3 Stars for The Amber Spyglass by Phillip Pullman

Invested in this series, I expected more from The Amber Spyglass. The creative storytelling elements in the first two books glued together the importance of the golden compass and the subtle knife cementing their crucial significance. Although the amber spyglass was explained in this story, it didn't add to the plot. I mean you have a knife that can cut into worlds and a compass that can tell truth and then you have the amber spyglass which can see dust understood philosophically as some sort of Brahman/Atman concept perhaps without the Brahman because of course in these books "God is Dead" or never existed at all and anything, not just the church, associated with this is evil. I didn't understand why the church was evil - exactly. 

I think Pullman wanted us to tap into our prior knowledge here that extended outside of this book tapping into horrific events like The Salem Witch Trials. With all of his blossoming promises to address how religion is used more like a sword than a warm blanket, he fell short. In these books, you have to accept religion is bad without really ever understanding why. I mean these people don't even go to church, but somehow the church chains them. With that said, the idea of dust is a fantastic one, but it was not explained fully. Pullman goes off on the Mulefa, some weird bug creatures without dust. This part of the narrative bored me to tears and I found myself skimming. He also spent quite a bit of time explaining why Mary (the snake temptress) left the nunnery. This story reasoned around a fruit (aka the apple) and an Italian guy. What? 

Pullman set up some pretty nifty symbolism in this story, and really whether he likes the Bible or not - its much better story telling. How can you mess up when you have stories like that to spin off? Well, Pullman did. For example, Lyra, a feisty brave young woman turns into a whimpering rib of Will, the giant man in this. I like Margaret Atwood's version of Eve much better in Quattrocento, at least here the importance of knowledge is focused on rather than an outpouring of hatred for Christianity. These books were ripe with possibilities and Pullman could have addressed The Garden of Eden/original sin story alongside the corrupt folks often hiding behind the church - but, alas he did not. He was too busy hating alongside Mary, the former nun and the Mulefa. Read at your own peril. 

The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney deserves a five star rating.

The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney deserves a five star rating. True, a couple of the books, namely Slither fell short of the hype; however, the long awaited battle with the Fiend made up for it in book 13. I still have some questions after reading this book. Plot questions not answered will wait for the new series already perfectly lined up with previous books like Slither and Grimalkin. As far as simplistic writing goes, I think folks should keep in mind these books are filed under children's literature. And for myself, I loved the writing. My summer reading often includes books that are not filed under children's literature and reading a kid's series was refreshing. Plus, I enjoyed reading this series with my daughter, who is not a kid, and also has reading that is far from simplistic. The Last Apprentice series is story telling at its best. The twists, scary monsters, heroes and character development is fan-freaking-tastic. I highly recommend this series!

5 Stars for The Golden Compass

 

The Golden Compass (book 1) by Phillip Pullman is a modern classic that ranks with stories like The Chronicles of Narnia, A Wrinkle in Time and The Lord of the Rings books. This is an impressive book for a number of reasons:

Concept

Plot

Lying for Love, not the romantic kind

Clever protagonist

Brave protagonist

Heart

World-Building

Soul, the high concept kind and the feeling kind

Human da'emons, although I don't know if I'm spelling that correctly for this book. In any case, this book shines an interesting pondering light questioning the reader's own demons - it makes you think.

With this in mind, I want to reflect on Pullman's own words a little, "As a passionate believer in the democracy of reading, I don't think it's the task of the author of a book to tell the reader what it means."

After reading a number of reviews on this story, I found this democracy to vary from one extreme interpretation to another extreme interpretation. For example, as a reader I did not see the main character, Lyra as Christ nor the Anti-Christ. I simple saw her as a young girl willing to do anything to save the people she loved even if it meant wicked lying. If anything she was only caught in the center of the polarities of good and evil. This idea stemming from Genesis, the original sin, "from dust you are to dust you will return". The idea of dust as good or bad is questionable. Dust almost seems like fairy dust giving flight to the birth of consciousness. In this way, it should be good because it makes us aware of good and evil and without knowing one we cannot know the other. This is where C.S. Lewis quotes like this come from, "Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.”

― C.S. Lewis. My interpretation of dust in this is that free will. Of course, that is only my democratic input along with a huge shout out: Read this book!

5 Stars for Double Threat by F. Paul Wilson

 Double Threat by F. Paul Wilson is about a young woman named Daley who finds an alien has resided inside her head. The plot moves from there with a "Stranger than Fiction" vibe. The humorous tone of the story changes with the emergence of a cult truly David Berg worthy. At this point, I'm reminded of Wilson's Repairman Jack series where Jack constantly averts danger to himself and loved ones. However, this book is not a Repairman Jack book. In fact, its enjoyment doesn't come from page turning danger. This is a slow burn ripe with fantastic dialogue between Daley and her alien, Daley's dynamic character change from extreme selfishness to to extrema empathy, and last Daley's paradoxical toxic relationship choices. Oh, and there's the cult based on mind bending science fiction. Wilson does a nice job of blending thriller and science fiction. Mostly, he's a natural with dialogue and immediately I am drawn into unique voices I want to root for. This book is well deserving of the applause and as much as I enjoyed the Repairman Jack books, Double Threat is better written. I suppose that comes from Wilson's dedication to perfecting his craft. I hope to see more of Daley soon. 

5 Stars for The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

 

This is my second Simone St. James book, and again I am not disappointed. St. James has a style that feels like walking into a Francisco Goya painting while listening to David Bowie's Under Pressure in the background. Fiona, the main character, is constantly struggling with a need for truth and as the premise indicates - she wants to know the truth behind her sister's murder. Fiona is a journalist, independent, self-motivated, subject to the powers of love, and somewhat under the shadow of a father who is bigger than life. That alone got me interested in this story, but as with all the St. James book there is more than one story line. The second story line dates back 64 years and centers around the death of other girls - no more word of that because I might give too much away. The second story is equally intriguing and the broken girls in that story vein are incredibly clever and strong because of their hardships. I enjoyed the different well-fleshed out personalities of each of them. I definitely leaned towards Katie the most. St. James books deliver well-thought out plots that tie up every loose end at the end, but style aside - I like her characters! I also like the spooky gothic atmosphere she plays up in her stories. It reminds me of my Stephen King favorites like Salem's Lot with extra mystery embellished in every corner. A reader cannot go wrong with books like that. I highly recommend Simone St. James's The Broken Girls.

5 Stars for The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James delivers. I wanted spooky - Got it! I wanted great female characters with some backbone! - Got it. I wanted a twist - Got it! I needed this book after reading lots of required classical lit. I highly recommend this book and more St. James. I know I will read more of her stories. 

2.5 Stars for Plain, Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

 

2.5 Stars

I could not finish it and with so many other books to read this summer, I simply didn't want to plow through. The writing is way too embellished. Beautiful writing is not just about how to turn a clever phrase. Danforth can certainly do that, but beautiful writing also means knowing what to cut. The book in general is too long. In Aspects of the Novel by E.M. Forster, he warns against what he calls "tea time." He explains these are scenes that do not push the plot forward. Folks sipped a lot of tea in Plain Bad Heroines. The other reason for my 2.5 star review is lack of horror and this is a personal preference from a girl who loves horror. This is a story within a story one from the past into the present. I did not understand the connection. If there wasn't going to be a real connection perhaps Danforth could have approached this story like a set of short stories set in a Canterbury Tales structure or just stuck with the past story. That one was a little interesting. In the end, I felt disappointed. I looked forward to reading this because of the unique premise and promise of horror. Instead, I found I couldn't root for any characters because they didn't seem like they needed saving. Perhaps this is the irony, thus, Plain Bad Heroines. 

4 Stars for The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer

 

The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer proved itself to be more entertaining than I'd expected. It doesn't have to be read in its entirety because it is composed of smaller stories within a larger one. It almost reads like a book of short stories with dark fairy tale morals and with a big dose of humor at the expense of human folly. I loved the stories particularly: The Pardoner, The Wife of Bath, and The Squire. The ending of these tales became Middle Age preachy, but I suppose it needed redemption after the tales of lechery, bloodshed, idolatry, adulatory, and so on. For example, The Wife of Bath's tale and The Pardoner's tale embrace love of lust, power and greed with outright defiance. These two characters don't care what others think of them and firmly know who they are. They are in stark contrast to characters like The Nun, and The Knight, so for me to fully grasp the importance of the most entertaining stories, I had to read the other stories that contrasted them, so I recommend reading The Canterbury Tales in its entirety even though the stories can be read separately. 

5 Stars for Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley glitters with gold. This novel is a journey through the Native American Ojibwe community and its culture but it is a universal human experience loaded with betrayal, death, love, and self-discovery. 18 year old Daunis Fontaine, the protagonist, struggles with who she is with biracial prejudices all around her, plus she's a brilliant scientist nerd struggling with her femininity against the backdrop of her desires for a guy she cannot truly trust and another who already betrayed her and then there is her brother, Levi, the son of the mother who cheated with Daunis's father. Then, let's tie in federal agents and a big meth drug ring to spice up the danger in this book. Yes, this book does not feel like a debut from Boulley, but a literary gift to readers willing to explore culture, understand betrayal, love and forgiveness. Beautiful. 

5 Stars for The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

The line Cardan whispers to Jude, "By you, I am forever undone," reminds me of the line Gatsby (The Great Gatsby) speaks about his true love, Daisy, "When I kissed this girl, I knew my mind would never romp again like the mind of God." The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black is the third book in the series, The Folk of the Air. All three books are deserving of the full star rating. 1. You have a dynamic female protagonist, Jude with no magic in a world of fairy magic. All she possesses is a passion for power and a very clever mind. I love her! I rooted for her from page one of The Cruel Prince, the first book in the series. 2. Cardan, a complex cruel prince, who battles against a closet full of his own demons, and loves Jude despite his nature to destroy. 3. Plot twists that surprised me. For example, the ending of the second book, The Wicked King, thundered with electric promise. If you read the first two books, you have to read the third. 4. Ms. Black's need to put Jude in every possible danger leaving her only - well this makes me think of that old show MacGyver in the 1980s where getting out of danger involves real complexity - and that Jude is abundance of. Jude is amazing but she is also real, well as real as a mortal can get in a land full of magic. Jude is vulnerable (especially when it comes to Cardan) but also because of her mortality. Excellent characterization. Jude could easily be a cross between Lara Croft and Lady Macbeth, now isn't that a combination. Cardan is the better version of Dorian Gray. 

4 Stars for All the Light We Cannot See

 

Anthony Doerr's All The Light We Cannot See follows is told primarily in two perspectives: Marie-Laure, a French girl and daughter of a master locksmith at the Natural History Museum in Paris and the other character is Werner Pfenning, a German boy growing up in the mining town of Zollverein. Many books have been written during the WWII era, but few with this interesting perspective. The unique premise drew me in first. The imagery kept me afloat throughout the book. It felt like an old song like Dinah Shore I'll Walk Alone from the 1940s or maybe something more classical like Vivaldi's Winter because beneath it there was a dark brutality behind every scene. I felt Doerr's remarkable PG approach to this war and the horrible acts committed buckled my legs beneath me, simply because my imagination and historical knowledge about this war conjured up real witches and goblins. Characterization of both Werner and Marie-Laure rooted me to them, made me want to know their inevitable end. Both Marie and Werner peeled like an onion or rather a well compiled tape parallel to Guardians of the Galaxy. I loved rhythm and meter making up their choices and the destiny they had no control over. However, in the end I ended up with a four star rating because the ending did not satisfy me. I felt Marie and Werner's paths should have crossed much sooner and I also felt the romance between the two could have been cemented more, but also held like a tight wire in which the two crossed to meet maybe making it or maybe falling to their death. The intersection of the two characters was way too abrupt for me. Still, I highly recommend this book. It's beautiful and a journey worth taking. 

5 Stars for Yoko Ogawa's The Housekeeper and the Professor

 

The premise of Yoko Ogawa's The Housekeeper and the Professor drew me into its pages. The magic of math kept me in its pages. Ironically, I am not a fan of numbers. I'm an English teacher. I love a good story. This is a good story. It is lined in mathematical equations above my mental capacity, but understanding an equation is different than just understanding its importance to the characters in this novel, characters that statistically should not have formed the incredible beautiful caring bond they did - but they did and through numbers prime, amiable, etc. I believed in the impossible because of the certainty of numbers. A big thanks to the math genius who explained Euler's Identity and its significance at key moment in the plot of this story...

"The significance of Euler's Identity in the book is reasonably clear: It is the Professor’s way of expressing the synthesis of the worlds that he, his sister-in-law, his housekeeper, and her son are living in. Each is included without being denied, just as each mathematical family is included without being negated or changed in the Identity. A brilliant literary as well as mathematical insight therefore."

I listened to this book on audible, but I plan to purchase a copy for future ponderings. 

3 Stars for Ta-Nehisi Coates's The Water Dancer

I really feel awful giving this book a three star review for two reasons: 1. Most of my teacher friends love this book and 2. It's clear Ta-Nehisi Coates did a ton of research which deserves reward. My problem with it is that it reads like a one of those true crime stories with unknown actors and actresses. The main character, Hiram was as flat as a pancake cooked in Crisco. Despite his hard life, I never got the emotional outpour of emotion from him and my theory on this is that Coates did way too much telling. As a reader, I like to feel and think for myself. The only character with the potential to pull at my heart strings was Sophia. This would have been a much better book if Coates had let her tell the story and allowed her to show her emotion rather than tell us what she was feeling. Considering the background of the book, loosely based on William Still, an African-American abolitionist, this is a noteworthy book, but it is not a literary great such as Morrison or Hurston. 

5 Stars for Intruder in the Dust by Faulkner

This is not a great Faulkner novel. At best its mediocre; however, its Faulkner. I've never read a Faulkner novel or short story that didn't force me to see someone's perspective other than my own. Told in the perspective of a boy named Chick as he tries to understand Lucas, a black man accused of killing a white man, I become painfully aware of Lucas's complex character. Lucas was the best character in the story and from page one you root for him. You want justice for Lucas. Lucas is flawed with stubborn pride in a time period that didn't allow a black man to have pride. It is this so-called flaw that makes me like him. Lucas is also painted with precise intelligence. He knows who he can trust and who he cannot. This line of reasoning just might save him. Lucas also values life which is why he saved Chick long before the novel begins. Lucas's pride refused payment for such a grand gesture. Both Lucas and Chick have a inner faith in the goodness of humanity. Lucas because he's a really good guy and Chick because he's still a boy and maybe hasn't had time to lose his faith. Faulkner says this much better than me...

“A man or a race either if he's any good can survive his past without even needing to escape from it and not because of the high quite often only too rhetorical rhetoric of humanity but for the simple indubitable practical reason of his future: that capacity to survive and absorb and endure and still be steadfast.”

Faulkner's stories are always presented in a setting loaded loaded with racism decorated in the antebellum of backward pride. It's a tough place to find even a thread of hope in humanity, but Faulkner finds it. In Intruder in the Dust, that faith is found in Lucas and spills over onto Chick. In Faulkner's novel, Light in August, identity is once again explored and steadfastness is discovered through not Joe, but Lena's love. "She was the captain of her soul." In The Sound and the Fury, it was the perspective of Quentin that gave me hope despite Quentin's ending.  Intruder in the Dust is a short read and it often steers off the plot topic, but it is worth reading; however, if you have never read a Faulkner book don't start here. Pick up As I Lay Dying or Light in August, or start with a short story like A Rose for Emily, that one is creepy Southern Gothic suspense at its best.  

4 Stars for FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven

FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven is a child of William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies and The Walking Dead's Negan episodes. Lord of the Flies because of the deeper psychological element that makes us question the darker side of ourselves and that of others. Lord of the Flies is also loaded with symbolism representing intellect, unbridled violence, and leadership. All of these characteristics are found in humanity. They are also represented in the tribe leaders, intellects and violent acts of the Pirates and Warthogs in the book, FantasticLand. 

The underlying question of this book is why did a group of teenagers turn so quickly to gruesome acts of violence? In quick summary: FantasticLand is about a little over 200 teenagers who find themselves stranded in an amusement park for several weeks. They begin killing each other in less than a week. Why? I feel the answer to this question lies within our human psyche and the small percentage of real psychos out there that can (leadership) manipulate others who are weakened by tragedy, thus the hurricane that stranded the teens. 

As mentioned, this also reminded me of the Walking Dead Negan episodes because the bad Pirate group in the story used fear tactics much like Negan and his men. That scared me worse than the blood shed. Scarier than the Pirates was the Warthogs. The chapter on the Warthogs was the best chapter. I understand there is a sequel here. I definitely want to get my hands on it. This leads me to why I gave this book 4 stars rather than 5. That rating came from the Warthog chapter. After reading that chapter every other chapter fell short. The warthog chapter found the magic of suspense and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. The rest of the book intrigued me, but nothing like that one. 

That said: Bockoven wove together a clever book with a dynamic premise. FantasticLand was told in several interviews piecing together the massacre. Bockoven's ability to create very distinct voices throughout brought a real human element to the monsters of FantasticLand. In the end, you may question what group you fall into: Pirates, Shop Girls, Deadpools, Fairies. You notice I didn't include the Warthogs. Hopefully, you don't either.

Five Stars for Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow by Nathan Bransford

Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow by Nathan Bransford is a rollercoaster-in-outer-space. Each chapter ends on the precipice of downhill fun. Bransford understands the mind of twelve-year-old boys and he even throws in one sassy, sardonic girl to big bang things amuck. Sarah, a fan of Betty Friedan, might have been my favorite character. I figure Friedan is close enough to Margaret Atwood and I'm a girl who is a big fan of Atwood's. So, even though this seems like a book for boys, Bransford found a way to be all inclusive. Girls and boys would love this book. This book is not just about having fun, getting lost in space, and having to find your way back to Earth. This book is about the kind of friendships formed between friends before they become more than friends. It's innocent and sweet and it reminds me of cotton candy, and apples drenched in caramel. It also reminds me of how important it is to be honest and loyal to your friends. Sometimes as adults we forget the important stuff. So I would say on this level this is also a book for adults who sometimes forget what it is like being a kid. Maybe we all need a little Wonder to remind us. I highly recommend this book.

4 Stars for A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie

 

This book takes a while to get into, but once you start to build some lovely love and hate relationships with the characters, you find yourself wanting to see how they turn out. Abercrombie fleshes out his characters with an underbelly of raw truth that is sometimes vulgar, but that is countered with humor. The character of Rikke made me laugh out loud several times. Rikke is not a girl to bite back how she really feels and she feels with a big dumb heart that leads her about with her nose ring. She's also witty and can dish out an insult as much as she can laugh one off. Other characters that stood out to me: Savine (I haven't decided to like her yet. She still needs to go through more dramatic change to humble her.) Leo, memorable, but I'm indifferent to him. The wolf, because I love to hate him. I also really liked Orso, because he deserved more of my sympathy than any of the characters. Beneath his wild prowess he wants to love and do right by the people. His promise means something. I recommend this book, but know it is a slow read in the beginning, but it gets better, much better. Further, if you are a Game of Thrones fan - A Little Hatred just may be your jam.

4 Stars for Night Film by Marisha Pessl

 

Night Film by Marisha Pessl wavered between a 3 and 4 start review and not because it overflowed with a fantastic supernatural edge, a wry humor found only in particular older folk's generational timeline, and last, a romantic psychological love that crosses boundaries of class and superstition. This book contained all of these; however, I found it too long. The plot-line dragged and in the end I wanted to reap a better reward for making it to the finish line. Further, McGrath, the main character did not make a dynamic change and he really needed to make that change from a self-absorbed butt head to a better dad and a better listener. Still, this is a book I highly recommend because it dives into what of the what that makes us live to the fullest. It makes you question what makes you tear through life or makes you stand still while live tears through you. Cordova, "the monstrous antagonist" ended up being my favorite character maybe because he hid in the dark and I could shape him the way I wanted to in the end. This is a book is not a coin toss. There is not a good guy or a bad one only your choice to walk along razors edge and make what's on the other side of it - yours. 

4 Stars for Alice in Wonderland

 Lewis Carrol's book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is about growing up and finding meaning in the trivial and larger scope of what we do as adults. The line from the king, "If there's no meaning in it," said the King, "that saves a world of trouble, you know, as we didn't need to try and find any." Alice realizes soon after this statement that without meaning, truth and logic are irrelevant. Soon after she awakes to reality rather than the fantasy of Wonderland. I reread this story because I felt I missed some epiphany that the rest of society seemed to get with phrases like: "Off with your head", and "Down the rabbit hole." After this second read, I am still am at a loss for the Zen of Alice in Wonderland, but I did find her journey into adulthood a bit more fascinating and philosophical. For example, "What does happen to the flame of a candle?" Do you go out all together. This is is a child's first grabble at morality, but also one that often stumps all of humanity. I also found it interesting that time ran backwards and you could run as fast as you can but you only stay in one place and you run twice as fast to get anywhere else. This brings in explorative ideas of parallel universes as explored by researchers and of course, Phillip K. Dick. Madness is another question in this story as The Mad Hatter points out by not knowing the answer to his own riddle and asking if he is mad. It is a curious story that could be analyzed to death, but in the end we all grow up but hopefully we all get our moments to run backwards to chase a rabbit in a world where we can drink something and hold onto the magic of the imagination of our childhood. Alice in Wonderland is a classic and a story to help us hold onto our dreams. 

5 Stars for The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde complex look at youth corrupted by its own debauchery. Influence, and youth itself only add to the fallen angel - Dorian Gray. Gray seems to be at the center of the ideas of two men in the book that act as absolute foils. One, Basil believes in love, beauty and the reputation. Lord Henry, well he could be considered the devil, he certainly plays the part and his wit and obscene ideas unfortunately kept me intrigued throughout the book. I dare say, he was my favorite character. Despite, Henry's ideas he seemed to balance his own actions between dark and light keeping his own reputation intact. It is unfortunate Gray did not follow. No spoilers, but I loved the ending of this story. I had cooked up an entirely different one before this one came into play. I also loved the supernatural element in this. This book pleasantly surprised me. I am wild about Wilde and will have to read more.