Tag Archives: review

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Muriel Barbery: The Elegance of the Hedgehog

 

Initially I read the first few pages and put this book down, realizing that I had to be in the right frame of mind to read this.  I suppose it could be read as a light read, just skimming the surface, but there is much more depth to it than that.  The book tackles many themes, among them philosophy, consciousness,  politics, family, suicide, social class, death, and deception.  There are references to many cultural icons and philosophers.

The two protagonists both live “lives in hiding”.  They have their complex, hidden, inner lives and then the “normal” or expected face they show the world.  An interesting contrast is that one is an older woman concierge of the apartment building, while the other is a 12 year old prodigy from a well-to-do family.   The 12 year old suffers from the fear of  “living the unlived life”, she sees no hope for any other outcome.  Renee, the concierge, doesn’t want to invite  the disparagement that she feels revealing her inner intellectual and cultural life, the life of an autodidact, would  cause.  Both the characters, develop strategies to allow them to maintain the facades that they present to the world.

A tenant in the building dies and and a new tenant moves in to the empty apartment.  This is the catalyst for the protagonists, Renee and Paloma, to meet and interact and eventually change, not necessarily themselves, but their world view.  One of the last passages in the book reflects this shift, “I have finally concluded, maybe that is what life is all about:  there’s a lot of despair but also the odd moment of beauty, where time is no longer the same…Something suspended, an elsewhere that had come to us, an always within never.”

Overall a well written book with many clever, interesting and thought provoking turns of phrase. For me personally, it raises the question of  “How does having a “hidden life” contribute to a sense of disconnectedness from others?”   To get the most out of  The Elegance of the Hedgehog, be prepared to read a little, then stop to digest what you have read before you move on.  Highly recommended read.

 

 

 

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Jenn McKinlay: Due or Die

 

 

Cozy mystery time is here again.  I picked up this book and another in the series Book, Line, and Sinker.  I am reading it out of order, primarily because my library didn’t have the first in the series.  For some reason, when it comes to cozies that is often the case, oh well.

This was a well written library-centric cozy.  Usually any cozies that have to do with books or reading are some of my favorite.  The characters are cute, classic “small town” types.  The librarian is the “upstart newcomer from the big city” who disrupts the way the library has been run by “the lemon”, a sour faced librarian.  There is a circle of friends who gather to craft, gossip and support the Lindsey, the newcomer.  A misunderstood, bad boy ex-convict, who seems like he may become important later in the series and many others.  This is the primary weakness in the book, the characters are a little too flat or stereotypical, but it is still early in the series so perhaps they are not developed yet.

The plot is well done and the mystery and clues are convincing.  It was an engaging read and paced well.  I will read Book, Line and Sinker next to see where the story goes.

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Long Gone by Alafair Burke

This book had a lot going for it.  A female protagonist floundering along her career path, something I can relate to well.  A current plot hook to drive the story, identity theft connected to social media.  A Hollywood royal family rounds out the cast of characters.  All of these factors should add up to a great book, but for some reason it was just okay, not great.  I didn’t really feel that sense of suspense that you want to feel building in a thriller.  There were no feelings of dread or foreboding.  I just read through to the end with no real feeling of anticipation for the resolution.  I can’t point to any one attribute of the book that caused this lack of emotional response to it, but nonetheless there it is.

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S.J. Bolton: Now You See Me


I read this book as a selection from the British English Kindle Mystery group on Goodreads. It was a very engaging and well written mystery.  So much so that I actually took my Kindle to work so I could finish it at lunch because I didn’t want to wait to find out how it ended. Twists and turns throughout, but still kept within the realm of the probable. I got slightly confused at one point but I assume that was due to the boatload of cold meds I was taking while reading .Although, I knew some of the mystery prior to the reveal, I didn’t have all the details right.

Great, well-developed characters with strong, authentic feeling personalities. The character of Lacey Flint is complicated with secrets of her own, much like a real person.  The chemistry between Lacey and DI Joesbury keeps the reader guessing throughout the book.

The author took a big risk with the “Jack the Ripper” hook. There are so many Jack the Ripper books and movies that it is difficult to be original.  S.J. Bolton managed to keep the story line fresh and interesting in Now You See Me.  There were some similarities to a plot from an old Dirty Harry movie, but to say more would be a spoiler so I won’t…besides most people reading this now probably don’t even know who Dirty Harry was :). Highly recommended for British mystery fans.

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Wedding Tiers & For Better, For Worse

So, anyway last night as a result of various cold meds, I woke up at midnight and couldn’t go back to sleep. So, I read Wedding Tiers by Trisha Ashley and For Better, For Worse by Carole Mathews.

I really like Trisha Ashley books in general and this was no exception. I loved the small village setting. The characters were well designed and I liked how the love triangle played out. I found the reactions of their friends to  Josie and Ben’s breakup was very true to life. Charming book with a likable main character, Josie, a woman who built a life with her teen sweetheart and then had to rebuild it without him.

The second book I read in my insomnia based reading session was For Better, For Worse by Carole Matthews.

Quite enjoyable chick lit. Fast read. The premise of an about to be divorced woman going to be in a wedding is very promising. The writing was fast paced and the story was told from multiple view points which helped to move it along. I have to say I didn’t really like the Jack-Martha-Glen story line, but I think that is my personal issue. I don’t tend to care for the whole “infidelity just happens, everything is okay” kind of stories. I did find Josie and Matt’s story fun to read and well done with all the near misses and the final resolution.

It was sort of funny that in both of the books, the main character’s name was Josie, but that was just by chance not design. Both were fun, romance reads, but if I had to pick one over the other I would definitely go with Wedding Tiers. I just found Trisha Ashley’s Josie more of a person I could relate to and I thought all the story lines in the book were well done

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Fragile: Lisa Unger ***

I haven’t read anything by this author before or at least I don’t remember if I have. I picked this up because I thought it would be a lighter read than what I am supposed to be reading, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, and it was. I believe it is supposed to be more of a mystery than a thriller, the plot really involves two mysteries, one that was assumed to have been solved. and a new one happening currently.

The real story though, is about the long term effects of deceit, guilt and abuse. These themes run through several of the characters lives in a sometimes convoluted, multi-generational web. The long term impact of secrets kept and the question of what if?? haunts some of the major characters.

The book raises some serious questions without attempting to solve them, more like just serving them up as food for thought. How well do we really know anyone else? How far will we go to protect our family and how justified will we be in our actions? Are some people irredeemable?

For all the good that there is in this book and there is plenty to be found, I still found some of the voice to be too trite, (think “inspirational” quotes used in dialogue), the perpetrator was obvious, really obvious, and I didn’t find some of the resolution realistic. Overall, it was a decent, light read with a good job done maintaining multiple story lines, past and present, and then linking them together.

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Sue Ann Jaffarian: Twice as Dead

The Odelia Grey Mystery series is a favorite of mine.  I find the characters well developed and realistic.  The series has a great deal of humor and the mysteries are usually well done.  The character of Odelia Grey is what really drives this series.  She is not the stereotypical “big” girl.  She is confident, but yet has enough vulnerability to not be brash or arrogant.  She is a plus sized woman and yet still has sex appeal and also feels sexy.

I just finished Twice as Dead and I did enjoy it.  I would say that it was not my favorite of the series, that title still goes to Too Big to Miss, the first book from the series.  The mystery seems more serious in this episode than in the previous books.  There were twists and turns and visits from characters from previous books that add depth to the story.  Recommended reading for cozy mystery fans.

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Kyra Davis: Sex, Murder and A Double Latte

Just finished last night.   This book is from the Red Dress Ink publishers, a now defunct outfit.  I belong to a group on Goodreads dedicated to this publisher’s books and this is the read for this month.  I have read other books in the series previously (out of order) .

I found the book had several  funny  lines or moments, which is always a plus, but I also found Sophie Katz, the  lead character, immature, impulsive and a little irritating and some of the other characters a little cartoonish.  I don’t  remember coming away with that impression from the other books in the series that I read previously.   So, either my memory is faulty, truly possible, or Sophie matures in the later books and the recurring characters are developed further, or maybe I’m just aging out of the demographics for this book….hmmm.

The mystery was mainly driven by red herrings, Sophie chased after them with wild abandon.  It was an entertaining, fast moving mystery plot. Something was always happening.  I had  figured out Anatoly’s  story line for the most part prior to the reveal, but  other story lines I did not.   The book is well written and edited.   I would say based on my experience that this is a series that improves in the later books.  I often find that the case for first books in a series.

If you enjoy light mysteries that are fast paced and have humorous interludes aimed at the “Sex and the City” set, I think you would enjoy this book.

 

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Elly Griffiths: A Dying Fall ****

After a day of yard work I sat on the porch in the sun, drinking a glass…hmmm some glasses of Jersey Blush, the last in the group of three wines that I bought Jersey Red, Jersey White and Jersey Blush and finished my latest book from Elly Griffiths, A Dying Fall.

I was little concerned because Ruth leaves the familiar setting of Norfolk, where the other books were set. Ms. Griffiths developed such a sense of place in the first books that the setting was almost another character in the series. My fears were unfounded. The setting is not as moody and does not evoke the sense of isolation of the earlier books, nonetheless this book was another good episode in Ruth Galloway and crew’s story. The complicated relationship between Ruth, Cathbad and Nelson is expanded upon in a realistic manner leaving you not knowing what to hope for between them all.

The best part about it though, for me, was that the story line involved King Arthur and that has always been a favorite of mine. I read The Once and Future King and I think I have seen just about every TV serial/movie/History Channel discussion about Arthur, Camelot and the attending legends and history. Elly Griffiths’ exploration blends legend, fact, and an original twist for a satisfying take on King Arthur.

The mystery is well crafted and I didn’t figure out the culprit until revealed. There are red herrings and twists and turns in the plot that keep you guessing the whole way. If you enjoy mysteries of the “soft boiled” variety, I highly recommend this series. The tally is four stars for the book and the wine was good, too.

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Kylie Logan: Button Holed ***

This is a first in a series about a …button expert. I will say I would never have picked up this book on my own. It is just not something that would have attracted me. However, that is one of the reasons I belong to book clubs on Goodreads. This was a selection from the Cozy Mystery Corner group. I joined because cozies are a genre that are close to my heart (think MC Beaton, Simon Brett, Diana Mott Davidson, Agatha Christie). That is a plus for this book, definitely a genre I enjoy.

The book is written well, as far as editing and language, and the series protagonist Josie Giancola is a likable character, however a little too stereotypical “shy girl swooped off her feet by extroverted cad”. The theme (button collecting/antiquing) does not overwhelm character or plot, which can be a problem with some of the more cutesy and theme specific cozy mysteries.

My main issue with this particular outing is that you will need to practice some serious belief suspension. Josie, button expert extraordinaire, is recruited by a police officer, Nevin, and embroiled in the mystery in a rather unbelievable, heavy handed manner.

To be fair, perhaps the problems I had with the book were caused by it being a first book in a series. It really had a feel that the author was setting things up for future books, establishing background, setting and relationships. With that in mind, I gave Button Holed 3 stars and given the opportunity, I would give another book in the series a chance .