Book Review - Kraken

Kraken by China Miéville


My rating: 2 of 5 stars



What made me think I would like this book? Oh, right, it was around three in the morning and I wanted to find an audiobook I could listen to to help me sleep, and the library website was making me cranky because nothing I wanted to read was available. So I picked this.

If you are a Cthulhu fan, you will probably love this book. I found it extremely odd, though the writer is skilled and the writing itself (while occasionally self-serving and a bit pompous) was good. I just couldn't wrap my mind around the plot.





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Book Review - The Reach

The Reach by Nate Kenyon


My rating: 3 of 5 stars



The blurb on the cover compared this book to vintage Stephen King, and I agree. It is extremely reminscent of Firestarter, one of my favourites from when I was a teenager. In fact, it's pretty much what Firestarter would have been, were it set in today's high-tech, genome discovering, mercenery world.

There's a young girl. She's special. And a college student has been assigned to find out why. Is she schizophrenic? Is she psychic? Jess strives to figure it out, despite constant roadblocks thrown in her way by the director of the institution where the girl is held.

The book culminates in a no-holds barred action sequence that felt a little forced to me after the intellectual, thought-oriented, relationship-based start of the book, but it does tie up ends nicely. A fun read, quick going, and well-written.





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Book Review - Iron House

Iron House by John Hart


My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Sometimes, when I'm reading a book, I can't help but think what a great action movie it would make. This is one of those books.

This is sort of a guy/adventure book, and is something I think my Dad would love. It has the mafia, hired goons, talented asassins, pregnant women that need to be protected, family secrets, family vendettas, explosions, kidnappings, surveillence, lots of bad guys, and lots of guns.

It's lots of fun. This adrenaline-filled romp follows a man on a journey to leave the mob life, whose track takes him into a past that he's been reluctant to explore, a brother he lost touch with in a group home years ago, and a mother he never expected. It's nothing remotely intellectual, but it sure is a heck of a lot of entertainment, and sometimes that's precisely what you're looking for.

Be aware that toward the end of the book you may find yourself staying up til four thirty in the morning because you can't put it down!





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Book Review - Changing Habits

Changing Habits by Debbie Macomber


My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Following the lives of young nuns from before they took their vows through the reasons they left the sisterhood, this is an interesting light read. As a former Catholic myself, I knew plenty of nuns, some of whom were important people in my lives, but like many of the women in this book, I did (and do) not agree with the Catholic church on many fronts, including birth control and the treatment of women in the church.

I don't know that this would be for everyone, but I found it an enjoyable read.





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Book Review - Gathering Blue

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry


My rating: 5 of 5 stars



With an exquisite ear for language and a deft hand at creating worlds and societies that are whole and very, very real, Lois Lowry offers up a real treat in the world of YA dystopian feature with Gathering Blue, the second in her "Giver" series.

Though Gathering Blue takes place in the same world as The Giver, the first book in the series, the society is very different. There are more hints at what has happened to destroy society, but not enough to truly satisfy... just enough to tease you into wanting to get your hands on the next book to see how the world became just so broken and how in the world it can ever be fixed.

While the first book centered on a society based on equality and same-ness, in this group of stragglers from a world gone awry, society is based on scrabbling out a hard living if you can, while too many kids run underfoot and a priveledged few are kept in a life of luxury. When one young girl's mother dies, she is taken in by the council of Guardians that run the city... and she is treated to rich meals, a bathroom, even a needlework workshop of her own where she can practice her talents. But, as she soon discovers, this better life comes with a dear price.

Fascinating and thick with detail, Gathering Blue is as worthy a read as the first in this series. I highly recommend this one.





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Book Review - Empty

Empty by Suzanne Weyn


My rating: 4 of 5 stars



A little more well-crafted than her Bar Code Rebellion tales, "Empty" by Suzanne Weyn is a look at what happens when oil reserves begin to run low, perilously close to empty in most regions of the world.


There is significantly less violence in this scenario than I would realistically expect in such a scenario, so it is noticably toned down for YA audiences, but there are still some dramatic moments of fighting and discontent - though these are generally skimmed over or only vaugely mentioned.

There were, on the other hand, some things in the book that made me scratch my head - most noticeably the fact that girls were walking around with dirty hair/bodies because they couldn't get soap or shampoo made from petroleum products. Come on! Detergent based hygeine products have only been around for so long - I know all the stores to hit up if I want pure soap or shampoo bars, and if I couldn't get to the stores, I know how to make them myself, and have done in the past. Guess I'll be valuable after peak oil hits! This was mentioned a few times and made me snort with laughter each time in the book. You'll know who the hippies are by their shiny hair and lovely smelling, soft skin in this scenario. I guess there'll be a rush on stores like Lush!

Overall, it's a fun, quick read and a good way to get kids talking about the realities of where our world may be headed. It may not happen while they are still teenagers, but they may see this kind of world happening to their own teenagers one day, unless they read books like this, think about the consequences, and move on to change the world.





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Book Review - Girls in White Dresses

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close


My rating: 1 of 5 stars



Done and disgusted.

Not only was the start of this book full of cliches, but when I reached the part where it was a big joke and tragedy for one of the female characters to be set up on a date with "an obese person" - leading to her having to drink and wail and cry at her girlfriends later "What about me says I should be fixed up with an obese person?"... followed by all kinds of commisseration about how she was too good for that, I was ready to toss the book.

I thought okay, maybe it's going to be that she realizes the errors of her ways and ends up falling in love with the guy. No. Instead she's fixed up with an effeminate guy she makes fun of next. At that point, I lost it and was not going to finish it. I DO NOT recommend this book at all. It left me feeling sick and offended.





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