The Third Policeman

 The Third Policeman (1967) Flann O'Brien (Brian O'Nolan/Brian Ó Nualláin)

O'Brien's novel, originally written in 1939/1940, did not find a publisher until 30 years later. It is a novel about crime and punishment told with a combination of stream of consciousness, bizarre humor, and Alice in Wonderland dream-like qualities. Our unnamed narrator opens by describing how he and his friend John Divney killed old man Mathers for the fortune they believed he had in a black cash box. The rest of the story tells us what happened when it came time to divvy up the booty and what happened to our narrator afterward.

"It is nearly an insoluble pancake, a conundrum of inscrutable potentialities, a snorter."

For anyone reading the story unawares (don't read the intro! see complaint below), it definitely is a conundrum. Making sense of the events that follow the narrator's return to Mathers' house is going to take all of the reader's attention. There are policemen and one-legged men and bicycles. The policemen are recording measurements of a mysterious nature. And when they're not doing that they are hunting for stolen bicycles or stolen bits of bicycles such as lamps or seats or wheels or pumps. The policemen don't seem to know that Mathers is dead. They don't seem concerned about where our narrator came from or what his business is--unless it has to do with a bicycle. And does our narrator ever find the missing cash box?

I have to start my take on the book with a complaint. I hate introductions that spoil the story. I don't know why Denis Donoghue thought he needed to tell the world what was going on in this bizarre little story--but I certainly wasn't pleased. One of the major points of O'Brien's narrative is that the reader is supposed to be wondering the whole time what in the world is going on. Where is our unnamed protagonist? Why are there policemen? What's the deal with the bicycles? Why is everything so weird? When you know the hook from the get-go, you just want to cut through all the weirdness (or at least I did). In fact, you kind of wonder why you're bothering to read this at all. Oh--and by the way--the spoiler is not the first line quoted below nor in my description of the novel above. Since O'Brien tells us upfront that our narrator killed someone, it is obvious that that is not the big mystery to be solved. 

Overall, this is an interesting book and with a unique method for comment on crime and its just punishment. We also take a look at the nature of reality, death, and what comes next. ★★★ (probably would have been higher if I'd skipped the intro and experienced the book as it should have been experienced).

First line: Not everybody knows how I killed old Phillip Mathers, smashing his jaw in with my spade; but first it is better to speak of my friendship with John Divney because it was he who first knocked old Mathers down by giving him a great blow in the neck with a special bicycle-pump which he manufactured himself out of a hollow iron bar.

Last line: "Is it about a bicycle?" he asked.

*************

Deaths =  5 (three natural; one hit on head; one blown up)

Murder on the Purple Water

 Murder on the Purple Water (1947) by Frances Crane

Entry number ten in the Pat and Jean Abbott mysteries find our bantering couple on a fishing vacation in Key West with their friend, Captain Bill Jonas of the New Orleans police. They've booked Cy Martingale's charter boat for a few days of deep sea fishing, but before they even get a chance to get onboard, Martingale's boat becomes the scene for murder and the Abbotts and Jonas are reeled into the investigation. Jonas is friends with police chief and since the chief is deep in the swamps on a fishing trip of his own and the department is already dealing with a double killing, the New Orleans captain is asked to manage the investigation until the local chief returns.

The fishing party booked just prior to the Abbotts consisted of the host Dixon Whitehead, a millionaire who doesn't much explain where those millions came from; Stephen Ashley, an artist--or so he says--whose work Whitehead has been supporting; Julia Deane, the lovely young woman whom Whitehead thinks he'll marry; her mother Katherine Deane, a beauty in her own right; their friend Priscilla Braden, a wealthy woman who bought the Deanes' home when the family needed money; and two gatecrashers--Gerald Deane, Katherine's estranged husband, and Zada Corday, Martingale's niece and Gerald's current "other woman."

Whitehead's party seemed doomed to fail from the start. Zada realized immediately that they hadn't been invited (despite what Gerald told her) and spent the day in a sulk, refusing all efforts by the others to smooth things over. Martingale is none too happy to see his niece hooked up with Gerald--a drunk and general louse, nor to see his friend Katherine have to endure her drunken husband's presence. Gerald arrived with several drinks already under his belt and got progressively drunker and more offensive as the day went on. When he finally goes below to sleep it off, everyone is relieved and the day gets slightly better when Dixon and Priscilla land a few sailfish. The party doesn't even mind when Gerald stays below after the boat returns to dock. But when Captain Martingale goes below to finally deal with his drunken passenger, he finds Deane dead--stabbed with a fish knife.

Martingale doesn't like the police, so, thinking he might avoid official bother, he calls his friend Pat Abbott and asks him to investigate. But Abbott doesn't want to get on the wrong side of the law and forces the captain to call in the police--who, as mentioned, turn to Abbott's friend Captain Jonas. With the suspects telling lies or disappearing altogether, Jonas and the Abbotts have their hands full. And just what is Ashley doing skulking around? Does he really work for Whitehead or does he have an agenda of his own? Our detectives will need to find out before they can solve this one.

This is one of the more tightly plotted of the Crane mysteries. Jean does a bit of her dashing off into trouble antics, but not as much as in some of the stories. She is up to form when it comes to deciding who the killer is--that is to say, every time a new clue comes up she changes her mind and this time she's sure, by golly. It's always fun to see how her logic is going to work...and whether or not she winds up being right (usually not...but she occasionally picks a winner). I'm sure some will be offended by racial references in this story, but it's important to note that Crane always puts such references in the mouths of characters we are not supposed to like and she uses events to underline the fact that her main and more likeable characters do not feel that way. And, in fact, that right-thinking, more civilized people do not feel that way. This isn't surprising from a woman who was expelled from Germany for her anti-Nazi actions during the 1930s and who wrote articles afterwards criticizing the regime.

A highly enjoyable, quick-pace mystery. ★★★★

First line: It was ten minutes past five that Friday afternoon in April when Gerald Deane sauntered across the cockpit of the charter boat Margaret and vanished down the three steps that led to the cabin.

Last line: Nobody noticed a single thing that happened on the Margaret from the time the big fish struck till it was brought to boat.

***************

Deaths = 3 (one stabbed; one hit on head; one poisoned)

The Goldfinch

 The Goldfinch (2013) by Donna Tartt

Synopsis [from Goodreads]: Aged thirteen, Theo Decker, son of a devoted mother and a reckless, largely absent father, survives an accident that otherwise tears his life apart. Alone and rudderless in New York, he is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. He is tormented by an unbearable longing for his mother, and down the years clings to the thing that most reminds him of her: a small, strangely captivating painting that ultimately draws him into the criminal underworld. As he grows up, Theo learns to glide between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love - and his talisman, the painting, places him at the centre of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.

I don't even know where to begin with this. There is so much here that just isn't my cup of tea. It's told in the first person. It's a coming of age story of boy that I can't have any sympathy for despite the fact that I'm very sorry that  his mother was killed in a horrible terrorist bombing. I mean later in his story we spend pages on him and his burned out druggie friend in Las Vegas. His narrative just goes on and on and on and there's so much detail and "near-stream-of-consciousness, why on earth is he telling me this" stuff crammed into this 700-page doorstop that I tuned out regularly. I would be reading along for an hour or two and come up for air and not remember a darn thing about what I just read. And that doesn't normally happen. If I hadn't needed to claim this for two challenges where I can't change my mind about what I'm reading, then I probably wouldn't have finished. You'd think I'd be able to write a longer review for a book of this size--but honestly, I just want to move on with my life.

I absolutely enjoyed Tartt's The Secret History and so I thought this was a good choice for those challenges. But I absolutely did not enjoy this one. Large numbers of people on Good Reads did and it's won prizes (a Pulitzer, for goodness sake...), so your mileage may vary. But the percentages are high that if you don't enjoy the first 100 pages then you probably won't enjoy the other 600 or so. ★

First line: While I was still in Amsterdam, I dreamed about my mother for the first time in years.

Last line: And I add my own love to the history of people who have loved beautiful things, and looked out for them, and pulled them from the fire, and sought them when they were lost, and tried to preserve them and save them while passing them along literally from hand to hand, singing out brilliantly from the wreck of time to the next generation of lovers, and the next.

***************

Deaths = 4 (two blown up; one car accident; one shot--I may have missed some while zoning out)

Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer

 Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer (2006) by James L. Swanson

Synopsis (from the book): The murder of Abraham Lincoln set off the greatest manhunt in American history--the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth. From April 14 to April 26, 1865, the assassin led Union cavalry and detectives on a wild twelve-day chase through the streets of Washington D. C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginian, while the nation, still reeling from the just-ended Civil War watched in horror and sadness. 

At the very center of the story is John Wilkes Booth, America's notorious villain. A Confederate sympathizer and a member of a celebrated acting family, booth  threw away his fame and wealth for a chance to avenge the South's defeat. For almost two weeks, he confounded the manhunters, slipping away from their every move and denying them the justice they sought.

Based on rare archival materials, obscure trial transcripts, and Lincoln's own blood relics. Manhnt is a fully documented work and a fascinating tale of murder, intrigue, and betrayal. A gripping hour-by-hour account told through the eyes of the hunted and the hunters, this is history as you've never read it before.

The primary difficulty I have with this book is the word "Chase" in the title (and "gripping" in the synopsis above). The beginning of book, which details the lead-up to the assassination and the assassination itself, is riveting--even though anyone who knows much of anything about American history knows that Booth successfully carried out his plan to murder President Lincoln. And the end of the book is just as interesting with Booth pinned down in the barn and waiting for the final outcome. The problem....the "chase" that takes place during the remainder of the book. There really isn't any chasing going on here and there's not much that's gripping about the manhunt. Booth holes up in a pine forest for days with searchers ambling by. He and his conspirator hear search parties go by and none of them seem to be in a hurry. Things don't get interesting until the final chapter or so. We really didn't need the nitty-gritty detail about Booth's time in the woods. It would have been more in line with the title of the book if we'd followed more closely in the footsteps of the men on his trail instead of spending so much time cozied up to a president's murderer.

The book is well-researched and taught me (or reminded me of) some things about the assassination plot that I either didn't know or didn't remember. I had forgotten that the plan included the deaths of Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William Seward--though neither attempt succeeded. And it was interesting to learn about those who joined Booth in the plot or who aided and abetted him during his escape. If the actual chase part of the narrative had been as "gripping" as advertised, then I would have given a full four stars. As it is: ★★★ and 1/2

First line: It looked like a bad day for photographers.

Last line: Today, almost a century and a half since the great chase for Lincoln's killer began, its blued steel needle still dances on its spindle, still pointing the way South.

*************

Deaths = 6 (two shot; four hanged)

The Night Gardener

 The Night Gardener (2014) by Jonathan Auxier

Set in Victorian England, The Night Gardener features two Irish siblings, Molly and Kip, whose family has become separated when leaving the famine in Ireland in search for a better life. Part mystery, part paranormal fantasy, the story has its roots in Washington Irving and Ray Bradbury. The children answer an advertisement searching for servants at the Windsor country estate in Cellar Hollow--an area known to locals as the sourwoods. When they lose their way, the locals pretend not to know where the house is (in an effort to save them from harm) but they finally make their way there. 

Constance Windsor, the lady of the house, is not pleased to see them. She hadn't wanted her husband to advertise for servants. There is something strange about her--pale and lifeless, she is by turns nice and mean. And she looks nothing like the warm, healthy woman in a painting above the fireplace. It's as if something is sucking the life out of her. Before long Molly and Kip realize that there's something strange about the house as well. Muddy footprints appear in the hallways. Flowers grow overnight. And there's a thin, dark stranger who roams the grounds in the moonlight. And why do the Windsors insist that the tree which grows way too close to the house mustn't be trimmed? It will take all of Molly and Kip's courage--to help the Windsors fight the evil that surrounds their house and find their way back to the happy family they once were.

This is an interesting and atmospheric fantasy/mystery. I am quite sure that if I were younger I would have enjoyed it much more--probably as much as Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes. But I'm afraid that at this point in my life, it just doesn't hit all the notes for me. The pacing seemed a bit slow in the middle and I wasn't a fan of the bullying that went on by Alistair (the son of the house). It was nice to see him redeem himself at the end, though. And the ending was very strong. I thought the method for defeating the Night Gardener and the tree was very clever. ★★★

First line: The calendar said early March, but the smell in the air said late October.

Last line: Molly and her brother swapped stories as their little wagon carried them out of the valley and into the warm light of the new day.

**************

Deaths = 5 (four killed by the tree; one burned to death)

The Lost World

 The Lost World (1912) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The first of Doyle's books to feature the combative, brilliant, and eccentric Professor George Challenger. Challenger has claimed to have found a "lost world" in the jungle of South America. A self-contained eco-system where dinosaurs still roam and many strange and wonderful plants and animals unknown to man may be found. But his evidence was damaged on the return journey and his fellow scientists call him everything from a crank (at best) to a madman to a out-and-out liar. 

Our narrator, reporter Edward Malone, has sought out Challenger in an effort to do something extraordinary and daring in order to win the hand of his lady-love Gladys. Gladys has told him that she never marry a man who hadn't done something courageous or extraordinary. So, off goes Malone to find something to do. Challenger doesn't much like reporters and has thrown all previous comers out on their ear--but the professor takes a liking to the plucky young man and invites him to a meeting of the scientific community. Challenger plans to get the society to admit his claims. But Dr. Summerlee--a fierce rival of Challenger--says there must be better proof and the society votes to send Summerlee to investigate the professor's claims. They ask for volunteers to mount a mission and Lord John Roxton, a famous explorer and big game hunter, and Malone both jump up.

The rest of the story is told in letters from Malone written to his editor back in London. He describes the journey down the Amazon and their tramp through the jungle to the hidden high plateau where dinosaurs still walk the earth. The men will face all kinds of danger--from monstrous animals to ape-men to the loss of their one means for returning to the jungle below. But if they make back to England, will the society accept the word of four men any better than they accepted the word of one?

Once you get past the ridiculous Gladys Hungerton and her supposed expectations of a future mate* and you remember that this was published in 1912 so Challenger and company are full of British Imperialism and feelings towards man of the "natives," then this is a purely fun, boys own adventure story. Doyle is a superb story-teller and I enjoyed every bit of the journey to (and in) South America. I particularly liked that Malone got to have his moments of glory in the presence of these three great men. We get delightful thumb-nail descriptions of Challenger, Summerlee, and Roxton--as well as an intriguing look at what could have been the "missing link" in man's development. Overall, a fun adventure. ★★★★

*I can't even with Gladys. In one way she reminds me of Gwendolen and Cecily in The Importance of Being Earnest. But at least those ladies, after insisting on certain qualities that their men must have, wind up marrying them. Gladys tells Malone what she expects from a successful suitor and then while he's off doing what she told him to do, she marries a mild little milquetoast of a man. Blah. Surely Doyle could have come up with a better way to send Malone off on the quest with Challenger.

First line: Mr. Hungerton, her father, really was the most tactless person upon earth--a fluffy, feather, untidy, cockatoo of a man, perfectly good natured, but absolutely centered upon his own silly self.

Last line: Lord Roxton said nothing, but a brown hand was stretched out to me across the table.

Lessons in Chemistry

 Lessons in Chemistry (2022) by Bonnie Garmus

Synopsis (from back of book): Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it's the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel-prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with--of all things--her mind. True chemistry results.

But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America's most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth's unusual approach to cooking ("combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride") proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn't just teaching women to cook. She's daring them to change the status quo.

Don't get me wrong, this is a good book. But let me get something off my chest at the start--"Laugh-out-loud funny" (from the book blurb), it ain't. There are a lot of heavy topics in here--from misogyny to attempted rape to suicide to atrocities committed in the name of religion. The book had me thinking--about how difficult it was (and still is) for a woman in a man's world; about how we need to do so much better as humans. What I didn't do was laugh. Not once.

But, as I said, this is a good book. It shows where women were...and unfortunately too often still are. There were moments in the 70s where it seemed that women and girls were making progress. I never felt growing up that there wasn't anything I wouldn't be able to do just because I was a girl. I had parents and teachers that encouraged me in every area that I wanted to explore. But something went wrong and well...just look at what the Supreme Court has been doing lately to see where we are now. 

I was rooting for Elizabeth throughout the whole book and enjoyed watching her come full circle back to "real" chemistry. I do wish that we could have represented her as a brilliant woman without making her so abrasively awkward--but I also understand why she is the way she is. And nice girls don't usually finish first in a boy's world anyway. ★★★★

First line: Back in 1961, when women wore shirtwaist dresses and joined garden clubs and drove legions of children around in seatbeltless cars without giving it a second thought; back before anyone knew there'd even be a sixties movement, much less one that its participants would spend the next sixty years chronicling; back when big wars were over and the secret wars had just begun and people were starting to think fresh and believe everything was possible, the thirty-year-old mother of Madeline Zott rose before dawn every morning and felt certain of just one thing: her life was over.

Last line: "Abiogenesis," she said. "Let's get started."

Small Things Like These

 Small Things Like These (2021) by Claire Keegan

When Bill Furlong's unwed mother became pregnant, the good-hearted Mrs. Wilson did not turn her servant out like so many employers in the 1940s would have...and did. She didn't mind what the neighbors might say about the situation. It didn't matter that the more openly religious villagers might think she was condoning sin. She simply did what she considered right according to her own moral code. 

Bill has never forgotten how kind Mrs. Wilson was to him and his mother. Nor has he forgotten how she gave him a start in life when he became engaged to be married. Here and there, he's managed to give a few coins to those less well off than himself and his little family--and his friends and his wife think he's too soft-hearted. Just as Christmas is getting close, he gets an up close and personal look at what goes on at the local convent's laundry business and he's not sure his conscience will let him forget what he's seen. He has to decide if he will follow in Mrs. Wilson's footsteps and do what's right--even if it means the nuns at the convent and his own family will be angry. 

Was it possible to carry on along through all the years, the decades, through an entire life, without once being brave enough to against what was there and yet call yourself a Christian and face yourself in the mirror?

A small book that packs a big punch. It shows the reader how one person can stand up against what is morally wrong--even in the face of a monolithic presence like the Catholic Church in Ireland of the 1940s. And how that act of kindness can affect future generations. Bill has to decide if it's worth it to keep on behaving "respectably," keeping one's head down and not making any waves to make sure he keeps getting by and yet be morally bankrupt. It is sometimes very difficult to go against convention and do the right thing. Bill makes his choice and we have to hope that his family will support him. ★★★★

First line: In October there were yellow trees.

Before long, he caught a hold of himself and concluded that nothing ever did happen again; to each was given days and chances which wouldn't come back around.

Last line: Climbing the street toward  his own front door with the barefooted girl and the box of shoes, his fear more than outweighed every other feeling but in his foolish heart he not only hoped but legitimately believed that they would manage.

All the Light We Cannot See

 All the Light We Cannot See (2014) by Anthony Doerr

This is the story of Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a girl who is six years old when struck blind. She lives with her father in Paris where he is the locksmith and keeper of the keys for the Museum of Natural History. Each year for her birthday he creates a puzzle box for her to solve in order to find the treat inside and when he can he also gives her books in Braille. in 1940, they are forced to flee Paris when the Germans bomb the city. They head to Marie-Laure's great-uncle's house for safety. When they leave, the museum's director sends her father away with one of four duplicate stones. The museum has held a fabulous diamond called the Sea of Flames. A jewel said to be cursed--anyone who holds it will never die, but those around them will. The director has had three paste diamonds made--one stone will stay in the museum and the other three are sent with museum employees. None of them will know where the real one is.

This is also the story of Werner Pfennig, a German boy left an orphan with his sister when their father is killed in a mining accident. Werner discovers he has a gift for fixing mechanical and electronic devices and soon gains the attention of adults throughout the area for his wizardry with the fairly new radios. He and his sister often go scavenging in the ruined buildings nearby and when they find a broken radio Werner works his magic and provides entertainment for the orphanage. The two are fascinated by a late-night program they hear from a Frenchman who talks about science--hard science and natural science. But the radio becomes a threat once Nazism takes over and people can be punished or even killed for listening to foreign broadcasts. The last broadcast his sister Jutta hears before he destroys the radio tells of the German bombings in France.

Werner's talents soon earn him a place at an elite Hitler Youth school and eventually lead him to an assignment to a special team of hunters. Hunters whose sole job is to find contraband radios in occupied countries and destroy them...and anyone they find with the devices. The longer he works for the team the more he thinks of Jutta's face when she talked about the bombings. She couldn't believe that they were at war with France where that nice man spoke from. And he thinks of Frederick, his friend at the school, who refused to participate in cruelties dished out to prisoners and who paid a dear price for defying the Reich.

And finally this is the story of Reinhold von Rumpel, a German officer charged with tracking down jewels, artwork, and other valuable objects and snatching them in the name of the Fuhrer. When he learns about the Sea of Flames, he becomes obsessed with getting hold of it--not for the Fuhrer, but for himself. He has cancer and he plans to obtain the jewel and live forever. He methodically hunts down every stone (all false) until the trail leads him towards Saint-Malo, the last place Daniel LeBlanc and his blind daughter was known to be. 

In fact by 1944, all roads lead to to Saint-Malo. Von Rumpel is coming in search of the diamond. Werner's team is headed there, on the track of an illicit radio which the Germans believe responsible for coded messages which have led to the ambush and destruction of many German troops. Also on the way are the Americans...and they're destroying towns held by Nazis. And the real story is what will Werner do when he locates that radio and what will happen if Von Rumpel comes calling at the house in Saint-Malo.

This is an absolutely first-rate historical novel. Beautifully written even as it covers some pretty dreadful events. All of the characters are brought vividly to life and it is painful to watch what happens to some of them. I kept hoping that Werner would finally learn the lessons from Jutta and Frederick; that he would somehow be redeemed at the end of the story. There is much cruelty and there is much heroism. There are moments of sadness and moments of joy mixed in with the terror of occupation. A number of the characters do really amazing things while others do some really amazingly horrible things. The bravery of the resistance group in Saint Malo is incredible, as is the devotion of Daniel LeBlanc to his daughter and the effort he puts into making her as safe and comfortable in her environment as he can. And...yes, there is a redemption of a sort for various characters. 

One of the best books I've read this year--I'm grateful to Lavonne Weller and Richard Nash for suggesting this for the 12 Challenge that I'm participating in. ★★★★★

First line: At dusk they pour from the sky.

To really touch something, she is learning--the bark of a sycamore tree in the gardens; a pinned stag beetle in the Department of Etymology; the exquisitely polished interior of a scallop shell in Dr. Gefford's workshop--is to love it. (p. 30)

Last lines: She listens until his footsteps fade. Until all she can hear are the sighs of cars and the rumble of trains and the sound everyone hurrying through the cold.

Piranesi

 Piranesi (2020) by Susanna Clarke

Piranesi, our narrator, lives in a world he calls House--an infinitely large place with rooms stretching in every direction, including up to rooms with clouds and down to rooms flooded by the sea. Nearly all of the rooms have large statues and he finds comfort in the statues that watch over him. There have been, as far as he knows, only fifteen people in the House--all but one whom he calls the Other are dead. He meets with the Other only on specific days. Otherwise, he is all alone in the world. He spends his time cataloguing the rooms, doing research for the Other, and recording his findings in journals. He imagines that at some time there might be a sixteenth person; someone new that he can talk with and learn from. But the Other warns him against 16--says that they will try to drive them mad and that Piranesi must, on no account, talk with them. Piranesi begins to have doubts about the Other and when strange messages appear in chalk on the floor of some of the rooms, he begins to question what he has believed to be true. When he finds disturbing evidence in his earlier journals, he's even more confused about what and whom to believe. When 16 finally appears, will they be friend or foe?

There was a great deal that I did not understand though this, I expect, is usual with prophets, their minds being very great and their thoughts following strange paths.

I have many questions. Not least--how did 16 get in and out if Piranesi didn't/couldn't until 16 came to save him? I don't see that they had any more knowledge about how the ritual worked that first time than Piranesi did and yet somehow 16 managed not to be trapped in the House. Why did the Other follow so closely in the footsteps of his mentor {can't be more specific without spoiling the plot}? Why does the House have the effect of amnesia on those who stay so long (kindof like the Turkish Delight Edmund eats in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe that makes him forget how to behave himself properly).

This book was a compelling read even though I'm still not sure I fully understand what's going on. I do understand the backstory to how Piranesi got stuck in the House. It seems to be a somewhat darker take on the parallel worlds of Narnia, This is a place that people from our world can step into and perhaps not make it back. Or a place where they can be held prisoner. Dark and yet a beautiful, captivating story that I found difficult to put down when I needed to do something else (life has a way of getting in the way sometimes...). ★★★★

First line: When the Moon rose in the Third Northern Hall I went to the Ninth Vestibule to witness the joining of the three Tides.

Last line: The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite.

Alif the Unseen

 Alif the Unseen (2012) by Willow Wilson

Alif is the handle of a young Arab-Indian hacker in a Middle Eastern security state who uses his computer skills to shield anyone who wants protection from "the man"--whether they be communists or Islamists or feminists. The Hand is the head of State security who makes it his job to hunt down hackers like Alif and punish them. Alif makes the mistake of falling in love with the woman who winds up betrothed to the Hand. Things go from bad to worse when Alif develops a new program that can identify someone's presence on the web--no matter how many aliases they use, fake emails, cycling ISP locations, etc. And then Intisar (the woman in question) sends him a rare book dictated by a jinn to a Persian scholar centuries ago--a book that the Hand wants desperately. Alif finds himself on the run--helped by human friends, jinn, and other forces not seen by humans for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years. What is so important about this book that the Hand is willing to kill for it? And can Alif prevent it from falling into the wrong hands?

So...a superhero Alif isn't. He's a pretty unaware, screw-up a great deal of the time. He constantly gets all those who help him along the way in precarious situations and spends a lot of the book making things go from bad to worse. But once he starts to grow and shoulder the responsibility (rather than blundering along and just apologizing to everyone for what a mess he's made or swearing up a storm when things go wrong), the character really comes into his own. I enjoyed watching him grow up before my eyes. 

It was also very interesting to read a techno-fantasy novel based in and on a culture that is very unfamiliar to me. Though I am very familiar with the story of Aladdin and the lamp, it was still difficult at first to immerse myself in this story out of the One Thousand and One Nights from the opposite side. Here we get stories based on the Middle Eastern folk tales from the view of the jinn. Humans who got hold of the rare book of stories believed it would bring great power...but Alif learns that you should be careful what you wish for. You just might get it. Combining this world with the present-day and the world of technology was an impressive effort which worked very well for the most part. I really like the idea of combining religious thought and philosophy with computer coding to create a new computing technology. Did I understand it all--no. But that's okay. I understood enough to follow the story and to appreciate the end of the story.

I will say that Alif is not my favorite character in the book. Hands down, my favorite is Dina, his next-door neighbor. Dina is smart and stubborn and loyal. She sticks with Alif even when he's making bad decisions that could cost them dearly. She loves Alif--not for who he is, but for the man she knows he can become. it's satisfying to see her proved right at the end. I also really like Vikram a dangerous jinn who risks everything to help Alif and Dina. He's sortof like the bad boy who has a heart of gold and does the right thing in the end. 

A really good fantasy/thriller that kept me hooked to the very end. ★★★★

First line: The thing always appeared in the hour between sunset and full dark.

Last line: Night birds began to sing in the stunted dusty trees, and the breeze from the harbor carried with it the sound of cheers and shouts and horns.

Nala's World

 Nala's World: One Man, His Rescue Cat, and a Bike Ride around the Globe (2020) by Dean Nicholson w/Garry Jenkins

A heart-warming story about Dean's journey with Nala, his rescue cat. When Dean Nicholson begins his biking journey around the world 2018, he has a human companion. His best mate Ricky and he had come up with the awesome idea to bike around the world. They left Dunbar, Scotland in September with big plans, but there came a parting of the ways in less than three months and Dean was continuing the journey alone. Then, in the mountains of Bosnia, he found a new companion--a tiny kitten abandoned by the side of the road. 

Dean had always had a soft spot for animals and couldn't just leave her there. He managed to smuggle her across the border and into Montenegro and from that point on he was committed to keeping her by his side. He took her to a vet, got her set with an official pet passport, named her Nala, and became an internet sensation. Soon people from all over the world were watching and cheering on the exploits of Nala and her human, Dean. Through the journey, Dean learns a lot about himself and through Nala he finds a deeper purpose for his life. He learns about the influence of instagram and Youtube and is able to use Nala's appeal to viewers to set up funding for various charities near and dear to his heart.

He also learns about the goodness of people from all walks of life, all nationalities, and all religions. How alike we all are despite the media's and politician's efforts to enforce (and sometimes demonize) our difference. Dean's journey with Nala is more than just covering miles--it is a journey of spirit and an expansion of worldview that he shares with us. It is less a travelogue (so those looking for detailed descriptions of the countries and countryside may be disappointed) than an honest telling of one man's journey to find himself and a sense of  purpose. ★★★★

First lines: There is a wise old saying where I come from in Scotland: What's fer ye'll no go past ye. Some things in life are destined to happen.

Last lines: We'd see where the road took us. As long as we stuck together, I knew we'd be fine.

Ancillary Justice (spoilers)

 Ancillary Justice (2013) by Ann Leckie

Breq is a soldier. Breq is an AI in human form. Breq used to be a ship known as the Justice of Toren--she was both the entire ship and ancillary components of that ship. She operated as attendant to captains and lieutenants, serving as the eyes and ears for all events as the great ships brought "justice" to the universe. The ships and the soldiers served the Radch empire as it annexed worlds and its interstellar territory grew. The ships were created to serve and obey--to obey their captains and officers, but ultimately to obey the lord of the empire, Anaander Mianaai. 

But when a war within the empire breaks out, the Breq's lieutenant is killed and the Justice of Toren is broken apart. Breq is on her own and is on a mission--ships aren't supposed to have favorites, but they do. Lieutenant Awn was Breq's favorite and now, trapped in a human body, Breq is on a mission to exact revenge on those who conspired against the empire and who killed her lieutenant. She finds herself allied with a lieutenant she never liked and on a search for a weapon that can bring down anyone--even soldiers like herself with built-in shielding. 

There are a lot of things to like here--great world-building (universe-building, actually). The reader is gradually immersed in the new culture, so while it is a bit confusing at the beginning things do come together the longer you read. The concept of the ship's "hive-mind" is interesting--it takes the idea of Star Trek's Borg to a different level and I found it interesting to see Breq as an individual broken off from the rest of the ship. In the Trek world 7 of 9 started out human and when separated from the Borg had to work on relearning how to be human again. Breq is an artificial intelligence (more like Data) stuck in a re-animated human body. But even Breq is prone to human emotions--favoritism and the need for revenge.

I enjoyed watching the relationship between Breq and Seivarden grow. Seivarden recognizes what qualities he had that made the ships not like him as well as other captains and he works on those qualities. Breq has a difficult time accepting the changes and learning to trust Seivarden and those challenges make for an interesting plot line. Leckie's story also does what good science fiction should do--it addresses problems in our current world in the guise of space drama. Questions of gender and privilege are investigated. How to address citizens of the empire who don't recognize gender. How to determine when gender designations should be employed. Why have certain types of people been denied access to certain jobs or positions of authority? What are the consequences of questioning the status quo? All important questions to consider.

Spoiler Ahead!! Can't talk details about the rating without spilling the beans on the plot.

The thing that kept this from a higher rating was the mulitple Anaander Mianaai characters. It was challenging enough to wrap my head around the multiple ancillary components of the ships. But then to have dozens (hundreds??) of emperor clones (??) running around at war with each other was a bit much. I tried to keep them straight and to figure out which one (if any) was the true emperor and the "good" guy. But didn't succeed. And I'm still not sure that any of them was a good guy. ★★★

First line: The body lay naked and facedown, a deathly gray, spatters of blood staining the snow around it.

Last lines: Choose my aim, take one step and then the next. It had never been anything else.

Station Eleven

 Station Eleven (2014) by Emily St. John Mandel

What happens when civilization crumbles in less than year? The characters of Station Eleven find out. The story opens with the last performance of Arthur Leander, starring in the title role of King Lear. Leander has a heart attack onstage and Jeevan, an EMT in the audience, races on stage to try and save him. In the wings is Kirsten Raymonde, a child actor, whose life will change dramatically in the next few days, but who will find herself performing Shakespeare again the the most bizarre circumstances.

Over the next few days a pandemic which has its roots in Russia and has been spreading round the globe finally reaches Toronto. The death of a major screen and stage star is overshadowed by the sheer numbers lost to the deadly Georgian flu. Arthur's best friend from his younger years, two of his ex-wives, his son, Kristen, and Jeevan all find themselves trying to survive in the world post-pandemic. Some will and some won't. Kristen finds herself traveling with The Symphony, a group of actors and musicians who play classical music and perform Shakespeare's plays for the sporadic groups of survivors. 

This is a haunting story of a world broken by pandemic. It cuts close after having lived through Covid. It's frightening to think that as deadly as Covid-19 was, that there could have been something worse. Something that spread so quickly and had such a short incubation period that millions (billions?) could be gone in such a short time. No time to stock up on face masks (would masks have been useful?). I do wish that the story had been told in chronological order--sometimes jumping around in time works better than others. Here, I found the jumping back and forth between pre-pandemic and post-pandemic to be a little jarring. I think if we had followed the characters from the night of Arthur's death (with a few flashbacks here and there) then that would have worked better for me. I was able to see where one of the characters would wind up--even though I think Mandel was trying to build up suspense around that particular plot point. But I wasn't too disappointed because it made a great deal of sense. I did appreciate the way she wove the various storylines together in a way that made it appear natural and not full of coincidence.

A few things that confused me and/or I wished were better explained [some of which became clearer, but these are notes that I made while reading]: 

It would have been nice to have more details on the effects of the pandemic. After going through Covid and knowing how essential workers had to keep working to keep everything going, I find it incredible that everything just shut down. Boom. Nobody left who knew how to run electrical plants or get other sources of power? I realize that this fictional Georgian flu seemed to spread much more quickly (with a shorter incubation time) than Covid, but I'm still amazed at how quickly civilization was lost. 

A better sense of how old the people in the Shakespeare troupe are. Characters are like "there used to be air conditioning? I think it just came out of a vent?" It's like they've completely forgotten what came before or only heard vague rumors about what it was like. I could understand better if this were set closer to 100 years after the epidemic, but it's only been 15-20 years.

Why do so many places and people have new names after the flu pandemic? And why do people in The Symphony use their instruments for their names. Did we not want to associate now with the people and places we were and went to before everything fell apart? I would think that in unsettling times most people would want to hold on to as much that was familiar as possible. [One of the characters late in the book does wonder if they should be teaching their children about what life was like before the pandemic. Will it be any use to tell them about things they haven't experienced and...for all they know...may never have the chance to experience? Will it just confuse them--or even, in some way make them miserable?]

Overall, a very interesting and poignant look at a dystopian world that could, most disturbingly, be possible. ★★★★ and 1/2

First line: The King stood in a pool of blue light, unmoored.

Hell is the absence of the people you long for. (p. 238)

First we only want to be seen, but once we're seen that's not enough anymore. After that, we want to be remembered. (p. 308)

Last line: He likes the thought of ships moving over the water, toward another world just out of sight.

Speakers of the Dead (very spoilery)

 Speakers of the Dead (2016) by J. Aaron Sanders

Synopsis (from the back of the book): The year is 1843; the place, New York City. Aurora reporter Walt Whitman arrives at the Tombs prison yard, where his friend Lena Stowe is scheduled to hang for the murder of her husband, Abraham. Walt intends to present evidence on Lena's behalf, but the police turn him away. As Lena drops to her death, Walt vows to exonerate her.

When Walt's estranged boyfriend Henry Saunders returns to New York, the two men uncover a link between body snatching and Abraham's murder: a man named Samuel Clement. To get to Clement, Walt and Henry descend into a dangerous underworld where resurrection men steal the bodies of the recently deceased and sell them to medical colleges. With no legal means to acquire cadavers, medical students are forced to rely on these criminals to advance their research, a practice that Abraham detested. Abraham's involvement with the Bone Bill, legislation that would put the resurrection men out of business, seems to have led to his and Lena's deaths--and Walt is determined to connect the evidence.

Read for the 12 Challenge and recommended by Buddy (Adam) Burgess on Facebook. I'm sorry, Adam, but I'm just not feeling this one. It's about 90% a me problem--I can't get my head around this guy

being a rough and tumble journalist taking on the bad guys. I mean, it does make sense that he's not very good at it when you have the classic picture in mind. Because let's face it, in this book he's not a good detective. Several of the suspicious characters get the drop on him...not just once, but repeatedly. His former boyfriend gets killed because of his inept style of investigation. And he doesn't really "solve" anything because he knows who killed these people--he watched the guy in action.

I can definitely see the makings of Walt Whitman, the poet. Some of the language is just beautiful--especially attributed to Walt towards the end. I appreciate the research and attention to detail. The history behind the American version of the "resurrection men" and the early days of dissection and women's medical colleges is all interesting (and gives the book what star-power I'm handing out). But as a mystery it leaves a lot to be desired. I can't say I'm eager to read another if this is indeed the beginnings of a series (as Goodreads seems to imply).  ★★ and 1/2 If it had been more of a straight novel and my expectations weren't looking for a good mystery, then it might have been higher. I think it fair to judge it as a mystery novel and not as a picture of Walt Whitman's metamorphosis into a poet or as a picture of the historical period, because in the author's note Sanders says, "Speakers of the Dead is first and foremost a mystery novel...."

First line: In the dream, Elizabeth Blackwell sits opposite Jane Avery's deathbed.

Last line: So Walt return to the present, to Abby on his lap, to the mourners in the other room, to the chorus of voices rising from the street, to the materiality of the real, and he holds on tight.

************************

Deaths: 9 (two hanged; two shot; two poisoned; three natural)

The Country Girls

 The Country Girls (1960) by Edna O'Brien [rec by Ivan Kreilkamp]

The girls in question are Caithleen "Kate" Brady and Bridget "Baba" Brennan. They live in a small, repressed village in Ireland. Kate is poor. Her mother works hard on the farm and her father spends most of his time drinking the money that is supposed to go towards bills. Baba's family is better off, her father is called "Doc" (but seems to be a veterinarian--he's called out to work on animals, anyway). When Kate is still young her mother drowns and she lives for a time with Baba's family. She is quite good at school and earns a scholarship to a convent school where Baba will also attend. But Baba is quite unhappy with the rules of the convent and is no scholar and convinces Kate that they need to get expelled so they can go off to Dublin and make their own way. Baba just wants to earn enough of a living to have have a good time, Kate is more romantic and wants to find someone to love and love her. The end of this first part of a trilogy of stories, finds Baba diagnosed with tuberculosis and off to a sanitarium and Kate still searching for love.

I can definitely see the importance of this novel--especially for the time it was written. It provides a snapshot of Ireland in the years following the second world war and it was one of the earliest to be so candid about sexual awakening from the viewpoint of young women. It is a rather bleak snapshot--particularly of Kate's home life at the beginning. Her mother and the household always dreaded when Mr. Brady would come home from one of his drunken bouts. They never knew whether he would just sleep it off, would beat them, or...this time...might kill one or all of them. The novel was not well-received by the Catholic establishment, particularly since it didn't exactly reflect well upon the institution and it was so frank. 

From a personal standpoint, I can't say that I'm terribly taken with the story. While I feel sorry for Kate, I don't admire her friendship with Baba. If you want to call it friendship--some folks might, but it's certainly not my idea of friendship. Friends don't put you down and call you names all the time. Friends don't steal your present for the teacher and make them believe it's theirs. Friends don't give a present that you gave them away to someone else--especially when they know how much the object meant to you. Real friends don't encourage you to do things that will get you in serious trouble. Given that Kate is starved for affection, I can see her wanting a friend of any sort--but the moment she met Cynthia at the convent and Cynthia was truly kind to her, I can't understand her continuing to stick with Baba. And don't even get me started on Kate's relationship with "Mr. Gentleman" (there's a misnomer if I ever heard one...). Gentleman, my foot. Married philanderer taking advantage of a young girl. Her dad may be a drunkard and abusive--but at least he did scare off "Mr. Gentleman" there at the end. Not that that totally redeems him. But good for Mr. Brady on that score. ★★★

First line: I wakened quickly and sat up in the bed abruptly. 

Last line: It was almost certain that I wouldn't sleep that night.

The Lioness

 The Lioness (2022) by Chris Bohjalian (rec by Aubrey Nye Hamilton for the 12 Challenge)

It's 1964 and Katie Barstow is the current reigning queen of Hollywood. Her films are box office gold--even when she does a controversial film with Terrance Dutton, a black man, as her leading man. The steamy love scene was left on the cutting room floor because the American public wasn't quite ready for that kind of romance, but the implications were there (and a number weren't ready for even the implication...). When Katie marries David Hill, her brother's best friend from their early days in New York, there is all the glamor of a Hollywood wedding followed by a Paris honeymoon. But the celebration is extend to an African safari with her brother Billy and his wife Margie, her best friend and fellow actress Carmen Tedesco and her husband screenwriter Felix Demeter, Terrance Dutton, Katie's publicist Reggie Stout, and her agent Peter Merrick. 

After three idyllic days of photo safari adventures by day and evenings with their civilized canvas baths and gin & tonics with ice from the portable, kerosene-powered ice makers, their civilized adventure comes to an end. The American entourage is taken hostage by violent Russian mercenaries who have no qualms about killing anyone--from the elderly African guide who tries to save them to those who just seem to irritate the trigger-happy kidnappers. They realize they're being used as pawns in a much bigger game--after all Russia is trying to gain a foothold on the continent and has been backing some of the uprisings in neighboring countries. But what exactly do these men want and will the lives of their hostages be valued enough to ensure they get it? Between the dangers of the four-legged wild animals of the Serengeti and the two-legged human predators, how many of Katie Barstow's party--if any--will survive?

An absolutely beautifully written bloodbath. So many unnecessary violent deaths--so many. Generally speaking this type of book is not my type of book. I'm a Golden Age, every murder is a puzzle and "there's a discernable meaning/motive for each death" kind of girl. Not much into Russian terrorists and killing just because someone asked one question too many (some of the time, just one question is too many). BUT Bohjalian can write. Man, can he write. I was sucked right in from the beginning and even the high body count couldn't keep me from turning the pages to find out what happened next. I'm no expert on Africa of the 1960s, but the historical research seems solid and information about the time is introduced in such a way that it never felt like an info dump. The narrative also makes clear that Bohjalian participated in an African safari himself--the scenery and animals come vividly to life on the page. He also manages the multiple points of view superbly. Each chapter focuses on one of nine characters, giving the reader a panoramic view of the story to match the vast countryside. Overall, an outstanding experience. Thanks to Aubrey for recommending this for the 12 Challenge. ★★★★★

Spoiler!! Do not read if you have not read the book:

My only quibble with the book: I was really upset that neither Terrance nor Reggie survived. Honest-to-goodness after letting them get that close, did we really have to kill them off too?

First line: Oh, I can't speak for the dead.

Blame, I can tell you firsthand, is every bit as subjective as truth. (p. 3)

Lying, he understood, was a reflex of his, and he supposed this was what made him a writer. (p. 72)

Last lines: And it was only yesterday, wasn't it? Wasn't it?

****************

Deaths = 19 (one heart attack; twelve shot; one car accident; one killed by leopard; one fell from height; two bled to death; one snakebite)

A Gentleman's Murder

 A Gentleman's Murder (2018) by Christopher Huang

There has always been a Peterkin among the members of the Britannia Club, the elite gentlemen's club for those who had been servicemen. In fact, a Peterkin was one of the founding members. And now Lieutenant Eric Peterkin has followed in his father's and forefathers' footsteps to become the newest member with the name. He leads a fairly quiet life--coming in each day to sit in his "Usual Armchair" and read detective manuscripts for a publishing company. That is until an even newer member is added to the roll. 

Albert Benson, a conscientious objector, seems an odd choice for Britannia Club membership but, as is pointed out, Benson served as a stretcher-bearer and saw just as much action without benefit of a weapon to defend himself. The club's President, Edward Aldershott, turns Benson over to Peterkin and Mortimer Wolfe so they can show the new member the ropes. His membership is very short-lived. It begins with a wager and ends with Benson's murder. Wolfe is well-known for making wagers and when the conversation leads to Benson's having stored some items in the Club's safety deposit boxes ("Safer than the Bank of England"), Wolfe declares that he could get into the box and steal one of the items and present it to Benson by noon the next day. Peterkin knows that Wolfe never makes a wager he can't deliver and cautions Benson not to accept. Oddly enough, Aldershott steps in and says he'll take the bet; that he knows Wolfe can't do it.

Peterkin is asked to act as referee and decides that to be completely sure of fair play he should see the items in the box. At first Benson appears reluctant, but then he seems relieved to share the items with someone else. There are four things in the box: a photograph showing a nurse at a birthday party, a medical report regarding one Horatio Parker who had received a cut to the face which required stitches, a hypodermic kit with syringe and a few needles--the kit's lid was engraved with a stylized letter S, and a pair of silver surgical scissors. Though Peterkin is curious at the odd assortment and wonders at their importance, Benson explains little beyond saying, "I expect these things to right a great wrong from the past."

Just before noon the next day Peterkin and Aldershott are waiting for Wolfe and Benson to arrive. Wolfe strolls nonchalantly in and lays a linen bundle on the table. But no Benson, so the men decide to go ahead and inspect what Wolfe has brought. When Peterkin confirms that the surgical scissors do appear to be the same as were in the box the previous evening, he comments that he would have removed the photograph or medical report--they being easier to conceal on his person. Wolfe insists that there was nothing in the box but the scissors and the hypodermic. The men head to the vault area to inspect the boxes and find Benson dead--with Aldershott's letter opener protruding from his neck. When Scotland Yard arrives, the lead detective is Inspector Parker...Inspector Horatio Parker with a nasty scar across his face.

It becomes apparent that the club would prefer to sweep this all under the rug and find a way to blame the incident on a intruder. (Nevermind the porter on the front door, the locked windows and rear door, the locked vault, and the myriad other reasons why it must be someone from the club.) Peterkin's sense of justice and his memory of Benson's last words to him, spur him to try his hand at a bit of detective work. He puts the Peterkin club connection on the line....and then finds his own life in danger. How do a soldiers' recovery hospital, a missing nurse, and the opium dens of Limehouse fit into the story? He needs to find out before the gunman on his trail finally hits his mark.

Huang's story is a delightful homage to Golden Age detection with just a trace of thriller. The plot is intricate and yet displays its clues in ways reminiscent of the best of the classic mystery plots. There are nods to Christie and Earl Derr Biggers and Father Ronald Knox. And Huang pays especial respect to the works of Dorothy L. Sayers. Our hero's last name, Peterkin, is a nod to a name used for Lord Peter Wimsey's small nephew. One of the other characters asks him straight up if he thinks he's another Wimsey. And, of course, our Scotland Yard man is named Inspector Parker. Peterkin doesn't have a Bunter, but he does have his friend Avery and and Ted Cully ("Old Faithful"), the club's porter seems particularly loyal to Peterkin. I felt the spirit of the Sayers stories much more strongly than I did in most of the LPW continuation stories by Jill Paton Walsh.

Peterkin also serves to highlight and provide an answer to the "Yellow Peril" novels of 1920s. He stands astride both worlds--with a very English father and a Chinese mother. Much is made of his outsider status and how much he doesn't look like the proper British gentleman, but it is his outsider status that helps him look at the story from a different angle. This is a very good debut mystery and the story ends with Peterkin heading out to another mystery and one was hopeful that there would be a second story in a series. But his forthcoming novel, while a mystery as well, does not seem to feature the amateur detective. ★★★★

*My second selection for the 12 Challenge (read at least 12 books suggested by friends), was definitely a hit. Thanks to Ryan Groff for the suggestion!

First line: The Britannia Club stood on King Street, a respectable limestone facade among respectable limestone facades, with a brass plaque that nobody had looked at in decades; if you had to stop to check the address, you were clearly in the wrong place.

"You always leave something of your humanity behind in a murder. I could never do it." (Avery Ferrett; p. 4)

One of these days, someone would have to write a story, perhaps even a detective story, featuring a Chinese hero. The World needed this as much as a house needed a key. (p. 64; hat tip to Earl Derr Biggers)

We can't close our eyes to unpleasantness if it means living with lies. (Helen Benson; p. 120)

Last line: But Eric had already marched out of the lounge, his stride swift and purposeful, and Avery had to trot to catch up.

************************

Deaths = 10 (one stabbed; three natural; two shot; two drowned; one hit on head; one smoke inhalation)

All Challenges Fulfilled: Virtual Mount TBR,12 Challenge,Cloak & Dagger,Mystery Reporter,Medical Examiner,Alphabet Soup,Alphabet Soup Authors,52 Book Club,Historical Fiction,Linz the Bookworm RC,Pick Your Poison,Calendar of Crime,Reading by the Numbers,

Hopeland (Alias Skippy Dies Part I)

 So...I joined this reading challenge which prompted us to read twelve books suggested by our friends. I promptly took to Facebook and asked my friends in FB-land to suggest some good reads. And the first person to respond was Katie Levin--who has suggested some good things in the past (The Elegance of the Hedgehog for one...). Her first suggestion was Bunk by Kevin Young. Now, I know Kevin Young as a poet, so I had that on the brain. Imagine my surprise when a nearly 600 page doorstop showed up in a my library holds. Turned out to be a well-researched look at America's fascination with hoaxes, hucksters, forgeries, and...fake news. But I just wasn't ready for a deep-dive into that kind of scholarly work and just couldn't manage 600 pages. Luckily, Katie had provided me with another choice: Skippy Dies (2010) by Paul Murray. 

But the library provided another surprise because when I searched for Skippy Dies, it brought up something called Hopeland by Murray. I thought, what the heck--maybe the publisher decided to rename the thing. I opened to the title page and, lo and behold, it said Skippy Dies. And right there in the first chapter, by golly, Skippy dies in the middle of a doughnut-eating contest with his friend Ruprecht. Then we go back in time and we see the lead up to the big event. We see Skippy the swimming champion for his Seabrook College prep school.We see Ruprecht trying to make contact with aliens. We see Carl and Barry constantly trying to get their hands on prescription meds to either get high themselves or to sell to others (or give the girls at the nearby St. Brigid's school). All the boys getting ready for a Halloween Hop with visions of making it with the girls dancing in their heads. Skippy leaving the dance with the beautiful (but drug-crazed) Lori. But we're not just interested in Skippy and company...we get to see old boy turned history teacher Howard the Coward (as the boys call him) wondering if life with girlfriend Halley is all it's cracked up to be and panting after the lovely Aurelie McIntyre, the substitute teacher for geography. We get to see the sadistic Father Green who loves to berate the boys for all sorts of sins and the "Automator," the fill-in headmaster who longs to have the job full-time so he can modernize the school. And we're waiting to see why Skippy dies and what happens next....but the book suddenly ends. I was so confused...

That's when I realized that the library had gotten its hands on the boxed set (pictured above) which breaks Skippy Dies into three separate books. If I want to find out the rest of the story, I apparently need to read two more books. I'm afraid that's not gonna happen. I gave it the ol' college try, but male teenage angst, especially when some of it is still being had by thirty-something history teacher named Howard the Coward just doesn't seem to be my thing. It doesn't help that it's written in the present tense and it skips around among the characters. I really wanted to like this. I didn't want to let Katie down. But Skippy, I'm sorry, I just can't wade through two more books with all these characters to find out why you died. ★ and 1/2, and I'm not sure that isn't too generous.

First line: Skippy and Ruprecht are having a doughnut-eating race one evening when Skippy turns purple and falls off his chair.

Last line: Good night, you say, not moving, smiling at the stars everywhere...stars in her hair...stars in her eyes...stars...stars

12 Challenge

12 Challenge: 12 Months to Read 12 Books Recommended by 12 Friends

Suggested by moonpiereadss on Instagram

A simple challenge--ask twelve friends for book suggestions and then read those twelve books by the end of 2023. I've solicited suggestions from my friends on Facebooks-if I get more than twelve then I may do more (will add as they come in).

My First Dozen:

January: Hopeland/Skippy Dies (part one) by Paul Murray (rec by Katie Levin) [1/19/23]

               A Gentleman's Murder by Christopher Huang (rec by Ryan Groff) [1/22/23]              

February: The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian (rec by Aubrey Nye Hamilton) [2/12/23]

                The Country Girls by Edna O'Brien (rec by Ivan Kreilkamp) [2/27/23]

March: Speakers of the Dead by J. Aaron Sanders (rec by Adam Burgess) [4/1/23]

            Nala's World by Dean Nicholson (rec by Dianne Winand) [5/6/23]    

April: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (rec by Miranda Wojciechowski) [4/20/23]

          Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (rec by David Higgins) [4/27/23]

May: Alif the Unseen by Willow Wilson (rec by Andy Oler)

        Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (rec by Katy Balma) [6/19/23]

June: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (rec by Anushka Sen) [6/10/23]

          All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (rec by Lavonne Weller & Richard Nash [6/15/23]

 

My Second Dozen:

 

 

July: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (rec by Petra Meyer) [6/30/23]

        The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (rec Katie Anderson) [8/9/23]

August: The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier (rec by Becky Laney) [9/2/23]

             Manhunt: The Twelve-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James Swanson (rec by Yvette Banek) [9/18/23]

September: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (rec by Joe Morgan) [10/2/23]

                    Murder on the Purple Water by Frances Crane (rec by Brad Friedman) [10/8/23]

October: Camera Hunter by James H. McCommons (rec by Leslie Warren)

               Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey (rec by Julie Kraft)

November: The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien (rec by Dustin Long) [11/16/23]

                   Enchantment by Orson Scott Card (rec by Stacy Maugans)

December: Evelina by Frances Burney (rec by Celia Barnes)

                   Night Film by Marisha Pessl (rec by Amy Locklin)