Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
When old African and West Indies tales of the beginning of the world start to entertwine with the life of an ordinary man about to get married in London, things become a bit surreal.
Fat Charlie was born in America but when he was 10, his mother left his father in Florida and took him with her to live in London near her aunt. Fat Charlie was happy to leave his father behind. His father caused him a great deal of embarrassment and grief. Just before he is to get married, Fat Charlie gets a call from his old next door neighbor in Florida who tells him that his father has died (in a rather embarrassing way of course).
Fat Charlie's trip back to Florida to bury his father and say goodbye is the beginning of a long strange trip into a world he had no idea actually existed. He learns about the beginnings of the world, his father and he finds himself.
This was a really fun book that kept me engaged and entertained. I loved the symbolism as well as the use of folk tales woven into the story of today's world. I highly recommend this book and I am interested in ready more of Neil Gaiman's work in the future.
Showing posts with label England. Show all posts
Showing posts with label England. Show all posts
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Lord John Grey
I finished off the Lord John books by Diana Gabaldon with...
Lord John and the Hand of Devils, The Custom of the Army and The Scottish Prisoner.
The Hand of Devils is a trilogy of short stories. The Custom of the Army is a novella and the Scottish Prisoner is a novel.
These books are pure entertainment and if you haven't read any of the Outlander or Lord John books, I would read them in their proper order. The proper order is as follows:
Outlander (big novel), Dragonfly in Amber (big novel), Voyager (big novel), Lord John and the Hellfire Club (Lord John and the Hand of Devils), Lord John and the Private Matter (novel), Lord John and the Succubus (Lord John and the Hand of Devils), Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (novel), Lord John and the Haunted Soldier (Lord John and the Hand of Devils), The Custom of the Army (novella), The Scottish Prisoner (novel), Plague of Zombies (Down in These Strange Streets ed George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois), Drums of Autumn (big novel), The Fiery Cross (big novel), The Breath of Snow and Ashes (big novel), An Echo in the Bone (big novel), Written in my Own Heart's Blood (not yet published bug novel), A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows (novella), The Space Between (The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination ed John Joseph Adams), Virgins (Warriors ed by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois)
Lord John and the Hand of Devils, The Custom of the Army and The Scottish Prisoner.
The Hand of Devils is a trilogy of short stories. The Custom of the Army is a novella and the Scottish Prisoner is a novel.
These books are pure entertainment and if you haven't read any of the Outlander or Lord John books, I would read them in their proper order. The proper order is as follows:
Outlander (big novel), Dragonfly in Amber (big novel), Voyager (big novel), Lord John and the Hellfire Club (Lord John and the Hand of Devils), Lord John and the Private Matter (novel), Lord John and the Succubus (Lord John and the Hand of Devils), Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (novel), Lord John and the Haunted Soldier (Lord John and the Hand of Devils), The Custom of the Army (novella), The Scottish Prisoner (novel), Plague of Zombies (Down in These Strange Streets ed George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois), Drums of Autumn (big novel), The Fiery Cross (big novel), The Breath of Snow and Ashes (big novel), An Echo in the Bone (big novel), Written in my Own Heart's Blood (not yet published bug novel), A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows (novella), The Space Between (The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination ed John Joseph Adams), Virgins (Warriors ed by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois)
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon
This is book 2 in the Lord John series. It follows the timeline of the previous book and gives us more insight to Lord John Grey. We get to see his inner torment to be true to himself and his family without revealing his homosexuality to the world.
Again, I continue to enjoy these books. It looks like there are a couple of Lord John books that are not part of this series but were published before the next book in the series. I think I will go with publication dates and read them in that order and see where it gets me.
This is book 2 in the Lord John series. It follows the timeline of the previous book and gives us more insight to Lord John Grey. We get to see his inner torment to be true to himself and his family without revealing his homosexuality to the world.
Again, I continue to enjoy these books. It looks like there are a couple of Lord John books that are not part of this series but were published before the next book in the series. I think I will go with publication dates and read them in that order and see where it gets me.
A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows
A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows: An Outlander Novella by Diana Gabaldon
This is a novella that is a companion to the Outlander series. It follows An Echo of the Bone. I am going to have a hard time waiting for the next book in this series to be published.
This book answers the question of what happened to Roger MacKenzie's parents during World War II causing him to become orphaned. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a great teaser of what is to come in the series as well as answering a question that has been hanging out there a bit.
This is a novella that is a companion to the Outlander series. It follows An Echo of the Bone. I am going to have a hard time waiting for the next book in this series to be published.
This book answers the question of what happened to Roger MacKenzie's parents during World War II causing him to become orphaned. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a great teaser of what is to come in the series as well as answering a question that has been hanging out there a bit.
Lord John and the Private Matter
Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon
This is Book 1 in Gabaldon's Lord John series. This started out as a off-shoot novella alongside the Outlander series. The novella became a novel and then it became a series in it's own right.
It isn't quite as engaging as the Outlander series but I wish that I had read this book in it's proper place with the Outlander series. It's weird to go back in time, so to speak, and try to remember what was going on in the Outlander books at the time of this book.
I enjoyed the historical information about the LGTB community at the time and I will keep reading these books and see where they take me.
This is Book 1 in Gabaldon's Lord John series. This started out as a off-shoot novella alongside the Outlander series. The novella became a novel and then it became a series in it's own right.
It isn't quite as engaging as the Outlander series but I wish that I had read this book in it's proper place with the Outlander series. It's weird to go back in time, so to speak, and try to remember what was going on in the Outlander books at the time of this book.
I enjoyed the historical information about the LGTB community at the time and I will keep reading these books and see where they take me.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Casual Vacancy
Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
This is Rowling's first book written for adults. I had received reports from others who were in the middle of reading it when I first picked up the book. Some reports were positive and some were negative so I was eager to see for myself.
This is a story of the people who live in a small village that is next to a town. The "casual vacancy" is a formal term to describe a situation when someone on the community council of the village dies. In the first chapter, a man dies. As the story progresses we learn more about what kind of man he was and why his death is so pivotal in this community.
During the course of the story we get to hear the thoughts of most of the characters. This gives us an interesting perspective in what seems to be a study of human nature. In many ways we get to see that those people who think they are the backbone of the community are really the ones with the least to offer. Those that think they are but a small, and even worthless, part of the community actually have the most to give.
There is another plot line within the book that follows the goals of the dead man. This thread follows the reality of a 16 year old girl who lives in a run-down neighborhood, "The Fields", on the edge of the village boundaries. Many people within the village believe that The Fields should be part of the town rather than the village so that the poor and disadvantaged that live there can stop polluting the quiet peaceful atmosphere of the village. Others believe that the people of the village should be of help to those in The Fields so that they can change the circumstances of their lives.
I liked this book. I disagree with my friends who said they felt like Rowling just stuck in swear words and vulgar scenes just to make it an adult book. I felt that these all seemed appropriate for the characters. I feel like it was an adult book from beginning to end because it was so much a study of human nature and not entertainment like the young-adult cross over books are. This was not a page turner for me but I did become more engaged in the characters and wonder what would happen next and would so and so redeem their worth as a human being. It took until almost half-way through the book to get engaged so if you are trying to read it and find it slow, keep at it. It is worth the read.
This is Rowling's first book written for adults. I had received reports from others who were in the middle of reading it when I first picked up the book. Some reports were positive and some were negative so I was eager to see for myself.
This is a story of the people who live in a small village that is next to a town. The "casual vacancy" is a formal term to describe a situation when someone on the community council of the village dies. In the first chapter, a man dies. As the story progresses we learn more about what kind of man he was and why his death is so pivotal in this community.
During the course of the story we get to hear the thoughts of most of the characters. This gives us an interesting perspective in what seems to be a study of human nature. In many ways we get to see that those people who think they are the backbone of the community are really the ones with the least to offer. Those that think they are but a small, and even worthless, part of the community actually have the most to give.
There is another plot line within the book that follows the goals of the dead man. This thread follows the reality of a 16 year old girl who lives in a run-down neighborhood, "The Fields", on the edge of the village boundaries. Many people within the village believe that The Fields should be part of the town rather than the village so that the poor and disadvantaged that live there can stop polluting the quiet peaceful atmosphere of the village. Others believe that the people of the village should be of help to those in The Fields so that they can change the circumstances of their lives.
I liked this book. I disagree with my friends who said they felt like Rowling just stuck in swear words and vulgar scenes just to make it an adult book. I felt that these all seemed appropriate for the characters. I feel like it was an adult book from beginning to end because it was so much a study of human nature and not entertainment like the young-adult cross over books are. This was not a page turner for me but I did become more engaged in the characters and wonder what would happen next and would so and so redeem their worth as a human being. It took until almost half-way through the book to get engaged so if you are trying to read it and find it slow, keep at it. It is worth the read.
Friday, October 5, 2012
The Winter of the World
The Winter of the World - Book 2 of the Century Trilogy by Ken Follett
This book takes us from 1933 through 1949. Once again, we are following five families from Wales, England, America, Germany and Russia.
I have decided that in a book such as this where we know the historical outcomes, a novelization of the scenario becomes that much more tense and anticipatory. I was just waiting to see which characters would be part of famous scenes and who would survive and who wouldn't.
This is the kind of book that is hard to put down and I would have loved to just been able to read non-stop. As it was, I had a couple very busy weeks and couldn't read as much as I liked. It took me 16 days to read the 940 pages of this book. I feel like starting all over again because it was so engaging.
Follett has created some very rich and real characters in this trilogy. By having most of his characters placed in a political position in the first book, he was able to keep them in a position of action or knowledge as the First and then the Second World War unfolded. There was a review on Amazon that someone was complaining that it wasn't plausible that all these people could meet and connect the way they do in the book. I disagree. I think that the circle of people in charge is not a very large one and the idea that a Senator and his son could encounter someone in the Red Army Intelligence community during a summit in World War II is completely believable. Also, this is a work of fiction so there are certain conveniences that the readers just need to go with.
I love this series and I think I'll need to re-read Fall of Giants and then Winter of the World again just before Book 3 is released.
On a side note, October is banned books month so your next book should be one that has been banned. Tomorrow ends the official Banned Books Week but check out the website www.bannedbooksweek.org for a list of books to choose from. I found I have read plenty. How about you?
This book takes us from 1933 through 1949. Once again, we are following five families from Wales, England, America, Germany and Russia.
I have decided that in a book such as this where we know the historical outcomes, a novelization of the scenario becomes that much more tense and anticipatory. I was just waiting to see which characters would be part of famous scenes and who would survive and who wouldn't.
This is the kind of book that is hard to put down and I would have loved to just been able to read non-stop. As it was, I had a couple very busy weeks and couldn't read as much as I liked. It took me 16 days to read the 940 pages of this book. I feel like starting all over again because it was so engaging.
Follett has created some very rich and real characters in this trilogy. By having most of his characters placed in a political position in the first book, he was able to keep them in a position of action or knowledge as the First and then the Second World War unfolded. There was a review on Amazon that someone was complaining that it wasn't plausible that all these people could meet and connect the way they do in the book. I disagree. I think that the circle of people in charge is not a very large one and the idea that a Senator and his son could encounter someone in the Red Army Intelligence community during a summit in World War II is completely believable. Also, this is a work of fiction so there are certain conveniences that the readers just need to go with.
I love this series and I think I'll need to re-read Fall of Giants and then Winter of the World again just before Book 3 is released.
On a side note, October is banned books month so your next book should be one that has been banned. Tomorrow ends the official Banned Books Week but check out the website www.bannedbooksweek.org for a list of books to choose from. I found I have read plenty. How about you?
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