Tuesday, July 13, 2010

More Books ...

Continuing the book talk with what I've read ... this catches us up for the moment.

The Window at the White Cat by Mary Roberts Rinehart
Picked this up from LibriVox and I recommend it highly for the narrration by Robert Keiper which is pure delight. His introduction reads:
When a clumsy, well-meaning lawyer gets involved with a pair of delightful old maids and a beautiful girl, he must acquire some of the skills of his friends the detective and the newspaperman to solve the puzzle of The White Cat. That’s the name of a back-street political club serving beers, political favors and, occasionally, murder.
There is a wickedly understated humor to the story telling that the narrator picks up perfectly and which adds to the enjoyment of this old mystery. #59.

Stuffed: Adventures of a Restaurant Family
Picked this up at random at Half Price Books. I have a vague memory of having read it before but that may be inaccurate. You'd think from the name that this would be chock-full of life at a restaurant, whether from a childhood standpoint or adult looking back. Not so. Volk takes us into the lives of her quirky, fascinating relatives and gives us a look back at when individuality was to be expected of everyone. The restaurant was somewhat incidental and was presented as just another quirk of a few people's personalities but I didn't mind that at all.

Clearly Volk loves her family and there are many moments worth reading about here: funny, wistful, and sometimes cringe-worthy. What comes through more than anything is Volk's love and appreciation for all these people and I learned to like them very much indeed. My favorite was the aunt who spent 7 hours as a hostage at gunpoint and wound up being turned loose, having given the young man some very good advice about how to spend his time in prison and a decent meal. #60.

Vampire$ by John Steakley
(my review here) #61.

Armor by John Steakley
After reading Vampire$, there was no way I couldn't try this. How handy that I already had it in my bedside stack since I got them both from the library at the same time.

This book was written before Vampires and in some basic ways is very similar in character structure. I also am confused about why Steakley can only seem to name his main protagonists Felix and Jack Crow, especially when they are clearly supposed to be different people in a different reality. However, be that as it may, Armor is an intense story that holds up fairly well but didn't really grab my interest until about halfway through the book. Unfortunately, that is also the time that I realized a major plot twist revealed at the end of the book. I would say "figured out" but I felt my conclusion was practically thrust upon me. So that took the edge off of a lot of the story for me.

Not bad, and I may like it much better if I reread it. Not sure if that will happen though ... #62.

They Did It With Love
Yet another book thrust upon me by Hannah, however after reading Vampire$ and Armor I needed something light. This fills the bill as it is exceedingly lightweight and fluffy. A suburban murder mystery featuring a mystery book club that is determined to solve the murder of one of their own. Although that makes it sound as if this is a group of good friends making a concerted effort and that actually has just begun happening on around page 200. And I would never call these ladies pals. At best they seem to have joined the book club as refugees from the tedium of suburban life. Not riveting but it's a quick read thus far and I'm close enough to the end to want to stick around and see who dunnit. I slogged through the last hundred pages with unfaithful couples piling up like cordwood around me. It got more and more tedious until it got to a conclusion that I found distinctly unsatisfying. NOT recommended. #63.

You Are What You See: Watching Movies Through a Christian Lens
Y'all know by now that I like this book so I will direct you to this excellent review from Brandywine Books. #64.

Wife of the Chef
I seem to remember having read this long ago. Just began it but if nothing else you will appreciate how very un-busy your life seems in comparison to that of a restaurant owner-chef. A standard behind-the-scenes in the restaurant business book. However, the frantic pace of the text covering one mishap and frantic problem after another serves to make one wonder how they remain in business or even married. I blame the editor for this as if the author had slowed down occasionally for some thoughtful pondering and appreciation of the positive aspects of this restaurant life then the readers would have been able to see she had more than one note. I understand why some reviewers thought she was angry and complaining all the time. I believe much of it is an attempt at self-deprecating humor with the eye of sharing all with the reader. However, it does not come off well and an entire book full of it is wearying. #65.

Laughter in the Alehouse by Henry Kane
I discovered Henry Kane in Lawrence Block's article about him featured in the current Mystery Scene magazine. This was a nice combination of mystery and spy novel featuring a police lieutenant who has retired early enough to still enjoy life and earn extra money by taking on detection cases. Written in 1968 when a person could enjoy a cigarette without condemnation, handsome men slept with beautiful women without needing a blow-by-blow description, and main characters were sophisticated about food, quotations, and motivations. Quite enjoyable indeed. #66.

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