leandrathetbrzero's Reviews (412)

 While reading this novel, it becomes clear early on that the author himself is a lover of detective fiction. In my Penzler edition, Ray Betzner writes the introduction and reminds us that Starrett was one of the world’s experts on Sherlock Holmes while he was alive, and his published work on the fictional detective continues to be utilized as a key reference. The reason I find Murder on “B” Deck to be such a fun ode to the genre is its many nods and witty callbacks to classic detective fiction tropes. 

The playful self-awareness of the characters exists from the very beginning after mystery novelist Dunsten Mollock accidentally remains on board the Latakia as it departs from New York. He decides to take advantage of the mishap and begins writing a murder mystery set on a transatlantic ship much like the one he finds himself on. As Mollock reads the first chapter of this new story to friends and family on board, he is about to name a fictional baroness as his murder victim. He is interrupted, however, when the countess on board the Latakia – the woman he based his story on – is found dead in her stateroom. A chaotic investigation ensues as another guest goes overboard, a drunken fist fight occurs in the smoke room, and the leading amateur detective – Mollock’s friend Mr. Walter Ghost – is attacked himself. 

I really enjoyed the opening chapters of the book. They set the nautical atmosphere and introduced our main characters beautifully. The banter and conversation between Mollock and Ghost were especially fun because as true friends, they did not fit the traditional extremes of detecting duos like Holmes and Watson, or Poirot and Hastings. Yes, Mollock is more passionate and Ghost more methodical, but they were both fallible characters thoroughly enjoying themselves in the thrill of chasing a murderer. 

While I loved the mystery, I was a bit disappointed by its solution. The culprit, once revealed, was someone that was never really on the reader’s radar. I would have liked this person to be a bit more involved in the narrative, so that the surprise was more satisfying. I barely remembered the character at the reveal if I am being honest, and I don’t think a lack of attention on my part is to blame. The reasons for the murderer’s initial acts of violence also felt weak to me. With that said, it did seem to reflect what might happen in reality. And, as I adored most of the characters and the overall narrative, I will 100% be reading this author’s mysteries again in the future! 

Miss Linnet Ridgeway is envied by all. She is beautiful and elegant; she is the heiress to a fortune soon to be under her full control; and she has rarely heard the word “no.” Her perfect world begins to crack, however, when she steals the fiance of childhood friend, Miss Jacqueline de Bellefort. The scorned young woman threatens to kill the heiress just days before Linnet is found dead on the Karnak. Yet Jacqueline seems to be the only person with an unwavering alibi. This travel mystery, set on a steamer along the Nile, is a brilliant scramble to the very end! 

I have read many Christie novels at this point, and yet this particular title has always alluded me. However, as the monthly pick for #ReadChristie2022 and with the new film release, I decided it was time to finally take a trip to Egypt with Monsieur Hercule Poirot. I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere, the warm sun and ancient ruins surrounding the characters. It allowed me to travel in these days where traveling isn’t quite easy and February’s temperatures continue to drop. The cast of characters were also as brilliant as ever. I felt invested in many of their personal conflicts, and I loved the intelligence and strength displayed by many of the young women depicted. 

This mystery is more than just one of murder. We have a string of pearls gone missing, a spot of black mail, and even a smuggler on board! It’s a truly entangled narrative, and unsurprisingly a favorite among Christie fans. 

Perfect for lovers of: Alexandra Kleeman's Something New Under the Sun, Yoss's A Planet for Rent, Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness, or Richard Powers's The Overstory. :)

“But not every animal will be replaced, not every plant: only the ones men desire, and only if they do as men wish” (112).

Chapman is a faun – half man half creature – who hopes to one day plant his Tree as he joins his brother’s expedition for wealth in the form of planted apple orchards across the American Frontier. John mourns the days of his childhood, raised on his father’s farm, in a near-future America that fights to keep up with the extreme weather and rising extinction rates, and everyone’s survival seems to be in the hands of one company, Earthtrust. C-433 only recognizes earth as an endless sheet of ice where every visit to the dark and icy Below is a threat but also a necessity for his continued survival. These three characters, living in these very different timelines on the same planet, make up this heart-aching, eco-apocalyptic narrative in Matt Bell’s Appleseed.

While the narrative is slow-paced, the setting descriptions are captivating. The lush, often heartbreakingly beautiful, imagery that Bell includes during Chapman’s perspective of a wild America long destroyed are breath-taking and easily immersive. I also found the near-future terrain and world-building quite believable, especially as the climate crisis continues to worsen. More fauna and flora are at risk of extinction, unpredictable weather patterns are already on their way, and the globe is no closer to lessening our carbon footprint. I am so appreciative and in awe of writers like Bell who place environmentalist issues at the forefront of their novels because there is no denying that heavy research must be undertaken to accurately capture the complexity of these problems and the heavy hand that humans have played in them.

Early on in the narrative, my heart ached to read from John’s perspective that the grizzly bear was extinct in his version of the present. Having read Remy Marion’s On Being a Bear midway through the month, this hit quite close to home for me. This is just one of many horrific events to occur in Appleseed: America has experienced “the Secession,” and they have created a “Sacrifice Zone” which makes up everything west of the Mississippi, a practically uninhabitable wasteland. At the core of this epic novel is a crucial discussion of what it might mean to save the world, but not necessarily the human world. I really loved how much Bell emphasizes the egocentric nature of human kind. Historically, we once thought the Sun revolved around the earth, around us. Americans also once heavily believed in Manifest Destiny, seeing the American frontier as their rightful property to conquer and control. Along with the many hard and ugly truths that Bell brings to the attention of his readers, he participates in a centricity of his own. No, the narrative’s cyclical pattern does not return to humans, but to the apple tree. Let’s not forget: the Tree in the Garden of Eden bore which fruit? It’s a brilliant theme, a subject that weighs heavily not only in the characters’ minds but also on the shape of their futures. I just loved that the apple tree, while taking the form of many within this narrative, became its own main character as well.

Bell blends so many writing themes and genres together in this one book. Historical fiction meets science fiction and dystopian literature. Legend and Mythology somehow finds a way to blend with scientific advancement. A severed head with an unceasing song, a mysterious machine that builds organs, flesh and bones, and humans attempting to save an earth that experienced death and rebirth many times before. An unsung hero of the literature world, Matt Bell’s Appleseed deserves to be read, shared, and preached.

The FULL REVIEW can be found here:
http://greatgraydays.home.blog/2022/02/02/one-earth-three-timelines-and-three-very-different-humans/

This was not my first Ishiguro read. While living in Antwerp, I actually taught Never Let Me Go to my students, and after reading both books, I think I can confirm that Ishiguro’s writing is very accessible and a great choice for book club and/or classroom discussions. The fact that I can see this book reaching a wide readership is what impresses me the most. The narrative style is clear with simple descriptions, still allowing you to see the world clearly without the complicated world-building sometimes found in the science fiction genre. I adored our narrator, the non-human yet so very human Klara. Her kindness and curiosity were endearing, and I was fully invested in her story. And I felt much the same way for our narrator in Never Let Me Go!

With that said, there were a few strange and distracting sub-conflicts that I felt were unnecessary, mainly because they seemed underdeveloped/convenient or random: the tension between Rick’s mother and her ex-lover, for instance. I also found the ending to be a bit lack-luster, not necessarily for Klara because that did feel natural and believable, but for a few of the other characters.

Much like Never Let Me Go (also given 3 stars, though I think I did prefer NLMG), I think this is a solid, light science fiction read. It may not be one of my personal favorites, but I can certainly see myself recommending it to others.

FULL REVIEW:
http://greatgraydays.home.blog/2022/01/29/meet-klara-the-artificial-friend/

Upon entering The Vanishing Stair, the second installment in the Truly Devious Trilogy, there are a few things of which the reader is certain: (1) the 1936 cold case is warming up, (2) one of Stevie’s classmates is dead while another is missing, and (3) the modern-day mystery’s criminal is just getting started. Stevie is determined to solve the 80+ years old mystery surrounding Iris and Alice Ellingham, and the support from her new friends drives her even further. But as the fog surrounding the cold case begins to clear in her mind, Stevie’s reality becomes ever more complicated and dangerous. This is not a mystery to miss, but be sure to first pick up Truly Devious, the first book in the series!

Truly Devious had me on the edge of my seat until the very end, and The Vanishing Stair was no different. Johnson does a brilliant job of balancing the mysteries’ progression with the personal growth and struggles of our protagonist, Stevie Bell. I absolutely adored the friendship dynamic she shares with Janelle and Nate. Not only does their dialogue feel authentic, but it is inclusive and allows the reader to learn more about Stevie’s friends and their progress at Ellingham Academy as well. Mystery-wise, I found myself equally invested in the cold case and modern-day mystery. I also loved that as we gained some crucial answers to questions posed in the first book, Johnson still leaves us on a cliffhanger by the end of The Vanishing Stair. 

Okay, I have to toot my own horn a bit. No spoilers, though, I promise! While reading Truly Devious, I made a guess at who could be the culprit(s) in the 1936 cold case. The clues involved in the journey toward solving this part of the whodunnit in The Vanishing Stair were new and not given in the first book, but when the reveal finally came, I learned that I was right! With that said, my experience was not dampened for having guessed the criminal(s) in the first book because the how and the why were still a mystery to me. Plus, there is still the modern mystery to be solved! With that said, I’m off to get my hands on the final installment in this whirlwind YA mystery series…now where did I leave my magnifying glass? 

In an unnamed country in South America, each generation of the Trueba family grows up surrounded by passion and conflict, spirits and magic, and ever-rising political unrest. Their story begins with Clara, a young child whose premonitions inevitably cause her loss of innocence when she prophesizes the death of her own sister. We follow Clara as she marries, raises three children with a tyrannical husband, and protects those she loves with her magical abilities whenever she can. As the Trueba family grows, bringing with it stronger, and more independent matriarchs, the country’s political climate becomes evermore dangerous and on the brink of revolution. A multigenerational narrative with beautiful imagery and moving characters.

My favorite characters to follow were the story’s original matriarch, Clara del Valle, and her granddaughter, Alba. These women captivated me in very different ways. Clara’s clairvoyance, her reading of the tarot cards, and her constant connection to the spirits that roam her halls fascinated me to death, especially when she would experience one of her premonitions. Oppositely, her granddaughter is fiercely defiant and grounded in her reality at least until she falls in love with Miguel, a young man whose call for a violent revolution prevents her family from ever accepting him as a suitable match. While I thoroughly enjoyed following these women’s lives, there was another character who I despised. The man I speak of is Esteban Trueba, Clara’s husband. Early in the narrative, prior to their marriage, he commits horrible acts of violence, including but not limited to numerous acts of explicit sexual assault and violence toward animals. I was disgusted by these moments, particularly because Esteban acts as the novel’s narrator at times when the story is not being described in a third-person omniscient voice. As much as I enjoyed the narrative, I just could not get over the atrocities he committed that other characters seem to forgive or disregard. [Hence why it is not a 5-star read]

With that said, this first experience with Allende's writing was beyond impressive. I admire her ability to interweave the stories of multiple family members are once. She also foreshadows certain events without ruining the tension or giving too much away. I cried at the death of Barrabas, Clara's faithful dog companion, I felt shock and horror many times, and I experienced the destruction of a nation as if it were my own. I appreciated the authenticity of the volatile political climate that becomes more pressing and dangerous with each generation. The tension in the air is palpable, and I was on the edge of my seat even as Allende prepared me many times for the violence and deaths that were to come when the country’s government finally fell. A turbulent story of family and country, of love and survival, Allende's first novel of many is an epic that rivals The Odyssey. 

 

I first came across this book in Woodstock, NY, during the summer of 2021. After climbing two peaks of the Adirondack Mountains that morning, my friend and I enjoyed a well-earned afternoon of traipsing window shops and indulging ourselves. One of the shops we entered was the Golden Notebook, a lovely bookshop that is much bigger on the outside than you might imagine. I was the first to comment on the book’s gorgeous cover, a great bear shrouded in golden orange. It was Phoebe who then vocalized her decision to buy On Being a Bear first, and I emphatically encouraged her in the hopes I could borrow the title at some point. Phoebe visited me for New Year’s Eve, and she brought the book with her. She gifted it to me, saying she still had yet to read it and thought I might prioritize it sooner than she would. Lo and behold, I read it within the month of receiving it! And I am so glad I did.

Rémy Marion is a French writer, photographer, and documentary filmmaker with over 25 years of experience observing and learning from bears all across the globe. My copy of On Being a Bear is the English translation of its original French, and yet I was pleased to discover how often Marion infused French history, philosophers, and language into his discussion of bears. It reminded me that I am not merely getting an American perspective on this “Lord of the Woods,” or as shepherds in the French Pyrenees used to call the bear: le va-nu-pieds, “the barefoot man” (pg. 16). I am always impressed and appreciative when experts like Marion find ways to explain complex, highly specialized concepts in a digestible, conversational tone. I was learning about these creatures even as Marion’s ode to them swept me away with stories of folklore and histories reaching back hundreds of thousands of years.

Marion is honest in his accounts of the gruesome history between bears and humans. He neither sugarcoats the dangers of these wild predators nor shies away from blaming humans for the many atrocities done to bears. These atrocities date back thousands of years, but they are also very current. I was disgusted and ashamed when Marion reminded me that my own government, led my the Trump administration in 2017, allowed for the hunting of grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park. And I was not surprised that the permission was revoked just a year later, clearly a mistake that should have never been made in the first place. As grateful as I am to become aware of bears as a geopolitical symbol of modern times, I always feel quite emotionally drained after the experience, and I have doubts about what impact I can do as an individual. With that said, this book has hope and inspiration woven throughout its pages, and it is one I will never stop recommending to those willing to listen and open their hearts to lou pé des caous, the man of the mountain. 

The quiet normalcy of the country estate known as The Grange has recently been disturbed with reports even reaching Scotland Yard of odd encounters and a bishop off his rocker. Within a twenty-four hour period, the bishop was seen sliding down the banister like a child, a poltergeist attacked one of the houseguests with an inkbottle, and Mr. Depping – the estate’s tenant over in the Guest House – has been found with a bullet in his head. This is a case full of tangled, contradictory accounts and a good number of people attempting to play detective. Some are found to be more qualified than others. One of these detectives is the well-known Dr. Gideon Fell, a lexicographer by trade whose appreciation for improbable crimes matches his interest in the beer-drinking habits of the English people throughout history. An absolute delightful and chaotic cozy mystery!

John Dickson Carr’s The Eight of Swords was my introduction to the American mystery author, and the experience leaves me wanting more. I loved Carr’s cast of characters, emphasis on characters; the humor infused in the narrative and the various characters’ mannerisms were such good fun! I think it gave me an interesting view into Carr himself, his personality and his life philosophies, especially since there was an emphasis on the fact that in America at the time Prohibition was still actively in place, and all of the characters seemed grateful they were in England.

I appreciated the attention to details like character and setting description as both of these departments are typically lacking in Golden Age detection fiction titles. Above all, though, I must admit that I am a sucker for any book that participates in metafiction, as if the characters themselves are self-aware that they exist within a detective story. It helps that one of the “detectives” is a mystery writer named Henry Morgan, and his comments on what makes a mystery probable or not are just brilliant. A solid, wildly entertaining mystery! And my first of 2022!!

It is difficult knowing where to begin, but I am so happy with my decision to know very little about the plot going into the book. I knew there was a new government facility where “bad mothers” go to be transformed into “good mothers,” but beyond that I knew zilch. And that made it all the thrilling and, at times, shocking. 

I do not think Chan could have written a better main character for us to follow. Her demeanor with the other mothers, and her internal thoughts and feelings, felt authentic and palpable. I knew Frida as a human being through and through by the book’s close. I genuinely *weeped* with 20 pages to go. The tears burred my vision so much at one point that I had to pause my reading! I felt extremely invested in Frida, along with the mothers she grew to see more than just allies but as a vital support system: Lucretia, Meryl, Beth, Linda, and Roxanne. Speaking of the other women, I appreciated the diversity among them, not just in race, but in age, sexuality, transgressions that led them to the school, and past traumas. The one perspective I wish I had seen represented was that of the adoptive mother. Unless I missed its mention, the universal mother represented was the biological kind. My own mother was adopted, and the older I get, the more I personally prefer the idea of adoption if I ever become a mother, so I would have liked to see how Chan included this voice among the many that were already present. 

With that said, I suppose every mother was forced to participate in a quasi-adoption when it came to the dolls. I found myself creeped out by Emmanuelle and the other children’s existence at times, but also touched when an intimate moment is shared between Frida and Emmanuelle. I also appreciated the social commentary on the different pressures and expectations that society has for mothers versus for fathers, and Chan does a wonderful job depicting this. So much happens in the narrative that I almost forgot that the reason Frida and Gust get a divorce (by his choice and to her dismay) is after Frida discovers that Gust had been cheating on her with Susanna…dating back to when Frida was nine months pregnant. And yet Gust always appears to be a great guy – such a good father – to anyone looking in on their family. This infuriated me! But it also did not surprise me.

 

As the first world war rages on, British spy Fiona Figg has been sent to Vienna in the hopes of tailing the ever-elusive Black Panther, Fredrick Fredricks, before he can assassinate his next target. The catch? He invited her to follow him…Trap or not, she will soon find out. 

I received an e-book copy of this title via NetGalley, and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised upon beginning it. First off, I did not read books 1 or 2  in the series prior to reading Villainy in Vienna, but I never felt deterred by that. In fact, the few necessary details provided by Oliver left me intrigued and wanting to go back and read the earlier publications rather than feeling alienated or left out of the loop. Friends know this about me: I am very weary of modern cozies that give the amateur detective/spy a first-person narration. Usually, I find the narrators too artificially “quirky” with a forced humor and personality. Another reason I steer clear of first-person detective POVS is because the author’s effort to keep clues from me but not from the detective…while I am literally in the detective’s head…is quite annoying. With all of that said, I really like Fiona Figg, the amateur spy and narrator in Villainy in Vienna. I didn’t find her internal monologue overbearing like I usually would, and I believe the setting helped with that. Golden Age detective fiction has a reserved air around it, and I believe Oliver blends this quality nicely into the narration as the book is set in Vienna during World War I. 

Speaking of the setting, I liked how Oliver  immerses her readers into the Viennese culture and the war-time politics and paranoia. The atmosphere felt authentic and intriguing. It made me want a Viennese coffee badly! I am also now dying to attend a masquerade ball…perhaps “dying” is the wrong word choice. Speaking of, I appreciated the variety in mysteries that Oliver includes within the narrative. We have the overarching plot that involves espionage and assassination attempts, but also smaller mysteries involving a dognapping, a stolen notebook, and a trolley accident. 

A few aspects of the book that made me like it but not love it include the slow pace of the novel. The beginning felt well-paced and packed with mysterious incidents, but with the many times Fiona plans to investigate, there seems to be very few victories in gathering necessary information until two-thirds of the way through the book. I also found my deductive skills outdid that of Fiona in a few instances where I caught on to things a few pages before she did. 

I ended up DNFing this book at the 70% mark because with these criticisms and the above love notes, I knew pretty early on that I would give this book 3 stars...so taking the advice of YouTuber With Cindy, I didn't see the point in finishing the book if my rating was likely not going to change by the end.