Archive for the ‘Book reviews’ Category
Just reviewed Maxton’s “The End of Progress” at SBR
Folks, if you haven’t read Graeme Maxton’s new book THE END OF PROGRESS: How Modern Economics Has Failed Us, you should. While it’s one of the most depressing books I’ve ever read — and while I pointed out, a few days ago at this blog, that Maxton has a few beliefs of the odder sort regarding the Internet, blogs, and opinions — this is an important book that needs to be read and debated.
Put simply, one of Maxton’s most important premises is that the world’s finite resources (such as water, oil, and agricultural land) aren’t being husbanded well. They also aren’t being valued properly on an economic level. Worse yet, because of this undervaluing, there’s a real problem due to how quickly these resources are being used up.
Another of his important premises — that capitalism, per se, only works when ethics and restraint are involved, as Adam Smith pointed out back in 1776 in THE WEALTH OF NATIONS — needs to be pondered by many. Because somewhere along the line, way too many of our business leaders and power brokers have completely lost our way.
Anyway, go read my review, then go read Maxton’s book.
Here’s the link:
Enjoy!
Just reviewed Koch’s “Alien in the Family” at SBR
Folks, if you’re looking for a funny, light book about love between a human and an alien from Alpha Centauri, you might want to read Gini Koch’s ALIEN IN THE FAMILY. This book amused me to the point I read it three times; I thought the romance between Katherine “Kitty” Katt and Jeff Martini (AKA “the alien” who looks and acts like any human, except he has two hearts and can move at hyperspeed) was quite good. I liked Kitty’s friends, especially her BFF, international male model (retired) James Reader. And I thought the stuff about the A-Cs (what Koch calls her aliens) made sense, was well thought out, and added greatly to the book.
Before I forget, here’s the link to the review:
Now, back to the commentary.
So with all that, you might be wondering, “Why did Barb give this book only a B-plus?” (Not that this isn’t a good grade; it is.) Simple — every person in there is just too good-looking for words. And that’s not plausible. Not even in SF/romance.
Here’s the deal, folks; Koch says her A-Cs are mind-bogglingly, stunningly gorgeous. I buy that; they’re aliens. (Who knows how much genetic engineering they’ve been through in the recent or not-so-recent past?) But then, all of the people Kitty’s around are great-looking, too, including CIA agents, her sorority sisters from college, etc. — and I just do not buy this at all.
Further, it weakens a romance when there’s even the hint of the thought that normal-looking people (or those like me, attractive but “big, beautiful women”) maybe don’t have the right to fall in love. Or at least in this capacity, Kitty would rather not see them fall in love, or have anything to do with them — which is really quite distasteful, if you think about it overmuch.
That being said, this is a humorous SF romance so of course it’s not to be taken overly seriously. (That is, if Kitty really were in the CIA or affiliated with them, she’d have to expect that a few of them wouldn’t be stunningly gorgeous; actually, most of them would probably be nondescript sorts, all the better to blend into the background.) But as it was something that just kept hitting me across the face as there aren’t any normal-looking (or under) people that Kitty references in ALIEN IN THE FAMILY at all — certainly not among the primary, secondary, or even tertiary leads — I had to mention it.
If not for this really odd quirk (something I wish more romance writers would get beyond, especially if they’re writing SF/romance like Koch; she needs to study Lois McMaster Bujold for a while, who’s succeeded brilliantly at writing quirky characters who aren’t drop-dead gorgeous, but have extremely strong and believable romances anyway — I’d say “in spite of this” except that it’s because of who they are, warts and all that the romances work), this novel would’ve been an A-plus. But because of it, the best I could do is a B-plus, as it strains credulity way past the breaking point when there aren’t any characters who are worth a damn in a book that aren’t at least average looking (or below).
Mind you, Koch understands that her characters are must be extraordinary on the inside and have inner beauty, otherwise we won’t care about them no matter how glitteringly gorgeous they’re supposed to be on the outside. But her over-reliance on external beauty is extremely puzzling, not to mention off-putting; that I could get beyond this problem and enjoy her book so much anyway speaks to the fact that she really does write extremely well.
—————-
One final thought: for those of you writing romance of any sort, please remember that ordinary-looking people can be great characters, too. Ordinary-looking people deserve great love stories, especially as it happens all the time that people meet, fall in love, and get married — with most people looking completely ordinary on the outside, but being completely extraordinary on the inside.
In other words, please try to let art imitate life, at least in this one, small degree. OK?
Just Reviewed London’s “Hadley Green” trilogy at SBR
Folks, I previously reviewed book 2 of Julia London’s “The Secrets of Hadley Green” trilogy, that being THE REVENGE OF COUNT EBERLIN. After reading that book, I was curious and wanted to read the previous book, THE YEAR OF LIVING SCANDALOUSLY, and the follow-up, THE SEDUCTION OF LADY X. Both were good books that diverted me for a few hours; they seemed reasonably historically accurate with a few quirks (granted, without the quirks, there’d probably be no stories there to tell).
At any rate, here’s the link to these most recent reviews, a “two for one” special at Shiny Book Review for Romance Saturday (as what’s a better time for a romance than Saturday, hm?):
Enjoy!
Just Reviewed Mosher’s “The Great Northern Express” at SBR
Finally, a great book!
That’s what I thought when I read Howard Frank Mosher’s memoir, THE GREAT NORTHERN EXPRESS. Mosher’s memoir is about his cross-country trip promoting his writing after receiving a prostate cancer diagnosis, but it’s really about so much more — it’s about what makes up an interesting life. What makes up the writer’s life in particular. And Mosher doesn’t stop there; he discusses why he went to Vermont, of all places, how he ended up falling in love with the place, and then about how he found his authentic “writer’s voice” — which, of course, led him to write a number of books where Vermont features prominently as a setting, including WAITING FOR TEDDY WILLIAMS, another book I reviewed at Shiny Book Review a while back as “a baseball romance with heart.”
Whether you’re a writer or not, you owe it to yourself to read Mosher’s excellent THE GREAT NORTHERN EXPRESS. It’s funny, touching, humane, and literate — exactly what you’d want a memoir to be, especially when it comes from one of America’s best living writers.
So what’s stopping you? Go read my review, which is here:
Then, go grab Mosher’s book, read it, and wait for this year’s top ten list at SBR — if I have anything to say about it, THE GREAT NORTHERN EXPRESS will be on it.
Just Reviewed Celine Kiernan’s “The Poison Throne” at SBR . . .
. . . and folks, I couldn’t be more disappointed if I tried.
Look. Celine Kiernan can obviously write. Parts of THE POISON THRONE were diverting, absorbing, interesting, etc., despite the fact that I saw all the weaknesses in sharp relief — the lack of plot organization. The overabundance of deus ex machina plot devices (if you don’t know what a deus ex machina is, it basically means that the author felt it needed to happen, so she forced it to happen rather than let it flow out of the plot naturally). The lack of sense being shown by most of the participants . . . and the fact that the King, Jonathan, of a kingdom that’s never named, is now the biggest bully the world has apparently ever seen, even though when Wynter was young (she’s now the ripe, old age of fifteen), King Jon was a good and gracious ruler.
None of that makes any sense, nor does the tame romance between carpenter’s apprentice Wynter and the Heir’s best friend, Christopher, considering that Wynter is young and virginal while Christopher is older, lusty, and has had his two middle fingers torn out for no reason. (There’s a whole lot of things that happen in THE POISON THRONE for no reason other than that the author wants it that way, which is why I mentioned deus ex machina plot devices.)
This is the first book I’ve ever given a D-plus at Shiny Book Review, and in some ways I hated to do so as it’s obvious that Ms. Kiernan can write. But my goodness! This book is an epic failure when it comes to young adult reads, because it shows that Wynter, herself, is unable to positively affect the outcome no matter what she does, even though she is a young woman of gifts, intelligence, and talents above the average.
Here’s the link to the review:
Hope you find it useful.
Just reviewed Enoch’s “A Beginner’s Guide to Rakes” at SBR
Folks, A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO RAKES by Suzanne Enoch is one of those books that just makes you want to scream if you have any knowledge of history at all. This book is set during the Regency Era, just after the British defeated Napoleon; it was not a time when women could operate legal gambling dens inside their residences.
That said, the romance here between Diane Benchley and Oliver Warren — both titled members of the English aristocracy — was actually good. The dialogue, while somewhat anachronistic, was crisp and sharp. I believed these two loved each other but really would’ve preferred not to do so, and enjoyed watching the sparks fly.
Basically, this novel didn’t pass the “smell test” — that is, I couldn’t suspend my disbelief long enough in this plotline to get past all the anachronistic elements. But if it had been alternate history, where a strong-minded woman could’ve indeed opened up a legal casino inside her own residence, I’d have enjoyed it thoroughly.
The only way around such a problem is to discuss it head-on, which I did in my review, which is here: http://shinybookreview.wordpress.com/2012/05/27/a-beginners-guide-to-rakes-fun-but/
Enjoy!
Just Reviewed Lars Walker’s “Troll Valley” at SBR
Folks, if you enjoy something that’s different — out of the ordinary — interesting, often moving, and literally something I’ve not seen anyone do before, you should go read Lars Walker’s TROLL VALLEY. A mixture of Norwegian folklore, 1900s Minnesota, and Christian apologetica, Walker’s hero (literally named “Christian,” though he often goes by Chris) is a young man with a deformed left arm and hand who believes no one will ever love him due to his differences.
Of course, nothing could be further from the truth, which is Norwegian “fairy Godmother” Margit (one of the huldre folk) keeps telling him. But his unusual family, full of a crusading mother who hates alcohol, tobacco, and meat, his weak-willed father (a good man, but without enough backbone to stand up to his wife), his unrepentant sinner of a twin brother, Fred (born with two good arms), and his “sister” Sophie (raised with him, but not formally adopted by the family), just hasn’t been able to show Chris that he’s a good person who deserves the best life has to offer. Or as Walker would no doubt put it, Chris is a Christian like any other and he deserves to believe in God’s love rather than dwelling so much on how all men are sinners.
TROLL VALLEY is strongest as Christian apologetica, but it’s still a good Christian-inspired fantasy (please forgive the pun). Its historicity is excellent, its sense of place is very strong, and the detailing of this novel is superb.
But if you’ve already read my review (link is right here), you know I “only” gave it a B-plus. The main reason for this is because I felt the balance was off in a few places and that Chris needed more internal monologue, especially when he started to spiral downward. Reviews like this one are tough to write, not because the book isn’t good — it’s extremely good or I’d not give it a B-plus — but because I saw that with just a bit different of a focus, it would’ve been an easy A-plus.
Nevertheless, TROLL VALLEY succeeds at showing a window into the early 20th century and is based on Norwegian folklore, something that I have to admit I’d like to see a whole lot more of as very few novelists have delved into the Norwegian culture (nor have many dealt with any of the Scandinavian countries/folklore). This focus makes TROLL VALLEY intriguing, different, interesting, and quite humane, which is why I enjoyed it so very much.
Now, go read my review already!
Just Reviewed “The Countess” at SBR
Folks, if you enjoy romance mixed with screwball comedy, you will enjoy Lynsay Sands’ THE COUNTESS. While not high art, the story of Christiana, Countess of Fairgrove, and her love story with Earl Richard will amuse you. Richard, you see, had been “disposed of” by his brother George, who took Richard’s place and called himself “Dicky.” George then married Christiana, who knew nothing about the real Richard; the world knows one of the Fairgrove twins died, but for whatever reason, George assumed Richard’s identity rather than rule in his own right. (Yes, I know the reason, but if I told you that, some of the comedic effect would be spoiled. Just go with it.)
Anyway, George dies suddenly, but Christiana covers this up because her sisters need to be “brought out” into society quickly before word gets around about her father’s gambling debts. (Besides, she never liked him anyway.) But to her complete surprise, “Dicky” shows up at a ball she and her sisters are at — he’s not dead, and in fact, he’s not Dicky, either. He’s the real Richard, and he’s wondering the same thing any of us would in a similar situation — what the Hell is going on here?
This is a screwball comedy that often descends into farce, and it’s not the art-house type of screwball comedy, either; instead, it’s the “pie in the face, don’t look now, the train’s coming!” sort. But it’s quite good for what it is, and I enjoyed it very much despite the plot’s oddities. (Maybe because of them, as I can’t resist a novel that makes me laugh over and over again. I really can’t.)
Anyway, go take a look at my review over at SBR, will you? Then, if you’re in the mood to laugh (hard and often), go pick up THE COUNTESS.
Enjoy!
Just Reviewed “Dead Reckoning” at SBR
Folks, if you love steampunk, zombies, Westerns, fantasy, action-adventure, or just plain good writing, you will love Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill’s novel, DEAD RECKONING, which will be released on June 5, 2012. This is an excellent young adult adventure that I called a “zombie steampunk thrill-ride” for good reason — this book kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.
Here’s the link to my review:
Enjoy!
Just Reviewed “The Outsourced Self” at SBR
Folks, you owe it to yourself to read THE OUTSOURCED SELF by Arlie Russell Hochschild. Hochschild, a sociologist at the University of California, Berkeley, has an interesting and often trenchant take on the current trend of personal outsourcing — where we pay someone else to do something we used to do ourselves, like organizing a child’s birthday party, or finding a name for an infant, or finding someone to meet and marry (as in the case of e-Harmony.com). This is an interesting book with many laugh out loud moments, but it’s the power of its argument that eventually won me over.
Know, though, that this isn’t a perfect book; Hochschild mostly deals with the American upper middle class, and in these tough economic times, that really seems nonsensical. (When we do see low-income people, they are almost always foreigners, which seems really strange.) We have plenty of poor people in the United States; why didn’t Hochschild interview a few? Didn’t she think they would advance her argument, considering that this whole idea of “outsourcing yourself” seems prevalent now among all classes and cultures in the United States, for one reason and one reason alone — that is, “if you pay for it” (whatever it is), “it must have more value.”
While I disagree, and disagree strongly, with that idea, I’ve certainly seen other people who espouse it. That’s why Hochschild’s book is both topical and relevant — and it’s why I believe every writer should read this book.
Here’s the link to tonight’s review:
Enjoy!
Barb Caffrey's Blog 