The Monsters of Templeton

How many books exist around the fact that the author can write a whole story around one single question? All the whodunnits, I suppose, since the question is 'who did it?'. Lauren Groff writes "The Monsters of Templeton" around a girl's question: "Who's my father?". Her mother, not giving a a single (or two word - first and last name) answer sends her on a genealogical hunt among several dozens of departed ancestors. Oh, and the fact that the protagonist is an archaeologist is useful.

Apparently Stephen King recommends this book highly. I don't. It's disjointed, annoying and extremely difficult to get into. There are brief interesting spurts, but they run out of steam and the book is an overall boring read.

No stars for this one.

The Perfect Scent: A Year Inside the Perfume Industry in Paris and New York

I don't wear perfume. So I really can't fathom what made me read this book since neither haute perfumes nor drugstore brands interest me at all. What was truly interesting about this book was the way that Chandler Burr interweaves the stories of the creation of two perfumes - one for the house of Hermes and the other for Sex and the City siren Sarah Jessica Parker.

An insider's view of the world of perfumes...who knew that most houses with signature scents commission one of a few companies to make their perfumes? All the day to day grind of creating an olfactory marvel is written here, and remarkably one feels like reading it instead of shelving it among a bunch of chemistry texts.

Something different and something new. Some kind of exotic blend of tea should be drunk while reading this. Certainly not your common variety of orange pekoe.

Guards! Guards!

Another Terry Pratchett. What can I say? I've gone on a total binge because the books are so wonderfully funny. This book is the story of what happens when a dragon returns and claims the throne of Ankh-Morpork.

Where else except in these books would one fine a six-foot dwarf, a noble damsel of equally noble proportions and Sam Vimes of the Night Watch? Extremely entertaining and highly recommended. Thanks, Gayle!

Toad Rage

Limpy is a cane toad who can't understand why humans hate toads. They do hate toads don't they, because they squash them with their cars and their trucks? Many of Limpy's family members (there are hundreds of them) expire tragically before his very eyes. Somehow Limpy must make humans see how wonderful cane toads are.

Thus begins Limpy's incredible journey, as written by Australian author Morris Gleitzman. Limpy and his cousin Goliath start on a voyage to let humans know of cane toads and make them behave nicer towards his kind.

A rollicking and humorous book, great for kids in elementary and middle school. There are two more books about Limpy "Toad Heaven" and "Toad Away" and they are both extremely entertaining as well.

Mayflower Madam: The Secret Life of Sydney Biddle Barrows

Due to recent news and publicity about escort agencies, I found an excellent book on how to run an escort agency written by a person who has actually done it. Sydney Biddle Barrows provides an entertaining and detailed account of how she used excellent business practices and a few attractive ladies to create an exclusive escort service that she ran for almost six years in Manhattan.

Extremely absorbing reading, informational and mostly G rated this is an excellent book. There is no apology or cringing - she did her job and she did it well. I'd recommend this book just for the style in which it is written which appeals to me; it's extremely detailed and describes New York, the girls and their customers in great detail.

The Knitting Circle

The story of a mother trying desperately to recover from the untimely death of her child, The Knitting Circle is by turns heartwrenching and heartwarming.

Once upon a time I read a story called "The Parable of Kisagotami" which is a part of a series of Buddhist parables. The parable reads:"

The Story of Kisagotami

Kisagotami became in the family way, and when the ten months were completed, gave birth to a son. When the boy was able to walk by himself, he died. The young girl, in her love for it, carried the dead child clasped to her bosom, and went about from house to house asking if my one would give her some medicine for it. When the neighbours saw this, they said, “Is the young girl mad that she carries about on her breast the dead body of her son!” But a wise man thinking to himself, “Alas! this Kisagotami does not understand the law of death, I must comfort her,” said to her, “My good girl, I cannot myself give medicine for it, but I know of a doctor who can attend to it.” The young girl said, “If so, tell me who it is.” The wise man continued, “Gautama can give medicine, you must go to him.”

Kisagotami went to Gautama, and doing homage to him, said, “Lord and master, do you know any medicine that will be good for my boy?” Gautama replied, “I know of some.” She asked, “What medicine do you require?” He said, “I want a handful of mustard seed.” The girl promised to procure it for him, but Gautama, continued, “I require some mustard seed taken from a house where no son, husband, parent, or slave has died.” The girl said, “Very good,” and went to ask for some at the different houses, carrying the dead body of her son astride on her hip. The people said, “Here is some mustard seed, take it.” Then she asked, “In my friend’s home has there died a son, a husband, a parent, or a slave?” They replied, “Lady, what is this that you say! The living are few, but the dead are many.” Then she went to other houses, but one said, “I have lost a son”; another, “I have lost my parents”; another, “I have lost my slave.” At last, not being able to find a single house where no one had died, from which to procure the mustard seed, she began to think, “This is a heavy task that I am engaged in. I am not the only one whose son is dead".

Anne Hood's story is exactly this - a woman recognizing that everyone has some kind of grief, and everyone has lost someone they love.

This one needs a box of Kleenex in addition to the tea...some people may not like it because it's not really a 'feel good' book. It's more like "Everyone has their miseries, only they hide it very well. They reveal their grief and the heroine feels better".

There's No Place Like Here

P.S. I love you was a nice book. Frothy, but nice. So was Rosie Dunne. But not this one, no.

Where do missing things disappear to? According to this book, they just disappear into a parallel universe where life goes on much the same as ours. It's an interesting concept, but extremely trivial. If a 10 year old girl disappears in the real world, much as we wish she would be alive and well in a parallel universe that is not usually the case.

I like Cecelia Ahern when she writes about lives and love and reality, but not when she writes fanciful fictions. Some people may enjoy this, but I didn't.

Now where'd that missing sock go?

Pyres

In contrast with my review below this book drew me into it's pages from the first. It's an amazing novel for a first author. Derek Nikitas has written 'Pyres' like an extremely seasoned writer.

Pyres is extremely multi dimensional. All the main characters are female. Nikitas does an excellent job of comparing and contrasting them, and integrating them into the story. The writing is very sharp and clear, and bleak at times, but that does not detract from the overall story. It is as much a thriller as a coming-of-age novel.

A very good book that I will recommend for teens and older. Not a book to be savored with tea. It would go well with a sharp citrus drink.

Thief of Time

Rule One: "Do not act incautiously when confronting a little bald wrinkly smiling man" How could you not enjoy a book that has rules like this one as part of it's storyline? Everything in this book is absolutely hilarious including Qu, the monk who supplies gadgets to Lu-Tze and Lobsang, two of the main characters in this book (James Bond, anyone?)...and War, one of the horsemen of the Apocalypse who is now married to a Valkyrie and is worried about his digestive system. Also, who could forget the Igors, who therve tho well?

The thing I enjoy most about all the Pratchett novels I've read so far is the fact that one can start reading at any random page and still find things funny. Of course one would then miss most of the storyline, but who cares - its still funny and entertaining.

This book likes to poke fun at the discipline behind the martial arts. The relationship between Lu-Tse and his pupil is one that could easily be drawn from that of any kung-fu movie - and includes references to masters calling their pupils by the names of various insects...

Do read this book. It's really enjoyable and I spent a pleasant time reading it.

Slip of the Knife

I wonder why all my favorite murder mystery authors are female...and British. Maybe it started at a young age with Agatha Christie. When there is a new murder mystery out by a female British author I snatch it up like a rabid dog and start reading.

Denise Mina is British - and female. I've read all of her books to date and always pick up the next book because I keep hoping. For me, Mina's books have the requisite "atmosphere" but there is always something lacking. I always, always fail to get drawn in and I put her books down saying miserably "Maybe next time..." and wait for the next book

It happened again with her newest book. It looked good, the inside front cover made me eager to go home and make out with my book. I failed to be drawn in again and finished the book with the feeling that something was missing. Maybe it's just me.

Christmas at Fairacre

There are times in my life when I want to read a simple uncomplicated book . No firearms, no deaths, no violence, no dragons and no angst. Miss Read's books are perfect for those times. Soothing would be a good word to describe her collective works.

Christmas at Fairacre is a collection of three stories written by Miss Read in the early 50s. Fairacre is a small English village set in the countryside, and Miss Read is the headmistress of Fairacre school. She describes life in the village the small storms in porcelain teacups lovingly and wonderfully.

A wonderful gift for a friend, a teacher or any person who does not like blood and thunder Christmas at Fairacre is a book I have read many times, with my enjoyment increasing proportionally to the times I've read it.

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming

Joshilyn Jackson = Southern Gothic. Not antebellum Southern Gothic but trailer trash redneck Southern Gothic. She's been on my 'to read' authors list since her first book "Gods in Alabama" was published several years ago. Jackson writes well about blood ties and their strength, a theme that runs through all her books to date.

There's a great deal of family squabbling, angst, marriage drama and the like all of which are part and parcel of any kind of fiction that is geared towards women. There's also the Southern Gothic favorite, the Undisclosed Family Secret. There is a murder mystery which the whole story revolves around. All in all an engaging plot with various subplots helping carry the story along. A very readable 320 pages.

Women should enjoy this novel, especially those who like a family tale entwined with a murder mystery with both parts carrying about equal weight.

Going Postal

Another credit to Gayle for introducing me to Terry Pratchett's books. I should confess that I've only read two and a bit, but all of them had me laughing right from the beginning. I started laughing at the beginning of the series when there is confusion as to what the turtle (on whose back Prachett's Discworld is resting) is doing, and I laughed throughout all of the books. Is the turtle heading for the 'big bang' i.e. to mate with another turtle or is it just a 'steady gait'?

Moist Von Lipwig (pronounced Lipvig), our hero, is trying to reform the Ankh-Morph postal system. Unfortunately this system has been out of commission for many years He is doing this under duress, and he's not even supposed to be alive. Moist must deal with undelivered mail, ghosts, crooked villains and a cat. His post-office building says "neither rain nor snow nor glo m of ni t". ( some of the bronze letters have been stolen) and Moist is going to make sure his mail will go where it is supposed to.

Highly entertaining and very funny. I love this book.

Perdido Street Station

This is one novel that leaves me undecided. Do I like it or do I not? The answer is I don't know. I think the reason is that this novel defies genre. It is wholly fantasy, part science fiction, part horror and part general fiction. China Mieville moves seamlessly from one to another, and writes a story that captures one's imagination. For people who are tired of heroes, elves, dragons, dwarfs and Stephen King here's a fantasy they might like.

Here is an excerpt from the editorial review at Barnes and Noble: All manner of aliens and humans coexist in the strange, world-spanning city of New Crobuzon. Here, dark magic and advanced science flourish amid an atmosphere of mysticism and madness, under a government that uses cruel military repression to enforce its laws. Independent cultures and civilizations exist side by side, occasionally overlapping and breeding increasingly grotesque oddities. Mutants and hybrids of every order can be found: those with extra limbs grafted to their bodies or with their heads joined to arcane machinery.

Some scenes are too repetitive, after all there are only so many times a city can be described over and over again. It provides for great visual imagery, though. The story is unremarkable with regards to the plot.

Good teen reading, especially if the teenager is someone who likes Michael Moorcock.