And all the others: Books 53-87

And the rest of the novels for 2012 that are unreviewed:

 

53. Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe

54. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson

55. Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn

56. Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

57. Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power by Rachel Maddow

58. A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin

59. War by Sebastian Junger

60. Secret of the White Rose by Stefanie Pintoff

61. Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

62. The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett

63. The Cranes Dance by Meg Howrey

64. The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean

65. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

66. The Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Moggach

67. Playing Dead by Julia Heaberlin

68. 22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson

69. There's Cake in My Future by Kim Gruenenfelder

70. Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

71. Testimony by Anita Shreve

72. Always Something There to Remind Me by Beth Harbison

73. Cold Days (The Dresden Files, Book 14) by Jim Butcher

74. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

75. The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

76. The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

77. The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons

78. The Yard by Alex Grecian

79. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

80. The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan

81. The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan

82. My Custom Van by Michael Ian Black

83. Size 14 Is Not Fat Either by Meg Cabot

84. Big Boned by Meg Cabot

85. Size 12 and Ready to Rock by Meg Cabot

86. Gone, Girl by Gillian Flynn

87. The Map of Time by Felix J. Palmer

 

I didn't read as many books as I have in previous years, and definitely didn't review nearly as many.  While I tried to mix up my reading, it turns out that I read a lot more fantasy than I thought.  I also started quite a few books in 2012 that just couldn't quite hold my interest, and that I didn't finish, many of those non-fiction, which may also explain my lower number than usual since instead of moving on, I would just not read for a few days before finally admitting that I wasn't returning to whichever book it was.

Book 52: Graceling

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

 

It seems odd but it turns out that I ended both 2011 and 2012 with the first in a YA trilogy.  Kristin Cashore doesn't spend too much time world building, instead letting the reader's imagination/familiarity with other fantasy and historical periods fill in lots of the details.  Her main character, Katsa (what is it with female heroines with "Kat" in their name) is the niece of one of the Kings of the Seven Kingdoms (there are the five main ones whose names are basically variations of middle, south, north, east and west, and then the island kingdom and the kingdom over the mountains).  In this world, some people are "graced" with special skills, and they can be distinguished because their eyes are different colors (Katsa has one green and one blue).  The skills change from person to person; for example, some might be really good at swimming, or cooking, or other things such as that.  Katsa is graced with killing, and her uncle uses her as an enforcer, sending her throughout the realm to make examples of people that have broken the law or disobeyed him in one way or another.

 

However, Katsa doesn't enjoy being an enforcer, and she and her cousin have set up a secret council that tries to counterbalance some of the king's wrong doings.  More importantly, the council extends into other kingdoms so that the council has been able to help out in varios kingdoms that all seem to be mismanaged by power hungry kings.  During one council mission to save a kidnapped prince, Katsa stumbles across another graceling who appears to have superb combat skills as his talent.  He ends up tracking her back to the palace, and introduces himself as Prince Po, seventh son of the island king.  Katsa and Po develop a friendship, partially because Po is the only person that has come even close to giving Katsa a challenge during combatives training.  They work together to determine why the prince was kidnapped, and their discoveries and suspicions lead them on a mission to some of the other kingdoms.

 

It's probably not a surprise to hear that there is a bit of a romance in the novel, but I liked Cashore's approach and while it was obvious, it also developed somewhat organically instead of just being the usual love at first sight story, and it is based on more than simple attraction.  Katsa has long been wary of her grace but as the novel progresses she begins to discover good things about it, and changes her view of herself as a savage killer and thug.  This is the first in a trilogy though from what I've heard it is less of a trilogy and more of a series of three interrelated novels with different main characters.  I like this idea because while I'm sure there is more to Katsa's story, I feel like it concludes in a good place for her.  Therefore I'm perfectly okay with the idea of her simply showing up as supporting character or guest star in one of the other novels because too much more of her would probably only take away from the conclusion of this novel.

Book 51: To End All Wars

To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918 by Adam Hochschild

 

While this is the third Adam Hochschild book I've read, it is actually the first one that caught my eye.  I simply wasn't willing to spend money on a hardcover for an author I was unfamiliar with, and started reading some of his older books first, both of which I loved.  While this one was just as informative and well written as the other two, I think I slightly preferred the other two.  However, I think this may have a bit to do with the subject matter.  I am very much interested in World War I but I already know a bit about the topic.  As a result, I learned a lot from this book but not as much as when I read his book about the British abolition movement or the Belgians in the Congo, topics I knew basically nothing about.

 

Still, Hochschild takes a different approach to World War I.  While he talks about the war to help contextualize everything that is going on, his actual topic is the anti-war movement, and the pacifists.  While they heroically spoke out against a war that now everyone would agree had absolutely no point and simply led to another war, at the time they were villainized and seen as criminals.  One of the pacifists in this book was actually an important person in his book King Leopold's Ghost, the investigative journalist that helped bring the Congo's blight to the public eye.  Some of the people that Hochschild introduces have various faults and seem extreme in their views, but there were others whose fate it was impossible not to feel bad about.  I would definitely recommend this one, because it adds a perspective that isn't often focused on during studies of history.

Book 50: Furious Love

Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and the Marriage of the Century by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger

 

We read the play and watched the film Cat on a Hot Tin Roof my senior year of high school but besides that I don't think I've ever seen an Elizabeth Taylor movie, and certainly not one of the ones with Richard Burton.  Still, it's basically impossible to not know at least a little bit about Elizabeth, her various marriages, Richard Burton, and not be impressed by her standing in pop culture and film history.

 

Maybe I would have enjoyed this more if I'd also watched some of the films while reading the book.  However, while I think the book gave a very good portrayal of the famous couple, and was very sympathetic to them, at some point it all got to be too much.  Then again, given the book's subject that actually makes sense: Taylor and Burton enjoyed their quiet moments but being "Liz and Dick" took its toll, and their life together was certainly defined by excess - alcohol, food, diamonds.  I liked the book for the most part, but it just got to the point where I was ready for it to be over.  Perhaps like their marriage, it just went on a bit too long.  Still, it was a very comprehensive discussion of their marriage, and put some of the Hollywood legend into context for me. I'm not sure if I would quite say it humanized her because the life Taylor led still seems very excessive and so removed from normality but it certainly illuminated what it was like to be Hollywood royalty in the past.

Book 49: Girls in White Dresses

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close

 

When I picked this up, I was basically expecting chick lit, but possibly a more realistic version of it.  Instead, it was more of a collection of vignettes told from various different characters that are all in the same social group.  Some characters have more than one vignette, while others have only one from their perspective but are referenced in later discussions.  While this novel wasn't a page turner by any means, and it actually took me a while to get into the format, overall I felt like the novel rang rather true.  Or at least it rang true of what I hear other people's lives are like.

 

The various character drift in and out of relationships and jobs, but none of them have the perfect life as seen in a chick lit novel.  Instead, they seem representative of lots of college grads trying to figure things out, some taking longer to figure out what they want or to just get lucky and find the right guy or profession.  While none of the characters are necessarily super developed, I think that is what helps make it so relatable.  Basically, it's a quiet novel, and while it's not necessarily a book that I would run out and recommend to everyone if only because it's not something that I would even think of, it also isn't a waste of time.  I realize I haven't given much plot summary but there isn't necessarily much of a plot - it just chronicles the lives of various friends and their relationships with each other, men and their success or lack thereof professionally.

 

Book 48: The Wise Man's Fear

The Wise Man's Fear (Kingkiller Chronicles, Day 2) by Patrick Rothfuss

 

This is the second novel in the Kingkiller Chronicles trilogy, and while it was still an engaging read, it also suffered a bit from similar issues as other second novels in trilogies.  Due to running into some problems at school, both with people and with money, Kvothe decides to take the semester off, and heads to another city to try to get a patron in the form of the Maer, a very powerful man in Severen.  If Kvothe can prove himself and help the Maer woo a woman, he hopes that the Maer would agree to be his official patron.  His work for the Maer leads to several different adventures, including an interlude in the land of faeries, and an explanation of where Kvothe learned his fighting skills.  Some of these side tasks lead him to cross paths with the Amyr or Chandrian that he has been pursuing but he doesn't learn too much more.

 

Basically, the two book of the series have been hinting all types of adventures and intrigue that involve Kvothe, and while the book reveals some of it, I don't feel like it went nearly far enough, considering that there is only one book remaining.  Especially since it seems like there is upheaval in the current day of this world, and I assume at least part of the third book may deal with having to face forces in the present rather than just talking about the past.  For example, the novels have been hinting at Kvothe's expulsion from the University, but two books in, and Kvothe is still a student, even if he is one that took a year off.  That means there is only one book for the reader to get any type of closure with the Chandrian, for Kvothe to get expelled and for the reader to find out why he is also referred to as the Kingkiller (other than the obvious, more importantly how it happened).  As a result, while I enjoyed the novel, I was also disappointed that it didn't reveal more.  It just seems like the third novel is either going to be huge or incredibly rushed which would be disappoining after how well-paced the first two were.

Book 47: The Emperor of Maladies

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee

 

While science lost its appeal for me during high school's AP Chemistry class, I still enjoy the occasional science book for the laymen such A Short History of Nearly Everything, The Disappearing Spoon, etc.  I like to know the ideas and the processes behind science, just don't ask me to get into the actual details.  I've also read a few books (and added others to my wishlist) related to medical history that I've enjoyed, including The Great Influenza, so this tome seemed like a natural addition to my reading pile.

 

It definitely did not disappoint.  Mukherjee frames the book with a patient's story, a woman who is diagnosed with an aggressive type of leukemia.  While he refers to her on occasion, he then delves deep into the history and some of the science behind cancer.  While there are references to diseases that appear to be cancer to the modern eye going as far back as the ancient Egyptians, cancer's current prevalence is rather recent, and for good reason: our life expectancy has increased quite a lot.  By eliminating (or at least reducing the occurence of) other killers, such as tuberculosis, typhoid and many other diseases, humans now have the opportunity to live long enough to develop cancer.

 

While the book is subtitled a "biography of cancer," it doesn't have straight time line.  Instead, he picks different topics and approaches, and discusses them in a detailed manner.  The reader can then connect the dots and be baffled by the type of treatments that were occuring while other groundbreaking research was showing how ineffective that treatment was (such as radical mastectomies not adding any more life span than a smaller surgery would have in a similar case).  The American Cancer Society was originally a small group but once certain donors became interested in the cause it became a political force.  Of course, while they did a lot to get more funding for cancer and such, Mukherjee also discusses the idea that historically, most diseases and illnesses have been eradicated due to prevention rather than treatment, and while cancer treatment is of course important, ACS's constant pushing for cures may have also diverted some people from focusing on the cause, or getting to know and understand the disease more intimately.  He talks about the history of lung cancer as one of the most obvious one as far as causes while for other cancers there is still much to be learned.  While he discusses breast cancer, I was surprised that he didn't mention Suan G. Komen - it just seems like there is so much talk about breast cancer being ignored before those types of organizations but it seems like most cancers were kind of quietly hidden and not talked about for a long period of time prior to last century.  He also discusses the idea of cancer patients being at war, and how cancer is portrayed as a battle so that in some cases the hardest thing is to simply accept that there is a point where nothing else can be done, and simply let the patient die with dignity without the patient feeling like they have somehow failed in their battle.

 

Overall, I thought it was an absolutely fascinating read, discussing cures and treatments that can sometimes seem worse than the disease, what research has revealed recently, and the way people's understanding as evolved over the years, and how understanding could be culturall influenced.  It was definitely worth the time, and Mukherjee never forgets the people involved, be that the scientists, the doctors, or the patients.

Book 46: The Name of the Wind

The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles Day 1) by Patrick Rothfuss

 

I actually really enjoyed this novel.  Several of the characters and stories reminded me of other fantasy stories, but sometimes it's just as fun drawing connections to influences and making comparisons as it is reading something original and unique.  The novel is the first of a trilogy (of course, do people write anything other than trilogies anymore?), and each novel will cover one day.  A story teller/biographer comes into a sleepy town, and realizes that the innkeeper is actually the famous (or infamous) Kvothe in hiding.  He convinces Kvothe to set the record straight and tell his story, but Kvothe will only agree if the Chronicler remains for three days to record everything.

 

On this first day, Kvothe tells the story of his upbringing, his family, and how he eventually ended up at the University.  Naturally, there is lots of foreshadowing because the Chronicler alludes to several myths and stories about Kvothe as well as various nicknames he has, such as Kingkiller.  At this point, all the reader can do is wait and see what actually happened, and in some cases see if certain suspicions are right or completely off the mark.  Kvothe grew up with the Edema Ruh, travelling performers, who of course reminded me of a mixture of gypsies and Tinkers or Tuath'an from The Wheel of Time.  Kvothe learns to play instruments, especially the lute, and also displays a great memory for texts and plays.  At one point, a traveler joins the troop who impressed by Kvothe's precociousness tutors Kvothe and begins to teach him "sympathy" or magic.  However, the traveler eventually leaves the group of Edema Ruh, and tragedy meets the troupe as Kvothe's family and friends are attacked and killed by a dark, inhuman force.  Of course, this event will be the driving force behind many of Kvothe's decisions and actions in the future, since this is where Rothfuss introduces the dark characters that Kvothe will attempt to find (also similar to the idea of the Forsaken from The Wheel of Time).  Unfortunately for him, the only documents that really exist on the Chandrian show them as children's boogiemen, not anything that ever really existed.  Immediately after his parents' death, however, Kvothe is focused on his own survival in the city, spending a few years there as a pickpocket before he hears someone tell a story about the Chandrian that inspires him to research them.  He decides the University would be the best place to do research on them, given the extensive library, and would also let him continue his long ago studies of sympathy.

 

The rest of the novel mostly deals with Kvothe's time at the University, his developing friendships, as well as his visits to a local bar which is famous in the area for its musical clientele and performances.  Naturally, there is also a love interest, Denna, who appears to be as much as con artist as Kvothe when necessary.  Kvothe also finds a life long enemy in one of the richer students at the University.  I actually really liked this part of the novel, and it may be because it reminded me of Tavi's time at the Academy in Jim Butcher's Codex Alera series.  The second novel in that series was probably my favorite, so I really liked seeing a different character go through something similar.

 

While the novel may have been a bit derivative of other fantasy, I still thought it was a great way of combining old familiar stories, and creating a new one.  I was genuinely interested in both the past and the present as Kvothe, Bast (his faerie friend/apprentice) and the Chronicler sat in the inn discussing these stories while also hearing hints of the current state of affairs. It also helps that he keeps the novel rather fast paced while also giving the readers lot of background information to puzzle over and play with.  I'd definitely recommend this one.  And the Codex Alera.  Seems like everyone's always talking about Butcher's The Dresden Files, but his other series is also highly readable (and may be better in ways since it is only six novels, and he started them when he was already a mature and experienced writer so the reader is hooked from the beginning).

Book 45: Bossypants

Bossypants by Tina Fey

 

This was actually one of the first books I read this year but I held off on reviewing it because I wasn't sure how to word my reactions.  Basically, every single person that read this raved about it and loved it.  I liked it.  I think the biggest thing for me was that I had only recently before read Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? and while both were funny, I preferred Kaling's book to Fey's.  For me it all boiled down to their approaches.  While reading Mindy's book, I felt like this was someone I could relate to and would want to be best friends with.  She made intelligent comments about gender, race, weight, etc. but she kept it chatty, and self deprecating.  Tina Fey, on the other hand, kept her reader at more of a distance, at least in comparison.  This isn't to say that Fey doesn't share stories about her past, and she, too, makes some very strong statements about gender, comedy and the work place but if Mindy felt like a conversation with an old friend, Tina Fey's book felt more like a conversation with a mentor.  She'll share personal information, but she'll also maintain a certain professional distance to maintain her position as mentor.  And it makes sense, too - Kaling is around my age, while Tina is a little bit older - enough so to have that extra experience, and a different perspective due to beginning her work as a comedian at a different time.

 

By no means did I not enjoy the book, but I was expecting it to be a bit more intimate than it was.  She shares stories about her personal life, and some of them are hilarious.  For some reason, she also mentioned McDonald's a few times in the book, so if they didn't pay her for name dropping, they definitely should, because I had a craving for chicken McNuggets after reading this.  I enjoyed reading about her friendship with Amy Poehler, and there were various other amusing anecdotes about her life, including some of her jobs prior to SNL and her honeymoon, as well some more thoughtful pieces about motherhood.

 

Basically, it is an entertaining book, but it is more of a collection of essays than a memoir.  I think I may have been expecting more of a funny memoir which may also be one of the reasons I wasn't quite as into it as everyone else.

Book 44: The Secrets of Mary Bowser

The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen

 

This is one of those inspired by true event novels that has been turned into a fictional story, partially because there simply wasn't enough historical information to write it as simply a slightly fictionalized version of history.  However, it is true that Mary Bowser was part of Bet Van Lew's spy ring, and in another diary/memoir, her contributions to the cause were singled out by another spy.  Beyond that there is not much left in the historical record because Mary Bowser was a black woman in the 19th century, neither of which were exactly documented that well in the past.  The story that Leveen imagines certainly rings true as something that could have happened, and is also a very engaging read.

 

Mary is originally born in Richmond with two slave parents.  Though Mary doesn't quite realize this, her parents seem to have a slightly better situation than many other slaves.  Her father is allowed to hire himself out for extra money, and her mother and father live in a home together despite having separate owners.  Mary's mother works in one of the houses of an affluent Southern family, and their daughter, Bet, is a bit of an oddity in the society - she is unmarried and an abolitionist.  Mary is incredibly intelligent for her age, and Bet soon takes an interest in her, eventually arranging for Mary's freedom and sending her to Philadelphia to be educated.  They keep this underwraps back in Richmond, though, because Bet also gives Mary's mother her freedom papers, but her mother chooses to stay with her husband until they can possibly buy his freedom.  However, if a freed slave stays in the state beyond a certain period of time, their freedom becomes forfeit and they regain their status as slave.

 

Mary makes a life for herself in Philadelphia and becomes friends with another girl her age at the school, basically becoming part of the family.  She eventually even learns of this family's participation as a stop on the Underground Railroad.  Despite living in the North, Mary is surrounded by racism and is also unpleasantly surprised by the hierarchy within the black community, often being targeted due to her former slave status.  Her mother always believed that God had a higher calling for Mary, and when the Civil War breaks out, her connections in the Underground Railroad give her an opportunity to do more.  She returns to Richmond, posing as Bet's slave to gather information, eventually even being hired out to a position at the Confederate's White House.

 

While the narrative was rather straight forward and simple, I quite enjoyed this novel.  Even though much of the story is conjecture rather than reality, it is nice to hear from different voices in history which tend to get lost otherwise.  Regardless of how the details actually went, it is an established fact that a freed woman by this name made a significant effort to the war effort.  Unfortunately, even now, the narratives that get the most attention are the ones about white people helping, ie The Help.  While these certainly have a place as well, they shouldn't be the only ones getting attention.

 

 

Book 43: Side Jobs

Side Jobs: Stories from the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

 

This was actually one of the first books I read for Cannonball IV last year.  I'm not really sure why I didn't review it once I was done, other than that maybe I didn't really have too much to say.  Also, I'm not generally big on short stories, but I picked this one up since they were all related to Harry Dresden, so it's not as if I would get interested in a character only to move to another story.  Basically, the stories are a bunch of side adventures and chronicle some of Dresden's smaller cases that couldn't have filled an entire novel.  One thing that I actually quite appreciate about Butcher and the Dresden Files is that it is one of those rares long running series that seems to improve rather than get super formulaic and repetitive.  The novels may all follow a certain formula, it is true, but Butcher still keeps it interesting (although certain cliches and attitudes are starting to get to the point of overuse at 14 books in).  I think part of that is due to the fact that the reader can actually watch Butcher mature as a writer as the series goes.  The first novel was a bit rough for me, and it wasn't until novel three or four that I was really hooked on the series.  Similarly, reading through these short stories reminded me of how much he has grown.  The first story has a similar roughness to the first novel, and the second story included in the book is less of a story and more of an introduction to the series for new readers that he wrote for an advertisement of some sort.  After that, however, the stories start to really take off.

 

I would basically recommend this to anyone that is a fan of the Dresden series, although I'm sure most of them have already acquired it.  If they are hesitating due to the short story aspect of the collection, it is worth overcoming.  The last piece is written from Murphy's perspective and while I like the idea in theory, I don't feel like her voice is quite what I would have imagined.  Other than that, it was a fun collection.

Book 42: The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore

 

I know Christopher Moore seems to be a favorite around Pajiba, but I always come away with mixed feelings.  His stories are usually amusing, and breezy but then generally also have a certain amount of ick factor to them.  And I'm not talking blood and gore ick or even fart jokes (though there is a certain amount of that type of humor).  This novel is certainly no different in that respect.  Actually, if someone had never read anything by Moore before, this would definitely not be the novel to start with because the weirdness and ick factor were a bit more than usually present in his novels.  Instead, I would recommend starting with A Dirty Job.

 

Following a suicide, the psychiatrist at Pine Cove decides to take everyone off their anti-depressants, afraid that she has been phoning it in.  Of course, she doesn't tell her patients this, so everyone unknowingly finds their meds replaced with placebos.  The titular lizard of the novel is a very old creature that lives in the water but has occasional forays on land.  It is drawn in by the scent of depression coming from the island.  The lizard has some type of pheromone that makes it attractive to depressed animals, giving it easy access to food.  Of course, when people start going missing, the local stoner sheriff reluctantly gets involved.  People are acting crazy due to a combination of the pheromones and the drug withdrawals they are unknowingly going through leading too much chaos and fumbling on the part of the protagonists.  Overall, mostly amusing but there were definitely a few scenes I wasn't really that comfortable with, which also make me wonder about what's going on in Moore's brain.  I'm sure I'll still work my way through most of his novels at some point since they are easy enough reads that I can still focus on them while on the elliptical/stairmaster but I'm not exactly in any rush to do so.

Book 41: Sharp Objects

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

 

Even though this is Flynn's first novel, I actually would classify it as my favorite even if Gone, Girl is the one that everyone is currently talking about.  The novel is narrated by reporter Camille Preaker who has just recently been released from a psych hospital.  She and her boss have a close relationship, a type of father-daughter bond, but her boss still takes advantage of her ties to a small town in Missouri to get a scoop on a story.  Her relationship with her mother is strained at best, her mother coming off as a rich socialite overly concerned with appearances that is also a hypochondriac.  Camille's younger half sister is the same age as the young girl that was murdered, and the one that is currently missing.  Both the dead and the missing girl are described as being rather willful and defiant, troublemakers.  One girl's father is actually surprised that his daughter was taken rather than her sister, the more conventionally pretty one.  Police suspect an out of towner, but Camille has different ideas.

 

As she interviews her former neighbors, Camille is haunted by memories of her childhood and her dead sister.  Camille is a cutter and the only uncarved space remaining is the small of her back.  Flynn has no problem creating protagonists that are flawed, make bad decisions and are even possibly off-putting in ways.  Camille hides the history on her body, afraid of the judgement and disgust she might find in response.  While Flynn develops a twisty mystery, it is also very much a psychological study.  She hints at things early in the book, and I'm not quite sure if she was leaving clues that readers could refer back to later, or if she expected the reader to realize things much sooner than Camille because we had a certain amount of distance from the situation.  Overall, definitely worth a read and better than the average thriller/murder mystery.

Book 40: Days of Blood and Starlight

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

 

The sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone may be one of the few sequels that is just as good if not potentially better than its sequel.  While Taylor explained a bit about both the world of angels and the chimaera in her previous novel, she mostly focused on the demon world, especially since Karou regained her memories of her previous life as a chimaera and apprentice to Brimstone.  In this one, the reader learns more about the world of the angels, and Akiva's siblings and their status as the bastard children of the angels' leader.  And I expect the third novel to be just as interesting because Taylor has raised a few more questions that are unanswered, such as the independent angel tribe, and the actual story behind the Fallen, something alluded to in the first novel but still not explained in full.

 

All of Karou's friends have not heard from her for months, and fear she may be dead.  Akiva also believes she is dead after his revelation regarding his role behind the destruction of her family and her city.  The reader soon learns that Karou is in fact alive, and that she has teamed up with the surviving warriors of the chimaera, taking over the role that Brimstone once filled so the chimaera can continue their war against the angels.  Karou feels disconnected and ostracized from her fellow survivors, but she also blames herself for what happened and at least partially understands this reaction.  Karou definitely does not act like the headstrong teenage girl of the first novel and is much more subdued but it is entirely understandable - in that novel she was first trying to fit in as a regular teenager, and then on a quest to find and possibly avenge her family.  In this novel, she feels responsible for their death, has absolutely no friends around her, and the love of her life is the one behind the attack on her kind in a misguided attempt to avenge her death.

 

While Karou tries to figure out a way to save the rest of her people, Akiva attempts to find a way to redeem himself.  Though the angels believe the war is over, the higher command has sent the former angel soldiers on a mission to purge, destroy and enslave the remaining free chimaera, many of whom are farmers, and unable to defend themselves.  Many of the angels begin questioning their actions and purpose at this point, but this is when the chimaera begin their campaign of guerilla warfare.  Akiva's two closest siblings, introduced in the first novel, also begin to soften to his world view as the lines of right and wrong become questionable without the clarity of a war for survival.

 

Obviously the book is rather dark, and I actually quite enjoyed the fact that there are obstacles between Karou and Akiva.  So many pieces of fiction easily forgive the protagonists for the bad things they have done without truly looking at the implications, and generally, it is easy to go along with as a consumer of this type of fiction (see Angel in Buffy, Damon or Stefan in The Vampire Diaries etc.) so it is actually refreshing when it is presented as a dilemma.  Within all this, Zuzana, Karou's best friend from Prague, serves as a type of comic relief.  I feel like she was a bit more cynical in the first novel while here she borders on manic pixie girl, but for the most part she stays on the right side of the line between entertaining and annoying.  I definitely can't wait for the third novel to come out, and am very impressed with the world that Taylor has developed in these stories. 

Book 39: The Buffalo Soldier

The Buffalo Soldier by Chris Bohjalian

I first discoverd Bohjalian due to his World War II era novel, Skeletons at the Feast, which is still my favorite of his.  He chooses an entirely different topic for each novel he writes, and these have ranged from a ghost story, a literary look into obsession and behavioral health, a murder-suicide in a small town, and foster parents and adoption in this one.  He has a knack for developing sympathetic yet flawed characters.

The majority of the novel takes place two years after a flood that killed Laura and Terry Sheldon's twin daughters.  They have decided to take in a foster child, and I think they are both a bit surprised when Alfred, a ten year old African American boy, comes to their house.  Alfred is hesitant, but begins to form a bond with his elderly neighbor, first bonding over the story of the buffalo soldiers and then over the horse Paul purchases to take care of during his retirement.  Laura and Alfred also start to slowly bond while Alfred's presence causes doubts in Terry, leading to him having an affair.

As the novel progresses, Bohjalian explores the ideas of family and grief.  In the beginning, Terry seems to think that Lauren is more broken by her grief than he is, but as the novel progresses it becomes clear that she has dealt with her loss and is more open to the idea of incorporating Alfred into their family, and moving on.  I quite enjoyed this when I read the novel, and the way Bohjalian juxtaposed Lauren and Terry's reactions to Alfred and some of his habits as a foster child.  It has a been a while since I read this, however, and I'm a bit blurry on some of the specifics.  It is mostly a character driven novel, and like in his other novels, Bohjalian did a very good job of developing their personalities in this quiet story.

Book 38: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

I don't tend to gravitate towards YA fiction but I'm also not that much of a snob to avoid the genre.  In general, if I notice a lot of discussion about a particular book, I'll pick it up, and this especially tends to be the case with YA - I won't seek it out on my own but usually look forward to good recommendations: after all, I loved the Harry Potter series, His Dark Materials trilogy, and more recently The Hunger Games.  Even though I was still a bit skeptical about this one since it seemed to be marketed as fantasy/romance, enough people whose opinions I trust loved this book for me to give it a shot.  I'm so glad I did.  I ended up sitting in Panera for hours until I finished the novel, and then went and picked up the sequel immediately before going home to read it.  And I'm pretty sure I had productive plans for that day, too.

There were so many things I loved about this novel, beginning with the setting - Karou, the heroine, lives in Prague; its rather frank acknowledgement of sexuality (no, there aren't any graphic scenes, but Taylor acknowledges that teens have sex - I don't know why, but for some reason I thought YA novels gloss over that fact; I'll just blame Twilight); the creativity of her world; and the fact that the love story doesn't start to develop till much later and that Karou has very strong motivations for what she does, unrelated to romance.

As the novel begins, Karou, an art student in Prague, is being harrassed by her ex-boyfriend and juggling her life as a student in Prague, and as an errand runner/messenger for a demon named Brimstone.  Brimstone trades in teeth and wishes, ie people bring him teeth and he gives them wishes of different strengths.  Karou occasionally gets irritated with running errands, and also disapproves of the tooth trade (many of the hunters and teeth traders kill animals already on the endangered list).  While she was raised in Brimstone's shop and sees him and his assistants as family, she is also beginning to realize how little she knows and is starting to have more questions.

After being called on an errand prematurely because Brimstone's tooth supply is running low, Karou gets into a fight with an angel while in Morrocco, and notices that the doors to Brimstone's shop in several cities have handprints on them.  As she soon realizes, there is some type of war going on and she is about to be caught up in the middle of it as her family becomes endangered and she is unable to reach or contact them.

The war is between angels and demons, and while the demons have had an entrance into the world for a long time (the gates for the teeth trade), the angels have only recently rediscovered the portals back to the human world.  According to this series, the human ideas of angels come from some random sightings of angels thousands of years ago, but are not very factual.  The demons against whom they are at war are chimera, or several different species of chimera that have bonded together against a common enemy.  Brimstone and his assistants are mixtures of human and animal features, such as Issa, who is part snake/part human.  I'm assuming Taylor drew on Egyptian and Indian traditons for her ideas but the way she puts them together is very original.

While Taylor builds an exciting supernatural world, she also makes sure to give Karou ties to the human world, including a best friend named Zuzana.  In fact, I really liked the fact that Taylor focused almost as much on developing a best friend for Karou as she did the love interest.  As far as the love story goes, in ways, it felt like the weakest part of the story until a reveal towards the end which added a very poignant piece to the story.  While Akiva's motivations and fascination are explored more deeply, it seemed like Karou's feelings and interest in him arose rather quickly.  However, that really was the novel's only possible flaw, and since the novel had so many other strengths, it was hardly noticeable.

Anyway, the novel is incredibly well-written and detailed.  I would love to go into it more but especially when it comes to the angels, I'm a bit hazy on what I learned in this novel vs what I learned in the sequel.  I highly recommend this one - it's an incredibly engaging and creative story.  Just be prepared to start counting down for the third still unpublished novel.

Book 37: The Greatest Show on Earth

The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins

 

To start out, I am an atheist, and I believe in evolution. Even when I still was religious, I never really saw a conflict between the idea of God and science - I think it helps that I don't think I ever really took the Bible completely literally, especially when it came to the creation story - instead, I reconciled the two ideas with "God has a different concept of time, and evolution is how he intended things to happen."  As a result, it has always been a surprise to me how many people argue against evolution because it goes against the Bible rather than any real factual reasons.  Or why people would have a problem with teaching science in school, and religion at home.  So in ways, you could say that Dawkins was preaching to the choir in this book, but unlike The God Delusion he isn't making an argument against God in this one, just an argument for evolution, and it's a good one.  Even though I believe in evolution (it's science, it's fact, how could you not - actually I think the word "believe" is wrong here since evolution isn't a matter of faith - I don't believe that 1+1=2 nor do I believe in gravity; they simply are), I feel like sometimes I have forgotten all the exact arguments so it's good to read these type of books to refresh my memory so I can say more than simply "no one is saying we are descended from apes, only that we have a common ancestor."

 

For example, very early in the book, Dawkins reminded me of the definition of the word theory as it used in science.  People like to argue against evolution because it still carries the title "theory of evolution" but I had forgotten that when the general population uses the word theory, they are actually using it the same way that scientists would use the word hypothesis.  In science, theory has a much stronger meaning, and is as close as you can get to fact, though it could still theoretically be disproved - even gravity is still a theory in these terms, after all.

 

Dawkins begins his book with a simple discussion of natural selection and cites several rather recent experiments that show how species adapt to their surroundings as well as using artificial selection on the part of humans to show how certain traits can be bred for in agricultural crops and dog breeds, for example.  There really isn't much to argue about when it comes to natural selection, and from here, Dawkins can branch out to wider topics, showing how natural selection would lead to the development of different species in different areas with the occasional mutation thrown in.  He also cites several examples that disprove the idea of intelligent design that I found rather interesting.  For example, there is a vein or muscle or something that goes from place in the neck to another - except it passes by it and loops back around.  Dawkins argues that if this had been the result of intelligent design this would be a design flaw but with evolution it makes much more sense.  Another example were testicles.  At one point, testicles were inside the body, and at some point dropped outside (this didn't happen overnight).  This is easily seen because the tubing connecting the testicles and the penis have a round about way of connecting instead of taking the straight route.

 

While he does occasionally harp on a point a bit longer than necessary, it really was a great book explaining all the scientific evidence behind evolution.  As he explains, the fossils, which are some of the things creationists argue with the most, are really just the icing on the cake.  Seeing how similar bone structures are across species, the similarity in DNA structure and how elegantly the idea of natural selection works are actually more than enough to prove evolution.  If anything, the fossils give creationist a red herring to wave around, asking "where's the missing link?"  In fact, every fossil is a link of some type.

 

One thing I have noticed is that whenever I read books like A Short History of Nearly Everything or The Greatest Show on Earth, I tend to get a little depressed - I realize that species have always gone extinct but reading these books about nature and the world just make it all the more obvious how much humans have screwed with the ecosystem, speeding up extinction for many species.  It makes me wonder what would have happened if humans hadn't evolved the way they had and remained a part of nature, or if we had never evolved at all.  As much as I hate to say this, it seems like maybe the world would have been better off.  Still as long as one avoids existentialist thoughts, this is a great book to learn more about evolution and the scientific facts as well as a nice refresher for when one might need to argue one's stance.

Book 36: The Rook

The Rook by Daniel O'Malley

 

After seeing several reviews of this novel on other CBR IV blogs, I decided to give it a shot.  I mostly enjoyed the novel though I think parts of the middle dragged a little bit or went one or two tangents more than necessary.  In that way, I think the author may have a few similiarities to Jasper Fforde.  I quite liked The Eyre Affair but felt that one or two novels into the series the books had too much quirk for the sake of quirk.  I could see where O'Malley, too, could fall into this trap but since everyone but me loves the Thursday Next series, that probably wouldn't be a bad thing for him.

 

As the novel begins, a woman wakes up in a park surrounded by bodies and with no idea who she is.  She finds a letter in her pocket written by herself directing her to get to safety before opening a second letter with a longer explanation.  She is Myfanwy Thomas (rhymes with Tiffany), and right now has a choice - she can go to a bank, open one of two security boxes and disappear forever, or she can open the other box, find out enough about her former life to continue to live it and find out why she is being targeted.  All set to embark on the escape, she is once again attacked, leading Myfanwy to impersonating herself as she must figure out who attacked her and why.

 

By choosing the second option, Myfanwy discovers that she is the Rook in a supernatural government organization for people with super powers, that she has super powers which she had already noticed during the second attack (she can control other people's bodies - the original Myfanwy could only do it when touching people, but the new version can do it just by being near them - having no memories, she isn't repressing her powers in the same way that Myfanwy appears to have subconsciously done), and that she is such a good administrator that she was promoted ahead of her peers despite her lack of combat skills.  It also meant that she was great at planning for her eventual memory loss after being forewarned from several prophecies and fortune tellers.  As a result, Myfanwy and the reader have a huge reference guide and series of letters explaining the agency and this world to them.  I think it worked great as a way to catch readers up on the world he has created without seeming too much like an information dump.  While Myfanwy learns that her former self was very quiet and a pushover, her letters also reveal quite a sarcastic and acerbic wit, even if she kept those thoughts to herself.  In comparison, the current Myfanwy is a lot more forceful, though she discovers that she shares the organizational skills.

 

On her first day back to the office, Myfanwy and her agency discover that one of their oldest enemies, long thought vanquished and extinct, are still around and appear to be planning some type of revenge.  Now Myfanwy is facing this extreme threat while also having to discover the mole in her agency that has already targeted her once.  Overall, I thought this was a very engaging story with just the right amount of humor, and I quite liked getting to know both versions of Myfanwy as well as the supporting characters and their powers.  My only complaint is that I enjoyed all the background and the actual work stuff so much that I was a bit distracted by a subplot with Myfanwy's personal life.  Personally, I felt it could have waited till later in the series since it is obvious that this is going to be the first of several novels.  I understand the author's reasoning, I just wasn't a huge fan of the character introduced since I didn't feel like she added much to the plot.  Still, I am definitely looking forward to reading more about the agency, especially since the novel ends in a way that could lead to some major changes in its structure.

Book 35: Someone Knows My Name

Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill

 

Spanning several decades and continents, this novel begins in early 19th century England as Aminata Diallo takes a look back on her life.  Born in an West African village, she was a priviledged only child until she was kidnapped by slavers at the age of 11, and sold in South Carolina.  Her mother had been the village's midwife, and fortunately for Aminata, her mother had already started training her before her kidnapping.  Once she reveals these skills to her master, she gains a certain amount of freedom of movement, and gains the attention of a few others in the community as well.  Her second master even allows her to hire herself out as a midwife and continues to teach her to read (an overseer had already taken an interest in her education) so she can maintain his books.  Eventually, she ends up in New York, and works for the British during the Revolutionary War given their promise to free any slaves that work for them.  The British lose the war, and she along with many other freed men and women are given the opportunity to set up a life in Nova Scotia.  Unfortunately, the whites aren't exactly welcoming, and life is incredibly difficult in that colony so once Aminata meets a prominent British abolitionist, she decides to join him in his venture to begin a colony in Sierra Leone.

 

That is basically the threadbare plot of the novel, but the story is incredibly moving as it chronicles Aminata's life, losses and occasional triumphs.  She loses her parents, is separated from her husband and child, raped by one of her masters and experiences many hardships and yet, she still seems better off than many others - her role as midwife gives her a certain amount of value, so she doesn't experience as many beatings as some others, and doesn't experience quite the same physical hardships as others.  The author uses Aminata's life to showcase many important events that took place during slavery and the evolution of the abolitionist movement, such as her voyage on the middle passage, a slave rebellion, the colonies in Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone, neither of which was incredibly successful due to a certain lack of resources and the fact that both those places weren't exactly good land for English crops.  I actually read this book a long time ago (it was part of an African American history month display), shortly after finishing Bury the Chains, a nonfiction account of the British abolition movement.  The two pieces are really perfect companion pieces.  While one gives the facts, this novel takes those facts and uses one life to illustrate them.  It is especially interesting because it doesn't just follow the usual slave narrative accounts, but illustrates other parts of history that Americans especially may be less familiar with.  I'd highly recommend this one.

Book 34: The Kitchen House

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

 

I feel like I'd looked at this novel and put it back down at least a dozen time over the past year during Barnes and Noble visits.  I guess I felt like it would probably be a good book, but given the subject matter, I also may have felt that it would be retreading familiar territory.  One could argue that telling the novel from the perspective of the Irish indentured servant orphan would put a fresh spin on things but instead it made me think "oh look, another novel about slavery told from the white person's perspective."  I really enjoyed the first half of the novel, while I became very disappointed and irritated with the turn Lavinia's character took in the later half.  I liked most of the characters, though many could fit into certain stereotypes and stock roles.  With one exception, people tend to be good or bad with very little grey.

 

The novel alternates between Lavinia, the Irish white girl, and Belle, a house slave and daughter of the master, as the narrators, though Belle's chapters are only two or three pages usually, while Lavinia's are much longer.  After Lavinia's parents die on the passage from Ireland to America, Lavinia is separated from her parents, and the man that had the contract for her parents' indentured service takes her and places her in the kitchen house of his plantation.  She basically becomes part of a black family but as she gets older, her skin color starts drawing her more attention from the members of the big house.  Lavinia is intelligent, and the lady of the house takes a certain amount of interest in her, eventually taking her to Philadelphia to live with her sister and niece.  Since Lavinia is a link to his childhood and his home, Marshall, the plantation owner's son who will become the master once he is of a age, takes a certain amount of interest in Lavinia.

 

Overall, the novel started out good but there were quite a few issues that could have been resolved if the characters had simply talked to each other.  Due to a certain amount of innocence and naivete on Lavinia's part, she doesn't realize a rather crucial piece of information regarding Marshal, Belle and another love interest until almost the end of the novel.  A simple conversation with most of the people in the novel could have cleared it right up.  Another problem is that Lavinia simply doesn't understand the racial issues of the time or her surroundings, and her desire to still treat her black family as family ends up drawing scrutiny on them.  Instead of learning to use her position to help others, she relies on them, lashes out at others, and basically gives up for a large part of the novel.  She was in a bad situation but the few decisions she does make in those times are irritatingly bad, putting others at risk for her.  Another part of the story that is never completely explained is Belle's position on the plantation.  All the slaves know that she is the captain's daughter, but for some reason his wife and his son Marshall believe that Belle is his mistress, resulting in quite a bit of tension and ill treatment for Belle.  I honestly don't know if her treatment would have been worse if they had known that she was his daughter rather than his mistress but it certainly never made sense to me why this misconception was never cleared up, since it certainly would have saved his wife some grief (certainly, I think for the wife knowing someone had a daughter from before they met you would be more bearable than believing they were cheating on you during the marriage).

 

While for the most part, the bad characters are bad (drunks, child abusers, misogynists) and the good characters are good, Marshall had the potential to be a more complex character.  He certainly had many bad traits, but as the novel progresses it is easy to see how he fell under the bad influences he did, partially due to how his parents neglected him.  Unfortunately by the end, he, too, becomes just stereotypically bad and there is no real opportunity to see anything more complex.  The novel certainly had a promising start, but the last half wasn't nearly as good as the novel deteriorates into a stereotypical soap opera, with the evil husband, the abusive overseer, the crazy Southern woman, and the opium abusing wife.  It's not that I expect novels to have happy endings, but when all the bad things ever happen in a novel, it can become melodramatic.  In this case it certainly took away from the novel because I had a hard time reconciling the Lavinia of the first half of the novel with the one of the second half.