Tag Archives: book reviews
Bedtime Stories: Cheeky Mystery for Adults
Post by Mark T. Locker.
Mister Kiss and Tell by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham.
First, Rob Thomas brought us Veronica Mars, the clever, driven high school detective. It was clever, intriguing, thought-provoking and funny. We were all sad when it ended too soon.
Then, a million die-hard fans heeded the call of Rob Thomas and funded what would be the biggest Kickstarter to date: Veronica Mars: the movie.
Finally, just for kicks, Rob Thomas collaborated with Jennifer Graham to write Veronica Mars novels. The second of these books, Mister Kiss and Tell, was published last year. If you have ever watched the show, it’s worth the time to pick up the books. The first one is even read by Ms. Mars herself, Kristen Bell. It’s practically like another episode of the show!
A young woman is attacked at The Neptune Grand, the finest hotel in Neptune, California. Veronica is hired to clear the hotel of wrongdoing. But the more she digs, she becomes invested in helping the victim even if she loses money in the process.
Mr. Kiss and Tell is gritty and dark. Peppered with the characteristic Veronica Mars wit, it is like an episode of the show but darker and with “adult” language. The story is not for the faint of heart. The author pulls no punches in reminding us of the darker side of humanity. Happily, the lighter side shines through as well. Lots of witty dialogue and a cute puppy help to balance out the tone of the story. Side plots involving a corrupt sheriff’s office and another about Veronica’s boyfriend Logan don’t add a lot to the story but they do keep the story from being monotonous. If you liked the show, you should definitely read the books; it’s basically bonus episodes of the show!
Bedtime Stories: American Gods
Post by Mark T. Locker.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman.
Note: This is not a story for children. But who says that kids have to have all the fun? -MTL
Neil Gaiman is an incredibly prolific writer who manages to have broad appeal no matter what he writes and no matter what the audience. From silly books like Fortunately, the Milk to the much-loved Sandman graphic novels, from a weird picture book like The Day I Swapped my Parents for Two Goldfish to adult novels like American Gods.
American Gods is noteworthy for a couple reasons right now. For one, it is celebrating its 15th anniversary. For another, it’s being cast and made into a television series for Starz. So in honor of these events I went back and reread this book. The first thing I thought of when I read this book was Douglas Adams’s weird and awesome book The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul in which slovenly and slightly questionable detective Dirk Gently gets involved with Odin, Thor and other gods of old. The premise is the same, sort of: the old gods were brought over here with the immigrants. Vikings brought Odin, Loki, Thor; slaves brought Baron Samedi and Exu; Irish brought leprechauns and other magical folk. But the modern world has little time or space for these old ones. There are now Media and Technology to worship. A Storm Is Coming. Wednesday, who we learn quickly to be Odin, hires an ex-con named Shadow who has just lost everything to be his errand boy. I don’t think anything will be the same for him again.
At times brutal and a little intense (A Storm Is Coming, remember?) it’s a fascinating story and educational as well. There are a lot of gods out there. And you may start to feel bad for them; many are forgotten and even those who are not need your support in this difficult time.
Bedtime Stories: Newt’s Emerald
Post by Mark T. Locker.
Newt’s Emerald by Garth Nix
Over the years, I have judiciously reported on pretty much every book Garth Nix has written. He is a fairly diverse writer, covering the realms of both fantasy and sci-fi, plus some stuff that falls in between. His most recent novel forges into new territory for Nix: the Regency romance. For those unfamiliar with this genre, think young ladies in silken gowns looking forward to being presented so they can finally partake of the waltz, which is too risqué for a young lady. Think lords and manors and balls. Now give all this a Garth Nix twist; pepper the ladies and gowns and carriages with magical intrigue and you’ve got Newt’s Emerald.
Lady Truthful Newington is about to turn eighteen and celebrate her grand coming out in London. In preparation for the event, her father brings out the valuable magical Newington Emerald which will be given to Truthful when she turns 24. Suddenly, thunder cracks, everything turns black, and the emerald is gone! Lady Truthful has to go to London empty-handed. However, her great aunt, who is a skilled if eccentric magician in her own right, concocts a plan to find the emerald. As a young lady, Truthful cannot go out on her own to seek it out. But some training, some trousers and an ensorcelled mustache can give her the glamour of a rather convincing young Frenchman, and suddenly Truthful is the Chevalier de Vienne who is helping look for his cousin’s stolen emerald.
Full of quick changes, cheeky humor from the great aunt, and a love interest who may or may not be what he seems, Newt’s Emerald is a fun and utterly harmless story. It’s so unlike anything else Nix has written that it takes a minute to adjust but he tells a fantastic tale whatever the setting. And to be honest, I’m a sucker for magical Victorian young adult lit.
Bedtime Stories: Something Wicked This Way Comes
Post by Mark T. Locker.
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury.
Halloween is just a few days away! I don’t have much time left to share fabulous spooky stories with you! This one is something of a classic, though if you’re anything like me you have only been exposed to the movie version, starring Jonathan Price and some other non-Jonathan Price people. Oh, and Pam Grier. Pam Grier is in it!
Well, the movie is fantastic and is a staple of my Halloween viewing schedule. But recently I began reading Ray Bradbury’s short stories, as beautifully written as they are at times bizarre. Something Wicked This Way Comes was written in 1962 and takes on all the styles Bradbury does best: eliciting the feelings of childhood with eerie accuracy; taking on themes of darkness and creepy things; and talking about the autumn.
Jim Nightshade and William Halloway are best friends barely thirteen years old. When a mysterious carnival comes into town in the dark of night, letting fly an eerie whistle, the boys are excited and scared. There is something wrong about this carnival and cautious Will is worried but won’t let that stop him from following devil-may-care Jim to whatever lays ahead. Cooger & Dark’s Pandemonium Show, as the carnival is called, holds dark secrets that will test the boys as they discover what these attractions are doing to the unwitting adults of the town.
Gorgeously written and both scary and moving, this story of children growing into adulthood and dark and mysterious forces is a must-read any time of year, but especially at Halloween, which I’m pretty sure was Bradbury’s favorite time of year.
Bedtime Stories: The Golden Pot
Post by Mark T. Locker.
“The Golden Pot” by E.T.A. Hoffmann.
Nothing makes me happier than the arrival of fall. I love the change of the leaves, the milder temperatures, darkening evenings and the slow creep of Halloween onto the scene. Many years ago, I spent the most influential autumn of my life studying 19th-century German literature, art, philosophy, and music. I spent the days sipping chai amongst the swirling autumn leaves, listening to Robert Schumann and Brahms, reading the tales of the brothers Grimm as well as the modern fairy tales of the 19th century; notably, Ludwig Tieck and E.T.A. Hoffmann.
Although the name Hoffmann may seem unfamiliar to you, gentle reader, his best-known book is known to us all. A little story he wrote called “The Nutcracker” has become the seminal Holiday ballet. I must admit, I haven’t actually read that story. Maybe this year I finally will. But his novella “The Golden Pot” is hands-down one of my favorite stories of all time. It’s weird, it’s eerie, and wonderfully magical.
The story revolves around a young scholar named Anselmus who is trying his best to be an upright, well-mannered gentleman of Dresden but his flights of fancy and awkward manner get in his way. But when a colleague recommends him to an eccentric old man seeking someone to transcribe a document, his live changes forever. The strange man, the Archivarius Lindhorst, is looking for a man just like Anselmus: his head-in-the-clouds approach to life and his daydreaming are key tools in performing the tasks Archivarius Lindhorst demands. With his guidance, Anselmus finds all his suspicions to be proven true. As Hoffmann tells us, this fairy region of wonder and horror is right before our eyes, if we are willing to look. In this fairy region Anselmus finds love and danger. It’s a beautifully odd story, a depiction of the battle between rationalism and Romantacism. He’s team Romanticism all the way. So am I. A great read for a blustery autumn evening.
