Book Review: Cleaning Nabokov's House by Leslie Daniels

 

From the first page, I was drawn into this book and pulled through it, riveted. I almost felt like there were multiple books. The beginning starts out as a very literary book about a woman, Barb, fed up with her husband’s controlling ways, so she leaves him, but she doesn’t do it in the best way and it sets up some problems.

Again and again, the main character goes about things in a way that is totally left of center to me. At first it seemed like this might be due to depression. In fact, the anger and bitterness, seemingly born out of depression, and visited upon anything around her, is almost funny, but a little too hypercritical. It was really starting to get to me and I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep reading.

“There was the same horrendous taste in personal apparel, the same huge asses tucked forever into cars, the same vicious garden club, the same excessive and frightening niceness, the same silence that could be peace or utter isolation.”

As she mourns her situation though, coming out from under the thumb of oppression by her regimented husband, she makes friends and it slowly starts to lift. Strangely, it turns into a women’s lit about life, sex, female friendships, and getting by. Then she meets a hunk of a carpenter and it starts to turn into a Rom Com.  

*Spoilers below, though not too many.*

There are many moments that are pretty farcical. I mean, the social worker starts dating her ex-husband. Or her mother, who told her for two years in a row that “Grandma is in Florida and can’t come for Christmas” because she couldn’t admit that Grandma was dead.

The main character is not weighed down by societal norms, and yet she is. She doesn’t think twice about leaving a car by the side of the road, unbolting the plates, and walking away, or opening a bordello to service women. But she’s supremely aware of her clothes, or rather lack of appropriate attire for situations. And she never seems to consider that splitting with her husband would have a profound impact on her children, that they might be angry or sad, until the teacher calls her because they are acting out.

The writing style is a bit minimalist. I appreciate leaving some things to the readers imagination but sometimes it felt like there was a lack of reaction by the main character to things that happened. She did this, then she did this, but without thinking things through, considering options, and making a choice. The character would skip all that and leap right into doing. It left me disconcerted at times.

Even the name given to the town was grating, Onkwedo. Apparently an homage to Nabokov, it was annoying every time I heard it in my head, like a goose honking.

In the end, I found this a fascinating ride, but a disquieting journey. I would recommend it for an funny, irreverent, entertaining, journey, but not definitely not a relaxing read.

Book Review: The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman

 

The Dark Archive (The Invisible Library: Book 7)

by Genevieve Cogman

This has been a thoroughly entertaining series and the latest book is one of her finest. Action, mystery, Fae villains (and allies,) Dragon royalty, The Library, snarky comebacks, precise descriptions, some surprises – it’s a perfect diversion for the winter months.

“Irene began to descend the stairs, her mind whirring with possible plans. A pity that so many of them ended up in And then he shoots me.”

Irene is a librarian but not your archetypal one – she’s also a spy tasked with gathering books from different worlds to hold in The Library, which helps balance the worlds of order with worlds of chaos.

In Cogman’s world, or worlds, there are humans, which includes librarians, Fae who are chaotic, and Dragons who represent order. There are a multitude of worlds, exactly like the Earth, that can be traveled between. Events on the worlds often diverge at different points in the timeline. 

There is a truce in force between dragons and Fae, and the librarians are the neutral party. Here, Irene is tasked with trying to find a way to get her young apprentice, Catherine, a Fae, into the library. Her mentor, Coppellia, tells her it is necessary, but it seems impossible. 

Meanwhile there seems to be an assassin on the loose and nasty little mind controlling metal snakes that remind me of a particular Doctor Who mechanism. 

There’s a strong steampunk feel to this series as most of the worlds we visit tend to be during a time period in the mid to late 1800s and largely British, though the technology can be more modern.

The return of many favorite characters, including Detective Vale and Inspector Singh, as well as a few key villainous suspects make for an entertaining clash. I highly recommend this adventure for some fairly light reading.

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Book Review: The Book of Candlelight by Ellery Adams

 

The Book of Candlelight

Secret, Book, and Scone Society Novel: Book 3

by Ellery Adams

 

I really enjoyed this book, it is everything I want in a cozy mystery.

The western North Carolina resort town of Miracle Springs is known for its healing waters, but the really special thing about this book is the characters.

Nora Pennington owns a small bookshop, Miracle Books, housed in a renovated train station and lives in a renovated caboose. She offers books, shelf enhancing little collectible antiques, and a coffee bar. (The coffee bar also offers book pastries made by her friend, Hester, from the Gingerbread House bakery.)

Nora is known for her bibliotherapy, recommending books to help people with their problems, just as June works at the therapeutic springs, Hester makes baked goods that bring people special memories, and Estella offers beauty treatments that make people feel good about themselves.

The many titles Nora recommends to different people for different issues are offered here along with the explanation of why she chose them, as well as books just recommended for enjoyable reading. (I recognized about half to three-quarters.)

At the beginning of this book the town is deluged by rain which bring with it a mess of problems, from Nora’s accident on her bike to a body found in flood waters, and a mysterious stranger committing petty but scary crimes against Nora and her friends.

Nora and friends rally around Marie, the pregnant young widow of the man found in the flood waters, to help her handle her grief and keep her putting one foot in front of another. Nora, of course, can't help trying to solve the mystery of his death too.

There’s a new character that Nora hires on to help with the book store, and new people in town, as well as old favorites like the sheriff. They bring conflict, strife, and sometimes dead bodies to the town, which is what a murder mystery is all about.

I adored the new character of Sheldon Vega, who wears a pink bowtie, a sweater vest, and a fedora at their first meeting.

“Don’t you get tired of that noise?” asked a doppelganger for Colonel Sanders. He removed a gray fedora and shook it out, his gaze moving from Nora’s face to her torn pants. “Honey, you’re a hot mess. What can Sheldon do to help you?”

Just like all the characters, he has his flaws and problems, which bring depth to the story. They feel pretty well-rounded for a cozy mystery.

Sheldon brings Nora into contact with the women running the old guest house where he is staying, and the mysteries that surface there as they renovate the old place. 

Not every little mystery connects in this book, but enough do and in logical ways to make it a great read.

There’s also a romance between Nora and handsome paramedic, Jed, which adds complications to the story very nicely.

I’m really loving this series. The first one was a 4 star for me, but this one I’d give a 5 star to. I’ll be going back to read book 2 now and I’m looking forward to book 4 coming out in a month or so.

Book Review: Battle Ground by Jim Butcher

 

Battle Ground

by Jim Butcher

I’ve heard a lot about this book from various people, but let it slide in one ear and out the other, mostly taking heed that it was an emotional book to read during the midst of a pandemic, especially if one were attached to the characters. So, I waited. I wasn’t ready to subject myself to that.

I finally decided to read the book after Christmas.

“They say civilization is a thin veneer over barbarism. Chicago stood waiting for the first tearing sound.”

It is well written. The descriptions are solid and literary. It brings together a host of people that Harry knows, both as allies and adversaries, into this one pitched battle in Chicago as a Titan declares war on them.  

It definitely is well suited to its title, Battle Ground. I’m afraid I don’t really enjoy scenes of battle or wars, or even fighting these days, so perhaps this was never going to appeal to me the way it might others. The descriptions are very clear without being overly gory, which seems like a feat when writing a battle. I felt like he focused more on emotional toll it takes.

I got into this series as more of a fantasy based mystery series. That being said, I do very much appreciate some of the twists in the stories and some character facets that I was not anticipating. Obviously, I can’t say more than that.

I felt the pacing was a little too slow overall. It could have been tightened. The book is 418 pages, which is not at all egregious for a fantasy novel, and I can’t pinpoint something that should have been cut on one reading, but it felt like a lot of waiting. I do acknowledge that with the warm perspective Butcher writes, a battle creates a lot for both the character and the reader to process.

It hints, rather broadly and strongly, at facets of Harry’s character that we are not yet privy to, and won’t be for a book or two yet.

There is humor, of course.

“You are a highly creepy little person,” I said.

“Thank you,” Lacuna said gravely.

And yet I felt a distance in the story. When people die, even an important character or two, I didn’t feel it as much. There was really only one line that brought tears to my eyes. To be sure, there were philosophical observations that were interesting and/or rang true for me.

I wouldn’t say this was the best book in the series, but it was a solid installment. I’m looking forward to the next one. I simply couldn’t desert Harry at this point. He’s perfectly imperfect, and the situations he is put in are very human though they deal with magic and fantastical creatures.

If you’re a fan of the Dresden Files, you’ve probably already read this book. If you haven’t, I highly recommend starting earlier in the series. This really isn’t something you want to come into midstream. You could, but the character and relationships develop so much over time that many people go back and re-read occasionally. The writing is highly competent and involving from the beginning but the author really develops his craft as time goes on. I will always recommend these books for anyone who enjoys urban fantasy.

Book Review: The Master of Hounds by Joseph Gary Crance

 

The Master of Hounds

by Joseph Gary Crance

This fourth book in the series opens with a family wedding and a display of the uncanny perceptions of the Ernst family. We step into the action not too long after the third book, then fast forward to the boy Mattie, all grown up and going to college. A new character, a young woman named Logan, enters the picture, running with the wrong crowd as she searches for a connection her upbringing lacked. She falls in with a biker gang that means bad news for her, and the Ernst family.

The author deems his work family saga but I felt like this book reminded me of an action film with magical realism, which definitely worked for me. The exceptional powers of characters, human and canine, plays fairly lightly but an important element. Though I’ve only had one dog of my own in my life, the uncanny intelligence of a dog is something that I’m well familiar with and so I can readily accept a canine character that goes just a touch above that. I’ve also always enjoyed an easy sort of acceptance in spirits and spirit guides stepping into a story to offer some perspective.

My favorite parts of the story owe more to the detailed description of nature and the experiences characters have while communing with the countryside of Painted Post – from camping to fishing to simply observing sunrises.  

“Then it happened. The sun poked above the eastern ridge, bathing Painted Post in soft yellow. A flock of starlings, ecstatic at the start of the new day, left the upper limbs of large sycamores and started a twisting murmuration over the growing corn.”

It brought me nostalgic reminders of my youth fishing with my father and listening to hunting stories around the dinner table. Homespun wisdom and nature lore play a large part in this story.

Many old favorite characters return, such as Uncle Arthur and J.P., then there are many familiar from just the last book who play important parts in Matthew’s story.

I have to admit there was a couple too many instances of characters cupping another character’s chin for my taste and some of the jokes are played with a fairly heavy hand, as with Uncle Arthur and a certain lady who is interested in him, and jokes about men running away from a wedding. These minor distractions did not keep me from enjoying the story though.

I’m looking forward to the next book.