Review 503: Email

Email by Randy Malamud
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

This is a short book in the ongoing Object Lessons series. Each book is focused on one topic and the books vary on how the author approaches the subject.

For this book on email the author stayed very close to the subject and made it quite entertaining as well. There was so much humor in this book, it was a delight to read this.

One of the best chapters was called Junk. Yes, it is about that unwanted spam, but written well. That chapter alone was worth the read, and quite short. It’s one of the shorter ones, not quite two pages long.

The author shows bias towards this necessary form of communication, but not entirely likely it. There are many examples of why there is a dislike, such as how easily overwhelming it can be by the immediacy of contacting anyone at any time. He also contrasts to what is no longer done, the writing of physical letters and what was lost in that.

And yet, it seems the goal of the book was to make the reader look at email in a new light. And it did that for me, so I’d say this was a success.

Review 502: The Blue Hour

The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a book, quite atmospheric. Set partially on a remote island that is accessible only during certain times of the tides. There are multiple mysteries but are introduced slowly. This is not a quick paced thriller, instead it is nuanced.

The book centers on the late artist Vanessa Chapman. She surprisingly willed all her creative works to the foundation run by Douglas Lennox. He was a sort of patron, and lover, of Vanessa before things turned very disagreeable.

Add in the director of the foundation, James Becker, who came from a working class background and still amazed at his fortune being among the upper class. And Grace Haswell, friend, doctor, and executor of Vanessa’s will, who lives in the house and island left to her. Grace hasn’t been the forthcoming with handing over the art work, her letters or journals, creating more disputes.

The book was well written. I found it hard to put down and just wanted to keep reading until the end.

Thanks to Mariner Books and NetGalley for an advance review copy of this book.

Review 501: The Redemption of Michael Hollister

The Redemption of Michael Hollister by Shawn Inmon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m not one to typically read series books, but I do have several exceptions. I typically don’t read one right after the other, but this week I did just that. After finishing book one in the series I dived up book 2.

The premise is that the main character is reliving his (or her) life over again, but retaining the information learned from the first time. They don’t start as babies, but when there was an “important moment” when things started to change for them, that's the explanation given for when they are "reborn".

In this book the main character is someone carried over from the first book, who was a significant character, Michael Hollister. He was not portrayed as a nice person, quite the opposite. So it was with trepidation that I headed into this book, with the title that contained the word redemption, well figured things would go differently for Michael this time around. And it did.

The book is on the short side, but still I got through it quite fast. I have the third book ready to go but that will have to wait. Not sure how many of these books in the series I will read, but I will at least do the next one. If the next proves to be as the first two have been, then this series may be another exception for me.

Oh, I actually ended up enjoying this book slightly more than the first one, and I was worried. Go figure.

Review 500: Sugar and Rum

Sugar and Rum by Barry Unsworth
My rating: 3.75 of 5 stars


This novel takes place in Liverpool in the late 1980s, written back then as well. Benson, the main character, is a writer and stuck on his latest book. He walks aimlessly about town and strikes up conversations with just about anyone on subjects that are quite odd to discuss with a stranger. Benson sees metaphors and meanings in things that likely are not there and how this relates to him he talks about with anybody.

Benson also has a consulting business helping out other writers, the fictioneers he calls them. There are passages of these fictional writings that he helps to improve and get them unstuck.
After a while the book settles into almost a plot, after Benson runs into an old army buddy. His service during WWII comes into play with reminiscences and reliving some of the anguish.

The book is very solidly about Liverpool, the past as part of Benson’s book he’s trying to write, and also the present, with the results of years of Thatcherism, the city’s decay, the unemployed and disaffected youths with no prospects.

This book is said to be fairly autobiographical. Perhaps Unsworth had writer’s block for the story he wanted to write (about Liverpool and the slave trade) and instead he ended up writing this one, about his war experiences and helping other’s with their fiction work. I haven’t read any of his work before, but he seems like a writer that know his craft.

Review 499: The Unusual Second Life of Thomas Weaver

The Unusual Second Life of Thomas Weaver by Shawn Inmon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What if you had a chance to relive your life with keeping the knowledge you already have? This is the premise of this book, and series. This first book introduces the world-building, which is not much different than real life.

Thomas Weaver made a mistake one night, the first time he went to a party with his older brother. His older brother got too drunk to drive and Tommy was not quite old enough yet, but he tried to drive them safely home. Instead an accident and his brother was dead. (This happens very early in the story, so not really giving anything away.) This ruins Tommy’s life until he has the chance to do it again.

It's an interesting concept and the writing was okay. The story line was interesting enough to keep me listening and engaged. Not spectacular, but good enough that I’ve already started the next book, because why not?

I’m not usually one that goes for series, but there are some exceptions. I have the omnibus which is the first three books in one edition. That should give me enough experience with the writing style to see if this is one of those series exceptions for me.

Review 498: Kokoro

Kokoro by Natsume Sōseki
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a classic Japanese work of literature, published in 1914. The first part is about the narrator meeting and befriending a man who he calls Sensei. The narrator is a student at a university in Tokyo. Sensei becomes someone he is fascinated by, who was reluctant to open up to friendship. Slowly they do become friends and when prodded Sensei will not discuss his past. Sensei doesn’t work, has a wife and maid, and visits the gravesite of a friend every month. He is an intellectual and the two often discuss philosophical idea.

The second part is concerned with the narrator’s family. His father is ill and he has gone back home in the country several times to visit with his father. The summer months he also goes home to stay and visit. After graduation he returns to his home and this part is very concerned with his father’s health, particularly after the Emperor falls ill and dies. During these days the narrator gets a letter from Sensei.

This letter takes up the last portion of the book. It is a recounting of Sensei’s past. It has to be one of the longest letters in a book ever.

This is not a book of action, rather one of contemplation and character study. One can take moral reasoning from this book as well, but that is not fully understood until the last.

While listening to this book as an audiobook I thought it was all one narrative. Upon finishing I read more about the book and found that it is described as three short stories. Perhaps, but it is about the same characters and the time line progresses through these three stories. It is more like three parts within a larger work, although conserving each as a short story does help to explain the seemingly abrupt endings.

Review 497: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
My rating: 2.75 of 5 stars

This was not an easy, nor enjoyable read for me. About a third the way through I about gave it up, but read some reviews and found a website of annotations and translations.

There is quite a bit of misogyny, constant racial slurs and other unappealing aspects of this book, and yet it's a Pulitzer Prize winner. I stuck with it, the annotated website helped, I tried to look up more of the untranslated words and phrases. Most of these are understandable within the context of the sentence, without knowing exactly what is being said. Sometimes though, it just feels like confusion. Even with the website and google translate there were times where there was no translation offered. Perhaps this was the slang, or the Spanglish that was referred to in other reviews. One view said that perhaps there is so much of this in the book so the reader can feel being the outcast, the other, much like the characters do in the American society. Perhaps.

The book is about Oscar Wao, American born living in New Jersey but his homeland, his mother’s country is the Dominican Republic. But it’s not just about Oscar, the bulk of the book is about his mother and his grandfather living through the brutal regime of Trujillo. Through their stories we understand why his mother left on her own to live in the north.

Part of the difficulty in my reading is the book is obsessed with how large Oscar’s body is, and how he is completely unable to get a girlfriend. Oscar is a geek, loving all those fantasy books, role playing and hero marvel worships. He is smart, reads a ton and just cannot relate to women, with a few exceptions, and these girls of course already have boyfriends. The narrator is a friend of Oscar’s, also the boyfriend of his sister. He throws in so many of these geeky references that alone may need some translation for some people.

I’m not sure I’m happy that I finished reading the book. The ending I found unsatisfactory, with Oscar’s actions. And maybe I shouldn’t say the book is about Oscar at all, as his portion of the book is the minority of the book. I think I need to learn how to let a book go, even the prize winners, particularly when the text has so much hate towards its characters.

Review 496: Woman at 1,000 Degrees

Woman at 1,000 Degrees by Hallgrímur Helgason
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


This novel is loosely based around the grand-daughter of the first President of Iceland and the family. There are accurate facts in the book, but it is largely fictional. Apparently the Björnsson family did not like how they are portrayed in this book. After reading it, I can understand why. No one is dealt with in a good light.

The frame of the book is told by a dying elderly woman, Herra Björnsson, telling her life story. She is welcoming this death, calling a crematorium to schedule her own appointment to be cremated. This is where the title comes from, as she is told the ovens are set at 1,000 degrees.

The narrative is not linear, it jumps around time, from the present to the past at many moments, with very short chapters, just a page or two, sometimes a few more. I found it hard to get into the book, contemplated not finishing it for some time, but I’m a sucker for completing books I start (usually) and went forth.

This is satire, dry wit and humor, and sometimes I got the joke, but this is all to cover up the horrors of war and the atrocities that get committed.

Herra’s father and mother had a rocky beginning, being from different social classes and when mom got pregnant with Herra, her young dad assumed they would not welcome her into the family. So the first seven years of Herra’s life she knew nothing about her father. Once they were reunited the Björnsson’s welcomed the wife and child with open arms. Soon they left Iceland for Denmark where Herra was brutalized with bullying and took to not going to school and learning instead from a couple of women, a prostitute and another who also taught Herra about love and men.

World War II was brewing and Herra’s dad decided to join the German army. (This is fact, the son of the first President of Iceland joined the Nazi party and fought alongside Germany.) Herra’s life goes downhill from here, separated first from her father, later from her mother. For a time she was on an island being kept safe from the war. Unfortunately, she doesn’t stay there and her Dad leave’s her in a train station with only a hand grenade to keep her safe, told to wait for her mother to arrive. She doesn’t. Herra now a young teenager is left to wander through Germany and Poland and experiences war in a way that no teenager should. The hand grenade becomes almost a character throughout the story.

After the Herra and her Dad live in Argentina, again separated from her mom.

In the current time of 2009 as Herra awaits her death, her sons barely visit, she stalks them, along with their wives and children as she has a laptop to connect to the world. We aren’t given too much about these sons, and family, but we do know she still mourns her first born, a girl who died.
There are some funny passages, and the horrors of war are kept at a distance by the short chapters and switching between timelines. I do tend to avoid books about wars, but this one snuck in.