Daily Archives: March 18, 2014

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Eclectic Reading: Immobility & The House of Mirth

Two very different books this time.  The first is Immobility a dystopian novel set after the “Kollaps”.  Our lead character is a paraplegic survivor with a  very valuable skill.  Awoken from suspended animation and completely dependent upon those that awoke him, he doesn’t know who he is, who to trust, or what the truth is.  Very fast paced, thriller style writing with an intriguing plot.  Dystopian books are not really my go-to genre but I found this a good read.

The writing allows you to experience the confusion and disorientation of Horkai as he makes his way through the lies and the desolate landscape.  Horkai is a sympathetic protagonist and I was rooting for him all the way.  The near extinction of the human race, the mutations, and the continuing poison in the air and water are described in enough detail to be imagined but not so much as to slow the plot.  Very good read.

The second book was also very good, however as it is a classic and considered a landmark book in American fiction so you don’t need me to say that it was good.  The title comes from the quote from Ecclesiastes 7:4:

 “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth” 

The novel follows the downward spiral of Lily Bart.  A combination of unfortunate circumstances, poor decisions, and societal pressures culminating in the downfall of Lily Bart.  Lily finds a good match, personality-wise, and intellectually in Lawrence Seldon, however he is not able to support her to the standards she feels she needs, that her society has groomed her to seek.  Lawrence remains throughout the tale as  a touchstone for Lily.  He actually opens the book…and closes it, with Lily at the beginning of her story and the end. 

The novel exposed the hypocrisy that surrounded the New York society of the time.   Edith Wharton was a member of this society and attacked it with the precision of a surgeon.  The novel is both a satire and a form of tragedy, not necessarily a tragedy in a classical sense but tragic nonetheless.  The strength of the novel is this insider’s perspective of the society and revelation of how a society molds its inhabitants, impacts their choices, and  opportunities.

I read this for my One Drink Minimum book Club and enjoyed it far more than I expected to at first glance.  I haven’t really been a big reader of classics in recent year so this was a real change of pace.  I can’t wait to have the book club meeting to discuss it!

 

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Murder Strikes a Pose by Tracy Weber

 

Finally! My copy came in to my local bookshop.  This is the first in a new yoga themed cozy mystery.  The series opens with the reader meeting Kate, a yoga studio owner, who has a run-in with a homeless man and his dog Bella.  Eventually, they become friends or at least Kate tolerates George and Bella’s presence outside her studio.  George is murdered and Kate can’t just let it be written off as a dispute between the homeless, which is what it seems the local police are doing.

She investigates with her sometimes side kick, Rene, and Bella, George’s dog.  Along the way, she meets Michael, the owner of Pete’s Pets, and a romantic interest.  There is a lot of investigation and quite a few leads and suspects.  The mystery is very well crafted.  The main characters are all developed and realistic.

I really appreciated the urban setting, which is very different from the average cozy.  This is very reminiscent of the urban setting in Kerry Greenwood’s Corina Chapman series, which I love.  Very different characters, themes and settings, but both series have a similar contemporary urban feel.

 

The mystery plot and the yoga theme flow seamlessly together.  The theme does not overwhelm the mystery plot or the characters.  A fun, well written first in a new  mystery series.  I’d recommend it to anyone who likes cozies, especially ones with a more contemporary feel.  I am definitely going to be looking forward to the next one in this series.