Archivist Wasp: My review… and some other opinions too.

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Synopsis:

(via Goodreads)

Wasp’s job is simple. Hunt ghosts. And every year she has to fight to remain Archivist. Desperate and alone, she strikes a bargain with the ghost of a supersoldier. She will go with him on his underworld hunt for the long-long ghost of his partner and in exchange she will find out more about his pre-apocalyptic world than any Archivist before her. And there is much to know. After all, Archivists are marked from birth to do the holy work of a goddess. They’re chosen. They’re special. Or so they’ve been told for four hundred years.

Archivist Wasp fears she is not the chosen one, that she won’t survive the trip to the underworld, that the brutal life she has escaped might be better than where she is going. There is only one way to find out.

My Thoughts:

I’m at a bit of a loss when it comes to summing up Archivist Wasp. My feelings are really contradictory. There’s quite a bit here that’s interesting and different, but I’m not sure that the plot as a whole holds together convincingly.

The opening chapters place the setting firmly in a primitive type of society, in a poor country village full of superstition and fear. The Archivist is the Chosen One (into every generation…), but each year, she fights upstarts (girls in training to be Archivist — for the Buffy fans out there, think “potentials”) in order to retain her position. The fight is to the death, bloody and terrible, watched and betted on by the townsfolk, all under the watchful eye of the Catchkeep-priest, who controls the upstarts and the Archivist. Catchkeep is the main god of this society, but there are others, such as Carrion Boy and Ember Girl. It’s startling, though, to see certain seemingly anachronistic elements intrude. Weaponry includes not just swords, but guns.

Guns? What’s going on here?

As becomes clear further in the story, this primitive society isn’t from an earlier era, but a later one. Reference is made to the Before, apparently before whatever cataclysmic event hundreds of years earlier erased the modern world as we know it. The world of Archivist Wasp is bleak and dismal — and plagued by a non-stop stream of ghosts. The job of the Archivist, when not fighting for her life, is to capture ghosts in jars, observe them and take field notes on their behavior, and then release them to Catchkeep, severing their links to the world of the living. The ghosts are silvery, small beings, yet some take on a more physical form and wreak havoc. How do you catch a ghost? With blood and salt. Them ghosties love salt, apparently — so much so that villagers are forbidden to keep any in their homes, for fear of attracting unwanted attention.

The action of Archivist Wasp kicks into high gear when Wasp captures a ghost that displays unusual strength, to the point that it can actually communicate with her. It’s the ghost of a soldier, and he wants Wasp’s help in finding the ghost of his former partner. To achieve this, they must travel into the underworld, through hidden portals and against great danger, with Wasp using her special harvesting knife to draw out hidden memories and find out the truth behind what happened to the soldier and his partner.

There’s a lot that’s interesting about this book, but my main stumbling blocks are these:

1 – Uneven pacing. Some chapters were impossible to look away from… but there are parts where the characters seem to just be slogging forward, one journey after another, with not much actually happening.

2 – Confusing world-building. We never do find out what happened to transform the world from what it was to what it is. We can make assumptions, but more details would have been helpful. Likewise, the underworld is a murky dreamscape with rules and properties that seem to change from moment to moment. It was unclear what to expect or why, and this left me with a sense that the stakes were artificial and potentially not really dangerous after all.

3 – Wasp’s community and her motivations. Why do Wasp and the other girls just accept their lot in life? Why does it never occur to them to challenge the system?

4 – The purpose of the Archivist. The actual goal is murky. Are they trying to learn from the ghosts? Banish the ghosts? And what does killing each other achieve? If they’re trying to learn as much as possible, why have only one?

5 – The ghosts. Where do they come from? Why are there so many? What would happen if the Archivist didn’t capture them and just left them to carry on? Why can ghosts wield swords and other weapons, carry physical objects, and inflict harm on living humans?

6 – The religion. I’d like to know more about how the local pantheon came to be and how the belief system was shaped. (I suppose this ties in with #2, the world-building.)

So many unanswered questions.

On the positive side, I liked the story of the super-soldier and his partner, and the tragedy that’s revealed as Wasp uncovers more and more of the ghost’s memories. That story alone would make a great book, and those sections of Archivist Wasp that dealt with this part of the plot are the most compelling.

I also enjoyed the parallels to the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, although the similarities only go so far. The goal here is to free a ghost who can’t move on, not to return her to the land of the living, but still, the journey to the underworld is full of obstacles and dangers that give the quest a mythic, larger-than-life overtone.

Finally, toward the end of the book, we get more of an explanation about the origin of the Archivist system and the power of the Catchkeep-priest, and it’s a powerful origin story — but for me, it felt like it all came too late. By the time we get some answers, I felt mostly worn out by the story and the inconsistencies, and didn’t have the investment necessary to really care all that much about the outcome.

But Wait! Here are other other opinions:

Rather than just close with what I thought of Archivist Wasp, I thought I’d share some other viewpoints. I read this book because it was my book group’s pick for January, and several members of the group really loved the book. I want to share some of their comments, to give a slightly different take on the book and showcase a little more of the positive. (Comments below are in different colors to denote different commenters; quoted from our book group discussion)

I loved this book. There were some scenes which made me pause. One of my favorite scenes, and there are a number of them, is [spoiler deleted]. It’s so revealing of our own mindsets and how we need to open our minds, perhaps we need to cut the threads that bind us to old, stagnant ideas about our world.

I remember admiring Wasp for her compassion and willingness to help others despite her own awful circumstances. And, for figuring out how to help the other girls in her same situation (or I suppose the same as her past situation before she became the archivist), as well as the townspeople, all of whom were being taken advantage of by the Catchkeep Priest (who was just awful!).

The message of growing up and learning who you are and what you can achieve is important for teen girls to hear.

Wasp’s innate sensibilities and caring for her “charges” despite her own upbringing, or maybe because of it, make her a likable and sympathetic protagonist. She keeps going, trying to do the right thing despite personal consequences and little or no reward. That gives this story great heart; it’s also certainly very creative.

In the end, there did seem to be a message about challenging handed down beliefs and finding your own truth.

And a comment from the author herself:

If Wasp is remembered as a YA heroine, I’d like it to be because she’s a 16-year-old girl protagonist that managed to drive her own story without it hinging on a romance or a love triangle or a prophecy or any of these things that are perceived to be necessary to any and all YA plotlines, howsoever clumsily they have to be shoehorned in because they aren’t necessary. There are teenage girls out there who are a lot like Wasp. I was one. I was friends with others. I want her to do her small part to provide a little representation for them.

Wrapping it all up:

One thing I’ve discovered from my book group discussion (for which the author generously participated in a Q&A) is that Archivist Wasp is in fact the first in a trilogy. I think I might have felt slightly differently about some of the unanswered questions had I known that from the start, as then I might have expected some threads to be left dangling until the next books.

My own reading experience and opinion of the book hasn’t changed, but I do appreciate what I’ve gleaned from the Q&A and my book group friends’ opinions, and can see why this book might strongly appeal to teen readers and to adults who enjoy YA fiction.

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The details:

Title: Archivist Wasp
Author: Nicole Kornher-Stace
Publisher: Big Mouth House
Publication date: April 13, 2015
Length: 268 pages
Genre: Young adult fantasy
Source: Purchased

22Jan2016

Agatha Christie, where have you been all my life?

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

I’ve finally read my first Agatha Christie book! What on earth was I waiting for?

Synopsis:

(via Goodreads)

“Ten . . .”
Ten strangers are lured to an isolated island mansion off the Devon coast by a mysterious “U.N. Owen.”

“Nine . . .”
At dinner a recorded message accuses each of them in turn of having a guilty secret, and by the end of the night one of the guests is dead.

“Eight . . .”
Stranded by a violent storm, and haunted by a nursery rhyme counting down one by one . . . one by one they begin to die.

“Seven . . .”
Who among them is the killer and will any of them survive?

First, there were ten – a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they’re unwilling to reveal – and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. And only the dead are above suspicion.

My Thoughts:

How do I even begin to review a book like And Then There Were None? It’s a classic mystery, considered one of Christie’s best, for a reason. Having never read her books before, I was excited to see whether the build-up would pay off. Trust me, it did.

I was totally charmed by the clever plotting, the tricky twists, the seeds of doubt that accompanied every apparent clue. The drama of this book is so carefully constructed that even though I looked closely for the tip-off to the solution, I never found it.

The introduction in my edition is an excerpt from Agatha Christie’s autobiography, explaining the challenge of pulling off what she accomplishes in this book:

I wrote the book after a tremendous amount of planning, and I was pleased with what I had made of it. It was clear, straightforward, baffling, and yet had an epilogue in order to explain it. It was well received and reviewed, but the person who was really pleased with it was myself, for I knew better than any critic how difficult it had been.

I really enjoyed And Then There Were None, and I’m glad I chose it as an introduction to Agatha Christie. It’s a very quick read, almost begging to be finished in a day’s worth of binge-reading.

I’m looking forward to reading more of Christie’s books, and I’d love recommendations on any favorites!

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The details:

Title: And Then There Were None
Author: Agatha Christie
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: 1939
Length: 300 pages
Genre: Mystery
Source: Purchased

22Jan2016

Book Review: Lock In by John Scalzi

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Synopsis:

(via Goodreads)

Not too long from today, a new, highly contagious virus makes its way across the globe. Most who get sick experience nothing worse than flu, fever and headaches. But for the unlucky one percent – and nearly five million souls in the United States alone – the disease causes “Lock In”: Victims fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus. The disease affects young, old, rich, poor, people of every color and creed. The world changes to meet the challenge.

A quarter of a century later, in a world shaped by what’s now known as “Haden’s syndrome,” rookie FBI agent Chris Shane is paired with veteran agent Leslie Vann. The two of them are assigned what appears to be a Haden-related murder at the Watergate Hotel, with a suspect who is an “integrator” – someone who can let the locked in borrow their bodies for a time. If the Integrator was carrying a Haden client, then naming the suspect for the murder becomes that much more complicated.

But “complicated” doesn’t begin to describe it. As Shane and Vann began to unravel the threads of the murder, it becomes clear that the real mystery – and the real crime – is bigger than anyone could have imagined. The world of the locked in is changing, and with the change comes opportunities that the ambitious will seize at any cost. The investigation that began as a murder case takes Shane and Vann from the halls of corporate power to the virtual spaces of the locked in, and to the very heart of an emerging, surprising new human culture. It’s nothing you could have expected.

My Thoughts:

This book is crazy, and I mean that in the best way possible. I absolutely love the world created here, some 25 years or so into the future, where Hadens are now a part of society and the definition of being a person has changed dramatically.

Hadens are those who are in the long-term, seemingly irreversible “lock in” phase of Haden’s syndrome. Their bodies are alive and their minds are fully functional, but they have lost the ability to control or manage their voluntary systems. An entire industry has sprung up around the vast number of Hadens, resulting in the creation of neural networks and “threeps”. Hadens are implanted with a neural network in their brains, which gives them the ability to control a robotic form (known as a “threep”, named for C3PO) that moves in the “normal” world as an avatar of sorts. The body is still the actual person, but the threep is also a manifestation of the person, and conducts business and goes about life just the same as anyone else.

Battles have sprung up over Haden rights, government funding of Haden resources, and the issue of Haden separatism and culture. And what makes this book amazing and so fascinating is that this is all background to the actual plot — which revolves around a dead body, a murder investigation, and a newbie FBI agent, who just happens to be one of the most famous Hadens, thanks to a celebrity father and his early years as a Haden poster-child.

On top of the terrific plot and world-building, the writing is a treat. John Scalzi provides complex technical and medical details, but makes it comprehensible and accessible through the characters’ dialogue. The exposition feels natural, not like a lecture. On top of that, the characters are fully fleshed out, have distinct personalities, and some can be awfully funny, especially main character Chris Shane.

My reading tip is that before reading Lock In, it’s well worth your time to check out the novella that John Scalzi released just prior to the publication of Lock In. It’s called Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden’s Syndrome, and provides background on the onset, diagnosis, treatment, and political ramification of the disease. It’s utterly fascinating, and adds a lot to the understanding of Lock In, letting us jump right into the events of the novel without needing a whole lot of time or pages devoted to backstory.

Final word: Lock In is a bizarre and original science fiction/crime thriller mash-up, and I just loved it. My conclusion is that I haven’t read nearly enough John Scalzi yet in my life, and I need to fix that ASAP.

Oh, and a final, final world: While this book appears to be a stand-alone and I have no reason to think that it’s not, I could easily see an ongoing series revolving around Agents Shane and Vann and their crime-fighting adventures in a post-Haden world. John Scalzi, pretty please?

_________________________________________

The details:

Title: Lock In
Author: John Scalzi
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication date: August 26, 2014
Length: 336 pages
Genre: Science fiction
Source: Purchased

20Jan2016

Thursday Quotables: Lock In

Posted in Thursday Quotables by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome back to Thursday Quotables! This weekly feature is the place to highlight a great quote, line, or passage discovered during your reading each week. Whether it’s something funny, startling, gut-wrenching, or just really beautifully written, Thursday Quotables is where my favorite lines of the week will be, and you’re invited to join in!

NEW! Thursday Quotables is now using a Linky tool! Be sure to add your link if you have a Thursday Quotables post to share.

Lock In by John Scalzi
(published 2014)

This science fiction/crime story is so weird and fun! I mean, how can you not love a book where this is a “normal” conversation with a real estate agent:

“Will your body be physically present, and if so, will you need a room for a caretaker?” she asked.

“My body and its caretaking are already squared away,” I said. “I won’t be needing space for either. At least not right away.”

What lines made you laugh, cry, or gasp this week? Do tell!

If you’d like to participate in Thursday Quotables, it’s really simple:

Write a Thursday Quotables post on your blog. Try to pick something from whatever you’re reading now. And please be sure to include a link back to Bookshelf Fantasies in your post (http://www.bookshelffantasies.com), if you’d be so kind!
Click on the linky button (look for the cute froggie face) below to add your link.
After you link up, I’d love it if you’d leave a comment about my quote for this week.
Be sure to visit other linked blogs to view their Thursday Quotables, and have fun!

19Jan2016

Shelf Control #19: One Hundred Names

Posted in Shelf Control by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome to the newest weekly feature here at Bookshelf Fantasies… Shelf Control!

Shelf Control is all about the books we want to read — and already own! Consider this a variation of a Wishing & Waiting post… but looking at books already available, and in most cases, sitting right there on our shelves and e-readers.

Want to join in? See the guidelines and linky at the bottom of the post, and jump on board! Let’s take control of our shelves!

My Shelf Control pick this week is:

Title: One Hundred Names
Author: Cecelia Ahern
Published: 2012
Length: 496 pages

What it’s about (synopsis via Goodreads):

Internationally bestselling author Cecelia Ahern delivers her biggest and most compelling book yet—a tale of secrets, second chances, and the hidden connections that unite our lives

Scandal has derailed journalist Kitty Logan’s career, a setback that is soon compounded by an even more devastating loss. Constance, the woman who taught Kitty everything she knew, is dying. At her mentor’s bedside, Kitty asks her, “What is the one story you always wanted to write?”

The answer lies in a single sheet of paper buried in Constance’s office—a list of one hundred names—with no notes or explanation. But before Kitty can ask her friend, it is too late.

Determined to unlock the mystery and rebuild her own shaky confidence, Kitty throws herself into the investigation, tracking down each of the names on the list and uncovering their connection. Meeting these ordinary people and learning their stories, Kitty begins to piece together an unexpected portrait of Constance’s life . . . and starts to understand her own.

How I got it:

I bought it, thanks to a Kindle price drop alert.

When I got it:

Sometime last year.

Why I want to read it:

I love the sound of a mystery involving a writer and a story never told. The plot sounds fascinating to me, and I’m really interesting in finding out the secret!

__________________________________

Want to participate in Shelf Control? Here’s how:

Write a blog post about a book that you own that you haven’t read yet.
Add your link below!
And if you’d be so kind, I’d appreciate a link back from your own post.
Check out other posts, and have fun!

For more on why I’ve started Shelf Control, check out my introductory post here, or read all about my out-of-control book inventory, here.

And if you’d like to post a Shelf Control button on your own blog, here’s an image to download (with my gratitude, of course!):

19Jan2016

Twilight Reimagined: I said I wouldn’t, but then I did.

Posted in Book Reviews, Pop Culture by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Okay, I’m not exactly eating my words… but I kind of am.

When the news came out last fall that Stephenie Meyer was publishing a gender-swapped version of Twilight, I scoffed. And sneered a bit. And declared that it was just a greedy money grab. And laughed at the idea of the author doing a search-and-replace in her word processor (let’s see, find “Bella”, replace with “Beau”… done!).

I swore that the evil corporate bloodsuckers (ugh, sorry) would not get my money this way!

They didn’t. No money changed hands. But I did read Life and Death after all.

Can you blame me? It was right there on the library shelf, practically daring me to take it home. And I’ll admit it — I was curious.

So, first things first. It’s not as evil a scheme as I expected it to be. Twilight might seem like a thing of the past by now — remember the hysteria? The crazed midnight release parties? The insatiable hunger for photos of RobPatz? But it’s actually only been ten years since the release of the first book, and what we have here is a “special tenth anniversary edition” of Twilight, packaged with the reimagined version.

This new anniversary edition is a big, hefty hardcover that’s a flip book. Read from one side, and it’s the original Twilight; read from the other end, and it’s Life and Death. This makes it convenient (-ish) when you get to an interlude that’s familiar but weirdly different, and you want to compare to the original. Insert bookmark, flip upside down, find the Twilight passage… huh. Not so different.

Okay, so what’s the deal, and is it worth reading? Your mileage may vary. I think the thing to keep in mind is how you felt when you first read Twilight, before it became the pop culture phenomenon that swallowed up the world. I read the original book not knowing that it was a “thing”, and while I laughed at bits of it, I also couldn’t put the damned book down. It might have been candy, but it was awfully addictive candy.

In Life and Death, the genders of all characters are swapped (other than Charlie and Renee, who remain Charlie and Renee — the author explains why in her introduction, although I think it could have worked with a swap too). Bella is Beau, and Edward is Edythe; and they’re still more or less the same people. Beau is awkward and trips over his own feet a lot. Edythe is (of course) the most perfectly gorgeous person who ever existed, and still drives a shiny silver Volvo.

Little moments are changed. In Port Angeles, rather than Bella being pursued by a group of menacing men on the street, Beau stumbles across a bunch of drug dealers who assume he’s a cop and almost kill him. There’s rather a bit more bro talk among Beau and the guys at school, and we (thankfully) are spared scenes of them trying on tuxes to replace the girls’ dress shopping expedition.

Frankly, the gender swap thing is a tolerably cute gimmick, and it mostly works (although the image of Edythe running through the forest with a gangly Beau clinging to her back made me giggle). I was really only truly irritated at one point, when (in the original), Bella is impatient and needs distraction, so she heads outside to read in the yard with a stack of Jane Austen novels. In Life and Death, Beau brings his favorite Jules Verne… and I got all righteously offended for a good ten minutes. What do you mean, Jules Verne? Males can’t read Jane Austen??? I beg to differ!!!

Beyond that, it’s all mostly fine. If you like the original, you’ll probably enjoy the entertainment of reading this upside-down version of things, although to be honest, I kept forgetting who was supposed to be whom and occasionally forgot to picture Beau as a guy, or had to remind myself that Royal is Rosalie, and that the tracker vampire bad guy at the end is actually female. Whoops. Whatever.

I will say that the most fun aspect (which pretty much makes it worth your time, if you’re at all curious) is that the ending is different. I suppose I should not go into how or why… spoilers, don’t ya know? Suffice it to say that it works out differently, but still goes out with a bang. No loose threads here, so don’t expect any reimagined versions of New Moon, Eclipse, or Breaking Dawn.

And as to all the jokes about a gender swapped Renesmee (which here, I suppose would be something awful like Charnest? Earlie? …ugh…) — well, let’s just say that this ending makes the existence of a super-baby unnecessary.

Summing it all up: If you do feel the need to find out what this Twilight Reimagined business is all about — go ahead! It won’t hurt, I promise. It might even be a little bit fun. As light-weight pop entertainment goes, you could probably do worse.

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The details:

Title: Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little, Brown
Publication date: October 6, 2015
Length: 389 pages
Genre: Young adult
Source: Library

18Jan2016

Top Ten Tuesday: Top ten books I’ve recently added to my TBR list

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Top Ten Books I’ve Recently Added To My TBR. I’m actually kind of proud of myself, because last week I went through my Goodreads to-read shelf and deleted 175 books that I realized I’d probably never read (some of which I had no idea why I’d ever added them in the first place). But no worries — my TBR list is still huge and somehow keep growing week by week.

Here are the books I’ve added most recently, including release dates (since all are upcoming releases for 2016):

1) Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave (5/3/2016): A new novel from the author of Little Bee and Gold, set during WWII.

2) My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix (5/17/2016): The title alone makes me giggle… plus, I thought Horrorstor last year was such an inventive twist on a horror story.

3) Defending Taylor by Miranda Kenneally (7/1/2016) — no cover yet, unfortunately… but I’ve loved everything I’ve read so far by this author, so I’m game for whatever’s next.

4) The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem by Sarit Yishai-Levi (4/5/2016): Historical fiction covering four generations of women in Jerusalem.

5) Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke (3/22/2016): I love the sound of this YA book — mysterious and full of secrets.

6) Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan (4/13/2016): Yes to anything new by Brian K. Vaughan!

7) It’s All Your Fault by Paul Rudnick (1/26/2016): I really enjoyed this author’s previous YA novel, Gorgeous.

8) Up To This Pointe by Jennifer Longo (1/19/2016): I also really enjoyed this author’s previous book, the YA novel Six Feet Over It. The plot has something to do with ballet… and Antarctica… and I don’t know how that fits together, but I want to find out.

9) To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey (8/2/2016): Can’t wait for the new book by the author of The Snow Child.

10) The Midnight Watch: A Novel of the Titanic and the Californian by David Dyer (4/5/2016): I’m always fascinated by anything to do with the Titanic, and this novel sound like it has an interesting and different perspective to share.

What’s new on your TBR shelf? Please share your TTT links!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider following Bookshelf Fantasies! And don’t forget to check out our regular weekly features, Shelf Control and Thursday Quotables. Happy reading!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Do you host a book blog meme? Do you participate in a meme that you really, really love? I’m building a Book Blog Meme Directory, and need your help! If you know of a great meme to include — or if you host one yourself — please drop me a note on my Contact page and I’ll be sure to add your info!

18Jan2016

Book Review: The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Love, loss, and connection are the threads that bind together this moving story set in a residential home for seniors.

Anna Forster, age 38, knows that her early-onset Alzheimer’s can only get worse, especially after seeing her mother deteriorate rapidly with the same condition years earlier. With her own agreement, Anna’s twin Jack checks her into Rosalind House, a small private care facility that can keep her safe and provide for her needs. As an added bonus, there is one other younger resident there, so Anna won’t be alone among the elderly.

Luke (or Young Guy, as Anna thinks of him, having lost her ability to master names) is suffering from a different type of early-onset dementia that impacts his speech and language abilities — but despite their challenges, the two quickly connect and form a bond that strengthens day to day.

Meanwhile, in another plot thread, Eve Bennett is newly widowed, a young single mother struggling to provide for her daughter after the scandal of her husband’s involvement in a massive Ponzi scheme costs them everything. Eve had gone to culinary school years earlier before marrying Richard, and she falls back on her cooking skills in order to secure a job as cook and housekeeper at Rosalind House. As Eve tries to rebuild her life, she’s increasingly drawn to Anna and Luke, now forcibly kept apart by the facility’s staff. What has happened to require them to be locked into their rooms at night? And why does Anna, in a rare moment of lucidity, grab Eve’s hand and ask for help?

Told through the points of view of Anna, Eve, and Eve’s young daughter Clementine, the shifting narrative voices unite to paint a picture of this world that can only be partially seen and understood by any one of the three.

Anna’s voice is the most compelling, and by necessity, also the least reliable. Anna is relatively coherent when she first arrives at Rosalind House, but as her disease worsens, her narration develops gaps as well. She loses individual words, cannot tell which door leads to a closet and which to the hallway, and has less and less tolerance for noise or sudden, unexpected stimuli. As she narrates the story of her time at the home, the reader is drawn into the horror and terror of a young woman feeling her mind slip away, wanting desperately to hold onto what matters, but knowing that she’s in a losing war against time.

No one trusts anything I say. If I point out, for example, that the toast is burning or that it’s time for the six o’clock news, people marvel. How about that? Is is time for the six o’clock news. Well done, Anna.

At the beginning, I was reluctant to switch over to the Eve chapters, not quite seeing the point of her storyline or why we needed this plot thread, reminiscent of both the real-life Bernie Madoff scandal and the movie Blue Jasmine. Bit by bit, though, I was drawn into Eve’s story as well, coming to care about her and her daughter and their struggle to move forward and rebuild. Beyond that, it ‘s quickly apparent that Eve is a necessary key to the plot as a whole, and a very clever choice on the part of the author. Because of Anna’s condition, we can’t get a full picture of events from her alone. Eve provides another set of eyes and ears, a caring and sensitive witness to Anna and Luke’s story, and ultimately, a catalyst for helping them hold onto the shreds of happiness they’ve managed to find amidst their own personal tragedies.

The timeline of the plot weaves back and forth between past and present, with Anna’s story beginning with her arrival at Rosalind House, and Eve’s starting fifteen months later. Between the two, we start to learn what happened to Anna and Luke, with Eve’s current interactions with them finally filling in some of the blanks.

The Things We Keep is heartbreaking yet not altogether bleak. Seeing Anna’s decline is painful, and I can only imagine the horror of watching this strong, vibrant young woman slowly lose herself to a disease that can’t be stopped. At the same time, her connection with Luke is lovely and unexpected, and I couldn’t help being moved by this surprising discovery of grace in the middle of loss.

I also appreciated the wider cast of characters. The other residents of Rosalind House form a background of moments of friendship, love, beauty, and sorrow, as we learn more about their lives, their loves, and what they still cherish. As one of the elderly residents explains to Eve:

“When you get to my age [ … ] you don’t waste time with regrets. In the end, you just remember the moments of joy. When all is said and done, those are the things we keep.”

The Things We Keep is a sad story, beautifully told. While the tragedy of Anna’s decline can’t be lessened, there are rays of hope and joy, both as Anna’s story comes to an end and as Eve and her daughter finally arrive at a new beginning. I highly recommend this book, and look forward to reading the author’s previous novel, The Secrets of Midwives.

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The details:

Title: The Things We Keep
Author: Sally Hepworth
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication date: January 19, 2016
Length: 352 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley

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18Jan2016

The Monday Check-In ~ 1/18/2016

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.

What did I read last week?

Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace: I finished this one early in the week and began a review — but because I had mixed feelings, I’m going to see how my book group discussion goes later this week before finishing up. Maybe my book group friends will open my eyes to something I missed (I know already that some of them loved this book) — but even if not, I’ll try to share some of their points of view in my review as well.

Lumberjanes: A fun graphic novel, and a perfectly entertaining way to spend a half hour or so, but I didn’t love it enough to want to continue with the next volume.

Woundabout by Lev Rosen and Ellis Rosen: Such a cute and touching middle grade novel! My review is here.

In audiobooks:

I finished listening to this audiobook last week, and just posted a detailed reading and listening guide for The Outlandish Companion, Volume II over the weekend. I think it’s the longest post I’ve ever written, but if you want to know about what’s in the book and what’s great about the audiobook — and why people who haven’t read the Outlander series can still find inspiration in this book — you might find my piece useful! Check it out here.

Pop Culture Goodness:

My binge-watch for the week was Mozart in the Jungle, which — to be perfectly honest — I assumed was about an orchestra in the rainforest or something, until it caught my attention by winning a Golden Globe award last week. FYI, no rainforest! It’s an Amazon original series about the lives of professional musicians in New York, which maybe makes it sound stuffy or boring… and it’s not, not at all. Two seasons are available to stream, each with 10 30-minute episodes. Great cast, great fun!

Fresh Catch:

Okay, so my restraint has definitely slipped when it comes to buying books. First of all, I decided I finally deserved a nice gift and treated myself to the illustrated Harry Potter — so pretty!

Besides that, I picked up a few more books I’ve been wanting:

There goes my vow to read books I already own instead of buying new ones!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth: I just finished this emotional story, and will post my thoughts in the next few days.

Lock In by John Scalzi: It’s about time that I finally start this sci-fi book, which has been sitting on my shelf for about a year now.

Now playing via audiobook:

Now that I’ve listened to the OCII, I’m working my way backward! This past week, I started listening to the Outlandish Companion, Volume I audiobook, which — thankfully! — is a much shorter 13 hours and 48 minutes in length.

Ongoing reads:

And we’re off! My book group is reading and discussing two chapter per week of both Written in My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon and Emma by Jane Austen. This is an online group, and anyone is welcome to join us — so if you’re interested, just ask me how!

So many books, so little time…

16Jan2016

The Outlandish Companion, Volume II: A Reading & Listening Guide

Posted in Book Reviews, Bookish Thoughts, Outlander by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

The Outlandish Companion, volume II, is a reference book. Does it surprise you to hear that it was also one of the most enjoyable reading and listening experiences I’ve had in months?

First, some background: As anyone who even occasionally visits my blog surely knows by now, I’m a pretty dedicated fan of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. In 1999, Diana published The Outlandish Companion, a reference guide covering the first four books in the Outlander series (Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, and Drums of Autumn). And pretty much ever since, fans have been clamoring for a second volume to cover the rest of the books.

In March 2015, Diana Gabaldon published a new and revised edition of The Outlandish Companion, volume I, updated to include some additional commentary, especially regarding the Starz TV series. [Blogger note: I’m working a bit backwards here, I know. I’ll post a separate piece about volume I in the next week or so.] And in October of 2015, we finally got The Outlandish Companion, Volume II, and what a treat is is!

The 1999 edition

I bought myself a hardcover edition of OCII as soon as it came out, but hadn’t done much with it beyond opening it at random and flipping through. When I saw that the audiobook had been released, it seemed like the perfect way for me to enjoy the contents of OCII in a laid-back, kind of mellow sort of way.

What you get in the audiobook, which you don’t get in the hard copy, is the voice of Herself, our beloved author Diana Gabaldon. I actually can’t stress this enough: Large portions of the audiobook are narrated by Diana, and I’ll explain a bit further on why this really matters… and really, why this alone is worth the price of the audiobook, even if you already own the physical book.

Revised edition of OCI, 2015

An added bonus for those who’ve listened to the audiobooks of the Outlander series and the spin-off Lord John books is the participation of the books’ narrators. Davina Porter — marvelous Davina Porter — narrates all of the Outlander book synopses in OCII, and Jeff Woodman, who does such a fantastic job as the honorable and wryly funny Lord John Grey, narrates the synopses for all of the Lord John pieces.

Without further ado, what follows is an overview of what’s in the book, what I especially enjoyed, and a few tips and comments for anyone thinking about listening to the audiobook, either instead of or in addition to getting a copy of the physical book.

What’s inside:

Introduction

Yes, this matters! Diana’s introduction is as funny and smart as you’d expect, explaining how the revised OCI and the new OCII came about. It’s also a great intro to her style throughout the book, which is liberally sprinkled with footnotes, often humorous and tongue-in-cheek, and sure to include at least a few nuggets of odd but interesting little known facts.

Part One: Chronology

Identifying and explaining the chronology of all the parts in the story — so if you’re wondering what to read when, and just where all those novellas fit in, this will tell you.

Part Two: Synopses:

This is the longest part of the book — in my hardcover edition, the synopses start on page 15 and end on page 245. On the audiobook, we’re talking hours and hours. (Sorry, I can’t be more specific… but if I had to guess, at last 8 – 10 hours out of the whole.)

The synopses for the four Outlander books — The Fiery Cross, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, An Echo in the Bone, and Written in My Own Heart’s Blood — are lengthy and incredibly detailed. The books’ plots are thoroughly summarized, start to finish, with plenty of passages directly from the original texts.

Lengths of synopses (hardcover edition):

The Fiery Cross: 30 pages
A Breath of Snow and Ashes: 66 pages
An Echo In the Bone: 30 pages
Written In My Own Heart’s Blood: 80 pages

Reading tip: If you’re midway through the series, or perhaps took a break in between volumes, these synopses are so detailed that you could easily read these as prep before moving on to the next novel. Although, in my humble opinion, it’s never a waste of time to do a re-read of the books themselves!

After the four Outlander books, we come to the synopses of the Lord John books and novellas. These are much less detailed, with simple plot overviews, not much in the way of spoilers, and no details on the mysteries or their solutions. This section is useful as a refresher, but doesn’t provide enough information if you’re looking for a full-blown recap.

Part Three: Cast of Characters

As the introductory paragraph states:

This list includes all the characters from the second four novels and from the Lord John books, with brief notes as to which book each character is introduced in, who they are, their role in the story, and whether they’re fictional or real historical persons.

This is simply invaluable. Arranged alphabetically, this 118-page section is a must-have for series readers, providing instant access to the who’s who necessary to keep straight the huge number of people who come and go in the books.

Part Four: Sex and Violence (subtitle: Spanking, Beating, Flogging, and Other Interesting Topics Involving Physical Interactions of a Non-Consensual Sort)

Now here’s where it gets truly interesting! Up to now, the OCII is largely reference material. Finally, in Part Four, we get Diana’s insight into her characters and their actions, and it is absolutely fascinating. She spends quite a bit of time on some of the more controversial elements in the books — the spanking scene in Outlander, the occurrence of rape in the plot and whether it’s too much, the historical context of rape in the Highlands, Black Jack Randall’s sadism — and for those with an opinion on any of these, or who’ve read or participated in any of the heated debates that seem to crop up among readers, it’s enlightening to hear the author’s take on the issues and understand the thought processes behind her writing of these elements.

Part Five: History and Historical Fiction: Organizing the Past

If I had to pick one section to recommend above all others as a resource for writers, this would be it. Whether or not you read the Outlander books, I think this marvelous section would be inspiring to anyone who ever dreamed of writing their own novel.

Diana is incredibly generous with her insights and personal revelations here. She discusses the challenges and pleasures of historical research, and just what’s involved in writing historical fiction, using documentary evidence to enhance and ground her fiction. Not only that, but she also shares her own organization and tracking methods for her research — everything from how she organizes her bookshelves to her computer files’ naming systems.

If I were a writer (and I’m not), I think I’d be incredibly uplifted by Diana’s no-nonsense approach to writing. You want to write? Then write. Don’t delay because you haven’t finished your research yet, or because you need a dedicated space, or until your kids are out of the house, or any of a thousand other reasons. She repeatedly stresses that she began writing Outlander for practice, just to see if she could. I’m simplifying things quite a bit here, but the bottom line is that this is a section that should be read and shared and appreciated. (Also, see Part Seven)

Part Six: A Comprehensive Scottish Language Glossary and Pronunciation Guide – by Adhamh O Broin

Comprehensive is right! 77 pages worth of Scottish phrases, with a guide to pronunciation, origin, use in the books, and meaning, written by the esteemed Adhamh O Broin, who is the official Gaelic (Gaidhlig) consultant for the Outlander TV series.

Part Seven: Writing, and Other Games You Play By Yourself

Along with Part Five, this is simply indispensable knowledge and advice for writers. Diana talks about her own writing processes, and digs deeply into “Mind Games” — the many ways that people’s minds get in the way of their writing. If you’re even thinking about maybe someday starting to write, read this section. Not kidding.

But wait, there’s more! A fabulous part of this section of the book is “A Coda in Three-Two Time” (Annotated). “A Coda in Three-Two Time” is an amazing section of Written In My Own Heart’s Blood, showcasing the wedding night experiences of three couples. It’s intimate, sexy, personal, and even funny — and here, Diana’s annotates the scene to explain the linguistic and stylistic elements behind the writing. The thought and craft that go into the creation of “Coda” is beautiful to learn about.

Also in Part Seven is a section called “One Word Speaks Volumes”, in which Diana explains that she has one word that for her sums up the theme of each novel. From Outlander (love) to The Fiery Cross (community) to A Breath of Snow and Ashes (loyalty) and beyond, the meaning behind the theme is explained and supported. As with so much in the OCII, it’s fascinating.

Finally, Part Seven includes Recipes — I’m not sure exactly why this fits in the writing section, but here it is. Diana shares some favorites recipes, with explanations about her family’s experiences with the dishes included and detailed instructions on cooking and serving them.

Part Eight: The Invisible Talent

As Diana states in the introduction to this section:

“Talent” is what publicists, producers, and agents call the people who provide the visible face of entertainment — actors, for the most part. But anyone who is even temporarily appearing in his or own persona is “talent” — even me. But what about the people who give so much to the TV show and the world of Outlander, who normally don’t show their faces and talk about what they do?

I asked a few of the many, many talented people who create the world of the TV show (and other aspects of the ever increasing world of Outlander) to give us a brief glimpse of what they do and how they do it.

Included are essays by four behind-the-scenes, exceptionally talented individuals:

Terry Dresbach, the show’s brilliantly gifted costume designer, writes about just what it takes to design and produce costumes for a production of this magnitude, and includes several of her sketches for outfits for Claire and Jamie.

[Listening note: The narrator for this section (whose name I didn’t catch) does a fine job, except she mispronounces a couple of character names — most notably, Jamie’s last name! It’s FRASER, not FRASIER. Seems like something that should have been corrected during the production.]

Bear McCreary, the show’s composer, talks about his love of Scottish music (especially bagpipes!) and the reasons for the types of music we hear throughout the episodes. While some of his information is rather technical, it’s presented in such a way that even a non-musical person like me could understand and appreciate it.

Dr. Claire MacKay: Dr. MacKay is an herbalist with expertise in the historical use of herbal medicine. She provides a really interesting overview of the history of herbal medicine in the Highlands, as well as explaining nine herbs from Claire’s medicine kit, their traditional and modern uses, and their use in the Outlander books.

Theresa Carle-Sanders, author of the upcoming cookbook Outlander Kitchen, writes about “The Diet and Cookery of Eighteenth-Century Highlanders”, explaining not just what types of foods were eaten, but what this diet meant in terms of health, mobility, and class distinctions.

Part Nine: Maps and Floor Plans

Oh, what a treat! If you’re like me, you’ve spent a lot of mental energy trying to figure out just what’s where, and now we know! Included are floor plans for Lallybroch and the Big House on Fraser’s Ridge, as well as maps of the Lallybroch estate and the layout of the Fraser’s Ridge houses and cabins. Also included are maps of the American Colonies circa 1775, the British Isles, the city of Philadelphia, and the battlefields of Culloden and Saratoga.

Part Ten: The Methadone List

Diana’s fans are familiar with the concept of “The Methadone List”. Outlander is, after all, an addiction for its devoted readers — yet even the most devoted sometimes need to read something else. Diana shares this list in response to the question she’s always asked about what ELSE to read. “The Methadone List” is a list of some of her favorite books and writers, with brief plot descriptions and in some cases, excerpts from the books themselves.

Part Eleven: Bibliography

No explanation needed, right?

End papers: Several pages of photos conclude the OCII, include pictures of Castle Leod (seat of Clan MacKenzie) and a few behind-the-scenes photos from the TV production. The front and back inside covers are a detailed family tree (which you can download here as a PDF).

Listening tips:

Thanks to the audiobook, I spent much more time on the OCII than I might have if I’d only stuck to the physical copy. The hardcover edition is a beautiful physical specimen, but I don’t think it would have occurred to me to treat it as something to read from start to finish. By listening to the audiobook, I had the opportunity to slow down, pay attention, and really absorb all of the wonderful information contained in the book.

Highlights: What ended up really making this an extraordinary listen for me was the the narration by Diana Gabaldon herself. And I’ll tell you, I was skeptical at the start. Diana is not a professional audiobook narrator. For one thing, she is FAST. (Big tip: Use .75 speed if you can to listen to Diana’s sections — listening at regular speed is the equivalent of listening to any other audiobook at 1.5x!). It was an adjustment to get used to her speed and speech patterns, but once I got into the groove, I loved it! She shares so much of herself here, and hearing her deliver the content makes it an especially personal experience. Plus, in case you’ve never heard Diana Gabaldon give a talk before — she’s really funny. Listening to Diana narrate her own book lets us hear her emphases and inflections, and it becomes clear just what she finds funny about her content and where she’s being ironic or tongue-in-cheek.

As I mentioned earlier, getting another opportunity to listen to Davina Porter and Jeff Woodman is delightful. I’ve listened to the audiobooks of the entire Outlander series and Lord John books, and spending time with the narrators again here is like hanging out with old friends.

What’s missing: It may go without saying, but listeners should be aware that there are some elements of a reference book that just can’t be provided via audio. The OCII audiobook does not include the character guide, Scottish language glossary, maps and floor plans, or bibliography. And obviously, no illustrations.

Further tips:

Recipes and Methadone List — you can listen to these sections with the audiobook, but if you actually want to make use of them, whether to try the recipes or to track down books to read, you’ll need to refer to the hard copy.

Key advice:

The audiobook is a brilliant way to get a rich experience from the OCII — but it’s incomplete without the physical book at hand. My strongest advice for fans: Get them both.

If you’re a true fan of the Outlander series, then this is an essential and worthwhile investment! I know I’ll be referring to this book over and over again, whether it’s to look up a random character, check out a battlefield, or get some inspiration for my non-Outlander reading.

Blogger’s note: As I mentioned, I’m going about this backwards! Having listened to the OCII audiobook, I’m now going back and listening to the OCI audiobook as well. This is the longest piece I’ve ever posted, and I’m exhausted!! — but if I have the energy, I’ll write up a reading and listening guide to OCI once I finish.

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The details:

Title: The Outlandish Companion, Volume II
Author: Diana Gabaldon
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication date: October 27, 2015
Printed book length: 656 pages
Audiobook length: 21 hours, 17 minutes
Genre: Reference
Source: Purchased