Horrorstör - Grady Hendrix; Michael Rogalski

Title: Horrorstör
Author: Grady Hendrix; illustrated by Michael Rogalski
Pages: 248
Published: 2014
Genre: Suspense, Thriller
Edition: Paperback
Source: Library

Description: Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking.

To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.

A traditional haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting, Horrorstör comes packaged in the form of a glossy mail order catalog, complete with product illustrations, a home delivery order form, and a map of Orsk’s labyrinthine showroom. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I had heard quite a bit about this book during the final months of 2014 and really wanted to read it.

I think my expectations got the best of me with this book and while the book started out strongly, it seemed to run out of energy and I felt that the book limped its way towards the end.  It probably was a little too weird for my liking, but I did like the fact that there were interesting illustrations that reminded me of those that one can find in an Ikea catalogue.

Bottom line: If you enjoy odd, unique stories, you probably will enjoy this book.  Recommended, with some reservations.

Rating: 2.75/5

The Narrow Road to the Deep North - Richard Flanagan

Title: The Narrow Road to the Deep North
Author: Richard Flanagan
Pages: 334
Published: 2014
Genre: Historical Fiction
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Library

Description: Richard Flanagan's story — of Dorrigo Evans, an Australian doctor haunted by a love affair with his uncle's wife — journeys from the caves of Tasmanian trappers in the early twentieth century to a crumbling pre-war beachside hotel, from a Thai jungle prison to a Japanese snow festival, from the Changi gallows to a chance meeting of lovers on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Taking its title from 17th-century haiku poet Basho's travel journal, The Narrow Road To The Deep North is about the impossibility of love. At its heart is one day in a Japanese slave labour camp in August 1943. As the day builds to its horrific climax, Dorrigo Evans battles and fails in his quest to save the lives of his fellow POWs, a man is killed for no reason, and a love story unfolds. (via Goodreads).

Thoughts: I will admit that the only reason that I read this book was because it won the 2014 Man Booker Prize, making it the fourth Booker award winner that I have read, that I am aware of (The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Illuminaries by Eleanor Catton and Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel being the other three).

What I liked about the book was that while the book has beautiful imagery, it is also heartbreaking at the same time and renders the reader speechless.  It is a book of contrasts in that while your heart is breaking, yet at the same time you are hoping that characters in the book survive.

You also get a feel for what the POW camps that were building the railways through Thailand and Burma during the Second World War (the movie The Railway Man takes place during the same era). I definitely got the sense of atmosphere and quickly got wrapped up in Evans' world before, during and after the war (I felt that the scenes that took place after the war were almost dream-like; almost as if Dorrigo was imaging what could happen, if he survived the labour camp).

I really liked the dream-like quality that Flanagan brought to the book, especially the parts that take place after the war.  It was  almost like one was driven into a dream-like trance as a result.

Bottom line: A very well written book and certainly worthy of the Man Booker Prize that it received.  Probably would recommend the book to those that enjoy reading literary pieces of fiction.  Highly Recommended.

Rating: 4.5/5

Shadow of Night - Deborah Harkness

Title: Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy #2)
Author: Deborah Harkness
Pages: 584
Published: 2012
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Library

Description: Historian Diana Bishop, descended from a line of powerful witches, and long-lived vampire Matthew Clairmont have broken the laws dividing creatures. When Diana discovered a significant alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library, she sparked a struggle in which she became bound to Matthew. Now the fragile coexistence of witches, daemons, vampires and humans is dangerously threatened.

Seeking safety, Diana and Matthew travel back in time to London, 1590. But they soon realize that the past may not provide a haven. Reclaiming his former identity as poet and spy for Queen Elizabeth, the vampire falls back in with a group of radicals known as the School of Night. Many are unruly daemons, the creative minds of the age, including playwright Christopher Marlowe and mathematician Thomas Harriot.

Together Matthew and Diana scour Tudor London for the elusive manuscript Ashmole 782, and search for the witch who will teach Diana how to control her remarkable powers... (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I quite enjoyed the book, as I managed to fly through the book, albeit with the aid of an audiobook.  One of the aspects that I like was the time travel aspect, especially the Elizabethan era, as well as the introduction of new characters that added to the overall flavour and tenor to the book.

But I did feel that the middle of the book seemed to drag a bit and that if I wasn't listening to the audiobook while reading the book, I may have not completed the book as quickly as I was able to.

Bottom line: As the book is a continuation of A Discovery of Witches, I would probably recommend that you read that book before reading this one.  But if you have read the first book in the series and enjoyed that one, you probably will enjoy this book as well.  Highly Recommended.

Rating: 4/5

The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line - Rob Thomas; Jennifer Graham

Title: The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line (Veronica Mars #1)
Author: Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham
Pages: 336
Published: 2014
Genre: Mystery
Edition: Paperback
Source: Library

Description: Ten years after graduating from high school in Neptune, California, Veronica Mars is back in the land of sun, sand, crime, and corruption. She's traded in her law degree for her old private investigating license, struggling to keep Mars Investigations afloat on the scant cash earned by catching cheating spouses until she can score her first big case.

Now it's spring break, and college students descend on Neptune, transforming the beaches and boardwalks into a frenzied, week-long rave. When a girl disappears from a party, Veronica is called in to investigate. But this is not a simple missing person's case. The house the girl vanished from belongs to a man with serious criminal ties, and soon Veronica is plunged into a dangerous underworld of drugs and organized crime. And when a major break in the investigation has a shocking connection to Veronica's past, the case hits closer to home than she ever imagined. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I will come out and say that I am a Marshmellow (for those that don't know that means that I am a fan of Veronica Mars), so this review may be a little one-sided, but I guess if I didn't read the book, I probably wasn't a fan.

Anyways, this was a nice break from the more denser books that I had been reading at the time, especially Wolf Hall.  Unlike most books that I have completed, I was able to read the book over the course of an afternoon.  It kept the tone very similar to that of the TV series and the movie and it really felt like being apart of the Veronica Mar universe.

While it wasn't a great read, it also wasn't bad either; it sort of felt like going to a funny movie, when you aren't feeling well at the start but are enjoying the ride by the end of the movie.

Bottom line: If you are a fan of the TV series and the movie, you probably will enjoy this read and probably already have read it by now.  Recommended, but highly recommended for Veronica Mars fans.

Rating: 3.75/5

Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel

Title: Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell Trilogy #1)
Author: Hilary Mantel
Pages: 532
Published: 2009
Genre: Historical Fiction
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Personal

Description: Tudor England. Henry VIII is on the throne, but has no heir. Cardinal Wolsey is charged with securing his divorce. Into this atmosphere of distrust comes Thomas Cromwell - a man as ruthlessly ambitious in his wider politics as he is for himself. 

His reforming agenda is carried out in the grip of a self-interested parliament and a king who fluctuates between romantic passions and murderous rages. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: This book had been on my TBR for a number of years and the TV series that aired this past spring in North America on PBS prompted me to read the book.  I actually liked that it was a little slower to read through, as one was able to get a sense of Cromwell's intellect and calculating behaviour.  I liked how Mantel used language to slow the reader down deliberately and the personal details that were interspersed throughout the book and didn't overwhelm the story itself.

Bottom line: Really enjoyed the book and details and can see why the book won the Man Booker.  I would recommend the book to those that enjoy literary fiction and history fiction.  Highly Recommended.

Rating:  4.5/5

And Nothing But the Truth - Kit Pearson

Title: And Nothing But the Truth (The Whole Truth #2)
Author: Kit Pearson
Pages: 267
Published: 2012
Genre: Middle-Grade Fiction, Historical Fiction
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Library

Description: Kit Pearson’ s endearing heroine from The Whole Truth, Polly, is now thirteen and following in her sister’ s footsteps to a boarding school in Victoria. The adjustment is difficult— all those rules!— and Polly often escapes into her dreams of becoming an artist. At least her family is intact again, and there are no more dark and difficult secrets to be kept hidden . . . that is, until her teenage sister, Maud, makes a dramatic confession. Will Polly be able to keep this new secret? Will it tear her family apart again?  (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: Not sure how I first found out about this book, but probably when doing a searching for anything new out by Kit Pearson, who has long been a favourite author of mine since I was about 10 or 12.

I felt that this was a nice continuation of The Whole Truth and liked that a good number of the same characters appeared in the book, in addition to some new characters that made an appearance in the book.  The book was similar to another favourite book mine by Kit Pearson that I enjoyed as a middle-grade reader, The Daring Game.

Nothing really stood out for me, but I did like that there was a change in scenery during several points in the story, this one had scenes in Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna, and the small island community Polly lived in during The Whole Truth.  I also liked that the personality of Polly continued to evolve over the course of the book, experiencing emotions that a 13-year old probably would experience, given the set of circumstances that Polly was faced with.

As well, I liked how the author uses language that appreciates that her readership will probably want something that can challenge their reading ability, while not dumbing it down, making it too easy for them to read.  And writing in a way that even adult readers enjoy the book as well.  And as this reader can attest to, Ms. Pearson does that well.

But if there was something that I didn't enjoy it was that the author basically closed the book on Polly and her family and friends at the end, as I would have like see how Polly evolved as a person through the different adventures and experiences as she grew into a young adult.

Bottom line: A good addition to the Kit Pearson cannon and while it is not my favourite book of hers, it is engaging for the reader and is able to challenge middle-grade readers.  I would also recommend The Daring Game and The War Guest Trilogy, which are also written by the same author.

Rating: 4.25/5

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy - Karen Abbott

Title: Liar, Temptress, Four Women Undercover in the Civil War
Author: Karen Abbott
Pages: 515
Published: 2014
Genre: Non-fiction
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Library

Description: After shooting a Union soldier in her front hall with a pocket pistol, Belle Boyd became a courier and spy for the Confederate army, using her charms to seduce men on both sides. Emma Edmonds cut off her hair and assumed the identity of a man to enlist as a Union private, witnessing the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. The beautiful widow, Rose O’Neale Greenhow, engaged in affairs with powerful Northern politicians to gather intelligence for the Confederacy, and used her young daughter to send information to Southern generals. Elizabeth Van Lew, a wealthy Richmond abolitionist, hid behind her proper Southern manners as she orchestrated a far-reaching espionage ring, right under the noses of suspicious rebel detectives.

Using a wealth of primary source material and interviews with the spies’ descendants, Abbott seamlessly weaves the adventures of these four heroines throughout the tumultuous years of the war. With a cast of real-life characters including Walt Whitman, Nathaniel Hawthorne, General Stonewall Jackson, detective Allan Pinkerton, Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, and Emperor Napoleon III, Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy draws you into the war as these daring women lived it. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts:  I had high expectations for this book, since I had seen pretty good reviews for the book and it also looked interesting, but sadly, the expectations for the book didn't pan out for me.  While the topic was fascinating enough to keep me going, including reading about the fates of each of the four women that were followed in the book, the writing tended to be long-winded at best and it seemed to get bogged down in some of the details about the women.  It seemed to me at least that the author seemed to focus on certain women more than others, particularly the Temptress.  But I can understand why, especially if there as more documentation on her than on the others.

Bottom line: It was a fascinating look at these four women, who were involved on either the Union or Confederate side of the war.  The book would likely appeal to those interested in the American Civil War and the roles that women played in it.

Rating: 3/5