It has taken me much longer than usual to read "A Separate Country" than the typical 424 page novel. It is tough to wade through 19th century journal writing, and that is what makes up the majority of this book. At times I found it dull, and at times things picked up considerably and got quite absorbing. I especially liked the sections narrated by Eli Griffin, the grifter who befriended the Hood family right at the end of their lives and tried to wind up the loose ends.
Most of the book is made up of fictional journals and memoirs of CSA General John Bell Hood and his wife, Anna Marie Hennen Hood, who were, of course, real historical figures. The story is set in New Orleans after the Civic War, where several former Confederate generals settled. Hood and his wife had 11 children in a space of about 12 years, and family life plays a big part in Anna Marie's journals, understandably. Hood tries and fails at business, and in the end reaches a point of salvation for his sins on the battlefield by nursing black New Orleaneans during the yellow fever epidemic of the late 1870s, an epidemic that also took Hood's life, and that of his wife and his oldest and youngest daughters.
The book is a reminder that New Orleans has always been a hotbed of grifters and corrupt government and politics. It was an especially dangerous place to live because of the people and the pestilence during the Reconstruction period. Hick's book is a graphic reminder of both the seamy and the somewhat more noble side of the great Creole city of the South.
Even though I found it slow-going, I did enjoy the book for the most part. I found some of the characters a little one-dimensional, but even these characters come up with a surprise or two. I want to go back to Hick's first novel, the highly acclaimed "The Widow of the South."
Liz Nichols
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Chambers of Death by Priscilla Royal
In college at Lawrence University I had a medieval history professor, Dr. Cheney, who we always said had one foot in the middle ages at all times. He lived and breathed it. We could picture how people felt, what they did and how they talked by his descriptions. I topped of my medieval experiences at Lawrence by taking a seminar class in medieval literature, which I also enjoyed very much.
When I get an opportunity to read history, or history in the form of an historical novel, set in the middle ages, I usually read it. Priscilla Royal's "Chambers of Death" is no exception.
Royal studied medieval literature at San Francisco State University and continues to live in Northern California. She has five other novels set in that period, specifically the end of the thirteenth century. The Afterword in the book hints that she will be tackling the considerably more troubled 14th century next with her cast of characters from the Tyndal Priory. The 13th century was comparatively enlightened compared to the century after with its frequent Black Death scourges, harsh politics and mini-ice age.
"Chambers of Death" is set on a road trip away from the Priory. Prioress Eleanor, a high born woman who preferred to run her own domain from inside a convent, has gone to settle some disputes about the priory's far flung lands and has with her a young novice and a monk who is normally involved in the work of the infirmary in the Priory, Brother Thomas. The young girl, Mariota, takes deathly ill in a storm and the group stop to tend their sick companion at the manor that is stewarded by a gentleman named Master Stevyn. We meet his strange family at the door of the manor, and not everyone is very welcoming.
The groom is murdered shortly after the arrival and in the course of the book others die. Several members of the staff and family have either motive, means or opportunity, but Eleanor and Thomas are hard pressed to find anyone with all three at the time of each of the murders. I must say Royal had me fooled until shortly before the chapter where the murderer is revealed. The sheriff, Sir Reimund, never has a clue and is inclined to accuse and hang the first convenient low-born member of the household.
There is much to like about this book. It is very well researched. We have accurate descriptions of manor life in the thirteenth century. We get inside the minds of people of different stations. We find out what people thought about affairs and the inequality of treatment between husbands and wifes caught cheating. We find out about the rules of illegitimacy and what being born out of wedlock meant for the future of that child. We get inside the minds of not only the main characters, but also many of the people from the manor. The descriptions and the characterizations make this book so much more interesting than a mystery that is mainly plot and action. In fact, this book evolves rather slowly, but the complexity of it and the large cast of characters demands a little attention to detail.
"Chambers of Death" is a good choice of a mystery read for those who enjoy historical and medieval mysteries. Fans of Prioress Eleanor and Brother Thomas will not be disappointed.
Liz Nichols
P.S.: For those who have wondered about my son and his retinal surgery, it went well. He has to wait a week or so before much activity until a gas bubble inserted in the eye disappears. At that point the eyesight should have returned to around 20/30 and we can get his glasses adjusted.
When I get an opportunity to read history, or history in the form of an historical novel, set in the middle ages, I usually read it. Priscilla Royal's "Chambers of Death" is no exception.
Royal studied medieval literature at San Francisco State University and continues to live in Northern California. She has five other novels set in that period, specifically the end of the thirteenth century. The Afterword in the book hints that she will be tackling the considerably more troubled 14th century next with her cast of characters from the Tyndal Priory. The 13th century was comparatively enlightened compared to the century after with its frequent Black Death scourges, harsh politics and mini-ice age.
"Chambers of Death" is set on a road trip away from the Priory. Prioress Eleanor, a high born woman who preferred to run her own domain from inside a convent, has gone to settle some disputes about the priory's far flung lands and has with her a young novice and a monk who is normally involved in the work of the infirmary in the Priory, Brother Thomas. The young girl, Mariota, takes deathly ill in a storm and the group stop to tend their sick companion at the manor that is stewarded by a gentleman named Master Stevyn. We meet his strange family at the door of the manor, and not everyone is very welcoming.
The groom is murdered shortly after the arrival and in the course of the book others die. Several members of the staff and family have either motive, means or opportunity, but Eleanor and Thomas are hard pressed to find anyone with all three at the time of each of the murders. I must say Royal had me fooled until shortly before the chapter where the murderer is revealed. The sheriff, Sir Reimund, never has a clue and is inclined to accuse and hang the first convenient low-born member of the household.
There is much to like about this book. It is very well researched. We have accurate descriptions of manor life in the thirteenth century. We get inside the minds of people of different stations. We find out what people thought about affairs and the inequality of treatment between husbands and wifes caught cheating. We find out about the rules of illegitimacy and what being born out of wedlock meant for the future of that child. We get inside the minds of not only the main characters, but also many of the people from the manor. The descriptions and the characterizations make this book so much more interesting than a mystery that is mainly plot and action. In fact, this book evolves rather slowly, but the complexity of it and the large cast of characters demands a little attention to detail.
"Chambers of Death" is a good choice of a mystery read for those who enjoy historical and medieval mysteries. Fans of Prioress Eleanor and Brother Thomas will not be disappointed.
Liz Nichols
P.S.: For those who have wondered about my son and his retinal surgery, it went well. He has to wait a week or so before much activity until a gas bubble inserted in the eye disappears. At that point the eyesight should have returned to around 20/30 and we can get his glasses adjusted.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
The Spies of Warsaw by Alan Furst
Furst is master of the historical spy novel. This one is set in pre-war Warsaw where Jean-Francois Mercier de Boutillon is an attache with the French Embassy and a secret spy master.
The operations that Mercier is asked to carry out are all in an effort by the anti-Petain forces in the French miliary to prove that the Germans plan to move against France by bringing tanks across Belgium. He watches tank war games in the woods of southern Germany, enlists a German resistance member to get documents that end up supporting the German command's intentions, and helps an old-guard Russian spy couple to defect. In the mean time, he finds his true love, Anna, an attorney in Warsaw.
The story may be fiction, but the history is accurate. It is frustrating to see how the French high command was coopted by those who did not want to believe what they could see with their own eyes, or secretly wanted an alliance with Hitler against Russia. France let the events that led to World War II unfold with little resistance until it was too late.
Furst is an outstanding espionage writer, and I look forward to both his future work and to picking up some of his previous works.
Liz Nichols
The operations that Mercier is asked to carry out are all in an effort by the anti-Petain forces in the French miliary to prove that the Germans plan to move against France by bringing tanks across Belgium. He watches tank war games in the woods of southern Germany, enlists a German resistance member to get documents that end up supporting the German command's intentions, and helps an old-guard Russian spy couple to defect. In the mean time, he finds his true love, Anna, an attorney in Warsaw.
The story may be fiction, but the history is accurate. It is frustrating to see how the French high command was coopted by those who did not want to believe what they could see with their own eyes, or secretly wanted an alliance with Hitler against Russia. France let the events that led to World War II unfold with little resistance until it was too late.
Furst is an outstanding espionage writer, and I look forward to both his future work and to picking up some of his previous works.
Liz Nichols
Friday, November 13, 2009
Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich
"Plum Spooky" is Plum good!
This Stephanie Plum rendition also brings a little change of pace because most of it takes place in a new location, the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey, and we get to meet a whole new eccentric cast of characters. We're also reintroduced to the hunky Diesel, an international bounty hunter who passes through Trenton once in awhile. It adds a little interest to see Stephanie Plum paired with someone other than Ranger or Morelli-- and to have it be more of a sibling relationship (not that Diesel doesn't try for more.)
Basically, Stephanie is on the trail of a mad kid scientist, Martin Munch, and runs in to the guy Munch is working for, Wulf Grimwoire, a very scary man who also happens to be Diesel's cousin. Diesel is after Wulf, who is wanted for a string of murders among other international terror charges. Wulf's main interest in Stephanie is that Munch takes a liking to her and wants her to be his sex slave. Every change Stephanie gets she uses her famous kick routine in the unmentionables.
For once Stephanie's car is not torched by bad guys. It would have been torched by a fire farting hermit who lives in the Barrens, but Stephanie's new jeep had already been trashed by a family of raccoons when she ran out of gas in the piney woods of the Barrens. She's also looking after a monkey for an acquaintance, and runs into a whole bevy of monkeys on an animal preserve in the Barrens. See what I told you? Lots of new and different zany characters and action.
Anyway, like most of Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels, this is entertaining and totally effortless reading that will make you laugh out loud at regular intervals.
An idea-- Stephanie Plum and her pals would make such great characters in a film series. I'd be interested in knowing if anyone has approached the author with an offer. I suppose the filming budget would be pretty big given the number of vehicles and buildings that explode or get torched in every episode...
Liz Nichols
This Stephanie Plum rendition also brings a little change of pace because most of it takes place in a new location, the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey, and we get to meet a whole new eccentric cast of characters. We're also reintroduced to the hunky Diesel, an international bounty hunter who passes through Trenton once in awhile. It adds a little interest to see Stephanie Plum paired with someone other than Ranger or Morelli-- and to have it be more of a sibling relationship (not that Diesel doesn't try for more.)
Basically, Stephanie is on the trail of a mad kid scientist, Martin Munch, and runs in to the guy Munch is working for, Wulf Grimwoire, a very scary man who also happens to be Diesel's cousin. Diesel is after Wulf, who is wanted for a string of murders among other international terror charges. Wulf's main interest in Stephanie is that Munch takes a liking to her and wants her to be his sex slave. Every change Stephanie gets she uses her famous kick routine in the unmentionables.
For once Stephanie's car is not torched by bad guys. It would have been torched by a fire farting hermit who lives in the Barrens, but Stephanie's new jeep had already been trashed by a family of raccoons when she ran out of gas in the piney woods of the Barrens. She's also looking after a monkey for an acquaintance, and runs into a whole bevy of monkeys on an animal preserve in the Barrens. See what I told you? Lots of new and different zany characters and action.
Anyway, like most of Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels, this is entertaining and totally effortless reading that will make you laugh out loud at regular intervals.
An idea-- Stephanie Plum and her pals would make such great characters in a film series. I'd be interested in knowing if anyone has approached the author with an offer. I suppose the filming budget would be pretty big given the number of vehicles and buildings that explode or get torched in every episode...
Liz Nichols
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Dead Man's Puzzle by Parnell Hall
This is the first time I've run in to Hall's Puzzle Lady Mystery series. I have mixed feelings about it.
This is one mystery where it was not that easy to decipher the killer half way through the book, and I appreciate the complexity of the process that went in to constructing the book. I don't happen to be a puzzle addict, so I did not take the time to try to solve the puzzles myself. If I had the book would have taken me a lot longer. I'm also not that familiar with Soduku, which I realize is very popular right now. Soduku lovers will love this book.
What bothered me was the disjointedness of the dialogue. The sleuth, Cora Felton, a puzzle creator who can't solve her own puzzles to save her life, has a thought process that is akin to someone who is ADHD or possibly bipolar, and that makes her dialogue and her thoughts difficult to follow. It all hangs together in the end, but it is easy to get tangled up in the process. The short, choppy dialogue makes the book at the same time a fast read, and a confusing one.
The other thing that bothered me about the book is the book's design. I usually don't complain about this. I appreciate the work that publishers do to create the finished product. This time, the changes in typeface between headings, pagination and the body of the page make the work hard to read and detract from it to some extent. Perhaps this contributes to the sense of disjointedness in the work.
I can't say that I got involved with the main character the way I do with my favorite mystery writers, and so I will probably not go out of my way to read another or to go back in the series to read some of the earlier books in the series.
However, the subject and the writing style will appeal to many readers. I can understand why Parnell Hall has a following.
Liz Nichols
This is one mystery where it was not that easy to decipher the killer half way through the book, and I appreciate the complexity of the process that went in to constructing the book. I don't happen to be a puzzle addict, so I did not take the time to try to solve the puzzles myself. If I had the book would have taken me a lot longer. I'm also not that familiar with Soduku, which I realize is very popular right now. Soduku lovers will love this book.
What bothered me was the disjointedness of the dialogue. The sleuth, Cora Felton, a puzzle creator who can't solve her own puzzles to save her life, has a thought process that is akin to someone who is ADHD or possibly bipolar, and that makes her dialogue and her thoughts difficult to follow. It all hangs together in the end, but it is easy to get tangled up in the process. The short, choppy dialogue makes the book at the same time a fast read, and a confusing one.
The other thing that bothered me about the book is the book's design. I usually don't complain about this. I appreciate the work that publishers do to create the finished product. This time, the changes in typeface between headings, pagination and the body of the page make the work hard to read and detract from it to some extent. Perhaps this contributes to the sense of disjointedness in the work.
I can't say that I got involved with the main character the way I do with my favorite mystery writers, and so I will probably not go out of my way to read another or to go back in the series to read some of the earlier books in the series.
However, the subject and the writing style will appeal to many readers. I can understand why Parnell Hall has a following.
Liz Nichols
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Cat Playing Cupid by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
I am really not a fan of books with talking animals. I just have a lot of trouble with anthropomorthizing animals-- and that is the whole premise of Murphy's Joe Grey Mystery Series.
Joe Grey is a "speaking cat" who lives with several other like-gifted cats in the small town of Molena Point in coastal northern California. Only a few people in this community know about this cat family's rare gift, and they are dedicated to keep the cats' secret.
The secret is threatened by the discovery of a book about speaking cats buried with a dead body in the ancestral home of the family that first brought this cat family line from Wales. The cats with their current people have to come up with a plan to get the body discovered after they have dragged away the offensive volume and without revealing the unusual talents of this family of cats. Since no one in the police department is privy to the secret about the cats it is a matter of getting the police to find the body without becoming suspicious about the cats.
The other thread is the "love" story between a feral "speaking cat," Sage, and his half-feral litter mate, Kit. Kit ultimately decides to stay with her people rather than to go back to the hard life of a wild cat. I find this relationship too filled with sentimentality and anthropomorphic for my tastes.
There are sections of the book that are exciting and attention-grabbing, in particular the chase of the suspect (there's no surprise about who that is) and the clever way the animals and their people use to get the police to find the dead body in the Pamillion ruins.
This book will appeal to mystery lovers who enjoy animal characters and can suspend disbelief a bit in terms of what the animals think, say and do.
Liz Nichols
Joe Grey is a "speaking cat" who lives with several other like-gifted cats in the small town of Molena Point in coastal northern California. Only a few people in this community know about this cat family's rare gift, and they are dedicated to keep the cats' secret.
The secret is threatened by the discovery of a book about speaking cats buried with a dead body in the ancestral home of the family that first brought this cat family line from Wales. The cats with their current people have to come up with a plan to get the body discovered after they have dragged away the offensive volume and without revealing the unusual talents of this family of cats. Since no one in the police department is privy to the secret about the cats it is a matter of getting the police to find the body without becoming suspicious about the cats.
The other thread is the "love" story between a feral "speaking cat," Sage, and his half-feral litter mate, Kit. Kit ultimately decides to stay with her people rather than to go back to the hard life of a wild cat. I find this relationship too filled with sentimentality and anthropomorphic for my tastes.
There are sections of the book that are exciting and attention-grabbing, in particular the chase of the suspect (there's no surprise about who that is) and the clever way the animals and their people use to get the police to find the dead body in the Pamillion ruins.
This book will appeal to mystery lovers who enjoy animal characters and can suspend disbelief a bit in terms of what the animals think, say and do.
Liz Nichols
Sunday, November 1, 2009
The 4 Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
Those who read my reviews regularly know that I don't review a lot of non-fiction. That doesn't mean that I don't read a lot of non-fiction. I get so much of my non-fiction reading from the research I do for my "day job" which is content management and freelance writing. I typically read two or three reports per day, several blogs and at least one newspaper. In addition, I will listen to one or two rebroadcasts of webinars or teleconferences per day as I get other things done. So, I certainly do spend the majority of my time absorbing information. When I kick back my reading is almost always fiction...
A few times per year, however, a non-fiction book comes to my attention as a "must read. Ferriss' book,"The 4 Hour Workweek," has been on the radar for a couple of years, and I finally picked it up last week at the behest of Nathan Jurewicz, the Short Sale Kid. He is an example of a twenty-something millionaire who took Ferriss' system to heart early on and now lives the 4 Hour Workweek lifestyle.
The heart of Ferriss' advice is to outsource. In my present situation I AM an outsourcer other entrepreneurs will turn to to get their article writing and blogging done. However, my partner and I are working diligently to turn our business into a turnkey system where we form writing and web development teams under managers to take care of our client's sites. We have been focusing on people who are already online, and that is one model--- supplying the people who are already successful with a way to get the content done for sites that can be projected out to strong sales as the traffic is built organically. The other model we are working to build up right now is one that is local-- helping successful local businesses become even more successful by capturing a log of the local traffic in niche areas. So, one of the things Ferriss' book does is to confirm the model we are developing. That's somewhat comforting to have someone like Timothy Ferriss confirm the appropriateness of the model.
Another aspect of the book is helping entrepreneurs make the most of the time that is freed up. Just because someone manages to replace himself in his work does not make someone happy. It is important to have a vision of what you want to do with your time and to do something that is socially and intellectually redeeming and challenging. Ferriss travels the world having new experiences and meeting new people. He also gives back through social service and charitable giving. Both are very important to having a fulfilling life.
The 4 Hour Workweek is neither the best written nor the most original book of its kind, but it certainly has had a wide impact on entrepreneurs around the world. It is therefore required reading for anyone who is an entrepreneur or wants to become a successful entrepreneur.
Liz Nichols
A few times per year, however, a non-fiction book comes to my attention as a "must read. Ferriss' book,"The 4 Hour Workweek," has been on the radar for a couple of years, and I finally picked it up last week at the behest of Nathan Jurewicz, the Short Sale Kid. He is an example of a twenty-something millionaire who took Ferriss' system to heart early on and now lives the 4 Hour Workweek lifestyle.
The heart of Ferriss' advice is to outsource. In my present situation I AM an outsourcer other entrepreneurs will turn to to get their article writing and blogging done. However, my partner and I are working diligently to turn our business into a turnkey system where we form writing and web development teams under managers to take care of our client's sites. We have been focusing on people who are already online, and that is one model--- supplying the people who are already successful with a way to get the content done for sites that can be projected out to strong sales as the traffic is built organically. The other model we are working to build up right now is one that is local-- helping successful local businesses become even more successful by capturing a log of the local traffic in niche areas. So, one of the things Ferriss' book does is to confirm the model we are developing. That's somewhat comforting to have someone like Timothy Ferriss confirm the appropriateness of the model.
Another aspect of the book is helping entrepreneurs make the most of the time that is freed up. Just because someone manages to replace himself in his work does not make someone happy. It is important to have a vision of what you want to do with your time and to do something that is socially and intellectually redeeming and challenging. Ferriss travels the world having new experiences and meeting new people. He also gives back through social service and charitable giving. Both are very important to having a fulfilling life.
The 4 Hour Workweek is neither the best written nor the most original book of its kind, but it certainly has had a wide impact on entrepreneurs around the world. It is therefore required reading for anyone who is an entrepreneur or wants to become a successful entrepreneur.
Liz Nichols
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