Yet more books I read in Aug 2011

As I mentioned in a previous post, in 2011, I used to put quick lists of books I'd read on social media, and only moved to more detailed reviews later in life.

So here are a few summaries from those halcyon days. Latest posts first. Commenters (if any) anonymised.

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2011-08-01

Just finished re-reading: The Money-changers by Arthur Hailey. This book was published in the 70s, and is still a good read. Arthur Hailey was renowned for his exquisite research and believable and engaging characters. (Contrast with a recently re-read Sidney Sheldon, whose characters were like something out of a sitcom trailer (not the sitcom itself, do note).) You may be pleasantly surprised how little the thinking in the 70s actually impinges upon the story. Worth a read. Rating: Very good.

Recently finished (re)reading: The Burning Wire by Jeffery Deaver. Rating: Excellent
Garden of Beasts by Jeffery Deaver Rating: Excellent
The Collectors by David Baldacci Rating: Very good
Risk by Dick Francis (re) Rating: Excellent

How this blog started: July 2011, listing books I read and what happened then

Somewhere in mid 2011, I started posting on Google+ (now, alas, defunct), listing books I was currently reading. People would occasionally post comments, or ask more about the books. So I started adding comments to the list, and eventually, it became detailed enough that I started this blog.

These are not the first of such posts, but they were some of the early ones. (Commenters have been anonymised, newest post is first).

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2011-07-19

Currently rereading: The Collectors by David Baldacci. It's the sequel to The Camel Club. Somewhere in chapter 2, I realized, to my chagrin, that I wasn't reading it, I was re-reading it. Rats! But since I've forgotten whodunit though not howdunit (no longer being a teenager, I don't remember the plot, characters and everything else in fine detail), so it's ok.

Next up (probably): The Burning Wire by Jeffery Deaver

Recently finished (re)reading:
Risk by Dick Francis (re) Rating: Excellent
The Sky is Falling by Sidney Sheldon (re) Rating: Poor
The Camel Club by David Baldacci Rating: Very good

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2011-07-18

Currently rereading Risk by Dick Francis

Next up (probably): The Burning Wire by Jeffery Deaver

Recently finished (re)reading:
The Sky is Falling by Sidney Sheldon
The Camel Club by David Baldacci
Vengeance of Ravana by Ashok K Banker

Should I stop posting this?
Will you hate me more if I continue or if I stop? :D

Comments:

PGS: how's ravana?

Me: if you liked the other books, Ravana is fairly good; better than a couple of the previous books in the set but not the best. Banker doesn't like the idea that his beloved Rama banished his beloved Sita, so he changed the old story somewhat to reduce his cognitive dissonance. That said, Ravana's revenge as per Banker is breathtaking in its scope. Wow moment. Worth a read.

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2011-07-15

Currently rereading The Sky is Falling by Sidney Sheldon

Recently finished reading:
The Camel Club by David Baldacci
Vengeance of Ravana by Ashok K Banker

But you don't care, do you?

Comments:

SB: If you haven't read his books yet, I recommend Murakami after you're done with your current book.

Me: What book do you recommend I start with?

SB: 'Underground' - slightly one-sided but it was a good read.

Me: Sounds heavy. I just read the summary. :-O

SB: Hmmn...Ok. How about 'Roots' - Alex Haley?

Me: Oh, Roots I read decades ago. :-)
I've also read about the controversy that it was largely plagiarised from previous authors' works. ;-)

A gentle, intriguing steampunk novel

Fantasy/Steampunk | The Daemon of Cormagan (book 1 in a 3-book series) | Maarten Hofman

I tend to agree with Machteld Irons’ review on Amazon. There is a sense of something impending right from the beginning, which starts right off with a scream and an abduction. Halfway through the book, you begin to think you know what the mystery is about, you think you now know who the villain is, and what is going to happen, but haha! Fooled you! Maarten Hofman manages to twist and turn the story into new directions.

This is one of the books in which I didn’t much like the main character to start with (kind of ‘meh’), but slowly, the characters gain more life and depth, and then they become understandable and likeable. You suspect one, then another, character of being outright evil... nope, not putting in a spoiler.

The world itself is a character here. There are fantasy/medieval constructs like the Master of a Castle (Cormagan), horses and hounds, a daemon (or is it?), and all the associated paraphernalia of a fantasy novel. Yet, there are talkers with colour-coded crystals, mechanical horses (what a quaint steampunk conceit!), coded messages. At the same time, there are armies that have to be bankrolled and moved by a fleet, which has to be organised, secret societies (plural; each dissing the other in snide competitive style). There are hints that this is a world way in the future from where we are, and the medieval facade is underpinned by something a little different than the world of today. I have a soft corner for fantasy books which get some economics and politics right (like when people go to other countries, they need to find translators and suppliers of provisions), so this ticks those boxes too. A treasurer who makes complaints to the boss! Love it. When I reached the last page, I found this big smile on my face.

The writing and the language are gentle and direct. Hence, even the atrocities don’t seem as gory as they are (if you step back and look at them objectively, they are!). And then there are the gorgeous illustrations by Marlon Teunissen, easily worth half the money (sorry Maarten, but you know it's true!)
Full disclosure: I paid full price for my copy. I know Maarten Hofman personally. Taken together, results in a fair review.

Indian readers may get a hint of part of the mystery from the names Kush and Luv which turn up towards the end, but people from other countries can either guess or research. (Not giving hints).

TL;DR: this book is value for money. Four stars and a gas-giant planet. If not allowed to give a partial star, gets ⭐⭐⭐⭐ aka I really liked it. And there are two more books in the same world...

More Books I read in Sep 2011 (Part 2 of 2)

I had to split the post because I couldn't include enough tags. <shrug>

The Thomas Berryman Number by James Patterson (thriller). It's weird to realise James Patterson was writing bestsellers in 1976. What a different style he had. I'm also beginning to notice style differences between decades. Books in a certain decade have similar writing styles, even among widely-different writers. Rating: Good

Down the Long Hills by Louis L'Amour. A young boy takes a young girl across the plains of the old West (USA) after their wagon train is massacred. Villains get after them, while the boy's father hunts for him equally desperately. Sweet story, happy ending. Rating: Very good.

Risk by Dick Francis (thriller). One of his better ones, and the hero is a chartered accountant. This was the book that made me feel CAs were not boring; something for which I am very grateful now. Rating: excellent.

Reign in Hell by William Diehl (thriller). After a bit, I realised this was the middle book in a series. Lawyer Martin Vail tries to bring down a parallel government/militia in the USA, under direct orders from the General (Attorney General, ha!), and mixes up with his old nemesis, the evil mass-murderer Aaron Stampler. Rating: Good.

Stone Cold by David Baldacci (thriller). The third in the series, and equally good. Rating: Very Good.

Part 2 of 2. Part 1 is here.

Books I read in Sep 2011 (part 1 of 2)

Why the delay? I already said in the previous posts. 😛

BOOKS!

Oh, my! I haven't updated to you my list of read books for a month! 

Currently re-reading: Bear Island by Alistair Maclean. Don't ask me why; I've always thought this was one of his worst books. That said, it's better than many people's good books. It's just that when every motion on the ship is described with a synonym of 'stagger', it gets a bit ... seasick. Fortunately, they will all (except the dead guys) reach land in a few chapters. ;)

Recently (re)read:
Scimitar by Peter Nieswand (thriller). It's always interesting these days to read a book written in the 1980s. The Afghan mujahideen were the good guys then, and the Russians were unadulterated villains. The protagonist in the book keeps turning out to be an unmitigated creep. Still, some good points, though avoidable overall, unless you want to specifically read an 80s book.
The Secret of the Nagas by Amish (myth/fantasy). I loved the first book in this series, The Immortals of Meluha, despite its sometimes too-modern dialogue. This one goes smoother. The book introduces Sanskrit/Hindi words in italics, and, within the next line or two, their meaning in English, also italicised (for dummies). It gets a bit annoying (gee, it's for dummies!) but is probably greatly useful for people who don't know the words. I loved this book too, and am bouncing and screaming for the next (and last) one. For less than Rs 500, you can get both books. Paisa wasool, these books are worth every paisa.

High Citadel by Desmond Bagley (thriller). An excellent light read from the 70s. If you like stories in which medieval weapons turn the tide, also try Mother of Demons by Eric Flint (science fiction).

The Quick and the Dead by Louis L'Amour (western). My son asked me if the book came first or the movie. Heh! A very typical Louis L'Amour book. The good guys win; the Indians are not evil, just different. Rating: Good

Part 1 of 2. Part 2 is here.

More books I read in Aug 2011

Nope, I wasn't more prolific a reader then than I am now. It's just that I'm too lazy to write reviews these days. That may change, though. Not that anyone cares...

Finished reading Stone Cold by David Baldacci. Rating: Very Good. And Don't read the author's postscript until you've read the whole book. Trust me, you'll enjoy it better only after.

Back to reading The Mammoth Book of Horror Stories Read two more novellas. These, so far, have been based in the early 20th century, and mostly feel very dated. The writing and action (if any) tend to be slower than we are used to. However, the one I'm currently reading was written in 1986, and is 'faster', though also startlingly predictable. I'll tell you if it surprised me in the end.

Next up: The Summer of Riley by Eve Bunting

Books I read in August 2011

And you're probably wondering, why now?? Well, I just found my reviews, that's why. Duh!

Killing Fear by Allison Brennan. Good

Edge by Jeffery Deaver. Excellent. I'm beginning to think he hasn't written anything mediocre.

Dragon Fire by Humphrey Hawksley. Tolerable. But it made me laugh to see he has a Dixit as the CM of Andrah Pradesh, who has also, at some time (wait for it!), been the Health Minister in Assam. Rotfl unbelievable. There are other goofs, too.

Midway through The Mammoth Book of Short Horror Novels edited by Mike Ashley. Fortunately, with happy endings, so my initial trepidation has been assuaged somewhat (I'm no longer a teenager, so horror stories without happy endings are not so easily brushed off these days). So far, I've read The Monkey by Stephen King, Parasite by Arthur Conan Doyle, The Damned by Algernon Blackwood.

Temporarily abandoned this in favour of The Orc King by RA Salvatore. I'm most bugged with this book's publishers. I picked it up because it clearly says on the cover Book 1 of Transitions so I was reassured I'm starting at the beginning; but then, it seems the main character has already starred in another 13 books in another series. Cheating! Cheating! But Todd Lockwood has painted a wonderfully evocative cover, and I have a quote for you: "I have heard it said that the universal hope of the world is that our children will find a better life than we." I'll live. I'll also post if I'm going to be reading any more books in this or other RAS series.