Quickie: The Strain (Book 1 of The Stain Trilogy) by Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan

I read this book in fits and starts during the end of my pregnancy and the first weeks after my daughter was born. That was over two months ago so the exact details of The Strain escape me, but I remember enjoying it!

Basically a jet lands at JFK and dies; it’s completely dark, no one gets off, and law enforcement isn’t sure if anyone on board is alive. Lo-and-behold a couple poor souls survive but they’re infected with a nasty blood-sucking-wormy-vampire-creating disease and Eph Goodweather of the CDC is the first guy to figure out not all is well. It gets pretty gruesome, especially when the newly infected people escape and run rampant all over New York with slimy blood-sucking tongues. Apparently this infection stems from one super old vampire who is one of a few really old vamps, and has decided to break the truce these old dead-dudes had with one another and start creating new vampires. I’m sure books two and three will about the older vampires getting this guy under control.

Overall, super gross, but in a good, I-don’t-want-to-put-this-book-down way. The dialogue writing got to be a bit repetitive, lots of “he said,” and “she said,” which is amateur, but it’s easy to look past. Definitely recommended for fans of vampire science-fiction thrillers. Book two, The Fall, is already out and I plan to get my hands on it sometime in the future.

4 stars

Review: Bitter in the Mouth by Monique Truong

Linda Hammerick grew up in small-town Boiling Springs, North Carolina, always knowing she was a little different from everyone else. To her, words have tastes. The sound of mother brings the flavor of chocolate milk to her mouth, even if her mother is anything but comforting and sweet. The name of the neighbor boy evokes a palate of orange sherbet, and hearing her own name the earthy tang of fresh mint. Bitter in the Mouth is the story of Linda’s life with these never-ending incoming tastes.

At its core, Bitter in the Mouth is a beautiful novel, the words are soft and flow sweetly around Linda who is a character we can appreciate and enjoy. We’re given tidbits of her childhood, from meeting her best friend via letters, to the instant bond she shares with her great-uncle, to the abhorrence she feels for her absent mother and abrasive grandmother. I enjoyed the relationships Truong developed amongst Linda and the others. I only wish the whole book had been as cohesive as its main artery.

There are major parts of Linda’s story that we’re not told about in the beginning; this is a common tool of writing, but when those pieces of information are revealed later in the novel, it’s less of an unveiling and more of a brick to the head. Basically, it left me wondering why the choice to hide so much crucial detail until the very end. A similar conundrum were strange threads that magically appeared throughout the novel, but had no connection to anything other than North Carolina. The Wright brothers and their first flights, the legend of Virginia Dare, and a story about George Horton, a poet and slave. I literally have no idea why these characters or stories were involved. If there’s a reason for them, other than abstraction, it’s complete lost on me.

The other complaint I have about Bitter in the Mouth is a technical one. I know the author is trying to explain the tastes that Linda experiences when she says or hears a particular word, but the way these tastes are connected to the words is distracting. For every sentence spoken aloud, a specific taste is attached to each provoking word in italics. For example: momchocolatemilk, Lindamint, Wadeorangesherbertboy. This makes for a distracting and often halting flow of reading when full sentences are constructed this way. Either the sentence’s meaning is lost, or if you choose to gloss over the italics, the taste is lost. I have no better solution to this problem, but it’s sad that the connection between word and taste fell flat for me.

In general I really enjoyed the majority of Truong’s writing, I think she created a wonderfully realistic, yet unique character and world around Linda. There’s so much more to her story than just the synesthesia she experiences with words. There are certain things about Bitter in the Mouth that I did not love so much, but I lived through them and would still recommend this novel to those who might be intrigued by the premise.

4 stars

(I received a free copy through the Amazon Vine program)

Review: State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

This having been the first Ann Patchett novel I’ve read, I seriously wonder what has taken me so long. Her writing is refreshingly clean and free of embellishments, but the intricate plot of State of Wonder pulls you in from the first page.

Dr. Marina Singh is happy working for a pharmaceutical development company in Minnesota. She left the world of obstetrics when she was young, and she has no aspirations for a bigger or better surgical career. However, when her lab partner dies on a trip to the Amazon in search of Dr. Swenson, a woman their company has funded to work on a fertility drug, Marina finds herself thrown into the spotlight. With little choice, she becomes the only representative who can travel to Manaus to find her partner’s body and also determine the status of the groundbreaking drug being worked on in the depths of the jungle. Searching for a well-guarded secret tribe of Amazonian people, looking for the doctor she once studied under, Marina becomes mired in the hidden tributaries and vine-covered secrets of the Amazon.

With an intricate plot and touchingly realistic depth of character, Patchett creates an aura of dark mystery around Marina. With a past as troubled as her present, Marina is forced to face her childhood fears, an unpresent father, a round of dark nightmares. Patchett gives us so much history in the telling of this particular story, that we come to fully know Marina and her insecurities, and we watch her fight through them to become a force of nature.

State of Wonder is an addictive page turner, I did not want to set it down until I could grasp more of the words Patchett was giving. Unexpectedly pleased, I think I’ve found a new author to devour.

4 stars

(I received an advance copy through the Amazon Vine program)

Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Slap-happy review here folks because if you are like me circa a month ago, you’re one of the few people who actually had no idea what this book was about until you picked up a copy from your home-town bookstore because you just “happened” to speed read the end of your last novel and wanted to go buy a new book which you haven’t allowed yourself to do in a REALLY long time.

So, Mikael Blomkvist is a journalist and he gets sued and is found guilty and has to “quit” the magazine he started in order to secretly get revenge. Lo-and-randomly-behold he’s hired by a rich old guy named Henrik Vanger (you know with a last name that starts with a V there’s all sorts of drama to be had) who wants Mikael to write an autobiography of the Vanger family, but also to secretly research the decades-old disappearance/murder of Henrik’s niece Harriet. Oh, and Henrik has “secret information” that Mikael can use against the guy that sued him. Hijinks and scandal ensue, and it’s page-turningly good suspense. Oh! AND! The “girl with the dragon tattoo” is Lisbeth Salander and the book is titled after her but she’s not really the main character which is intriguing. She’s a super smart computer whiz who finds out lots of secret things that people aren’t supposed to know and she assists Mikael in his investigations.

Overall I am not disappointed. With all the hullabaloo I wondered if this book was going to be for moi, and I can happily say that it’s definitely for moi and I do wish to be reading the sequel ASAP but good things come to those who wait and I shall not rush out and hop on your bandwagon. You have to get over the random translation issues, and you must try to remember all the various characters, because there are plenty, but then you realize that in this world of suspense-thrillers and paper-back-action-adventures this is one of the good ones and perhaps it’s because he’s not-of-this-country and also not-of-the-living.

In conclusion: if you are like I was a month ago and wondering if you should finally get around to reading this book and wondering if it is really worth it, buy the cheap paperback or rent it from the library and ye shall not be disappointed if what you want is good suspense. Cheers.

4 stars

Review: The Ghost Orchid by Carol Goodman

Carol Goodman always has an unparalleled way of transforming a location in a book into a beautifully haunted atmosphere. Her descriptions jump from the page, and every time she sets her novel in a new location I know it’s going to be lush, gothic, decrepit, and wonderful.

Her location in The Ghost Orchid is no different. Set at the upstate New York sprawling aged and crumbling Bosco Estate, Goodman unites an intriguing cast of characters amid the ivy-covered statues and dry fountains. Novelist Ellis Brooks has hoped her acceptance into Bosco’s notorious writing program would allow her the freedom to pursue her novel in peace. But the past pursues her instead, and she soon finds that the residents of Bosco were not brought together by chance.

At times a romantic mystery, at times a suspenseful thriller, Goodman deftly weaves between an ages old missing child case, and the present day sleuthing Ellis is forced to undertake into the people and places around her. Always intriguing, I never want to finish a Goodman novel. Though the writing in this, her fourth novel, occasions into the trite and predictable, I was still engrossed by the scene set before me.

I had one issue with the end of the novel and a short side-tracked path that Goodman decided to briefly explore, but it was not the focus of the novel so I can set it aside as author-folly. Overall, I still love her novels and find them to be uniquely mysterious and haunting. I haven’t read many other authors that can successfully pull off a mystery while still making it literary. In this day of mass-market quick-publications, I delight in the fact that there are authors like Goodman who take suspense to another level.

4 stars

Review: One-Day by David Nicholls

I haven’t had any time to blog lately but it feels wrong not reviewing a book when I’ve finished one, no matter how busy I am these days.

One-Day by David Nicholls. I received a reprint-advance-copy of this book last year when the publishers were building hype for the upcoming movie. I had grand plans to read it at that time and life got in the way. It sat on my shelf waiting for the day when I would be in the mood for a love story. That day came sometime within the last two weeks as my body reeled from the utter exhaustion of moving apartments while prego (GOOD times, let me tell you).

On my way out the door to work one day I grabbed One-Day (hardy-har-har) and slid it in my bag. Peeled back the covers on the train and was absorbed into the lives of Dexter and Emma. One-Day is unique in that each chapter is July 15 beginning in 1988 when Dexter and Emma meet and ending in 2006. Since each chapter is a year apart, things change dramatically each time and it’s quite fun and exciting to see where our protagonists will be each time a new chapter starts. Nicholls has portrayed two equally empathetic characters who feel and read real and each year pulls us forward into their lives.

Witty and charming, British, beautiful and fun. That’s One-Day. Definitely recommended and very much looking forward to the movie in July.

4 stars

(I received a reprint copy from the publisher for review)

Review: The Looking Glass Wars (The Looking Glass Wars Trilogy, Book 1) by Frank Beddor

Princess Alyss Heart of Wonderland leads a charmed life at the young age of seven. Poised to begin her own training to be the future queen, with White Imagination skills ripe for development, Alyss doesn’t know how good she has it until her evil aunt Redd strikes a fatal blow to Wonderland’s Queen, and Alyss’s life as she knows it.

Forced to flee, with only the vigilant Hatter Madigan to protect her, Alyss jumps into the Pool of Tears to save herself by leaving Wonderland, quite possibly forever. When she is separated from Hatter and finds herself in Victorian London amongst street urchins, Alyss must adapt and overcome. And so she turns her back on her memories of Wonderland and loses her skills at Imagination. Years later when she’s created a life and future, a deadly Wonderland assassin known as The Cat tracks her down and Alyss is forced to face the world of her youth.

Slightly darker and more science-fiction than the original tales of Wonderland, The Looking Glass Wars is an enjoyable reimagining of Lewis Carroll’s beloved classic, with a bit of an edge for action lovers. The trials Alyss must overcome are intriguing, and the ways Beddor recreated the original characters are fanciful and fun. Hatter Madigan is a skillful protectorate, a member of the feared Millinery, known for their deadly skills with hats. The chess pieces are loyal friends to all true Wonderlanders. Redd is evil and loathsome, as all villains should be. Fairly predictable for a first book, I did enjoy seeing how Beddor would play everything out. I do recommend it as a light and fun fantasy read for those of you who have been thinking of picking it up. I look forward to the next installment, Seeing Redd, to find out where he takes his version of Wonderland.

4 stars

Review: The Titan’s Curse (Percy Jackson & The Olympians, Book 3) by Rick Riordan

**WARNING** May contain spoilers if you haven’t read The Lightning Thief (review) and The Sea of Monsters (review).

Once again Percy Jackson and his friends must save all of humanity (and the Gods) in the third entry of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson & The Olympians series. With some new characters in tow, Percy, Grover, Annabeth, and newly restored Thalia face new monsters and new challenges as they track down a mysterious monster that has the possibility to destroy the Gods, and rescue Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt.

I chose The Titan’s Curse as a quick, refreshing palate cleanser and that’s exactly what it was. I wasn’t as drawn into it as much as I was with the previous books, but it got me excited toward the end when I became invested in the story and it’s outcome. Is this series as good as Harry Potter? No. But is it a nice read and a good reminder of why fantasy is fun and richly entertaining? Yes. Do I wish I had the fourth book in the series handy at my fingertips right now? You bet I do.

Overall I’m still enjoying the Percy Jackson series as a nice change of pace and tone from more literary fare. I’d highly recommend it to readers of a younger age.

3 1/2 stars

Review: The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

Seledreorig…. The word came into my head like a whisper.
Sadness for the lack of a hall.
The Distant Hours – Kate Morton

This is the first book by Kate Morton that I’ve had the pleasure of reading, and I wasn’t disappointed. A thick literary mystery with layers of intrigue and clues to be discovered.

Edie Burchill, a present day publisher, stumbles across a decades old mystery surrounding the decrepit and ancient Milderhurst Castle in the English countryside. Little does she know that the aged Blythe sisters who live there, twins Percey and Saffy, and their younger sister Juniper, are each hiding secrets from themselves and the village. When Edie discovers that her own mother spent some time at Milderhurst during the evacuation of children from London in World War II, she’s bound by a sense of duty as well as her own curiosity to visit Milderhurst and learn more about the women who live there, and their father who wrote a famous children’s story which Edie herself once adored.

The Distant Hours is a good mystery, page after page pulls you in, and Morton deftly layers plot on plot, tying all the strings together at the end. There’s more to the scene than just Milderhurst and the women who live there. There’s the mystery of the two wives of their father, and how they each died. What happened to the man who was supposed to visit Juniper? Why won’t Edie’s mother talk about her time at the castle? Morton is a master at the multi-plot book. She leaves no loose ends.

At times the plot lines did become predictable and plodding, however I still found myself pushing onward enjoying the heft and length of the book in hand. A satisfactory read, enjoyable; charmingly odd, like the Blythe sisters and their secrets.

4 starts

(I received and advance copy for review)

Review: Safe from the Sea by Peter Geye

When Noah and his sister were young children their lives were forever changed when their father’s ore ship burned and sunk in the tormented waters of Lake Superior. Though their father survived, much of him was left behind when the ship went down, and Noah’s relationship with his father would never be the same. Decades later, when Noah is grown man with a wife living in Boston, his father becomes ill and Noah faces a tough choice: should he go to his father’s side? The man who shut him out and all but left him so many years ago? Journeying to the northern Minnesota town of his youth, Noah faces more than just his father when he arrives. History comes back as Noah confronts the man who changed so many years ago.

Safe from the Sea is heartbreaking and sad, but also cathartic. Noah must deal with many issues by choosing to face his father again: guilt, blame, and a deeply rooted anger. The bond of family, for better or worse, makes us who we are, and Noah is the man he is today because of his relationship with his father. This is the story of a man facing his past, for both Noah and his father.

It’s hard for me to review this novel because I’m torn in two directions. First is my loyalty to my own past, which also came from Minnesota. Geye’s writing of the north and the harsh winters carries true emotional weight. Likewise, my whole family is also in Minnesota, while I am also in Boston, much like Noah and his family are parted. Though I didn’t leave under the same circumstances and return often, the bond Noah has to Minnesota touched my heart.

The other direction I am pulled in is that of a reviewer analyzing a novel. It’s not because this is Geye’s first novel that I feel why I do, because I read many first novels, but the writing of Safe from the Sea didn’t grab me the way I wish it had. The topics did, the scenes and places, but the dialogue felt forced, and parts of Noah’s relationship with his father and wife seemed contrived. Here is a situation where a man is facing the person who destroyed him and tore him apart. I see the word “anger” but I do not feel it. I see a scene of “longing” and “regret” but do not feel those sensations. There was more true emotion in the description of snow and ice than in the setup of Noah and his relationships, and that’s the one fallback of the book.

3 1/2 stars

(I received an advance copy from the publisher)