The Bat, by Jo Nesbø

Borrowed Kindle version from my local library, based on bookczuk's review of a newer book in the series. Of course I couldn't read *that* book without reading all the books that led up to it, so I started with the first Inspector Harry Hole novel, The Bat.

The plot (paraphrased from amazon): Inspector Harry Hole of the Oslo Crime Squad is sent to Sydney, Australia, to observe a case involving the murder of a 23-year-old Norwegian woman, who is a minor celebrity back home. Harry is free to offer assistance, but he has firm instructions to stay out of trouble. He fails miserably.

I wasn't too sure about this book through the first few chapters—it was full of Crocodile Dundee-like stereotypes as Harry Hole settled into the story and that made it uncomfortable for me to settle into the story. As it went on, I felt a little more at ease, but I don't know that I always knew what was going on; I was often surprised by a turn of events, a twist, an unexpected reaction, and I liked that. I also liked that everything is important in this story. I will visit "Harry Holy" again.

Ripper, by Isabel Allende

I don't know who I am more disappointed by: Isabel Allende, for the way she wrote this book; Edoardo Ballerini, for the way he read this book; or me, for reading/listening to this book for 14+ hours. I think we may all be equally at fault.

This book is full of stereotypes and condescending preachiness and unlikable, unbelievable characters, many of them barely veiled real-life pop culture figures. It is a series of character vignettes loosely held together by a murder mystery that is being solved not by the San Francisco police department, but by the 16-year-old daughter of the investigating deputy chief and her merry band of computer role-playing gamer misfits around the world. Oh, and her grandpa. All of whom are given unusual access to confidential police files of an active investigation. Allende also takes on the U.S. military and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, particularly Navy SEAL Team 6, which just seems wrong. She may be spot on with her depiction of war and its post-traumatic stress, but its delivery was just off. And that may be the fault of the reader, Edoardo Ballerini. His tone throughout this whole book was that voice people use when they feel sorry for you.

Maybe he did feel sorry for me because I chose to listen to this book.

Stardust, by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman kept Niece No. 4 and me company from North Carolina to West Virginia and we loved every minute. Stardust was the perfect antidote to my misguided beach read of John Dies At The End. Where John was dark and depressing, Stardust—especially Stardust read by Neil Gaiman—was magical.

I read the actual physical book once before, and have seen the movie a couple of times; after this re-read, the book wins hands down. It has a much better, romantic, and gentle ending than the movie and it was just what I needed to hear.

John Dies at the End, by David Wong

So, maybe this wasn't the best book to read at the beach. It's not very light, there are some darkly funny moments, but overall I found it rather depressing—a normal person might have deduced all this from the title alone. Apparently I am far from normal.

I have read too many of these dystopian apocalyptic books of late. I want to laugh. I want to love. I want to believe in the goodness of humankind. I want a do-over.

Catch #237!

Road trip! I am enjoying a week at the beach with my family and left a trail of BookCrossing books at various restaurants and gas stations on my way here. The last gas station we stopped at in Virginia couldn't print a receipt at the pump, so I had no idea what town I was leaving Jean-Luc Picard and Guinan in. Thankfully, an AnonymousFinder set me straight: "Found on top of the gas pump in Bastian, VA!" Bastian! Of course! Thank you, AF, and enjoy!

An Officer and A Spy, by Robert Harris

My knowledge of the Dreyfus Affair prior to reading this book was that there was such a thing as the Dreyfus Affair. I had no idea who Dreyfus was or what the Affair entailed. Now I do. This was an interesting bit of fictionalized history. I loved hearing about France and Paris at the turn of the 20th century. I am so glad I listened to this book--after consulting Wikipedia to learn more/clarify some "characters" I would have butchered most of the French names. David Rintoul really did a nice job reading. Only a couple of times was I confused about who was speaking.

Allegiant, by Veronica Roth

Thanks a lot for making me cry, Veronica Roth. Although I didn't necessarily approve of where the story went (A whole world of possibilities was waiting outside the fence at the end of "Insurgent" and it ended up being this??? Or was that a brilliant commentary on the all-too-ordinary cruelty of humanity? Hmmm, reevaluating ...) you did manage to keep me emotionally invested in Tris and Four and the rest of the Divergent. Even with its faults and shortcomings, I liked "Allegiant." Maybe the movie plot will be different enough (different-good, that is) that I can say I loved "Allegiant."

The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman

Borrowed the audio version through my local library. Although this is a reread, having read the physical hardback book in June 2013, The Ocean at the End of the Lane was like a brand new story because Neil Gaiman was reading it to me. I got a much better sense of the characters and their tones when the author is reading them as he intended them to be read.

I follow Neil Gaiman and his wife, Amanda Palmer, on assorted social media platforms, and I remember Neil's tweets when he was writing this book, and Amanda's blog posts when he was sharing this book with her, and I feel like I'm all wrapped up in the symbolism of this book and their relationship and I shouldn't be because I am a stranger to them both. Neil has said this is his most personal book, and Amanda tells a story about how she and Neil were discussing the book one day and she asked him about a particular plot point and he said, "Don't you get it?" (or something to that effect) and then she did. I want to get it, too.

Well, part of me does.

Another part of me just wants to enjoy or not enjoy the story for what it is to me and forget about what it is to them. I love Stardust and Neverwhere and The Graveyard Book, but I don't need to know what was going on in Neil Gaiman's life when he was writing them to love them. I think I may need to scrub my mind and reread this for the third time as if it were the first.

Catch #236!

Another book from my mini-release spree through Oakland last month has checked in. I left J.D. Robb's "Immortal In Death" with the immortal Robert Burns outside of Phipps Conservatory before 2 p.m. New member bahall6 says: "Picked up the book where Journal Entry 2 left it at 3 or 4pm and brought it home to zip 13760!"

How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming, by Mike Brown

I was one of those people who mourned the passing of Pluto when it was demoted to "dwarf planet" status in 2006 (has it been that long already?), but I never really took the time to understand how and why that happened (I was busy, OK?).

Now I know it's all Mike Brown's fault.

And I'm OK with it.

This was a very interesting book: part memoir, part history, part science (but not scary, hard-to-understand science), part intrigue. Who knew the search for planets could be so enthralling? Mike Brown is a very good storyteller and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about *everything* that was going on in his life, even when it had nothing to do with finding planets. If I ever get the chance to meet him at a cocktail party, I will feel like he's an old friend.

Takedown Twenty, by Janet Evanovich

Twenty times I have read about Stephanie and Lula and Morelli and Ranger and Grandma Mazur. Twenty times. The first book in this series, "One for the Money," was published in 1994. I don't know how much time is supposed to have passed in Stephanie's fictional world, but that's twenty real years for me. This installment was light and enjoyable (if you look past the violence and murder), but, like Stephanie Plum herself, I'm feeling like it's time to move on.

I know there are lots of series of books out there—especially in the mystery/thriller genre—where the protagonist can exist indefinitely, but I want more for Stephanie. I want her to either make a choice between Morelli and Ranger or choose them both and stop feeling guilty about it. Then I won't feel guilty about choosing to read "Top Secret Twenty-One" when it is released in June.

Catch #235!

Yesterday was International BookCrossing Day, as declared by BCer MissTree and sanctioned by the BC powers-that-be in this BC forum post: "April 21, 2014 will mark the first ever International BookCrossing Day. How can you participate? It's easy! On that date, April 21, 2014, according to your own time zone or side of the date line, just release a book, or as many books as you'd like! The point is to get as many BookCrossers from around the world to participate in a mass release on the same date as possible."

Being a good(ish) BCer, I couldn't NOT participate, so I took the opportunity to continue my recently resumed releasing ways. I left five books in and around Greensburg and Colin Dexter's "The Secret of Annexe 3," which I thought would be languishing out in the rain, was found and journalled!

New member aleksandrvulkov says: "I love books. And finding this completely made my day. As soon as I get home I'm going to start reading. And I will have to join in on this collaborative effort to bring small joys through random books."

That journal completely makes my day. Darn it, I think I have been pulled back in.

Catch #234!

Inspired by Catch #233 a couple of weeks ago, I went on a mini release spree through the Oakland area of Pittsburgh today. I left five books in various spots. There were a lot of people out walking and jogging and dancing at the Color Festival and enjoying Phipps Conservatory and Schenley Park and just going about their business, so I was hopeful for a catch. The book I thought most likely to be confiscated or thrown in the trash, especially after seeing a couple of security guards heading its way, was Steve Berry's "The Charlemagne Pursuit," which I left on a bench by the Mary Schenley Memorial Fountain. Thankfully, new member bryandmoods found it first. "I didn't read it yet but it's heavy." he reports. "The guy on the back looks kinda racist but thats okay. I carried this book with me through the color festival it also went to buffalo wild wings with us after. I got the snack size boneless wings in medium and some fries. It was delicious!"

Catch #233!

"The Grouchy Ladybug" is on the move. An AnonymousFinder says, "Read to preschool class and finally released it. Released it at Station Square in Pittsburgh by Hard Rock / Just Ducky Tours. Hopefully a visitor to the city will take it to destinations unknown :) "

Although this is my first catch in almost three months, it happens to be one of the last books I released back in November 2013. We, like many other parts of the country, had a very long winter with consistently bad weather that made even going outside a chore to be avoided. That left me a lot of time to read, but now that the weather is improving, I should get back in the releasing mode, too.

Insurgent, by Veronica Roth

"Insurgent" starts right where "Divergent" ended. That's why I didn't understand the source of the conflict that rages between Four and Tris for most of this book. As far as I can recall (and it's been only a few weeks since I left them on the train headed for the Amity farm), they were on good terms at the end of "Divergent," facing their future together, stripped bare (not literally), no secrets between them. Maybe as time passed, survivors' guilt consumed them both, driving them apart rather than bringing them together. To me, the conflict seemed contrived—the book has enough conflict already without manufacturing any between our main characters.

Who or what is outside the fence? When will I be higher than user 9 of 13 on the library's waiting list for "Allegiant"?

A Feast for Crows, by George R. R. Martin

I couldn't help myself. I had to read ahead. "Game of Thrones" Season 4 premieres in 12 days and I just couldn't wait any longer to see what the future holds for the denizens of Westeros. I'm trying to enjoy the HBO series and the books on their own merits. I'm having my cake and eating it, too.

The war is (mostly) over and our favorite characters have gone off in all directions. So many directions, in fact, that "A Feast for Crows" follows only a few of them: Arya, Jaime, Brienne, Sansa, Cersei, Sam, and puts us on more intimate terms with the inhabitants of Dorne and the Iron Islands. There is an author's foreword that explains why we're hearing only half the story, and promising the second half within a year or so. Instead, it was six years before the next book in the series, "A Dance with Dragons," was released.

I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in the GoT world with this book. My only complaint is that it ended too soon, even at 784 Kindle pages.

Divergent, by Veronica Roth

So it's after 2 a.m. and I just swiped past the last page of this book on my Kindle. It's been awhile since I stayed up to finish a book, but how can one go to sleep when the fate of a fictional free world is at stake? For the most part, I enjoyed reading "Divergent." There were times in the very beginning and the very end when the writing style seemed a little clunky, but the middle was pretty solid and that made me forgive (if not forget) the shaky parts. I know just enough about Chicago to "know" most of the landmarks and buildings in Tris' world, so that was a nice bonus for me. I'm looking forward to seeing the movie, whose trailers have matched my imagination so far, and to reading the next book in the series.

If Love Be Blind, by Emma Goldrick

What a gem. My sister recently came across this oldie but goodie in her "Harlequins-that-I-might-want-to-read-again" cache from the 1980s. She and a friend have been talking about its "so-bad-it's-good" qualities for so long I felt I had to read it. If this is what the ideal romance was supposed to be like in 1987, I am glad times have changed. There were definite jaw-dropping I-can't-believe-these-characters and THIS-was-romance-in-the-1980s??? moments, but in the end, I would rather have read the story of Penn's snow blindness than Philomena's humiliating journey from head of the typing pool to wife of the boss.

Books Read in 2013

So long, 2013, and hasta la vista to the 56 books I read in the last 365 days. That's the same number I finished in 2012, although since 2012 had an extra day, being Leap Year and all, it's almost like I read more in 2013.

I seem to have read a lot of e-books and audiobooks this year, which isn't really good news for all the real books that are languishing on my shelves (four BILLY bookcases and counting!). I should make some sort of resolution for 2014 like e-book, audiobook, real book, real book. Because resolutions always last.

So here is a list of the books I finished in 2013. You can follow the links to their journal entries on BookCrossing; those books without a link were either borrowed, or are in my permanent collection for the moment. (E) indicates they were read on my Kindle/Nook/iPod Touch; (A) means they were audiobooks; (R) means I re-read some old friends.

My favorites this year? "Redshirts," by John Scalzi; the six books that made up Stephen King's "The Green Mile"; "Sacré Bleu," by Christopher Moore; and "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," by Ian Fleming, because it was read by David Tennant.

January
1. Jake Howard's Wife, by Anne Mather (R)
2. I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence, by Amy Sedaris (A)
3. Tess of the d'Urbervilles, by Thomas Hardy (A) (E)

February
4. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
5. Redshirts, by John Scalzi
6. Doctor Who: The Devil in the Smoke, by Justin Richards (E)

March
7. Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen
8. Never Sit in the Exit Row, by Denise Howard (E)
9. Doctor Who: The Taking of Chelsea 426, by David Llewellyn (E)
10. The Two Dead Girls (The Green Mile, Book 1), by Stephen King

April
11. A Loving Scoundrel, by Johanna Lindsey (A)
12. The Mouse on the Mile (The Green Mile, Book 2), by Stephen King
13. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (E)
14. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, by Maggie O'Farrell (A)
15. Birth Marks, by Sarah Dunant
16. Roast Mortem, by Cleo Coyle (E)

May
17. Damned, by Chuck Palahniuk (A)
18. The Rose Hotel, by Rahimeh Andalibian (E)
19. Serenity Volume Three: The Shepherd's Tale, by Joss Whedon, Zack Whedon, and Chris Samnee
20. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, by David Sedaris (A)
21. The Family Under the Bridge, by Natalie Savage Carlson
22. Coffey's Hands (The Green Mile, Book 3), by Stephen King
23. Love Virtually, by Daniel Glattauer
24. The Bad Death of Eduard Delacroix (The Green Mile, Book 4), by Stephen King
25. War Horse, by Michael Morpurgo

June
26. Son, by Lois Lowry
27. Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn (E)
28. Sacré Bleu, by Christopher Moore (A)
29. Notorious Nineteen, by Janet Evanovich (E)
30. Doctor Who: Marco Polo, by John Lucarotti (E)
31. Night Journey (The Green Mile, Book 5), by Stephen King
32. Pieces of My Heart, by Robert J. Wagner (A)
33. The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman

July
34. Coffey on the Mile (The Green Mile, Book 6), by Stephen King
35. On Her Majesty's Secret Service, by Ian Fleming (A)
36. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
37. Death Comes to Pemberley, by P.D. James (E)
38. Doctor Who: A Big Hand for the Doctor, by Eoin Colfer (E)
39. Everyone Worth Knowing, by Lauren Weisberger (A)
40. The Brief History of the Dead, by Kevin Brockmeier
41. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, by Laurie Viera Rigler
42. Doctor Who and the Crusaders, by David Whitaker (E)

August
43. The Romanov Bride, by Robert Alexander
44. The Boy in the Suitcase, by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis (E)
45. Cheaper By The Dozen, by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
46. About A Boy, by Nick Hornby

September
47. Through Violet Eyes, by Stephen Woodworth
48. My Cousin Rachel, by Daphne du Maurier

October
49. A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin (E)
50. The Bad Beginning, by Lemony Snicket (R)
51. A Clash of Kings, by George R.R. Martin (E)

November
52. A Storm of Swords, by George R.R. Martin (E)

December
53. The Blue Lagoon, by Henry De Vere Stacpoole (E)
54. Gregor the Overlander, by Suzanne Collins (E)
55. Doctor Who: Planet of Giants, by Terrence Dicks (E)
56. An Unexpected Song, by Iris Johansen

Damned, by Chuck Palahniuk

Borrowed this unabridged audiobook from my local library. Read by Tai Sammons. This is my first Chuck Palahniuk book, and I liked it. Even though I found it completely gross and repulsive and meandering and inconsistent at times, I can forgive all for validating my opinion that viewing "The English Patient" is so great a punishment that it should be served only on those consigned to Hell for all eternity. I loved the irreverent dark humor and will definitely keep my eyes, and ears, out for more by Palahniuk.