126. Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Fever by Lauren DeStefano
The Chemical Garden Trilogy, 2

Rating: (5/5)

(US) - (Canada) - (Kindle)

Feb. 21, 2012, Simon & Schuster,  341 pgs
Age: 14+

"Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but they’re still in danger. Outside, they find a world even more disquieting than the one they ran away from. Determined to get to Manhattan and find Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan, the two press forward, amid threats of being captured again…or worse.
The road they are on is long and perilous—and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and men die at age twenty-five, time is precious. In this sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price—now that she has more to lose than ever."

Received a review copy from Simon & Schuster Canada.

Totally absorbing.  It has been some time since I read the first book and while the details are dim the images remain bright in my mind.  I found it easy jumping into book two and talk of events in book one quickly brought the details back to mind.  Rhine and Gabriel are the focus characters in this book, though several characters from book one return and a handful of strange and quirky new characters are introduced.  This is what I refer to as the "escape" or "search" part of a trilogy.  The entire book is devoted to the journey of their escape, heading back to Rhine's home, and her search for her brother.  A page-turning plot with surprising events, I was immersed for the entire read.  I especially found the latter half of the book with the experiments and hallucinations very creepy and well written.  My review for book three is standing in the queue and will be posted shortly.

DNF. Misty Circus by Victoria Frances

Misty Circus by Victoria Frances

Rating: DNF 47/74 pgs

Jun. 18, 2013, Dark horse,  80 pgs
Age: 10+

"Magic and mystery hide in the shadows of the rainy streets of Paris, kindness blooms in unexpected places, and a sad-eyed child journeys into the unknown.  

Renowned artist of the dark fantastic Victoria Francés first made a splash in the U.S. with her dreamy, sensual paintings in the Favole trilogy. 
Now, Francés returns with a gorgeous storybook for all ages.  

The tale of little Parisian boy Sasha and his poignant misadventures is at once heartwarming and melancholy, combining a sweetly gothic story with arresting, beautifully painted illustrations."

Received an egalley from the publisher through Netgalley.

I read 47 of 74 pages but just could not go on any further as the book was not for me, as a Christian.  The second story was about witches and black magic.  The words "genuine witches' Sabbath" made me close the book.  The first story I hadn't enjoyed either with it's gender-bender theme and the use of the word "androgynous", in a book supposedly for children.  Drawing a girl and calling them a boy is not the definition of androgynous anyway.  This is classified as a "juvenile" book but for Christians I would not recommend it for any age.  Also it is a picture book; I had been under the presumption it was a graphic novel.  The art is stunning though.  I wish I had looked at the pictures without reading the text.

123. Tom Gates: Excellent Excuses (and other good stuff) by Liz Pichon

Excellent Excuses (and other good stuff) by Liz Pichon
Tom Gates (#2)

Rating: (3/5)

(Canada) ONLY

Feb. 24, 2013, Scholastic Canada,  351 pgs
Age: 8+

"Tom Gates, master of excuses, expert doodler and hilarious story writer is back: 
Gold Star Award Chart! 
Getting to the Top of Mr. Fullerman's AWARD chart is proving a bit Tricky! This is mostly because: 
1. Marcus Meldrew is a sneaky so-and-so and up to NO good, if you ask me. 
2. My tooth is aching SO much that I can't EVEN concentrate on drawing in class. 
3. I keep getting sidetracked by interesting activities like SWIMMING, bug catching and, most importantly, spending quality time annoying my sister Delia."

Received a review copy from Scholastic Canada.

Much like the "Wimpy Kid" books, this series is very similar except written at a bit of an easier level; it has much more drawing and graphically appealing that in some ways it could be called a graphic novel, though don't get me wrong it has no comic bubbles or panels and is a chapter book.  It is also decidedly British and hasn't been Americanized; in fact, at the end of the book "Tom" has created a visual and funny glossary which defines a lot of the British-isms for the reader.  I haven't read the first book and it didn't hamper my understanding of this one at all but I think I may have had an extra fondness for the characters if I had.  Extremely humorous in the British humour way but with no real plot, just the average (well, not-so-average) day-to-day doings of a middle school boy, his friend, annoying older sister and the class bully.  Fun read will appeal to reluctant readers and those who like to draw.

121. The Nightmare by Lars Kepler

The Nightmare by Lars Kepler
Joona Linna (#2)

Rating: (4.5/5)

(US) - (Canada) - (Kindle)

Jan. 29, 2013,McClelland Stewart,  512 pgs
Age: 18+

"On  a summer night, police recover the body of a young woman from an abandoned pleasure boat drifting around the Stockholm archipelago. Her lungs are filled with brackish water, and the forensics team is sure that she drowned. Why, then, is the pleasure boat still afloat, and why are there no traces of water on her clothes or body? The next day, a man turns up dead in his state apartment in Stockholm, hanging from a lamphook in the ceiling. All signs point to suicide, but the room has a high ceiling, and there's not a single piece of furniture around -- nothing to climb on. Joona Linna begins to piece together the two mysteries, but the logistics are a mere prelude to a dizzying and dangerous course of events. At its core, the most frightening aspect of The Nightmare isn't its gruesome crimes -- it's the dark psychology of its characters, who show us how blind we are to our own motives."

Received a review copy from Random House Canada.

Brilliant.  I'm glad to get in on the ground floor with this writer as his books are being translated to English.  This is he most recent English release and the second in the Joona Linna series, with the next one coming out this (2013) summer.  A fantastic case of strange murder, suicide that may be murder and then a running tally of victims is connected to a political thriller that expands upon my usual fare of serial killer reads.  I'm not usual interested in political thrillers but that aspect doesn't come into play until well into the >500 page book that it's just one more twist to an intricate multi-threaded plot that leads in many directions before it all comes together in the end.

There are some inconsistencies with the first book.  In that one we didn't get to know Joona much at all with psychiatrist Erich Maria Barc being given the lion's share of character development.  Well, Eric is not in this book; he is mentioned in passing though not by name.  Joona has an arrogant catch phrase in the first book which has been dropped all together now instead of claiming that he is always right, the people around him seem to bolster his arrogance by telling him he is always right instead.  Much is made of Joona being a Finn in this Swedish police procedural.  I honestly can't remember this being mentioned at all in The Hypnotist.  Joona's character is fuller developed now and he has been given a background up to the point where a mystery is foreshadowed at the end which may be part of the next book's plot.

Even being a chunkster, this is a fast-paced read. One that keeps the heart pounding and the pages turning late into the night.  I adore the small 3-4 page chapters that make one fly from chapter to chapter and for some reason this set up makes it hard for me to put the book down when I see there are only 4 pages to the next chapter!  The case in The Hypnotist was more frightening; while this one is still thrilling it is quite different letting us know Kepler is not going to be following a cookie cutter plan for his series books.

120. Picturing Disability: Beggar, Freak, Citizen & Other Photographic Rhetoric by Robert Bogdan

Picturing Disability: Beggar, Freak, Citizen & Other Photographic Rhetoric by Robert Bogdan, with Martin Elks & James Knoll
Critical Perspectives on Disability

Rating: (5/5)

(US) - (Canada) - (Kindle)

Oct. 15, 2012, Syracuse University Press, 312 pgs
Age: 18+

"Midget, feeble-minded, crippled, lame, and insane: these terms and the historical photographs that accompany them may seem shocking to present-day audiences. A young woman with no arms wears a sequined tutu and smiles for the camera as she smokes a cigarette with her toes; a man holds up two prosthetic legs while his own legs are bared to the knees to show his missing feet. The photos were used as promotional material for circus sideshows, charity drives, and art galleries. They were found on begging cards and in family albums. In Picturing Disability, Bogdan and his collaborators gather over 200 historical photographs showing how people with disabilities have been presented and exploring the contexts in which they were photographed. 
Rather than focus on the subjects, Bogdan turns his gaze on the people behind the camera. He examines the historic and cultural environment of the photographs to decipher the relationship between the images and the perspectives of the picture makers. In analyzing the visual rhetoric of these photographs, Bogdan identifies the wide variety of genres, from sideshow souvenirs to clinical photographs. Ranging from the 1860s, when photographs first became readily available, to the 1970s, when the disability rights movement became a force for significant change, Bogdan chronicles the evolution of disability image creation. Picturing Disability takes the reader beyond judging images as positive or slanderous to reveal how particular contexts generate specific emotions and lasting depictions."

Received an egalley for review from the publisher through NetGalley.

An absolutely fascinating book which though rather academic kept me spellbound and is an easy read.  This book deals with two topics I am most particularly interested in: 1) the treatment of the disabled in the early part of the 20th century and earlier and 2) unsettling or unique vintage photographs.  The author covers the periods from the 1860s to the 1970s, however, the majority of the photographs studied mainly fall between the 1880s and the 1930s.  The aspect that most drew me to this book and that I appreciated most was that the author investigates the photography of the disabled from the point of view of the purpose of the photographer and photograph within the era and society from which it comes.  There is no modern chastising.  The author warns in the Introduction that some people may find his treatise offensive because of this, but that is far from the intentions of his sociological intentions.  I found the book entirely engrossing since I am interested in the field.

The book is divided into chapters concentrating on one type/genre of photograph each.  Starting off with circus sideshow promotional photographs and beggar cards, while most insensitive by today's standards these are also some of the most controlled by the subject of the photograph as they more often than not were in charge of their own publicity.  The most disturbing chapters for me were the one on medical text photography (often eugenics texts), photographs from inside mental institutions and most surprisingly "art" photos which turn a person's deformities, pain, anguish into "art" to be critiqued for light, shadow, composition, etc.  The author even discusses the modern use of disabled people as featured in faked "natural" settings vs the truly natural family album photograph where the disabled friend or family member is included in a manner that does not call attention to their disability.  I enjoyed the book immensely!  The book is extremely readable and engrossing for anyone interested in or studying the topic.

115. Loyola Kids Book of Saints by Amy Welborn

Loyola Kids Book of Saints by Amy Welborn. Illustrated by Ansgar Holmberg, CSJ

Rating: (5/5)

(US) - (Canada) - (Kindle)

2001, Loyola Press, 304 pgs +index
Age: 8+

"Who are the saints, why are the lives of saints important for children, and what can children learn from the saints? In Loyola Kids Book of Saints, the first in the Loyola Kids series, best-selling author Amy Welborn answers these questions with exciting and inspiring stories, real-life applications, and important information about these heroes of the church. The more than 60 stories of saints for children in this book are divided thematically and cover saints throughout history from all over the world."

Purchased a copy from my local Catholic Bookstore.

Mini-biographies of more than sixty saints from across the ages, with both men and women equally represented and while the majority are from times long ago there is a steady collection of 19th and 20th century saints interwoven throughout.  We thoroughly enjoyed the well-written stories which are written to the child, asking them questions so they can relate to the person being discussed.  The saints' stories are age appropriate for all ages but the needed details have been presented so while we don't get the gory details of explicit martyrdom, the truth of what happened isn't avoided either.  Many types of saints are presented here.  In fact, the book is broken up into 15 Parts, with each part grouping 4-5 saints together under a theme: those who loved children, were creative, were teachers, helped the poor, traveled far, helped us to understand God, etc.  For each saint we are given their birth/death dates (if known) and feast day.  We are not told what the saints are known to be patron saints of though, and at first I found this annoying.  But after a while I was glad that focus was shifted from this often asked question about a saint to their actual life and accomplishments.  Following the biography is a very short discussion question that can be used for devotional, or family time.  We found some of these to be very thought provoking and stimulating.  A great book for this age group which includes all the famous saints you'd expect in such a book along with obscure, lesser known and multi-cultural ones.  Highly recommend for reading at home or use in the Catholic classroom.

SHORT STORY: "In Gethsemane" by Stephen Gallagher

"In Gethsemane" by Stephen Gallagher
short story, 36 pgs

(Kindle US) - (Kindle CA)

Rating: 4/5

" In the years following the Great War, a skeptical conjuror and a spiritualist medium merge their interests to tour the regional lecture halls of the United Kingdom."

This short story now available as an e-read, was originally published in 1995 as part of an anthology.  I received a review copy from the publisher after enjoying The Bedlam Detective by the same author.  This Victorian period piece is a slowly mounting well-paced story of the Spiritualist movement and examines people's feelings about death vs the dead.  I really enjoyed the story and Gallagher has proven to be a writer I appreciate.  A fun look into this strange part of the Victorian era with a rather brooding ending.  The characters were well developed for a short story that was more about plot than character.  After the story are synopses of both "The Kingdom of Bones" and it's sequel "The Bedlam Detective".  Though this story takes place in the same time period it is not related to the two novels at all.

113. The Strand Magazine Feb-May 2013

The Strand Magazine Feb-May 2013 (Subscription)

Pages: 80
Ages: 16+
First Published: Feb, 2013
Publisher: The Strand Magazine
Rating: 4/5

This was an interesting one to come into as I'd only ever read Stevenson before. I'd heard of Leonard, Collins and, of course, Spillane but never read them and all the other authors were new to me.


1. The Only Good Syrian Foot Soldier is a Dead One by Elmore Leonard - Certainly not a mystery, nor a genre story at all actually.  This short story features an actor whose career has ended up with him playing extras, mostly in battles scenes, who get killed.  We experience his latest role as a Syrian foot soldier and the egos and arrogance of the stars and directors around him.  The ending has shock value.  Well written, but not exactly exciting. 3/5

2. The Present by Robert Lopresti - A mother buys a present for her son and takes a break from carrying the heavy telescope when she starts watching a man and daughter having lunch in the food court. Only it doesn't take long for her to wonder whether the girl has been kidnapped and forms the basis of the story.  All's well that ends well until the ending gives us a startling look at the woman's own reality.  Well-written, good pacing.  4/5

3. Masterpiece by Jonathan Santlofer - An artist finds his muse and starts work on his masterpiece. Not exactly a mystery but suspenseful look at the consequences when everyone is out for themselves, expects the worst of the other, continually trying to get out of their own mess until it bites them in the end. Ha! 3/5

4. Washed Out by Michael Humfrey - A man return to his childhood home on St. Cecilia's for the first time in thirty years in this short 2 1/2 page story. His thoughts turn to his own home and his neighbours, then the disappearance of the neighbour's wife whom he seems to be the only one who knows where she went.  Short, but captivating and well-written. 3/5

5. In the After by John Gilstrap - Whoa!  Very good.  A man and his wife are tied up in there home and psychologically tortured as the person reveals who he is from the man's past and what he wants.  Creepy.  Loved it.  5/5

6. Not a Penny More by Jon Land - Noir-ish story of a man in a rut who takes a used car home for the weekend to try out and finds his life changed.  Is the car magic?  Passable story, ending is predictable. (3/5)

7. So Long, Chief by Max Allan Collins & Mickey Spillane - My very first Mike Hammer story!  I didn't know what to expect since I absolutely hated the TV show with Stacy Keach so I was pleasantly surprised to find that I loved this!  Originally started in the mid-'70s, Collins finishes Spillane's work posthumously.  The old Chief of Police is ninety-odd years old, in the hospital and dying.  After Mike visits him the Chief is murdered with a knife to the ribs.  Mike sets off to find out why someone so badly needed to rush nature along.  Not my usual type of fare, but I really had fun with this seventies Private Eye case complete with mobsters and crooked cops.  (5/5)

8. Books and Reading. No 2. How Books Have to be Written by Robert Louis Stevenson - An entirely enticing essay written by RLS in 1882 and soon to be published in a new collection of essays by the author.  Written to children for children the author describes the second most important aspect of writing, and that is knowing what to leave out of your narrative.  It is very humorous and would have made an impression on young aspiring writers of the day.  He ends with a lengthy discussion between a "cheap" murder novel and Shakespeare's Macbeth.  While taking amusing potshots at Shakespeare his comparison concludes what makes it a great work rather than "a sham" by a "bad author".  Instructive and entertaining. (5/5)