Books
This list is to help me keep track of books I have read.
Sometimes, when titles jog my memory, I forget whether I've actually read the book or am yet to do so, and perhaps I remember the name because it's on my to-do list.
This list will help me avoid duplication at the bookshop or library.
Search Amazon
Amazon has editor and reader reviews of books. Search for titles at Amazon:
(Results open in new window)Yet To Read
I also keep a list of titles I want to read, usually picked up from recommendations in newspaper reviews or from anywhere really, but often those bloggers whose interests or tastes are intriguing. You can read it here.
Authors
A similar page on my favourite authors is here.
Books I Have Read
Previous Years
Go to Month
Jan – Feb – Mar – April – May – June – July – August – Sept – Oct – Nov – Dec
- January 2012
- Mexico
After Journey I had high hopes for another Michener. Unfortunately, this one failed to grab me in the first dozen pages and so I gave up. I flicked through it looking to see if it was better later, but couldn't see anything that interested. It is probably my personal interests: I am just not that interested in Mexico and definitely not interested in bull fighting which forms a major part of the primary character.
I will look for Alaska or one of the others.
- Bridge of Birds
Delightful. A story of ancient China that never was but should have been. The children of the village are struck with a mysterious illness and Number Ten Ox is charged with finding a cure. With master Li Kao, a scholar with a slight flaw in his character, he sets out to find the Power Root of ginseng that cure the children.
Hughart has drawn on old Chinese myths and fables to create a rich pantheon of gods, demons and magic. The whole book is gently humorous and marvellously imagined. Recommended. Now to look for the follow-ups.
- Hogfather
Last read in 2009, 2½ years ago. I don't remember being particularly impressed, but this time I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Auditors have viewed Life as an annoying disruption in the universe and want to get rid of it. They enact a plan to remove the myths and beliefs of humanity, starting with the Hogfather (the Discworld's equivalent of Father Christmas) by using a particularly nasty Assassin. Death's granddaughter Susan gets involved, much to her annoyance.
This is the one with the particularly charming small children. I love the scene where the children are sitting on Death's knee and he is asking what they want for Hogfather, "A swored. And what do you say? A big swored?"
- The Family Trade (The Merchant Princes)
This is a great book with one huge fault: it is not complete! Don't get this unless you can also get books two and three. The book ends without any resolution of any of the plot arcs. In fact, I wonder why it was published in its present form rather than as a bigger book with parts one and two combined.
Having said that, it is a great read. Miriam discovers she can cross to another parallel world whose technology level is medieval, and that she is one of the rulers. Only she and her cousins have the gene that allows world-crossing and the Clan has used the ability to establish a trade cycle between the two worlds. However, her sudden appearance there after being presumed long dead sets in chain a string of jealousies, ambitions and politics as the other factions jostle to prevent her from assuming her powerful title that is inherited from her mother.
Stross explores what would you do if you had the ability to magically and instantaneously disappear. Commit bank robberies? No gaol can hold you. Take high grade weapons back to medieval times (which is indeed what the Clan has done)? And so on. He does a good job of this.
I liked this a lot and can't wait to get the next books.
[Addendum] Stross mentions in his online diary that book one and two were originally written as one book, but that binding costs go up enormously over about 420 pages. A different process is required, fewer printing houses can do it, and so on. His editor decided to chop the book into two to bring each one under that limit.
- Reamde
1,000 pages, wow. That is a serious commitment in reading time. Was it worth it?
This is not a techno or sci-fi book like much of Stephenson's other books. It is a straight thriller. Richard is the creator of an enormously popular online massive game called T'Rain. His neice, Zufa, inadvertently gets involved in a Russian mobster's fury at a Chinese hacker's attempt to hold him to ransom. Zufa is kidnapped with her boyfriend while they track the hacker to China and inadvertently stumble on an Islamic terrorist cell. Things get very hectic as an MI6 spy gets involved, and the chase moves in stops and starts to the U.S.–Canadian border, a border that Richard knows very well from his marijuana smuggling days when he was much younger. The whole comes to a massive climax in the last 50 pages as the various protagonists come together for a final showdown.
Favourite character? Sokolov. A cool, icy-calm antagonist with a laconic sense of humour and who turns out to have a good heart.
The book is much, much longer than other writers would have made it. Much of that comes from backtracking exposition. Stephenson's style here is to drive the narrative along using a main character, then backtracking to another main character elsewhere and describing their actions during that same time period. This means that the timeline of the book is actually quite short, although a single period can take dozens of pages as the actions of various players is narrated. I'm in two minds. I did end up skimming a lot of stuff, mainly because it came across as filler. On the other hand, I can see how a different reader might enjoy the actions of that character and would want to read about them.
If it was any other author, I would say that the book could be trimmed by half by a good editor, but Stephenson does manage to keep most of it quite interesting, so I can sort of see the point of keeping the book as long as it is.
Overall, I enjoyed this quite a lot, better than most other thrillers that are, let's face it, airport or beach fodder, but it is not in the same class as, say, Anathem.
- The Hidden Family (The Merchant Princes)
The second book. Spoilers ahead.
After getting hold of the locket from one of her assassins, Miriam discovers there is a third world and that one group of her enemies is from that world and, apparently, don't know about the other world. So now there are three. She travels there and finds it is in a quasi-early 20th century era, with airships, steam cars, and the beginnings of electricity. This is an opportunity to use the ideas she had in the first book about creating wealth by moving ideas between worlds. She establishes a company with patents on brake pads, brake discs and other early ideas.
Easy to read and I galumphed through it in a couple of days. The plot gets deeper and more mysterious with a couple of surprises, especially about her mother, and it seems Angbard is not such a nasty old stick after all. Very surprising ending, and you have to wonder why Stross did it when we have just started to get to know the character. Not sure if it was necessary. Some good interesting ideas about technology transfer. On to book three.
- The Clan Corporate (The Merchant Princes)
Book three. It is obvious now that Stross is writing these like a TV mini series, where each episode (book) ends on a cliff-hanger. This could get tiring quickly. As well, each book is not self-contained. You need to have read the previous one(s) to get the full benefit. Spoilers ahead.
This takes place almost entirely in the first world for Miriam, where Uncle and Baron Henryk has decided to put his foot down. Miriam must bow to the family's wishes and marry The Idiot prince and Henryk is using Miriam's mother Iris as a hostage to force the issue. Angbard forces the issue by allowing Miriam to discover Angbard and Henryk's insurance policy: IVF and genome research labs in the second world funded by the Clan that has discovered, they think, the W* gene responsible for world travelling. Miriam attempts to get info about it and is caught by Henryk who turns out to be not the comfortable uncle type and who forces Miriam into the engagement. The end of the book is the King's reception to announce the engagement where suddenly the hall is blown up and attacked by unknown assailants, and most are killed including the King and the Idiot.
Meanwhile, on world two, the DEA and the FBI, after Mattias' defection, realises what they are up against. The NSA takes over and the operation turns from a police action to a military one. The Clan appears to have nuclear weapons and can deliver them wherever they want. Using captured Clan couriers as transport, the operation delivers DEA agent and Miriam's former boyfriend Mike Fleming to world one just in time to save Miriam from the unknown killers at the reception. End of book three.
- February 2012
- The Kremlin Device
Ryan draws on his experience in the British SAS to write thrillers.
An SAS team goes to Russia to train their special forces on hostage rescues. As a covert side-mission, they are tasked to deliver and hide two Compact Nuclear Devices, so-called suitcase bombs, within Moscow. The SAS team are not too happy at abusing their Russian hosts' hospitality, but plant one CND and begin to scout out the place for the second. Meanwhile, corruption in Russia is everywhere and the Chechyan Mafia rule most of it. After the Russians, with a little unauthorised help from the Brits, decapitate the local Mafia heads, the Chechyans strike back by abducting two of the SAS, along with the remaining CND. The Chechyans move the bomb outside Russia and the SAS now start to hunt them down.
This is a gripping read, so good I finished it in two days. Ryan writes with an evident authoritative and believable voice, not surprising given his SAS background. I liked this a lot. If I was to pick a nit, it would the resolution of a minor plot arc in the last three pages: it is quite unbelievable for a professional SAS sergeant major to give away state secrets like that. But I am only quibbling, the rest of the book is great.
- The Merchants' War (The Merchant Princes)
The fourth book. As always, spoilers ahead.
This one sees Egon, the pretender King, take up battle with Clan castles and holdings and preparing a trap for the Clan at their main castle, which is currently deserted. Meanwhile, Miriam's mother Patricia bargains with Mike Fleming the DEA agent to send him back to our world and provides him with a method to keep in touch. Miriam escapes to the third world and seeks Erasmus Burgeson's help, which involves disguising herself and dodging pursuers who try to stop them from boarding a trans-continental train. The US team discovers Matthias' bomb. Finally, Angbard sends a small team to seek out new worlds and they discover a deserted fourth world that is much more technologically advanced than ours and which appears to have taken world walking to a whole new level, but which has suffered catastrophic war damage. At the end of the book, Brilla rescues Miriam from a Polis trap and reveals her pregnancy and its political ramifications.
This series is great and each book is a page-turner, so much so that I get through one in a couple of days. Stross keeps revealing new plot points that drive the narrative forward and keep you wanting more. However, I am getting a little tired of Stross' way of ending these books. This one ends in the middle of a battle with none, repeat none, of the plots resolved. It is as though he hit the number of words agreed with his publisher, finished the sentence he was working on, and closed the book. It won't stop me from book five, though.
- The Revolution Business (The Merchant Princes)
The fifth book, also the last one I can get through the library system; I will have to buy the next one.
I am officially over Stross' method of ending on a cliff-hanger. It might be fine for a TV series where your next episode is only a week away, but it is not for a book. Knowing that you won't get the next fix for a year or so diminishes your investment in the emotional content. As I read this book, I frequently found myself thinking, "I don't care much about this particular event, in a year's time it won't mean anything to me."
Huge spoilers ahead.
This is about revolution, as the title implies. The Feds have found Mattias' nuke and decide to send a message to the first world by transporting it there to detonate. The blast kills Egon the pretender King and his army, while the Clan have decamped a few miles away and miss most of it. Miriam is pregnant and the Clan force the issue by declaring her as the Queen-widow, which most of the first world accept. The third world undergoes revolution when the King abdicates and Erasmus and other levellers set up a people's party. Angbard suffers a stroke and is hospitalised in the US, only to be killed at the end of the book by nasty impregnator Dr ven Hjalmar. An unauthorised faction of Clan security decides to take out Washington with some of the Clan's remaining nukes, at which point the book ends. Meanwhile Mike Fleming discovers that the Vice President dealt with the Clan a decade or so before becoming a politician and is now out to get them, hence the authorisation to nuke the first world. Right at the end of the book, Fleming warns Miriam about this and is then killed by a car bomb, presumably authorised by spook James.
- Memoirs of a Geisha
I picked this up at the local library's old book sale for 50c. Started it, but not sure it is my cup of tea, so I will read this over the next few weeks while continuing the rest of my reading.
- Look to Windward
Reading a well-remembered book is like putting on an old much-loved coat, or meeting up with a familiar friend you haven't seen for a while: you slip in easily and comfortably and it is as though you caught up only yesterday. I haven't read this for several years and currently all my Iain M. Banks are packed up after the interstate move a few years ago so I grabbed this when I saw it at the local library.
This is the one where Ziller the Chel composer has settled on a Culture orbital and has turned his back completely on his home planet and species. A Chel envoy, Quilan, is sent to the orbital, with the message presumed to be a request to return to his homeland. Ziller refuses absolutely to have anything to do with the envoy.
As we the reader slowly start to suspect, Quilan's mission is much darker.
Although I very much like all Banks' sci-fi, this hasn't been one of my favourites, mainly because I thought there was too little Culture and too much Quilan. This time, though, I realised the book is all about loss and what a man will do when he is numb to life after the loss of his much-loved wife, and I enjoyed it more because of that. A great book.
- Inversions
I happened across a few Iain Banks books at the other local library I use, so grabbed a few of them.
This is the one that ostensibly is not about the Culture, but really is. It features two stories in one book told separately. Towards the end, we realise that the two main characters are in fact entwined and that the story is being told about Special Circumstances from the recipients' point of view.
I've read this a number of times and it hasn't been my favourite. My weakness is towards Culture books and here the Culture does not feature at all.
The world is set in the equivalent technology of medieval Europe. Dr Vosil is doctor to the King, who appears to be an enlightened monarch. However, political intrigue is plotting against the newly arrived doctor and her rapid advancement in the Royal household. Somewhere a continent or two away, DeWar is bodyguard to the Protector, ruler after deposing the tyrannical king. His platonic companion is inevitably the concubine Lady Perrund who used to be first concubine but lately has made way for younger girls. Perrund appears devoted to the Protector, but has a story in her past.
I don't want to appear hesitant because the book is still good, but it remains one of those I would return to only every few years, unlike the rest of Banks' sci-fi which I love.
- Espedair Street
I have hesitated with Banks' non-sci-fi in the past because some of it was terribly dark and I did not, and don't, care for too much of that. However, this and the next book are not too dark and the writing is wonderfully lyrical and imaginative. The characters are memorable and, from what I can tell, the Scottish dialogue and behaviour is authentic. I always think I might like to visit Scotland after reading a Banks novel. Then I remember the rain.
David Weir used to be a famous rock star, never quite believing his luck and always, hidden away, feeling guilty at somehow conning everyone into thinking he knew what he was doing and that it was worthy. Now he is famous and rich, and has retired from the rest of the world into his cathedral-like foible, visited only by his couple of working class mates from the local area. They don't know who he is, and he pretends to be a caretaker for an eccentric owner. Much of the book is Weir's reflections on his life and in particular his two great loves, which he lost. It has a crux where Weir is revealed as not the caretaker but the eccentric owner himself and, for a period, it looks like he has lost the only friends he had since he is now not bolshie enough. Suffice it to say the book ends with terrible news of a tragedy, but then reflection and redemption.
I very much enjoyed this. A lovely book with charming characters in that rough, nut-em-on-the-head Scottish way. This book will convince others who turned away from Banks because he was too dark to give him another shot.
- The Steep Approach to Garbadale
This book gets an extra point for mentioning my childhood town of Perth. No-one else knows where it is but Banks does. Good for him.
Alban McGill is one of the junior members of a family dynasty going back several generations that are millionaires from their great grandparent who developed a strategy board game Empire. He loathes the political intrigue and machinations within the family, especially from matriarch Win who forced him and cousin and great love of his life, Sophie, to end an illicit young-teen love affair, and leaves to live away and do his own thing. He is unwillingly dragged back to help the family decide whether to sell out to American company Spraint Corp.
Much of the book is about Sophie and his reminiscences over his younger self, which provide context for his ambivalent, almost hateful, feelings towards most of the family. He has a moment of clarity to do with worshipping the notion of love of women rather than women themselves near the end, which proves a turning point for his feelings and the realisation that most of the family are like him, stumbling from one thing to another and living life as it get presented rather than seeking it and grabbing it, and so absolves them of any guilt. A shocker right at the end.
Another very Scottish story. I did not identify as much with Alban as I did with David Weir in the previous book, but anyone who has had a teenage crush and unrequited love will recognise the very familiar pain that Alban has and which he has unwittingly allowed to influence his choices throughout the rest of his life. Quite good.
- March 2012
- Memoirs of a Geisha
A seemingly autobiographical account of the life of a highly regarded geisha in the Gyon district of Kyoto in the early to mid 20
th C. This is well-known enough for me not to give a précis, but suffice it to say that it is not autobiographical, but is a work of fiction based on much extensive research including interviews with famous geisha. I didn't feel cheated because I had read the endpiece beforehand where this is explained.It received much criticism in Japan where it was felt to be still too westernised and not reflecting the true innermost Japanese character. Still, I enjoyed it a great deal and despite how "Japanese" it is, it still brought aspects of Japanese life and culture to me. The main character was very much a real person as I read the book. Some critics say the character of her great unrequited love, the Chairman, is not developed and remains a cypher, and that is true to some extent, but for almost the whole book he was essentially unknown to her and she couldn't write more about him.
This was another book, like Dr Zhivago, that was a slow start and had you wondering whether to leave it or not. It turned out to be quite engaging and I am glad I read it.
- Complicity
This is one of Banks' earlier books and is a little unlike some of his others in that it is a thriller rather than an exploration of a character's soul. Cameron Colley is a journalist on a Scottish newspaper and is following tips from an anonymous source on an apparent nuclear conspiracy. He becomes entangled with a serial killer's crimes. Somehow, he seems to be involved with the killer, even being at the same place as the crimes. Is he the real killer? Is he going mad? The police think he did it, how does he prove his innocence?
Good thriller and not as dark as Banks' other early work. It would make a good intro to Banks for someone who hadn't read him. I enjoyed the Scottish flavour of the book.
- Javascript: the Definitive Guide
This note is just a place-holder to remind me of when I first borrowed this book. I ended up being too busy to read this thick volume. I had a flick through it, though, and it is very comprehensive.
- Moving Pictures
Holy Woods is a strange place that seems to infect everyone with a dream. Is it a healthy dream or is it a malevolent force that is trying to get into the world? This is a blindingly obvious parody of Hollywood and the movie business. If Pratchett has a weakness, it it to occasionally go into too much exposition rather than plot or characterisation. I felt this book was one of those. I have read it before and felt it was not one of his best, and still feel the same.
- Making Money
Moist Von Lipwig is moved from Postmaster General to head up the Mint, moved via one of Vetinari's usual "requests". In the usual Moist way, his mouth sells the sizzle before everyone else has caught up with making the steak, and it somehow seems to work. There are the usual cronies, especially the malevolent Mint director Cosomo, who don't want Moist to succeed.
Another great read from Pratchett.
- Good Omens: the nice and accurate prophecies of Agnes Nutter, witch
This is a collaboration between Gaiman and Pratchett early in Pratchett's career. Although it is quite seamless, I found the style perhaps a little inconsistent -- if you knew there were two authors, you could tell. As well, Pratchett has not found his full voice yet. I've mentioned before that he can tend to exposition occasionally, and this is apparent here.
It is interesting for someone who has read Pratchett widely and is looking to complete the canon, but it is not one to rush to. Towards the end, I was looking for the book to finish so I could move on.
- Snuff
A lot of Pratchett's recently because I finally figured out how to order books from other libraries in the my catchment area. Suddenly I have five times the number of books to browse through. It turns out Pratchett is as popular elsewhere as here and most of them were already on order by other library users, so I grabbed the ones that weren't. This is the last of them. (The same for Iain Banks, by the way, if you were wondering why so many Banks' lately.)
This is perhaps Pratchett's last book, due to his illness. I really hate to say it because I admire him greatly, but it shows. There is a lot of exposition, which I have already said several times is his weakness. I liked the book a lot but several times had to wade through several pages of exposition, so I have to mark the book down for that.
Vimes is forced on holiday, but a policeman is always on the job. Something is not right, there is crime and a nasty murder, and Vimes is on the job. Where do the nasty goblins fit in and why does everyone hate them?
Quite interesting that this book promotes the idea of any sentient "animal" being worthy of protection by the law, and coincidentally the next book does the same thing.
- The Spirit Ring
I got this because my specialist recommended Bujold's Warrior's Apprentice series. The library only had volumes three and four on the shelf and I don't like starting a series half way through, so I grabbed one of her stand-alone books. Her books are fantasy where magic is added to an internally consistent historical setting, such as Italy in the 16th century.
In this one, Fiametta, the daughter of a sculptor and strong mage, is caught up in a siege of her town after her father is killed when the Lord's daughter's wedding goes wrong. Along with Thur, who may be her true love according to her spirit ring, and the local Bishop, they battle a dark mage and his Lord to stop them from enslaving Fiametta's father's spirit from being enslaved to the dark magic.
I'm not usually a fantasy fan, but I liked this. The historical setting is interesting and the addition of magic is done well, integrating nicely with religion. It is a good, consistent world that we can identify with.
- American Gods
The library was having a book sale while I was there getting the above three books out. I was flicking through and spotted this. At first glance, I thought it was something like American Psycho and was about to put it down, but then I happened to notice that the author was Neil Gaiman, who I had never heard of until I read Good Omens (above). On that basis, I grabbed it for the princely amount of $1.00.
This is about modern America, a world of old gods and new gods. Leprechauns and voodoo with money and television. The old gods are dying out because their believers are fewer and fewer (much in the same vein as Pratchett's gods. Co-incidence? I think not.). Shadow, ex-con and handy with coin tricks, is hired by the mysterious Mr Wednesday to be his odd-jobber and bodyguard. They travel all over America visiting a range of very strange people, who become stranger with each visit. Meanwhile, Shadow is starting to have some very odd dreams, as well as visits from his dead wife, Laura. Gradually, Shadow starts to realise that there is a bigger game going on and that he is being drawn into an oncoming war between the old gods and the new gods.
This was great. Gaiman creates very real characters, tells interesting stories (the book has many tales about old gods), and the climax is drawn out nicely—not too slow but not too fast either—the tension is kept just right. I loved the concept and I enjoyed the notion about how old gods come to new lands. Recommended.
- April 2012
- Soul Music
Pratchett's parody of rock 'n roll. Full of puns (such as describing a thieving priest as felonious monk). To be honest, I found it dragged a bit. The story was not that interesting, but spotting the puns kept me engaged.
- Falling Free
I was after more Bujold after The Spirit Ring (above). This was the only standalone book at the library. It was written subsequent to her The Warrior's Apprentice series, but is set as a prologue.
Engineer Leo Graf is sent to an orbital habitat to teach students about welding and construction in space. The twist is that the students are all genetically engineered for space, with four arms and no legs. Leo starts to realise the students are legally owned as inventory by the company and are not recognised as people. When financial troubles hit the firm, the ruthless supervisor might decide to "liquidate" the inventory. By this stage, Leo is invested in the welfare of and concern over the students. How can he help?
Quite enjoyed this. Very much engineering and the science part of sci-fi, which is always the part I prefer.
- The Lost Gate
The first book of a series that seems a bit like Charles Stross' The Merchant Princes (above). Gods are a fact of life for young Danny and his Family living in a compound in Virginia, far removed from the narrow unseeing world of humans. Humans' myths of Greek, Roman and Indo-Summerian gods are in fact true. Danny and his Family know this because they are descended from them. Unfortunately, they are much weakened over the millennia and are watching for a Gatemage to appear that might either reunite them with their home planet or destroy them completely with his superior power. Danny quickly discovers he is a gatemage, but is untutored and does not know how to use his power. On top of that, his family is trying to kill him. He runs away to the normal world and has a series of adventures as he grows up a little and discovers the true nature of his power.
Very good. Card is a great story teller. Will look for the next in the series.
- The Fifth Elephant
Last read in November, 2010. I ran out of books to read and this one was to hand. The review is here.
- Maskerade
I ran out of library books so did a selective re-read of this, last read in June 2010. I like the witches, particularly Granny Weatherwax, so I just flicked through and the parts that involved them. The stagecoach ride was fun, and, near the end, Granny holding the sword then later having to let the injury come through was some good insight into the nature of magic and being a witch.
- Minority Report
I was a huge Philip K. Dick fan in my 20s. I read every book I could get my hands on. Then I got distracted by other things and, thirty years later, realise I have read barely any of his books since. Lately he is having a bit of a resurgence and, of course, many of his books have been made into movies, notably Blade Runner and Minority Report. So, when I was at the library browsing their catalogue and his name popped into my head, I did a quick search and grabbed the three books that were on the shelf. This is one of them.
It is a short story, only a hundred pages, so there is no time for character development. Unlike the movie, the theme of the book is how forecasting the future can have the effect in itself of changing that future so that the forecast is no longer valid. Dick resolves the apparent paradox by referring to alternative timelines; one forecast is for a particular timeline where no forecast has been made, and the second one is for another timeline where a forecast has previously been made, thereby changing the future.
For a very short story, Dick raises an interesting paradox and resolves the conflict in the story pretty well. I liked it.
- Reaper Man
According to The Auditors, Death has developed a personality, which implies irregularity, and so must be replaced. Death finds out by discovering a new timer in the room with the timers, a gold one with his name on it. He decides that, since he now has time, he is going to spend it. Suddenly on Discworld, no-one is dying and pent-up life force starts to manifest itself in all sorts of ways with things coming to life. Wizard Windle Poons is supposed to be dead but Death didn't come, because Death is now working as a farm labourer for Miss Flitworth.
I think this was one of the earlier ones in the Discworld series. Not bad, but I didn't enjoy it as much as others probably because Pratchett seemed to be still sorting out his style. Lots of exposition, which I've previously mentioned that Pratchett could tend to in the early books.
It is notable for one of his best puns, where an alchemist is bemoaning the destruction of his lab and comments that "a huge and very expensive piece of glassware broke into splinters!" "Marry, 'twas a sharp retort," said a wretched voice.
- In Milton Lumky Territory
I did not know that Dick wrote non-scifi, but he did and this is one of them.
It is 1958 and Bruce Stevens is a buyer for a bulk warehouse chain. He passes through his home town and stops in on an old girlfriend, where he meets an attractive older woman named Susan. Within a dozen or so pages, he marries her. She owns a failing typewriter and mimeography shop and she employs Bruce to manage it with the aim of getting it back on its feet. Bruce is given a tip by a paper salesman, the Milton Lumky of the title, that there is a bulk lot of new-fangled Japanese electric typewriters for sale somewhere on the west coast. Although the business is broke and they are strapped for cash, he sets off to find them with the idea of invigorating the business with modern machines to sell.
He finds them and buys some after testing one thoroughly and then arguing price with the supplier. Upon returning home, Susan informs him the machines use a european keypad and are useless for the American market. Bruce, not being a typist, did not realise. He hatches a scheme to palm them off to his old warehouse employer by trading on his good relationship with his ex-boss and not disclosing the problem. Susan is horrified. The book then waffles around for while (apparently the author intended this to both amuse and frustrate the reader) and eventually they both just sell the business and move interstate to start again. They are happy and, presumably, live happily ever after.
I found this to be initially interesting from a historical perspective, but then increasingly slow. It has typical Dick characterisation where people do inexplicable things that do not ring true. I lapped this stuff up in my early 20s where unusual characters were great fun, but, with a lot more life experience, now can't be bothered with it. Truth be told, I was tired by the constant down-beat drudginess of the overall tone and particularly by Susan's vacillating and weakness. I ended up skimming the last 30 or 40 pages and I didn't miss anything.
- Cryoburn
The latest in the Miles Vorkosigan series and the first that I have read. This series was recommended by my specialist, Sean. I had avoided jumping in mid-way, but it turns out each book is stand-alone, albeit without the full experience of knowing all the back stories.
Miles is sent as Imperial Auditor to a cryofreeze conference on a planet outside the Empire. Some large businesses want to set up cryofreeze faclities on a planet in the Empire and the Emperor has sent Miles to check it out since something smells. On arrival, Miles is kidnapped and thrust into an underground group that runs public, clandestine revival and freeze facilities. Miles uses his usual combination of wild enthusiasm and dogged determination to find the major players' motivations and where the money lies, drawing in the local diplomat (to his reluctance) in the process.
I enjoyed this very much. Bujold writes a nice cracking yarn with interesting characters. I'm more determined to find more in the series.
- Paycheck
If I had bought this book I would be seriously annoyed. This is the book's cover on the right. It is extolling the movie (with Ben Affleck, Aaron Eckhart and Uma Thurman) with a view to promoting the book, and the inside sleeve gives a plot scenario. Great, I think, I've seen the movie and now I will read the book it was based on. Except it's not. Paycheck is actually a very short story of only 40 pages, and the plot is nothing like the inside sleeve. The inside sleeve is describing the movie's plot. In other words, it is a con. It took me a while to realise as I initially thought the second story was just a diverting chapter in the typical Dick manner where he would deviate into a sub-plot and then come back later. But no, it is a completely different story. This book is actually a collection of short stories. What a rip-off. I would have been furious if I had forked out the readies. I didn't because this is a library book. It is still annoying though. I don't think I have ever seen such a blatant deception.
The twelve stories were mostly written in the 1950s and '60s and a few of them show their age. A lot of them reflect Dick's concerns over the environment and war. A few of them are quite good, but I felt that the book as a collection is really only interesting from a historical perspective for the Dick enthusiast.
- The Bernie Rhodenbarr Mysteries
This is an omnibus of five Bernie Rhodenbarr stories. I'll split it into a review for each story. One thing to note is that I found it a little too much of the same after two or three stories. I like Bernie and I like Lawrence Block's stories, but five in a row shows up some plot similarities; perhaps read another book intermixed with this one to split things up a bit.
- Burglars Can't Be Choosers
- The Burglar in the Closet
- May 2012
- The Burglar Who Like To Quote Kipling
- The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza
- The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian
- June 2012
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- July 2012
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- August 2012
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- September 2012
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- October 2012
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- November 2012
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- December 2012
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