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All posts for the month December, 2014

2014 in Review, or:

Posted by Daniel on December 31, 2014
Posted in: OTHER, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

The Best of Looking For a Good Book in 2014

In the tradition of my friend, Kootch, I think it’s important to create a “best of” list (though he would do a ‘top ten’ list).

According to Goodreads, I reviewed 251 titles in 2014.  That’s a runaway record for me, and I can promise that I won’t be doing that again in 2015.  It takes a LOT of effort to read and review that many books, and since I don’t actually get paid for this (other than free books … which is a GOOD thing [my expenses of buying books went way down]) I know I won’t be able to keep this pace for the next year.

Getting a perfect ‘5’ from me is not easy.  Of the 251 titles reviewed, I gave out only twelve perfect scores, and four of those were to children’s picture books (The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn; Claude at the Beach by Alex T. Smith; All About Marvelous Me by Becky J. Radtke; and The Animal Etiquette Book of Rhymes, a reissue by Helen Cowles LeCron and Maurice Day).

This is a listing of books read and reviewed in 2014.  Books may have been published in previous years, or possibly even are yet to be published in 2015.  My blog, my rules!

Here are my top picks for 2014.

 

#1: A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman

#2: Three by Jay Posey

#3: The Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter by Rod Duncan

#4: The Yankee Club by Michael Murphy

#5: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

 

My top picks by category are as follows:

 

In Science Fiction/Fantasy (perhaps my favorite category, and a difficult one to rank because of the sheer variety):

#1: Three by Jay Posey

#2: The Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter by Rod Duncan

#3: The Martian by Andy Weir

#4: The Big Reap by Chris F. Holm

#5: The Madonna and the Starship by James Morrow

#6: Honor Among Thieves by James S. A. Corey

 

In Mystery/Thrillers (a relatively new genre-of-interest for me, but one in which I’ve quite enjoyed):

#1: The Yankee Club by Michael Murphy

#2: The Man With the Golden Mind by Tom Vater

#3: All That Glitters by Michael Murphy

#4: The Professor by Robert Bailey

 

In Young Adult books (this is also a difficult category to assemble because of the wide range of ages that comprise the category):

#1: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

#2: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

#3: Jake and the Giant Hand by Philippa Dowding

#4: The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud

#5: Frostbite Hotel by Karin Adams

#6: Skraelings by Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley

 

In Children’s Books (typically picture books):

#1: Claude at the Beach by Alex T. Smith

#2: All About Marvelous Me by Becky J. Radtke

#3: The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

#4: The Animal Etiquette Book of Rhymes by Helen Cowles LaCron and Maurice Day

#5: Denslow’s Night Before Christmas by Clement Moore and W.W. Denslow

#6: Lindbergh by Torben Kuhlman

 

In Graphic Novels:

#1: Shutter

#2: The Only Living Boy

#3: Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files: War Cry

#4: March

#5: The Shadow Hero

#6: Ghosted

#7: Meteor Men

#8: Lazarus

#9: Fables, Vol. 20

 

In Fiction (that isn’t otherwise categorized):

#1: A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman

#2: Roachkiller and Other Stories by R. Narvaez

#3: Lungs Full of Noise by Tessa Mellas

 

In Non-Fiction (again, there is a wide rang eof subject matter here, making it difficult to select the top books):

#1: Mobile for Good by Heather Mansfield

#2: Alternative Movie Posters by Matthew Chojnacki

#3: The O’Neill by Jeffrey Sweet

#4: All the Songs by Philippe Margotin & Jean-Michel Guesdon

#5: Writers Between the Covers by Shannon McKenna Schmidt and Joni Rendon

#6: Daily Painting by Carol Marine

#7: Artspeak by Robert Atkins

#8: Treasury of American Pen-and-Ink Illustrations by Fridolf Johnson

#9: Gibson Les Paul by Dave hunter

#10: Bullying Under Attack edited by John Meyer

 

2014 has been a good year for books and I look forward to what 2015 will bring!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

EVERY VALLEY — Albert L. Blackwell

Posted by Daniel on December 24, 2014
Posted in: NON-FICTION, OTHER, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Handel’s Messiah is quite possibly one of the most beautiful pieces of music written, and surely the “Hallelujah Chorus” is easily recognizable.  Author Albert L. Blackwell has written what I at first considered to be an apology of Handel’s Messiah, but upon reflection, I am not sure that I’ve ever heard The Messiah criticized, and therefore ‘apology’ is probably not the correct term.

This is an Advent devotional, but with using the lyrics of The Messiah (which uses biblical verse for lyrics) as the starting point for reflection.

The devotional commentary is at times beautiful and reflective and precisely what you might look for in a devotional.  At other times, it is dry — too academic or clinical to be appreciated by the average reader.

Because this Advent devotional is based on a famous and familiar piece of music, I really wanted to listen to the sections that correlated with the reading.

This is not a devotional with the strongest theology that I’ve ever read, but because it’s aimed at a large group of buyers from diverse Christian backgrounds, I suppose that is to be expected.  This would not replace the devotionals I get through my church, but it could be a nice addition and a place to start conversation and careful reflection.

The layout in my kindle ARC version (through Netgalley — thank you) was not particularly clean or efficient.  I wold trust that this would get cleared up before publication.

Looking for a good book?  For a somewhat generic Christian theology, this makes for a unique perspective for an Advent devotional by using Handel’s Messiah as its source for reflection.

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Every Valley: Advent with the Scriptures of Handel’s Messiah

author: Albert L. Blackwell

publisher: Westminster John Knox Press

ISBN: 0664259987

hardcover, 160 pages

DARK SCREAMS – Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar, editors

Posted by Daniel on December 23, 2014
Posted in: Dark Fantasy/Horror, SHORT FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Five short, dark stories by some recognizable names in the genre.  Although short, this is a powerful collection for horror lovers.

Editors Richard Chizmar and Brian James Freeman are no strangers to the horror genre having been part of Cemetery Dance Publications previously.  Here they’ve collected five wonderful, dark stories to set your nerves on edge.

Stephen King’s “Weeds” is an old story that I recognized from his earlier days.  From Goodreads: “When a meteorite lands on his property, Jordy Verrill envisions an easy payday. Unfortunately for Jordy, this is no ordinary rock—and the uncompromising force inside has found its first target.”  King is a master wordsmith and manages to find the humanity in the story.

I am not familiar with Kelley Armstrong and the story “The Price You Pay” was perhaps the weakest of the five-story collection, but still a strong story of friendships and trust.

I’ve been a reader of Bill Pronzini for a long time, and his work is always solid. “Magic Eyes” is a great character and mood piece as an inmate in an asylum (who doesn’t believe he belongs there) journals about his concerns and about the terror he is sure is approaching.

Simon Clark is another new name to me, but “Murder in Chains” was possibly my favorite work here.  With no explanations given as to the reasons for the locations and circumstances, our protagonist wakes to find himself chained at the wrist to a giant, murdering thug.  The fear was tremendous and the action well projected.

Ramsey Campbell is always good for a little spine shiver and “The Watched” will give you the chills, just as you might imagine a Ramsey Campbell story would.

Being a volume one, I would assume that there are other volumes planned.  I’m not sure if this is considered a magazine or a book collection (to my knowledge it is only available in e-format).  While it was nice to have these five stories collected here, I believe that they’ve all been previously published.  A little variety with some new authors would be welcomed.  And because it feels like a magazine, being relatively short, I actually wanted some illustrations as well.  Perhaps in future volumes?

Looking for a good book?  Dark Screams, Volume One will give you goosebumps and have you looking over your shoulder.

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Dark Screams, Volume One

editors: Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar

publisher: Hydra

ISBN: 0804176574

ebook, 98 pages

THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES 2013 – Lisa Scottoline, editor

Posted by Daniel on December 22, 2014
Posted in: MYSTERY, SHORT FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . 1 Comment

I do like the “Best American…” book series’. I will often pick up the Science and Nature collection and the Essays collections, and have picked up the Science Fiction collection and even the comics collection in the past, but this is the first time I’ve read the Best American Mystery Stories collection. And it won’t be my last.

One of the many nice things about a collection such as this is the variety of styles and voices that we get exposed to.  This collection seemed one of the most diverse among all the different “Best American” books I’ve read.  If you already like mystery fiction, then this is a collection you’ll want to read.  If you aren’t sure if you like mysteries, then this is a great place to start because there is surely something in here that will speak to most every reader.

My stand-outs would include Eileen Dreyer’s “The Sailor in the Picture” and Clark Howard’s “The Street Ends at the Cemetary” and “So Near Any Time Always” by Joyce Carol Oates.  Yes…Joyce Carol Oates.  Bill Pronzini is always a good read, and his “Gunpowder Alley” is a strong story.

But I must say that it was difficult to point out my favorites as there really are no weak stories in this collection.  It’s definitely worth picking up!

This collection includes:

Forward — Otto Penzler
Intorduction by Lisa Scottoline
“Smothered and Covered” — Tom Barlow
“A Fine Mist of Blood” — Michael Connelly
“Misprision of Felony” — O’Neil de Noux
“The Sailor in the Picture” — Eileen Dreyer
“The Devil to Pay” — David Edgerley Gates
“The Street Ends at the Cemetery” — Clark Howard
“Crossing” — Andre Kocsis
“Remora, IL”– Kevin Leahy
“Thy Shiny Car in the Night: — Nick Mamatas
“Drifter” — Emily St. John Mandel
“The Ring of Kerry” — Dennis McFadden
“Quarry” — Micah Nathan
“So Near Any Time Always” — Joyce Carol Oates
“Light Bulb” — Nancy Pickard
“Gunpowder Alley” — Bill Pronzini
“When They Are Done With Us” — Patricia Smith
“The Indian” — Randall Silvis
“The Don’s Cinnamon” — Ben Stroud
“Bullet Number Two” — Hannah Tinti
“Bound” — Maurine Dallas Watkins

Looking for a good book? The Best American Mystery Stories 2013 is a collection that could make fans of the genre for new readers and existing fans won’t want to miss it.

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The Best American Mystery Stories 2013

editor: Lisa Scottoline

series editor: Otto Penzler

series: Best American Mystery Stories

publisher: Mariner Books

ISBN: 0544034600

paperback, 448 pages

 

RED BLOODED – Amanda Carlson

Posted by Daniel on December 19, 2014
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

**WARNING — POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD**

I knew going in to this book that it was part of a series that I have not read.  Fortunately this is written in such a way that it manages to be a complete story.  Yes…there is some back story that would be nice to know, but author Carlson fills us in on a need-to-know basis.

Essentially: Jessica McClain, a werewolf, must search through the many layers of hell, and face off against the Prince of Darkness himself, to rescue her twin brother (who was apparently taken at the end of the previous book).  We start with Jessica making preparations for the journey, with some associates, but being sent to the underworld ahead of schedule and alone.  What Jessica doesn’t realize until much later is that she is lured to hell, as a pawn in a power-grab, because of an ancient prophecy that suggests she might take control of hell.

There are many interesting characters within and Jessica meets everything from chupacabras to wyverns (and the devil himself).

The story itself was interesting: Hell.  Power grab against the devil.  Werewolf heroine.  Twins lost and facing incredible odds for survival. All manner of demons in the lowest pits of deathly Gehenna.  This sounds to me like the makings of a fantastic adventure.

But the action is dull.

First, we have a werewolf who never becomes the wolf.  She does converse with her inner wolf, and follows her wolf ‘instincts’ but become the wolf…?  No.  In fact, I wondered if she really was a werewolf.

Second, Jessica descends to a place with a legion of demons, and yet, other than descriptions of the stench, we never feel the full brutality and fear that such a place should project.  Of course it makes sense that a “wolf” would concentrate on the smell and not be too afraid, but it doesn’t do much for the reader.

Third, we expect our literary heroes and heroines to survive after being put through their paces, but this felt as though Jessica was almost ‘blessed’ as she continually escaped one confrontation after another through some deus ex machina interruption (or perhaps I should say “diabolus in singulis est”).  She doesn’t survive because of her own skills but because of the others around her.

All in all, this felt like a good, interesting short story that was padded with unnecessary (and uninspired) fight sequences to fill out the word count to make it a novel.

Looking for a good book?  Red Blooded, book four in the Jessica McClain series, should be hell-raising excitement, but isn’t.

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Red Blooded

author: Amanda Carlson

series: Jessica McClain #4

publisher: Orbit

ISBN: 0316404330

paperback, 320 pages

SHUTTER, VOL. 1: WANDERLOST – graphic novel

Posted by Daniel on December 16, 2014
Posted in: GRAPHIC NOVEL, SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Wow.

Wow.

Finally…a graphic novel that explores the full range of possibilities of the medium — and does it well.  Shutter is so packed with creative bizarre-ness that it will most likely be confusing to most readers.  And truthfully…if I were to read this by the individual issues as the come out on the stands, I probably wouldn’t be able to get in to this.  It’s sooooo out there that the reader needs to be able to put his hands literally or figuratively around the whole of the book to know that there’s more to the story than just the moments that he’s reading now.

Like some of the best speculative fiction authors (Zelazny, Ellison, Pullman, Dick), we are tossed, unceremoniously, into the middle of a story in a strange world, and left to fend for ourselves.  We can either buck up and try to learn as we go, or we can forever be lost and not bother reading.  But I’ll warn you…choosing the former path won’t be easy.  Author Joe Keating and artist Leila del Duca have combined to create an utterly phantasmagorical world where anthropomorphic animals wield swords and mega-blasters and ride triceratops’ while hunting down a human girl and her alarm-clock cat side-kick.

This book is hard to describe.  It can’t be read… it must be experienced!  From the opening pages, where the creators’ names appear as if they were intercut motion-picture credits, I was captivated.  I knew that this was going to be something very different.  And since we start with a father showing his daughter the moon — while ON the moon (and of course a young child just finds it boring because there’s nothing to see but rocks) — we know that this is a different time, if not a different world than our own.  Establishing the father/daughter relationship also brilliantly sets up the rest of the story.

Twenty years later and we learn just what sort of world it is through some great visuals from Del Duca.  People sitting casually on a patio with scaly green arms and a tail while a tattooed human casually walks a dog nearby.  A pterodactyl in a nest along the abutment of an apartment highrise.  A dirigible floats over the modern-looking (to us) metropolis.  Our young girl (now in her late twenties) riding a subway alongside a man in a full astronaut spacesuit and a minotaur reading a newspaper. Yeah…this is the world we will be in for the rest of the book and this visual set-up really sets the tone well.  Expect the unexpected.

That’s easier said than done, of course.  When purple ghost ninjas who can only utter the word “kuu” attack, we are reminded just what ‘unexpected’ means.

There is a story here.  A story of Kate Christopher, a renowned explorer, forced to explore something she’d rather not … her history.  Despite the apparent ramblingness of the book, it DOES make sense.  Yes…there are flashbacks that we aren’t specifically TOLD are flashbacks, but the savvy reader will pick up on this.

I am a huge fan of this art.  The ‘look’ is every bit as important as the words here and Del Duca approaches this like an expert cinematographer.  Owen Gieni’s colors and Ed Brisson’s letters make a positive impact on the over-all look of the book.

Looking for a good book?  Shutter, Volume 1: Wanderlost is one of the most original graphic novels I’ve read.  It isn’t easy to follow along, but it’s worth the patience!

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Shutter, Volume 1: Wanderlost

author: Joe Keating

artist: Leila del Duca

publisher: Image Comics

ISBN: 1632151456

paperback, 136 pages

GIRL ON A WIRE – Gwenda Bond

Posted by Daniel on December 15, 2014
Posted in: MYSTERY, ROMANCE, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

I’m a sucker for the circus and there have been some very good books that use the circus as a location or character.  Gwenda Bond’s Girl on a Wire is one of the latest circus books.

Jules Maroni is the sixteen year old tightrope walking member of the Amazing Maronis…a familiar name in the circus.  The Maronis have just joined Cirque American and Jules looks forward to doing what she does best..walking the tightrope.  Jules never falls.  Never.  And it’s possible that she will garner the coveted position in the performance line-up.  But there is one problem: The Flying Garcias.  The Maronis and the Garcias don’t get along.  And to top it off, someone is sending talismans of bad luck to Jules and it has her rattled.  Enough so that she actually falls during a practice and has a panic moment during a performance.

With the help of Remy Garcia, for whom Jules has developed an affection, Jules will look for answers as to who is trying to scare off the Maronis; and just where the troubles between the Maronis and the Garcias began.

This is a modern Romeo and Juliet story (sometimes a little too obviously so: “Remy & Jules”) and for the most part, it works.  This is one of the few Romeo & Juliet variations I’ve read where the warring families’ distrust and dislike for one another actually seems believable.  The mystery aspect to the story is very good and piqued my interest.

The circus life is attractively portrayed.  Attractively … not necessarily accurately.  And that’s okay.  This is a mystery/romance and romanticizing the circus is okay.  We’ve all done it, which is why ‘running away with the circus’ is a literary trope.

I enjoyed Jules’ exploits on the wire and I wanted more of it.  Gwenda Bond captured the internal feelings of an artist at work, as well as an artist in trouble, and i really wanted to spend more time in these moments.

I also appreciated that this was a YA novel without the abundance of YA pathos and brooding — although there was the obligatory death (but it’s “Romeo & Juliet” so there has to be at least one death, right?).  I liked the secret simplicity of the Remy&Jules relationship.  When it became known to more, it became less interesting.

Overall, a good book and one that should do well with the teen readership.

Looking for a good book?  Girl on a Wire by Gwenda Bond soars.

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Girl on a Wire

author: Gwenda Bond

publisher: Skyscrape

ISBN: 1477847820

hardcover, 372 pages

THE SETUP – Peter Crooks

Posted by Daniel on December 12, 2014
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, MYSTERY, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . 1 Comment

Riveting!  I sat down to read this in the morning and finished the book before bedtime.

It is absolutely amazing to me the temerity and lack of morals that some people have.  This book explores and exposes those types of people.

The Setup is an appropriate title as there are multiple set-ups within.  The first is the set-up that begins the unravelling of a personal kingdom.  Chris Butler ran a Private Investigation business, but supposedly a business with a bit of a twist…his PI’s were ‘soccer moms.’  So innovative was this idea that Butler was working on a television deal for a ‘reality’ show of his soccer-mom-PI’s.  They’d been featured in People magazine and guests on the Dr. Phil show, and had hoped to gain a little publicity from a Bay-area magazine Diablo.  Butler invited Diablo writer, Pete Crooks to ride along on an actual sting.  Everything went swimmingly.  Perhaps too much so, as Crooks was first surprised at how quickly the action developed (there was no need to wait around all day with the hopes that something would happen); at the seeming lack of concern over being spotted; and the taking of the ‘victim’s’ car by the client  without a resolution.

Crooks’ suspicions had him hesitant to write the personal interest story the Butler hoped would be good PR for his reality show.

Although there is the opportunity to write this like a true-crime mystery novel, Crooks take a more direct/reporter approach and lays out the facts as he sees it and he often falls into fortune more than actually ‘uncovers’ anything.  An anonymous ‘tip’ comes to Crooks from someone within Butler’s organization, and it is the constant insight from the insider that lays the foundation for a federal investigation.

Yes… a federal investigation.  Not because Butler is possibly providing phony investigations for a television series, but because Butler has other, illegal dealings going on, which also include high-ranking police officers.  Crooks is tossed into the middle of all this, but steps aside to let the lawmen do what they need to do, while the insider continues to inform to both the authorities and Crooks.

Crooks, early on, lays out his suspicion as to the ‘insider’ and repeats it a few times.  Perhaps I’ve read too many fictional mystery books, but this immediately had me thinking that it would NOT be the person Crooks suspected.  It was a bit disappointing that Crooks nailed it straight off.

But what is almost as interesting as Butler’s sting and fall, is Crooks’ relationship with the insider.  Crooks lays it on just a little bit thick that he looked upon his informant almost as a friend (it was Crooks the insider went to for help finding a trustworthy law official) so that when the insider later ‘bashes’ Crooks’ role in the set-up, Crooks can’t help but be hurt.  Crooks also carefully points out that the insider’s motivations for doing the right thing are suspect and that the insider is barely ‘better’ than Butler and the bad cop.

Yes…I am not naming the ‘insider.’  No…it is not because I am avoiding ‘spoilers’ but because it is my impression is that the informant is a fame junkie and I don’t think this person needs to have their name out there, searchable, any more than possible.

This is a fascinating book on many levels.  From a study in human behavior to a modern mystery to an insider look at reality tv, this book has a lot in it and is easy to access.

Looking for a good book?  The Setup is a non-fiction book that you will not want to put down.

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The Setup: A True Story of Dirty Cops, Soccer Moms, and Reality TV

author: Pete Crooks

publisher: BenBella Books

ISBN: 1940363314

hardcover, 320 pages

THE ANIMAL ETIQUETTE BOOK OF RHYMES – Helen Cowles LeCron

Posted by Daniel on December 11, 2014
Posted in: CHILDREN'S, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

THROWBACK THURSDAY: REVIEWING A REISSUE

They just don’t make books like this anymore, so a big “Thank you!” to Dover for reissuing this book!

Short and sweet, this 33 page book is full of easy to read rhymes and beautiful black and white drawings (by Maurice Day) that will be great to share with the pre-schooler in your life.

Each of the short poems is a miniature morality story, extolling the virtues of good behavior and pointing out bad behavior.  But all the ‘children’ depicted within are anthropomorphic animals, so parents who share this book with children can remind their tots about the bad behavior of “Danny Donkey” who didn’t wash behind his ears, or Susie Squirrel who didn’t like having her tail brushed, or Zebulon Zebra who didn’t like to wear the nice clothes his mother thought best.

The rhymes were easy on the tongue, and there’s still something that feels so nice when reading a children’s book and having a nice rhyme scheme.

Maurice Day’s art is fantastic.  I’ve often been partial to pen-and-ink artwork, and this is remarkably detailed (for prolonged viewing by the youngsters) while managing to be simple enough to capture immediate attention.  It’s a tremendous skill that I haven’t seen much in modern artists (with the possible exception of Jan Brett’s work).

I really liked everything about this book.  It surprisingly didn’t feel too dated, despite being 90 years old.

Looking for a good book? The Animal Etiquette Book of Rhymes is delightful and should be in the homes of everyone with a pre-schooler.

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The Animal Etiquette Book of Rhymes

author: Helen Cowles LeCron

artist: Maurice Day

publisher: Dover Publications

ISBN: 0486782344

paperback, 64 pages