'The Snack Thief' by Andrea Camilleri

The Snack Thief, Andrea Camilleri (3.0)

This is a good mystery novel, though not a great one. It’s a reasonably happy murder mystery, if there is such a thing, and a nice distraction if you are stuck in your house and would like a little escape. The protagonist, a small town detective in Sicily, reminds me of a softened version of the typical Norwegian and Swedish flawed detectives. In this case he has a temper, not a lot of patience, and issues with interpersonal relationships. This episode has the police department following two murders that seem unrelated: a Tunisian sailor is killed seemingly randomly on a ship and a retired importer is stabbed in his elevator. You realize right away that they will eventually be related and the journey is filled with odd and funny characters. By the way, I don’t recommend reading this when you are hungry – he has a passion for Italian food and the descriptions will leave you drooling!

'Exhalation: Stories' by Ted Chiang

Exhalation: Stories, Ted Chiang (4.0)

Excellent short stories by the author who inspired the movie, ‘Arrival’. While considered Science Fiction, the stories are profound and thought provoking-  such as the musings of a parrot, wondering why humans try so hard to communicate with life forms outside our galaxy while ignoring those who are trying to communicate with them on earth, i.e. said parrots. Chiang introduces potential technologies, and then exposes the possible moral and ethical issues they could bring. I enjoyed the unintentional consequences, which were not always bad. I particularly liked at the end, he discusses his motivation for each story, which gave even more depth to them.

'Artemis Fowl' by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl 1 and 3 (The Eternity Code), Eoin Colfer (3.0)

I will preface this review by saying these are Young Adult novels. I generally appreciate that genre and those books that respect the ‘Adult’ in that moniker. I found parts of this book series to be clever and funny, but the insertion of various whoopee cushion type instances made it feel farther towards the ‘Young’ side of the genre than I like. The main character, Artemis Fowl, is a pre-teen criminal genius. In the first book he is quite unlikeable – not surprising for a conceited, rich youngster. I did like the addition of the underworld, in this case defined as the place where the magical folk of the world have gone to escape the ‘mudders’, or humans. Artemis tricks someone to find out all the secrets of the Faeires and is determined to steal their gold (as we all know, they have pots of gold). Sadly, you are not rooting for him to win. At least by the end of the first book, he seems to soften and become more likeable. The third book revisits many of the same characters with the introduction of a criminal worse than Artemis. Now that we have an official bad guy, Artemis can be more of an anti-hero, which works better. Not bad for a quick escapist read, but doesn’t compete with many of the YA books as far as depth is concerned.

'Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town' by Jon Krakauer

Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town, Jon Krakauer (3.0)

While I usually enjoy Mr. Krakauer’s books and this topic is extremely important, I did not enjoy reading this book. I felt like I was being bombarded with ‘rape, rape, rape, incompetence, rape, rape, victim shaming, incompetence, legal system let-down, rape, rape.’ I know I only needed to read the details of each rape once for it to be etched into my psyche. Having the examples repeated (sometimes 3 or 4 times) was dulling. Many reviewers of this book remarked that the second half (mostly having to do with the trials) was too dry, but I felt it was needed after all the emotional trauma of the first half. This is a book that should be read, but is very hard to read.

'The Battle for God: A History of Fundamentalism' by Karen Armstrong

The Battle for God: A History of Fundamentalism, Karen Armstrong (3.5)

I learned a lot reading this book in which Ms. Armstrong thoroughly examines the branching of fundamentalism in the three main global religions: Judaism, Islam and Christianity. While the timing is often different, there were many parallels in why and how they emerged. I appreciated that she gives equal time to all three and carefully draws the comparisons, which were numerous. She often discusses the mythos and logos parts of culture and how as logos (mostly as science) advanced, mythos was often pushed aside. The fundamentalists were often disillusioned by a culture, which could not easily accommodate the spiritual. In simple terms, I can agree with this, but she does go back to it too often, in my opinion. Also, much of this book is depressing – such as the fact that progress always seems to be partnered with war as so many cannot deal with any change. My own faith in my fellow humans was often tested in reading this book – are we really that weak and fragile?

'The Testaments' by Margaret Atwood

The Testaments, Margaret Atwood (5.0)

While not as shocking as its predecessor, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, this pre/post-quel certainly lives up to the hype. I really enjoyed following Aunt Lydia’s back-story while also satisfying the reader’s desire to know more about what happens post Handmaid’s Tale. While the first book hinted at how Gilead’s formation was possible, experiencing it from the eyes of someone seen as co-conspiring gave clearer insight into something quite complicated. And who ever thought we’d root for Aunt Lydia in anything? I also found I was less angry reading this book. While the first book surprised and shocked, the second book gave some insight and some redemption. Given Ms. Atwood’s feelings about present politics around the world and her participation in the Hulu series, I look forward to the third book in the series a lot sooner than the wait for this one! I’m not sure if this book can stand on it’s own, so my 5 rating really goes for the two books read together: extremely interesting and thought provoking.

'Alta California' by Nick Neely

Alta California, Nick Neely (4.0)

This is an educational and enjoyable travelogue of Mr. Neely’s hike from San Diego to San Francisco where he endeavored to track the path of Portola and Crespi, the Spanish men who famously led (and documented) a party throughout California in the 1700’s. The travel narrative includes his current day issues (e.g. how to get through the air force and marine bases) with bits of history from Crespi’s diaries describing the differences they encountered. He highlights the nature – both flora and fauna along with the lack of nature (too many highways!). I was surprised by the nature he did find in and around LA and I loved following him as he walked through many of the areas and even neighborhoods well known to a 30+ year Californian.