The Gods of Gotham was great so wanted to try Faye again. Pretty gutsy for a debut don’t you think? To take on Sherlock Holmes and pit him against JacThe Gods of Gotham was great so wanted to try Faye again. Pretty gutsy for a debut don’t you think? To take on Sherlock Holmes and pit him against Jack the Ripper, had to read it just to see if she'd pull it off - she did. Obviously did her homework, it’s pretty fabulous, with Faye’s strength again her mastery of dialect. The Sherlock characters are faithfully rendered plus she’s thrown in Mary Ann Monk, an enchanting gin-swilling tart who “proves herself to be a woman of extraordinary fortitude”. You've got the gothic moody flavour of 1880’s London with the Ripper adding a deliciously disturbing and suitably gruesome layer. It’s suspenseful and well paced, even the Ripper’s true identity came off believable. Most of all I loved the dialog, the bantering between Holmes & Watson, & Holmes little tiffs with his landlady Mrs. Hudson with her “studied dignity & silent cynicism.” He’s your classic cerebral Holmes, brilliant and flawed, coldly precise with that “air of self-importance about him which tries the patience of his few friends” but reworked, a subtle interjection of slightly more fragility & humanity “Though I had never seen Sherlock Holmes so determined, I had also never seen him so at sea.” – liked it.
Cons: To slow a build, you’re a third of the way in before it hooks you – but then it doesn’t let go:) Meanderings: My 3rd ripper novel, I know I’m not alone but I’m questioning the fixation. How many more times do these poor women have to die for my entertainment? This keeps up I may seek counseling…
Holmes shrugged. “The irregularity of the baseline, as well as the downward-slanting script, indicate he is moody and unpredictable. His ts are determined, his rs intelligent, and the confidence in his capitals is troubling.”...more
Melodrama all the rage when this was written so be prepared, it’s pretty silly. A fast easy read you can whip off in no time that’s a lot of fun. Odd’Melodrama all the rage when this was written so be prepared, it’s pretty silly. A fast easy read you can whip off in no time that’s a lot of fun. Odd’s fish but that Sir Percy is HIGHLY amusing! “The foppish ways, the affected movements, the perpetual inane laugh.” High intrigue will keep you turning those pages, and who can resist a guy named Pimpernel who runs around in various disguises rescuing people from having their heads lopped off? Loved him for “his marvellous audacity, the boundless impudence which had caused him to beard his most implacable enemies” For historical-adventure 4 stars, as romance maybe a 2. As kudos for creating the truly superb character of Sir Percy Blakeney 3 1/2 stars
Cons: The heroine Lady Marguerite...We’re supposed to believe she’s the cleverest woman in Britain yet she can’t figure out the identity of The Pimpernel? Seriously, it couldn’t have been more obvious if he’d been walking around wearing a flashing neon sign. Oh la la she’s dumb as a post and not the least bit witty. Would it have killed the author to have tossed her a couple of decent lines instead of giving them all to Percy? “Hoity-toity, citizeness," she said gaily, "what fly stings you, pray?” was about as good as it got…
Memorable: “Demmed excitable little puppy," he added under his breath, "Faith, Ffoulkes, if that's a specimen of the goods you and your friends bring over from France, my advice to you is, drop 'em 'mid Channel” - Sir Percy Blakeney...more
Gaiman’s my go-to guy for a fairytale fix, love his lyrical style. Reads like a child’s nightmare, haunting, claustrophobic but not entirely grim. WitGaiman’s my go-to guy for a fairytale fix, love his lyrical style. Reads like a child’s nightmare, haunting, claustrophobic but not entirely grim. With monsters and hunger birds to battle "Huge, they were and sleek, and ancient, and it hurt my eyes to look at them." the nameless boy in this is not nearly as tough as Coraline. Luckily he's got the Hemstock women as back-up, Maiden, Mother & Crone, and just like in “Coraline” a reclusive cat to lend him comfort - when it’s so inclined:) Touted as an adult novel I’m thinking YA but does it really matter? There’s depth. Of course there’s a moral, this ones strange - All the knowledge in the world won't make you happy "Be boring, knowing everything"- if it means losing your sense of wonder.
"Girls and boys come out to play, the moon doth shine as bright as day. Leave your supper and leave your meat, and join your playfellows in the street. Come with a whoop and come with a call, come with a whole heart or not at all."
Described as his most personal work to date it feels authentic; like he’s inviting you to join him revisiting the pain from his own childhood. The loneliness “Nobody came to my seventh birthday party. I lay on the bed and lost myself in the stories. I liked that. Books were safer than other people anyway.” and the helplessness of having your fate in the hands of adults. "She was power incarnate, standing in the crackling air. She was the storm, she was the lightning, she was the adult world with all its power and all its secrets and all its foolish casual cruelty. She winked at me."
Cons: Beware the hype! Don’t go into it with false expectations, okay? It could have been more fleshed out, at 180 pages reads like a novella. There is humour, but less than he normally injects, and the EVILNESS of his dad and sister is a bit over the top. Finally some find the story too bleak - I revel in gloominess so didn’t consider this a negative, but you might:)
For it’s genre - a solid four fantastical stars...more
Ivonne says, "We do read different kinds of books; however, this book is right up your alley. It's supposed to be a children's book, but I don't see hIvonne says, "We do read different kinds of books; however, this book is right up your alley. It's supposed to be a children's book, but I don't see how they thought so. It's very, very dark in a Neil Gaiman kind of way. It's much more Coraline than Harry Potter. I think you'll love it." Note: really well received debut....more
4 ½ stars All you King fans out there are going to read this anyway. Go for it, be a *Rube, its worth the price of admission. For anyone else who's c4 ½ stars All you King fans out there are going to read this anyway. Go for it, be a *Rube, its worth the price of admission. For anyone else who's curious about all the kerfuffle over King, maybe test the waters with this. No, it’s not his best but it’s pretty great. It’s short, leans towards paranormal rather than horror in case horror isn’t your thing, and you gotta love that hardcore pulp-fiction cover! Tons of suspense, the mystery of beautiful women being murdered to unravel, a plot that moves and characters written with sensitivity, you'll care about them. Best of all and the star of this novel though– a fabulous 70’s Carny setting. * Rubes: Carny lingo for customers, they gotta leave with smiles on their faces. “They’re rabbits, nice plump fun-loving rabbits, hopping from ride to ride and shy to shy instead of from hole to hole.”
Favorite quote:“When you’re twenty-one, life is a roadmap. It’s only when you get to be twenty-five or so that you begin to suspect you’ve been looking at the map upside down, and not until you’re forty are you entirely sure. By the time you’re sixty, take it from me, you’re f_cking lost.”
Ah The King: Haven’t picked up one of his books in years, guess I overdosed on him when I was younger. He’s improved with age. The same spare style but with more confidence –it’s like the man has reached this point where he’s got nothing to prove to anyone but himself, that he’s still the master at delivering entertaining stories - no literary honours in the cards and he could care less. Keep 'em coming King!
Meanderings: I’ve had some interesting jobs (I’ll try anything) Considered applying at the Carny when young, visualized myself working the night shift running the scariest ride on the midway. Something intensely exciting about the lights, the smells, the crush of people – and that beautiful intermingling of full blast rock 'n roll accompanied by screams of terror. Not sure what stopped me - ended up picking cherries instead...Reading this I got to live that fantasy vicariously. “I’ve done a lot of jobs in the years since then, but I never felt so weirdly happy, so absolutely in-the-right-place, as I did when I was twenty-one, wearing the fur and doing the Hokey Pokey on a hot day in June. Seat of the pants, baby.” ________________________________________ Cover painting by Glen Orbik– link to the artist’s website – worth checking out:) "http://www.orbikart.com/gallery/"...more
The book blurb exaggerates - amusing rather than hilarious. Moore does have a keen sense of the absurd so if your taste runs to ribald, irreverent humThe book blurb exaggerates - amusing rather than hilarious. Moore does have a keen sense of the absurd so if your taste runs to ribald, irreverent humour you'll probably like this. Great premise, a twist on the overdone vampire tale. Rather than blood it’s 'sacre blue', the raw passion of artists extracted from their masterpieces that serves as an elixir of eternal life for The Colorman aka ‘Poopstick’ A hodgepodge mixture of historical fiction, murder mystery, humour and fantasy – helps but not necessary if you’re interested in art. Well researched you’ll pick up some interesting tidbits. Renoir was a peach, “a person of extraordinary kindness” Degas "probably the best draftsman of all the Impressionists, but in person a complete prick." Toulouse-Lautrec plays a major part -fascinatingly complex. A gentleman, a titled count in fact, a libertine who loved cognac & absinthe. Being close to a dwarf in stature he’s used to being treated with contempt - thus his sense of commonality and his compassion for whores, his preference for their company. "One loses perspective after a week in a brothel" He adored their "humanness, their perfect imperfection." Enjoyable and original – worth reading just for the bit where Lautrec & Oscar Wilde go on a drunk inspiring Wilde to write "The Picture of Dorian Gray." I was definitely entertained anyway – a solid 4 stars. Cons: to be honest none of the genres done exceptionally well but still - the blending worked. To slow a build and a bit convoluted so give it time.
"Blue is beauty, not truth. Blue is sly, slick, it slides into the room sideways, a slippery trickster"...more
I jumped in cold to book ten of the series without a problem. If you’re in the mood for an intense psychological thriller with beautifully fleshed outI jumped in cold to book ten of the series without a problem. If you’re in the mood for an intense psychological thriller with beautifully fleshed out characters and ultra wicked villians you just found it. It begins with Coco, a little girl found wandering alone in Central Park after discovering 3 dead bodies strung up in a tree. A little heartbreaker with Williams Syndrome, a disorder typified by elfin like features and a warm, outgoing personality. Craving human contact they will run up to perfect strangers for a hug; an instinctive trust in people in stark contrast to Detective Mallory. Beautifully written, it’s the interaction between these two that makes this story sing. Abandoned as a child, Mallory’s coping mechanism is to become a loner, to isolate herself from emotional connections. She's damaged, completely unpredictable and brilliant; nicknamed the machine for her relentless, often manipulative & coldblooded pursuit of perps. Some reviewers find her unlikeable, I adore her... "There’s not one feminist bone in her body - she had no need of one. Only a rare and suicidal man might suggest that his detective was of better use barefoot and pregnant" Her partner and staunchest friend Detective Riker pretty great as well. "In a rumpled suit stained with week-old mustard, civilians only saw him as a middle-aged man with bad posture, an amiable, laid-back smile and hooded eyes that said to everyone he met I know you’re lying, but I just don’t care"
Cons: None really. I did find it a bit confusing but blame myself for not giving it the concentration it deserved. A web of deceit & blackmail entwining children, lobbyists, influential socialites and top ranking officers of New York’s police department. Terrific characters but a ton of them to keep track of – be prepared to pay attention:) For it’s genre 4 ½ stars rounded up too 5. DEFINITELY want more of this series. Of interest: Boston University School of Medicine 'The Faces of Williams Syndrome'"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dgfm8i..."
Warning: some graphic violence involving children...more
Remember being addicted to dark fairytales like Aesop’s & Grimm’s as a kid? Then at around ten figuring it’s time you grew up, setting them aside & heRemember being addicted to dark fairytales like Aesop’s & Grimm’s as a kid? Then at around ten figuring it’s time you grew up, setting them aside & heading over to the library teen section? Have you missed them all these years? Check out magical realism. Hey, the same twisted supernatural tales, riddled with conflict & hidden meanings –repackaged for grownups! Practical Magic was published long before another of this genre I just read - Garden Spells - they’re both good and pretty similar. Quirky - feature a couple of sisters with polar opposite personalities - share the same understated magical elements. Where ‘Garden Spells’ was nice it was pretty much sweetness & light. This is better, improved by a darker twist – it is about witches after all. Its theme the importance of sticking together as a family; doesn’t matter if they’re a bunch of weird misfits – still family. And as every good fairytale should its got a lesson: Be careful what you wish for…. For its genre of magical-realism 4 well deserved stars
Con’s: With every female in it a flawless beauty the realism aspect kinda went out the window. My intro to reading Alice Hoffman, hopefully all her characters aren’t written this way – that would wear thin real fast.
“A mist appears. It’s the color of regret; it’s the color of heartbreak, the gray of doves and early morning” ...more
This sounded great! About a working dog (don’t even get me started, I’m fanatical in my admiration) and a police officer both struggling with PTSD. MaThis sounded great! About a working dog (don’t even get me started, I’m fanatical in my admiration) and a police officer both struggling with PTSD. Maggie the dog was a bomb sniffer in Afghanistan, Scott an LAPD cop. Both lost their partners, both are wounded - unable to function - that is till they meet and form a healing bond. Well written, the debilitating symptoms of PTSD described with finesse. I mean what’s not to like? An interesting touch Scott doesn’t even LIKE dogs, only chose a K-9 career because he couldn’t face losing another partner. The point of view by Maggie was handled well – didn’t find it corny, her focus on preserving the pack rang true. Add to that it’s written by a highly respected author I’ve been looking forward to trying out. So what went wrong? Short on the police procedural department, the unraveling of his partner’s murder formula stuff, a satisfying but predictable outcome. The characters felt flat with the notable exception of the Sergeant in charge of the dog handling unit – he rocked. And while I knew it was coming I still wasn’t prepared – the bit where Maggie’s partner dies? Overdone, reeked of emotional manipulation. Okay – overreaction – I really need to grow up. Weaned on *Greyfriars Bobby, add to that personal experience with messed up abandoned dogs - any story about a dog unable to deal with losing their owner and I’m a puddle. So not saying this isn’t worth reading because it is. A quick read, entertaining escapism, a solid 3 stars, I just expected a bit more.
"They will see and witness your greatest shame, and will not judge you! These dogs will be the truest and best partners you can ever hope to have, and they will give their lives for you. And all they ask, all they want or need, all it costs YOU to get ALL of that, is a simple word of kindness."
*Greyfriars Bobby: In 19th-century Edinburgh Bobby was a wee terrier famous for his unwavering devotion – legend has it he couldn’t be coaxed away from sleeping on the grave of his owner where he remained till the day he died. ...more
A sinister thriller with all the elements you look for in southern gothic. Good versus evil, a tragic morality tale spiced with carnal sin and deceit A sinister thriller with all the elements you look for in southern gothic. Good versus evil, a tragic morality tale spiced with carnal sin and deceit, its focus the terrible cost to a community when blind faith and religious fervor is taken to the cult level. You’ve got the perfect villain in Carson Chambliss, a crooked snake lovin pastor, nastier than the rattlers he uses to test the devotion of his flock. Caught in his cross-hairs is poor ‘Stump’ Hall, a young mute boy who's only line of defense is a 10 yr. old - his kid brother Jess and a 70 yr. old named Adelaide Lyle. She’s perfection as the "came off the mountain" town mid-wife, gutsy "I drove back from that meeting with Chambliss as scared as I’d ever been in my entire life" , simple but sharp enough to see right through Chambliss and hell-bent on protecting the children from him. Good thing because Stump’s mother is nothing but a holy fool and his father while a good man, oblivious to the danger threatening his family. Throw in a mean drunk for a granddaddy and a town sheriff with his own demons to contend with... Seriously, what more could you ask for!
Wiley Cash’s debut and it read’s like it was written by a pro. A southern boy raised in an evangelical church, he’s got the dialect, setting and characters down pat. "You could tell that autumn was bearing down on us because the leaves on the trees atop the ridge were just starting to get notions of color." His tension building is slow & relentless, pulled me into that backwoods little North Carolina town & held on right through to its inevitably tragic conclusion. 4 ½ stars
Cons: Switching perspectives between 3 narrators (old Adelaide, sheriff Barefield & young Jess) Jess’s was the weakest, the pacing suffered for it. In fairness 10 yr. olds can only hold my attention for so long. The telling by Adelaide & Sheriff Barefield more than made up for it. And no getting around it - the ending is overblown but hey, it felt appropriate and oddly satisfying. ________________________________________ Mark 16:17–18. “And these signs will follow those who believe: In my name they will cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will place their hands on the sick, and they will get well.”
It’s an imaginative tale with a fable-like quality. Bod, the lone survivor of the murder of his entire family finds protection and comfort in the oddeIt’s an imaginative tale with a fable-like quality. Bod, the lone survivor of the murder of his entire family finds protection and comfort in the oddest of places – a graveyard. A story of murder, survival and retribution chalk full of dead people that somehow manages to be both dark & cheerful at the same time – like how Gaiman pulled that off. An easy, entertaining read - young adult leaning towards children’s - fun to read at any age. Fast moving plot right from this hook of an opening line "There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife." The world building handled so well it seemed perfectly reasonable that a child could be raised in a graveyard by a bunch of ghosts, though I did wonder how he bathed. For me it's most memorable scene the dance with the dead. "Time to work and time to play, Time to dance the Macabray"
Full of ghouls, werewolves & all sorts of supernatural creatures with murderer Jack taking top billing in the evil department. Wonderful characters; Bod’s personal guardian Silas is outstanding as a creature neither living or dead - he get’s the best lines. "It is going to take more than just a couple of good-hearted souls to raise this child. It will take a graveyard."
Thanks for the words of wisdom, a reminder to live life to the fullest. "truly, life is wasted on the living"
3 ½ stars rounded up to 4 ________________________________________ Kiss a lover, dance a measure, Find your name and buried treasure Face your life, its pain, its pleasure, Leave no path untaken ...more
Deliciously disturbing, a modern fairytale with a surrealistic feel. I mean you’re stuck in an alternate dimension with parents with sewed on buttons Deliciously disturbing, a modern fairytale with a surrealistic feel. I mean you’re stuck in an alternate dimension with parents with sewed on buttons for eyes, friendless except for a talking cat with a bad attitude. Coraline is totally believable; a bored sweet kid who gets herself into and out of a terrifying situation by being gutsy & resourceful. So unless you figure you’ve outgrown fairytales (which is kind of a shame) what’s not to like about it?
Nasty flu & a crummy day at work had me pretty well pissed off at the world. Crawled into bed early in a definite funk, figured I’d try a few pages of this little novella. Riveted I read it cover to cover. Snuggled under a pile of blankets, suitable ambience provided by a fierce rainstorm slashing at my windowpane I felt like I was ten again. Bliss. Finished in a couple of hours,when I drifted off to sleep I was feeling almost human. Sometimes a good story cures all that ails ya:)
I’m a Gaiman fan so take this with a grain of salt. People tend to disdain contemporary novels so give it another 50 years. I’m betting this will earn its place among classics like Hansel & Gretel, Alice In Wonderland & Pinocchio. Okay, maybe I'm stretching it with Pinocchio…
For the genre of creepy fairytales 4 ½ stars. ________________________________________ “She stepped out of the way as the thing clicked and scuttled past her and out of the house, running crablike on its too-many tapping, clicking, scurrying feet. She knew what it was, and she knew what it was after. Five-footed, crimson-nailed, the color of bone.”...more
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