Shadow Fires by Dean R. Koontz (unabridged audiobook read by Jonathan Marosz): As Rachel and Eric leave the offices of their divorce lawyers, they are arguing viciously about the settlement. Eric gets so angry he storms off directly into oncoming traffic, where he is killed by a garbage truck. After the initial shock wears off, Rachel gets incredibly paranoid and hangs out with her boyfriend Ben, actively not telling him things. When Eric’s body disappears from the morgue, her paranoia becomes a reality: Eric’s not really dead! It gets a little silly from there, blending unlikely genetic theory with bizarre theology on the afterlife. It’s a chase story through and through, with Ben and Rachel spending the bulk of the book not telling each other things while fleeing Eric, the local cops, and the feds. Koontz is usually good for quirky characters having bizarre adventures, but this time he was a little short on the adventure part. It was really nothing more than one big chase scene, that didn’t even tie up the majority of the issues it raised by the end (namely, the consequences of the characters’ actions, the mental waffling over which had been a big part of the plot). So yeah: dig Koontz, not so big on Shadow Fires. (Interestingly, this is the last novel he wrote using a pseudonym. Maybe that should have been a clue.)
Tag Archives: book reviews
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell: This book uses a lot of words to say very little. Basically, snap judgements and gut reactions are the result of very quick processing of information by our subconscious mind, and if we try to think hard about why we feel the way we do, we’ll come up empty because that information isn’t accessible by our conscious minds. So we should trust our intuition…except that we shouldn’t, because our gut reaction can also reveal our inner racist and cause us to elect people like Warren Harding. So we shouldn’t trust it…except that many major decisions can and should be made using a very small amount of information, because too much will hinder your decision-making process…but you can’t know which information is critical without a lengthy and detailed study of all possible factors. So…trust your gut only if you’re highly trained and not under very much stress. I guess. I was tempted to put down this book several times, but the writing style is actually quite engaging, and I had faith that the author would somehow tie up all his suppositions into some kind of generalized theory. He doesn’t. He shares a lot of marginally interesting anecdotes, but I was definitely unimpressed. So if you enjoy arbitrary and often conflicting psychological conclusions supported by loads and loads of case studies from a large variety of fields (from New Coke to marriages to police brutality), you will like this book. If you’re looking for a cohesive explanation or even a concrete argument one way or another, you will be left wanting.
Also posted on BookCrossing.
Young Female, Traveling Alone by Anne-Marie M. Pop
Young Female, Traveling Alone by Anne-Marie M. Pop: Feeling unaccountably miserable living the life of a successful Westerner, Anna decides to leave it all behind to backpack around Asia. This book is comprised of many very short chapters, more like a series if memories than a cohesive narrative, and told in the blunt style of a personal diary. As someone who has never seen any of the places Anna visits, I would prefered a lot more detail and description, but I still learned a lot about the life of the solo backpacker.
Also posted on BookCrossing.
The Door Within by Wayne Thomas Batson
The Door Within (The Door Within Trilogy, Book 1) by Wayne Thomas Batson: This is the story of Aidan, a rather emotional 15-year-old boy who finds some old scrolls in his grandfather’s basement that lead him to The Realm, a fantastical land of knights, unicorns, and dragons. I spent much of the book with a nagging sense of deja vu. About halfway through I realized that this story was more or less The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe sans talking animals. It was all there: the Other Land discovered by a child but disbelieved by all their elders except for the old man who owned the house; the semi-medieval setting; and the heavy Christian allegory, without which the story doesn’t make a whole lot of sense (if you don’t recognize King Eliam as Jesus right away, you’ll spend much of the book wondering how he can be responsible for so many things he’s not present for). And despite its thickness, it also is unquestionably a children’s book. The characters are simple, the action is straightforward, and there are even potential vocabulary words in italics (portcullis, gauntlet, etc.). However, I’m looking at it through adult eyes. I’m sure this would be a very enjoyable book for a child, and it is in fact quite reminiscent of some of my favorite books from my youth. The description is very detailed without dragging, most of the characters are charmingly written, and the story is fun. I’m curious to see how the rest of the trilogy plays out.
Also posted on BookCrossing.
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden: This is the sort of book that draws you in from the very first page. As the title suggests, it is the story of Sayuri, sold by her parents at a young age to an okiya, a geisha house. Not only is it an engrossing story of suffering, longing, and triumph, it’s also a fascinating look at the life of a geisha during the 1930s and 40s. The description of the places and characters was so vivid I could see it all. The whole concept behind a geisha – that having a mistress was not only acceptable but even expected of wealthy men – was somewhat jarring to my Western sensibilities, but the tale was told with such compassion and earnestness that it was easy to get drawn in to the different culture, and almost forget that it was written by a middle-aged American man and not an aged Japanese woman. There were things here and there that struck me as unrealistic – Nobu’s interest in geisha despite finding them irritating, the pure malice of several characters – but by and large it was a great read.
Also posted on BookCrossing.
Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss
Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss: What a charming little book! With genuine affection for the subject matter and a large helping of wit, Truss methodically runs down the rules for apostrophes, periods, commas, exclamation points, question marks, dashes, quotation marks, hyphens, and brackets. If the very word “punctuation” causes you to yawn despairingly, this book is probably not for you. However, if you have even a passing interest in communicating more effectively, I heartily recommend picking up a copy. Contrary to popular belief, the purpose of punctuation is not to drive you bats, but to clarify the written word. It’s quite useful, really, as is demonstrated so well in this book. I learned a lot without ever feeling lectured to, and even laughed quite a bit.
Also posted on BookCrossing.
One Writer’s Beginnings by Eudora Welty
One Writer’s Beginnings by Eudora Welty: I confess, I have not read any of Ms. Welty’s stories. The only reason I’d even heard of this book was because some famous author listed it as required reading for all aspiring writers. Having read it, I’m not entirely sure why. Sure, it’s a lovely painting of life in early 20th century Mississippi, but besides making the point of “good writers can come from any background” there isn’t much to be gained in terms of writing advice. So while I may recommend it as a descriptive and nostalgic memoir, I would not include it in my personal list of a writer’s essential texts.
Also posted on BookCrossing.
Marker by Robin Cook
Marker by Robin Cook (unabridged audiobook read by George Guidall): Healthy patients are dying mysteriously, and medical examiners Laurie Montgomery and Jack Stapleton are on the case. I liked the plot – I wasn’t able to guess the twists ahead of time and I learned a bit about medicine and the medical industry in the process – but some of the language got a little tedious. Perhaps doctors are different, but ordinary people do not regularly use that many four-syllable words per sentence. Cook also has an irritating habit of using “questioned” instead of “asked”, and having a character get impatient at the silence should there be a pause in the narration for a brief bit of description. Taking in someone’s appearance does not cause a noticeable lull in conversation. Most people’s brains work more quickly than that. Overall, however, it’s a pretty good story. I was indeed on the edge of my seat in parts (which is made worse in audiobooks since you can’t read faster to get to the resolution), and the ending was mostly satisfying. Not a deep or especially memorable read, but a nice diversion during my daily commute.
The World of Pooh by A.A. Milne
The World of Pooh by A. A. Milne: This thick volume contains both Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner, and contains pretty much all of the most famous stories. I’d been meaning to read this since my exposure to these tales had been limited to Disney’s interpretation. Most of the characters were more or less the way I’d imagined, with the exception of Eeyore. In the book he’s less mopey and gloomy than sarcastic and self-centered. To be honest, I think I like this snarky Eeyore better. The stories as a whole were fairly enjoyable, though the sad endings of each book (with a separate story just to say goodbye) got a little tiresome. Growing up really isn’t this big horrible thing. Believe it or not, you are allowed to have an imagination as an adult. That said, I do understand why these tales are so beloved. They are charming and undeniably memorable.
Also posted on BookCrossing.
Indelible by Karin Slaughter
Indelible
Also posted on BookCrossing.