The Swoop, P.G. Wodehouse

The Swoop:  Or, How Clarence Saved England by P. G. Wodehouse is a comedic novel about how a single boy scout is forced to save England when having disbanded the military, England is simultaneously invaded by 9 nations.

Started:  8/15/2011
Completed:  9/14/2011
Recommendation:  Fun story, rather dated, but a good laugh and the audio from libravox is simply fantastic.
Recommended By:  Nobody, I'd always wanted to read a book by Wodehouse.
Review:


This book is largely silly.  The discussions of the diplomats, however are excellent as they embody the ridiculous obtuseness of language used by diplomats in a truly hyperbolic manner.  While the book seems stilted by today's standards, it was a fun book to hear and the time investment is trivial.

The Thirteen Gun Salute, Patrick O'Brian

The Thirteen Gun Salute by Patrick O'Brian is another (#13) in the stories of Captain Jack Aubrey a fictitious British sea captain.  I picked this audio book up from the library to listen to during trips to and from the office

Started:  8/15/2011

Completed: 10/12/2011

Recommendation: Beach book

Recommended By:  Nobody, but I did enjoy one other of O'Brian's novels.

Review:

This book is largely an action novel with a little bit of spice in the characters of the Captain and the Doctor.  Their relationship is explored but as this is such a small part of a much larger series, it is only incrementally addressed.  It was OK as a listen on a trip or something like that, but I wouldn't put the time in for reading, I don't think.  There are lots of "lulls" between the "storms" and so the action is clearly segmented into regular routines. Lots of ropes are left in an untidy mess at the end of the book as the next book is clearly in the offing.

Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri is a lauded collection of short stories.

Started:  9/17/2011
Completed: 9/30/2011
Recommendation: Not even for the bathroom
Recommended by:  The quotation from the back of the book by Amy Tan convinced me to give it a try.
Review: 


So, I had no trouble putting this book down.  Amy Tan and I disagree.  I plugged away at it diligently, though, eschewing most other reading because I was convinced that if I let it sit too long, I would not continue to read it.  The writing was excellent.  Some of the descriptions were outstanding.  The plots pretty much sucked.  There was a lot of character study, but it seemed to me that each story was busy expanding upon the basic character with which the story began.  Some new and interesting details were presented, but, by the end of the story, I didn't feel as though I knew the nature of the person any better, just some more details in a made-up life.  The plots of the stories didn't seem to go anywhere (and they probably weren't supposed to go anywhere) and that is a difficult thing for me to enjoy.

"A Real Darwhan" was a decent social commentary, but it completely lacked punch and was oddly juxtaposed with "The Treatment of Bibi Haldar."  "Sexy" left me wondering if this was just one of many very similar stories about to happen to the same character.  "Interpreter of Maladies" seemed, at best, to be a rueful look at some silly people.  "Mrs. Sen's" was the most interesting story to me but the abrupt ending made the story feel uncompleted to me.  I don't long for happy endings where everything is all tied up, but the character development in this story seemed to move the story along (it felt like a movie instead of a portrait if that analogy makes sense) and just as the story started to gather speed it raced off into a fog.  I felt like the richness of "Mrs. Sen's" was a story that yearned to become a book and was foiled when the author's attention drifted.

The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is a book by an author I enjoy.  It has received more awards and honors then you can shake a stick at (see the labels).  This is a children's novel, but has moderate appeal to adults as well.

Started: 7/30/2011
Completed:  8/10/2011
Recommendation:  Very Good Read
Recommended By:  A neighbor who is a huge Gaiman fan
Review:  This is a good, quick read.  Gaiman, as ever, introduces a series of interesting characters and develops them nicely.  His obsession with death is well explored in this book about a boy growing up in a grave yard tended by ghosts.  The literary device allows him to explore many centuries of life in England and also allows him to explore quirky characters without feeling like he has gone out on a limb.  A good read for any young adult, but it does require a certain willingness to wade through the first few pages of PG rated murder.  As with virtually all children's books these days, the parents are killed in the opening scene.

The Sardonyx Net, Elizabeth A. Lynn

The Sardonyx Net by Elizabeth A. Lynn is a book about science fiction slavery.

Started:  8/11/2011
Completed:  8/21/2011
Recommendation: Not recommended
Recommended By:  I like John Varley's stuff and had read some of Lynn's stuff, so when Varley had the recommendation on the front cover, well, that seemed like recommendation enough.
Review:  The adventures of a sadist slaver.  Ugh.  This book has little, if any redemptive quality.  I had hoped for some sense of the horrors of slavery (there is plenty of that) and how slavery doesn't work.  Instead, this book is a half-hearted effort to both condemn slavery and to demonstrate that it DOES work.  Yuck.  I'm disappointed that Varley gave this book a recommendation.  The scifi components are marginal at best in my opinion.  This could just have easily have happened in the 18th century with very little change to the plot.

The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova

The Historian:  A Novel by Elizabeth Kostova is a novel I have seen in the clearance rack in hardback for years.  I finally bought a copy and then stumbled upon this audio version.  I'm listening to the audio version while making trips to and from my in-laws.  Upon starting this book, I really had no idea what it was about.  The blurb on the back was intriguing but not revealing in the least.

Started:  7/28/2011
Completed:  8/11/2011
Recommendation:  Not worth the time
Recommended By: Nobody, I stumbled across this one myself.
Review:  This is a Dracula novel without the horror.  An archaeologists novel without the archaeology.  A mystery novel without the mystery.  I have no idea why someone would read it.  The plot lines are not woven together well insofar as the transitions are wholly predictable and rarely leave one wanting to hear more.  The most compelling figure, in my opinion, is an old lady in Bucharest who doesn't get nearly enough time.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams

The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams is a book I have enjoyed several times.  I picked up an audio copy to share with my youngest son while we are driving around.  What fun!  No review on this one and I imagine I'll listen to this many times.  This classic is both a fun comedy (imagine being tortured by poetry; no really bad poetry; really, without even bongo drums) and a cool sci-fi romp.  I recommend it unabashedly to even the non-geeks out there.