely blame her either. Her love for dance (and the author’s) is apparent all through—not just in the steps or dances she choreographs but the feeling she goes through and how the rhythm takes possession of her body and makes it flow.
So while I may not be the intended audience for this book, there were plenty of elements that I could appreciate and enjoy and I found I did so much more than I’d expected. There are two further books in the series but rather than sequels, they continue the stories of other characters we’ve met. I may not jump on them immediately but wouldn’t mind looking them up at some point.
3.75 rounded off ...more
Loveboat Taipei is told in first person by our main character, Everett (Ever) Wong, an eighteen-year-old Chinese American just about to graduate high school and head to college where she is to study premed (The book in fact opens with responses to various applications she’s sent in). She has received several rejections but also admission to Northwestern University. Amidst this stack of premed applications, there’s another she secretly sent in—to the Tisch School of Dance as dance is the one thing she truly loves. For her parents through, it isn’t something that can put food on the table, and only adds to your CV as an extracurricular for other ‘more important’ careers. We get some background of her very strict upbringing (no boyfriends; no make-up (even lip gloss counts as make-up), modest dressing, focus on studying alone, etc.) and the future her family has envisioned for her.
Ever is more or less resigned to her fate (after all her parents have worked hard to get this for her—her father is trained as a doctor but working as an orderly in America since his degree is not recognised), but looks forward to a dance in the parade she has been preparing for with her best (perhaps only) friend Megan. But before any of that can happen, her mother swoops in and is packing her off for the summer. To Taipei to a summer school of sorts to study Mandarin, which she doesn’t know at all, and Chinese culture. Upset but once again with no choice, and believing her summer all but ruined, Ever arrives in Taiwan to attend Chien Tan, where she almost immediately runs into the one person she has hated all her life even though she’s never set eyes on him. Rick Woo, also the son of immigrants, seems to have been perfect at everything—spelling bee, football, studies, and a million other things and someone her parents have always measured her against. I’m sure you get the picture, and all how that’s going to turn out. Befriending her immediately though is Sophie Ha, Rick’s glamorous cousin and soon at the school a few others. Almost as soon as she comes in, she discovers that while there are Mandarin lessons and electives to be done, this isn’t quite the strict place she expected—students sneak off in the evenings to clubs, do exactly what they want and even have casual flings or serious relationships. So instead of a place where she thought she’d be trapped, she suddenly finds herself free from all her family’s rules and pledging in fact to break them.
Setting about doing so does seem like fun, but when things go too far and combined with misunderstandings send her almost rock bottom, she is forced to reevaluate whether breaking the rules is what she truly wanted. And more than that what does she really want in life—will living up to her family’s expectations be enough?
Romance is of course key in this one, and there is plenty of it all through—Ever has only had one serious crush in her life and that person is now dating her friend (we learn that complicated story as we read), and even here she isn’t determined to find love but it does come her way. There is the attraction to (even if she denies it) Rick and she also seems to have an admirer who is sending her beautiful sketches of herself. Alongside, we also follow Sophie’s attempts at finding love. There are plenty of dramatic moments on the way, and at times things did feel a bit much, but it was still fun enough. This is of course geared to older teens.
But the other aspects of the book in terms of the complicated relationships many of these kids have with their parents and what they face as immigrants appealed to me much more. On the one side we have Ever herself, who is intelligent and does well at school and whose parents want her, no expect her to be a doctor (fulfil their American dream). But she gets nauseous at the sight of blood and her heart lies in dancing. Yet she is well aware of the sacrifices her parents have made and caught between her wishes and wanting to do something for them who’ve given up so much for her. She laments how she isn’t close to her parents and can’t really share anything (not just hopes or dreams but even simple things like books or music) with them like others do. She is ‘American’ (and individual) and they ‘Chinese’ (and community driven) so they have that divide between them even when living as a family. Her parents are well-intentioned even if rather harsh (at least her mom), but it is when we get to see her father more closely towards the end that some of their perspective too comes in—in that they are first generation immigrants and find their daughter’s English so difficult and rapid that are unable to keep up. They also constantly question their decision to immigrate, and wonder whether they’ve done the right thing. So it isn’t the children alone who are struggling. On the other hand, is Sophie who is an intelligent young woman whose mother is unable to believe that she can do anything worthwhile beyond marrying money and as a result she seems unable to rely on her own abilities and only out to find a rich husband. Rick whose father had walked out on his family has had to take on too much responsibility, while there’s Xavier whose father is unable to understand or accept his dyslexia dubbing it a Western problem that Chinese can’t have. Each of these and others struggle, but while they have their differences with their parents, they are mature enough to also understand their parents sacrifices and viewpoints and how privileged they are compared to others. Yet, that balance between their own and their family’s happiness must be found.
The characters also navigate other relationships—romance and friendships—which in each case have their singularities and complications; unrequited love, over-possessive partners, even violent ones. There are also sibling relationships like Ever and her sister Pearl; or the cousins Sophie and Rick—always supporting each other.
Meanwhile we also have some other students, Sam, Marc, Peter, David and Benji, determined to break the stereotypes associated with Asian Americans, using every opportunity to take photos in certain places and poses to do so, even a performance in a concert the school ends up holding. Each of them (Ever, Rick, and Sophie included) have faced racism in some form or other—mostly verbal but still hurtful, and that is an experience that ties them. In terms of identity, Ever also starts to get comfortable with her Asianness, something she has tried to deny or run away from her whole life, an attitude that sadly many seem to adopt because of their environment—ending up with disdain of a sort for their own culture. [On a related aside, she finds herself able to openly enjoy foods that she refused to have in her lunch because the American kids would comment]. While she’s happy to break all the other rules, she does take her lessons seriously and Mandarin becomes less of a mystery.
Then there’s of course the reason I picked this book up in the first place, Taiwan. Once a fair way into the story we get some glimpses into the place—places of interest like the National Palace Museum, Sun Yat Sen memorial, National Theatre etc., also the lovely historical home Lin An Tai, besides other places in southern Taiwan as the students are taken on a tour. All of these are described but just enough for a YA novel (I’d personally have liked some more description). We also visit the affluent quarters of Taipei where Rick and Sophie’s relations live. In their classes are Bo fights and fan dancing, calligraphy and Chinese medicine and Rick and Ever also walk into a Taichi session on one occasion. The picture is balanced with the other side of the country where typhoons lead to damage and families losing all—the part of society which has to struggle for survival.
Ever herself is an interesting character to follow; on some levels, she was the typical teenager who did tend to annoy me, on others I could sympathise, and yet others appreciate her understanding. She does some fairly foolish (reckless really) things, but at her age and in her situation, one can’t entirely blame her either. Her love for dance (and the author’s) is apparent all through—not just in the steps or dances she choreographs but the feeling she goes through and how the rhythm takes possession of her body and makes it flow.
So while I may not be the intended audience for this book, there were plenty of elements that I could appreciate and enjoy and I found I did so much more than I’d expected. There are two further books in the series but rather than sequels, they continue the stories of other characters we’ve met. I may not jump on them immediately but wouldn’t mind looking them up at some point.
3.75 rounded off ...more
Notes are private!
1
Aug 08, 2023
Aug 10, 2023
Aug 08, 2023
Paperback
9781761042331
3.77
125,262
Dec 01, 2020
Nov 30, 2020
really liked it
While slightly different from the previous young adult mystery-thrillers I’ve previously read by author Karen M. McManus, The Cousins (2020), a standa
While slightly different from the previous young adult mystery-thrillers I’ve previously read by author Karen M. McManus, The Cousins (2020), a standalone was a fast-paced and quite engrossing book which had me reading all the way through.
Narrated in first person from three perspectives (later joined by a fourth voice from the past), in The Cousins we meet Mildred ‘Milly’ Story, Aubrey Story and Jonah Story, the daughters and son, respectively of three of the four Story siblings. The Storys are a very affluent family from Gull Cove Island where they own a resort and hotels, and are a family who had it all—wealth, glamour and beauty. The four siblings Allison (mother of Milly), Adam (father of Aubrey), Anders (father of Jonah) and Archer had lost their father and were living with their mother, the latter hard hit by the tragedy. But when at college, suddenly they were disinherited by their mother who refused to have them back on the island or have any contact with them, irrespective of the many attempts over the years to set things right (they never reveal what went wrong).
Now in the present, in an equally surprising development, Milly, Aubrey and Jonah have received letters from their grandmother inviting them to take up summer jobs at the resort. While all three are unwilling (Jonah most of all), at their parents’ bidding they do go. But from the very moment they arrive a string of surprises seem to meet them. The three (who have had little contact before) take to each other pretty much from the start (in fact Milly and Aubrey even before they meet through their group chats), but each has their secrets. Alongside, they are all three curious about their enigmatic grandmother and the reason why all those years ago, their parents were abruptly disinherited. But meeting Mildred Story in the present is not quite as easy as it seems, for she is still keeping them well at a distance. Each chapter is told in the voice of one of the three and a little way in, we start getting interspersed in the story, the first-person narrative of Allison, Milly’s mother from 1996, the year before they were all cut off, relating the developments from the time. As the chapters proceed, all sorts of secrets are revealed but there seems little clue to what happened all those years ago, or is there something they haven’t picked up on?
The Cousins as I mentioned was somewhat different from the two other McManus mysteries I’ve read so far in that this was not like your typical murder mystery, but one hinged around the mystery of 20 years ago when the childrens’ parents were cut off by their mother, with no explanation but an enigmatic letter. Much of the book sees them working at the resort (an internship that turns out to be one for affluent, connected kids, where schedules are comfortable, and not too much is expected of them). Alongside they also meet people connected to their parents’ and grandparents’ past—the lawyer Donald Camden through whom their grandmother acts (and who seems quite bent on getting rid of them), the doctor Baxter—now suffering dementia though his granddaughter Hazel is working on a project about the Storys, Chaz a bartender at the resort who befriends them, and Theresa their grandmother’s assistant.
Contrary to what I’d expected (and something I rather liked in the plot) all the three bond with each other pretty well, and more or less work together all through (even though they each have their secrets). All three are likeable in their own ways, even if they have their flaws and I found myself more or less rooting for them. All three also have issues with their respective parents, whether it is the lack of real connect or unreasonable expectations that their parents have of them or in more than one case, the rather despicable characters their parents turn out to be, so one has every sympathy for the three as well.
I don’t want to say much about the plot as I enjoyed ‘going in blind’ as they as say and taking each revelation as it came. One does get clues as to what things are building up to eventually, but there are surprises you won’t see coming (and some you do), both of which are fun. Even though there isn’t that sense of urgency that is usually the case in a murder mystery or thriller, the book still keeps one engaged and keen to find out what really happened and how things would pan out. And for those who enjoy it, there are some dramatic moments too including right at the end.
All-in-all an entertaining journey, not perfect certainly but great fun.
...more
Narrated in first person from three perspectives (later joined by a fourth voice from the past), in The Cousins we meet Mildred ‘Milly’ Story, Aubrey Story and Jonah Story, the daughters and son, respectively of three of the four Story siblings. The Storys are a very affluent family from Gull Cove Island where they own a resort and hotels, and are a family who had it all—wealth, glamour and beauty. The four siblings Allison (mother of Milly), Adam (father of Aubrey), Anders (father of Jonah) and Archer had lost their father and were living with their mother, the latter hard hit by the tragedy. But when at college, suddenly they were disinherited by their mother who refused to have them back on the island or have any contact with them, irrespective of the many attempts over the years to set things right (they never reveal what went wrong).
Now in the present, in an equally surprising development, Milly, Aubrey and Jonah have received letters from their grandmother inviting them to take up summer jobs at the resort. While all three are unwilling (Jonah most of all), at their parents’ bidding they do go. But from the very moment they arrive a string of surprises seem to meet them. The three (who have had little contact before) take to each other pretty much from the start (in fact Milly and Aubrey even before they meet through their group chats), but each has their secrets. Alongside, they are all three curious about their enigmatic grandmother and the reason why all those years ago, their parents were abruptly disinherited. But meeting Mildred Story in the present is not quite as easy as it seems, for she is still keeping them well at a distance. Each chapter is told in the voice of one of the three and a little way in, we start getting interspersed in the story, the first-person narrative of Allison, Milly’s mother from 1996, the year before they were all cut off, relating the developments from the time. As the chapters proceed, all sorts of secrets are revealed but there seems little clue to what happened all those years ago, or is there something they haven’t picked up on?
The Cousins as I mentioned was somewhat different from the two other McManus mysteries I’ve read so far in that this was not like your typical murder mystery, but one hinged around the mystery of 20 years ago when the childrens’ parents were cut off by their mother, with no explanation but an enigmatic letter. Much of the book sees them working at the resort (an internship that turns out to be one for affluent, connected kids, where schedules are comfortable, and not too much is expected of them). Alongside they also meet people connected to their parents’ and grandparents’ past—the lawyer Donald Camden through whom their grandmother acts (and who seems quite bent on getting rid of them), the doctor Baxter—now suffering dementia though his granddaughter Hazel is working on a project about the Storys, Chaz a bartender at the resort who befriends them, and Theresa their grandmother’s assistant.
Contrary to what I’d expected (and something I rather liked in the plot) all the three bond with each other pretty well, and more or less work together all through (even though they each have their secrets). All three are likeable in their own ways, even if they have their flaws and I found myself more or less rooting for them. All three also have issues with their respective parents, whether it is the lack of real connect or unreasonable expectations that their parents have of them or in more than one case, the rather despicable characters their parents turn out to be, so one has every sympathy for the three as well.
I don’t want to say much about the plot as I enjoyed ‘going in blind’ as they as say and taking each revelation as it came. One does get clues as to what things are building up to eventually, but there are surprises you won’t see coming (and some you do), both of which are fun. Even though there isn’t that sense of urgency that is usually the case in a murder mystery or thriller, the book still keeps one engaged and keen to find out what really happened and how things would pan out. And for those who enjoy it, there are some dramatic moments too including right at the end.
All-in-all an entertaining journey, not perfect certainly but great fun.
...more
Notes are private!
1
Jul 24, 2023
Jul 25, 2023
Jul 24, 2023
Paperback
179721506X
9781797215068
179721506X
3.48
119
unknown
Jul 25, 2023
really liked it
My thanks to Chronicle Books for a review copy of this book via Edelweiss.
Don’t Trust the Cat (2023) is a children’s adventure story with its own spin My thanks to Chronicle Books for a review copy of this book via Edelweiss.
Don’t Trust the Cat (2023) is a children’s adventure story with its own spin on the body swap story (like Anstey’s Vice Versa, or Wodehouse’s version, Laughing Gas), and one which involves a cat! Poppy McBean is an 11-year-old, middle school student—a not very assertive girl who is currently focused on securing the part of ‘a pony’ in the annual school play, something her group of four friends all aim towards, since they don’t wish to be ‘dogs’. One day after things go badly in school (involving Poppy tripping over a bucket holding dirty water and none of her friends, even Heni who is her neighbour and whom she considers particularly close, coming to help), she returns home to find herself locked out, as is her cat Mitten Man. She sits with him in the garage, and tries to put on his new collar (sent as a present by her aunt Blanche who is something of a hippy), and amidst all this ends up saying how he has a nice time of it unlike her. This mixed with various other little placements of things ends up causing a swap, and now Poppy is ‘old Poppy’ trapped in the body of Mitten Man while Mitten Man is Poppy or Big Poppy. But this not just a swap of girl and cat but of two very different personalities (er… a personality and a purrsonality, rather).
Now Big Poppy must live Poppy’s life which she is determined to improve for Poppy did rescue Mitten Man even when he had ear mites, didn’t smell very good, or look very appealing. But while Big Poppy begins with good intentions (especially ensuring that she gives her best performance at the audition and in fact aims for a better part than just a pony), she also ends up rubbing her friends the wrong way and souring some relationships. Some of this may be deserved, but perhaps not all. Meanwhile as time moves on, her cat-like behaviours also come to the surface causing some odd situations.
On the other hand, Old Poppy must deal with navigating life in a cat’s body, but this is not the worst. For one she is terrified (unfairly I thought) Big Poppy will ruin things in her real life, and then more trouble arrives in the form of Aunt Blanche herself. As Poppy’s parents are to be busy for a while, they’ve asked Blanche to come and stay. This wouldn’t be a problem except Blanche thinks cats should live ‘free’ and so Old Poppy is now put out into the wilderness to make her own way. Not only are there the dangers of the world outside, she is soon thrown into an adventure where she must help some one she had a very different impression of but who turns out to be a friend, rescue another friend.
Misunderstandings between Big Poppy and Old Poppy complicate things as we see the story unfold and how the two eventually make their way to back each other (not just physically) and to their original selves!
This was a fun adventure story which had much more to it than I’d originally expected. Opening with Poppy, once the swap takes place, the story unfolds in parallel narratives, as we follow Big Poppy at school or at home and Old Poppy at home and then outside. Both tracks involve their share of adventure, Big Poppy’s navigating school and Old Poppy the world outside, though it is the latter which involves elements of real danger, even life-threatening situations. At school Big Poppy is now a confident young girl, ready to take risks, and even tell off those who deserve it (and even some who don’t deserve it to some extent). I especially liked how she dealt with a school bully and found myself cheering her on. While for the most part, she is a convincing human (even managing to sign her name, write letters and such—but no maths for sure), at other times her cat behaviours get the better of her leading to some fun situations. Old Poppy’s adventure on the other hand, does take her into more dangerous territory, but she too seems to manage rather well. This thread of the story did make me skip a heartbeat a couple of times, hoping all would be well with all the characters involved.
Big Poppy does love Poppy very much for she rescued her as a kitten and gave her a chance, so when she becomes Poppy, she genuinely wants her to have the best life, trying to do all she can to ensure this. While Old Poppy is in the house (before the arrival of Aunt Blanche), she takes care of her well, feeds her good things and makes sure she doesn’t get in trouble. There are certain missteps of course, but she never intends creating trouble. I liked in this sense how the author kept away from the stereotypical images of a cat (selfish, seeking world-domination and such), even though some hints of a different side to Mitten Man do emerge in Old Poppy’s narrative. In fact, if anything, it is some of the human characters who end up being not very likeable. Old Poppy seems really not to trust poor Big Poppy thinking that she will ruin things or create trouble. From an 11-year old’s perspective of course some of these apprehensions make sense, especially given her shy nature and the fact that she doesn’t wish to offend those she considers her friends, but still somehow she comes across as being a little unfair to the cat.
Since this is a body swap plot, there is also that element of myth and magic involved (an upcoming solar eclipse among them) but none of this is specific. More a case of magic happening because of certain elements being in certain places and certain thoughts being in Poppy and Mister Mittens’ minds. The story is in essence more about the bond between human and cat, which is affected by some misunderstandings (largely on the human’s part) but then emerges once again, stronger than ever.
A mostly light and fun read, though there are moments where there is danger to the animals involved which do make one anxious! My only minor complaints were the hints to another side of Mitten Man’s personality which don’t seem to be in sync with what he’s like (may be the author originally planned to take things on a different path), and some of the nastier aspects of some human characters which seemed unnecessary (like in Poppy’s mother). ...more
Don’t Trust the Cat (2023) is a children’s adventure story with its own spin My thanks to Chronicle Books for a review copy of this book via Edelweiss.
Don’t Trust the Cat (2023) is a children’s adventure story with its own spin on the body swap story (like Anstey’s Vice Versa, or Wodehouse’s version, Laughing Gas), and one which involves a cat! Poppy McBean is an 11-year-old, middle school student—a not very assertive girl who is currently focused on securing the part of ‘a pony’ in the annual school play, something her group of four friends all aim towards, since they don’t wish to be ‘dogs’. One day after things go badly in school (involving Poppy tripping over a bucket holding dirty water and none of her friends, even Heni who is her neighbour and whom she considers particularly close, coming to help), she returns home to find herself locked out, as is her cat Mitten Man. She sits with him in the garage, and tries to put on his new collar (sent as a present by her aunt Blanche who is something of a hippy), and amidst all this ends up saying how he has a nice time of it unlike her. This mixed with various other little placements of things ends up causing a swap, and now Poppy is ‘old Poppy’ trapped in the body of Mitten Man while Mitten Man is Poppy or Big Poppy. But this not just a swap of girl and cat but of two very different personalities (er… a personality and a purrsonality, rather).
Now Big Poppy must live Poppy’s life which she is determined to improve for Poppy did rescue Mitten Man even when he had ear mites, didn’t smell very good, or look very appealing. But while Big Poppy begins with good intentions (especially ensuring that she gives her best performance at the audition and in fact aims for a better part than just a pony), she also ends up rubbing her friends the wrong way and souring some relationships. Some of this may be deserved, but perhaps not all. Meanwhile as time moves on, her cat-like behaviours also come to the surface causing some odd situations.
On the other hand, Old Poppy must deal with navigating life in a cat’s body, but this is not the worst. For one she is terrified (unfairly I thought) Big Poppy will ruin things in her real life, and then more trouble arrives in the form of Aunt Blanche herself. As Poppy’s parents are to be busy for a while, they’ve asked Blanche to come and stay. This wouldn’t be a problem except Blanche thinks cats should live ‘free’ and so Old Poppy is now put out into the wilderness to make her own way. Not only are there the dangers of the world outside, she is soon thrown into an adventure where she must help some one she had a very different impression of but who turns out to be a friend, rescue another friend.
Misunderstandings between Big Poppy and Old Poppy complicate things as we see the story unfold and how the two eventually make their way to back each other (not just physically) and to their original selves!
This was a fun adventure story which had much more to it than I’d originally expected. Opening with Poppy, once the swap takes place, the story unfolds in parallel narratives, as we follow Big Poppy at school or at home and Old Poppy at home and then outside. Both tracks involve their share of adventure, Big Poppy’s navigating school and Old Poppy the world outside, though it is the latter which involves elements of real danger, even life-threatening situations. At school Big Poppy is now a confident young girl, ready to take risks, and even tell off those who deserve it (and even some who don’t deserve it to some extent). I especially liked how she dealt with a school bully and found myself cheering her on. While for the most part, she is a convincing human (even managing to sign her name, write letters and such—but no maths for sure), at other times her cat behaviours get the better of her leading to some fun situations. Old Poppy’s adventure on the other hand, does take her into more dangerous territory, but she too seems to manage rather well. This thread of the story did make me skip a heartbeat a couple of times, hoping all would be well with all the characters involved.
Big Poppy does love Poppy very much for she rescued her as a kitten and gave her a chance, so when she becomes Poppy, she genuinely wants her to have the best life, trying to do all she can to ensure this. While Old Poppy is in the house (before the arrival of Aunt Blanche), she takes care of her well, feeds her good things and makes sure she doesn’t get in trouble. There are certain missteps of course, but she never intends creating trouble. I liked in this sense how the author kept away from the stereotypical images of a cat (selfish, seeking world-domination and such), even though some hints of a different side to Mitten Man do emerge in Old Poppy’s narrative. In fact, if anything, it is some of the human characters who end up being not very likeable. Old Poppy seems really not to trust poor Big Poppy thinking that she will ruin things or create trouble. From an 11-year old’s perspective of course some of these apprehensions make sense, especially given her shy nature and the fact that she doesn’t wish to offend those she considers her friends, but still somehow she comes across as being a little unfair to the cat.
Since this is a body swap plot, there is also that element of myth and magic involved (an upcoming solar eclipse among them) but none of this is specific. More a case of magic happening because of certain elements being in certain places and certain thoughts being in Poppy and Mister Mittens’ minds. The story is in essence more about the bond between human and cat, which is affected by some misunderstandings (largely on the human’s part) but then emerges once again, stronger than ever.
A mostly light and fun read, though there are moments where there is danger to the animals involved which do make one anxious! My only minor complaints were the hints to another side of Mitten Man’s personality which don’t seem to be in sync with what he’s like (may be the author originally planned to take things on a different path), and some of the nastier aspects of some human characters which seemed unnecessary (like in Poppy’s mother). ...more
Notes are private!
1
Jun 14, 2023
Jun 14, 2023
Jun 14, 2023
Hardcover
1959378023
9781959378020
B0BMGJF294
4.29
28
unknown
Nov 14, 2022
really liked it
My thanks to BooksGoSocial for a review copy of this book via NetGalley.
The Black Cat Change Up is a cute, quick and very enjoyable little children’s My thanks to BooksGoSocial for a review copy of this book via NetGalley.
The Black Cat Change Up is a cute, quick and very enjoyable little children’s mystery set around baseball (though one doesn’t need to know much about the game to enjoy the book) and in this case themes of superstition and cats (the reason why I read it, in case you hadn’t guessed already :D).
Mike Walsh and Kate Hopkins are cousins visiting New York City to attend a baseball game. Kate’s mother is a sports journalist which gives them not only access to games but also back stage access where they get to meet players as well; some are already friends, involved in mysteries they’ve solved in previous books. This time the game they are getting to see is at the New York Mets Stadium, between the Mets and the Cubs. They get to the stadium after a bit of sightseeing, where they are to meet one of the players, Cookie Clifford. But almost as soon as they arrive, they learn of a ‘curse’ which had affected a baseball game between the same teams years ago, where a black cat had appeared on the field and now it seems it is back. Cat drawings with threatening messages are being left pinned around the Mets players’ locker room, and Cookie Clifford is especially terrified. Then someone delivers a cat carrier to him spooking him further. But is it only someone playing a prank, or is it something more serious? Practice and then the game begins, and the children start to look into the matter, which they have to solve fast before the players get too scared and the game ends up impacted. But alongside, they also manage to enjoy the game, some snacks and visit the Mets Hall of Fame!
The Black Cat Change Up is a book which is set in and around the world of baseball giving one a taste of games, baseball facts, and also the excitement and feel of a stadium before games (both among the audiences visiting and the players preparing for the game). We get a tour of the stadium with the different parts of the building—the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, the Mets Hall of Fame and lots more. And there is of course the game itself. But while it does pretty much immerse one in the world of baseball, I found that even for one like me who knows absolutely nothing about the game, I was able to follow along and enjoy it (even if I didn’t quite know the terms or scoring and such). So a book which can equally be enjoyed by fans and non-fans of the game alike (to me, the book’s biggest strength). For those who are more into the game, the author, a former Little League player has included a section of fun facts and trivia at the end, which adds a great touch.
The mystery itself was not baseball centric but to do with black cats and superstition and we see a bit of superstition affecting Mike as well at the start as he develops a fear of Mr Mets, the Mets’ mascot. But as things are resolved, the book also delivers the message that one shouldn’t fall into fears caused by superstition and often times, the things causing it in us, are rather likeable and not to be feared. At the same time, I liked that the children are shown as recognising that everyone has their fears, and rational or irrational, these shouldn’t be made fun of.
The mystery is a very quick one, come across and solved by the kids just over the course of the one game. One can pretty much guess early on the person that is responsible for all that’s happening (I think even the intended audiences would) but one still enjoys following along to see how the children work it out and what the outcome of the game is.
The book is full of fun little illustrations by Mark Meyers which make one’s reading experience all the more enjoyable!
A series I’d certainly be interested in exploring more of!
...more
The Black Cat Change Up is a cute, quick and very enjoyable little children’s My thanks to BooksGoSocial for a review copy of this book via NetGalley.
The Black Cat Change Up is a cute, quick and very enjoyable little children’s mystery set around baseball (though one doesn’t need to know much about the game to enjoy the book) and in this case themes of superstition and cats (the reason why I read it, in case you hadn’t guessed already :D).
Mike Walsh and Kate Hopkins are cousins visiting New York City to attend a baseball game. Kate’s mother is a sports journalist which gives them not only access to games but also back stage access where they get to meet players as well; some are already friends, involved in mysteries they’ve solved in previous books. This time the game they are getting to see is at the New York Mets Stadium, between the Mets and the Cubs. They get to the stadium after a bit of sightseeing, where they are to meet one of the players, Cookie Clifford. But almost as soon as they arrive, they learn of a ‘curse’ which had affected a baseball game between the same teams years ago, where a black cat had appeared on the field and now it seems it is back. Cat drawings with threatening messages are being left pinned around the Mets players’ locker room, and Cookie Clifford is especially terrified. Then someone delivers a cat carrier to him spooking him further. But is it only someone playing a prank, or is it something more serious? Practice and then the game begins, and the children start to look into the matter, which they have to solve fast before the players get too scared and the game ends up impacted. But alongside, they also manage to enjoy the game, some snacks and visit the Mets Hall of Fame!
The Black Cat Change Up is a book which is set in and around the world of baseball giving one a taste of games, baseball facts, and also the excitement and feel of a stadium before games (both among the audiences visiting and the players preparing for the game). We get a tour of the stadium with the different parts of the building—the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, the Mets Hall of Fame and lots more. And there is of course the game itself. But while it does pretty much immerse one in the world of baseball, I found that even for one like me who knows absolutely nothing about the game, I was able to follow along and enjoy it (even if I didn’t quite know the terms or scoring and such). So a book which can equally be enjoyed by fans and non-fans of the game alike (to me, the book’s biggest strength). For those who are more into the game, the author, a former Little League player has included a section of fun facts and trivia at the end, which adds a great touch.
The mystery itself was not baseball centric but to do with black cats and superstition and we see a bit of superstition affecting Mike as well at the start as he develops a fear of Mr Mets, the Mets’ mascot. But as things are resolved, the book also delivers the message that one shouldn’t fall into fears caused by superstition and often times, the things causing it in us, are rather likeable and not to be feared. At the same time, I liked that the children are shown as recognising that everyone has their fears, and rational or irrational, these shouldn’t be made fun of.
The mystery is a very quick one, come across and solved by the kids just over the course of the one game. One can pretty much guess early on the person that is responsible for all that’s happening (I think even the intended audiences would) but one still enjoys following along to see how the children work it out and what the outcome of the game is.
The book is full of fun little illustrations by Mark Meyers which make one’s reading experience all the more enjoyable!
A series I’d certainly be interested in exploring more of!
...more
Notes are private!
1
Jan 24, 2023
Jan 24, 2023
Jan 24, 2023
Kindle Edition
B08R43JF21
4.19
21
unknown
May 30, 2021
liked it
My thanks to the author, David Gunter and BookTasters for a review copy of the book.
Darkness Stabs is the second part of the science-fiction/fantasy a My thanks to the author, David Gunter and BookTasters for a review copy of the book.
Darkness Stabs is the second part of the science-fiction/fantasy adventure Magical After which I had read some time earlier. The books (a four-book series, with each book in two parts) are set in Atsia Major and Atsia Minor which essentially are the world of an rpg game.
When the story began, we met our main character David Gosling who has been raising his three children, Peter, Jimmy and London on his own (and not too well) after the death of his wife Hellen a year previously. He is helped in this by his sister-in-law and brother-in-law. But David soon discovers that he himself is suffering a brain tumour and will have to undergo treatment. His wife's company then offers him a chance to continue living (with the children) in an rpg game Hellen was instrumental in creating, while he undergoes treatment and recuperates in the real world. He of course accepts. But the CEO of the company Carl Mathews III, had in fact, wanted to get back at Hellen whom he felt had more control over his company than himself. And so he also sends in a gurkha, Tommy Cruise and a former soldier, John Taney to get rid of both David and Hellen, who lives on in her AI avatar in the game. In the previous book, we had been following David, Tommy and John as each of them landed in different parts of the world and soon found themselves fulfilling various tasks and challenges in the game. They have not all crossed paths so far, and in fact John and Tommy have pretty much been involved in their own challenges impacted also by their pasts.
As this part opens, we continue from the point that we left off as David had found some success using his real-life skills as a blacksmith. Soon he becomes an imperial blacksmith. While mostly due to Hellen's influence, David had so far been having fairly positive luck and experiences in the game, he has managed to attract the ire of Starlight Girl, a goddess who has declared war on him. Also he seems to have become the target of some rather unwelcome dark magic. But as the game moves on, David begins to get stronger and learns to use equipment and skills as they are meant to be in the game. Along the way he also finds himself upgrade to a completely different (and unexpected status) with the help of the Blue Druid whom he had met in the previous book, and this equips him to face a dragon that declares war on their city (Opal City). In this the dragon is also acting in partnership with Starlight Girl. Meanwhile David also worries about his children with whom he has had next to no contact since entering the game.
In the previous segment, we had also met some professional and amateur gamers (including WhoDadi50 and RamenBoy) who were working with David to improve their points. In this book, we also follow some of their adventures and some other gamers and leagues who are introduced here.
Meanwhile, Tommy Cruise is on a quest of his own helping the two 'undead' girls, Sly and Slow, find their missing father but also tracking down a dark quest of which he has been told. He also has to cope with a soul-eating worm that has attached itself to him. Tommy too finds that his real world skills can help him adapt to the game world.
John Taney, the other soldier introduced in the first book is being trained as a Holy Knight. But he has some dark forces to track down and face, and he also seems to have a problem which we are not sure he himself knows about.
There are also some dark and unsettling goings on in which a suspicious set of 'officers'/god characters led by the mysterious Whispers is causing some mischief in this world; and it seems the barriers between the game and the real world may not be as strong as we have been thinking.
This was another fun instalment in this set of books, and as in the last segment, I quite enjoyed reading it. The story as a whole and those of the individual characters we read of are interesting to follow along, and there are some surprises along the way. Also the interaction between the real and game worlds add to the interest in the story for it is not only that Carl III is attempting to cause trouble in the game, but it seems some in the game can reach back into the real world as well.
What I enjoyed most about the book was the fact that it really plays out like an rpg game with all the elements of one. Each of the characters we follow have character sheets and qualities that change with each step they take (xp, health points, soul points, powers, weapons, etc.). The author has devoted great attention to the details of these features, and they have turned out really well. Also of course the quests that each of the characters, and in some cases, guilds, take on are great fun to follow along; like in rpg games, when a creature is killed by another, the victor has the option to pick up the 'loot' while also improving their own xp, level and standing. And the creature killed doesn't really die but has the option to 'respawn' in more than one way. The quests themselves are numerous and pretty creative. I also thought the dragon we meet and the dragon lore in the game were quite imaginative and enjoyable.
Other than the detestable Carl and some of the 'darker' characters like the Starlight Girl, one likes and feels sympathy for almost all of the others. Some on the other hand, we know have more to their stories, but I assume this will be revealed in future instalments.
While I enjoyed reading the book for the most part, some themes I felt didn't belong and somehow took away from the general tone of the game/book. Also as in the case of the first book I felt that the writing in some places (not all through, but some segments, and particularly some of the dialogue) could do with a little more polishing as could some of the names given to the characters (the gamer names though, felt very authentic).
But I had fun with it as a whole.
3.4 stars ...more
Darkness Stabs is the second part of the science-fiction/fantasy a My thanks to the author, David Gunter and BookTasters for a review copy of the book.
Darkness Stabs is the second part of the science-fiction/fantasy adventure Magical After which I had read some time earlier. The books (a four-book series, with each book in two parts) are set in Atsia Major and Atsia Minor which essentially are the world of an rpg game.
When the story began, we met our main character David Gosling who has been raising his three children, Peter, Jimmy and London on his own (and not too well) after the death of his wife Hellen a year previously. He is helped in this by his sister-in-law and brother-in-law. But David soon discovers that he himself is suffering a brain tumour and will have to undergo treatment. His wife's company then offers him a chance to continue living (with the children) in an rpg game Hellen was instrumental in creating, while he undergoes treatment and recuperates in the real world. He of course accepts. But the CEO of the company Carl Mathews III, had in fact, wanted to get back at Hellen whom he felt had more control over his company than himself. And so he also sends in a gurkha, Tommy Cruise and a former soldier, John Taney to get rid of both David and Hellen, who lives on in her AI avatar in the game. In the previous book, we had been following David, Tommy and John as each of them landed in different parts of the world and soon found themselves fulfilling various tasks and challenges in the game. They have not all crossed paths so far, and in fact John and Tommy have pretty much been involved in their own challenges impacted also by their pasts.
As this part opens, we continue from the point that we left off as David had found some success using his real-life skills as a blacksmith. Soon he becomes an imperial blacksmith. While mostly due to Hellen's influence, David had so far been having fairly positive luck and experiences in the game, he has managed to attract the ire of Starlight Girl, a goddess who has declared war on him. Also he seems to have become the target of some rather unwelcome dark magic. But as the game moves on, David begins to get stronger and learns to use equipment and skills as they are meant to be in the game. Along the way he also finds himself upgrade to a completely different (and unexpected status) with the help of the Blue Druid whom he had met in the previous book, and this equips him to face a dragon that declares war on their city (Opal City). In this the dragon is also acting in partnership with Starlight Girl. Meanwhile David also worries about his children with whom he has had next to no contact since entering the game.
In the previous segment, we had also met some professional and amateur gamers (including WhoDadi50 and RamenBoy) who were working with David to improve their points. In this book, we also follow some of their adventures and some other gamers and leagues who are introduced here.
Meanwhile, Tommy Cruise is on a quest of his own helping the two 'undead' girls, Sly and Slow, find their missing father but also tracking down a dark quest of which he has been told. He also has to cope with a soul-eating worm that has attached itself to him. Tommy too finds that his real world skills can help him adapt to the game world.
John Taney, the other soldier introduced in the first book is being trained as a Holy Knight. But he has some dark forces to track down and face, and he also seems to have a problem which we are not sure he himself knows about.
There are also some dark and unsettling goings on in which a suspicious set of 'officers'/god characters led by the mysterious Whispers is causing some mischief in this world; and it seems the barriers between the game and the real world may not be as strong as we have been thinking.
This was another fun instalment in this set of books, and as in the last segment, I quite enjoyed reading it. The story as a whole and those of the individual characters we read of are interesting to follow along, and there are some surprises along the way. Also the interaction between the real and game worlds add to the interest in the story for it is not only that Carl III is attempting to cause trouble in the game, but it seems some in the game can reach back into the real world as well.
What I enjoyed most about the book was the fact that it really plays out like an rpg game with all the elements of one. Each of the characters we follow have character sheets and qualities that change with each step they take (xp, health points, soul points, powers, weapons, etc.). The author has devoted great attention to the details of these features, and they have turned out really well. Also of course the quests that each of the characters, and in some cases, guilds, take on are great fun to follow along; like in rpg games, when a creature is killed by another, the victor has the option to pick up the 'loot' while also improving their own xp, level and standing. And the creature killed doesn't really die but has the option to 'respawn' in more than one way. The quests themselves are numerous and pretty creative. I also thought the dragon we meet and the dragon lore in the game were quite imaginative and enjoyable.
Other than the detestable Carl and some of the 'darker' characters like the Starlight Girl, one likes and feels sympathy for almost all of the others. Some on the other hand, we know have more to their stories, but I assume this will be revealed in future instalments.
While I enjoyed reading the book for the most part, some themes I felt didn't belong and somehow took away from the general tone of the game/book. Also as in the case of the first book I felt that the writing in some places (not all through, but some segments, and particularly some of the dialogue) could do with a little more polishing as could some of the names given to the characters (the gamer names though, felt very authentic).
But I had fun with it as a whole.
3.4 stars ...more
Notes are private!
1
Sep 08, 2021
Sep 12, 2021
Sep 08, 2021
Kindle Edition
0316405124
9780316405126
0316405124
4.20
22,666
Sep 15, 2015
Oct 20, 2015
it was amazing
My second ‘wolf’ themed book this week, and to my own surprise (or do I say shock), the second book from my own TBR pile (not NetGalley) that I’m read
My second ‘wolf’ themed book this week, and to my own surprise (or do I say shock), the second book from my own TBR pile (not NetGalley) that I’m reading in a month.
Wolf by Wolf is a young adult book that I came across through YouTube/Booktube and was intrigued by its description—the plot itself and also its setting in an alternate history, a ‘what if’ scenario which is both heart-breaking and chilling to think about. It is the first of a duology and there’s also a short novella linked to the two.
In the world of Wolf by Wolf, we are in 1956 in a scenario where Hitler has won the war and the world stands somewhat divided between him and Emperor Hirohito, who reign supreme. In this world, we have 17-year-old Yael, part of the resistance, who has been selected for a mission—a second Operation Valkyrie. Yael has survived a concentration camp where at the tender age of six, she was subjected to experiments to change her appearance. This, unknown to the doctor who conducted the experiments, has left her with the ability to skinshift—this means she can take on any face that she imagines, change her features according to her will, and this is what helps her escape the camp, and detection for the most part. The mission she is entrusted with is centred around an annual motorcycle race for teens—members of Hitler Youth or its Japanese equivalent—between Germania and Tokyo. The winner gets to meet Hitler, the only time he is ever present anywhere in person any more (after several failed assassination attempts), and her mission is to win the race and kill him. In the race she is to take the place of Adele Wolfe, the only girl to have ever won. The race is an over 20,000 km course, not easy to get through, and other competitors are known to target and sabotage opponents (to the point of killing them). But Yael, in the guise of Adele also has other problems to deal with. Adele’s twin, Felix Wolfe has joined the race (determined to bring his sister home), and it seems that Adele shared a close but complicated relationship with another competitor and also previous winner, Luka Lowe. Both these young men knew her well, so will Yael be able to keep up her guise before them? All her training and the information she had about Adele has told her little about the latter’s relationships and family.
In the book, we follow the course of the race, the obstacles Yael has to overcome, the threats and attacks from fellow competitors, and of course also figuring out how Adele would have dealt with Felix and Luka, both of whom she finds have many layers to them. In fact, Yael begins to find that she can’t simply hate them for being Germans and Nazis as she thought she could. Alongside, we also get insights into Yael’s past, her time at the concentration camp, the unbearable pain she endured because of the experiments, and more so, the people who were there for her and who helped her both in the camp and once she made her escape. Each of these people, whom she has loved and lost, are one of the wolves she has tattooed on her arm, each reminding her of why she needs to succeed in her mission.
This was a powerful, compelling, fast paced, and also heart-wrenching read which had me hooked right from the start and kept me reading all through. In fact, I finished most of it over the course of a day—having just about started it the night before.
The plot of course was intriguing from the moment I heard it described (nothing I’ve ever come across before), and watching it play out was exciting as also full of anticipation. How would Yael fare? Would Felix or Luka see through her, discover her truth? Would she win? And if she did, would she accomplish her mission? Would she escape? Each stage of the race was exciting, full of unexpected twists and turns, while the ending itself was so unexpected, it took me completely by surprise and left me wanting to pick up the second part immediately (but I hadn’t ordered it so I will have to wait).
But amidst all the excitement, there is also the scenario itself—the time and place that we’re in, the what if situation, if you will, which is downright frightening. Hitler winning and in fact ruling much of the world, his views and outlook still applicable across the world—the few who escaped the concentration camps, and the people manning the resistance having to operate underground entirely waiting for the rare opportunity to strike. The majority in most parts of the world, simply in too much fear to take any steps.
And then of course there is Yael herself and her past—having to not only be put into a concentration camp when she was only six (like so many others), but also to endure the experiments she was subjected to, the pain it brought, and having to lose herself in the process, to the point that her own people (with the exception of a few) begin to view her as an aberration, a monster. Poor Yael ends up a person who doesn’t even remember who she was. One’s heart breaks for her. I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of monsters there were that willingly treating other human beings like this—in the camps or experiments—because it couldn’t have been simply a matter of having no choice. How did they live with themselves? (Even through Graudin was not too graphic in her descriptions (which I am glad about), one gets the idea; but I did look up some details on experiments on Wikipedia, and they honestly made me feel ill).
Yet I was glad that Graudin also showed us that one can’t classify people quite in black and white; we have characters like Luka and Felix who have many facets to them, and whom one can’t classify on one ground alone. So we are left with a lot to consider about what really makes a person?
A truly unique, captivating but also heart-breaking read. I can’t wait to read the next one.
...more
Wolf by Wolf is a young adult book that I came across through YouTube/Booktube and was intrigued by its description—the plot itself and also its setting in an alternate history, a ‘what if’ scenario which is both heart-breaking and chilling to think about. It is the first of a duology and there’s also a short novella linked to the two.
In the world of Wolf by Wolf, we are in 1956 in a scenario where Hitler has won the war and the world stands somewhat divided between him and Emperor Hirohito, who reign supreme. In this world, we have 17-year-old Yael, part of the resistance, who has been selected for a mission—a second Operation Valkyrie. Yael has survived a concentration camp where at the tender age of six, she was subjected to experiments to change her appearance. This, unknown to the doctor who conducted the experiments, has left her with the ability to skinshift—this means she can take on any face that she imagines, change her features according to her will, and this is what helps her escape the camp, and detection for the most part. The mission she is entrusted with is centred around an annual motorcycle race for teens—members of Hitler Youth or its Japanese equivalent—between Germania and Tokyo. The winner gets to meet Hitler, the only time he is ever present anywhere in person any more (after several failed assassination attempts), and her mission is to win the race and kill him. In the race she is to take the place of Adele Wolfe, the only girl to have ever won. The race is an over 20,000 km course, not easy to get through, and other competitors are known to target and sabotage opponents (to the point of killing them). But Yael, in the guise of Adele also has other problems to deal with. Adele’s twin, Felix Wolfe has joined the race (determined to bring his sister home), and it seems that Adele shared a close but complicated relationship with another competitor and also previous winner, Luka Lowe. Both these young men knew her well, so will Yael be able to keep up her guise before them? All her training and the information she had about Adele has told her little about the latter’s relationships and family.
In the book, we follow the course of the race, the obstacles Yael has to overcome, the threats and attacks from fellow competitors, and of course also figuring out how Adele would have dealt with Felix and Luka, both of whom she finds have many layers to them. In fact, Yael begins to find that she can’t simply hate them for being Germans and Nazis as she thought she could. Alongside, we also get insights into Yael’s past, her time at the concentration camp, the unbearable pain she endured because of the experiments, and more so, the people who were there for her and who helped her both in the camp and once she made her escape. Each of these people, whom she has loved and lost, are one of the wolves she has tattooed on her arm, each reminding her of why she needs to succeed in her mission.
This was a powerful, compelling, fast paced, and also heart-wrenching read which had me hooked right from the start and kept me reading all through. In fact, I finished most of it over the course of a day—having just about started it the night before.
The plot of course was intriguing from the moment I heard it described (nothing I’ve ever come across before), and watching it play out was exciting as also full of anticipation. How would Yael fare? Would Felix or Luka see through her, discover her truth? Would she win? And if she did, would she accomplish her mission? Would she escape? Each stage of the race was exciting, full of unexpected twists and turns, while the ending itself was so unexpected, it took me completely by surprise and left me wanting to pick up the second part immediately (but I hadn’t ordered it so I will have to wait).
But amidst all the excitement, there is also the scenario itself—the time and place that we’re in, the what if situation, if you will, which is downright frightening. Hitler winning and in fact ruling much of the world, his views and outlook still applicable across the world—the few who escaped the concentration camps, and the people manning the resistance having to operate underground entirely waiting for the rare opportunity to strike. The majority in most parts of the world, simply in too much fear to take any steps.
And then of course there is Yael herself and her past—having to not only be put into a concentration camp when she was only six (like so many others), but also to endure the experiments she was subjected to, the pain it brought, and having to lose herself in the process, to the point that her own people (with the exception of a few) begin to view her as an aberration, a monster. Poor Yael ends up a person who doesn’t even remember who she was. One’s heart breaks for her. I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of monsters there were that willingly treating other human beings like this—in the camps or experiments—because it couldn’t have been simply a matter of having no choice. How did they live with themselves? (Even through Graudin was not too graphic in her descriptions (which I am glad about), one gets the idea; but I did look up some details on experiments on Wikipedia, and they honestly made me feel ill).
Yet I was glad that Graudin also showed us that one can’t classify people quite in black and white; we have characters like Luka and Felix who have many facets to them, and whom one can’t classify on one ground alone. So we are left with a lot to consider about what really makes a person?
A truly unique, captivating but also heart-breaking read. I can’t wait to read the next one.
...more
Notes are private!
1
Aug 20, 2021
Aug 21, 2021
Aug 15, 2021
Hardcover
1608094847
9781608094844
1608094847
4.17
857
Mar 02, 2021
Mar 22, 2022
it was amazing
My thanks to Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for a review copy of the book.
Fatal Intent is a fast-paced and exciting medical mystery/thriller which My thanks to Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for a review copy of the book.
Fatal Intent is a fast-paced and exciting medical mystery/thriller which also brings into focus an issue that can impact us all.
The story is narrated in the voice of Kate Downey, an anesthesiologist working at a university hospital in Florida. Her husband Greg, a military doctor, has been in a coma for nearly a year after an explosion and consequent brain injury when he was deployed. Kate lives with her loveable and slightly eccentric great-aunt Irm and lab, Shadow. At work, she has been placed on probation by the Chief of Staff, Dr Walker, for an incident involving some wrong medication which impacted an organ donation case.
Attending the funeral of a friend of her aunt’s one day, and a little later the same day, that of Dr O’Donnell, former president of the University, Kate’s suspicions are roused for both were cases on which she had worked. Both patients had undergone minor procedures and were fine when discharged, yet both died within two days of their surgery. Finding that both had been operated on by Dr Charles Ricken, an arrogant and unpleasant surgeon who has nearly everyone’s hackles up, she decides to at least bring up the matter with him. But he reacts strongly and she finds herself at the receiving end of a reprimand from Dr Walker, who is already against her. Her Chair professor, James Worrell supports her but asks her to tread carefully. But she soon finds herself blamed for malpractice and the subject of an inquiry.
Meanwhile Kate runs into Dr O’Donnell’s son Christian, a lawyer, who tells her that he and his brother Luke (a doctor) are also looking into their father’s death. Christian and Kate, her bright intern Jenn and great-aunt Irm (also remotely, Luke), begin to look into the matter piecing together clues, and finding more such cases along the way.
Alongside, there is also further trouble at the hospital for Kate as a student who isn’t up to the mark with his work tries to pin the blame on her raising all sorts of false allegations; while at home, Greg’s brother Adam is fighting her to put an end to Greg’s life support, something Kate is unwilling to do, for it would involve literally starving him to death.
This was a thrilling and engrossing read which kept me hooked all through. From the point when Kate pretty much stumbles upon the two suspicious deaths, to piecing together the few clues she has, to being joined by Christian and the others in her investigation, discovering other cases and the whole journey of tracing down the killer to prevent him from causing any further harm, I enjoyed the mystery at every step. This is not so much a whodunit in that one has clues to the possible who/whos fairly early on, and the why begins to make sense too, some way into the story. But despite this, the author kept me reading to see how they would catch up with the killer and whether they’d be able to stop him in time; there are surprises and events that one didn’t expect all the way. Also interesting was watching Kate work out the ‘how’. Some of the scenes at the end though I found to be a touch too dramatic (though this might be just me because I often have this reaction in mystery thrillers).
Reading the story, one can tell that it is written by a person who has experienced the pressures of working in a hospital, and in situations the characters deal with, and dilemmas they must face. Even before I read the author’s note at the end confirming this, it was evident. She conveys well, how working in a hospital isn’t in some ways, very different from other human institutions for besides the pressures of work, and the split second decisions that doctors are so many times faced with, there is also the inevitable politics of things, and being on the wrong side of the powers that be is never a good place to be, as poor Kate soon realises.
The characters in the story I found to be really likeable—Kate herself is a character one really feels for (and roots for) and she displays great strength and tenacity considering all that she has been going through in her personal and professional life. Christian too, carries baggage, but proves to be a good friend and partner in the investigations (there is also a line of possible romance explored which was quite nicely and subtly done). Jenn is enthusiastic but also naïve, while Dr Worrell is a great person to have backing one. My favourite character though was probably great-aunt Irm, who not only always supports and has great meals (there’s plenty of food) for everyone, but who seems to be able to gauge people’s personalities, even when she has not met them. Aunt Irm is spot on every time about who can be trusted and who can’t. And of course, I also loved all the doggos in the story (4 of them)—but that goes without saying.
The issue that Euliano tries to discuss through the mystery is as I said a really relevant one—the prolonging of the life of those who are terminally ill or in a vegetative state, and relatedly the issue of living wills. This throws up so many questions in terms of who is or should be the right person to make that decision (particularly when one leaves no living will), and whether the kind of death a patient will undergo (not always peaceful) is justified by relieving the patient of longer term suffering? More so when one can’t be certain the person taking the decision has the patient’s best interests at heart.
This was a really great read, and even before I finished I was already wondering if the author is working on any other books, as I for one will be excited to read them!
4.5 stars ...more
Fatal Intent is a fast-paced and exciting medical mystery/thriller which My thanks to Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for a review copy of the book.
Fatal Intent is a fast-paced and exciting medical mystery/thriller which also brings into focus an issue that can impact us all.
The story is narrated in the voice of Kate Downey, an anesthesiologist working at a university hospital in Florida. Her husband Greg, a military doctor, has been in a coma for nearly a year after an explosion and consequent brain injury when he was deployed. Kate lives with her loveable and slightly eccentric great-aunt Irm and lab, Shadow. At work, she has been placed on probation by the Chief of Staff, Dr Walker, for an incident involving some wrong medication which impacted an organ donation case.
Attending the funeral of a friend of her aunt’s one day, and a little later the same day, that of Dr O’Donnell, former president of the University, Kate’s suspicions are roused for both were cases on which she had worked. Both patients had undergone minor procedures and were fine when discharged, yet both died within two days of their surgery. Finding that both had been operated on by Dr Charles Ricken, an arrogant and unpleasant surgeon who has nearly everyone’s hackles up, she decides to at least bring up the matter with him. But he reacts strongly and she finds herself at the receiving end of a reprimand from Dr Walker, who is already against her. Her Chair professor, James Worrell supports her but asks her to tread carefully. But she soon finds herself blamed for malpractice and the subject of an inquiry.
Meanwhile Kate runs into Dr O’Donnell’s son Christian, a lawyer, who tells her that he and his brother Luke (a doctor) are also looking into their father’s death. Christian and Kate, her bright intern Jenn and great-aunt Irm (also remotely, Luke), begin to look into the matter piecing together clues, and finding more such cases along the way.
Alongside, there is also further trouble at the hospital for Kate as a student who isn’t up to the mark with his work tries to pin the blame on her raising all sorts of false allegations; while at home, Greg’s brother Adam is fighting her to put an end to Greg’s life support, something Kate is unwilling to do, for it would involve literally starving him to death.
This was a thrilling and engrossing read which kept me hooked all through. From the point when Kate pretty much stumbles upon the two suspicious deaths, to piecing together the few clues she has, to being joined by Christian and the others in her investigation, discovering other cases and the whole journey of tracing down the killer to prevent him from causing any further harm, I enjoyed the mystery at every step. This is not so much a whodunit in that one has clues to the possible who/whos fairly early on, and the why begins to make sense too, some way into the story. But despite this, the author kept me reading to see how they would catch up with the killer and whether they’d be able to stop him in time; there are surprises and events that one didn’t expect all the way. Also interesting was watching Kate work out the ‘how’. Some of the scenes at the end though I found to be a touch too dramatic (though this might be just me because I often have this reaction in mystery thrillers).
Reading the story, one can tell that it is written by a person who has experienced the pressures of working in a hospital, and in situations the characters deal with, and dilemmas they must face. Even before I read the author’s note at the end confirming this, it was evident. She conveys well, how working in a hospital isn’t in some ways, very different from other human institutions for besides the pressures of work, and the split second decisions that doctors are so many times faced with, there is also the inevitable politics of things, and being on the wrong side of the powers that be is never a good place to be, as poor Kate soon realises.
The characters in the story I found to be really likeable—Kate herself is a character one really feels for (and roots for) and she displays great strength and tenacity considering all that she has been going through in her personal and professional life. Christian too, carries baggage, but proves to be a good friend and partner in the investigations (there is also a line of possible romance explored which was quite nicely and subtly done). Jenn is enthusiastic but also naïve, while Dr Worrell is a great person to have backing one. My favourite character though was probably great-aunt Irm, who not only always supports and has great meals (there’s plenty of food) for everyone, but who seems to be able to gauge people’s personalities, even when she has not met them. Aunt Irm is spot on every time about who can be trusted and who can’t. And of course, I also loved all the doggos in the story (4 of them)—but that goes without saying.
The issue that Euliano tries to discuss through the mystery is as I said a really relevant one—the prolonging of the life of those who are terminally ill or in a vegetative state, and relatedly the issue of living wills. This throws up so many questions in terms of who is or should be the right person to make that decision (particularly when one leaves no living will), and whether the kind of death a patient will undergo (not always peaceful) is justified by relieving the patient of longer term suffering? More so when one can’t be certain the person taking the decision has the patient’s best interests at heart.
This was a really great read, and even before I finished I was already wondering if the author is working on any other books, as I for one will be excited to read them!
4.5 stars ...more
Notes are private!
1
Jul 19, 2021
Jul 21, 2021
Jul 19, 2021
Paperback
0241376920
9780241376928
0241376920
3.91
246,883
Jan 07, 2020
Jan 07, 2020
really liked it
Over three months since I finished this; didn't write a review back then because I was going through a rough patch, and now have forgotten all the det
Over three months since I finished this; didn't write a review back then because I was going through a rough patch, and now have forgotten all the details, so am just leaving it at that. I did enjoy this, though perhaps a notch less than the first one.
...more
Notes are private!
1
May 16, 2021
May 20, 2021
May 16, 2021
Paperback
1250302722
9781250302724
1250302722
4.01
6,983
Jan 12, 2021
Jan 12, 2021
really liked it
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Children’s UK for a review copy of this book.
One of the first books I read when I joined NetGalley was My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Children’s UK for a review copy of this book.
One of the first books I read when I joined NetGalley was The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert. This was the story of Alice, living an itinerant life with her mother till the day her mother disappears. Alice soon connects this with a collection of dark fairy tales her grandmother Althea Proserpine had written, and with that begins her adventure looking for Hinterland where the tales are set. Tales from the Hinterland is that collection of stories.
This is a collection of twelve stories—each very dark, and many with a twist that one doesn’t see coming. We have ‘The Door that Wasn’t There’ in which Anya and her sister Lisbeth find a way out of their house where the stepmother has locked them; but their escape turns out to be very different from what they expected. This one had a few shades of The Bear and the Nightingale; and if I remember right this one was in the Hazel Wood as well.
‘Hansa the Traveller’ decides to escape the restrictions placed on her by her family (of not going out at night) and while this does take her on the adventure of a lifetime, one is left wondering whether it was worth it?
In ‘The Clockwork Bride’, two children are fascinated by a magical toyshop but can’t afford its offerings. A chance to play there comes their way but at a price. What when the time comes to pay that price?
Jenny in ‘Jenny and the Nightwomen’ is an extremely spoiled little girl who accepts help from a strange girl when her parents decide to take her in hand. But naturally, the stranger has her own agenda.
In ‘The Skinned Maiden’, a cruel and heartless prince becomes smitten with a beautiful girl he sees by a lake. But she is no ordinary girl and in a bid to gain her he ends up taking away her very essence. Can she regain it?
‘Alice Three Times’ is the story of a strange princess Alice, born to the queen illegitimately. Alice also grows in the strangest of ways. The Queen wishes to rid herself of this daughter and as soon as she is old enough finds her some grooms; but neither the grooms nor the Queen know what they are getting themselves into.
In ‘The House under the Stairwell’, Isobel who has suffered a broken engagement has a strange dream after she and her sisters try a dark spell of sorts to see their future husbands. When Isobel manages to get over her past and finds a chance at happiness, she must contend with the consequences of that dream.
Ilsa in ‘Ilsa Waits’, who has seven brothers happens to be able to see death. But he comes and takes those dear to her but never herself till she decides to pit her wits against him. But is it so simple to take on death?
In ‘The Sea Cellar’, we have Alba whose sister is sent as a bride to a strange home where brides go but are never seen or heard of anymore nor is the groom ever seen. She decides to go there as a bride herself and solve the mystery but what does she uncover?
In ‘The Mother and the Dagger’, a queen from a magical land tries her hand at some dark magic to have a child but can’t make the sacrifice required of her. For this she must pay, and so must others.
Katherine in ‘Twice Killed Katherine’ is the only one of a sorcerer’s children who has his powers. He decides to take her under his wing and protect her at any cost.
A King and Queen’s children are cruelly killed in ‘Death and the Woodwife’ but then she is blessed with a strange child. When this child grows up and is set to marry, she ends up with a dark suitor. Can she escape?
The stories had some lovely (and vivid) descriptions of places magical like in ‘The Clockwork Bride’
The shop nestled among darkened buildings like a lit birthday cake. From its open door poured tinkling music-box notes and thick golden light…. There before them were all the toymaker’s treasures. The paper ballerinas had grown to the size of children, with the small heads and slim limbs of women. They pirouetted in skirts of taffeta netting, their laughter scattering like light….
Or dark like in ‘The House under the Stairwell’
There was no sky here, but a roof of earth, heavy coils of roots running through it. Moths larger than men perched on the roofs with their wings open wide, casting a delicate glow. In the distance stood a house with lights shining through every window and before it a grove of gold and silver trees. A masked figure waited beneath each tree, limbs too long and fingers hidden in dark gloves. Above their masks each painted with a man’s face, stood grey wolf ears.
As you can gauge from the descriptions, these are very imaginative stories indeed. I thought the author did a great job at creating some really creepy tales. While one might feel sorry for a few of the characters, others (even central characters) are dark and not particularly likeable, and there are also evil stepmothers, mothers and fathers galore. Since one can’t really tell where each story will lead, each has its share of surprises. There are also illustrations at the beginning of each story and I think full page illustrations in the final version. These would be great for Halloween or any time you’re in the mood for something very creepy. But be warned, most of these don’t have happy endings, and will leave you feeling unsettled more than anything else…
...more
One of the first books I read when I joined NetGalley was My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Children’s UK for a review copy of this book.
One of the first books I read when I joined NetGalley was The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert. This was the story of Alice, living an itinerant life with her mother till the day her mother disappears. Alice soon connects this with a collection of dark fairy tales her grandmother Althea Proserpine had written, and with that begins her adventure looking for Hinterland where the tales are set. Tales from the Hinterland is that collection of stories.
This is a collection of twelve stories—each very dark, and many with a twist that one doesn’t see coming. We have ‘The Door that Wasn’t There’ in which Anya and her sister Lisbeth find a way out of their house where the stepmother has locked them; but their escape turns out to be very different from what they expected. This one had a few shades of The Bear and the Nightingale; and if I remember right this one was in the Hazel Wood as well.
‘Hansa the Traveller’ decides to escape the restrictions placed on her by her family (of not going out at night) and while this does take her on the adventure of a lifetime, one is left wondering whether it was worth it?
In ‘The Clockwork Bride’, two children are fascinated by a magical toyshop but can’t afford its offerings. A chance to play there comes their way but at a price. What when the time comes to pay that price?
Jenny in ‘Jenny and the Nightwomen’ is an extremely spoiled little girl who accepts help from a strange girl when her parents decide to take her in hand. But naturally, the stranger has her own agenda.
In ‘The Skinned Maiden’, a cruel and heartless prince becomes smitten with a beautiful girl he sees by a lake. But she is no ordinary girl and in a bid to gain her he ends up taking away her very essence. Can she regain it?
‘Alice Three Times’ is the story of a strange princess Alice, born to the queen illegitimately. Alice also grows in the strangest of ways. The Queen wishes to rid herself of this daughter and as soon as she is old enough finds her some grooms; but neither the grooms nor the Queen know what they are getting themselves into.
In ‘The House under the Stairwell’, Isobel who has suffered a broken engagement has a strange dream after she and her sisters try a dark spell of sorts to see their future husbands. When Isobel manages to get over her past and finds a chance at happiness, she must contend with the consequences of that dream.
Ilsa in ‘Ilsa Waits’, who has seven brothers happens to be able to see death. But he comes and takes those dear to her but never herself till she decides to pit her wits against him. But is it so simple to take on death?
In ‘The Sea Cellar’, we have Alba whose sister is sent as a bride to a strange home where brides go but are never seen or heard of anymore nor is the groom ever seen. She decides to go there as a bride herself and solve the mystery but what does she uncover?
In ‘The Mother and the Dagger’, a queen from a magical land tries her hand at some dark magic to have a child but can’t make the sacrifice required of her. For this she must pay, and so must others.
Katherine in ‘Twice Killed Katherine’ is the only one of a sorcerer’s children who has his powers. He decides to take her under his wing and protect her at any cost.
A King and Queen’s children are cruelly killed in ‘Death and the Woodwife’ but then she is blessed with a strange child. When this child grows up and is set to marry, she ends up with a dark suitor. Can she escape?
The stories had some lovely (and vivid) descriptions of places magical like in ‘The Clockwork Bride’
The shop nestled among darkened buildings like a lit birthday cake. From its open door poured tinkling music-box notes and thick golden light…. There before them were all the toymaker’s treasures. The paper ballerinas had grown to the size of children, with the small heads and slim limbs of women. They pirouetted in skirts of taffeta netting, their laughter scattering like light….
Or dark like in ‘The House under the Stairwell’
There was no sky here, but a roof of earth, heavy coils of roots running through it. Moths larger than men perched on the roofs with their wings open wide, casting a delicate glow. In the distance stood a house with lights shining through every window and before it a grove of gold and silver trees. A masked figure waited beneath each tree, limbs too long and fingers hidden in dark gloves. Above their masks each painted with a man’s face, stood grey wolf ears.
As you can gauge from the descriptions, these are very imaginative stories indeed. I thought the author did a great job at creating some really creepy tales. While one might feel sorry for a few of the characters, others (even central characters) are dark and not particularly likeable, and there are also evil stepmothers, mothers and fathers galore. Since one can’t really tell where each story will lead, each has its share of surprises. There are also illustrations at the beginning of each story and I think full page illustrations in the final version. These would be great for Halloween or any time you’re in the mood for something very creepy. But be warned, most of these don’t have happy endings, and will leave you feeling unsettled more than anything else…
...more
Notes are private!
1
Dec 05, 2020
Dec 08, 2020
Dec 05, 2020
Hardcover
0062338110
9780062338112
0062338110
4.14
83,280
Jan 21, 2020
Jan 21, 2020
really liked it
In The Hand on the Wall, Maureen Johnson gives us a satisfying conclusion to the two mysteries surrounding Ellingham Academy which we have been follow
In The Hand on the Wall, Maureen Johnson gives us a satisfying conclusion to the two mysteries surrounding Ellingham Academy which we have been following from book 1. This is of course, the third book of the Truly Devious series of Young Adult mysteries (I recently found out that there is to be a fourth book but that will be an entirely new mystery).
Ellingham Academy, the setting for the series, is a school in Vermont which was established by a tycoon in the 1930s for students who excelled or were gifted in particular areas, and which allowed them to pursue curricula that were designed to develop these interests. For our main character Stevie or Stephanie Bell, this is true crime. She is interested in solving crimes and more specifically the mystery surrounding the school itself for 80 years ago just after the school was set up, the founder Albert Ellingham’s wife and daughter were kidnapped and while his wife’s body was found, his daughter Alice was never recovered. Another student Dottie Epstein, a rather clever young girl had also disappeared at the time. And just before the disappearances, Ellingham was receiving mysterious, threatening messages from someone who called themselves ‘Truly Devious’. Now as Stevie is beginning to reinvestigate the case, deaths begin to take place in the present as well, first one student and then a second, and both had been working on a documentary connected with the old case. And where we left off last, a third person interested in the Ellingham matter died in mysterious circumstances. But was it just an accident as it seemed to be?
In this instalment, Stevie has solved the 1930s mystery (or so she thinks), discovered who Truly Devious was, but Alice is yet to be found. Also, in the present-day mystery, the threads are yet to be connected—were all the deaths simply things gone wrong or accidents? Not only that, her boyfriend or at least the boy she was interested in, David has gone missing and is miffed with her for acting at the behest of his father. Stevie is feeling lost amidst all of this and needs to get her thoughts together but a huge storm is about to break out and the school is suddenly evacuated. Another turn of circumstances, and Stevie and a small group of friends end up being the only ones staying behind at Ellingham and in this freezing place, Stevie must put the final pieces of the puzzles (both) together.
Compared to book 2, I found I got into this one far more easily (though the gap between my reading this and the last was about the same as between book 2 and book 1), and found myself absorbed back in right from the start. Like the first two books, this one also follows a dual timeline and so we the reader see events as they unfolded back in the 1930s (as also the present), while Stevie must work them out for herself, and so while she does solve the puzzle, we the reader have a fuller and clearer explanation (of the older mystery, I mean). This was something I oddly enjoyed. In fact, the 1930s mystery with all its twists and complications was the one I ended up enjoying much more than the present-day one. The solution to the latter too was satisfying, no doubt, but perhaps not something that entirely took me by surprise (I mean, not that I guessed but it wasn’t the kind that sometimes entirely blows one away, if that makes sense). The romance thread was also not my favourite but her friends were kind of fun. And I also did enjoy the Agatha Christie references (in this one it is essentially to And Then There Were None which is supposed to be Stevie’s favourite) once again.
Overall I really enjoyed the series, though and would like to read the new mystery when it comes out. What I’d have done differently with this series would have probably been to not read it as it came out but wait till they were all available because I felt with the gaps between books, I did lose track of characters and developments in the story.
...more
Ellingham Academy, the setting for the series, is a school in Vermont which was established by a tycoon in the 1930s for students who excelled or were gifted in particular areas, and which allowed them to pursue curricula that were designed to develop these interests. For our main character Stevie or Stephanie Bell, this is true crime. She is interested in solving crimes and more specifically the mystery surrounding the school itself for 80 years ago just after the school was set up, the founder Albert Ellingham’s wife and daughter were kidnapped and while his wife’s body was found, his daughter Alice was never recovered. Another student Dottie Epstein, a rather clever young girl had also disappeared at the time. And just before the disappearances, Ellingham was receiving mysterious, threatening messages from someone who called themselves ‘Truly Devious’. Now as Stevie is beginning to reinvestigate the case, deaths begin to take place in the present as well, first one student and then a second, and both had been working on a documentary connected with the old case. And where we left off last, a third person interested in the Ellingham matter died in mysterious circumstances. But was it just an accident as it seemed to be?
In this instalment, Stevie has solved the 1930s mystery (or so she thinks), discovered who Truly Devious was, but Alice is yet to be found. Also, in the present-day mystery, the threads are yet to be connected—were all the deaths simply things gone wrong or accidents? Not only that, her boyfriend or at least the boy she was interested in, David has gone missing and is miffed with her for acting at the behest of his father. Stevie is feeling lost amidst all of this and needs to get her thoughts together but a huge storm is about to break out and the school is suddenly evacuated. Another turn of circumstances, and Stevie and a small group of friends end up being the only ones staying behind at Ellingham and in this freezing place, Stevie must put the final pieces of the puzzles (both) together.
Compared to book 2, I found I got into this one far more easily (though the gap between my reading this and the last was about the same as between book 2 and book 1), and found myself absorbed back in right from the start. Like the first two books, this one also follows a dual timeline and so we the reader see events as they unfolded back in the 1930s (as also the present), while Stevie must work them out for herself, and so while she does solve the puzzle, we the reader have a fuller and clearer explanation (of the older mystery, I mean). This was something I oddly enjoyed. In fact, the 1930s mystery with all its twists and complications was the one I ended up enjoying much more than the present-day one. The solution to the latter too was satisfying, no doubt, but perhaps not something that entirely took me by surprise (I mean, not that I guessed but it wasn’t the kind that sometimes entirely blows one away, if that makes sense). The romance thread was also not my favourite but her friends were kind of fun. And I also did enjoy the Agatha Christie references (in this one it is essentially to And Then There Were None which is supposed to be Stevie’s favourite) once again.
Overall I really enjoyed the series, though and would like to read the new mystery when it comes out. What I’d have done differently with this series would have probably been to not read it as it came out but wait till they were all available because I felt with the gaps between books, I did lose track of characters and developments in the story.
...more
Notes are private!
1
Oct 30, 2020
Nov 2020
Oct 30, 2020
Hardcover
0063032627
9780063032620
4.07
48,631
Jun 15, 2021
Jun 15, 2021
it was amazing
The Box in the Woods (2021) is the fourth of a young adult mystery series, Truly Devious, with the difference from the first three books being that wh
The Box in the Woods (2021) is the fourth of a young adult mystery series, Truly Devious, with the difference from the first three books being that while those formed a connected mystery/set of mysteries, book 4 is a complete book in itself.
The Truly Devious series is set around Stephanie ‘Stevie’ Bell, who gets admitted to Ellingham Academy, a prestigious school in Vermont which takes in students who are passionate about and gifted in different areas and allows them to pursue a tailored curriculum which will best hone their skills in their field of interest. For Stevie, this was true crime, and she sought to investigate a mystery dating to the 1930s associated with Ellingham, where the founder’s wife and daughter had gone missing as also one of the gifted students from the school. As Stevie joins the school and begins to look into this, she is also faced with a present-day mystery with its own murders. Having solved both sets of murders, she has made a name for herself as an amateur sleuth.
In this book, Stevie is at home for the summer vacations, working at a salad bar and wondering what lies next since her stated purpose of solving the Ellingham case has been achieved, when she receives an interesting message. Carson Buchwald, the owner of a company called ‘Box Box’ and also a campsite, Camp Sunny Falls wants Stevie to come there and try her hand at solving a case from 1978, when the camp was known as Wonder Pines, and four camp counsellors/teens from the town were rather horrifically murdered in the woods, a case now known as ‘The Box in the Woods’ murder, one not quite solved. Stevie is interested of course and manages to set things up (that is, manipulate things a bit) so that her parents approve and arrives at Sunny Falls with best friends Janelle and Nate. Her boyfriend David is away working, but promises to visit.
In Barlow Corners, the town where Sunny Falls is, Carson announces rather publicly that he plans to make a podcast about the murders and so has invited Stevie there. This gets most of the town’s hackles up for it is still living with the burden of the tragedy, and does not wish to rake things up again. However, one victim’s sister, Allison Abbot comes to realise that Stevie is genuine and agrees to speak to her, also convincing the families of the others to do so. But evil seems to be lurking its ugly head again. Can Stevie solve this case?
Written in the same format as previous books with the initial narrative shifting back and forth between events in 1978 and current-day proceedings, before moving completely to the present, The Box in the Woods is a faced paced and engrossing read with a satisfying mystery at its core. The murders themselves are a bit dark and disturbing in terms both of having multiple victims as well as the fact that they were a little grizzly (though the book doesn’t go into unnecessarily detail) and seem to echo a serial killer. But some of the people Stevie talks to seem to have the feeling that the culprit was closer home. The book does give one a fairly good clue as to whodunit (and relatedly a bit of the why) some way in but how that connected up to the victims, one must read on and see. As Stevie starts to interview connected people and piece together things that happen, she begins to find herself and her friends in danger, too.
The book also gives us a glimpse of small-town America in its setting in Barlow Corners (the close-knittedness, the power dynamics where certain people remain beyond the law, and so on) as well as changing mores over time, with some aspects overlooked or accepted in the past which are taken more seriously in the present to things that were taboo back then but to which society has opened up now. All of these aspects come up in various threads of the case.
Through Stevie’s reading and investigation, we are introduced to the work of Frances Glessner Lee, and specifically her Nutshell Studies which were intricately designed dollhouse dioramas of real crime scenes used to improve the teaching of crime scene investigation. This was something I hadn’t come across before and it was interesting to learn of it. (One can apparently see these in 3D online, but they are supposed to be fairly graphic despite their size).
While unlike in the earlier volumes in the series, Stevie here isn’t specifically reading or speaking of Poirot, Johnson does include a nod to those stories in the denouement with Stevie assembling the whole cast if characters to make her big revelation. And for those who enjoy such things (as I do), there is a map of the camp and surrounding areas at the start.
All-in-all a great mystery, fast paced and interesting, also a little unsettling, and for me, a very enjoyable entry in the series.
4.5 stars
Book details: Paperback, Katherine Tegen Books/Harper Collins, 2021; 383pp; own purchase. ...more
The Truly Devious series is set around Stephanie ‘Stevie’ Bell, who gets admitted to Ellingham Academy, a prestigious school in Vermont which takes in students who are passionate about and gifted in different areas and allows them to pursue a tailored curriculum which will best hone their skills in their field of interest. For Stevie, this was true crime, and she sought to investigate a mystery dating to the 1930s associated with Ellingham, where the founder’s wife and daughter had gone missing as also one of the gifted students from the school. As Stevie joins the school and begins to look into this, she is also faced with a present-day mystery with its own murders. Having solved both sets of murders, she has made a name for herself as an amateur sleuth.
In this book, Stevie is at home for the summer vacations, working at a salad bar and wondering what lies next since her stated purpose of solving the Ellingham case has been achieved, when she receives an interesting message. Carson Buchwald, the owner of a company called ‘Box Box’ and also a campsite, Camp Sunny Falls wants Stevie to come there and try her hand at solving a case from 1978, when the camp was known as Wonder Pines, and four camp counsellors/teens from the town were rather horrifically murdered in the woods, a case now known as ‘The Box in the Woods’ murder, one not quite solved. Stevie is interested of course and manages to set things up (that is, manipulate things a bit) so that her parents approve and arrives at Sunny Falls with best friends Janelle and Nate. Her boyfriend David is away working, but promises to visit.
In Barlow Corners, the town where Sunny Falls is, Carson announces rather publicly that he plans to make a podcast about the murders and so has invited Stevie there. This gets most of the town’s hackles up for it is still living with the burden of the tragedy, and does not wish to rake things up again. However, one victim’s sister, Allison Abbot comes to realise that Stevie is genuine and agrees to speak to her, also convincing the families of the others to do so. But evil seems to be lurking its ugly head again. Can Stevie solve this case?
Written in the same format as previous books with the initial narrative shifting back and forth between events in 1978 and current-day proceedings, before moving completely to the present, The Box in the Woods is a faced paced and engrossing read with a satisfying mystery at its core. The murders themselves are a bit dark and disturbing in terms both of having multiple victims as well as the fact that they were a little grizzly (though the book doesn’t go into unnecessarily detail) and seem to echo a serial killer. But some of the people Stevie talks to seem to have the feeling that the culprit was closer home. The book does give one a fairly good clue as to whodunit (and relatedly a bit of the why) some way in but how that connected up to the victims, one must read on and see. As Stevie starts to interview connected people and piece together things that happen, she begins to find herself and her friends in danger, too.
The book also gives us a glimpse of small-town America in its setting in Barlow Corners (the close-knittedness, the power dynamics where certain people remain beyond the law, and so on) as well as changing mores over time, with some aspects overlooked or accepted in the past which are taken more seriously in the present to things that were taboo back then but to which society has opened up now. All of these aspects come up in various threads of the case.
Through Stevie’s reading and investigation, we are introduced to the work of Frances Glessner Lee, and specifically her Nutshell Studies which were intricately designed dollhouse dioramas of real crime scenes used to improve the teaching of crime scene investigation. This was something I hadn’t come across before and it was interesting to learn of it. (One can apparently see these in 3D online, but they are supposed to be fairly graphic despite their size).
While unlike in the earlier volumes in the series, Stevie here isn’t specifically reading or speaking of Poirot, Johnson does include a nod to those stories in the denouement with Stevie assembling the whole cast if characters to make her big revelation. And for those who enjoy such things (as I do), there is a map of the camp and surrounding areas at the start.
All-in-all a great mystery, fast paced and interesting, also a little unsettling, and for me, a very enjoyable entry in the series.
4.5 stars
Book details: Paperback, Katherine Tegen Books/Harper Collins, 2021; 383pp; own purchase. ...more
Notes are private!
1
Jul 17, 2022
Jul 18, 2022
Oct 28, 2020
ebook
1401324029
9781401324025
1401324029
3.79
25,779
Sep 28, 2010
Sep 28, 2010
really liked it
Naked Heat is book 2 in the Nikki Heat series of books. The series was published as to tie-in with the TV series Castle in which Richard Castle, an au
Naked Heat is book 2 in the Nikki Heat series of books. The series was published as to tie-in with the TV series Castle in which Richard Castle, an author, first comes in contact with Detective Kate Beckett when a copycat killer bases his crimes on the former’s books, and decides to base his next series on her. The books were actually written by screenwriter Tom Straw, but published under Castle’s name and feature his picture as author. Since I enjoyed the series so much, the initial seasons particularly, I had been meaning to give the books a try as well, and now I finally read this one which I’d bought last year.
This one opens with Nikki Heat on her way to a crime scene when she encounters something rather unusual. At the crime scene, she finds a victim who used to drive a truck delivering vegetables and fruit with no apparent reason why anyone would kill him. Almost before finishing with that scene, she is called to a second crime scene. Here the victim is a gossip columnist, Cassidy Towne and the person that reporter the murder is journalist Jameson Rook, who was working on a story on her. Needless to say, Towne was no pleasant person and has an endless list of ‘victims’ who’d wish her dead. We follow Rook and Heat and officers Riley and Ochoa as they interview suspects and try to find out which of them actually did her in. As Towne was a celebrity columnist, this is the world they find themselves navigating—not just a singer and a sportsman but also a politician whose career Towne cut short, and Rook’s connections help get them around a bit.
On the personal front, Rook and Heat have broken up since the article he was shadowing her team for ended up focusing on her rather than the team as a whole which left them all angry, and Nikki feeling wronged. Working with Nikki again on this case, Rook hopes to patch things up with her and the others, but Nikki’s old boyfriend enters the scene complicating things a little.
This is an enjoyable read that plays out more or less like any episode of the show Castle. The characters are basically versions of those—Castle is Rook, Beckett is Heat, Ryan is Riley, Esposito is Ochoa, and medical examiner Lanie is Lauren, while Castle’s mother Martha becomes Margaret though his daughter is not in the book (nor mentioned). The mystery is fairly complicated with plenty of suspects (all with strong enough motives) and some red herrings. We also learn something interesting about Rook; while Heat’s mother’s murder is mentioned but there are no developments in that direction. The only complaint if any I had was that may be it felt was a touch too long; but as someone who really enjoyed the show, I thought this was a great deal of fun.
...more
This one opens with Nikki Heat on her way to a crime scene when she encounters something rather unusual. At the crime scene, she finds a victim who used to drive a truck delivering vegetables and fruit with no apparent reason why anyone would kill him. Almost before finishing with that scene, she is called to a second crime scene. Here the victim is a gossip columnist, Cassidy Towne and the person that reporter the murder is journalist Jameson Rook, who was working on a story on her. Needless to say, Towne was no pleasant person and has an endless list of ‘victims’ who’d wish her dead. We follow Rook and Heat and officers Riley and Ochoa as they interview suspects and try to find out which of them actually did her in. As Towne was a celebrity columnist, this is the world they find themselves navigating—not just a singer and a sportsman but also a politician whose career Towne cut short, and Rook’s connections help get them around a bit.
On the personal front, Rook and Heat have broken up since the article he was shadowing her team for ended up focusing on her rather than the team as a whole which left them all angry, and Nikki feeling wronged. Working with Nikki again on this case, Rook hopes to patch things up with her and the others, but Nikki’s old boyfriend enters the scene complicating things a little.
This is an enjoyable read that plays out more or less like any episode of the show Castle. The characters are basically versions of those—Castle is Rook, Beckett is Heat, Ryan is Riley, Esposito is Ochoa, and medical examiner Lanie is Lauren, while Castle’s mother Martha becomes Margaret though his daughter is not in the book (nor mentioned). The mystery is fairly complicated with plenty of suspects (all with strong enough motives) and some red herrings. We also learn something interesting about Rook; while Heat’s mother’s murder is mentioned but there are no developments in that direction. The only complaint if any I had was that may be it felt was a touch too long; but as someone who really enjoyed the show, I thought this was a great deal of fun.
...more
Notes are private!
1
Oct 25, 2020
Oct 29, 2020
Oct 25, 2020
Hardcover
1444788949
9781444788945
1444788949
4.28
125,845
Mar 28, 2017
Mar 08, 2018
it was amazing
The first of a young-adult fantasy duology, Strange the Dreamer tells the story of the eponymous Lazlo Strange. Lazlo, a foundling, is sent to live at
The first of a young-adult fantasy duology, Strange the Dreamer tells the story of the eponymous Lazlo Strange. Lazlo, a foundling, is sent to live at Zemonen Abbey. At the monastery, a strange monk tells him tales of a magical city which fascinates him and becomes part of his imaginary games, where he is a Tizerkane, a warrior from that city. But one day, as if by magic, the name of the city disappears from his mind and from the minds of all others, and all that is left in its place is the name ‘Weep’. As Lazlo grows up, and becomes first an apprentice and then a librarian at the Great Library of Zosma, his fascination continues and he reads all he can about the mysterious city of Weep, of which nothing has been heard for 200 years. But one day, Tizerkane from Weep, led by the great warrior, the Godslayer come to Zosma to take back skilled men and women for a mission to rid them of the imprint that evil has left on that city. And in that Lazlo finds his chance, travelling to the city and making his dream come true. Alongside in Weep, we meet Sarai, a young girl, half-god, half-human with an extraordinary power, who has also been impacted by the tragedy that affected Weep, and who must live with some others of her kind, perpetually hidden, to be safe. As Lazlo comes to weep, their stories and lives intersect, and they must come together in an extraordinary way to deal with the consequences of the tragedy that affected the city—one in which neither side to the conflict is entirely in the right, and both have suffered and are suffering. But can they help their people and bring peace to Weep?
This was a really wonderful, magical read, despite having at its core much that is grave—conflict, violence, and suffering. The writing is beautiful—as always, I never remember to mark passages as I read (must try and do this from now on)—as are her descriptions. I loved Lazlo Strange as a character—he is so genuine, and entirely straightforward, no pretence, no hidden or ulterior motives (and though not an entirely fair comparison, he sort of reminded me of Carrot from the citywatch books), but still not a saint. His dreams are a place of beauty—entirely free of the malice and conflict of the real world—like Lazlo himself—and one feels at peace/safe and happy even in reading about them. Sarai, who has had a hard life of her own, too is a great character, also wanting an end to the conflict that exists, wanting simply to live. The others too, people of Weep, and the demi-gods are all interesting characters, all well drawn out—one has one’s likes and dislikes, of course, but one can’t really blame any of them for being as they are, for not seeing reason, perhaps, even though one wants them to. I enjoyed watching the story unfold, and the twist at the end was one I certainly didn’t see coming, even though one part of it suddenly strikes one quite a lot into the book. I really enjoyed this one, and can’t wait to pick up the next one—in fact, am going to do so today!
...more
This was a really wonderful, magical read, despite having at its core much that is grave—conflict, violence, and suffering. The writing is beautiful—as always, I never remember to mark passages as I read (must try and do this from now on)—as are her descriptions. I loved Lazlo Strange as a character—he is so genuine, and entirely straightforward, no pretence, no hidden or ulterior motives (and though not an entirely fair comparison, he sort of reminded me of Carrot from the citywatch books), but still not a saint. His dreams are a place of beauty—entirely free of the malice and conflict of the real world—like Lazlo himself—and one feels at peace/safe and happy even in reading about them. Sarai, who has had a hard life of her own, too is a great character, also wanting an end to the conflict that exists, wanting simply to live. The others too, people of Weep, and the demi-gods are all interesting characters, all well drawn out—one has one’s likes and dislikes, of course, but one can’t really blame any of them for being as they are, for not seeing reason, perhaps, even though one wants them to. I enjoyed watching the story unfold, and the twist at the end was one I certainly didn’t see coming, even though one part of it suddenly strikes one quite a lot into the book. I really enjoyed this one, and can’t wait to pick up the next one—in fact, am going to do so today!
...more
Notes are private!
1
Mar 05, 2020
Mar 18, 2020
Mar 05, 2020
Paperback
1785652761
9781785652769
1785652761
4.13
56,406
Jun 13, 2017
Jun 13, 2017
The second of the series which picks up a while after the first left off, and leads to the final face off between the monsters and humans, and for our
The second of the series which picks up a while after the first left off, and leads to the final face off between the monsters and humans, and for our main characters, Kate and August, also having to face who they are and must be. A very good sequel, though I found I liked the first one a touch more. Details have vanished so I'll leave it at that.
...more
Notes are private!
1
Dec 02, 2019
Dec 05, 2019
Dec 02, 2019
Paperback
3.91
159,422
Jan 16, 2018
Jan 16, 2018
it was amazing
This is a more contemporary murder mystery compared to ones I usually read, but with a dual time line, one current and one in the 1930s, it was someth
This is a more contemporary murder mystery compared to ones I usually read, but with a dual time line, one current and one in the 1930s, it was something that I was very interested in picking up. Truly Devious is the first in a trilogy of the same name. In the 1930s, a tycoon named Albert Ellingham sets up the Ellingham Academy in Vermont for gifted students who are free to study subjects/fields that interest them. One day, Ellingham’s wife and three-year-old daughter are kidnapped and never recovered. Alongside, a particularly gifted student has also gone missing. Days before this event, a mysterious riddle/poem arrived, threatening murder, signed by someone called Truly Devious. Eighty years later, in the present day, a young girl called Stephanie ‘Stevie’ Bell arrives at Ellingham, her particular interest—true crime. And part of her aim in coming there is to solve the Ellingham case, which she feels was never really solved. As she gets settled in to life at Ellingham, meeting other students each with their peculiar interests, she also starts to look into the Ellingham case, in which pursuit the faculty and staff are ready to help and encourage. But as she is doing this, there seem to be indications that Truly Devious might strike again—only Stevie isn’t sure whether what she saw real or something she imagined. But the threats become real very soon when death does strike again. But could really it be Truly Devious back from the past?
Wow, I enjoyed this so much for a book which I knew would not have the solution to the mystery—either mystery in fact—that will only happen in book 3. But despite this, the book was so well paced and gripping, it kept me reading throughout. Each of the characters, students or teachers is well drawn out, they each have their quirks and individual personalities all of which stand out in some way or other, and because of which one doesn’t ever end up confusing them even though there are quite a few. This isn’t a book where there are ‘hold-your-breath’ moments throughout as there can be in some stories, yet it holds one’s interest all the time. The story goes back and forth between the events of the 1930s when the Ellingham kidnapping took place, and the investigation that was conducted there (interview transcripts and such) and the present as Stevie is looking into that case, and also of the murderer who strikes in the present.
The book also explores this concept (which I have come across before in the context of learning and problem solving) of that period/mental state between sleep and wakefulness/ between consciousness and unconsciousness when the best/unusual ideas strike one. For Stevie too, certain connections turn up in this state and yet one is never entirely sure whether they are ‘real’ or what her mind has processed when at that point. This part was really interesting for me.
As far as the mystery itself is concerned, being the first book, it does of course give one the background of what happened but also, Stevie manages to pick up some clues towards the solution of both mysteries, interesting little and not-so-little points which you can see are significant and why so but not perhaps where they will lead or how these will shape up the whole picture. But still one has enough to want to continue on, to see what she will pick up on next, even though the mysteries won’t be solved in that one either. One ‘revelation’ at the end of this one had me thinking of a totally different book, The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery, because it is very like one secret in that book. And speaking of books, this one talks about mystery stories, especially Agatha Christie, also Holmes, as well as poetry so those who enjoy literary references would love that aspect too.
This was an exciting read for me and I really can’t wait to get to the next one. It becomes available in my part of the world around the end of this month, and then it is a wait till next January for the final instalment. But I think it will be worth it!
...more
Wow, I enjoyed this so much for a book which I knew would not have the solution to the mystery—either mystery in fact—that will only happen in book 3. But despite this, the book was so well paced and gripping, it kept me reading throughout. Each of the characters, students or teachers is well drawn out, they each have their quirks and individual personalities all of which stand out in some way or other, and because of which one doesn’t ever end up confusing them even though there are quite a few. This isn’t a book where there are ‘hold-your-breath’ moments throughout as there can be in some stories, yet it holds one’s interest all the time. The story goes back and forth between the events of the 1930s when the Ellingham kidnapping took place, and the investigation that was conducted there (interview transcripts and such) and the present as Stevie is looking into that case, and also of the murderer who strikes in the present.
The book also explores this concept (which I have come across before in the context of learning and problem solving) of that period/mental state between sleep and wakefulness/ between consciousness and unconsciousness when the best/unusual ideas strike one. For Stevie too, certain connections turn up in this state and yet one is never entirely sure whether they are ‘real’ or what her mind has processed when at that point. This part was really interesting for me.
As far as the mystery itself is concerned, being the first book, it does of course give one the background of what happened but also, Stevie manages to pick up some clues towards the solution of both mysteries, interesting little and not-so-little points which you can see are significant and why so but not perhaps where they will lead or how these will shape up the whole picture. But still one has enough to want to continue on, to see what she will pick up on next, even though the mysteries won’t be solved in that one either. One ‘revelation’ at the end of this one had me thinking of a totally different book, The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery, because it is very like one secret in that book. And speaking of books, this one talks about mystery stories, especially Agatha Christie, also Holmes, as well as poetry so those who enjoy literary references would love that aspect too.
This was an exciting read for me and I really can’t wait to get to the next one. It becomes available in my part of the world around the end of this month, and then it is a wait till next January for the final instalment. But I think it will be worth it!
...more
Notes are private!
1
Jun 03, 2019
Jun 09, 2019
Jun 03, 2019
Hardcover
0316556343
9780316556347
0316556343
4.23
1,141,965
Apr 10, 2018
Apr 10, 2018
it was amazing
Definitely worth all the hype surrounding it. This is the story of Circe, who I’d come before across reading the Odyssey where she turns most of Odyss
Definitely worth all the hype surrounding it. This is the story of Circe, who I’d come before across reading the Odyssey where she turns most of Odysseus’s crew into pigs when he visits her island Aiaia, and in The Sea of Monsters where, as CC, she changes men into guinea pigs in her modern avatar! This is Circe is her original setting, born as a daughter to Helios the sun god, one of the few titans left amidst the Olympians. Circe looks and sounds different from her siblings, more mortal than goddess and must bear their scorn as a result. Unlike the gods, she feels for those in trouble or pain, including mortals, who the gods enjoy tormenting for their pleasure or the offerings they receive. She may not have divine powers but she does have powers of witchcraft, and when she falls in love she uses these powers resulting in her being exiled to Aiaia. Here she lives somewhat free, and yet subject to the gods’ whims when sometimes nymphs who haven’t behaved too well are sent there as punishment. Here she hones her skills of witchcraft and lives her life as best as she can. But she must bear the brunt of being a woman who lives independently, goddesses or not, and learn to recognise the true character of gods and mortals.
I really enjoyed this version of Circe’s story which casts her as an underdog of sorts, one different from everyone else and therefore not given their value or their share of love (though with the gods as they are, I doubt even the ones that ‘fit in’ find any actual love). While she can cast powerful spells and protect herself, she also yearns to be loved, by her family, by the mortals she falls in love with, yet none react as she would have them. Yet she is ever willing to lend a hand, though she can as well put people and gods in their place or at least check them when she needs to. She is like mortals perhaps, both strong and vulnerable, to my mind even a little too saintly at times. But even so, I liked her as a character mostly, and I liked how Miller weaves the different legends about her, and those related to her in one way or other into a complete tale. This was also surprisingly pretty fast paced and I also enjoyed the writing very much. The ending took me completely by surprise--loved it! Great read for me 4.5 stars.
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I really enjoyed this version of Circe’s story which casts her as an underdog of sorts, one different from everyone else and therefore not given their value or their share of love (though with the gods as they are, I doubt even the ones that ‘fit in’ find any actual love). While she can cast powerful spells and protect herself, she also yearns to be loved, by her family, by the mortals she falls in love with, yet none react as she would have them. Yet she is ever willing to lend a hand, though she can as well put people and gods in their place or at least check them when she needs to. She is like mortals perhaps, both strong and vulnerable, to my mind even a little too saintly at times. But even so, I liked her as a character mostly, and I liked how Miller weaves the different legends about her, and those related to her in one way or other into a complete tale. This was also surprisingly pretty fast paced and I also enjoyed the writing very much. The ending took me completely by surprise--loved it! Great read for me 4.5 stars.
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Notes are private!
1
May 05, 2019
May 15, 2019
May 05, 2019
Hardcover
0553496689
9780553496680
0553496689
3.97
339,537
Nov 01, 2016
Nov 01, 2016
really liked it
This book tells the story of two very different people, Natasha, who doesn’t believe in dreams or fate or destiny but in hard facts, and science, and
This book tells the story of two very different people, Natasha, who doesn’t believe in dreams or fate or destiny but in hard facts, and science, and who with her family is about to be deported to Jamaica with the rest of her family as they are illegal immigrants. She is making a last ditch attempt to get them to stay by visiting immigration services. On the other side, there is Daniel, Korean-American, who writes poetry and is unsure what he really wants to do in life, but his parents expect him to go to Yale, become a doctor, and achieve the ‘American dream’. As Natasha heads off to meet the immigration authorities, and Daniel to his alumni interview for Yale, they meet each other, and seem to be destined for each other. We follow them through the course of the day, as Natasha tries to push away what she is feeling (especially since she is about to be deported) and Daniel tries to convince her otherwise.
The basic story about two unlikely people, very different from each other, meeting by chance and falling in love (that too when neither of their parents are likely to approve of the other) sounds like the typical one, but the way that it is written is what set it apart and made it a very enjoyable read for me. I vaguely knew that the story was told from both their povs and was expecting a shift in voices and perspectives, but what was more interesting was how we see not only their stories but how their storylines interact with other people as well as the concepts/factors that come into it, their families, the security guard that checks Natasha as she heads into Immigration Services, her attorney, the significance of particular things to their community like hair and hairstyles, even fate. This structure was something I’ve never come across before and made a story which I may not have normally read a really interesting read for me. Both Daniel and Natasha are very likeable, and while their families may be far from perfect, one gets to understand as we read (with the exception of one character) why they are the way they are. Wonderful book with an ending I really liked as well.
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The basic story about two unlikely people, very different from each other, meeting by chance and falling in love (that too when neither of their parents are likely to approve of the other) sounds like the typical one, but the way that it is written is what set it apart and made it a very enjoyable read for me. I vaguely knew that the story was told from both their povs and was expecting a shift in voices and perspectives, but what was more interesting was how we see not only their stories but how their storylines interact with other people as well as the concepts/factors that come into it, their families, the security guard that checks Natasha as she heads into Immigration Services, her attorney, the significance of particular things to their community like hair and hairstyles, even fate. This structure was something I’ve never come across before and made a story which I may not have normally read a really interesting read for me. Both Daniel and Natasha are very likeable, and while their families may be far from perfect, one gets to understand as we read (with the exception of one character) why they are the way they are. Wonderful book with an ending I really liked as well.
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Notes are private!
1
Mar 24, 2019
Mar 26, 2019
Mar 24, 2019
Hardcover
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