Expiation
It wasn’t all bad, of course. I liked Dan’s first wife Wendy and his brother, who both had strong and memorable – if a touch stereotypical – personalities. The reading was reasonably fast, allowing even a slow reader like me to plow through multiple chapters in a sitting. The issue was mostly a lack of conflict, which led to a lack of plot. I really wish more had been done with the pack of letters, or Dan’s marital troubles, or even Diana’s financial woes. If you like simple romance novels, you may enjoy this one, since that’s essentially what it is: a story about a romance. I, alas, am a more demanding reader.
Also posted on BookCrossing.
by Beth McMullen: Lucy Parks is a stay-at-home mom, simultaneously raising her three-year-old son and trying to hide the fact that she used to be James Bond. Well, that’s only sort of true: in her former life she was known as Sally Sin, a spy for the US Agency for Weapons of Mass Destruction, an action-packed thrill ride of a career that allowed for exactly no social life whatsoever. When Lucy met her soon-to-be husband Will, she quit the Agency and dedicated herself to full-time normalcy. The story is an entertaining mix of Lucy’s current pleasantly mundane life and her memories as a spy, which could have been directed by Michael Bay. Though I had trouble buying the relationship between Lucy and Will, as they appear to have pretty much nothing in common, I got a kick out Lucy’s struggle to maintain calm as the madness of her former life comes back to haunt her. From what I understand, this is the first book in an upcoming series – one I might actually try to keep up with. This book is a fun ride.
by Philip Plait, PhD: You know, considering this is all about the various cataclysmic ways the world can end, I really expected to be more engrossed. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood or something, but I could never read more than a handful of pages before my mind started wandering or I fell asleep. I suspect this is largely my fault, as Plait is clearly in love with this topic and with astronomy in general. He describes each ghastly scenario with glee, from asteroid collisions to the death of the universe, and demonstrates in no uncertain terms that should any of these events take place within our lifetime, we are royally screwed. Granted, the odds of us actually witnessing most of the calamities described are infinitesimal, if not actually zero, a point which is also made clear enough to avoid any unnecessary fear-mongering. I learned a lot from reading this, and I recommend it to those with an interest in astronomy, or doomsday scenarios, or both.
by Dale Carnegie: In general, I do not read self-help books. I find them preachy and uninspiring. This book, however, was highly recommended by a blogger whose post convinced me to give it a shot. I’m glad I did. Though the principles are probably common sense (motivate through praise rather than criticism, listen without interrupting, smile, make the other person feel important, etc.), I believe it did me some good to hear them all laid out in such a straightforward manner. Everybody else on the planet is just as self-absorbed as I am, and they care far more about what they want than what I want. Each chapter began with a principle, described it a little in general, then listed anecdote after anecdote about the principle in action. Most telling to me was the repeated assurance that these techniques only work if the feeling behind them in genuine, not manipulative. People can see through flattery.
by Stephenie Meyer and Young Kim: I am curious if the Twilight frenzy will continue long enough for there to be a volume 2. But that’s neither here nor there. This is 
by David Anthony and Charles David: Josh and Jozlyn live in your typical Medieval-ish fantasy village, with fairy armies and witches’ holidays. Our story begins on Cauldron Cooker’s Night, a celebration for witches that leaves regular folk cowering under their beds. When the whole town is turned to frogs by a vengeful witch, it is up to Josh and Jozlyn to save them. Along the way they encounter ogres and wizards, magic mushrooms and bog beasts. Master Gramble, the turtle with the brain of a stone, was probably my favorite character, and I hope he shows up in future volumes of the series. The illustrations were fine and detailed. This was more or less a standard sword’n’sorcery tale but I happen to like me some good old fashioned S&S so I’m not complaining. That said, it is undeniably written for children, complete with cautionary asides about not eating wild mushrooms without a parent around and other such things that took me out of the story. Which isn’t a bad thing, of course – it just means that I, as an adult, did not get as much enjoyment out of the story as I probably would have a couple decades ago. However, this would be a fun one to read aloud to your kids, if only to say “griznt” over and over again.
by David Anthony and Charles David: Three superhero siblings save a small Michigan town from certain peril, this time in the form of aliens peddling hypnosis-inducing ice cream. Their powers are silly (speed and sports; the ability to drive anything with wheels, including airplanes; and anything Superman can do, respectively) but fun. Most memorable for me was the youngest, Zoe, who is still in diapers. I was a little concerned by the idea of a superhero lacking bladder control, but all the same, it was quite clear the authors wrote with their audience firmly in mind. For example, Zoe speaks only one word at a time, all potential vocabulary words; in this book they all started with the letter A but I assume future books in the series go through the alphabet. Adorable illustrations adorn every page. I was amused by the strange little asides and the commentary on sibling rivalry. In short, this is the sort of thing I would probably have enjoyed as a child. I also probably would have colored the illustrations.
by Tove Jansson: I admit to being a little disappointed when I discovered that this was not the story of Moominpappa’s adventures following the Hattifatteners, but I soon came round to embrace this strange tale of fathers: Moomintroll’s, Sniff’s, and Snufkin’s, respectively. I was a little concerned that Sniff and Snufkin appeared to have never even met their parents, but I guess in Moominland that’s not such a crazy notion. Anyway, this is Moominpappa’s somewhat embellished account of his early years, from his abandonment at a Hemulen-run orphanage to the day he met Moominmamma. I was truly entertained by the Autocrat’s speeches, and the art was wonderful as always, but this was not my favorite Moomin book. Moominpappa’s inflated sense of self-importance was amusing at first, but became tiresome by the end. Luckily, it’s a very short book, and does not overstay its welcome.
by Gail Carson Levine: Aza is not a pretty girl. She is tall and stout with a chalky complexion and black hair. However, in a kingdom where people sing as often as speak, her voice is the loveliest in the land. When a duchess stays at her parents’ inn and invites her to accompany her to the king’s wedding, Aza’s life is turned upside down. Before she knows it, the new queen has asked her to be her lady-in-waiting, and a budding friendship begins with the king’s nephew, Prince Ijori. This take on the classic tale of Snow White is charming and engrossing; I couldn’t wait to see what happens next. Aza is introspective and clever, always at odds with her appearance. I laughed in several places, and the ending found me with a big silly grin on my face. Definitely recommended to lovers of fairy tales.
by John McNally: I love the idea of being an “unrepentant” novelist. So many creative writing books fall into one of two categories: 1) publishers don’t like new authors and you won’t get published unless your brother-in-law owns Random House, and 2) let the words flow and worry about quality later, at a time not covered by this book. McNally, who is both a published author and veteran of the academic side of the trade, offers a refreshingly different viewpoint. He works from the assumption that his readers are “young” (that is, inexperienced) writers seriously considering making their pastime passion into a full-time gig. Though there is almost no discussion of the actual craft of writing, he does cover various educational options and goes through the publication and employment processes with equal parts encouragement and realism. If you’re serious about writing as a career, this is an excellent resource.