This book was a really interesting read about a family (and community) in the countryside of Ireland, near Dublin. One by one we get inside the head of each family member, developing opinions about the others (without yet knowing their background and motivations). Gradually the reason for their behaviors come to light, and also shed light on events from their past.

The format of the book brings to mind movies like Wonder and American Beauty. Especially the climax of this book feels like it is lifted straight out of American Beauty, with one big difference.

I really enjoyed the storytelling of this book, and felt like I really knew these characters. It is a pretty long book, and as we get to know these people so well it comes as a bit of shock at the end when you have to say goodbye to them. I’d have preferred more resolution to the story but I can understand why it ended the way it did.

I am usually either hit or miss with historical fiction, but this book landed in the rare area between.

This book looks at the life of a successful writer (although almost unheard of these days) through the eyes of his female cousin, who lived with his family after her husband ran away with her child and then died of scarlet fever. There is not a lot of information out there apparently for these people, which makes it ripe for a historical fiction treatment.

It is a unique book as the point of view allows the author to write about several authors of that time, including Charles Dickens, and make commentary on this man’s world from a woman’s point of view. A very clever woman, at that. There is a lot of wisdom in these pages, from nearly every quarter.

One thing I really liked about reading this long book was that the chapters are presented as bite size pieces – short episodes that are nearly self-contained and help to bring out the points that the writer wishes to make without the risk of having them pass unnoticed in the background of a broader story.

The story proceeds back in forth from different points in time, and I was sometimes confused at first with what was happening and when, but after a while you get a feeling for the framework and it makes sense.

There is an element of the story that comes through related to the sex lives of several of the characters. It wasn’t something I had expected from a novel like this but it certainly is germane to the content. Even so, to me it felt like it was also serving as a connection to the more sexually liberal modern times that we live in. It felt at first like a cheaply employed device to titillate, but the more I thought about it the more I was OK with it. It is hard to say more without giving anything away.

So, a good but not great book for me. Next I am reading The Bee Sting by Paul Murray.

I really loved the first book in what I guess is a series now, and this second book delivers in much the same way. We get the same great socially challenged main character, lots more backstory of her childhood and about her grandmother, and even a pretty good whodunnit on top of that.

This is what I would call a cozy book – despite the murder there are plenty of moments that stick the landing, both touching and humorous. We trust in the goodness of our main character and the people she trusts.

Compared to the first book there are fewer people here who try to take advantage of our heroine, and I thought that was a positive turn. There were fewer dark moments than the first book had, which I was kind of disappointed about.

I don’t know if the series will continue but I hope I’ll be able to read more about Molly the maid in the future. There were a few hints in this book that maybe things might shift a little – and I don’t think there is much backstory left to reveal. It may be a challenge but I’m interested to see where the author takes this in the future.

Next I am reading The Fraud by Zadie Smith.

Here’s a long Stephen King book that I hadn’t read before. On the surface the premise is enticing. What happens when a mysterious indestructible dome isolates a small town from the rest of the world? How will the townspeople adapt to this new reality?

Before reading I imagined that some bad people will become worse, and some good people will have a chance to step up. There is a lot of backstory for the characters of the book and the author spends a lot of time and pages into bringing everyone to life.

I liked some of the messages that are hidden in here, and it was hard to believe that it was written before the Trump presidency.

For some authors, the dome could service as a sort of prop – a way to examine how people change under pressure, etc. But near the end of the book the author does us the favor of explaining why it appeared, and where it came from. I appreciated this, and although I wasn’t exactly sold on it, it was nice to at least address it.

This was a long read and I’m a little tired after finishing it, so I’m reading a shorter book next time – The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose.

I like most of this author’s writing, and the idea behind this story was quite original. The plot is outlandish (as a vehicle for the clever comments) and the characters are likable and fun to follow.

The book has a short, entertaining story that includes plenty of dry wit – maybe too much for my taste but I’m sure some people will really lick it up.

The author made the choice to keep things short and sweet, and I’m glad he did. The main character doesn’t really go through a lot of development and he really is just a sort of substitute for the reader – so there really isn’t anywhere to go with him after the story runs its course.

Good for a few laughs, this would be a good book to take on a short flight or a long weekend holiday.

Next I am reading Under the Dome by Stephen King.

While Elvis Cole is the usual main character in Crais’ books – sort of a west coast version of Spenser – the far more interesting character is his (silent) partner Joe Pike.

This book is almost entirely focused on Pike and gives some clues to his origin, and shows off his mysterious yet kind character.

I really like this book because of the characters involved, the fast-moving pace and especially the bittersweet epilogue .

The way Joe Pike is written it might seem like he can’t carry a whole book on his own – even this book has some other characters doing the heavy lifting – but I’d like to see the author try someday. For now, this book is the best that we’ll get.

Next I am reading The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland.

Comic science fiction is tough for me to get into. Once you read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy there aren’t a lot of books out there, and so I thought I’d read this one. It is a pretty new book, so it has all the diversity/pronouns/etc. which still feel shoehorned into stories these days.

Just like stand-up comedy, so acts will make you laugh, and some get on your nerves. I guess the rule follows in writing comedy as well. I wasn’t really vibing with the punchlines in this book, and rather than intellectually clever it felt like they were trying to be clever with pop culture references.

I’m sure some people will enjoy this one – it just wasn’t me.

Next I am re-reading The Watchman by Robert Crais. There is a couple week gap in the flow of library books right now – so I’m picking up old ones that I really enjoyed in the past.

Reading this book shows you that sometimes patience pays off. The writer has a unique style where they introduce the backstory and/or thoughts of the characters in sort of a dossier style before things happen. I got used to it after a while, but in the beginning the author is asking for a lot of patience to wade through this before things start moving.

It is set in a location that I don’t run into much when reading: New Zealand. It was interesting to hear the idealistic young people in this story and how they felt about their country, their government, and the world around them.

And I was unprepared for how well the author ramps up the suspense, as we compare what we know and what we don’t, and consider each person’s point of view and their likely actions. With the exception of the villain in this book I felt everyone was pretty believable. The bad guy’s motivations were a little hard to buy and felt pretty one dimensional to me.

The writer did a great job with this book keeping me interested and wondering how this could all possibly be resolved as the book came to a close. The wild ending answered that soon enough.

I’m not sure right now what my next book is – but I’ll update here when I figure it out!

A while back I read a pretty good book called Legends & Lattes, sort of a cozy story about a tough character hanging up their sword and starting up a coffee shop instead of killing monsters. I enjoyed the book for the vibe and simple writing – you can dig up my review on this site.

Even though this next book is billed as “In the tradition of Legends & Lattes” it misses on most of the marks where the first book succeeded, and turns out to be like a checklist of non-traditional characters doing “cool” things and handling their problems and relationship issues in what is meant to be a clever, confident way.

My problem was with the main focus of the story on how these two people are getting used to each other and this new stage of their relationship. Most of the book is this pair cooing at each other and acting like teenagers in love. There are plenty of childish jokes and simple characters. The world they live in is only marginally fleshed out and probably doesn’t really matter anyway.

I liked the premise of the idea and the beginning of the book, but it soon turned into a childish romp and I had to grit my teeth to finish the story. Not recommended!

Next I am reading Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton.

This one caught me by surprise. The mystery in this book is relayed by an unsuspecting maid, who we learn is much more complex than she appears on the outside.

Besides learning about her own mysterious backstory, we also learn about the hotel where she works, the people she works with and how they (really) feel about her. There is a pretty decent whodunnit, too.

I really enjoyed reading the thoughts of Molly the Maid – her innocence and the influence of her grandmother and how she raised a bright, intelligent and challenged woman. The inner monologue is full of clever turns and great ways to think about other people.

And the book as a whole is clever – clever as hell. I’m already looking forward to reading more from this author – the newest book is on my waiting list at the library.

Next I am reading Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne.

This is the kind of topic I like to read about – how the human brain can trip over itself and unknowingly lead its owner into trouble. This book has plenty of ways that it could happen, points out some of the ways to avoid this unfortunate situation, and calls out some social issues that are exacerbating this problem.

In addition this serves as a guidebook for people who have loved ones that have been caught up in misbelief, from JFK assassinations to flat earth believers. The author was caught in the crosshairs of COVID misbelievers for the past three years, and rather than be bitter about it he became curious, and this book is the result.

There is a lot of material about COVID deniers and misbelief related to the pandemic, which is certainly both relevant and timely, but I wonder how many people are ready to deal with this. A certain population may not be ready to process this in such a close-up fashion.

Of course the people who need this information the most will not accept what they find here – which is the very message of the book. But hopefully this way of battling misbelief through intelligence, kindness and understanding will help others who could use the support in reeling in their loved ones from the brink.

Next I am reading The Maid by Nita Prose.

This was a fairy tale story that begins sort of like Harry Potter inverse. A girl grows up surrounded by magic and longs to see the rest of the world. What she finds there sets up a confrontation with the people around her as she struggles to get a foothold in adulthood.

I enjoyed the story – it was told a little slowly for my taste, but it had plenty of interesting locations and characters. At first they feel a little too cozy and warm, but slowly as the main character’s world expands we see more and more.

The structure of this book necessitates a great deal of back-filling of information (and plot?) and the stakes of the story arrive late. I thought it felt a little disjointed overall, but the way it was written was easy enough to enjoy.

I did have a problem with the ending – it sort of went on and on and didn’t finish as neatly or satisfyingly as I had hoped.

Next I am reading Misbelief by Dan Ariely.

I like reading about time travel, but this one turned out to be a poorly written book that was British in a bad way.

There are some pretty interesting things in this book, however. Written in 2011, they portray Britain in 2050, and it is well used to dealing with pandemics. They describe a global pandemic that happened in their past, and how 30 million Americans died because they weren’t willing to give up their civil liberties… it was remarkably prophetic.

It was a little strange to hear how in this futuristic world dealing with a pandemic was no big deal – only mildly inconvenient. But the British characters in this book spend most of their time dealing with the most mundane tasks: doing historical research, communicating with their staff about visitors, making tea, and taking messages and returning phone calls.

It was hard to believe that nobody carried a smartphone anymore – and no joke, it felt like 30-40% of the book was people calling back other people and getting messages delivered by their staff while they were away.

There is a good story here, but the author takes their time to get to it, and putters about with minutiae that do nothing to contribute. I thought it was a great example of editor malpractice.

Take a similar idea in Michael Crichton’s Timeline – it was almost the same story but stripped down to the basics and moving fast. Crichton’s book was like riding in a race car, while this book was like hearing about a car race from your great grandmother second hand.

This is a big book, and I found myself skimming the text after the halfway point, and I twice considered giving up on it. It seems like there is a whole series of books now – but I don’t think I could bear to subject myself to more.

Next I am reading The Magician’s Daughter by H.G. Parry.

Near the end of this book there is a quote describing Japanese people as a whole:

“…the yellow skins, the stiff horse hair, the feeble eyelids, the elongated eyes, the sloping eyebrows, the flat noses, the sunken chests, the Mongolian features, the puny physique, the shaky walk of the men, the restricted totter of the women, and the general impression of degeneracy conveyed by the appearance of the Japanese…”

Written almost 150 years ago, it is hard to imagine these words used to describe human beings today. It is exceptionally educational to read these words from a person who is a self-described “civilized” person talking about the Japanese people, most of whom are referred to as “savages”. I was surprised to find the author so judgmental of the people and culture she comes across during her four months traveling Japan.

At this time there were few foreigners who had seen Japan, and so the writing style is one of meeting an uncontacted tribe. Especially the Ainu are treated like a lost race rapidly going extinct (which was true then as now), but the writing about people tends towards documentary and scientific(?) information gathering.

But what saves this book for me is the beautiful descriptions of nature, the writer’s thorough documentation of each day of travel and episodes that she encounters. This is more like the type of travel writing that I enjoy.

Especially the descriptions of Hokkaido’s open spaces (and how much more open they must have been at that time), lonely outposts, and haunting ocean waves made an impact on me.

It is truly amazing that a solitary woman had the courage and fortitude to travel in this very rough style back when she did. This journey is only one of many she made around the world, and we are lucky to have the written evidence of her adventures.

This book is old enough to be out of copyright – making it a free book for anyone. Thanks to a very readable writing style it is the closest thing you can get to experiencing time travel into the past.

It is rather long thanks to her comprehensive journal of events, and if you can handle the old fashioned way of describing native people, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in travel writing.

Next I am reading Domesday Book by Connie Willis.