Just wanted to put it on the record that I finished another book today. Only took me two and a bit days to read this one. I will do the full review tomorrow but can reveal that the book I just finished is called The Rule of Four. First impressions are mixed - more to follow.
PS: also realised that this blog is the perfect way to keep a record of how many books I actually read! One did the calculation of how many books I actually buy and it came out at about 1.5 per week!! Scary business.
Sunday 28 February 2010
Wednesday 24 February 2010
Concise Creepiness
One more book finished and it's still February!! It is good that I did finish one as that book count definitely has to come down. So, I better get on with this review and then get on with picking and reading the next book.
## SPOILER ALERT ##
The Power of Darkness: Tales of Terror - Edith Nesbit
This is a really good collection of an author I did not really know. When reading the book I found that I did remember reading some of the stories before but not many.
One thing that I really liked about her writing style is that fact that she does not embellish that much. Some writers will put in detailed descriptions that only really seem to serve to fill out the pages, they are very descriptive. Descriptive is not always a bad thing. Charles Dickens does it very well in his books. He has more characters in his novels than most authors I know. Thomas Hardy is also not one to shy away from taking a page or two to describe a field one of his characters wanders around on. The difference is that both these authors have about 500 pages to do this in. They have enough room to not only describe but plot and develop characters as well. Short (ghost) stories do not leave their authors much time to go into extravagant details and lengthy descriptions. The authors need to get to the point, introduce their characters and develop their plot or else they run the risk of only having one paragraph left to do "the big reveal" or get to the point of their story.
Edith Nesbit does not suffer from lengthy describing-ness. She is very economical with her words and describes what she needs to in no more words than necessary. This gives her stories a good pace and makes them flow well. Yet for her conciseness she does not sacrifice the set up of the story, the character or the rounding off of her story lines.
Nesbit does sometimes have a tendency to begin her story as if something has been going on or it starts with a random thought of one of the characters in the story. There is a "sudden" introduction and then the explanation of why and how the character fits into the story.
I enjoyed almost every one of her stories and was only disappointed with a few. I will go through them in a bit more detail now.
Man-size in Marble
One of the finest ones in the book.
A boy, a girl, wedded bliss, a cottage and a curse. The End.
The reveal at the end is great. You know someone has been ghosted but end still makes you go... "aha, that's clever". Nesbit could have so easily gone overboard on it but has kept the story neat and tidy and it only needs a little scare at the end.
Uncle Abraham's Romance
A main character reluctantly drawn out to tell his tale. Strangely enough not a lot of detail in the meetings between ghost and ghosted one and yet it works. You are left to fill in the details of what happened at their meeting yourself and in the last page Nesbit wraps it up nicely. This is what I mean by the economical style of Nesbit - she realises that it is not necessary (and she does not have the pages) to give you all the details of the meetings between the two and instead focuses her attention on the ghostliness of her tale - done and dusted within 3 pages. Excellent work.
From the Dead
Love gained and lost, well denounced really. Of course then regretting the denouncing and trying to make amends, ah alas too late. But the lady can't get enough. Seems almost as if she is trying to advocate tolerance with this one and to think about your actions as they can have unwanted consequences. The man is very harsh on his wife and does not even really mean to be, yet he decides to punish her anyway and pays the price. Can also be read as the story of a woman being punished for her dishonesty.
The Three Drugs
This one had me fooled a bit. I thought this was going to be a simple story of man lured to a house that was haunted or a case of house owner being a ghost. Nope, nope and nope again. It's much weirder than that. The search for mankind for dominance over his fellow man is at the heart of this one. Yet for change, all's well that ends well.
The Violet Car
Sweet story of loss and an invisible horror. You think the two are connected somehow but when it is revealed how it still surprises you. It is a really sweet story about a couple people haunted by the past. A nurse is sent in to try and determine which one of them is the mad(der) one as both husband and wife think it's the other. You really get the feeling that Nesbit liked the characters in this one, she describes them with sympathy and love. They keep their dignity and are both released from what haunts them, in a way.
John Charrington's Wedding
This is the one I remembered reading before.
Still good on the second reading. Quick setting of the scene, the story teller, his friend, the wife to be, the moment you start to worry about the chance of a happy ending, remember that love conquers all - cue wedding.
The Pavilion
There is a bit more detail in this one, it's a bit more focused on the scenery and characters and loses a bit of structural inner strength because of it. She spends some time in trying to set up her characters and defining them (the good and evil) and then tries to build a bit of a story line around the finding of the description of the haunting but all of it leaves me with is the question: does it really need that much detail? Other stories in the book do not have it and are stronger for it. However, still a nice story and centring round a challenge made between friends about spending a night in a creeper infested pavilion (nothing is free from acting as an agent for haunting in stories, don't these people know that?). The ending drifts a bit from the main focus and seems to want to make a point... just not sure which one?
Hurst of Hurstcote
Man not willing to face that death is part of every one's life, let alone the woman he loves. So he tries to cheat death to keep his love alive. Can't end well and doesn't. A bit dark and sombre in language and feel but essentially about love.
In the Dark
Excellent one!
Two friends meet up after a long time apart. One of them hides a terrible secret. The other one is determined to help him. All is well for a while. However, all is not what it seems. The reveal is great and I'll not give it away. Nesbit even manages to give you a little chuckle in the final stages. Read it!
The Head
Things go wrong when one man tries to profiteer from another. Two men enter into a venture for different reasons and in the end both get what they deserve/want.
Seems a bit of along set up to get to the final point. One of those stories that seems to have started out life s one story and then Nesbit changed her mind, decided she had a few more pages left in her notebook and gave it a different angle. Could have been more concise and still worked.
Yet the end is a real kicker... literally.
The Mystery of the Semi-Detached
Just 3 pages of not too much tension for me. Not too much of a scare or ghostliness. More a story of premonition. Almost too short to get properly into and not enough to really hold the attention or to build up a strong connection with any of the characters. She has not even bothered to name them so perhaps that's why the connection is not there.
The Ebony Frame
A painting that fulfills a promise and a fire that ruins them. Love gained and love lost. The main story is okay but it is one that might have profited from a bit less plot development. There is a love interest but I am not sure why it' s there as it is very clear that it is not going anywhere fast. He does not really care about the woman and yet she comes to his house... really.. why? That part of it feels almost more as a distraction to the main event which could have done with some more development.
The Five Senses
In a struggle between science and love a man has to choose between his lovely potential wife or potentially being a great scientist. We all know what he should do but... he doesn't listen. The pursuit of scientific fame nearly costs him his life but not quite. Not so much a ghost story I feel as nobody really does any haunting.
The Shadow
Things moving in the shadows and death inevitably follows. There is a love story of lovers past that is told at a dance and then very handily links into the presence of someone there in the present day.
The Power of Darkness
Two men see off a woman they are both in love with and decide to spend some time together until one of them has to go back home (just skim through the first page and a half, it serves no real purpose). They end up at a museum... well more of a Madame Tussauds with scenes from history instead of celebrities. One of them is afraid of the dark, there's a bet and when all is said and done the good guy wins. Nice little plot though. The story is told through the eyes of one of them and at the end you get the perspective of the other and that explains it all.
The Haunted Inheritance
I found this one a bit too thin and flat a story. A man has to make a choice between inheriting a large sum of money or a haunted house (guess what he wants?). There's a woman involved who turns out to have unexpected links to the inheritance as well. There is some scheming going on but it all sort of does not work completely. The woman is obviously there for a reason, apart from providing the love interest. The man's actions are all set towards getting what he wants but when he does he gives it up. There are no real scares or ghosts in this one and it almost seems like it needs more developing. The characters are sort of fleshed out but are not brought to life well. The fact that the house is haunted is raised but not used to it full effect, there's more Nesbit could have done with is (and has in other stories in this book!). The ending is sort of flat and predictable, a bit to lovey. It seems to lack some of the sharpness and fierce spirit some of the other stories have.
Number 17
Nice funny ghost story that is not really a ghost story. Reluctantly told by the little man by the fire. An exercise in how to get what you want in about half an hour and alienate a few people in the process. A case of mistaken identity.
The Letter in Brown Ink
A father gets stop the past from repeating itself through his son and yet the modern, young dashing hero is not the one who reaps the rewards.
The House of Silence
Crime does not pay! Creepy atmosphere and a man locked in darkness.
The Haunted House
A deviation away from ordinary ghosts or hauntings but not a very successful one for me. Again the story rattles along a bit. There is a case of mistaken identity that leads a loner to go and investigate a haunted house where he gets into trouble (who'd have thought it). The ending seems to have been devised just to get a bit of scariness into the story or because she did not know how to end it story otherwise. Something had to be done to make it more interesting and she came up with a creepy experiment and a mad scientist. There was no room anywhere else to add the scary bit? There are characters there that are good candidates for evil doings but they are neglected (one of them even turns out to be an agent of good in the end). one of the helpers could have probably easily taken them all on and has potential for being "freaky character central" but Nesbit decides not to go there... maybe because she felt it was too obvious?
The Detective
A young man looking for a new career gets more than he bargains for. The story is told through him and feels a bit more distant to you as a reader but still a nice little one with not so much of a scare or chill as just an confirmation of a rumour.
According to the blurb on the back this book is filled with "dark delights to make you fearful" well maybe not so much dark or fearful but they certainly are a good read and it has been a delight to discover more stories from this author!
Title: The Power of Darkness - Tales of Terror
Author: Edith Nesbit
Wordsworth Editions - Tales of Mystery and the Supernatural
255 pages
ISBN 978-1-84022-531-0
Books bought: 0
Books to be read: 71
## SPOILER ALERT ##
The Power of Darkness: Tales of Terror - Edith Nesbit
This is a really good collection of an author I did not really know. When reading the book I found that I did remember reading some of the stories before but not many.
One thing that I really liked about her writing style is that fact that she does not embellish that much. Some writers will put in detailed descriptions that only really seem to serve to fill out the pages, they are very descriptive. Descriptive is not always a bad thing. Charles Dickens does it very well in his books. He has more characters in his novels than most authors I know. Thomas Hardy is also not one to shy away from taking a page or two to describe a field one of his characters wanders around on. The difference is that both these authors have about 500 pages to do this in. They have enough room to not only describe but plot and develop characters as well. Short (ghost) stories do not leave their authors much time to go into extravagant details and lengthy descriptions. The authors need to get to the point, introduce their characters and develop their plot or else they run the risk of only having one paragraph left to do "the big reveal" or get to the point of their story.
Edith Nesbit does not suffer from lengthy describing-ness. She is very economical with her words and describes what she needs to in no more words than necessary. This gives her stories a good pace and makes them flow well. Yet for her conciseness she does not sacrifice the set up of the story, the character or the rounding off of her story lines.
Nesbit does sometimes have a tendency to begin her story as if something has been going on or it starts with a random thought of one of the characters in the story. There is a "sudden" introduction and then the explanation of why and how the character fits into the story.
I enjoyed almost every one of her stories and was only disappointed with a few. I will go through them in a bit more detail now.
Man-size in Marble
One of the finest ones in the book.
A boy, a girl, wedded bliss, a cottage and a curse. The End.
The reveal at the end is great. You know someone has been ghosted but end still makes you go... "aha, that's clever". Nesbit could have so easily gone overboard on it but has kept the story neat and tidy and it only needs a little scare at the end.
Uncle Abraham's Romance
A main character reluctantly drawn out to tell his tale. Strangely enough not a lot of detail in the meetings between ghost and ghosted one and yet it works. You are left to fill in the details of what happened at their meeting yourself and in the last page Nesbit wraps it up nicely. This is what I mean by the economical style of Nesbit - she realises that it is not necessary (and she does not have the pages) to give you all the details of the meetings between the two and instead focuses her attention on the ghostliness of her tale - done and dusted within 3 pages. Excellent work.
From the Dead
Love gained and lost, well denounced really. Of course then regretting the denouncing and trying to make amends, ah alas too late. But the lady can't get enough. Seems almost as if she is trying to advocate tolerance with this one and to think about your actions as they can have unwanted consequences. The man is very harsh on his wife and does not even really mean to be, yet he decides to punish her anyway and pays the price. Can also be read as the story of a woman being punished for her dishonesty.
The Three Drugs
This one had me fooled a bit. I thought this was going to be a simple story of man lured to a house that was haunted or a case of house owner being a ghost. Nope, nope and nope again. It's much weirder than that. The search for mankind for dominance over his fellow man is at the heart of this one. Yet for change, all's well that ends well.
The Violet Car
Sweet story of loss and an invisible horror. You think the two are connected somehow but when it is revealed how it still surprises you. It is a really sweet story about a couple people haunted by the past. A nurse is sent in to try and determine which one of them is the mad(der) one as both husband and wife think it's the other. You really get the feeling that Nesbit liked the characters in this one, she describes them with sympathy and love. They keep their dignity and are both released from what haunts them, in a way.
John Charrington's Wedding
This is the one I remembered reading before.
Still good on the second reading. Quick setting of the scene, the story teller, his friend, the wife to be, the moment you start to worry about the chance of a happy ending, remember that love conquers all - cue wedding.
The Pavilion
There is a bit more detail in this one, it's a bit more focused on the scenery and characters and loses a bit of structural inner strength because of it. She spends some time in trying to set up her characters and defining them (the good and evil) and then tries to build a bit of a story line around the finding of the description of the haunting but all of it leaves me with is the question: does it really need that much detail? Other stories in the book do not have it and are stronger for it. However, still a nice story and centring round a challenge made between friends about spending a night in a creeper infested pavilion (nothing is free from acting as an agent for haunting in stories, don't these people know that?). The ending drifts a bit from the main focus and seems to want to make a point... just not sure which one?
Hurst of Hurstcote
Man not willing to face that death is part of every one's life, let alone the woman he loves. So he tries to cheat death to keep his love alive. Can't end well and doesn't. A bit dark and sombre in language and feel but essentially about love.
In the Dark
Excellent one!
Two friends meet up after a long time apart. One of them hides a terrible secret. The other one is determined to help him. All is well for a while. However, all is not what it seems. The reveal is great and I'll not give it away. Nesbit even manages to give you a little chuckle in the final stages. Read it!
The Head
Things go wrong when one man tries to profiteer from another. Two men enter into a venture for different reasons and in the end both get what they deserve/want.
Seems a bit of along set up to get to the final point. One of those stories that seems to have started out life s one story and then Nesbit changed her mind, decided she had a few more pages left in her notebook and gave it a different angle. Could have been more concise and still worked.
Yet the end is a real kicker... literally.
The Mystery of the Semi-Detached
Just 3 pages of not too much tension for me. Not too much of a scare or ghostliness. More a story of premonition. Almost too short to get properly into and not enough to really hold the attention or to build up a strong connection with any of the characters. She has not even bothered to name them so perhaps that's why the connection is not there.
The Ebony Frame
A painting that fulfills a promise and a fire that ruins them. Love gained and love lost. The main story is okay but it is one that might have profited from a bit less plot development. There is a love interest but I am not sure why it' s there as it is very clear that it is not going anywhere fast. He does not really care about the woman and yet she comes to his house... really.. why? That part of it feels almost more as a distraction to the main event which could have done with some more development.
The Five Senses
In a struggle between science and love a man has to choose between his lovely potential wife or potentially being a great scientist. We all know what he should do but... he doesn't listen. The pursuit of scientific fame nearly costs him his life but not quite. Not so much a ghost story I feel as nobody really does any haunting.
The Shadow
Things moving in the shadows and death inevitably follows. There is a love story of lovers past that is told at a dance and then very handily links into the presence of someone there in the present day.
The Power of Darkness
Two men see off a woman they are both in love with and decide to spend some time together until one of them has to go back home (just skim through the first page and a half, it serves no real purpose). They end up at a museum... well more of a Madame Tussauds with scenes from history instead of celebrities. One of them is afraid of the dark, there's a bet and when all is said and done the good guy wins. Nice little plot though. The story is told through the eyes of one of them and at the end you get the perspective of the other and that explains it all.
The Haunted Inheritance
I found this one a bit too thin and flat a story. A man has to make a choice between inheriting a large sum of money or a haunted house (guess what he wants?). There's a woman involved who turns out to have unexpected links to the inheritance as well. There is some scheming going on but it all sort of does not work completely. The woman is obviously there for a reason, apart from providing the love interest. The man's actions are all set towards getting what he wants but when he does he gives it up. There are no real scares or ghosts in this one and it almost seems like it needs more developing. The characters are sort of fleshed out but are not brought to life well. The fact that the house is haunted is raised but not used to it full effect, there's more Nesbit could have done with is (and has in other stories in this book!). The ending is sort of flat and predictable, a bit to lovey. It seems to lack some of the sharpness and fierce spirit some of the other stories have.
Number 17
Nice funny ghost story that is not really a ghost story. Reluctantly told by the little man by the fire. An exercise in how to get what you want in about half an hour and alienate a few people in the process. A case of mistaken identity.
The Letter in Brown Ink
A father gets stop the past from repeating itself through his son and yet the modern, young dashing hero is not the one who reaps the rewards.
The House of Silence
Crime does not pay! Creepy atmosphere and a man locked in darkness.
The Haunted House
A deviation away from ordinary ghosts or hauntings but not a very successful one for me. Again the story rattles along a bit. There is a case of mistaken identity that leads a loner to go and investigate a haunted house where he gets into trouble (who'd have thought it). The ending seems to have been devised just to get a bit of scariness into the story or because she did not know how to end it story otherwise. Something had to be done to make it more interesting and she came up with a creepy experiment and a mad scientist. There was no room anywhere else to add the scary bit? There are characters there that are good candidates for evil doings but they are neglected (one of them even turns out to be an agent of good in the end). one of the helpers could have probably easily taken them all on and has potential for being "freaky character central" but Nesbit decides not to go there... maybe because she felt it was too obvious?
The Detective
A young man looking for a new career gets more than he bargains for. The story is told through him and feels a bit more distant to you as a reader but still a nice little one with not so much of a scare or chill as just an confirmation of a rumour.
According to the blurb on the back this book is filled with "dark delights to make you fearful" well maybe not so much dark or fearful but they certainly are a good read and it has been a delight to discover more stories from this author!
Title: The Power of Darkness - Tales of Terror
Author: Edith Nesbit
Wordsworth Editions - Tales of Mystery and the Supernatural
255 pages
ISBN 978-1-84022-531-0
Books bought: 0
Books to be read: 71
Monday 22 February 2010
Phase 1: Denial
Do I have a problem with buying books... nope don't think I do. Yet perhaps this is my problem? I was doing really well on the non-book buying front but I seem to have had a bit of a relapse on Saturday. I bought 5, in one go. Technically speaking one I had to sort of get as I have been looking for it for some time and it completes my Dean Koontz Odd Thomas series. I now have all four of them and this means I can read them all in one go. I also got a few more that are on the BBC Big Read List so also essential buys.
People regularly ask me if I am aware of this novel invention called Library, and yes I am. I only have one problem with going to the library (well one big one and a few other, smaller ones). They want the books back and I do not want to give them back. So to my mind the next best option is to buy them second hand. They cost anything from £1.50 to £3.00 (so I am actually saving myself money buying them second hand instead of new) and then if you would happen to lose them you only lose a cheapo book and not a new one.
Books Bought: 5
Books to be read: 72 (actually, almost 71 as I am in the process of working my way through the last 60 pages of my ghost story one)
People regularly ask me if I am aware of this novel invention called Library, and yes I am. I only have one problem with going to the library (well one big one and a few other, smaller ones). They want the books back and I do not want to give them back. So to my mind the next best option is to buy them second hand. They cost anything from £1.50 to £3.00 (so I am actually saving myself money buying them second hand instead of new) and then if you would happen to lose them you only lose a cheapo book and not a new one.
Books Bought: 5
Books to be read: 72 (actually, almost 71 as I am in the process of working my way through the last 60 pages of my ghost story one)
Thursday 18 February 2010
Lunch anyone????
I have to warn you before I start telling you about the latest one I read. It is a bit gory and gruesome!! Funny, humane and yet ever so slightly freaky... you would think all of the above would not mix but they do in this one.
### SPOILER ALERT ###
The Flesh House - Stuart MacBride
The best thing about this one was that I had no idea where it was going or who was going to be the Bad Guy in the end. there were quite a few red herrings along the way but they are so obviously set up as being a red herring that I did not fall for any of them (hurrah for me!). Yet for all my feeling all good about myself I still had no idea until the very end about who actually was the killer. That, in my book is a good thing!!
The story is basically about someone killing people and the people trying to catch him. The killer is as important to the storyline as the other characters, maybe even more important. You get to know the characters and they all have their own issues to resolve and live through. All these lives get thrown at you and they all work together to bring the story to its gruesome conclusion. There are several "familiar faces" character wise: the grumpy bully of a boss, the out of town big boss, the Buddy, the obligatory Ex-Girlfriend, The Reporter friend, the Ballbreaker Officer and the Red Herring Criminal. Last but not least there is our hero, the plodding cop with an edge of cleverness about him: Logan MacRae. All the characters work together on the investigation and you get to know each of them as the investigation develops. Yet you never really feel that they take over the story, most of what you find out about them goes towards building their character or justifying their actions. The murders are always centre stage and not just because they are soooooo gruesome and brutal but they serve to develop the plot. I am not going to give away too much about the plot but basically it is just story about someone killing people. You have no idea why he has selected these people or why the killer does what he does. It is not until the very last chapters that you actually find out who it is and why all of it is going on. The book does not really end with catching the killer putting him behind bars and all the policemen living happily ever after and that is a good thing. With all the graft and grit in the story a "happy" nicely wrapped up ending would not feel right. You are sort of left as the end is nigh so to day. They have just figured it all out and are working at getting the bad guy and then it stops. The main guy is there, the killer is there, there's a good helping of blood and drama and then it stops. You then get a gap of six months and the last bit of the tale is told. I can honestly say that the end is one of the best "reveals" I have ever had the joy to experience in a crime book. The best thing is that even when you think all is revealed and the loose ends are tied up there is one more sucker punch the book throws at you (I dare you to read the last 3 pages and not go: "OH MY GOD!!!").
Yet for all its gruesomeness it is a story with lots of laughs. The characters have a great dose of cynicism and black humour about them and it manages to get them through life and the investigation. They joke about, get drunk, punch each other's lights out, let off steam and live their lives basically whilst doing this difficult job of catching the bad guys. The book has got a great pace and makes you want to read on and on. I read a third of the book in one evening so that tells you a little bit about how well it flows. It is really well structured and set up and the balance between the Evil of the killer and the humour and humanity of the other characters works really well.
Title: The Flesh House
Author: Stuart MacBride
Harper
595 pages
ISBN 978-0-00-724455-3
Books bought: 0
Books to be read: 67
Next up... a ghost story one.
### SPOILER ALERT ###
The Flesh House - Stuart MacBride
The best thing about this one was that I had no idea where it was going or who was going to be the Bad Guy in the end. there were quite a few red herrings along the way but they are so obviously set up as being a red herring that I did not fall for any of them (hurrah for me!). Yet for all my feeling all good about myself I still had no idea until the very end about who actually was the killer. That, in my book is a good thing!!
The story is basically about someone killing people and the people trying to catch him. The killer is as important to the storyline as the other characters, maybe even more important. You get to know the characters and they all have their own issues to resolve and live through. All these lives get thrown at you and they all work together to bring the story to its gruesome conclusion. There are several "familiar faces" character wise: the grumpy bully of a boss, the out of town big boss, the Buddy, the obligatory Ex-Girlfriend, The Reporter friend, the Ballbreaker Officer and the Red Herring Criminal. Last but not least there is our hero, the plodding cop with an edge of cleverness about him: Logan MacRae. All the characters work together on the investigation and you get to know each of them as the investigation develops. Yet you never really feel that they take over the story, most of what you find out about them goes towards building their character or justifying their actions. The murders are always centre stage and not just because they are soooooo gruesome and brutal but they serve to develop the plot. I am not going to give away too much about the plot but basically it is just story about someone killing people. You have no idea why he has selected these people or why the killer does what he does. It is not until the very last chapters that you actually find out who it is and why all of it is going on. The book does not really end with catching the killer putting him behind bars and all the policemen living happily ever after and that is a good thing. With all the graft and grit in the story a "happy" nicely wrapped up ending would not feel right. You are sort of left as the end is nigh so to day. They have just figured it all out and are working at getting the bad guy and then it stops. The main guy is there, the killer is there, there's a good helping of blood and drama and then it stops. You then get a gap of six months and the last bit of the tale is told. I can honestly say that the end is one of the best "reveals" I have ever had the joy to experience in a crime book. The best thing is that even when you think all is revealed and the loose ends are tied up there is one more sucker punch the book throws at you (I dare you to read the last 3 pages and not go: "OH MY GOD!!!").
Yet for all its gruesomeness it is a story with lots of laughs. The characters have a great dose of cynicism and black humour about them and it manages to get them through life and the investigation. They joke about, get drunk, punch each other's lights out, let off steam and live their lives basically whilst doing this difficult job of catching the bad guys. The book has got a great pace and makes you want to read on and on. I read a third of the book in one evening so that tells you a little bit about how well it flows. It is really well structured and set up and the balance between the Evil of the killer and the humour and humanity of the other characters works really well.
Title: The Flesh House
Author: Stuart MacBride
Harper
595 pages
ISBN 978-0-00-724455-3
Books bought: 0
Books to be read: 67
Next up... a ghost story one.
Friday 12 February 2010
Multiple Scariness
First of all.... confession time. When I state here that I have "only" 69 books to read I actually meant 69 books that are here in my house at the moment. I have to admit that I have some more in storage at my mum's that I have not read. To be honest, I have no idea any more how many I have there, tucked away securely in boxes, unread, alone in the dark... poor things. The thing is also that I am not even sure I remember which ones I have and have not read. I am thinking I might be able to tell from the spines. As I used to be a spine cracker (now happily living my life as a non spine cracker) I am kind of working on the assumption that any book stowed away at my mum's that does not have a cracked spine is one that I have not read. Not sure what that ups the count to.... not sure I want to know. I am going to work with the ones I have here now and that's the 69 unread ones adorning my shelves at this moment (denial is a wonderful thing). It's a good thing that I have my music to get me through reading all these treasures... The Band was helping me out a lot in reading this one.
## SPOILER ALERT ##
Victorian Ghost Stories - Various authors
For this one I managed to get back to my favourite genre: Ghost Stories!!
Every now and again just read something that "scares" you... or in my case read a lot of stuff that "scares" you.
This collection of stories was a good one. Written between 1838 and 1900 there is a good variety in themes, there are animal and human spooks and even vampires get a look in. Some stories are by the same author, one of German origin, and even that famous author Anonymous gets a look in.
Hugues the Wer-Wolf - Sutherland Menzies
Strange tale that at first seems to be about a family that is shunned by the community and then turns out to be about the son who manages to survive hardship and yet finds love. found the way it was written a bit stilted and haltingly at times and I struggled with it in the beginning. The story seems to meander one way and then another and the change from one storyline to the next is not smooth or sometimes even logical. But I guess in the end every character gets what they deserve.
The Dream - J. Sheridan Le Fanu
I had read some of his ghost stories before and was happy to see him included in this collection.
This one is about a dying man who wishes to makes amends for the life he has lived after he gets a taste of what could be in store for him when he passes on. He has a good go at changing his life around and seems to be on the path to righteousness, however, this being a ghost story there is no escaping his destiny. Lovely gloomy and dark atmosphere, story told by someone who helps out they guy and observes from a distance and is as confounded as everyone else when the end comes along with a bit of a thud.
A chapter in the history of a Tyrone family - J. Sheridan Le Fanu
this one takes the shape of a story being told to the author. A lady tells her tale. It starts out with a story about her family and the tragic loss of a beloved sister. Strangeness happens (involving ghostly carriages) and then, all of a sudden the story veers off on a completely different direction, the sister is forgotten and the real story starts. How the lady marries the magnificent Lord Glenfallen and finds herself taken off to a big old house, a castle even (well, it wouldn't be a nice two up two down in Bloomsbury would it, not back in 1839) where she has to contend not only with a morose husband but a mad Dutch woman as well. It all gets gorgeously weird with the Dutch woman going on trial for attempting to kill our lady narrator, accusations of bigamy and madness. In the end madness is what ends it all.
Excellent story once you get over the slight change of emphasis on the first part of the story to the second more extensive part. It's almost as if Le Fanu started to write the story and then thought of an even more wonderful adventure his character could have but forgot to leave out the first part when he took the manuscript to the printers'. Still, a great entertaining story and the weirdness is worth it.
The Dead Sexton - J. Sheridan Le Fanu
A third treat from Le Fanu! There's a dead body in the second paragraph and for a minute you are not sure why Le Fanu would start the story that way but then it turns out to be not as much about the dead guy as it is about a guest who wanders by the Inn where the corpse is laid out. As an experienced reader of ghost stories you know that nobody just "wanders by" in stories like this so your suspicions are aroused buy the stranger who seems to be just a little too interested in the corpse (and rightly so!).
Good build up to the end and a lovely flurry of distracting guests to keep you from guessing what is actually going to happen in the end.
The Italian's Story - Mrs Crowe
An Italian Count trying to make his fortune in the world comes across a family whose past is linked with his... coincidence.... I think not. One young man is cheated out of a small fortune and his Italian ghost helps pay back the debt. I found myself almost screaming "come one don't you get it by now, I got it about 5 pages ago" at the end of the story so... a little predictable but okay.
Round the Fire - Mrs Crowe
Three for the price of one!
First a quick story about travellers being set upon by a ghost and then one even shorter one about a ghost without eyes. Then on to he main course: a man, a castle, a dark windy night, rooms where no other person will stay, a resident ghost... you fill in the blanks.
The Mysterious Stranger - Translated from the German
Nice story about a family travelling to a remote castle to inspect their territories. There is the girl scorning a young man's attentions and an eerie encounter with some wolves and a mysterious stranger. As he gets invited into their home you are almost screaming at them "No - don't do it, it will come to nothing" but do they listen??? You know the guy is up to no good but the rest of them seem blissfully ignorant of this fact. In the end a beat up but clever knight with a trick or two up his sleeve comes to the rescue and all is well.
Great build up of plot, nice characterisation of the main players and great reading flow and pace.
The Ghost Detective - Mark Lemon
A main character who when asked if he believes in ghost answers: Yes -No.. always a good start. The story follows the adventures of James Loxley who gets accused of embezzlement. We know he is one of the good guys but who is the bad guy. Well its' not who you think! Note to self: never trust servants that worry too much about my well being.
The Shadow of a Shade - Tom Hood
The story of how a man develops a shadow on his shadow.
What can I say without giving it away.. not a lot. Strangely enough there is a love and a trip to the icy colds involved in this one. Envy is the bad guy.
The Dead Man of Varley Grange - Anonymous
Why going to a haunted house with a few friends and mocking a ghost is never a good idea.
A nice guy gets ghosted and has to pay the price... shame, he seemed like such a nice, decent guy.
Nicely done, flows well and has the right amount of ghost in it. Anonymous should write more of these.
The Ghost in the Bank of England - Anonymous
Another good one from Anonymous.
This time the story starts off innocently enough with a doctor trying to make his way in the world. He manages to do this by taking care of some weird guy afraid of dying. Part of you thinks that this is the main story but no it's just the beginning! His reward is a bank note (cheque) which he duly cashes in for cash and the Bank of England. If it were not for the fact that on the way down he is accompanied by a man telling him a story of someone who used to work there you would think all would be well. Alas for our friend all is not well - he gets accused of fraud and looks about to be deported. However, he manages to prove his case and is able to get his life back on track.
The Picture on the Wall - Katharine Tynan
Man loves woman, woman is not wanting to commit for some reason. Woman invites man to her ancestral home to meet her family. Man gets cold reception from family. Man stays in room with painting with piercing eyes. Man is haunted at night by ghost, man survives, woman sends him packing. Not great - seems to end when it should just be getting started. Also no idea why we get the background of the whole romance as it seems to push any trace of ghost story right to the background. The whole thing feels a little contrived and more a collection of loose plot elements than a nicely told story meandering from A to B. Only the last few pages mention anything remotely ghostly and the dismissal of our male suitor is just ludicrously silly and seems just a little aside in an attempt to round up the story. Feels like there should have been a second part to it, something is missing?!
The Story of Medhans Lea - E. and H. Heron
Short and sweet - friends meet for a spot of billiards in an old house under refurbishment. Weird stuff happens (smells, crying, rustling bushes and ghostly, dark appearances) but it is all explained nicely in the end. None of them bothered to look up the history of the house before they went there but afterwards one of them seems to have developed a keen interest in it. Too late now mate.
The Tomb of Sarah - F.G. Loring
If ever there was a reason to say "I told you so" in a ghost story this one delivers.
So, here we are, restoring a church and relocating a tomb which clearly says on it, and I quote:... "for the sake of the dead and the welfare of the living, let this sepulchre remain untouched and its occupant undisturbed till the coming of Christ"... So what shall we do with this tomb then? Yep, you got it... move it 10 feet... ::sigh:: Well you asked for it!
Well written story, some goriness, some howling.... oh, and a few really stupid men. I am almost inclined to say: "Unfortunately they all make it to the end of the book alive and well."... not that they deserve it for being so stupid! What were they thinking?!
Title: Victorian Ghost Stories
Author: various
Senate
335 pages
ISBN 1-85958-133-1
Books bought: 0
Books to be read: 68
The Book Count might change as I am going to a book Fair in London on Sunday. I will try to be good, but I am not making any promises. Not sure what I am going to read next.... have to wait and see.
## SPOILER ALERT ##
Victorian Ghost Stories - Various authors
For this one I managed to get back to my favourite genre: Ghost Stories!!
Every now and again just read something that "scares" you... or in my case read a lot of stuff that "scares" you.
This collection of stories was a good one. Written between 1838 and 1900 there is a good variety in themes, there are animal and human spooks and even vampires get a look in. Some stories are by the same author, one of German origin, and even that famous author Anonymous gets a look in.
Hugues the Wer-Wolf - Sutherland Menzies
Strange tale that at first seems to be about a family that is shunned by the community and then turns out to be about the son who manages to survive hardship and yet finds love. found the way it was written a bit stilted and haltingly at times and I struggled with it in the beginning. The story seems to meander one way and then another and the change from one storyline to the next is not smooth or sometimes even logical. But I guess in the end every character gets what they deserve.
The Dream - J. Sheridan Le Fanu
I had read some of his ghost stories before and was happy to see him included in this collection.
This one is about a dying man who wishes to makes amends for the life he has lived after he gets a taste of what could be in store for him when he passes on. He has a good go at changing his life around and seems to be on the path to righteousness, however, this being a ghost story there is no escaping his destiny. Lovely gloomy and dark atmosphere, story told by someone who helps out they guy and observes from a distance and is as confounded as everyone else when the end comes along with a bit of a thud.
A chapter in the history of a Tyrone family - J. Sheridan Le Fanu
this one takes the shape of a story being told to the author. A lady tells her tale. It starts out with a story about her family and the tragic loss of a beloved sister. Strangeness happens (involving ghostly carriages) and then, all of a sudden the story veers off on a completely different direction, the sister is forgotten and the real story starts. How the lady marries the magnificent Lord Glenfallen and finds herself taken off to a big old house, a castle even (well, it wouldn't be a nice two up two down in Bloomsbury would it, not back in 1839) where she has to contend not only with a morose husband but a mad Dutch woman as well. It all gets gorgeously weird with the Dutch woman going on trial for attempting to kill our lady narrator, accusations of bigamy and madness. In the end madness is what ends it all.
Excellent story once you get over the slight change of emphasis on the first part of the story to the second more extensive part. It's almost as if Le Fanu started to write the story and then thought of an even more wonderful adventure his character could have but forgot to leave out the first part when he took the manuscript to the printers'. Still, a great entertaining story and the weirdness is worth it.
The Dead Sexton - J. Sheridan Le Fanu
A third treat from Le Fanu! There's a dead body in the second paragraph and for a minute you are not sure why Le Fanu would start the story that way but then it turns out to be not as much about the dead guy as it is about a guest who wanders by the Inn where the corpse is laid out. As an experienced reader of ghost stories you know that nobody just "wanders by" in stories like this so your suspicions are aroused buy the stranger who seems to be just a little too interested in the corpse (and rightly so!).
Good build up to the end and a lovely flurry of distracting guests to keep you from guessing what is actually going to happen in the end.
The Italian's Story - Mrs Crowe
An Italian Count trying to make his fortune in the world comes across a family whose past is linked with his... coincidence.... I think not. One young man is cheated out of a small fortune and his Italian ghost helps pay back the debt. I found myself almost screaming "come one don't you get it by now, I got it about 5 pages ago" at the end of the story so... a little predictable but okay.
Round the Fire - Mrs Crowe
Three for the price of one!
First a quick story about travellers being set upon by a ghost and then one even shorter one about a ghost without eyes. Then on to he main course: a man, a castle, a dark windy night, rooms where no other person will stay, a resident ghost... you fill in the blanks.
The Mysterious Stranger - Translated from the German
Nice story about a family travelling to a remote castle to inspect their territories. There is the girl scorning a young man's attentions and an eerie encounter with some wolves and a mysterious stranger. As he gets invited into their home you are almost screaming at them "No - don't do it, it will come to nothing" but do they listen??? You know the guy is up to no good but the rest of them seem blissfully ignorant of this fact. In the end a beat up but clever knight with a trick or two up his sleeve comes to the rescue and all is well.
Great build up of plot, nice characterisation of the main players and great reading flow and pace.
The Ghost Detective - Mark Lemon
A main character who when asked if he believes in ghost answers: Yes -No.. always a good start. The story follows the adventures of James Loxley who gets accused of embezzlement. We know he is one of the good guys but who is the bad guy. Well its' not who you think! Note to self: never trust servants that worry too much about my well being.
The Shadow of a Shade - Tom Hood
The story of how a man develops a shadow on his shadow.
What can I say without giving it away.. not a lot. Strangely enough there is a love and a trip to the icy colds involved in this one. Envy is the bad guy.
The Dead Man of Varley Grange - Anonymous
Why going to a haunted house with a few friends and mocking a ghost is never a good idea.
A nice guy gets ghosted and has to pay the price... shame, he seemed like such a nice, decent guy.
Nicely done, flows well and has the right amount of ghost in it. Anonymous should write more of these.
The Ghost in the Bank of England - Anonymous
Another good one from Anonymous.
This time the story starts off innocently enough with a doctor trying to make his way in the world. He manages to do this by taking care of some weird guy afraid of dying. Part of you thinks that this is the main story but no it's just the beginning! His reward is a bank note (cheque) which he duly cashes in for cash and the Bank of England. If it were not for the fact that on the way down he is accompanied by a man telling him a story of someone who used to work there you would think all would be well. Alas for our friend all is not well - he gets accused of fraud and looks about to be deported. However, he manages to prove his case and is able to get his life back on track.
The Picture on the Wall - Katharine Tynan
Man loves woman, woman is not wanting to commit for some reason. Woman invites man to her ancestral home to meet her family. Man gets cold reception from family. Man stays in room with painting with piercing eyes. Man is haunted at night by ghost, man survives, woman sends him packing. Not great - seems to end when it should just be getting started. Also no idea why we get the background of the whole romance as it seems to push any trace of ghost story right to the background. The whole thing feels a little contrived and more a collection of loose plot elements than a nicely told story meandering from A to B. Only the last few pages mention anything remotely ghostly and the dismissal of our male suitor is just ludicrously silly and seems just a little aside in an attempt to round up the story. Feels like there should have been a second part to it, something is missing?!
The Story of Medhans Lea - E. and H. Heron
Short and sweet - friends meet for a spot of billiards in an old house under refurbishment. Weird stuff happens (smells, crying, rustling bushes and ghostly, dark appearances) but it is all explained nicely in the end. None of them bothered to look up the history of the house before they went there but afterwards one of them seems to have developed a keen interest in it. Too late now mate.
The Tomb of Sarah - F.G. Loring
If ever there was a reason to say "I told you so" in a ghost story this one delivers.
So, here we are, restoring a church and relocating a tomb which clearly says on it, and I quote:... "for the sake of the dead and the welfare of the living, let this sepulchre remain untouched and its occupant undisturbed till the coming of Christ"... So what shall we do with this tomb then? Yep, you got it... move it 10 feet... ::sigh:: Well you asked for it!
Well written story, some goriness, some howling.... oh, and a few really stupid men. I am almost inclined to say: "Unfortunately they all make it to the end of the book alive and well."... not that they deserve it for being so stupid! What were they thinking?!
Title: Victorian Ghost Stories
Author: various
Senate
335 pages
ISBN 1-85958-133-1
Books bought: 0
Books to be read: 68
The Book Count might change as I am going to a book Fair in London on Sunday. I will try to be good, but I am not making any promises. Not sure what I am going to read next.... have to wait and see.
Sunday 7 February 2010
The girl's got a point
When I met one of my best friends for lunch today we got to chatting about my new blog. One thing that came up was how much of the story lines I was actually giving away in my reviews and if might not be a good thing to point out that if you read my blog some of the story line and content of the book will be revealed. Now, as a person who purposely avoids reading the introductions of books for exactly that reason I figured she had a point (I am blessed with clever friends!!). So I will go back and put spoiler alerts in for the reviews.
I am conscious that I have given away some content and story line development in my reviews but I do try not to reveal everything. So, all in all I think I have done okay so far, but I would not want someone to come here looking for information about one of the books I have reviewed, only then to come across my review telling them what they do not want to know at that point in time and leave this blog disappointed. However, in order to review a book I will draw attention to what I think are relevant or interesting elements of a book and discuss them. The only thing that will change is that I will announce in each review that there could be possible spoilers.
PS: lunch was great B!!
I am conscious that I have given away some content and story line development in my reviews but I do try not to reveal everything. So, all in all I think I have done okay so far, but I would not want someone to come here looking for information about one of the books I have reviewed, only then to come across my review telling them what they do not want to know at that point in time and leave this blog disappointed. However, in order to review a book I will draw attention to what I think are relevant or interesting elements of a book and discuss them. The only thing that will change is that I will announce in each review that there could be possible spoilers.
PS: lunch was great B!!
Tuesday 2 February 2010
Dean does it again
It seems I am on a bit of a reading binge.. not sure how long it will last so I intend to take full advantage of it. Finished a book again today!! It was a Dean Koontz one this time.
I first discovered him when a friend gave me one of his books to read. Since then I have been merrily reading away at his huge catalogue of books. I find his style very easy, I can read his books really quickly and not feel that I have missed any essential parts, turns of phrase or underlying hints when I do so. That is one thing I really noticed about DeanK, he writes quickly. some authors (for example Raymond Chandler) write leisurely, relaxed, safe in the knowledge that you will get to the end of the book eventually. With DeanK it is all go from the start. I wonder if his brain works that quickly and that shows in his style or is it simply that he has found a way to put that speed across on paper in the way that he structures his stories and it is just a trick he has learnt? He does tend to arch his chapters in a way that makes you want to read on and on. At the end of a chapter he will leave you mid conversation or revelation almost forcing you to read on. His characters are recognisable, easy to relate to and the story usually moves at a fast pace. Another good thing is that usually something weird happens somewhere along the line - be it to someone or something is brought into the story that make you go "what???" (creepy misty rain, scary mind control, dogs that can spell, people with hidden powers etc etc).
Now more about the one I read this time.
## SPOILER ALERT##
Your Heart belongs to Me - Dean Koontz
After I resisted the urge to read the blurb on the back (sometimes these things tel me more than I really want to know) I dove right in. Basically the story is about a young man called Ryan Perry who gets a heart disease and then gets a new heart. Seems simple enough.. well yes and no. The story is about how he deals with the diagnosis and how he feels that something is amiss, something is working against him in the background and he even becomes paranoid that he has been poisoned but he decides to overcome these feelings by taking charge and getting himself back on track. He makes choices that seem perfectly reasonable and when he does take control you do not really think anything of it although the woman he loves does (should have been a clue right?!). All the time he seems to be busy uncovering this plot outside himself when it is really all about him and about how he deals with people and impacts on others, how he does not question what good things happen to him and this new heart that he is given. Turns out the heart he is given in his transplant really "belongs" to someone else and the whole thing was not really above board. In a way the explanation seems a bit far fetched to me. He seems to have invented a backstory to his narrative that is in a way just "added in" at the end. In the last 40 pages it all comes out. It's almost as if DeanK came to a point of "right the guy is happy and healthy. Now why does it still all go wrong for him?" enter stage right the innocent religious girls, give her a super assassin avenging sister, add some medical organ harvesting and let's get some bullets flying. However, in the end when Ryan has finally learnt the life lessons he needs to learn, has got the humility and patience to let life be what it is, you are happy for him and you can tell that he is balanced and he will be okay. Even if he does not get the girl.
Title: Your Heart belongs to Me
Author: Dean Koontz
Harper
406 pages
ISBN nr 978-0-00-726758-3
Books bought: 0
Books to be read: 69
Next one to be read Victorian Ghost Stories
I first discovered him when a friend gave me one of his books to read. Since then I have been merrily reading away at his huge catalogue of books. I find his style very easy, I can read his books really quickly and not feel that I have missed any essential parts, turns of phrase or underlying hints when I do so. That is one thing I really noticed about DeanK, he writes quickly. some authors (for example Raymond Chandler) write leisurely, relaxed, safe in the knowledge that you will get to the end of the book eventually. With DeanK it is all go from the start. I wonder if his brain works that quickly and that shows in his style or is it simply that he has found a way to put that speed across on paper in the way that he structures his stories and it is just a trick he has learnt? He does tend to arch his chapters in a way that makes you want to read on and on. At the end of a chapter he will leave you mid conversation or revelation almost forcing you to read on. His characters are recognisable, easy to relate to and the story usually moves at a fast pace. Another good thing is that usually something weird happens somewhere along the line - be it to someone or something is brought into the story that make you go "what???" (creepy misty rain, scary mind control, dogs that can spell, people with hidden powers etc etc).
Now more about the one I read this time.
## SPOILER ALERT##
Your Heart belongs to Me - Dean Koontz
After I resisted the urge to read the blurb on the back (sometimes these things tel me more than I really want to know) I dove right in. Basically the story is about a young man called Ryan Perry who gets a heart disease and then gets a new heart. Seems simple enough.. well yes and no. The story is about how he deals with the diagnosis and how he feels that something is amiss, something is working against him in the background and he even becomes paranoid that he has been poisoned but he decides to overcome these feelings by taking charge and getting himself back on track. He makes choices that seem perfectly reasonable and when he does take control you do not really think anything of it although the woman he loves does (should have been a clue right?!). All the time he seems to be busy uncovering this plot outside himself when it is really all about him and about how he deals with people and impacts on others, how he does not question what good things happen to him and this new heart that he is given. Turns out the heart he is given in his transplant really "belongs" to someone else and the whole thing was not really above board. In a way the explanation seems a bit far fetched to me. He seems to have invented a backstory to his narrative that is in a way just "added in" at the end. In the last 40 pages it all comes out. It's almost as if DeanK came to a point of "right the guy is happy and healthy. Now why does it still all go wrong for him?" enter stage right the innocent religious girls, give her a super assassin avenging sister, add some medical organ harvesting and let's get some bullets flying. However, in the end when Ryan has finally learnt the life lessons he needs to learn, has got the humility and patience to let life be what it is, you are happy for him and you can tell that he is balanced and he will be okay. Even if he does not get the girl.
Title: Your Heart belongs to Me
Author: Dean Koontz
Harper
406 pages
ISBN nr 978-0-00-726758-3
Books bought: 0
Books to be read: 69
Next one to be read Victorian Ghost Stories
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