by Johan Theorin
(translated by Marlaine Delargy)
ages: adult (though it could be a 16+ book, if they’re interested)
First sentence: “The wall was built of big, rounded stones covered in grayish white lichen, and it was the same height as the boy.”

Julia Davidsson’s five-year-old son died 20 years ago on the island of Oland off the coast of northern Sweden. They searched for him for a while, but it was foggy, and everyone (from the police down to Julia) assumed he was out wandering and drowned in the sea. However, for the past 20 years, Julia has not been able to get over her grief for her son, Jens. This has cost her her relationship with Jens’ father, her job, her relationship with her father and sister, and nearly her sanity.

Then one day, her father, Gerlof, calls saying that he received what he thinks is Jens’ sandal in the mail, which opens up the possibility that Jens didn’t drown, but rather was killed. And Gerlof thinks everything points to Neils Kant — someone who “died” before Jens was born — as the person who did it.

It’s a quiet mystery — more about grief and closure than an actual “whodunit” — as we follow Julia through her process of acceptance and discovery. Gerlof, who has lived on the island his entire life, and who knows practically everyone, does most of the detective work, trying to figure out what really happened. Nils Kant’s history is also explored through flashbacks; in order to understand what happened to Jens, you need to understand the motivations of Nils. I expected this book to be more graphic than it was, especially considering the subject matter. But, Theorin spends less time on the actual killings (and there are multiple), and more on the process of grieving and of coming to terms with what life deals you.

Mystery fans won’t be disappointed, though: there are a couple of twists near the end that turn most of what you thought was going to happen on its head, and allowing for some decent closure. That said, I found the book highly unemotional, almost clinical. The characters and situations were interesting, but didn’t really evoke a lot of emotional connection with me. Perhaps, though, this was for the best, since I don’t usually deal well with crime novels.

At least it had a somewhat happy ending.

Buy it at Amazon, Powell’s or your local independent bookstore. Or just pick it up at your library…

by Georgette Heyer
ages: 13+
First sentence: “Sir Tristram Shield, arriving at Lavenham Court in the wintry dusk, was informed at the door that his great-uncle was very weak, not expected to live many more days out.

For about a year now, I’ve seen reviews of Georgette Heyer’s books floating around the book blogs, and I’ve thought to myself that I ought to give one a whirl. But it wasn’t until Becky’s review of this book that I hit upon the perfect Heyer book to start with.

Think of Heyer this way: one part Jane Austen, one part P.G. Wodehouse, and one part Oscar Wilde, with some Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Alexandre Dumas thrown in for good measure (and adventure). In short: absolutely delightful.

There’s an incredibly complex plot and a huge cast of characters, but all you really need to know is there are three cousins: Sir Tristram, severe and definately unromantic; Eustacie, young, French, silly, and desiring of an Adventure; and Ludovic, the heir to the Lavenham’s fortune, yet wrongly exiled for a murder he didn’t commit. Everyone at some point or other ends up at an inn where they meet Sir Hugh and Miss Sarah Thane, there is many Adventures (daring and otherwise), they flush out the Real Bad Guy and everyone lives Happily Ever After.

The real charm is in the sheer silliness of the novel. It’s a book about some of the silliest people I’ve ever “met”, which (of course) makes it absolutely hilarious and charming and plain fun to read. It’s not high literature by any means, but it’s definately worth the time.

Of course that means I’m going to go find another book of Heyer’s to read. Any suggestions?

Buy it at: Amazon, Powell’s or your local independent bookstore.

by Sarah Allen Addison
ages: adult
First sentence: “Every smiley moon, without fail, Claire dreamed of her childhood.”

The first thing I noticed about this novel is the descriptions. It’s there in the first sentence: “smiley moon” rather than crescent, or even sliver of a moon, sure. But, it doesn’t stop there; it’s scattered throughout the book. Addison’s talent, at least in my opinion, is not necessarily in plots or characters, but in lush, memorable descriptions of small-town South, with a magical twist.

Claire is a Waverly, which means she tends to a garden and knows its secrets — what the plants can do to a person — and how to use them. She runs a successful catering business, and everything is just fine, until her estranged sister, Sydney, moves back in town — she’s on the run from an abusive boyfriend — with her daughter Bay. Oh, and art professor Tyler moves in next door. Of course, Sydney will have difficulties readjusting to small-town life in Bascom, North Carolina. Of course there will be conflicts with her old school friends (who never really were her friends, and I felt the sub-plot was a bit forced, and kind of unnecessary). Of course Claire and Tyler will fall in love. Of course there will be a happily ever after.

But that’s not the point. The point is the nurturing and the giving and the growing. The point is characters like the sisters’ aunt, Evanelle, who’s magic is to give things. The point is family and belonging are what really matters. The point is Southern summer days. The point is food that makes you feel, makes you love, makes you regret. The point is an apple tree that wants to be a part of the family. The point is sentences where you can nearly feel and smell what they are describing.

And the result is a magical, sweet, delightful summer read.

Buy it at: Amazon, Powell’s or your local independent bookstore.

by Ian McEwan
ages: adult
First sentence: “The play — for which Briony had designed posters, programs and tickets, constructed the sales booth out of a folding screen tipped on its side, and lined the collection box in red crepe paper — was written by her in a two-day tempest of composition, causing her to miss breakfast and lunch.”

Ah, modern classics. Pages and pages of well-written, often beautiful, always complex exposition. Character development through psychological intricacies, with much telling, little showing. Pretentious in their understanding of human nature, but little or no plot to hang any of their characters on.

They bore me to tears.

Actually, I’m sounding harsher than I mean to; I did like aspects of Atonement — the idea that one person (though I’m having a hard time picturing her as 13; more like 9 or 10) can misinterpret situations, let their imagination run away with them and as a result affect many lives because of that is intriguing — but I had a hard time connecting with anyone. I also admit that I’m impatient (perhaps this is a negative side-effect of reading too much YA?) with books that take so long (more than 100 pages in set up) to get going, and then spent the other 2/3 of the story spinning around unraveling anything. I would have appreciated it if McEwan was more forthright in his writing, rather than leaving me to dig out plot points amidst all the extraneous thinking, musing, and suffering.

It was wonderfully written, though. I just wish it would have been more plot or character driven. Then again: it’s the same problem I have with Dickens. I’m just not a good judge of literary talent.

Buy it at: Amazon, Powell’s, or your local independent bookstore.

by Maria V. Snyder
ages: 14+
First sentence: “That’s pathetic, Yelena,” Dax complained.
Book three for the 48 HRC.

First off, can I tell you how much more I like the paperback cover (over there on the right), than the hardback covers on the other two books. Much, much better. (Even though a woman’s feet doesn’t really have much to do with the story. And Yelena would never wear a dress…)

I have also decided that it’s easier to review a series as one whole rather than three separate posts, since the same things apply for this one as did the last two. Valik and Yelena are still awesome. The action is kicking, though it really doesn’t go much of anywhere until Valik shows up, unexpectedly on page 200 (exactly). And then, it goes in places I wasn’t expecting, which isn’t a bad thing. I liked the religion of sorts that Snyder developed for the world, and while she let political strings dangle, it did resolve in a way that wasn’t entirely unsatisfying. She also juggled too many characters for my taste, and ended up leaving many things unresolved. Maybe there will be more books?

At any rate, it was an extremely enjoyable series to read — fun, with a dark edge, action-packed, interesting world, and compelling characters and plot. It’s difficult to do all that in a fantasy series. And Snyder succeeded quite admirably.

Buy it at: Amazon, Powell’s, or your local independent bookstore.

by Maria V. Snyder
ages: 14+
First sentence: “We’re here,” Irys said.
Book 2 for 48 HRC

When we last left our amazing duo of Valik and Yelena, she was exiled because she was a magician. The only hope for her was to head south into Sitia, the land of magicians, in the hopes that she could be reconciled with her family, and learn how to control her new found abilities, even if it means being separated from the love of her life.

Unfortnately, because she is Yelena, that also means trouble.

This one is as action-packed as the first in the series (and as dark; Snyder has a thing for bad guys torturing young girls/children… why is it less disturbing when it’s a fantasy novel than if it’s a “true crime” one?), but it’s more about Yelena and less about Valik. Which has its drawbacks, since Valik is well… awesome. (So, what did he look like for you? Me, he came off as Richard Armitage. Don’t ask me why. Could be that we watched Robin Hood last night…) And so, while the book doesn’t feel stalled, it lacks the certain sparkle that Valik brings. And, it lacks the tension of the first one — I think I like books with romantic conflict better than ones where the main characters are all lovey-dovey (even Robin Hood in season two has lost some of its sauciness… sigh.) — but that doesn’t mean it was bad. Far from it.

On to the third!

Buy it at Amazon, Powell’s, or your local independent bookstore.

by Maria V. Snyder
ages: 14+ (though M read it and was okay with it)
First sentence: “Locked in darkness that surrounded me like a coffin, I had nothing to distract me from my memories.”
First one for the 48 hour Book Challenge

Shall I list the people who inspired me to check out the book (Em, Kailana, Tricia, Corinne, and M, among others…)?

Or should I just say that yeah, yeah, yeah, this one is good? Really, really, really good. And that I was lame in letting it sit on my nightstand for so long (except I did that on purpose, because I knew it would be an awesome trilogy to read for this challenge).

Basic story: Yelena is in prison for murder. When her execution date comes up, she is offered a choice: hanging now, or become the Commander’s food taster. She — of course, since the book is longer than three pages — decides to take the gamble and become the food taster. It’s more complicated than that, because the General whose son she murdered is out for revenge, and well, things get, um, complicated with Valik, the Commander’s chief of security and her boss. Assassinations, revenge, plot twists, betrayal, friendship…

Remember that list I had for the perfect fantasy? Yep. This one works, too.

And I’m off to read the next in the triology.

Buy it at: Amazon, Powell’s, or your local independent bookstore.