'The Thirteenth Tale' by Diane Setterfield

The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield (4)

This book made for a great summer reading experience. It has drama, mystery, and backdrops such as bookshops and the old English countryside similar to the classics by the Bronte sisters and Wilkie Collins, whose books are mentioned throughout the story. The book begins with the protagonist, Margaret, getting a request from Vida Winter, a very famous and reclusive English writer, to write her biography. Apparently she is dying and has never told her real story. Margaret meets Ms. Winter and quickly realizes that her story is very convoluted and mysterious. She spends her days hearing the tale, while intermittently working in the background to investigate the holes. I won’t give away anything, but the book follows many of the aforementioned classics: family troubles, apparent ghosts, stern governesses and tragedies. This book had the vital elements of a good mystery – so that I read voraciously to find the solution and didn’t guess too much before getting there.

'The Goldfinch' by Donna Tartt

The Goldfinch Donna Tartt (3.5)

I had looked forward to this book for some time – given its haughty accolades (Pulitzer Prize, NYT best seller list for eons) – but I must say I was a bit disappointed. While the story is interesting and the characters quite new and different, I found it suffered from the flaw of too many words. There were significant areas that dragged, and considering the depressing nature of the book (loss of family and personal direction), longer did not seem better. The book begins with the main character, Theo, and his mother on what seems like a typical day in New York City. Unfortunately, their ill-timed visit to an art museum corresponds with a bomb attack and leaves Theo without his mother. He also somewhat inadvertently leaves the museum with a priceless work of art: The Goldfinch. The rest of the book follows this lost boy as he navigates a world without his beloved mother. Since his father had abandoned them a year earlier and cannot be found, his fate is uncertain. Along his life’s journey he meets some well-written characters. I had read a review that mocked Tartt’s characters as all ‘goodies and baddies’. I disagree. I found almost all of them containing good and bad in such a way that questioned their overall goodness or badness, which made them more realistic even with their quirks. I think I may have rated this a ‘4’ if I had not had such high expectations. There are many good features, if you can slog through the length.

'Bad Monkey' by Carl Hiassen

Bad Monkey, Carl Hiassen (3.5)

This is the first Hiassen book I have read and I found it quite entertaining, both funny and suspenseful. Since this is his most recent book, I plan to read some of his earlier, more acclaimed books – he is quite prolific. The hero qualifies as a bit of an anti-hero: a southern Florida detective who gets kicked-down to a health inspector due to an unfortunate incident with a car vac and his mistress’s husband’s derrière. In order to win back his position at the Sheriff’s department, he decides to solve the mystery of a severed arm that unceremoniously washes ashore. Add in a sex offender ex-girlfriend, a motorized wheelchair riding voodoo witch, a less than upset wife of Mr. severed arm and, of course, the monkey from the Johnny Depp pirate movies, and you apparently have a typical Hiaasen book. It was easy and fun to read, though a bit gross – easy to imagine given severed body parts and a restaurant inspector.

'A Discovery of Witches' by Deborah Harkness

‘A Discovery of Witches, Deborah Harkness (4)

I’ve come to think of this as the adult version of ‘Twilight’. This is the first in a trilogy of books dedicated to the history and romance of a witch and a vampire. In this world, witches, vampires and daemons exist among humans, know of each other, but rarely interact. Diana, the main character, is an American witch teaching at Oxford, whose specialty is the history of science. While she is researching alchemy in the old library of Oxford, she stumbles upon a very old, magical book. Apparently it is very valuable and her discovery attracts a large number of creatures (before mentioned witches, vampires and daemons) including one very powerful and interesting vampire, Matthew Clairmont. They join forces to understand what is so important about the book. Added is the problem that Diana has forsaken her magic due to tragedy in her past, yet seems to be a powerful witch with little training. While this book has the obligatory star crossed lovers, I enjoyed it for what was different than the teenage vampire books:  a lot of history with a good dose of science. Imagine the stories a 1500 year old, well-connected vampire can tell. Matthew has met virtually all interesting scientist, poets and artists and has good stories to share. This made for a good summer book with a little more heft than typical ‘chick lit’.

'Bless Me, Ultima' by Rudolfo Anaya

Bless Me, Ultima, Rudolfo Anaya (4.0)

This 1970’s book, the story of a young boy growing up in New Mexico in the shadow of WWII, wooed me with its characters, symbolism and quiet beauty. It examines the choices Antonio faces between his family, his career and most importantly his spirituality.  His mother and father come from very different families: the Lunas are farmers who quietly cherish the earth, the Marez are cowboys who are filled with the spirit of adventure. Both families try to claim Antonio as their own. While he questions where he ultimately fits, he looks for guidance from his mother’s religion, Catholicism. But he ends up getting more answers and comfort from Ultima, the family friend who is also a curandera, or spiritual healer. Living in a small, poor, rural, multilingual town, Antonio witnesses several tragedies that push him on his journey to find his soul. The book is filled with symbolism, usually in groups of 3. It also has a bit more ‘magic’ than I tend to like, but given the narrator (a boy of 7) and the mixture of beliefs, it made sense. The ending is quite predictable, but I found the enjoyment of this book is in the journey, not the destination.

'Pirate Cinema' by Cory Doctorow

Pirate Cinema, Cory Doctorow (3.5)

Once again Cory Doctorow has written a funny book that matches current issues with modern technology – throw in a strong dose of teenage angst -and set it all in the fringe dominated by the outliers of society. He has a way of merging interesting technical possibilities with the social issues that emerge. In this case, the young protagonist is obsessed with an old actor and has edited many of his movies into new, clever shorts. Due to his illegal piracy, the Internet is taken from his family. In his despair (both from losing the Internet and what it’s done to his family who relied on it for work and health), he runs away to London and melds into the company of other teenage runaways. The majority of the story consists of his fight to change the laws to allow for the creativity that comes from using someone’s IP in a new way. The fight is worthwhile and timely. My one concern with many of Mr. Doctorow’s books is how they will hold up over time. He puts the spotlight on issues that emerge due to today’s technology, presumably those issues will be solved or be different 10 to 20 years from now. I would recommend reading this now, but can’t assure you that it will be as relevant in the future.