Review: Scandal Takes a Holiday

Title: Scandal Takes a Holiday

Author: Lindsey Davis

Publisher: Mysterious Press

# of Pages: 331

Rating: 7/10

From Publishers Weekly
The Rome of Vespasian and Titus comes to life in Davis's entertaining 16th entry in her popular ancient historical series (after 2003's The Accuser) featuring "finder" Marcus Didius Falco. The staff of the official government newspaper retains Falco when Diocles, the paper's gossip columnist, disappears while on a visit to Ostia. At the seaport, a cesspool of corruption, Falco follows up on rumors that pirates, supposedly put out of business by Pompey the Great decades earlier, are engaged in smuggling and a kidnapping racket. Utilizing his street smarts and well-earned cynical view of humanity, Falco moves in and out of dives and places of worship on the trail of a mysterious figure who acts as the middleman between the kidnappers and the victims' families. Disturbingly, some of the clues point to one of the detective's disreputable relatives. Longtime fans will enjoy the additional background on Falco's family, but first-timers, aided by a family tree and an introductory cast of characters, will be able to plunge right in.

Well, to be honest, I don't know what to say in this entry that I didn't already say in the last one- shall I reiterate my love of Marcus Didius Falco? Actually, I didn't enjoy this book nearly so much as the previous one; however, I think that has a lot to do with the hours I was putting in at work and my lack of concentration on reading as a result. I don't know if the blame lies with the book, really. We do meet even more of Falco's family in this book (really- his relatives keep popping up all over the place!), and the character- Falco's errant maternal uncle, Fulvius- seems likely to add an interesting kink to future adventures, if he shows up again. I hope he does- I think he's fun.

In general, I prefer the novels wherein Falco and Helena stay in Rome to those in which they travel outside of Rome (mostly because of the large amount of familial interaction in those novels where Falco's at home). However, it is fairly obvious that Falco and Helena enjoy traveling, and that they feel having children and obligations in Rome has really put a damper on their preferred lifestyle. Throughout the book, they both seem quite wistful for the days when they could just pick up and leave and go wherever they wanted, without worrying about other people at all.

This is something that often occurs to me when I think about life and "growing up." When a person settles down and has a family (whether planned or unplanned), there are significant- and often unexpected- sacrifices that have to be made. No one ever says that it isn't worth it (possibly because it is very un-PC to say you'd prefer to have never had children or a house in the suburbs?), but it comes out in so many ways when talking to people. Those older, "wiser" friends that tell you to live it up while you're young- as though these good times somehow come to an abrupt end upon marriage and parenthood and the necessity of putting another person's needs and desires before your own.

I think it's very interesting, and very realistic, the way that Davis portrays the Falco household. There are children in it, yes, but they are not the centerpoint of Falco's life. And Helena is there, and probably is the sun in his solar system... but he doesn't give up his way of life for her. He holds very stubbornly to what he feels is his right to go out and make reckless decisions that could have very bad consequences. As though to prove that he is not just a staid family man, but that he is still a rebel at heart. The equivalent, perhaps, of those power-suit-wearing suburban fathers who put racing stripes on their mini-vans?

Silver Lining - A Book Giveaway!

I worked until about 9:30pm today. This is not fun. And if one more person gives me the whole, "At least the weather sucks and there's nothing else you'd be doing" spiel, I might choke. Honestly, there are a lot of things I could be doing. Reading, for one.

However, things brightened considerably when I came home and found BOTH of the book packages I had been waiting so anxiously for at my house. So- I came home to ten books today! Very exciting :-)

I seem to have ordered two copies of one, accidentally, though (luckily it's from Bookcloseouts, so it was not overly expensive). If there are any Jane Austen fans out there, I have a copy of the tongue-in-cheek, Austen-reference filled Jane Austen's Guide to Romance (called Jane Austen's Guide to Love in the US) that I can send out. Just leave a comment on the blog stating your favorite Austen novel (and why it is your favorite, if you feel like it), and I'll pick a name at random this Sunday (February 1st). I don't know when I'll actually send the book out, but I promise to send it to you! Since it's a light book, and I need positive karma, it's fine to apply from out of the US, too- I will ship international.

Please make your comment by Saturday, January 31st, 8pm (CST).

Good luck!

Review: The Accusers

Title: The Accusers

Author: Lindsey Davis

Publisher: Random House

# of Pages: 386

This is the fifteenth book in the Marcus Didius Falco historical mystery series.

Rating: 9/10

From Publishers Weekly
Fans of "informer" Marcus Didius Falco will be glad to find the classical world's answer to the modern-day gumshoe back in Rome in Davis's stellar historical, the 15th entry in this witty and learned series, after two adventures set in Britain (A Body in the Bathhouse; The Jupiter Myth). In an effort to resume his career as an informer on his home turf, Falco ends up playing advocate in a messy dispute that pits him against two highly successful "legals," Paccius Africanus and Silius Italicus. The convoluted case, which involves a wealthy, fractious family and tricky questions of inheritance, gives Davis the opportunity to explore the vagaries of Roman law, which she approaches with her usual mix of respect and sarcasm. The corruption conviction of senator Rubirius Metellus followed by his mysterious demise threaten the Metelli family's fortunes. Hired to prove the senator's death was not a suicide, Falco finds himself immersed in scandal, blackmail, corruption and intrigueâ€"common ingredients of legal practice. In one particularly fine scene, Falco delivers a speech in the Basilica that relies on amusing and effective rhetorical tricks. Wry, cynical and principled, Falco makes the perfect guide to Davis's vividly realized ancient Rome.

I adore Marcus Didius Falco. His lady love, Helena Justina, also is one of the few female characters in literature to make it onto my "Heroines Who Don't Annoy Me" list on the left. (Some may think that I have forgotten this list exists and thus have not updated it for a very long time- this is not the case. I just haven't found any other girls who wow me.) I also love their motley assortment of relatives, friends and hangers. The cast of recurring characters seems to increase with every novel, and some will disappear only to re-appear later on, or be mentioned in passing- Davis clearly keeps a very detailed list, and it is a delight to her readers. I also love how alive Davis makes Ancient Rome. It is easy to view Rome with a certain sense of awe, as though just because their citizens wore togas and spoke in Latin and built impressive structures, that they must surely have faced far loftier situations than those with which we mere mortals of the 21st century must contend.

Lindsey Davis blows this approach out of the water. Her Rome is a thriving metropolis, peopled by characters that readers can relate to completely. But she also somehow makes the history work, just by throwing references about. Like, "Helena was waiting for me in front of the Temple of Juno." That's fun to read =)

I never really know how to review mystery novels without giving away the plot. Also, as this is my fifteenth Falco book, I can't say much about the characters that I haven't said before. It has been a long time since I visited Marcus and Helena and Petronius and all the others, but I picked up the book and felt right at home. In fact, I am going to pick up the next book in the series as soon as I finish this review (sadly, I am almost at the end... luckily, Davis is still writing them!). It is a series I feel so comfortable reading, and which I can always be sure will make me laugh and relieve some stress, for as long as I am reading it. And really- sometimes, that is all you would ever want from a book. So, if there is anyone out there who still hasn't tried this series... what are you waiting for? You're in for a fun ride!

I'm Famous!!

Not really- I was just featured in photos on my friend Beth's food/photography blog! It's a new blog and I highly recommend checking it out. I do not recommend lighting DuraLog's via an open flame on the stove, though- in my defense, we couldn't find matches.

Check me out here!

Review: Stardust

Title: Stardust

Author: Neil Gaiman

Publisher: Perennial

# of Pages: 250

Favorite Line: Have been unavoidably detained by the world. Expect us when you see us.

Rating: 9/10

Amazon.com Review
Stardust is an utterly charming fairy tale in the tradition of The Princess Bride and The Neverending Story. Neil Gaiman, creator of the darkly elegant Sandman comics and author of The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, tells the story of young Tristran Thorn and his adventures in the land of Faerie. One fateful night, Tristran promises his beloved that he will retrieve a fallen star for her from beyond the Wall that stands between their rural English town (called, appropriately, Wall) and the Faerie realm. No one ever ventures beyond the Wall except to attend an enchanted flea market that is held every nine years (and during which, unbeknownst to him, Tristran was conceived). But Tristran bravely sets out to fetch the fallen star and thus win the hand of his love. His adventures in the magical land will keep you turning pages as fast as you can--he and the star escape evil old witches, deadly clutching trees, goblin press-gangs, and the scheming sons of the dead Lord of Stormhold. The story is by turns thrillingly scary and very funny. You'll love goofy, earnest Tristran and the talking animals, gnomes, magic trees, and other irresistible denizens of Faerie that he encounters in his travels. -Therese Littleton

I received this book in July, 2006 from a fellow LibraryThing member as a really nice "You said you'd like to read it, and I have a copy, so you might as well read mine" sort of gift. She also runs a very impressive book blog at A Life in Books. It is one of those BookCrossing books, that you are then supposed to "release" into the world so that other people can enjoy it. Very sad to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book and wouldn't mind keeping it for myself! However, I should pass on the book karma =)

For me, Stardust was one of those books that you pick up and start reading and think, "Ohmigoodness, how did this ever sit so silently on my shelf for so long when, just reading the first page, I am already completely enthralled by it?!" It is a pretty short, light read. I read it in one day, which is saying quite a bit for me now. I also stayed up until 3am to finish it. Some people seem to preface reviews for books like Stardust with, "It was a short and light read," as though that somehow makes it a lesser book. I don't think this is true. Just because a book isn't complicated or long, that doesn't mean it won't have the power to enchant you.

Stardust is about a young man who sets off into Faerie on a quest for true love, and then realizes that he enjoys the quest itself. As they say, "Success is a journey, not a destination." Tristran Thorn, Yvaine the Star, the Lords of Stormhold, the witches- everyone that populates this story is delightfully dry-humored and fun. If I were Tristran, I wouldn't want to go home, either. Maybe it's because I suffer from wanderlust myself. I can certainly relate to someone feeling that life will be happy and fine if it continues in one very predictable direction, only to have a defining experience that leads you in a very different direction instead. No doubt, if Tristran had never left the town of Wall, he would have settled into a comfortable and enjoyable existence there. But he did leave. And experienced a completely difference life than the one he had planned. I'm not saying that one is better than the other- just that you often don't know what impact a sometimes lightly-made decision will have on your life. It's part of the fun.

The only other Neil Gaiman book I've read is American Gods, and I really enjoyed that one, too. I should read more of him, clearly! Any suggestions on what my next Gaiman adventure should be?

Note: Stardust was also made into a movie. I haven't seen it, but I hear it's quite good. I don't know how true to the book it is. I probably won't see it for a little while, just so I am more objective in my comparison of the two.

Review: The Orphan's Tales - In the Night Garden

Title: The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden

Author: Catherynne Valente

Publisher: Spectra

# of Pages: 496

Favorite Line: "Never put your faith in a Prince. When you require a miracle, trust in a Witch."

Rating: 7/10

From Booklist
*Starred Review* The opening volume of the Orphan's Tales begins in a palace garden, where a girl has been abandoned because of the strange, ink-black stain around her eyes and over her eyelids. Because the sultan and his nobles wish to avoid the problem she presents, she is left to wander the gardens, alone until another child, a boy, comes and speaks to her. She reveals the secret of her ink-stained eyes, that they contain many tales. In return for the boy's company, she tells him stories, beginning with the tale of the prince Leander. Each succeeding story grows from the one before it, characters recounting tales they were told and even weaving them back together. There is an entire mythology in this book, in which the themes of familiar fairy tales are picked apart and rearranged into a new and wonderful whole. The narrative is a nested, many-faceted thing, ever circling back to the girl in the palace garden and the prince she is telling the tales to in a wonderful interpretation of what fairy tales ought to be. The illustrations, by Michael Kaluta, constitute an excellent supplement, reminiscent of illustrations of such fairy-tale books as Andrew Lang's, though Kaluta does no toning down for Victorian sensibilities.

I said in my review for The Enchantress of Florence that I like stories within stories. This is usually true, but sometimes it can be a bit exhausting. Valente's book (the first in a two-part series- the second is The Orphan's Tales: In the Cities of Coin and Spice) is a very complex melding of stories within, on top of, next to, and all over other stories. It is a retelling of The Arabian Nights, except Scheherezade is not nearly as interesting as the nameless girl in Valente's tale. But both Scheherezade and the girl in the garden know how to captivate their audience- I was drawn in, ensnared by the stories shared with me. And the book ends on such an abrupt note, with the girl promising more if you just come back to her again... that I will certainly be seeking out the next book.

But really, I don't know if I liked the first one that much, when I think about it. Something about Valente's writing did not jive for me. It is possible this is due to the abrupt starting and pausing and then picking up again of her stories. Unlike The Arabian Nights, where one story leads to another one after cleanly being finished, Valente twists and bends and folds her stories into one another, so that one is embedded in countless others and none of them finishes when you are ready for them to. This is a good way to keep a captive audience, yes, but it can also frustrate them. There are chapters in the book, but once you set the book aside, it is hard to pick up again and remember exactly how many threads and plotlines you are following. Eventually, you catch on again, but it takes some time. Well, I should say that it took some time for me. You all might be much quicker :-)

Also, Valente's breed of fantasy is the kind that I don't generally enjoy. Her stories are littered with strange breeds of creatures (men with dogheads, cyclops, creatures walking on one foot only). While I really enjoy fantasy novels, I generally don't go for the kinds with these random creatures populating them. I prefer the epic fantasy route (peopled with humans, I admit). However, I think if you do like that kind of fantasy, then Valente writes a good story and you will enjoy the world she created. She certainly put a great deal of thought into the mythology and belief systems of her characters.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and certainly will go for the second in the series, but I don't think I'll be reading it immediately. Something about the writing style just didn't work for me right now, and I think it would be unfair for me to read the second book now- so, I am off to browse the bookshelves once more!

Photos from Thailand and Cambodia

I am quite jetlagged from my trip this morning, and so I have finished editing and uploading all my pictures. Here is a slideshow of my Picasa album, if anyone would be interested in viewing them (you can also click through to the actual album).

Review: The Enchantress of Florence

Title: The Enchantress of Florence

Author: Salman Rushdie

Publisher: Random House

# of Pages: 368

Rating: 9/10

Favorite Line: The emperor was not content with being. He was striving to become.

This review is based on an advanced reader's edition.

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Renaissance Florence's artistic zenith and Mughal India's cultural summit—reached the following century, at Emperor Akbar's court in Sikri—are the twin beacons of Rushdie's ingenious latest, a dense but sparkling return to form. The connecting link between the two cities and epochs is the magically beautiful hidden princess, Qara Köz, so gorgeous that her uncovered face makes battle-hardened warriors drop to their knees. Her story underlies the book's circuitous journey.A mysterious yellow-haired man in a multicolored coat steps off a rented bullock cart and walks into 16th-century Sikri: he speaks excellent Persian, has a stock of conjurer's tricks and claims to be Akbar's uncle. He carries with him a letter from Queen Elizabeth I, which he translates for Akbar with vast incorrectness. But it is the story of Akbar's great-aunt, Qara Köz, that the man (her putative son) has come to the court to tell. The tale dates to the time of Akbar's grandfather, Babar (Qara Köz's brother), and it involves her relationship with the Persian Shah. In the Shah's employ is Janissary general Nino Argalia, an Italian convert to Islam, whose own story takes the narrative to Renaissance Florence. Rushdie eventually presents an extended portrait of Florence through the eyes of Niccolò Machiavelli and Ago Vespucci, cousin of the more famous Amerigo. Rushdie's portrayal of Florence pales in comparison with his depiction of Mughal court society, but it brings Rushdie to his real fascination here: the multitudinous, capillary connections between East and West, a secret history of interchanges that's disguised by standard histories in which West discovers East.Along the novel's roundabout way, Qara Köz does seem more alive as a sexual obsession in the tales swapped by various men than as her own person. Genial Akbar, however, emerges as the most fascinating character in the book. Chuang Tzu tells of a man who dreams of being a butterfly and, on waking up, wonders whether he is now a butterfly dreaming he is a man. In Rushdie's version of the West and East, the two cultures take on a similar blended polarity in Akbar as he listens to the tales. Each culture becomes the dream of the other.

I really like the idea of stories told within stories, layered like so many flower petals to create a total that is more than the sum of its parts. The Enchantress of Florence is one of those- the narrator telling the story of a traveler to Sikri. The traveler telling the story he heard from his mother, part of which is recited by a human "memory palace," which was told to her by one of the main characters in the story. And so on and so forth.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not really sure what the theme of the novel really is. The power of words to transform? The ties that bind? The bewitching and sometimes very dangerous powers of a breathtakingly beautiful woman? The thin line between dreams and reality? The even thinner line between legend and history? It could be any and all or none of those (which is really quite a bit for a book that isn't really all that long).

What really captured me in this novel was the writing. Some books are read for the plot, some for the characters, and some very few for the writing. For me, The Enchantress of Florence was a delight to be savored- the way the words fit together was magnificent. It didn't matter to me, on finishing it, that several of the stories ends had been left loose. I was not ready for it to end where it did, but wow- what an ending.

Rushdie is an undisputed genius. He has won The Booker Prize and his novels enraged some Muslim higher-ups so much that they issued a fatwa on him, which has since been removed. His books obviously have far-reaching impact and they are not written just to tell a good story. But The Enchantress of Florence is a good story. I don't think I followed all its themes and messages in my first reading- I will have to read it again. For example, the book abounds with female characters, from prostitutes to queens to mistresses to wives to the most intriguing "memory palace." But none of the women relates her story- all the stories are related through men, either in words or in pictures. In fact, the only woman in the book who actually tells a story is the memory palace, and she only recites the history, word for word, told to her by a man. (How's that for symbolism?) Much as the story revolves around women, from the character(s) alluded to in the title on down, it is a book about men.

I could probably write an essay on the role of women in the novel, but the stand-out character is the Emperor Akbar, a wonderfully conflicted ruler of the world who balances the idealism of "I wish everyone would just get along" with the pragmatism of "Don't mess with me; I'm the king." He is portrayed as a dreamer with very 21st century ideas. Perhaps these were unfairly placed on his shoulders by Rushdie, writing a novel for a 21st century audience. It's quite possible, but for me, it worked most of the time. Akbar is a man lonely at the top, desperately looking for a friend. So desperate for someone to share his deepest thoughts with, in fact, that he creates a wife for himself who exists through the sheer force of his belief.

I found this book a delight to read- on the more "superficial" level of enjoying the story, and on the deeper levels of wrestling with the themes and ideas presented in it. If anyone else has read it and would like to discuss it, please let me know! I'd love to take part.

Review: The Meaning of Night

Title: The Meaning of Night

Author: Michael Cox

Publisher: John Murray

# of Pages: 598

Favorite Line: The boundaries of this world are forever shifting, from day to night, joy to sorrow, love to hate, and from life itself to death; and who can say at what moment we may suddenly cross over the border, from one state of existence to another, like heat applied to some flammable substance?

Rating: 9/10

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Resonant with echoes of Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens, Cox's richly imagined thriller features an unreliable narrator, Edward Glyver, who opens his chilling "confession" with a cold-blooded account of an anonymous murder that he commits one night on the streets of 1854 London. That killing is mere training for his planned assassination of Phoebus Daunt, an acquaintance Glyver blames for virtually every downturn in his life. Glyver feels Daunt's insidious influence in everything from his humiliating expulsion from school to his dismal career as a law firm factotum. The narrative ultimately centers on the monomaniacal Glyver's discovery of a usurped inheritance that should have been his birthright, the byzantine particulars of which are drawing him into a final, fatal confrontation with Daunt. Cox's tale abounds with startling surprises that are made credible by its scrupulously researched background and details of everyday Victorian life. Its exemplary blend of intrigue, history and romance mark a stand-out literary debut. Cox is also the author of M.R. James, a biography of the classic ghost-story writer.

It is no secret that I love to dig my teeth into a well-written, atmospheric historical fiction novel. Michael Cox delivers in The Meaning of Night. It is a long-winding story almost Dickensian in the number of coincidences that occur and reminiscent of Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell in the number of footnotes appended to the text (though there are not nearly as many as Clarke employs in her novel). I am positive that this book would not appeal to every reader. Many reviewers have justifiably commented on how long and slow it moves. This is very true- it is slow. But the writing, to me, is so evocative of the Victorian London and its society that it really pulls the reader in. The Victorians were (to be completely stereotypical) long-winded hypocrites with a great many vices. And Edward Glyver is a man of his time, so thoroughly Victorian in his ideals and his behavior. As a reader, I could tell that Michael Cox really steeped himself into the period he was writing about- he lived it with Edward Glyver, and it comes through in his novel.

It is hard to review this book without giving much of it away- when that is the case, reviewers often turn to comparison. I have already used Dickens and Clarke in terms of authorial atmosphere. Should I throw in Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment? If a person has been wronged, and knows who has done him wrong, is it justified for that person to mete out punishment and vengeance as he deems appropriate? Or, even if it is not justified, is it understandable? That is the premise of this luxuriantly winding memoir, full of internal angst, rage and the very real desire to belong. Highly recommended.

There is also a sequel in publication, The Glass of Time. According to the author's website, a trilogy about the Duports is planned- very exciting!