angiereads

Review of "The Color of Night" by Madison Smartt Bell

2011-11-03T19:06:00.000-04:00

There is no way to compare this one to other books of its ilk--books told from the point of view of people whose masochistic and sadistic tendencies co-mingle to a horrifying whole. It's like watching a train wreck in slow-motion. Perhaps a bad analogy, as the book opens with the main character watching the destruction of the Twin Towers and happening upon a clip of an old friend running from the site. Her old friend's pose in the brief shot reminds our main character of their communal past (I use "communal" literally).

As the story continues, varying between past and present, as our main character heads to the desert near the RV in which she squats, we come to understand more of her past. She was subject to her psychopathic brother's whims and then, fascinated by a manipulative cult leader who desires his followers to kill. Our main character describes her violent actions in mythological terms, speaking of a bacchanalia, an orgy of blood.

The shortness of the novel and the brevity of the author's sentences make both the look of scenery and your knowledge of the workings of the characters extraordinary. Stylistically, the book is a dream, but it rather chaotically describes a nightmare.

The book's plot needs cohesiveness, fewer coyotes in the desert and, strangely, more direct descriptions of violence. I think I have become immune to the suggestion of it, and I hate that about myself.

Worth reading, though, if you have the stomach for the disturbing plot.

Keeping up with the readin'

2010-11-06T22:49:00.003-04:00

Been reading..but am working on the writin'. It's November--National Novel Writing Month.

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

2009-10-31T23:21:00.001-04:00

This English author's historical novel is my best horror read of this year and of the past few years. Destined to become a classic, the story revolves around an English manor house which has seen better days. The family who own it has as well and find comfort in the good care and interest of a young doctor (the son of a former servant) who has returned to the area. There are scenes that cause genuine fright, interspersed with longer descriptions of 'normal' life that lull you into a false sense of security.

And just when you think you have this one figured out, the turns begin until the last page. You will want to pick this one up again just to find the pieces of the puzzle you missed the first time.

The Red Tree by Caitlin Kiernan

2009-10-27T17:10:00.001-04:00

A haunting, poetic piece of work that is meant to provoke, frighten, and disturb, The Red Tree deserves much more attention than it will probably get. The cover (which the author didn't like) appears to make it easy to categorize--paranormal romance.

Instead, the work is a highly poetic description of a descent into madness provoked, in part, by her narrator's sudden move from Atlanta to an old farmhouse in Rhode Island. But that's just my interpretation. It could be that the author meant for us to be horrified by something that was actually there--not just imagined by the narrator.

Kiernan borrows much from American and English folklore, legend, and horror literature, quoting everything from snippets of Poe's poetry to refrains from the "Alice" books.

This hallucinatory book is a great counter measure to Stephen King's more definite evils, sometimes less terrifying because they are so real.

Ms. Kiernan leaves room for the reader to imagine the horrors around her words.

The Haunter of the Dark: and Other Grotesque Visions by John Coulhart, including pieces by Lovecraft

2009-10-26T20:56:00.005-04:00

If you've read any Lovecraft, check out this graphic novel. A pantheon of Lovecraftian gods and an illustrated story. Will scare the living s**t out of you. Which is appropriate for Halloween week. While you're at it, take a peek at one of Lovecraft's "tales." This book scared me so much I had to stop mid-story.

The Haunter of the Dark on amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Haunter-Dark-Other-Grotesque-Visions/dp/1902197232/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256605812&sr=1-1

H.P. Lovecraft Tales on amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=1931082723&x=11&y=16

Dracula by Bram Stoker

2009-10-24T22:17:00.002-04:00

If you have never taken the time to read this classic, do. You will have a hard time finding anything more frightening than the first 80 pages, when Johnathan Harker slowly finds his way to Dracula's castle and finally sees his host unmasked. Oh, and the brides are creepier than they have ever appeared in any movie.

goodreads.com

2009-07-19T12:02:00.001-04:00

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2009-02-22T22:58:00.001-05:00

Visit me on goodreads.com

The Silent Man

2009-02-22T22:45:00.001-05:00

The Silent Man by Alex Berenson

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars From goodreads....
If you have not yet read one of Alex Berenson's John Wells spy novels, run to your library or a bookstore and grab one. The first one--The Faithful Spy--is impossible to put down; the second one--The Ghost War--will suck you in because each character has a complicated, but quickly conveyed backstory; and this, the third one, has the quickest pace yet, beginning with a bang and ending with a whimper, as our singularly determined character is finally derailed by his strengths. (Yet the ending is also a teaser for the beginning of the next.) The Silent Man includes a chilling description of the building of a homemade thermonuclear bomb. Snatch one up before he finishes the next one; I can't wait to read Wells's next adventure. I hope you grow to love Berenson's insight into current events and his singular creation, Wells, part cowboy, part actor, full-time lover, and full-time American, as much as I do.

View all my reviews.

"The Iliad" & "Black Seconds" by Karin Fossum

2008-07-21T10:53:00.004-04:00

From today's bookcrossing entry:

I've given myself the challenge of reading "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" this summer. Hm, perhaps I have bitten off more than I can chew because I am only to Book 11 of "The Iliad" and I am so sick of Greeks killing Trojans and vice versa. I know, I know, this is Homer's point: Achilles' wrath caused horrible losses. Robert Fagles' translation gives Homer a strong poetic voice in English through his use of earthy language. Each detailed death by spear impalement makes me cry "ouch." Other times I'm just glad the soldier has died, because they probably wouldn't have been able to heal his wounds! Oh, the humanity!

Karin Fossum is a Norwegian 'psychological suspense mystery' writer. I have to give her a separate, mini-genre because of her subject matter. Yes, she includes details of police procedure. But her detective Sejer has the unique quality of discerning the emotions of others. With her third person narration, she easily enters the minds of her characters. And what we find there often produces the sensation similar to the one that comes from turning over a rock in the woods and finding what's rotting underneath. But that's a cold chill I can take, and it propels me to follow Sejer to the discovery of the mind of the suspect who has finally acted on his or her ugly impulses.

Give me a death I can understand, not death wholesale. I guess it's a good thing I'm a librarian.

And as an addendum:
I'd compare Fossum to Tana French's "In the Woods" or most of Ruth Rendell's Wexford mysteries. Each author includes descriptions of good, difficult police work, which would not make their works 'psychological suspense' except that both authors often dissect the twisted, disorganized, sad and strange compulsions that lead to murder.

Ruth Rendell's most recent Wexford "Not in the Flesh" also had a spine-tingling, creepy beginning and finish. I haven't had a chance to get my hands on French's newest, entitled "The Likeness."

Has anyone else? Are there any other authors you've found that are like French, Fossum, and Rendell?

"The Faithful Spy" by Alex Berenson--again!

2008-04-27T21:11:00.000-04:00

The Faithful Spy was reviewed as a novel "worthy of LeCarre". Perhaps. I would correct that by adding that Berenson's hero stands as more of a American hero than any of those complicated good men created by the venerable master of spy fiction. Berenson has instead managed to create a spy whose code matches that of America's most memorable fictional heroes--cowboys.

Granted, John Wells, Berenson's man, is a John Wayne who joins the enemy to spy on them. Impossible, you might say, in the war between Cowboys and Indians; but not if a man were, I hesitate to use the word, a half-breed. Which, it is established in the beginning, our hero from Idaho is.

His maternal grandfather was Arabic, if I remember correctly (I finished this a few weeks ago), and with his dark skin he blends in easily with the loosely formed Al-Qaeda, which gains purpose after 2001. At that point, despite Wells' conversion to Islam, his grandmother having explained its tenets to him as a young man, his hatred for this group flames inside him.

But his doubts deepen when he finally "comes in from the cold." Sent back home by the terrorist group's second hand man, his contact is a sly operative, known only as "Khadri" who refuses to tell Wells his final assignment. Therefore, he has no information to share with the CIA, who treat him as a pariah for not alerting them to 9/11.

The novel follows Khadri's complicated machinations, which make for a great story and prove Berenson a great storyteller. What works and doesn't work for his terrorist cell demonstrate how this "don't-ask-don't-tell" policy works both for and against secretive organizations, such as our own CIA. Wells distrusts American bureaucracy as much as he distrusts the terrorists who, in turn, distrust him. A good man among outlaws, is he.

After escaping from the CIA's clutches, our exiled marshal without a badge, like all true cowboys, finds himself in a High Noon shoot out at the end. True, the standoff occurs in Times Square; and, although Wells has a gun and the other man's hand is on the trigger of a more deadly weapon, the moment feels the same. So was my breathless anticipation and my sense that my hero, whatever the cost to himself, stood for the Right.

Under Construction

2008-04-13T13:02:00.000-04:00

I will return to regular posts soon.

As for reading, let's see: recent book that I'm having to give up on because it is hard to get into--The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Goff. But I shall return to it! I can't keep it around the house forever; I don't want to deprive library patrons with more patience than I have right now the opportunity to enjoy this title, which has received rave reviews.

Currently reading, for my book group: After This by Alice McDermott. Reading her prose, in this novel anyway, is like biting into a piece of dense bittersweet chocolate cake. Such sadness, even before the sadness comes...

Also started The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson. What a fantastic beginning! He captures the zeitgeist of the months after 9/11 (for American soldiers and citizens) with minimal fuss. I'm looking forward to diving headfirst into this one!

angie

HELLO READERS!

2007-09-06T11:11:00.000-04:00

Been reading so much that I haven't had time to update blog. Have had bad asthma attacks this summer due to high temperatures (some days over 100) so I've definitely had time to read. Maybe too much.

Is it possible to become addicted to silence? I think I might be. I've stopped listening to music while I read. I become completely absorbed in what I'm reading and can ignore most outside sounds. But I still pay attention to the dog (foster dog is gone, with new one on the way) and the cats.

And I'm finding it easier to write. I think I've managed to find, despite reading suspense novel after suspense novel, some inner peace that allows me to let go and enjoy creating. Now let me be clear about something. This work is mainly crap, a sort of exploration of writing what comes to my head. I'm trying the "write-a-50,000 word-novel-in-a-month" method (actually, I'm stretching the time period to 33 days, which means 1500 words a day), so there isn't much time to plan.

The book about National Novel Writing Month (an international phenomenon that takes placed every November) is called No Plot, No Problem. http://www.nanowrimo.org/

I definitely have no plot; hopefully, this won't stop me dead in my tracks. I'll post my words count soon.

Book the day is No Plot? No Problem! : A Low-Stress, High Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days by Chris Baty. Exceptionally helpful for my project.

"Interview with the Vampire", "Skylight Confessions"

2007-02-26T11:43:00.000-05:00

I am re-reading Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. It is genuinely frightening and creepy--how interesting that now, in the last novels of the Vampire Chronicles Lestat seems tame. I am hoping to read the entire series along with my regular reading.

Other recent reads include: Skylight Confessions by Alice Hoffman, which was a wonderful addition to her body of work. She handles grief, drug addiction, and distant parents with a lighter touch than in her previous novels. At first her characters' traits seem air-brushed on, but as the story progresses, they become richer and fuller. The last chapter will leave you breathless with anticipation, and I found the open ending appropriate and not at all frustrating.

Of course, since my last entry, I've read some more titles--I'll get to those later!

"The Italian Secretary" & "Beneath a Marble Sky"

2007-02-07T11:34:00.000-05:00

I'm still working on Proust in Love and Farewell, My Queen. And I'm finishing the short hommage to Doyle and Sherlock Holmes, The Italian Secretary, by the ingenious Caleb Carr. He has the style down pat. And for week's end, I'll be reading about the building of the Taj Mahal in Beneath a Marble Sky. The book club here at the library will by discussing the book on Monday with the author, John Shors, by phone. Promises to be fun!

"The Terror", "Proust in Love", and "The Road to Middle-Earth"

2007-01-29T15:12:00.000-05:00

Books I'm reading or have recently read will now show up in the librarything sidebar.

The Terror was a 700+ page terror, but a boon for fans of suspense, adventure, historical fiction, and fantasy. It reminded me of a Preston/Child novel. Loved it. I read it in a day and a half, partly because I was sick and partly because the "weather outside was frightful."

Proust in Love is an interesting combination of biography and literary criticism. How could Proust's amorous adventures not affect his incredible book, which is considered the apogee of novelistic studies of love in its multiple forms? William Carter makes his point delicately, with intimate details from Proust's correspondence and from biographies written by those who took their shine from his luster.

The Road to Middle-Earth is more pure literary criticism, but of definite interest to fans of Tolkien's work. Shippey makes the argument that Middle-Earth began as an exploration of Old English words for which there was no definition. Tolkien knew that the author of Beowulf would not have used certain words without their having a meaning, if not being literal things, at the time of composition. Leaves much to ponder about the history of our language and the depth of Tolkien's thinking.

Me as a Simpson character--Assignment 7

2007-01-18T14:21:00.000-05:00

Please see weeworld avatar. It's me walking the dogs in work clothes. Yes, I have a hat that looks like that. My father bought one for Jodi and me in Sweden. They're awesome!

"The Godfather's Revenge" by Mark Winegardner

2006-11-25T12:15:00.000-05:00

I am loving this new title, the second Mark Winegardner has written in the bold and bodacious style of Mario Puzo. Using characters we know from the book and the film, Winegardner also created several new ones, and in this second novel (following The Godfather Returns), he adds more life to each of these characters, old and new.

The last novel seemed almost too full of separate story lines: why Fredo turned on his brother and how someone in the Corleone organization plotted his betrayal; how the CIA set up "boot camps" for mob soldiers to learn how to bring down Castro's regime; and how Michael Corleone guaranteed a character named Jimmy Shea (read John Kennedy) a stint in the Oval Office. It was a great, interesting book, but now that many of the characters from it are dead, this new book is a slimmer, trimmer read. And much more gripping. We don't know what's going to happen here. Will Michael and his men find Nick Geraci before he can wreak havoc on the family? Will Tom Hagen survive a smear campaign that Geraci engineered? Will the women in the family ever find peace? (There are some great scenes with the women--don't miss those!)

Anyway, I'd recommend this books to fans of the original Godfather books and fans of the film. Fabulous stuff.

And, I updated my profile. Yes, I'm a mob movie fan. I can't even fit all of the movies I like in the space provided.

FYI, this site will also host my comments on the technological training we're undergoing here at the library. "Can You Tech It?" runs for the next two months and hopefully, I'll finish in time : ) So, fellow readers and staff, I'll include comments about a book and comments about techie stuff at the same time. Sound fair? It will get me more in practice...and make me update this site more!! By the way, I have more Dexter pictures : ) So watch this site!

"Heat" by Bill Buford

2006-10-06T17:10:00.000-04:00

Have you felt the Heat yet? Check out this sizzling nonfiction title as soon as you can. More info soon. As for me, I'm busy being a foster mom to this cutey-pie, Dexter, the marvelous English setter...

Sorry!

2006-07-26T16:35:00.000-04:00

It's been too long since I have written, but I have been reading up a storm! I recently finished all of the Miss Marple novels (excluding the short stories). More on those later--the best and the worst!

I'm also making my way through most of the "Hard Case Crime" series. Hard Case Crime is a new imprint of Dorchester publishing. They are re-releasing old pulp noir mystery titles, as well as some new ones. My favorites so far, in no particular order, are 361 by Donald Westlake, written in the 60s, and Straight Cut by Madison Smartt Bell (a recent publication). Both are excellent character studies, as well as hard-nosed, no-nonsense tales of nasty deeds and nastier people. Speaking of which, there are actually quite a few chuckles to be found in another recent entry in the series, Bust, by new-to-the-scene authors Ken Bruen and Jason Starr. Their femme fatale is quite a creation, who manages to get by on her looks and serendipity.

Finally, I'm currently reading Plunder of the Sun by David Dodge, another entry in the series, and Wherever You Go, There You Are, by Kabat-Zinn (oops, his first name is escaping me). It's a dive, not a dip, into mindfulness meditation. Wish me luck!!

Greetings and salutations

2006-05-25T14:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome all readers. Hoping to share with you my thoughts on books I'm reading or have read. Since this is my first post, I'll keep it short. Photos and book comments to follow!