fan

Small Eternities

Book Notes Yeah, kitt finished writing this at 20:00 on 28 July 2017

This is book two of the Withern Rise series.

I enjoyed the first book in the series about Alaric and Naia enough to continue reading. This one continues their story, with Naia adjusting to her new world, but never really giving up what she had, and Alaric loving the restoration of his world, but wracked with guilt.

However, instead of having pretty much parallel lives, with Alaric trying to dodge responsibility and his need to make things right, we are introduced to not another, or another, but FOUR alternative timelines, all of which could make one's head spin. Talk about a kid who keeps making mistakes.

And miscommunication. How easy it is for people to be unable to talk with each other, to assume the worst, and act upon those assumptions.

I'll read the last book, this one was good enough. If you're a fan of the first book, definitely keep reading.

Crack in the Line

Book Notes Instead of being asleep at 19:41 on 24 July 2017, kitt created this:

Okay, this is book one of the Withern Rise series.

I had hoped to give this a good review, but I had these books (the entire series) as physical books, which mean that I wasn't able to easily quote parts of the book, and include said quotes here. So, you get a (admittedly drunk) review instead.

I enjoyed this book enough to read all three books of the series. In this book, we have Alaric, whose mother has died. He accidentally falls into another timeline where his mother hasn't died, but he actually wasn't born, Naia was. Alaric, of course, wants his mother back, and, well, quite honestly, who wouldn't want his mother back?

The story becomes about Alaric and Naia and who gets to keep the mom.

It's a good book, and having read all the books in the series, a good series, aimed at the young adult level of reading. I enjoyed them, but have no quotes to post, because, well, I lost all the pictures of the parts that were quote worthy. Ooops.

Quest for Kim

Book Notes Yeah, kitt finished writing this at 20:00 on 8 June 2017

Okay, again, when a friend strongly suggests a book, then hands you a copy of the book, then recommends another book about said book, you need to read both the original book, and the follow up book. Really need to read them.

Which is what I did with this book, when Moazam handed me a copy. He handed me HIS copy, which is also saying something (mostly that I needed to return it, but let's go with saying something).

Where Kim was a work of fiction based upon stories, incidents, and the world Kipling knew, The Quest for Kim is the author's journey of discovering what, if any, of that world still exists.

I enjoyed reading the book, learning more of the history of the area, and learning about what still exists and what was, as far as the author or anyone else can tell, pure Kipling fiction.

If Kim fascinates you in any way, I recommend this book as follow up reading.

Dead Mountaineer's Inn

Book Notes Written with a loving hand by kitt some time around 17:31 on 14 April 2017

The full title of this book is "The Dead Mountaineer's Inn: One More Last Rite for the Detective Genre". It is the first Russian science fiction book I recall that I have read. I picked it up on the recommendation of Rob Brackett, who had read it and was enthusiastic while reading it, and less enthusiastic after the ending, which intrigued me. I had the book a while before reading it, but I'm not sure why the delay (wait, no, yes, I am).

The story starts with the protagonist, Inspector Glebsky, arriving at a remote mountain inn for a couple weeks relaxation away from his job, his wife, his life. He went to the inn on the recommendation of a colleague, Zgut. A few other guests appear before a murder happens, followed by an avalanche, which traps the guests in the inn until rescue.

Now, the genre of the book is science fiction, but it reads as a mystery. The ending makes it science fiction. The book also reads a little absurd, which I think is part of its appeal. Some of the internal monologues of Glebsky (Is he a police officer or a second-hand sink salesman? I couldn't tell.) are hysterical.

I made the mistake of attempting to read the introduction by Jeff Vandermeer, the author of The Southern Reach trilogy. I found his books boring, and his introduction just as awful. He goes into the plot of the book and saying "isn't this great!" before I know anything about the book, and I'm like, "Uh..." The man even gives away some plot points, along with his usual convoluted writing style. I am so not of a fan of that author.

The book is an entertaining read, not sure I'd recommend it if you're not already a fan of Russian science-fiction, though. If you are, though, you probably have already read this one.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Book Notes Written with a loving hand by kitt some time around 20:06 on 11 August 2016

Hey! What do you know? A new selection of books from Mom! I know! I thought I had finished that stack of books, too! To be honest, I have another stack of books from Bob Diller, too. That'll take me only a bit outside of my comfort zone.

I don't know how this book ended up on Mom's reading list. It's an 8 year old book. (Oh, I just looked it up, it was the 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner - ha! and whoops. There we go.)

The book is about Oscar de León, a Dominican Republic kid raised in New Jersey (Hey! Just like the author! Write about what you know!). Oscar is overweight (based on the author's picture, maybe not about what you know) and cursed. Well, his family is cursed.

Being overweight and a nerd makes for a poor social life, so Oscar is pretty much an oddball. He loves writing, science fiction, fantasy, and, oh boy, can I relate to being unable to relate with women. I can't figure them out, either, and I am one.

The book tells the story about Oscar's family, heading backward, so we learn the histories of Oscar, Oscar's mother, his grandparents, along with the history of the Dominican Republic. I rather liked the history lessons, and looked up a bit more of it to understand the context of the storyline.

The title rather gives away the ending, being brief and all, but the story is engaging. Even knowing the ending that's coming, it still hurts a bit.

My favorite line of the book was when Oscar's sister, Lola, meets La Inca, his mother's cousin who raised Oscar and Lola's mom:

"She stood like she was her own best thing."

I want that. I want to be my own best thing. I want to know and feel this to my core.

I enjoyed the book. I'm glad Mom picked it out for us.

The Devil's Star

Book Notes Written with a loving hand by kitt some time around 12:52 on 26 September 2015

Oh, good lord, when is the list of books from my mom going to end? I swear, I've read more of her books this year than I have of mine. No, wait, that's not quite true. Feels like it, though.

And what is it with all the Harry books? Harry Dresden. Harry Potter. Harry Bosch. And now, Harry Hole.

I am not kidding on that name. The main character's name is Harry Hole. Just let me die of laughter now.

He's a detective. The plot is set in nominally Oslo. There are deaths and they are murders. At least there isn't any Mab. Or tunnels. There is a BAD COP, though, so maybe this is just a Norwegian Bosch tale. No, wait, no tunnels.

This book was a fast read. I know that Mom enjoys Nesbo's work. I also know there are Stieg Larsson comparisons. Blah blah blah. Right. Fast read, somewhat interesting. This Harry is, as just about every other Harry also is, flawed in ways that adversely affect the outcome of his life. He's an alcoholic. He obsesses. He makes mistakes. In the end, he solves the murders, and I really didn't see who-did-it coming, so there's that.

Not recommended, not not recommended. If it's on your night stand, go ahead and read it.

Updated: This is book 5 of the Harry Hole series. If you read them in order, they are great, and more recommended than if you jump into the beginning of the series.

Pages