I Owe You: Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay

I am about 1/3 of the way through John Lanchester's I Owe You: Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay and am enjoying it. This is an account of the recent meltdown of the world's financial system written in terms that are understandable by those among us who are not derivatives traders. We've all heard and read about credit default swaps and hedge funds and derivatives. But if you are like me, much of this goes in one ear and out the other. I get the gist, but the details escape me. I Owe You is the perfect tool to put the whole financial crises in perspective and explain, in some detail, how we got into the mess we are in. While the book is written for the average reader, it requires some concentration and re-reading to get all the facts straight, so it might not be the thing to bring to the beach.

Given the complexity of modern finance, it is not surprising that many of the financial products described here ended up being so Byzantine that the people who cooked them up could not keep them straight. No wonder the rest of us are confused.

-Paul

The Wave: in Pursuit of Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean

If you are not afraid of the ocean, you should be. And if you read The Wave: in Pursuit of Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean by Susan Casey, you definitely will be. At the very least, you will stay out of choppy seas.

Casey spends time with extreme surfers who cruise the world looking for enormous waves to surf, waves so large that they need to be towed onto them with jet skis. She describes huge ocean-going ships and their encounters with towering rogue waves, freak monsters that dwarf the waves around them. Some ships return to tell their tales; others only offer clues through their wreckage. Casey talks with scientists who study waves, and she relates what we know about them and what remains to be learned. This is a very good treatment of something most of us take for granted.

This book should appeal to anyone interested in science, sailing, and especially to fans of surfing. In fact, to me the biggest negative of this book is the excessive time the author spends on surfers and surfing.

If you like this book, try anything by Jon Krakauer or Sebastian Junger.


-Paul

Three Cups of Tea

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations -- One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson has been on my to- read list for years now. I finally made the time to read it and am glad that I did: what an incredible story!

Three Cups of Tea is the true story of a mountaineer's failed attempt to climb K-2 and how this failure turned into a lifelong calling to build schools for the incredibly poor isolated villages in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Mortenson's insight into the people and cultures of these countries and his willingness to learn from them is truly exceptional. His respect for these villagers and their respect for him is palpable. It is a remarkable story of people brought together by a common purpose.

I don't what to give too much away. Read it and enjoy the journey!!!

-Natalie

The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy

The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy is the middle book of a vampire trilogy by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan.The third book has not yet been published.


Like everyone else who takes on the vampire genre, del Toro and Hogan have added their stamp to this archetypal monster, so much so that Bram Stoker would probably not even recognize the monsters in The Fall as vampires. I won't go into details about what make The Fall's vampires tick, but if you are hoping for pretty teen vampires in designer jeans or castle-dwelling Eastern European counts, this book will disappoint you.

The Fall opens with New York (and the world) in flames. Vampires are preying on people and spreading the curse of their blood lust at such an alarming rate that there are few humans left to tend to critical matters like, say, maintaining nuclear reactors. A team of unlikely allies under the leadership of a vampire expert must rid the world of this substantial menace while there is still time. Their biggest challenge is defeating the Master, the vampire overlord who telepathically unites all the monsters under him into a pretty feisty fighting force.

I found this book enjoyable for the most part. It was just what I was in the mood for: quick-reading, fast-paced entertainment. The narrative should hold the interest of most readers and I never found myself rooting for the vampires, which is a good sign. However, the writing is a bit wooden and the plot is completely unbelievable. Yes, I know that one must suspend disbelief when reading a monster book, but it is possible to write in this genre without resorting to scenarios that are so absurd as to be unlikely even in a highly fictionalized setting. Stephen King, for example, pulls this feat off well.

Other quibbles: the characters are a bit thin on personality and the focus is on action, not terror, so I never found myself scared. Negatives aside, I am sure I will read the third book when it comes out.

Oh, and surprise, surprise -- they are making a movie based on it.

-Paul


If you like The Fall you may also appreciate:

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. A very suspensful and well-written story about the hunt for an elusive vampire.
The Vampire Chronicles, a series by Anne Rice.
Salem's Lot by Stephen King. Very creepy!

Seaworthy: a Swordfish Captain Returns to the Sea

I just finished Linda Greenlaw's Seaworthy: a Swordfish Captain Returns to the Sea. I was surprised to see she had written a new book related to her commercial fishing career: I thought she had retired from fishing.

Seaworthy recounts Greenlaw's 52-day sword-fishing trip to the Grand Banks, her first after a ten year hiatus. Just about everything that could go wrong does go wrong, from mechanical failures, crew electrocution (he lived) to being arrested by the Canadian Coast Guard. Despite this, Greenlaw writes as if the experience were a humorous and fun adventure.

Her writing style is engaging and informative and she assesses herself with humor and honesty. I thoroughly enjoyed sharing in her adventure.

I've read her other books about adventures at life at sea and enjoyed them as well.  I haven't had a chance to read her mysteries yet, but they're on my ever growing list of books I'll get to.

If you enjoy her writing, you may be interested to know that the Discovery channel has a show about her and other swordfishing captains called "Swords - Life on the Line."  The show is modeled after the "Deadliest Catch."


-Natalie


If you enjoy Seaworthy, you might also like:

The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger
The Hungry Ocean: a Swordfish Captain's Journey by Linda Greenlaw

In the Woods

In Tana French's debut novel In the Woods a team of Dublin murder detectives works to solve the murder of a young girl, a crime that may have connections with the 20-year old disappearance of two children. The strain of the investigation takes a huge toll on both detectives and on their friendship, and shatters the family of the murdered girl -- a family that includes more than one possible suspect. 

This is a supremely well crafted psychological thriller, with imperfect, believable characters who do imperfect, believable things. French's prose is effortless and evocative. Her modern Ireland -- torn between its prosperous present and its downtrodden past -- is a character as fascinating as her protagonists.

I found In the Woods hard to put down and would have read it in one sitting if I had had the time. I do not read many books in this genre, but this is almost certainly the best of its sort I have read in a long while and the best book I have read recently.

Fortunately for me, Tana French has written two more novels with some of the same characters, and they are next on my list. These are The Likeness and Faithful Place.

You may wish to avoid this if you are bothered by graphic crime scene descriptions or explicit language.

-Paul


If you like Tana French, give the following authors a try:

Benjamin Black (beginning with Christine Falls)
Elizabeth George (try Traitor to Memory)

Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 by Bradbury is considered a classic. It's one of those books that you think you should have read. So I tried to read it. I really did. I got through the first 100 pages and stopped because I hated the premise. I gave it a break for a few days and decided to read the last 20 pages. I figured if I liked the ending, I'd go back and finish the book. I didn’t like the ending. The book describes a depressing, alternate future in which no one is allowed to own books, and "firemen" burn books and the houses that books are found in. I did not want to contemplate such a bleak future in which no one is allowed to discover new ideas or think original thoughts.

I guess it is considered a classic precisely because it makes you ponder what you take for granted -- an open society with no censorship. Not all books are warm and fuzzy. Some make you think. This one certainly did. My negative emotional response might be a testament to how well written it is: I was drawn into a world that I didn’t like and that felt all felt all too possible.

But try it. You might have a better experience than I did.

-Natalie


If you like Fahrenheit 451 or Ray Bradbury in general, you may also like these authors:

David Almond (for teens)
Peter Crowther (author and editor)
Theodore Sturgeon

Star Island

Star Island is my first Carl Hiaasen novel and I think I am intrigued enough to try his many others. The novel is a satirical treatment of our celebrity-crazed culture and tells the story of a talentless train wreck of a singer. When her double (who fills in when the singer is too inebriated to safely appear in public) is kidnapped by an obsessed paparazzo in a case of mistaken identity, everyone scrambles to avoid a PR disaster but nothing to rescue the double, who is one of the two honorable characters in the novel. Also on hand are the former governor of Florida who left office to become a mangrove-swamp-dwelling hermit, a bodyguard with a weed-wacker in place of one hand (yes, I know), and a very sleazy record producer.

Not high literature for sure, but an entertaining book. Avoid if you are offended to strong language.

-Paul


If you like Carl Hiaasen you may also enjoy:

Laurence Shames
Tim Dorsey

Sizzling Sixteen

I just listened to Sizzling Sixteen,  Janet Evanovich's latest installment in the Stephanie Plum series. As usual it was very fun to listen to!

Bounty huntress, Stephanie Plum is at it again. This time she must rescue her boss Vinnie from the mobsters who have kidnapped him because of a $1.3 million debt. In their attempt to raise the funds, Stephanie, Connie and Lula will keep you laughing with their antics. Wait until you meet Mr. Jingles! There is also a surprise relating to either Ranger or Morelli....can you guess which one it will be?

Lorelia King, who narrates for Janet Evanovich is great: her reading helps your picture the characters and keeps you rolling with laughter!  If you have the time, I highly suggest listening to a few of Evanovich's books.

-Denika


You can view the Stephanie Plum series in order here at Janet Evanovich's website.


If you liked Sizzling Sixteen, you may also wish to read:

Sarah Strohmeyer, especially those books featuring the Bubbles Yablonsky character.

Anthony Bruno, especially those books featuring the Loretta Kovacs character. Start with Devil's Food.

Stone's Fall

Iain Pear's latest novel, Stones' Fall, is a murder mystery and historical novel with a satisfyingly complex plot. Three narrators provide us with the portions of the story that concern them, gradually building to a revelation that I did not see coming.

Set in England, France and Italy, Stone's Fall unfolds over the course of approximately fifty years. It begins in London in 1909 where we are introduced to the widow of the recently deceased John Stone, an industrialist of extraordinary wealth. He fell from a window. Was he pushed, did he trip, or did he perhaps jump? Who and where is the child mentioned in his will? What are we to make of his widow's odd behavior and mysterious past? Each successive narrative jumps back in time and adds a piece to the puzzle.

Fans of fast-paced thrillers may find this story slow to unfold, but Pears' graceful prose, believable characters, and skill at weaving his plot with the geo-politcal intrigue of late 19th and early 20th century Europe are so engaging that I was sad to see it come to an end.

I would recommend this highly to fans of complex mysteries and historical novels.

-Paul


If you like Stone's Fall, you may also enjoy:

An Instance of the Finger Post by Iain Pears
Ex Libris by Ross King
Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson

Book Lists

Occasionally, when I cannot decide what work of fiction to read next, I will look at a ranked list of books and let the list decide for me. I find this technique more successful in cases where the list is compiled by a jury rather than by popular vote. For this reason, I tend to ignore best seller lists -- at least most of the time.

Works that stand the test of time tend to be solidly written and revolve around themes that do not ever go out of style. Some of these books will be recognizable classics; others will be highly regarded books you may never have heard of. Some of them will be great; others you will hate.

Here are some good places to start:

The Modern Library's list of the 100 greatest novels of all time. Defining greatness and narrowing the winners down to a field of a mere 100 are equally arbitrary exercises, but this list is worth a look.

The Modern Library also has a non-fiction list. The reader's choice section of this list strikes me as a bit suspect and appears to have been spammed, but there are some interesting titles on the board's list.

Man Booker Prize. An award given to British works of fiction. Frankly, I find that they give preference to "literary" works and think their picks can be boring, but many people would disagree strongly with my opinion.

ALA's Best Books for Young Adults. This is a set of links for various lists of quality young adult titles chosen by the American Library Association.

Also, be sure to see this ALA list for reluctant young readers.

-Paul

The Passage

Justin Cronin's The Passage is this summer's must-read blockbuster. For some reason I never seem to read must-read books, but I read this one. The novel is divided in two sections. The first is set in the very near future and describes the destruction of civilization following the escape of vampire-like creatures that are the result of a military project gone bad. The second half skips ahead 100 years and focuses on an isolated band of survivors as they defend themselves from the now plentiful vampire monsters. A very long-lived girl is present in both narratives and ties them together. And she might just be what saves humanity from extinction. But you will have to wait for the sequel to find out.

I enjoyed the first part, but felt that the second part was too slowly paced (the book is 784 pages long). The characters in the first part were more substantial, while those in the second were flat and indistinguishable from one another. Many of the survivors in the second part get killed -- sorry if I spoiled a surprise, but hey, there are vampire things around after all -- and I found I didn't really care all that much if they lived or died.

While reading, I could not escape the notion that when the author first put pen to paper he was thinking movie deal. I then found out that a movie is already in the works though the ink is barely dry on the first printing! And then I heard the author interviewed and discovered that this is the first book in a trilogy. Marketing! I guess I should not be surprised. But don't let this dissuade you from reading it. Despite some reservations, I enjoyed it and read it to the end.

-Paul

If you like The Passage, you may also enjoy:

The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan (also the first book of a trilogy)
The Stand by Stephen King
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
I am Legend by Richard Matheson

Overboard: a True Bluewater Odyssey of Disaster and Survival

Overboard: a True Bluewater Odyssey of Disaster and Survival by Michael Tougias recounts the 2005 Coast Guard rescue of two sailboat crews trapped in a raging Atlantic storm. If you liked Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm, you will enjoy Overboard as well. Tougias has written several books on maritime disasters and he is good at it. In Overboard he recounts a complicated rescue effort without sacrificing suspense. The most engaging part of the book is the account of two sailors who spend a day and night in the Gulf steam with only life vests to help them survive in waves over 30 feet high. One survives the ordeal; one does not. By the time the surviving sailor was rescued, I felt exhausted myself. -Paul Read-alikes: The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger Into thin Air by John Krakauer  Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer Touching the Void by Joe Simpson You may also wish to read these other books by Tougias.

Birdology

Naturalist and New Hampshire resident Sy Montgomery’s new book, Birdology, is subtitled “adventures with a pack of hens, a peck of pigeons, cantankerous crows, fierce falcons, hip hop parrots, baby hummingbirds, and one murderously big living dinosaur.”  There is a chapter on each of these birds, the titles of which reflect “seven essential truths about birds.”  For example, the chapter on hummingbirds is entitled “Birds Are Made of Air.” 

Montgomery’s studies take her everywhere from assisting a hummingbird rehabilitator to apprenticing with a falconer to coming face to face with the giant, dangerous cassowary in Australia whose dinosaur lineage is strikingly apparent.  With affection for and appreciation of birds and plenty of humorous anecdotes and fascinating findings, Montgomery has penned a book that should have broad appeal for bird lovers and nature enthusiasts alike.

-Elizabeth

I am the Cheese

I am the Cheese by Robert Cormier is a book I have seen on school summer reading lists here at the library year after year.  This year it's my son's turn to do his required summer reading and I brought I am the Cheese home to try to motivate him. Frankly, I was judging the book by its title: I am the cheese?! -- it's got to appeal to an adolescent boy's sense of humor.  Of course, my son wasn't interested. I started to read it, in the hopes of learning enough about it to be able to talk it up as something he would like. And WOW! I was blown away by this book. I read it in one sitting.  It is suspenseful, well-written, and has great characters. It kept me guessing until the end and surprised me with a great "never saw it coming ending."  I had no idea that this is considered a  "young adult" classic and would never have guessed that I would love a "young adult" book.

This summer the Kelley Library is offering its first adult summer reading program. It is called Water your Mind." The goal of the program is to encourage you to read something you would not normally read -- in other words, to not judge a book by its cover.

-Natalie
 

River in the Sky

I just finished Elizabeth Peter's A River in the Sky. She never disappoints. I've been reading her Amelia Peabody mysteries for almost 20 years.  Her characters feel like family and I love getting caught up on what they've been up to.

A River in the Sky takes place in Egypt in the 1920s and 1930s. Amelia and her husband Emerson are archaeologists who manage to get caught up in the politics of the time and meet up with unsavory characters.  Her stories are fun and lighthearted. The author's knowledge and love of Egyptian history comes across in a very entertaining manner.  I must admit that historical mysteries are my all time favorite kind of book.

-Natalie

The Lunatic Express: Discovering the World... via Its Most Dangerous Buses, Boats Trains and Planes

The Lunatic Express is an account of travel writer Carl Hoffman's rather bizarre quest to circumnavigate the globe using those modes of transportation most likely to get him killed -- or at least make him as uncomfortable as possible while trying. He does not die, but is often uncomfortable.

Plagued with wander lust and a some dissatisfaction on the domestic front, he sets off by bus to Toronto and from there to Bogota via Cuba on an airline chosen for its frequent crashes. From Bogota Hoffman travels south by bus (at night when it is more dangerous) on routes infamous for the frequency with which buses careen off them. He proceeds east across the Amazon basin by bus and boat -- neither convenient nor comfortable -- and then by freighter to Africa.

Long rides on overloaded Indonesian ferries keen to capsize, a bus ride through war-tor Afghanistan, a drive across Mongolia (40 degrees below zero) in a truck transporting propane -- he does it all and lives to tell about it. On the way he meets some very interesting and generous people in some of the world's poorest countries.

Lunatic Express is a pretty eye-opening look at how people live and travel in parts of the world not frequented by western tourists. It is worth a look if you like adventure travel writing.

I give the book demerits for spending too much time on the author's personal problems (sorry, don't care). Fortunately, they come in blocks, so you can skip right over them.

-Paul

Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History

Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History is an account of the 2003 robbery of the Diamond Center building in Antwerp. It was the largest jewel heist in history and, most likely, the largest robbery of any sort ever committed. Experts estimate that as much as $500 million in diamonds, cash, gold and other precious items was stolen when thieves broke into a state of the art -- and supposedly impregnable -- vault in the basement of a heavily secured building in Antwerp's famed Diamond District.

To accomplish this theft, the thieves had to enter the building undetected (a difficult task in one of the world's most heavily monitored and policed neighborhoods), open the vault and the safe-deposit boxes within, then escape unnoticed with many pounds of equipment and loot. Police apprehended some of the suspected thieves -- members of a ring of jewel thieves from Turin -- but the stolen materials were never recovered.

Flawless reads a bit like a thriller and a spy novel combined and I would recommend it to anyone interested in crime writing, whether it be fiction or non-fiction.

-Paul

The Help

I just finished listening to The Help written by Kathryn Stockett and performed by Jenna Lamia, Bahni Turpin, Octavia Spencer and Cassandra Campbell. It is a wonderfully written and performed first novel.

Ms. Stockett set her book in Jackson, Mississippi at the beginning of a very difficult time in our history. The stories of two African-American maids and one white socialite were touching, enlightening, sad, joyful and often funny.

The Help left me feeling sad that my time with these women had ended but confident in the ability of the women, both black and white, to overcome the limitations set upon them by the time in which they lived.

Listening to books is a great pleasure and a way to extend my “reading time” and this book is by far one of the best I have ever “read”.

-Audrey

The Wildwater Walking Club

I just finished the Wildwater Walking Club. by Claire Cook.  (It was recommended to me by my mother.)  It is the first book by Clair Cook that  I have  read. 

The main character takes a buyout at work and tries to figure out what to do next with her life.  She starts walking everyday and finally meets her neighbors who quickly become her friends and create the walking club together.  Its deceptively simple story.  The novel explores the concept "investing in oneself" with humor and truth. 

I also loved that it takes place in Massachusetts.

I read it in one sitting.

-Natalie

D-Day: the Battle for Normandy

I am working my way through Antony Beevor's fascinating D-Day: the Battle for Normandy. I am generally not a reader of military histories but was attracted to this by good reviews and a lingering guilt that I should know more about the largest and most impressive -- not to mention, significant -- military invasion in history. I have not been disappointed.

D-Day is constructed as a straight narrative of the events that unfolded between the June 6, 1944 allied invasion of France and the liberation of Paris in August of the same year. Beevor manages the seemingly impossible task of making this approach both informative and page-turningly engaging -- even more impressive given that every reader begins the book knowing the outcome. He does pause now and again to fill in background details, so you can pick D-Day up and start reading even if you know nothing about this phase of the war. Naturally, those readers who are well acquainted with WWII will get even more from this work.

I'll check back in with a complete review when I have finished it. (Of course, at nearly 600 pages, there is always the possibility that I may become distracted by some other shiny thing before then, good as this book may be....)


-Paul

Note: I am embarrassed to say that I never finished this. I did get distracted by other things. Someday I may return to it. What I did read was excellent and I have no doubt that it would have continued to be so had I stuck with it.

Up Close and Dangerous

I just finished Linda Howard's Up Close and Dangerous. This is the first Linda Howard book I have read and I enjoyed it.  It was an adventure/thriller/romance. 

When a small plane crash lands in the wilderness, the main characters have to make their way out.  I enjoyed the author's description of the wilderness and the hardships endured by her characters. I also liked how the how characters use everyday items in unusual ways for their survival. 

Eventually the characters come to realize that the crash was not an accident.  The plot twist at the end regarding responsibility for the crash is one I never saw coming.  

Luckily for me, Linda Howard has written many other books, so I have lots to look forward to.

-Natalie

Not My Daughter

Barbara Delinksy has written some great fiction, so it is no surprise that Not My Daughter follows suit. Not My Daughter is told from the point of view of a mother and daughter who are dealing with teenage pregnancy. Three best friends have made a pact to get pregnant and have and raise their babies together. They do not realize what kind of trouble this will cause for everyone else. Best friends, moms, daughters, fathers, grandparents and coworkers find themselves at odds with each other when they should be helping one another. The story gathers complexity when two crises occur.

This was a wonderful book to listen to. The narrator was wonderful at conveying the feelings of the characters. I found myself laughing and smiling, and sometimes had tears in my eyes.  Barbara Delinsky has done an incredible job yet again.

-Denika

Note: In addition to the audiobook, the Library owns a standard print and large print copy of Not My Daughter.

Moon Called

Although Patricia Brigg's Moon Called features the same supernatural elements that have made authors like Anne Rice, Stephanie Meyer, Laurel K. Hamilton millions, her view on the supernatural, and her lightness of tone really set her apart. Unlike many romance authors who choose to present their heroines as drop-dead gorgeous vamps, sweet and passive homemakers, or bewildered little girls in need of the protection of some vapid stud, Briggs presents her heroine as a very flawed, yet completely independent woman. The books follow Mercedes Thompson, VW mechanic and secret shapeshifter, as her quiet suburban life quickly becomes complicated by the machinations of neighboring werewolf packs and vampire clans, and a burgeoning romance. The author's style is fun and light, addictive, and surprisingly wholesome.

Although this type of book isn't my standard fare, I found myself captured by almost every aspect of the Mercy Thompson series, from the dialogue, to the touch of mystery, the overall plot, and even the development of minor characters. I literally could not tear myself away from this series and was even compelled to finish the companion series, Alpha and Omega within the span of a week. So if you enjoy the supernatural, if you enjoy a well-done romance, or even if you're just a fan of witty remarks and sassy heroines, you're bound to love this book!

- Alli