Delightful, intelligent, insightful, etc. etc. etc.

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives
David Eagleman

It's always a pleasure to find that glowing blurbs get it right. Too often in my experience, a surfeit of praise indicates a turd. Not this time. Sum lives up to its praise -- and then some.

Sum is a collection of forty short (some only a page) tales that investigate "entirely new frameworks" (to quote the author in an interview) of the afterlife. You won't find people just hanging out on clouds: instead, you might relive all your experiences of the same type at once (that means sitting on the toilet for five months); you might find yourself with a disappointed God; you might even find yourself with the aliens who created humanity as an experiment. Would you like it if heaven were populated by only those people you knew in life? Perhaps -- perhaps not.

Eagleman's prose is so simple, yet so lovely, he makes it seem like anyone can write like he does. The stories are short, powerful, and intelligent, and I would bet it's nearly impossible to find a reader who didn't like this book.

If you'd like a sample, three excerpts are available online. Click here to read "Expectations," just one of the forty scenarios in which you just might find yourself.

In a nutshell: Why didn't I think of this? Oh, because I'm not that smart. Or that intelligent. Damn you, Eagleman.

Bibliolatry Scale: 6 out of 6 stars

FTCBS: alll miiiiine

Promising but painful

Black Hills
Dan Simmons

I did it!! I DID IT!! DO YOU HEAR ME EVERYBODY??!?!?

Yes, it's true. It may have taken me months, but I have finally finished Black Hills. I finished last night during a marathon skim-fest that allowed me to cover nearly 150 pages.

First, let me be clear: I LOVE Dan Simmons. Sure, we've had our ups and downs, but I think our relationship is on fairly solid ground.

That's why I was so disappointed to slog through Black Hills. The premise sounded promising: young Paha Sapa, a ten-year-old Sioux, is present at Little Big Horn and touches General Custer as he's dying. The ghost of Custer takes up residence within him and haunts him for the rest of his life. Years later, Paha Sapa finds himself at the construction of Mount Rushmore, and he feels it's his duty to bring the stone giants down.

See, you'd think that would be interesting, right? A ghost, living in you? Haunting you from within?

Well, don't be fooled.

Right: That's me (aren't I skinny?) while reading this book.

Ironically, during one point in the novel, Paha Sapa tries to read Henry James' Ambassadors, but "He simply can not get through it ... The story itself seems so insignificant, so overblown, so petty and obscure..." REALLY?!?!? Am I the only one who finds this totally ironic?!?

That's not to say Black Hills is an insignificant story -- but overblown? Impossible to get through? ABSOLUTELY.

In a nutshell: A great book that needs a fearless editor. As it stands, a bit painful. I still got love for Simmons, though.

Bibliolatry Scale: 2 out of 6 stars

FTCBS: I received a review copy from the publisher. Thanks, even though I wasn't so much a fan of this one.

The Classics Circuit: Alexandre Dumas

The Black Tulip
Alexandre Dumas

I must admit, I was a little daunted by Dumas. I chose The Black Tulip solely based on its length (it's the shortest of his novels), and when I read the book was about growing flowers, I didn't get my hopes up.

The novel begins as two prominent Dutchmen are unjustly executed, the victims of political intrigue. Their deaths, graphic and unsettling, are the first indication of the rollercoaster that is The Black Tulip.

We move from this violent scene to the quiet suburbs, to Cornelius Van Baerle, a rich man who loves nothing but tulips. Van Baerle is seeking to create the elusive "Black Tulip," which many believe is impossible.

Unfortunately for Corn, his neighbor Boxtel hates him. HATES. There's teeth gnashing and all. Boxtel is also in love with tulips, so of course he is envious of Corn's success with the ladies tulips.

Jeez. TWO men in love with tulips?

my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard

So Boxtel sets out to destroy Corn, and then MORE political intrigue happens and then before you know it Corn's in love with NOT ONLY tulips but now also Rosa, the daughter of his jailer. Escándalo!

Oh, and did I mention that the person to first create the Black Tulip will receive a Very Large Sum as a prize? The race to grow the tulip is on! Now throw in a few dazzling fight scenes and some hysterical dialogue, and you've got The Black Tulip.

This short novel was such fun to read. As I got wrapped up in the story, I even began to read a few chapters online while I was at work. The pacing is fast, and I often couldn't wait to read more. Many thanks to the Classics Circuit for the Dumas tour -- I'm not sure I ever would have read this without the tour, and that would have been a shame indeed!

In a nutshell: Fun, funny, and fantastical - a pleasant surprise!

Bibliolatry Scale: 5 out of 6 stars

FTCBS: Personal copy; also online

Required Reading: The Sparrow

The Sparrow
Mary Doria Russell

Oh, The Sparrow. Where do I even begin?

I finished this book weeks ago, and yet I have not been able to put metaphorical pen to paper, until now. The interim has been filled with ceaseless pondering, The Sparrow continuing to occupy my mind even as I read several other novels.

Even now, scenes and characters from the novel still wander the halls of my mind, poking in at inopportune moments. When you consider that this is MDR's first novel, my envy is complete. Damn you, woman.

Before beginning with the obligatory summary, I must first state, as others have before me, that, although The Sparrow is classified as science-fiction, you should ignore this label if sci-fi ain't your bag. Although it may feature elements of sci-fi, this is literary fiction all the way.

Okay, on with the obligatory: The Sparrow follows two different timelines; we begin in 2059, when Emilio Sandoz, the lone survivor of an expedition to a faraway planet called Rakhat, returns to earth. Immediately an inquest is opened to discover the fates of the other explorers, but Sandoz is far too traumatized to offer up his secrets.

Before we can get too far, however, we are returned to 2019, as humanity first discovers life exists on Rakhat. While scanning the skies for extraterrestrial radio transmissions, beautiful, hymn-like singing can be heard. Because such music is nearly identical to our own songs of worship, many wonder if Rakhat can offer proof for the existence of God.

Quicker than you can shake a finger (or maybe not, if you happen to be Sandoz), eight intrepid explorers are off to meet the inhabitants of Rakhat. What they encounter is beyond all imagination and prompts them to question the meaning of faith, existence, and humanity. As an agnostic (something I dislike about myself, thanks to Yann Martel), I found this book very powerful; believers and non-believers alike cannot help but be affected by this novel.

In a nutshell: This crap review falls quite short of the power that is The Sparrow; simply put, you MUST read this book.

Oh, and Brad Pitt is set to play Emilio Sandoz? BLASPHEMY!

Oh, and, and -- many thanks to Heather for bringing this book to my attention!

Bibliolatry Scale: 6 out of 6 stars

FTCBS: Personal copy, woot woot

Ambivalating all over the place

Beatrice and Virgil
Yann Martel

Well, it's been roughly two weeks since I finished Beatrice and Virgil, Yann Martel's newest novel, and to say I'm perplexed is an understatement. Did I like the book? Hate it? Ambivalate it? Hopefully writing this review will help me solve the mystery.

To begin, a brief overview: Beatrice and Virgil is Martel's way of discussing the Holocaust without *actually* discussing the Holocaust. He argues that of all the great atrocities of the world, only the Holocaust has avoided greater attention in fiction, and once those who have lived through it pass away, we are in danger of forgetting -- unless we tell stories about it. To this end, he has written Beatrice and Virgil, a "story" about the Holocaust that uses animals to represent those who suffered.

Okay, so animals as allegorical figures? Check. Conversational, intimate style? Check. Shocking, gut-wrenching ending? Check. Sounds a lot like Life of Pi, eh? Then why am I so ambivalent?

To start, one must know that Beatrice and Virgil is no Life of Pi. Pi remains one of my favorite novels and has for me a mystical quality that Beatrice and Virgil simply lacks. So, perhaps BAV suffers simply for not being Pi. In that case, Martel was doomed before I even picked up the damn thing, which isn't exactly fair.

But even apart from the obligatory Pi comparisons, Beatrice and Virgil has its problems. In my opinion, using animals as an allegory for the Holocaust was somewhat weak, the Beckettian absurdism unnecessary; worse, some parts were underdeveloped, and some parts OVERdeveloped.

That's not to say I didn't like Beatrice and Virgil: it was a short read, as I read it in a few hours and was relatively moved by the experience. The novel made me think, and I enjoyed Martel's narrative voice even if this work was flawed.

Ultimately, even if some elements were a bit weak, Martel achieves what he sets out to do: he reminds us of the atrocities of the Holocaust (even if the reminder only underscores the fact that the animals' suffering in no way compares to that of those who suffered under the Nazis), and he uses fiction as a means of telling the truth.

In a nutshell: I still don't know. It was...okay-ish?

Bibliolatry Scale: 3.5 out of 6 stars

FTCBS: I was lucky to receive a review copy from the publisher, and, even though I didn't LOVE it...Thanks!

Not even Stains could save this one

The Knife of Never Letting Go
Patrick Ness

As part of my on-going effort to avoid another reading funk, I've surrounded myself with "quick reads" to keep me moving. Based on the many reviews I've read of The Knife of Never Letting Go, I figured this combination of dystopia, thriller, and bildungsroman was guaranteed to excite.

The narrator of The Knife of Never Letting Go, Todd Hewitt, lives in Prentisstown, where the thoughts of men and animals are heard by everyone. This Noise, as it's called, makes life nearly unbearable, as true privacy and peace are impossible to find. The novel opens as Todd and his dog, Manchee, find something they've never found before: silence. Soon, Todd's running for his life and yadda yadda yadda. So, did The Knife of Never Letting Go live up to the hype?

Unfortunately, no.

Todd annoyed me. Even Manchee, the talking dog, annoyed me -- and I love dogs. However, I soon replaced my original image of Manchee with Stains, the internet's beloved hypnodog, and my love for Manchee soared.

"Poo! Poo!" says Manchee ... over and over (and over)

Alas, that which annoyed me nearly outweighed that which didn't. Todd's voice was uneven and clunky, the plotting was fast-paced but silly in places, and, while I am intrigued by a world where thoughts are public, the overall execution was a bit weak for me.

Or maybe TKoNLG suffered from poor timing. I've just read several EXCELLENT books, one of which I'm still unable to post about, it was that good (and no, it is NOT The Savage Detectives, thank you for asking), so it was inevitable I'd find fault with TKoNLG. That said, TKoNLG was a fast, light read perfect for breaking a funk.

In a nutshell: Flawed but fast-paced, The Knife of Never Letting Go is relentless and and entertaining, to a point.

Bibliolatry Scale: 2 out of 6 stars

FTCBS: Personal copy (shut up)

The Classics Circuit: Emile Zola

Therese Raquin
Emile Zola

Today I'm pleased to welcome Emile Zola as part of the the Classics Circuit!

For my stop on the Classics tour, I've read Therese Raquin, which has been on my TBR list for years. The tour finally gave me the kick in the pants I needed in order to get this thing done.

And now that I've read it, I can't help but wonder...what took me so long? Because, hands down, Therese Raquin was an INSANE read. INSANE! I was shocked by how graphic and disturbing this short novel was, and I can only imagine how Zola's readers reacted when it was first published almost 150 years ago.

In Therese Raquin, Zola is more concerned with temperament than character. So he combines three different "humors" and allows them to go crazy. There's phlegmatic Camille (who is NOT a girl, despite what my brain kept telling me), who is married to Therese, who is choleric and therefore full of energy. As you might think, Camille + Therese = unhappy marriage. And the two, together with Madame Raquin, Camille's maman, pass day after day after day doing THE SAME FRIGGIN THING over and over and over. LE SIGH.

Why, yes, there IS a cat in Therese Raquin, but sadly he is lacking bacon

Therese is resigned to her life of eternal return with only other "living corpses" to keep her company as her life unwinds.

BUT THEN! Entre Laurent. He's a beast! He's a man! He's pure sex on wheels! (Oh, and he's also sanguine, so he's creative and extroverted and if you really want to know more about humors then just go here). So Therese starts making googly eyes at Laurent and then before you know it THEY'RE HAVING SEX ON THE BEDROOM FLOOR.

Add lots of animal imagery, some plotting, more sex and what the back of my edition describes as "a crime that will haunt them forever" and you have the book in a nutshell.

Again, I was stunned by the graphic nature of Therese Raquin, and I was pleasantly surprised by the fast-paced nature of the plot. While I hated every single one of the characters (with the exception of Madame Raquin, the feisty little minx), I was still able to enjoy the novel -- surely a testament to Monsieur Zola. So thanks again to the the Classics Circuit for giving me reason to get my rear in gear.

In a nutshell: The melodrama! The gruesomeness! The cat! (Vraiment, Laurent?) Therese Raquin is fast enough to be read in a day, yet powerful enough to last a lifetime. (Possibly. It's only been a few days.)

Bibliolatry Scale: 4.5 out of 6 stars

FTCBS: Personal copy over here.

The Savage Readalong: Week 4

Ok. I've finally finished Week 4 of the Savage readalong, and I must admit: I skimmed the shit outta this mothereffer.

Sigh.

Again, I must say, were it not for this readalong, I'd have given up long ago. As it is, I'm a week behind. I just couldn't do it last week. I guess I knew what was in store for me.

What was in store for me was an interminable stretch of random accounts of people who barely even knew these two fools. One account lasts 16 pages, yet hardly mentions Lima or Belano. So, yes, I skimmed.

For now, I'm just struggling to get through this behemoth. I'll try to make sense of it later; maybe I can understand what Bolano is driving at after I've finished.

Hopefully.

How about you, fellow Savages? Are you experiencing similar difficulties? Are you also forcing yourself to plow through, regardless of the fact you're deriving little to no pleasure from the experience? Or is it just me?

RR10: March

Yet another month gone by; let's see how my reading resolution is coming along.

Don't expect much, though: I spent much of March in a reading funk and falling behind on my Savage Readalong (expect a post on Week 4 soon).


BOOKS READ: MARCH 2010

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak
DuMaurier, Daphne. Don't Look Now: Selected Stories
Gregory, Daryl. The Devil's Alphabet
Heyer, Georgette. Footsteps in the Dark


RESOLUTION TITLES = 0 (still 8/80)

NON-RESOLUTION TITLES = 4

TOTAL READ IN MARCH 2010 = 4

TOTAL READ IN 2010 = 17

Making biology unique

The Devil's Alphabet
Daryl Gregory

I'm hoping to salvage some sort of respectability this month, so I picked up The Devil's Alphabet, a fast, quirky little novel that was just the thing I needed.

What if quantum evolution happened in your neighborhood? Would you even know it? According to Gregory -- hell yes, you would.

Fifteen years ago, The Changes occurred in the small town of Switchcreek, Tennessee, mutating its inhabitants and creating three new races: the super-tall argos; bald, brown (and continually pregnant) betas; and huge, meaty charlies. The Changes, which became known as TDS, or Transcription Divergence Syndrome), wreaked havoc in Switchcreed -- but then stopped. TDS didn't spread: it wasn't contagious. It left as suddenly as it had arrived.

Paxton Martin, a "skip" unaffected by the changes, left town not long after The Changes ended, but after the suicide of one of his childhood friends, he's returned. Why has his friend taken her own life? And what sinister goings-on lie at the center of this town?

The Devil's Alphabet is part science-fiction, part mystery, and part quantum speculation, but at its core it's simply a good story. Sure, there are flaws (some explanations, some preachiness, the end), but I was intrigued by the idea of a town-wide spate of mutations and the effects such changes will have.

In a nutshell: Weird, imaginative, and even a little gross at times (does Pax realize what the Vintage is? Because he just ate it.), The Devil's Alphabet will definitely get you thinking.

Bibliolatry Scale: 4 out of 6 stars

FTCBS: Isn't this already obvious? Bought this one. Of course I did.

Speak now or forever hold your peace

Speak
Laurie Halse Anderson

I needed something to break my reading funk, and I knew Speak was just the book to do it.

I feel as though I'm the last person on earth to read Laurie Halse Anderson (I generally don't read YA fiction, not because I'm against it, per se, but more because I simply forget YA titles when considering what next to read), so a summary of Speak is probably not necessary. You want a summary anyway, you say?

Ok: Speak = Teen outcast + freshman year + many problems + no friends + A BIG SECRET. That, in essence, is the novel.

Of course, there's a lot more to Speak than just that. Nearly everyone can relate to Melinda in one way or another, even if you've never experienced some of her problems. While it does have a few flaws -- the end, for one, didn't sit right with me, and some points could have been better developed/resolved -- Speak remains a fast, engaging read by an author whose other books I need in my life. Now.

In a nutshell: Teen outcasts are good for adult non-outcasts, too.

Bibliolatry Scale: 4.5 out of 6 stars

FTCBS: You can see where this is headed, no? Yep, I bought this one. Surprise!

Don't look now! (Ok, you can look now)

Don't Look Now: Selected Stories
Daphne duMaurier

I'm officially in love with Daphne duMaurier; it took me forever to read Rebecca, but once I did, I immediately needed more. Enter My Cousin Rachel. That was it. I'm hooked.

I'm glad I came across Don't Look Now, which compiles some of her best short stories into this lovely little collection. While some stories are more striking than others, this collection only served to further whet my appetite for this author. Those who dismiss her as simply a "writer of romances" are truly missing out.

Most stories hinge on a key moment in time (one that is often imperceptible to the protagonist until it's too late) that changes the protagonist forever -- and usually for the worse. In "Don't Look Now," a man and wife vacation in Venice after losing a child only to find that they probably should have stayed home. In "Kiss Me Again, Stranger," a young man finally finds love, although she isn't quite what she appears to be.

"The Blue Lenses" features a woman who, having undergone eye surgery, finds her sight has changed forever. In "Indiscretion," a chance conversation sees lives intersect, with serious -- and life-changing -- effects. In "Split Second," a woman takes a walk only to find life much different upon her return home.

Other stories are more difficult to categorize, and yet hint at a darkness just beyond our reach. In "Escort," a warship receives an unsettling escort home. "La Sainte Vierge" focuses on a young woman who prays for her husband's safety and receives a powerful vision in return. Of course, her most famous story, "The Birds," needs no summary, although it must be noted that the story brings more depth, and less hope, than the movie. Finally, the last work in the collection, "Monte Verita," focuses on those who live in a fortress atop Monte Verita. Who are they, and what do they do there?

As noted earlier, while every story isn't a stunner, I was able to enjoy them all in different ways. In fact, there isn't much to criticize about this collection, expect, perhaps for duMaurier's tendency toward ellipsis, which I found a bit annoying, lending as it did an unfinished quality to the prose. Thankfully, this didn't happen often, so no worries there.

In a nutshell: Bravo! I love you, Daphne.

Bibliolatry Scale: 5.5 out of 6 stars

FTCBS: Bought this one, of course...I seem to buy everything.

The Savage Readalong: Week 3

Ok. I've finally finished Week 3 of the Savage readalong, and my enthusiasm is beginning to wane.

Section II: The Savage Detectives begins with a bunch of people -- friends, poets, random others -- reflecting on their encounters with Lima and Belano over the next several years. Some of these encounters make for an interesting story; most are only skim-worthy.

In fact, I did a lot of skimming in this section, and I'm not feeling a damn bit guilty about it. Oh, and the total apathy re: the storyline and the characters continues. What a boring bunch of artists.

I do find it interesting that thus far I've heard no mention of our young narrator from Section I. Guess he didn't figure too prominently in the Visceral realist movement, not that he ever did anything but dick around in Section I anyway, so I shouldn't be too surprised that the wannabe didn't get too far. Let's see if that changes the further I move into Section II.

The Classics Circuit: Georgette Heyer

Footsteps in the Dark
Georgette Heyer

Today I am pleased to welcome Georgette Heyer as part of the Classics Circuit!

First, I have to say that I'm mighty pleased to participate in this Circuit, as I've never even heard of Georgette Heyer before participating, despite the fact that my edition of Footsteps calls her "one of the best-known and best-loved of all historical novelists." Really? [Insert my shame and embarrassment here.]

So, while perusing the Heyer overview, I found that many of her historical romances likened her to Jane Austen. Oh no! I wailed (to myself, obviously). And that's how I ended up with Footsteps in the Dark, a decidedly un-Austen mystery with not a hint of romance. Okay, there's a hint of it. But it's okay because Heyer gives us ghosts, disappearances, and murder as well.

Footsteps in the Dark begins as siblings Peter, Margaret, and Celia arrive at The Priory to inspect their inheritance. The building is old and mysterious, and it comes with an intriguing history: the Priory is reputed to be haunted by a mysterious personage known only as the Monk.

Of course, the new inhabitants put little stock in such rumors. But then they start hearing things. And then they start SEEING things. And then they discover a murder. AND THEN...! Is the Monk supernatural -- or earthly? And why does he prowl about their home?

I enjoyed the wacky cast of characters that inhabit the pages of Footsteps in the Dark. Each is equally likely to be the Monk, and each is sufficiently bizarre enough to warrant some snide commentary from Charles, Celia's wry husband. The mystery was engaging, the characters were colorful (even if a bit flat), and the romance, while a bit silly, was charming enough for the story. Although I don't anticipate reading more Heyer (especially not with all those comparisons to Austen), I quite enjoyed Footsteps in the Dark.

In a nutshell: Fun, wacky, and a wee bit silly, Footsteps in the Dark was a light, charming read.

Bibliolatry Scale: 4 out of 6 stars

FTCBS: Bought this one for myself.

A Savage Delay

My fellow Savages!

I am a brute beast indeed, for I am not yet ready to post on this week's readalong.

Do not beat me about the head for my tardiness; things have been hectic, and I promise to post in a couple days.

My humble apologies, etc. etc.