'The Invisible Library' by Genevieve Cogman

The Invisible Library, Genevieve Cogman (3.0)

It was hard to pass up a book about spy librarians who can travel to different time/worlds – great potential, but oddly not as compelling as one would hope. After reading it, I found out it was categorized as Young Adult and that makes a bit more sense. The basic idea is that librarians collect valuable books from various alternate realities, returning them to a time agnostic main library where they can live without growing older. They utilize a magical Language as a power and meet many magical creatures in the alternate realities. This volume follows Irene, an experienced Librarian, and her trainee to an alternate London to find a Grimm’s Fairy Tales. While there, they find their task is far more complicated and dangerous than first assumed. I found the book generally interesting to read, but I was hoping for more depth of character and more logic in the world building (magic is fine, but consistency is still needed). This is supposed to be the first in a series and I not particularly compelled to read on.

'Sick Puppy' by Carl Hiaasen

Sick Puppy, Carl Hiaasen (3.5)

Carl Hiassen’s books are not grand literature, but they tend to be fast, funny books to read. This one blends it’s funny with the somewhat gruesome. Set in Florida, as usual, the main character is a trust fund eco-terrorist (of sorts) who angers quickly and who spends the majority of his time chasing down those who are not showing due respect to the earth with the goal of highlighting the error of their ways. Unfortunately, he tends to go to extremes as his targets rarely get the point right away. Enter the next character, a serial litterbug state lobbyist who also happens to be working to destroy one of Florida’s remaining unspoiled islands. Hiaasen weaves crazy characters (including a wonderful black lab), current political issues and Florida’s culture. If anything, the lobbyist is too horrible and unredeemable and the ‘good guys’ are too cheer worthy. I found some of the book to be hard to read and it certainly didn’t put me in a good political mood-I’m a big fan for outlawing lobbyists!