Villain: A Novel by Shuicki Yoshia (2010)

Villain by Shuichi Yoshida

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The cover of this book has an embossed representation of a gun constructed cleverly out of human bones. It is a stunning cover but has nothing to do with the story. The murder is by strangulation and the only other weapon mentioned is a wrench.

I worry when I read translations. A native Japanese language speaker commented that the various characters, who told their stories, had recognizable, regional dialects in the original and that would have been another whole level to the intricate story woven by Shuichi Yoshida that garnered him so much attention for this work. But even without out that, the approach to a simple story was so different that I continued reading.

This book won the Osaragi Jiro Prize and the Mainichi Publishing Culture Award.

It takes some time to feel comfortable with the author's style and without the dialects, the only way to keep the characters straight is to pay close attention to the names which are unfamiliar to American readers. And, even though a crime is committed, this is a character study. No one is untouched by the death of a young women in a remote mountain pass. The loneliness is haunting as is the setting and the ending that wraps things up . . . or does it?

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And Now For Something Completely Different. . .

An Object of Beauty (2010)

An Object of Beauty: A Novel by Steve Martin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In a case of art imitating life even the white cover of the book on second glance resembles the texture of a stretched canvas. Steve Martin's most recent novel captured me from the first sentence and fascinated me until the surprising ending. Along the way I got a feel for the Art World in New York City through the fascinating story told by Daniel concerning his relationship to Lacey Yeager.

Janet Maslin wrote in the New York Times, An Object of Beauty features 22 reproductions of quirkily varied artworks, from a festive Tissot to a starkly simple Milton Avery to a Warhol Marilyn Monroe. All are ingeniously worked into the narrative in ways that advance the story, underscore Mr. Martin’s critical acuity and kindle the collector’s instinct in even the most potentially indifferent reader. It takes that instinct to know what An Object of Beauty is really about."

All this creates an intriguing read that apparently has angered some people not expecting something completely different more in line with the humor of the man they know as a comedian. I devoured it. Found it compelling and fascinating. I love the unexpected!



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Washington Post Adds Pop-Culture Book Reviews

Washington Post Adds Pop-Culture Book Reviews

After the Today Show decided to go for pop-culture over Caldecott and Newbery Award winners, this is not welcome news for readers. The paper previously canceled its Sunday Book World section in 2009.

A Forger Who Never Takes Money

(Image: Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum)

I just read an interesting bit on Boing Boing, taken from an article in the New York Times, about a mysterious painter who 'forges' work by mostly lesser known artists, creates a plausible story, and then donates them to various museums. His goal seems to be to achieve the thrill of having his work hung side by side with authenticated paintings. Having just finished reading Steve Martin's An Object of Beauty, I found the article  fascinating and it seemed to echo and underscore the book's references to fraud and the FBI's art-crime team.

January 2011 Releases That Caught My Fancy

I love discoveries and surprises and all these titles possess those elements.  


On January 4th American Uprising: The Untold Story of America's Largest Slave Revolt by Daniel Rasmussen was released bringing to our collective attention  "a stealthily organized uprising of 500 armed slaves dressed in military uniforms marching on and trying to conquer New Orleans" in January 1811. "Most were decapitated and their heads stuck on poles throughout the region as a gruesome warning against future resistance." The question, as always, is why we don't know about these events? After reading the extraordinary The Warmth of Other Suns (Isabel Wilkerson), I can't imagine not reading American Uprising. It is receiving extraordinary praise.

The next book that caught my attention was The Poison Tree, released on January 6th, and compared to both Daphne DuMaurier's Rebecca and Donna Tartt's The Secret History, both of which fall into that Gothic category I seek out when the mood strikes."The surprises don't end until the last page of this twisted tale with its wonderfully evocative London atmosphere." The author is Erin Kelly.

Among Others was recommended by a Science Fiction, Fantasy lover, which I am not. However, his review described this books as magical, an interweaving of SF, Fantasy and a coming of age story like nothing he had read before. Written by Jo Walton this quote in another review caught my attention, "It doesn't matter, I have books, new books, and I can bear anything as long as there are books." I know that feeling. This is a book approved for teens. The book was released yesterday, January 18th.

My last book on the list may be the most seductive. Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown was reviewed in the New York Times. The sentence that grabbed me was, "There is no problem a library card can't solve." Do I have to admit that I love this belief? And to top that off the sisters have a father who insists that everyone quote Shakespeare. What fun! Weird Sisters comes out tomorrow, January 20th.

The other thing all these titles have in common is that they are all written by first time published authors! What could be more exciting than to be there at the beginning?

SHAME ON THE TODAY SHOW

"It’s become a tradition. The Tuesday after the Newbery/Caldecott Awards are announced, the winners, along with the YALSA or ALA president, are guests on the Today Show."

Would you believe that the Today show said they turned down the segment this year because of a a “lack of interest and scheduling problems”?

And then they had the gall to feature Jersey Shores' Snooki's book A Shore Thing. Eww.

Read more about it HERE and HERE.

Erin Stead of Ann Arbor, Michigan won the Caldecott Award  A Sick Day for Amos McGee (Roaring Brook, 2010) while the Newbery went to Clare Vanderpool for Moon over Manifest (Delacorte, 2010) from Wichita, KS. Both are debut titles and the publishers found they had no copies of Moon over Manifest to fill the orders that started flooding in.

Empty Shelves

"The library in Stony Stratford near Milton Keynes, England, urged its patrons to check out every book on the shelves as a way of proving to the local council that its collection and facilities provide a vital service to the community." Read more by clicking HERE.

An Object of Beauty (2010)

As an antidote to the last book I read, I picked up An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin not really knowing what to expect.

From the first sentence:

"I am so tired, so very tired of thinking about Lacey Yeager, yet I worry that unless I write her story down, and see it bound and tidy on my bookshelf, I will be unable to ever write about anything else."

to one near the end of the first short chapter:

"When she left a room, there was a moment of deflation while we all returned to normal life."

I was captured.

Set in the New York artworld of the 1990s, I was initially drawn by the idea of a glimpse into this fabulous world. I can't wait to settle down later today and start reading.

I am Number Four (2010)

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another teen series in the Twilight vein. With all the hype for the movie, I wanted to see what the fuss was about. The premise is enticing. Nine children from the planet of Lorien have been hidden on earth after the destruction of their planet by the Mogadorians. The Mogadorians, who trashed their own planet's resources and destroyed Lorien, are now looking to kill the nine children and conquer Earth.

There are a couple of caveats. The nine, who as they age develop 'legacy' powers, can only be killed in order. Thus, the title I AM NUMBER FOUR.

A review on Amazon pointed out that the characters were flat and there wasn't much in the way of descriptive writing. I agree. But if you have a reader who loves science fiction, this isn't a bad choice. It's just not as sophisticated as a lot of Young Adult literature that's around.



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The Distant Hours (2010)

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

How could I not choose to read a book whose cover jacket compares the author's storytelling to Ian McEwan's Atonement and Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind?

If someone accused me of reading romances, I would inwardly bristle. On the other hand, it is quite apparent that I love Gothic tales and what are they if not stories of thwarted romance?

Kate Morton's epic literary mystery is spurred by a letter mailed in 1941 and delivered in 1992. It tells the story of the secrets of Milderhurst Castle as they are discovered by the daughter of a woman who was evacuated as a child from London during the war and chosen by the Blythe family to live with them in the castle.

There is some truly lyrical writing that draws you in and hints at the truth you are led to suspect. The ending turns out to be a surprise but not unexpected on reflection.

Kate Morton has two other books: The Forgotten Garden and House at Riverton, which are now on my growing list.

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What to Read Next?

 "A challenge for people who, like me, love to read is figuring out what books to read next. So many books, so little time! I was very happy to discover the New York Journal of Books -- an online resource of book reviews. A terrific place to go to find out about new books."

Shared from Gretchen Rubin's blog The Happiness Project.

ABC Developing "Wicked" Miniseries - Playbill.com

ABC Developing "Wicked" Miniseries - Playbill.com

I don't think there is going to be any singing but for those of you who loved the book, this could be a great mini-series.

This is So Cool!

USA Today has a calendar of new books that are coming out between January and April. Run your cursor over a highlighted day and a list of the titles being released pops up. You can chose the title and see the cover art and author. You can also search a drop down list of authors and another of titles. How much fun to be in the know about new titles!

Check this new resource out HERE! 

For example I discovered that Jodi Picoult has her 18th book out on March 1st called Sing Them Home, where 'she takes on the issue of same sex parenting'. There are books by Alexander McCall Smith, Andre Dubus III, Judi Dench and Martha Grimes. On February 3rd (Thanks, Peevish!), Ms. Grimes new novel Fadeaway Girl, about 12 year old sleuth Emma Graham hits the shelves. This is the fourth in a series begun with Hotel Paradise.