66. David McCullough, 1776: Pulitzer-winning history of the American Revolution during the year 1776, with particular emphasis on Washington's military campaigns. Fascinating details and plentiful quotes from both American and British sources.

67. Robyn Sisman, A Hollywood Ending: Mediocre chick lit that tells the love story of a spoiled Hollywood starlet and a snobby British documentarian. When you don't meet the male lead in the first 100 pages, you know the romance is going to be a tad bit underdeveloped. Reviews of #66-67 are here.

68. Sharon Shinn, General Winston's Daughter: YA fiction set in a fantasy realm dealing with themes of love, friendship, and colonialism. A very interesting exploration of imperialism from an adolescent's perspective, with likeable characters and an interesting plot. Full review is here.

69. Ken Sande, The Peacemaker: A book about conflict resolution from a Christian perspective. Not something I would have picked for myself, but some of the chapters were helpful. Review is here.

70. Carol Berg, Flesh and Spirit: Slow-paced but utterly absorbing fantasy novel about a renegade nobleman, a secret society, and the end of the world. If you can get past the first chunk, your perseverance will be rewarded! Full review is here.

71. Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley's Secret: 19th-century "sensation novel" about a man who vanishes without a trace and a woman whose troubled past threatens the lives of those around her. Fans of Wilkie Collins and/or gothic novels will like it. See the full review here.

72. Erin Hart, Lake of Sorrows: Satisfying sequel to Haunted Ground, in which Nora Gavin and her beau Cormac once again find a murder victim in a bog in western Ireland. Incredibly detailed character development, but at the expense of an unfocused plot. Review is here.

73. Margery Allingham, Mystery Mile: Dated mystery set in 1930s England featuring detective Albert Campion. A dangerous criminal gang repeatedly tries to kill a judge, so Campion hides him away at an English country house for safekeeping. Overwhelming slang obscures a pretty good mystery plot. Full review is here.


(Cross-posted to 50bookchallenge and 100ormorebooks.)

Title: Havemercy

Author: Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett 

Genre: Fantasy 

Pages: 388

 

"At last she said: 'I can help you, I know I can, I will. But it is a big task for a small person. Do children in your world usually perform such tasks?'

Nathan thought of all the books he had ever read, of the Pevensies, Colin and Susan, Harry Potter, Lyra Belacqua, and a hundred others. 'All the time,' he said." -- The Greenstone Grail by Amanda Hemingway

Book: Mother Night

Author: Kurt Vonnegut

Summary: Howard W. Campbell Jr. tells the story of his involvement in Germany during World War II as an American spy and a Nazi Germany war criminal. He writes of love, of war, and everything in between. As he writes his story he's contained in Israel and due to stand trial for his crimes against humanity.

The Way I See It: All and all I enjoyed this book. It was a graduation gift from my cousin Cody, who first introduced me to Vonnegut's work a year or so ago. This is the first Vonnegut book I've read in a long time. Shamefully Sirens of Titans has sat on my shelf since last August, still unread. But I think this was the book to get me back in the swing of things.

I must say, this book stays true to what I've read from Vonnegut. Cat's Cradle and Slaughter House Five are some of my favorite books. Not just for their depth, but also for their simplicity. Anybody can pick up these books and understand what its trying to say.  I appreciate this, a book that makes you think without making you try. Not that I support lack of effort, I always love a good challenging book. But Vonnegut knows how to get his point across, and to a large scale amount of people. I like that.

What struck out to me about Mother Night was its lack of surrealism. Perhaps that's because of its setting, but to me the book seems more realistic then some of Vonnegut's other work. Of course that's not a bad thing. Its a very good thing. I think for a book that centers around the setting World War II, or at least that's a very significant event in the book, there has to be a sense of realism. But it still reads just like I'd expect a Vonnegut book to read. 

All in all a definite worth while book for any fan. A very quick read! I'm dying to go crack open Siren of Titans now!

Oh, and a side note, the other week I found a very interesting Cat's Cradles at a used book store. I know its not first edition. But it was certainly old. I friend is currently borrowing it. But I got it for a dollar because it was old! Such good luck. I hadn't owned it, I borrowed it from my cousin [ mentioned above]. 

I've never liked the aphoristic form, never warmed to twee, manga-style illustrations and have always been suspicious of Utopias — in my experience, the latter tend to be either fascist or ridiculously simplistic in nature — or both.

Well-bound and printed on good paper, but with covers that feel a little too much like mediocre comic book covers, before even opening either book I was already contemplating a quick email to the author, thanking her for the review copies and informing her that I would not actually review the books. Criticizing Battlestar Galactica or doing my small bit to prick the inflated reputation of the likes of Gregory Maguire is one thing. Slamming a self-published writer of little standing in the world of lit-rah-toor is something very different and not a game I intend to play without good reason.

But still, the author went to the trouble of sending me review copies; the least I could do was to ignore the covers and give the words a chance.

And I'm glad I did; Hogarth has written a diptych quite unlike any I have read before. ( Read more. )