Review: O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King

I bought my copy of O Jerusalem from Powells, probably with one of the many gift cards I've received for them over the years. It is the fifth published in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series, but chronologically it falls after (or, really, in the midst of) the first book, The Beekeeper's Apprentice.

In this book, Holmes and Russell have traveled, under the auspices of Holmes' brother Mycroft, to the Middle East. Mycroft indicated that he had something for them to do there, but he never specified what that something was. When they arrive, the Hazr brothers, Mahmoud and Ali, meet them at the dock and take Holmes and Russell under their wing. Russell dresses as a young Arab boy, Amir, in order to move more freely through a culture which does not allow women much freedom. They soon discover several deaths, which seem unrelated, but are eventually revealed to be the work of one man, or one group. Holmes and Russell, with the help of Mahmoud and Ali, set out to solve the murders and prevent an occurrence which could destroy the semblance of peace that has come to Israel.

I liked this book more than I thought I would. I was not terribly excited about the setting - the Middle East does not really intrigue me. But King's descriptions of the Holy Land really pulled me in, and made me feel like I was really there. The desert scenes had me running for water, and the scenes in the city of Jerusalem gave me a very good idea of what that ancient home to three religions was like. The race to save the day at the end was as exciting as always in a Holmes/Russell novel. Recommended for those who are already a fan of the series, for any who love the original Holmes and are looking for more, or for anyone who likes a good mystery. Four out of five Whatevers. And I think this one qualifies as my second review for the Merely Mystery Reading Challenge!

2012-5

Sign Up!

Just a reminder: Dewey's Readathon is happening. April 21. I've signed up, the Hubster has signed up, it's gonna be a thing. I didn't even have to work that weekend, so no special arrangements had to be made. This is my favorite blogosphere event, and I look so forward to it every six months! I'll be reading and blogging up a storm. To sign up, visit the dedicated blog. Hope you decide to join us!!!

Review: Season of Ash by Jorge Volpi

I received this book from LibraryThing, as part of their Early Reviewer program. It's taken me a while to get to it, as I've gotten distracted by reading other things (and by doing things other than reading).

So, what is this book about? It's going to be hard for me to describe. The story stretches from the late 1920's to the early 2000's, following (primarily) three women: Jennifer Moore, uptight economist working for the IMF; Eva Halasz, free-spirited computer scientist, jumping from man to man, trying to keep her outsized intelligence employed; and Irina Granin, a Soviet biologist, living through the fall of the Soviet Union. We follow each woman independently for most of the book, but the Volpi brings all three women's storylines together at the end. Ostensibly written by Yuri Chernishevsky, after he murders Eva Halasz (this is disclosed VERY early in the book, so I'm not giving anything away), the book takes readers from the Chernobyl disaster through the fall of Communism and the rise of capitalism in the former USSR, and also works in the development of the Human Genome Project, as well. Volpi name drops Russian and American politicians and biologists throughout.

I mostly enjoyed the book while I was reading it, but I found it hard to go back to, once I'd put it down. I mostly went back to it to discover Yuri's reasons for murdering Eva, but when the revelation came, it was somewhat anticlimactic. I think it would have helped to have been better versed in Russian history (especially the history of the late 20th century), but I did learn a lot from what I read in the novel. I have a much better understanding of the meaning of perestroika and glasnost and how the fall of the Soviet Union was orchestrated than I ever did in my school days (when I was living through it!). Part of my issue with the novel was that there wasn't enough action. I like plot-based books and this was much more of a character study...not least the character of the swiftly changing USSR. I think I just needed more action to keep me involved.

I would have to give this novel three out of five Whatevers. Good, but not excellent. There were a lot of typos. I don't believe my copy was an ARC, so I don't know how to explain that, and it really bugged me. Recommended for those who like slow-moving, character-based books; for those who have an interest in either Russian history of the late 20th century, or the development of the Human Genome Project; or for those who don't mind a more literary style of writing. (I did like how all major politicians and large cities were almost always modified by a particular phrase. For example, Moscow was "city of wide avenues" and Yeltsin "of strong arms.")

2012-4

Review: The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

This is one of the first books I ever Mooched, way back in 2008, when I first joined BookMooch! It's been sitting on the shelf ever since. Having finished the Outlander series, I needed a new series to keep me busy (at least until the next one comes out), so I decided to start in on the Earth's Children series.

This book tells the story of Ayla, a young girl left to her own devices when her mother is killed in an earthquake. She fends for herself for a few days, but is near death when she is discovered by the Clan of the Cave Bear (or one small clan of it). Ayla is not one of them, she is an Other. As far as I can tell, the Others are Homo sapiens, while the Clan is composed of Homo erectus. It's an interesting premise: two competing lines of humanity, one destined to die out, one destined to prosper. Ayla struggles to learn the ways of the clan, so different from her own instincts. She tries to adapt, to become a good clan woman, but her impulses sometimes get the better of her. This book tells the story of how she becomes Clan and how she maintains her differences, too. Will she be able to fully adapt to the ways of the Clan, or will she be cast out as too different to be accepted?

I enjoyed the book. I wish I had read something else that Auel wrote before I read this. The writing seemed simplistic, but that may have been a conscious choice, to better portray the early form of communication that the Clan engaged in and to echo their primitive language - they do not speak aloud, but rather use hand signals. I'll be continuing on with the series...I want to see what happens to Ayla and the rest of the Clan. I'd give this book 3.5 out five Whatevers. Enough to make me want to read more. Recommended for history lovers, those interested in the very early beginnings of man, and those who enjoy sweeping sagas.

2012-3

Review: An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon

I bought An Echo in the Bone about two years ago at Christmas, right when it first came out. I remember how excited I was...there wasn't supposed to be another Outlander book published, so when I heard that Gabaldon wrote another, I was ecstatic. And now there's another on the horizon!

This installment of what is one of my favorite series EVER follows Jamie and Claire as they attempt to make their way back to Scotland to fetch Jamie's printing press and bring it back to America. It also follows Brianna and Roger and their family, now that they've traveled back to 1980 Scotland and purchased Lallybroch. And a third storyline follows Willie, Jamie's illegitimate son and ward of Lord John Grey. I don't want to go too far into details, since doing so at all would probably lead to me giving away spoilers from both this book and the others. Suffice it to say, it was mostly more of the same - adventure on the high seas, war, espionage, love, love-making, and even a little bit of Scotland in this one!

I have to say, there was a little too much Willie for me in this novel. The previous books didn't really delve into Willie's life or experiences, so I felt like I didn't really know him, and it was a bit difficult to get used to reading about him now. And most of his storyline was about his wartime role in the British army, which alienated me even further. But I got used to it in time, and that plot actually dovetailed with the others eventually, so it made more sense once I saw how it played into the other plots.

While I mostly enjoyed the book, there was one other quibble (which I think really just reflects how much I like Gabaldon's writing). I don't really remember there being cliffhangers in the other books, but the end of this book felt less like an ending and more like the jumping off point for the next book. There were several LARGE loose ends in this book, enough that, with about 40 pages left I was saying to myself, "There is no way she can wrap this all up in the next 40 pages!" And when she didn't, I was kind of annoyed! It's going to be awhile before the next book comes out, and now I can't wait. I want to know what happens to Jem, and Roger, and Ian, and Jamie and Claire, and Claire and Lord John...

Four out of five Whatevers. Fewer Whatevers than I would otherwise give it, due to the slow Willie parts and the damned cliffhangers! Now, I can't wait for Written in My Heart's Own Blood to come out.

2012-2

Review: The Moor by Laurie R. King

This cover is not exactly the one on my book...mine is black, with gold writing, with a gold oval around the carriage from this pic. I believe I Mooched my copy. I finished the book about 12:15 am on Jan. 1, so according to Wendy, this counts for the Merely Mystery reading challenge!

I loved the first book in this series, but then only liked the two after it. I'm happy to report that this installment of the series was a return to the quality (for me) of the first one. I quite enjoyed it. It may be that it's because there was almost no mention of theology in this one. I really think that the theology was what bogged books two and three down for me.

In this episode, our intrepid heroes set off for Dartmoor, called in by Sabine Baring-Gould (who turns out to be Holmes' godfather) to solve a mystery that has haunted Holmes before. The moor folk (and others) have reported seeing a mysterious hound stalking the moor. It is following a carriage which the locals believe to be made of the bones of Lady Howard's dead husbands. Could it be that the Hound of the Baskervilles has returned to walk again? When people begin to show up dead on the moor, Baring-Gould calls in Holmes and Russell to get to the bottom of things.

This was just a good old-fasioned mystery. I really, thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd give it four and a half out of five Whatevers. Recommended for fans of Holmes (or Russell), for fans of mysteries, for fans of English history. I love this series and will be continuing on with it this year!

2012-1

Merely Mystery Reading Challenge

Wendy at Musings of a Bookish Kitty is hosting the Merely Mystery Reading Challenge. Participants can read at one of two levels: Down on Her Luck Gumshoe (two or more books from one mystery subgenre) or Shamus Who Has Seen It All (one book from each of the 12 subgenres). I don't usually go in for reading challenges, but seeing as it's Jan. 1 and I've already completed half of the Down on Her Luck Gumshoe level (maybe it's cheating, but I finished a mystery at 12:15 this morning!), I figured I'd join up. I plan on finishing several more mysteries this year, anyway, so even if my early morning finish doesn't count, I should still easily complete the level I've chosen. Head over to Wendy's post to sign up!