Review 493: The Book That Wouldn’t Burn

The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Somehow I got sucked into a kindle reading challenge and needed a book for the Series Pioneer. This book looked the most interesting from the list that fit that category. Turned out I enjoyed the book.

The world-building was awkward and confusing. As you get into the book you realize that is because the world is confusing to the main characters as well. The library is something that no one fully understands, this becomes the center of the book, and attempt to understand it.

The book follows two main characters in different time lines, one is Livira who lives out in the “Dust” and longs to live in the city one day. That day came sooner than she expected as a group of sabbers (enemy) attacked their town and took her and a group of children as captives. They end up getting away due to the city’s guard, who then takes them to the city. As they are assigned jobs, Livira becomes a librarian trainee as she is full of questions and smart.

The other main character is Evar, and alongside his adopted siblings is trapped living in the library, long after their ancestors died and their bones turned to dust. There are only five of them, four boys and one girl. Evar is always searching for a way out of their vast library prison.

I truly loved the character of Livira, a young girl that constantly asks questions and remembers everything. There is so much to this character to appreciate. Evar, on the other hand, seemed like a tentative quiet person.

It was an entertaining read, but there were a few instances where better editing would have improved the book. Not sure I’ll read the next book in the series, as happily this did not end in a cliffhanger, but it was left open for an obvious continuation of the story.

Review 492: The Kept Woman

The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is not typical reading genre for me. A police procedural, and book 8 in a series, I have not read the previous. It didn't seem to matter this is the middle of a series as the book covered background material on the main characters. That made me wonder if it was annoying to people who have read the previous as that may be repeated info.

The book was okay, but it isn't something I'm going to read further in the series. I tend to not want to spend my reading time in the darker side of things, with murder, rape, child abandonment and so forth. (although a book here or there from time to time does come up.)

I was got a copy of this book at a library conference, and I could have just given it away or something, but decided to see what Slaughter's writing was like. I think she has a lot of fans. I also heard her speak and she's quite funny. This humor didn't really come out in this book. I may read another of her books, or more likely not, but at least now I know her writing.

Review 491: I'd Rather Not

I'd Rather Not by Robert Skinner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a delightfully short book of autobiographical essays filled with humor. The author is Australian so most locations mentioned were lost on me. Exaggeration is used most often to make the humor, but in the end not sure what the purpose of the collection. Perhaps since he was part of a group that ran a short story magazine for a while, the only one in Australia.

It could be a good breather book in between long serious ones. I really was in the mood for something short, didn't know how quick that would go. The author said the first thing he was happy about the book was the length and I would agree with that. Probably a book better read via audio instead of print like I did.

Initial quick review:

A short book of autobiographical essays from Australia. Places names (usually) I had no idea where they were. They were filled with humor but in the end not sure what the purpose of the collection. The author himself said the first thing he is happy about the book is the length and I'll agree with that.

Review 490: Sixty: A Diary of My Sixty-First Year

Sixty: A Diary of My Sixty-First Year: The Beginning of the End, or the End of the Beginning? by Ian Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

While I’m not there yet, this age will be in my future (baring something catastrophic), so why not read about one man’s experience with living the age of sixty. This diary is more contemplative than what happened each day, although there is that in the book as well.

Ian Brown lives in Toronto working at the Globe and Mail. He keeps active, sometimes biking to work when he’s at home. Near the end of the book I started to wonder how many days does he actually stay at home? He travels quite frequently, and mostly for pleasure, although there is some work related travel, such as a month-long stint at Banff as he leads the literary journalism program for the fifth year.

Of course aging is a recurring topic, as is health issues, and studies that show what declines and what point – generally everything sooner than you think, just the results don’t start showing until later. Other topics he keeps returning to is sex, his family (a given) and money, worrying about enough to retire. But the primary topic seems to be his own death is on the horizon.

It's quite the readable book, and well done, especially for a diary, but it’s not just a diary. It was written and edited with an eye to publication from the start.

Review 489: Get Me Through the Next Five Minutes

Get Me Through the Next Five Minutes: Odes to Being Alive by James Parker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is a collection of short essays each on a subject as an “Ode”. They are a positive reflection, a way of acknowledging something in a positive light in a light-hearted and quirky way. Most of these first appeared in the Atlantic magazine are collected here for publication as a book.

I had not read anything by James Parker before but the idea and the cover hit my funny-bone for a moment so I picked up the book. I read a few “Odes” a day which is a good way to get through this book.

As with other collections, some are better than others, some will appeal to one or other. I didn’t like the ones that delved deep into soccer and sports, but some fans will likely appreciate that more than myself.

These daily things one would not expect to appreciate held a wide range an example of some - an Ode to: Middle Age, Rushing, Sitting There, Not Meditating, and so on.

Thanks to W.W. Norton and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.