New Release: A Fatal Likeness

I was very excited to receive an ARC of A Fatal Likeness by Lynn Shepherd this summer and I read it almost immediately and then forgot to note the release date. I just looked today and, well, it came out last week! So now I get to tell you about this second book of Charles Maddox, young detective (the first being The Solitary House). This time, Charles is contacted by the son and daughter-in-law of Mary Shelley, told that he is being hired to investigate the veracity of papers that could be used to dim the brilliant legacy of Percy Bysshe Shelley. The story journeys through time and space to review some of the relationships between the Shelleys, their families and friends and to cast a light on some of their more questionable actions.

I will admit that I only know the bare minimum about the Shelleys and Byron, mostly from works of fiction or as side-notes in non-fiction about other subjects. I have heard that some readers are taking issue, accusing Shepherd of taking liberties with the history and painting the Shelleys with a darker brush than history warrants. However, I didn't feel that they were made into villains so much as being shown as victims of their own eccentricities and maladies. If that was exaggerated at any point to make them seem criminal, I still understood that it was in a fictional context and didn't take offense.

Of course this book has its own protagonist, though I found Maddox's role in this story to actually be somewhat minimal. Still, I saw character growth and I am very interested to see where his character is headed if Shepherd continues writing about him (which I kind of think she has to from where she left his personal story). The bottom line is that I enjoyed the first Maddox novel more but I thought this one was interesting and just as strong in research and construction as the first. But I do like Shepherd's foray into fiction (Dickens and Collins) better because there wasn't so much questioning of whether she had accurately represented her historical figures and done right by them.

Avoiding those both treacherous and fatal,
K

Catching Up: Sci-Fi, Humor and Fun

I wanted to get my reviews/mentions caught up before RIP season starts so I'm going to start with a couple today that I read during the Dog Days Readathon (for which I failed to do a wrap-up post because I had to get ready for my mother-in-law's visit ... yay).

First up was Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett. I had stalled in my Discworld reading but I was excited to get going again and this was the perfect book to do it with. Granny Weatherwax is one of my favorite characters and she, Nanny Ogg and poor, young Magrat have a fun dynamic. I liked the brief foray into Ankh-Morpork and the whole Hamlet tie-in. This is definitely a book that stands completely on its own.

Then I did a reread of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. This was a many times over reread but I have watched the recent film so many times since the last time I read it that I ended up somewhat surprised about what is and isn't actually in the book. It turned out to be so much more simple and fun of a story than I remembered. I definitely want to read the other book in the series in the near future.

I finished up the weekend (and went into the week after) with Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. I was totally in the mood to read it after seeing Neil recently and I was due for a reread anyway. It was only my second time with it and, while I remember it being funnier than it was this time through, I also didn't remember quite the level of sharpness and wit that was in it. Also, the last time I read it, I hadn't read any Pratchett and not much Gaiman so it was a different experience to be more familiar with their styles and language choices. Bottom line, it was still a fantastic read the second time through and I can't wait to see the (possible) upcoming tv production.

Finally, I'm in the middle of Witches Abroad, also by Terry Pratchett because I just couldn't stop! It's a bit of a slower book than other Discworld novels I've read so far but it's a fairy tale and fantasy lover's dream. So far I've caught references to The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and multiple fairy tales (Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty and vampire lore to start). It's amusing and I can't wait to finish it this week in preparation for RIP.

Having laughs and learns,
K

Floating Into the RIP VIII Season

RIP VIII, y'all! I am so excited to start my perilous reading. As with every year of this challenge, I have a long list of books I plan to read. I won't bother choosing a participation level because I'll be overdoing it (as usual).

First are the Read-Alongs ...

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (hosted by The Estella Society, through Sept. and Oct.)
Revenge by Yoko Ogawa (reading with Nat of In Spring the Dawn)
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (for 100 Top Chapter Books project, discussion on Oct. 15 at The Estella Society)
The Witches by Roald Dahl (for 100 Top Chapter Books project, discussion on Oct. 31 at The Estella Society)

Next are the Rereads ...

Coraline by Neil Gaiman
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
The Time of the Ghost by Diana Wynne Jones

And finally are the New Reads ...

The Devil's Gentleman: Privilege, Poison, and the Trial That Ushered in the Twentieth Century by Harold Schechter (non-fiction)

The End of Mr. Y by Scarlett Thomas
Greenwitch by Susan Cooper
The Monk by Matthew Lewis
The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Oxford Book of Victorian Ghost Stories (short stories)
Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summerscale
Under My Hat (short stories)
Unnatural Creatures (short stories)
Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Which Witch? by Eva Ibbotson

I have a pretty Pinterest board for these books if you want to see all of the covers and a bit of the reasoning behind why I chose them. I'll be reading them, of course, all through September and October, including during the read-a-thon on October 12th!

If anyone is interested in joining me for any of these books, drop me a line. And if you need some great recommendations, check out my other fancy Pinterest board of highlights from past RIP years. Or if you have your own list going, which books are you most looking forward to reading this fall?

Reveling in it all,
K

Summer Project: London -- Update Two

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My summer London project is winding down now but I have a few more London books to share with you that I read this summer --

I finished Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens in a fairly short time. It was full of coincidences and unfortunate events that strained belief but I thought Dickens did a very good job of portraying the lives of the poor and the orphaned and those who either attempted to help them or used them to their own benefit. Though one of his more "issues" based novels, it was surprisingly not very preachy or wordy. There is definitely quite a bit of sarcasm in it (which I enjoyed). The portrayal of London as a place where one can just as easily be found as lost was also fascinating. Though a more violent novel, I think it's also one of Dickens' more accessible ones and I'm happy to now understand many of the references to this novel that I've encountered over the years.

Next I moved forward in time to Consequences by Penelope Lively, a journey through generations from the 1920s through modern days. With many different personalities and relationships, I thought this was a fascinating story. It was my first Penelope Lively and if her books are all as quiet and touching as this one, I'm sure I'll find my way back to her soon. As for London, it was interesting to see how a home and a neighborhood changed over time in what was once an affluent area.

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson was one that I was going to save for the RIP challenge but then I was in the mood for something more modern after all of this summer spent mostly with a London of the past. What I got was one of the most "YA" books I've ever read. It took me a while to get into it, into the teenage awkwardness and drama, but once the supernatural part of the story started, I was hooked. There was a very terrifying villain and the main character, Rory, was interesting and convincing in all of her "teenness". This story took me back into the underground areas of London but also gave me a look at boarding schools and pubs. Quite fun and I look forward to the next book in the series, The Madness Underneath.

Finally, I had a hankering for some Agatha Christie and I still have a couple of unread novels sitting on my TBR, mostly those that feature Poirot and were made into tv films. I had to wait long enough until I couldn't remember the solution anymore so that they would be interesting reads. Hickory Dickory Dock is a boarding house mystery full of unlikeable twenty-somethings. With plenty of mentions of race relations (and some of Dame Agatha's own questionable descriptions of those non-white characters), this was a look into the workings of the succotash (please tell me a better word for it if you have one!) that is London.

This might be the end of my London reading for the summer. It was a really interesting experience to see so many different ages and sides of a single city and its people. One day I'll get to visit London and hopefully fill in the gaps that must exist after only learning about the city from books. I can't wait.

Letting my anglophilia shine,
K

Kicking Off The Dog Days of Summer Read-a-Thon

Well, the Dog Days of Summer Read-a-Thon officially starts on Saturday but I've decided to get a head start today since I just finished a somewhat bleak book ... and, to be honest, I've also been champing at the bit to start some of these comfort reads that I chose. I've been thinking about them for days! This will also mean that I get 72 hours of fun reads. How can I resist (and how can I stop on Sunday)?

I've decided to start with Terry Pratchett's Wyrd Sisters, second in the Discworld Witches series. It's short and guaranteed to be funny and exciting.

The hashtag on Twitter for the read-a-thon is #ddsummer and I'll mostly be updating there with a summary post at the end. I hope lots of you also get to participate, even if it's just picking up one fun or nostalgic book this weekend!

Cheating for more time with good reads,
K

My Night With Neil

As those of you on Twitter probably know (I might have mentioned it), I had the chance to head up to Vancouver, BC a couple of days ago to catch Neil Gaiman on the last of his North American signing dates. We drove up on Thursday morning and got into town around three in the afternoon. We checked into our hotel and got a quick lunch and then I was dropped off at the Vogue Theatre, an historic art deco theatre built in 1941. Besides being a bit warm in the sun, the 75 minute wait outside didn't actually seem that long because I was so excited.

Once inside, I got a seat just off-center in the fourth row and had another hour to wait until Neil was on. Luckily I brought a book to pass the time (thanks, Connie Willis).

Then Neil came out (hooray!). I didn't get any good photos while he was on stage but I didn't try very hard either. Instead I sat back and listened while he read from The Ocean at the End of the Lane, answered a wide variety of audience questions and read once more from Fortunately, the Milk (an all-ages book out in September and really, truly hilarious). This part of the night flew by even though it lasted for about 90 minutes. He was funny and thoughtful and did his best to boost the confidence of the Canadian audience (that's a Canadian joke).

Then, the signing. Luckily, my wait was only about two hours long, as our row was called at about 9:55pm. (I say luckily because there was still easily half of the theatre that were still waiting patiently when I left.)

I was surprisingly not too nervous as my time came to get my books in front of Neil and there was a very kind volunteer there to take our phones and cameras so I got some fantastic photos of myself with himself.

At first I just stood there awkwardly while he signed my copy of Ocean (drawing a nice moon inside) and then I told him I came up from Seattle and he thanked me for doing so and I felt a bit calmer.

And then he got to the other book I brought for him to sign, Diana Wynne Jones' Reflections: On the Magic of Writing, which he wrote the foreword to and he just paused and sighed. Then he started telling me how he wished Diana had gotten the chance to read Ocean and that she probably would have loved it (I said I thought so too). I might also have mentioned #dwjmarch ...

We talked about missing her dreadfully and a bit about her new book (the one that her sister Ursula has written the ending to -- Neil was considered for the project but decided to say no to it) ...

And that was it ... time for one last smile and then he had to sign that book for the nice boy with the awesome hair that was behind me.

It was one of the most amazing nights of my life and it took me hours to fall asleep that night. I am so happy that the Vancouver Writers Fest was able to bring Neil to BC and that my kind husband and son drove with me all the way to another country "just" to see an author.

Still reliving a night to remember,

K