Recently Completed #3

[littlerdog.livejournal.com]

Have I not been reading or posting? Have I been reading but not posting? Certainly I haven't been posting but not reading....

Let's do a quick round-up of the books read recently (probably not in the right order):

Altar of Bones by Philip Carter.

This is a book my husband bought to feed to the 'gannets', as he describes those members of the family who read occasionally. It's a thriller. Or, rather, it's a formula book that isn't really very thrilling. Once the MMC's survived an attack by multiple antagonists bearing Uzi's for the second time, there's no thrill. Nothing will take this man down so why worry? The major interest for me was in waiting for the inevitable moment when the MMC would betray the FMC, and even that wasn't very exciting. The author couldn't wait to point out that the MMC didn't mean it. And of course the eponymous altar gets destroyed at the end. Dreck, albeit dreck that could supply some nice props for a film.

(Authors: stop destroying things!)

The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Way too young for me, of course, but I was inspired to pick it up for 50p off the charity table in the supermarket because someone had intimated that the film (which I have seen) changed the ending a little to suit certain sensibilities. However, the comment seems off-track, because although the ending is different, there's nothing in the book to suggest that the servant girl is anything other than white.

Sarah is far too perfect and made me itch.

A Cold Season by Alison Littlewood

I bought this ages ago at a book-signing then lost it. It resurfaced finally when I was tidying the bedroom. That's one of the funny things about tidying: some things appear yet other things vanish for eternity. Swings and roundabouts....

Ultimately, I didn't enjoy this book much. There's an interesting mystery set up at the start, but I never connected with or cared about the characters. The author does an excellent job of keeping you guessing whether one character is Bad or Good, and that's the best part of the book, tbh. Somehow there was a lack of tension or emotional connection, although I'm not sure why. It seems decently written enough and the ending's spooky.

The Town in Bloom by Dodie Smith.

What seems initially to be the sweet yet inspiring story of a young woman, nicknamed Mouse, who charms and insouciants her way into the acting profession becomes instead a somewhat gruesome tale of a charming man surrounded by fawning females. Well written, yes, but no less revolting for all that. As for the prissy condemnation of a 'kept woman'--well, that's pretty rich coming from a woman who's just conned her friends so she could have sex with a married man.

I'm really not sure how I feel about this book. It could be entirely ironic.

Firewall by Henning Mankell.

Another solid Wallander book. Although there are some quirks that annoy me, generally I get along with these books and find them entertaining. Great for a wet afternoon.

The Singing Sands by Josephine Tey.

Enjoyed this one very much. A good mystery, I engaged with the characters, and even when the story bogged down in pointless digressions (oh those Scots Nats! What silly people! And English aristocrats! So misunderstood! And ooh look pretty woman!) it was possible to grit my teeth and keep going because I wanted to know what and why. I was a little disappointed at the abrupt resolution and the way it was brought about; I'm pretty sure Tey's editor should have sent the ms back with Try Harder written on it in red. But a worthwhile read. It's a shame really that Tey was writing at a time when she couldn't get the same recognition as say P.D. James. Tey's the better writer by a considerable margin.

Mayday by Nicholas Faith.

A disappointing book with great ambitions. I suppose expecting something of the order of Destination Disaster from a book one-fifth its size was unreasonable. However, this is little more than a round-up of various shipping disasters without much evocation of events or in-depth explanation of the cascade leading to them. Often I wished for a little more detail or even just a few names of people involved. Too dry yet not enough facts.

Orsinian Tales by Ursula K. Le Guin.

Better known for her Science Fiction, Le Guin has also dabbled in mainstream. This book is a collection of her mainstream short stories, set in the fictional European country of Malafrena, which might be familiar to readers from the eponymous and beautifully-realised novel. They're an odd little collection, mostly about love and loss. Definitely worth reading for the skill and beauty of Le Guin's writing, but perhaps more of an aperitif than a full literary meal.

What do you mean what do I mean by that? S'a metaphor!

(I bought this book to make up an order to three books so I could combine postage. Yeah.)

What's that you say, I was supposed to be reading The Romans? Erm....