Canada

Canada 

by Mike Myers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a much more informative and interesting book than I expected it to be. It was funny, which I expected, but it was also a serious memoir about growing up in Canada. I learned a lot about modern Canadian history from this book and Myers' stories about the growth of his career were very interesting. I listened to this as an audiobook which was great because the Canadian accent added a lot to the story. 

 I am counting this book toward the 15th Canadian Reading Challenge. 

The War of the Worlds

The War of the Worlds 

by H.G. Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listened to this audiobook which was brilliantly narrated by Simon Prebble. I wasn't sure what to expect from this sci-fi classic and I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. The vocabulary was more sophisticated than in most contemporary novels, but the style did not feel old-fashioned despite having been written in 1898. I really liked the way the book was structured: the narrator is telling us the story in the past tense so we know (even in the really scary bits) that he is going to survive. We also hear about the experiences his brother had so we can see what is happening in two different places. The way the story ends was also really well done and (for me at least) unexpected. 

This book is on my Classics Club list. 

Paris 1919

Paris 1919: Six Months that Changed the World 

by Margaret MacMillan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Historian Margaret MacMillan has crafted a fascinating tale of the personalities and power-struggles that surrounded the drafting of the Treaty of Versailles. This peace treaty marked the end of WWI and many of the decisions that went into it still echo in today's world. European hubris can be solidly blamed (my interpretation, not the author's statement) for the political mess in the middle east. This is a LONG book, but it is a tale well told and everyone's story is included, not just the big players. If you want to understand how the men (it was mostly men) who crafted the peace did it and what influenced the choices they made this book is an excellent way to learn about it.


This book counts toward the  Canadian Book Challenge as it includes the role of the Canadian delegation in the peace process, and (more importantly) was written by a professor at the University of Toronto.  

 

All the Devils are Here

All the Devils Are Here 

by Louise Penny
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was my least favorite of the Louise Penny novels so far. It was set in Paris and most of the regular characters from the series made only very brief appearances. I also felt like the story dragged a great deal in the middle. The imminent arrival of a baby is also part of the plot here and I never like that in a storyline. This is by no means a bad book--it is a Louise Penny novel after all--it just wasn't as fabulous as some of the previous ones. 

I am counting this toward the Canadian Reading Challenge.

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

The Spy Who Came In from the Cold 

by John le Carré
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a dark book and it maintains a constant feel of tension and danger (sometimes lurking, sometimes very active). It is very well done, however, and despite the pervasive sense of dread I had to keep turning pages (so to speak--I listened to it) to see what would happen. The story takes place during the Cold War, shortly after the Berlin Wall was built, and the action is mostly in Berlin and London. The opening scene is very cinematic and sets the tone of the book immediately. 

Le Carre's first novel, Call for the Dead, includes Hans-Dieter Mundt, an assassin working for the East German Secret Service. In this novel Alec Leamus, head of the British intelligence office in West Berlin, has just been recalled to London after the death of his last double-agent. He is ready to "come in from the cold" (get out of the spy business) but he is sent out on a final assignment to take down Mundt. This novel is the story of that job. 

This is one of the titles from my Classics Club list. 

A Better Man

A Better Man
by Louise Penny
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The province of Quebec is threatened with catastrophic flooding as this 15th novel in the Gamache series begins. The fight to save the province from the rising waters provides a throughline to the other events in the novel, surete politics for Gamache and Beauvoir, a crisis of artistic conscience for Clara, and a case involving a woman gone missing from her abusive husband. Like all these novels this one is a page turner and filled with wise observations on the world. 

“Consequences,” said Gamache. “We must always consider the consequences of our actions. Or inaction. It won’t necessarily change what we do, but we need to be aware of the effect."

What jumped out at me in this book was the questions to ask yourself before you speak: “Is it true? Is it kind? Does it need to be said?”

This book counts toward the 13th Canadian book challenge. 

Children of the Storm

Children of the Storm
by Elizabeth Peters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"The Great War has ended at last. No longer must archaeologist Amelia Peabody and her husband, Emerson, the distinguished Egyptologist, fear for the life of their daring son, Ramses, now free from his dangerous wartime obligations to British Intelligence. The advent of a season of joy and peace marks a time of new beginnings in Luxor, with delightful additions to the growing Emerson family and fascinating wonders waiting to be discovered beneath the shifting Egyptian sands."

This is the 15th entry in the Amelia Peabody series and despite the end of the war their lives are as crowded as ever with enemies, crimes, heroics, and puzzles for Amelia to untangle while she admires the fine physique of her domineering husband. Amelia is a wonderfully entertaining character--she has always wanted to board a pirate ship with a cutlas in her teeth but is concerned about the logistics of such a thing and the dental problems that might result--and she is voiced brilliantly by Barbara Rosenblat in the audiobook version.  There is quite a bit in this book about the character of Sethos, which I liked, and Selim has a dramatic part to play as well. 

This book counts towards my Cruisin' Through the Cozies challenge either for the mystery set outside the US--Egypt in this case--or the historical category. I will figure out where I need it when I sum up at the end of the challenge.

Circle of Quilters

Circle of Quilters
by Jennifer Chiaverini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked up this audiobook at the library because it had the word "circle" in the title and therefor completes the "shape" category in the 2018 What's in a Name Challenge. I have heard from various quilter friends that they really like Chiaverini's novels, but didn't really think they would appeal to me. I enjoyed this book very much. It was about the lives of a number of people who are applying for teaching positions at Elm Creek Quilt Camp. Their stories, and how they each come to apply for the job is told and then the reader is there for the interview of each. I enjoyed getting to know each person and was rooting for the various characters to do various things (I won't say what as I don't want to spoil the story).  There was some info about quilt making and a little bit of quilt history, but not as much as I expected. The structure of this particular novel may explain that. I am definitely going to read another of the Elm Creek Quilt novels.

World War Z

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
by Max Brooks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The premise of this book is that there was a Zombie War that nearly wiped out the planet and the narrator is a Studs Terkel-type writer who is interviewing people from around the world about their experiences in the war which is now (mostly) over. Through the stories the interviewees tell you learn what happened during the war. The thing that made this book really interesting though was that in large part it was about how people see themselves as part (or not) of their countries and how that makes them different from each other--especially how they are or are not Americans. The audio performance here was fabulous. There was a different person for each interviewee which gave each an additional layer of distinct personality beyond the words. I highly recommend this audiobook. My only complaint is that the part Nathan Fillion narrated was pretty short.

The Grave's a Fine and Private Place

The Grave's a Fine and Private Place
by Alan Bradley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“There are, in fact, no halos in the Bible—just as there are no cats or accordions.” 

Flavia is as indomitable as always in this latest adventure. We learn a bit about Dogger which was good, and Ms. De Luce considers what her future may bring as she untangles a mystery in a small town the family visits on holiday.
I don't think I had listened to one of these before, but this was an excellent audiobook, especially when Flavia decides that the only possible solution to a problem is to sing God Save the Queen as loudly as she can.
Set in England this is the creation of Canadian Alan Bradley and counts toward the Canadian Book Challenge. 

Draft #4

Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process
by John McPhee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a writer's memoir much more than a book on how to write. It did have some helpful tips about the writing process and I loved the note arrangement process where everything got typed up and then cut into slivers for rearranging and grouping into files to give specific chunks of the piece to work on. McPhee later started using software to do this which I personally found much less appealing. The stories about working at the New Yorker were great and pointed me to what sounds like the best job ever--fact checker. You get an article from the writer and then you research to prove that everything in it is true. So basically you read and poke around in reference materials all day and get a new topic to look into with each article.
I listened to the audiobook version of this which is very well narrated by the author.

Review: Cross Bones

Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Great audiobook (love Barbara Rosenblat as a narrator). There was a ton of biblical archaeology in this novel which I knew nothing about before and which was fascinating. The story starts with a murder in Quebec and leads Tempe and her handsome policeman beau to Israel and a tangle of Biblical scholars and raided tombs. 
 
I am counting this toward the Canadian Book Challenge. Speaking of which, the 10th Canadian Book Challenge starts on July 1, 2016, so the time to sign up is now. 

Review: A River in the Sky

A River in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Amelia Peabody just cracks me up. This was an excellent adventure with lots of situations where Peabody gushed over the marvelous Emerson and was sensible (yet ridiculous) with her plans and lists and such. A really good adventure story with a lot of humor despite the serious events. The narrator of this audio version (Barbara Rosenblat) to was just wonderful. I liked how the story was told from 2 mostly simultaneous points of view with "excerpts from manuscript H."
I am counting this as my "body of water in the title" book for the What's in a Name Challenge.

Review: Coraline

Coraline by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listened to the audiobook version of this which was wonderfully read by the author. This story of a little girl who wanders into a mirror-version of her own house was creepy and clever. Each element of her world has an alternate that is just a bit different and darker and seeing how each element will appear on the other side makes the build-up to the adventure interesting. Gaiman tucked funny bits into the story (Coraline doesn't like recipes, she only wants regular food, no recipes) while gradually ratcheting up the suspense and the horror-elements of the story. I would recommend this young adult novel to young and old alike.

Review: Kitchen Confidential

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you are bothered by coarse language this is not the book for you. However, the pirate ship mentality and outrageous behavior of Bourdain and his crews was incredibly entertaining. I am never eating at the Rainbow Room again, but otherwise came through this book about what goes on in restaurant kitchens unscathed. The same cannot be said for the author.
I listened to this as an audio, read by Bourdain, and it was like listening to him telling the various stories which worked really well.

I am counting this toward the Foodies Read 2015 challenge (as a memoir/biography).

Review: The Upside of Irrationality

The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home by Dan Ariely
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I listened to this audiobook and I had an issue with the audiobook which brought down the rating a bit. There are apparently several diagrams and examples of test questions included in the book and the audio referred you to these in your "enhanced audio" (which I didn't have from the library copy I was listening too). I found this super annoying.
The book itself was good. The experiments Ariely conducted on human decision-making were very interesting and there were several stories of his own experiences (he suffered severe burns as a young man and this colored much of his life) which added depth to the experimental information.

Review: Ripper

Ripper by Isabel Allende
Translated from the Spanish by Oliver Brock and Frank Wynne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I felt like this book started off very slowly. There was a lot of back-story on the various characters which we heard (I was listening to the audiobook) about in what seemed like tedious detail before anything much really happened. When the mystery that is the center-piece of the story finally got moving it was a much more interesting book. I also felt like the title was misleading as the novel has nothing at all to do with Jack the Ripper. The title comes from the name of an online role-playing game that had focused on the London killer, but when the novel starts the group has changed focus to a series of contemporary murders occurring in San Francisco.

Review: Birdseye

Birdseye: The Adventures of a Curious Man by Mark Kurlansky
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Birdseye's life was interesting, but perhaps not eventful enough to support a full biography. The book seemed a bit thin on substance. The side-trips into Labrador history and the histories of the various businesses Birdseye was connected to made for good reading, but the connection to the subject of the book didn't seem all that strong.
I listened to the audiobook version of this and the narrator, Jon Van Ness, did a good job with it. However, he had a midwestern-sounding accent and that seemed out of place to me as he was narrating the life of a New Englander.

This book counts toward the Foodies Read Challenge and the Canadian Book Challenge.

Review: Thunderstruck

Thunderstruck
by Erik Larson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There were a lot of things about this book that worked for me. The connections between the people Larson is focusing on and other historical figures was interesting, the weaving together of the two separate narratives at the end of the book was good, and I learned lots of stuff about wireless telephony. However, the sections of the book about Marconi and the development of wireless communication did not have enough "meat" to them to keep up their end of the book. The story of the Crippens, which included a transatlantic police chase and a sensational trial, was much more interesting and after about half the book the Marconi chapters felt repetitive.

I listened to this as an audiobook narrated by Bob Balaban who did an excellent job narrating the story.

This book counts toward the What's in a Name 2014 Challenge in the category of "a type or element of weather."

Review: Dodger

Dodger by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This novel was a great melding of history, fantasy, and humor. Unrelated to the Discworld novels this book includes Charles Dickens and an assortment of other actual people in Victorian London mixing with assorted fictional characters, some familiar (Sweeney Todd for example) and others new to this book. I listened to an audio book version of this narrated by Stephen Briggs who did a wonderful job of bringing the story alive.