Review: The London Train

The London Train by Tessa Hadley

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Two novellas connected to each other, I flew through this random library pick. Either of the stories could have held my interest if they had continued.



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Review: Paris Trance

Paris Trance by Geoff Dyer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



In the most trivial of ways - regarding initial circumstances - I was briefly put in mind of Orwell's [b:Down and Out in Paris and London|393199|Down and Out in Paris and London|George Orwell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327954139s/393199.jpg|2374970], but that resemblance quickly faded. Instead I found myself caught up in an almost magical world. The dust jacket blurb uses the phrase "photographic precision" and I can't improve on that description. The plot was secondary to the study of characters and setting, and as such left me feeling unsatisfied and confused. However, I was treated to a glorious wash of scenes, which pulled me into the world in nearly-cinematic detail.
I think that the label of "romance" is appropriate - but not because of the sex scenes or love between the characters. It is a romance between the author/the characters and the lifestyle captured in the pages. Not a smooth romance, but a heady one.
I yearn to visit Paris and the French countryside, to have the places described in this book come to life for me. I wondered what it would be like to read this book without knowing any French - those untranslated sentences would be frustrating. I felt smug in my understanding, although humbled by the thought of how difficult it would be to actually live in a place where another language (even one with which I have a passing familiarity) is spoken. I was envious of the expats around whom the book centered because they had the courage to try that adventure.



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Review: The Cruelest Month

The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Again, I found this murder mystery to be extremely comforting. A combination of the author's writing and the narrator's voice makes me wish to go live in the village of Three Pines, even if people keep turning up dead of unnatural causes.
I was very pleased to get more background for the Arnaud case which kept being mentioned in the previous book ([b:A Fatal Grace|352921|A Fatal Grace (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #2)|Louise Penny|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327918653s/352921.jpg|343141]). I now feel that has been properly addressed and not just alluded to. It was an unexpected bonus to learn how Ruth's duck (which I met in [b:The Brutal Telling|6449551|The Brutal Telling (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #5)|Louise Penny|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327952311s/6449551.jpg|6639657]) came to be with her.
I had already listened to a few of the later books, but I hope that I haven't yet exhausted the series because it's so much fun to visit that world. I do have to be careful or else I'm likely to start looking up emigration information.



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Review: Fire

Fire by Kristin Cashore

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I found this book charming and fun, although not in an entirely light-hearted way. It wrestles with some serious moral questions about whether it is acceptable to influence or torture another for the good of a larger population, and it does not entirely answer the questions it raises, leaving the reader to ponder them.
The book is clearly intended for YA girls, and nowhere is that as evident as in its repeated references to the main character's menstruation. I found myself torn between celebrating the fact that the author was approaching the topic openly and feeling that the extent to which it appeared was disproportionately large to the role it played in the plot and therefore felt a little bit like it was a topic which simply had to be explored because this was a YA novel aimed at girls.
I had expected the character who appeared in the beginning of the story, known from the previous volume in this trilogy, to play a larger role. I'm looking forward to seeing how the author ties these first two novels together in the third (if she does).



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Review: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



The world is incredible. The story is amazing. I just wish that Tolkein had been able to separate the novel from the travelogue. Either would have been stupendous on its own, but I think both suffer a tiny bit from being combined.



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Review: Daughter of the Forest

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



First off, I am proud of myself for knowing that "Sorcha" is pronounced with a hard 'k' sound.
Next, I would like to say that I had to keep checking the author's name to make sure it hadn't changed into "[a:Robin McKinley|5339|Robin McKinley|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1314406026p2/5339.jpg]." VERY similar style and subject matter. Happily, I'm a fan of that, so I enjoyed this read. The best predictor I can give you about your reaction to this book is to ask whether or not you liked [b:Deerskin|8087|Deerskin|Robin McKinley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309211015s/8087.jpg|2321293], because it was the SAME story clothed in a slightly different fairytale.
I loved the forest descriptions; I was a little surprised at how quickly the story resolved in the end, but that impression may have had more to do with how I sat down and READ without stopping for the last hundred-or-so pages rather than being an accurate reflection of a problem with pacing.



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Review: A Fatal Grace

A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I stumbled across this author at a sale on Audible one day, and while I don't usually go in for mysteries (mostly because then I would be turning into my mother and not because I have anything against them as a genre), it was set in Québec and piqued my interest. I continue to enjoy this series a great deal and have a similar reaction each time I listen to one of them. My reaction arrives in four stages:
1. I question myself about WHY I am not living in Québec and fail to come up with a satisfactory answer.
2. I appreciate the gentle and soothing narration by the performer and excellent word choice by the author.
3. I get hungry. The descriptions of food cause my mouth to water.
4. I try to solve the mystery.
The fourth point is really the least important to me, although it is necessary to give the books plot. In this installment of the series, most of my suspicions were borne out, but I didn't much mind that I wasn't so surprised. Gamache's old-world charm is comforting and I enjoyed my stay in the village of Three Pines.



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Review: The Hobbit

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I don't understand why I didn't read this book as a child and adore it. It was one of the few books in the fantasy or science fiction realms which had an honored place in my house when I was young, but I didn't become acquainted with it until ninth grade. That I hadn't reread it since that time is evident in the small, plastic protractor which fell out from between its pages when I opened it this time.
I do plan to read it to my (at-this-point-hypothetical) children so that they don't miss out.



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Review: The Chemistry of Joy: A Three-Step Program for Overcoming Depression Through Western Science and Eastern Wisdom

The Chemistry of Joy: A Three-Step Program for Overcoming Depression Through Western Science and Eastern Wisdom by Henry Emmons

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



The words that come to mind when I think of this book are "simple" and "clean." It was well written and easy to read, and I am sure I would profit by following some of the author's advice. Most of all, it is kind to its reader and encourages one to let that kindness into the heart.



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