Katherine's Book Babble

Most recently read stuff is listed first. Books that I'm rereading are in this color. You can generally tell from the blurb whether I liked the book or not, but if you don't want to read the blurb, there's also a star rating on the right. Five stars is excellence personified; three stars means that I thought the book enjoyable but not outstanding; one star ratings are rarely earned, in that I rarely finish such books.

Sometimes people ask if I have a favorite book. I point them here.

December, 2008:
Cat Laughing Last Shirley Rousseau Murphy Mystery, talking cats. I kid you not. Detective cat Joe Grey investigates the connection between a visiting author and a botched burglary. Dramatic and thoroughly cute. I especially like the difficulties that cats face when trying to use things like cell phones. ***
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Forty Thousand in Gehenna C.J. Cherryh Scifi, space/military. Colonists abandoned on an alien planet must adapt to life with the native species. Fascinating picture of evolution through generations, and the quick breakdown of civilization. ***
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Downbelow Station C.J. Cherryh Scifi, space/military. A space station full of civilians finds itself the battleground between Earth-centered forces and the rebels from the outer reaches of space. Bit of deus ex machina at the end, but it does not mar a tense, detailed, well-executed picture of the conflict. ****
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November, 2008:
Orca Steven Brust Fantasy/adventure: Vlad investigates some property claims and runs afoul of mobs and conspiracies. A huge improvement from its prequel, as the action is more exciting. Narrated from Vlad's point of view as well as that of his associate, Kiera the Thief. ***
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Athyra Steven Brust Fantasy/adventure: Vlad avenges an old friend. Bit of a disappointment as Brust switches narrative voices; his hero Vlad was a sardonic, witty type, but the narrator for this one is a teenager, remarkable only for his naiveté. **
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Jhereg Steven Brust Fantasy/adventure. Humans in this world are a secondary species to long-lived nine-foot-tall dragon-types, but Vlad isn't the type to stand for that. He acquires a sarcastic lizardlike familiar and sets himself up as an mobster/assassin. Wonderful, fast-moving stuff. ***
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October, 2008:
Forest Mage Robin Hobb Fantasy, sequel to Shaman's Crossing. The protagonist remains annoyingly dense, and foreshadowing is laid out with a heavy hand, but the illustration of the magics in play redeems the book. ***
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The Castle of Hape Shirley Rousseau Murphy Fantasy, young adult; book 3 of the Children of Ynell series; starts to get really twisty with the time traveling but things are beginning to make sense. ***
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The Wolf Bell Shirley Rousseau Murphy Fantasy, young adult; book 2 of the Children of Ynell series. Jumps back a few centures from book 1 to lay some foundation. ***
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The Ring of Fire Shirley Rousseau Murphy Fantasy, young adult; book 1 of the Children of Ynell series. Children with powers try to escape persecution. ***
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September, 2008:
Rebecca Daphne du Maurier Fiction. A beautifully written book about a naive young woman who falls in love with a widower; she follows him home and begins to learn about his first wife and the events that ended their marriage. The book unfolds slowly and elegantly, with increasing elements of strangeness and discomfort; brilliantly written. *****
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Shaman's Crossing Robin Hobb Fantasy. Robin Hobb's touch for worldbuilding is evident as she carefully lays the grounds for a conflict between civilization and forest, civilization already having conquered the plains. The protagonist is a little too dense to be believed, but the conflict both within and without him is fascinating. ***
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Rimrunners C.J. Cherryh Scifi, space/military. One of Cherryh's greatest strengths is to take interplanetary conflicts and distill them into a story on a personal level; in this book, we follow an out-of-work mercenary just looking for a ship to call home. The narrative voice is spare, blunt, and very immediate; a compelling read. ***
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August, 2008:
A Cook's Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines Anthony Bourdain Companion to the TV show, a kind of behind-the-scenes look at Tony Bourdain as he eats his way across the world. Rough-edged like the rest of his prose, but flavored with a real and honest admiration of the peoples and cultures that he meets. ****
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Doctor No Ian Fleming Sixth of the James Bond novels. Less spying, more action, and a girl named (of all things) Honeychile. A tinge of racism definitely dates this book; the current Bond is much more careful and polite. **
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From Russia with Love Ian Fleming Fifth of the James Bond novels. I really like the spy action going on here; Fleming spends half the novel just setting the scene before it finally gets going, but the plots-within-plots are pretty entertaining. ***
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Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss -- and the Myths and Realities of Dieting Gina Kolata Kolata follows the participants of a weight-reduction study, and investigates the development of science behind weight loss. The reader finds that even though historical data does not back up common advice, the medical community keeps maintaining that anyone can lose weight with proper diet and exercise. Very interesting and educational read. ***
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July, 2008:
The Pilgrim of Hate Ellis Peters Tenth of the Brother Cadfael medieval mystery series. There is a murderer among the devout souls on pilgrimage, and Cadfael must sort the guilty from the innocent. Really neat motivations at work here, though the story itself is rather bland compared to some of the others. ***
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Bambi: A Life in the Woods Felix Salten Yes, it's the book about the deer. The book is charming in its accounts of interspecies relations, yet manages to be realistic about the effects of harsh winters and thunderous guns. Salten presents nothing more than a portrait of life in the woods, arousing understanding and respect for nature in the reader, as opposed to any sort of fervid environmentalism or animal-rights emotions. Very decent read. ****
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Dead Man's Ransom Ellis Peters Ninth of the Brother Cadfael medieval mystery series. A prisoner exchange goes awry when one of the hostages is murdered upon arrival. Not as edge-of-your-seat tense as the other books, but still pretty intriguing. ***
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The Devil's Novice Ellis Peters Eighth of the Brother Cadfael medieval mystery series. Taut with excitement and misdirection, and featuring a very sympathetic close-mouthed protagonist. ***
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Sanctuary Sparrow Ellis Peters Seventh of the Brother Cadfael medieval mystery series. Peters is beginning to show some sympathy for the villains, though not much. Cute depiction of a starveling bard. ***
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The Virgin in the Ice Ellis Peters Sixth of the Brother Cadfael medieval mystery series. I swear I'm addicted to these things. Bit too much in the way of deus ex machina in this book, but a rollicking murder-mystery-adventure nonetheless, with a lovely sweet ending. ***
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June, 2008:
The Leper of St. Giles Ellis Peters Fifth of the Brother Cadfael medieval mystery series. Far too many people benefit from the death of the wealthy bridegroom on the eve of his wedding. It is left to Brother Cadfael to sort out the guilty from the innocent. Nice look at the role of lepers in society, too. ***
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St. Peter's Fair Ellis Peters Fourth of the Brother Cadfael medieval mystery series. A seemingly random murder at the fair turns out to have far-ranging implications. Interesting exploration of the relationship between the abbey and the town. ***
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One Corpse Too Many Ellis Peters The second of the Brother Cadfael mystery series. The events of this tale are a bit more lurid than its prequel; the tale begins with a mass execution, then segues into mystery when Cadfael finds an extra corpse in the lot. This story has a few too-convenient moments, but introduces some great new characters and is even more tense and fast-moving than the first. ***
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A Morbid Taste for Bones Ellis Peters The first of the Brother Cadfael mystery series. The characterization is a bit clumsy but I was definitely hooked. The character of Cadfael, crusader-turned-herbalist-monk, sets out as a translator and finds himself investigating a murder. Peters smoothly lays out all sorts of side-trails and subplots, and Cadfael just as smoothly weaves them all together at the end. The main character may be a bit too perfect, but the story was still riveting. Very enjoyable read. ***
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Ada, or Ardor: A Family Chronicle Vladimir Nabokov Fiction, alternate universe. Cousin-sibling prodigies Van and Ada Veen have a tumultuous, incestuous love affair that continues throughout both their lifetimes. The novel drags when they are apart; Nabokov sprinkles the prose with alliterative wordplay, trilingual punning, and exotic vocabulary, but their interaction brings out the best in them. I respect Nabokov very much, but he could have done with a better editor, in this book. ***
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One Perfect Day: the Selling of the American Wedding Rebecca Mead Editorial. A look into the bloated, multimillion dollar American wedding industry. Doesn't really answer why people spend the money they do, but instead looks into where and how it's spent, and how people are encouraged to spend more. Pretty entertaining. ***
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May, 2008:
Empire of Ivory Naomi Novik Historical fantasy, fourth in the series. More dragons in the Napoleonic era, containing all the action and drama the reader has come to expect from the first three, and a deadly plague besides. The lines are murkier now though, as the heroes come face-to-face with the slave trade and other moral dilemmas. Brilliant and tense; very good reading. ****
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Little Brother Cory Doctorow Fiction, thriller, nominally YA. A tech-capable teen tries to find his way after getting caught up in a government crackdown following a terrorist attack. The villains are a little flat, but the story is fast-moving and has me itching to explore the toys that this kid used. Pretty on-the-spot social commentary, too. The book's online and it's a fast read; check it out. ****
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The Art of the Novel Milan Kundera Kundera, in interviews and essays, talks about novels in general and his own in particular. It's a very learned discourse, some of which I was unable to follow (he brings in Diderot, Rabelais, Kafka, etc quite frequently). He discusses his novels in terms of musical compositions, which is delightful. There's also a section at the end full of "definitions," in which he ruminates on particular words. Very enjoyable. ***
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Every Living Thing James Herriot Another biographical story collection by the country vet. As I had just visited the Yorkshire area last year, the descriptions of the moors and villages really resonated with me this time. Funny, poignant, and entertaining, in the same vein as the books that preceded it. ***
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April, 2008:
The Baron in the Trees Italo Calvino Fiction. A young baron suddenly decides to live the rest of his life in the trees. The first half or so seems to be a charming thought experiment: how will he meet people? How will he get an education? How will he eat, drink, sleep, and go to the bathroom? The second half is a bit more confusing, as Calvino seems to grasp randomly at events to throw at his protagonist. Still, a lovely and entertaining read. ***
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Gastronaut: Adventures in Food for the Romantic, the Foolhardy, and the Brave Stefan Gates A recipe book worth reading even if you never use any of the recipes. I really enjoyed this book and its premise, which is that you're going to be eating anyway, so why not experience eating to the hilt? In search of culinary epiphanies, the author explores the lowbrow (what foods make us fart?) and the highbrow (how to stage a Roman orgy in the comfort of your own home). ***
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Fear of Flying Erica Jong This book may have been earth-shattering when it was published in 1973, but now there are many more books on the shelves about neurotic women who want to escape their unhappy marriages through sex with other men -- many of them better-written, too, I'm sure. The central character (Isadora Wing) is a near-transparent stand-in for Erica Jong herself. She is miserable both in marriage and out of it, and arouses very little sympathy in the reader. An interesting read for its portrait of the times, but I wouldn't recommend buying it; get it from the library if you're curious. **
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March, 2008:
Shalimar the Clown Salman Rushdie A revenge story nestled in the sad fate of Kashmir, and how the bonds of friendship and love can break down with terrifying results. The prose is lush but not without meat, funny and heartbreaking by turns. Parts of this book haunted me for weeks. ****
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A Reader's Manifesto: An Attack on the Growing Pretentiousness in American Literary Prose B.R. Myers An essay in which Myers mourns the lack of coherency in the current stars of American literature. I agree with the general gist (having just finished a similarly unreadable book by M. John Harrison) but I disagree in parts; sometimes artistry with words need not be closely inspected to be appreciated. Still, definitely entertaining, and the man does have a point: books can be artful without being pretentious. ****
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February, 2008:
The Course of the Heart M. John Harrison Theoretically, a meld of classic literature and speculative fiction. Three characters are haunted by... something vague. It's hard to tell, because the writing is overwrought and frequently incoherent. This is a piece of crap book, actually, in which no foundation is laid, no tension is built, and no conclusion is reached. Total waste of time. *
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Going Postal Terry Pratchett Yet another Discworld charmer. Moist von Lipwig, reluctantly reformed con man, is put in charge of the city's ailing Post Office. The punning in this novel is almost too much, and I don't buy the "behind every reformed con is a good woman" schtick, but I'll admit that I was hooked and couldn't put the book down. Fantasy well done. ****
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Two-Part Invention: The Story of a Marriage Madeleine L'Engle Fourth of L'Engle's Crosswicks Journals, dealing with her youth in New York City's theater scene, her courtship, the challenge of balancing work and life during her forty-year marriage, and the poignant ordeal of her husband's terminal illness. A series of lightly connected reminiscences, and a wonderful, intimate examination of love and loss. ****
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January, 2008:
The Door into Shadow Diane Duane Second in the Tale of the Five series, fantasy. I read the prequel when I was in high school and was amazed to find this. Not great art by any means but reassuring in its hopeful societal gender-blindness. The religion, in which the Goddess and the Shadow (aka entropy) are in constant conflict and balance, is also well-executed. ***
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Making Money Terry Pratchett In the true way of things in Pratchett's Discworld universe, a reluctantly reformed criminal may be the best hope for getting the bank back on its feet. Lots of twists, turns, and startling creepiness in this book about the true value of money. ***
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The Botany of Desire Michael Pollan A poetic book about plants, and how they try hard to please animals so the animals can help them propagate. Lots of fascinating history and ruminations on the changing (and often obsessive) relationship between plants and people. ****
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Wintersmith Terry Pratchett Very focused for a Discworld book; a young witch learns to take responsibility for all sorts of actions, premeditated or no. Third book to deal with Tiffany Aching, but you don't need the first two to appreciate this one. Very well done, funny and touching. ****
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The Wee Free Men Terry Pratchett Typical Discworld fantasy: hilarious dialogue, adorable characters, a fight in which a single small human battles the one-dimensional faerie. Pratchett knows what he's doing; the plot rolls along smoothly, without any hiccups. ****
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Book of Enchantments Patricia Wrede Fantasy, nothing terribly deep; an enjoyable set of short stories. Typical cast and tropes, pretty good takes on Sleeping Beauty and the "Bonny Swans" sisters. ***
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