The Magicians; Lev Grossman

The Magicians by Lev Grossman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reading the jacket, you'd think that this was purely a "magic" book - steeped in Lewis' Narnia, Rowling and others of that ilk. However, the relationships between the main characters seemed far more informed by Tartt's The Secret History than by anything else. I mean really, what other SFF book for teens has a threesome?

The similarities to the other source books were sometimes clever, and sometimes a direct ripoff (who didn't see that Janet was Jadis from early on in the book? her distress in the Nietherlands was just icing on that cake). The clever stuff made me want to read more, while the rest made me roll my eyes and think "really, that's the best you can come up with?"

One particular niggle was the retreat upstate. If you can drive, with relative ease, to Buffalo for supplies, you cannot see the sun setting in the Adirondacks. You just can't. The sense of Brooklyn, on the other hand, felt real.

Overall, a good read that I'd recommend to anyone who likes this genre. What I hope - pray - is that this is Grossman's only trip to Fillory. More would be, well, too much (just as I enjoyed his earlier work, but found that it was enough).

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The Dower-House; Annabel Davis-Goff

The Dower House by Annabel Davis-Goff
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An Aga-saga, this time set in mid-century Ireland. The author does a great job detailing the decline of the Anglo-Irish way of life: the set rituals, the delicate class prejudices and structure (who knew about pearls and paste?), the slow seeping of change. This is one of those leave-it-to-your imagination books, where the ending is a gentle glide rather than a full stop.


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Best Friends Forever; Irene S. Levine

Best Friends Forever: Surviving a Breakup with Your Best Friend by Irene S. Levine
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

(FULL DISCLOSURE: I know the author!)

As the year winds down and we make lists (of course checking them twice), don't we also think about our friends in a slightly different light: is this a gift friend? a card friend? an invite over for eggnog friend? can I ignore them this year? and a multitude of other variations. Or am I the only one?

The reality is, many of us are, or have been, friends in unequal relationships that we still include under the rubric BFF. Then, when it goes south, we feel responsible and guilty and well, it's not necessary. It's good to get away from those toxic relationships, and this book can tell you how (and how to spot one). It would have added to the book for her to discuss the various gradations of friendship - IMVHO we leap all to quickly to the word "friend" when what we mean is "colleague" or "acquaintance."

I'd love to see a follow-up on male/female friendships, but I suspect that might be a generational thing; my mother doesn't have any males in her life that aren't family or "the husband of...".

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Miss Bianca trilogy; Margery Sharp

The rescuers ;: Miss Bianca ; The turret by Margery Sharp
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

What a delightful trilogy - I'm not sure why the Miss Bianca books appear to be out-of-print, but I do hope someone corrects this soon! This series is very British, with talking, heroic mice rescuing prisoners of all stripes. The Prisoner's Aid Society will be familiar to anyone reading "those sorts" of British books, as will the characters (I loved Miss Bianca's attitude of noblesse oblige at all times).

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Candor; Pam Bachorz

Candor by Pam Bachorz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Stepford lives - not an incredibly original concept, but interesting execution. Candor (yep, intense irony alert) is a town in Florida created by a man whose reality is just too difficult to bear after his eldest son dies in a freak diving accident. If only Winston had listened!

So off the family goes, to a world created by subliminal Messages programmed by Campbell Banks (wonder if the name is a deliberate riff on the family from Mary Poppins)... except they drive Mom away and Oscar is able to reprogram not only his brain but those of others with enough money to pay for his Special Messages. Oscar's cockiness at being able to fool his father and the rest of the town telegraphs his fall loud and clear.

Since most teens have never heard of Stepford (except perhaps as a bad Nicole Kidman movie), this will definitely appeal. And perhaps make them wonder about those seemingly goody-goodies in class.

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The Brutal Telling; Louise Penny

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Having finished four-in-a-row of this series, I can firmly state that Ms. Penny needs an editor. It's one thing to have repetitive tag lines (how many times did Rex Stout remind us of Nero's 1/8 acre of yellow silk pajamas?), it's another to repeat paragraphs. At times it feels as though she just doesn't know how better to describe or comment on something.

Other than that, my affection for the characters continues as does my enjoyment of the plots. Luckily, I don't have another sitting here and by the time the next one arrives my problems with her writing will have receded.

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A Fatal Grace; Louise Penny

A Fatal Grace: A Three Pines Mystery by Louise Penny

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A book that cites one of my favorite Beau Dommage songs? How cool is that?!

Armand Gamache really is growing on me. If Ms. Penny were a different, sparer author, he could be Quebec's answer to Commander Dalgliesh. The only nit I have to pick with this series is that she does tend to get a little repetitive with her descriptions, but the story is a huge help in getting over than nit.

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A Rule Against Murder; Louise Penny

A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm really liking this quiet, less deliberately twee series - it's similar to the Richard Jury series in many ways, but Armand seems more real than Richard, and his relationships also feel more real and less "written". Sometimes Grimes' books feel as though they are written for maximum effect (is this character strange/annoying/pathetic/tic-y enough?) while I don't get that impression from Penny's writing. It's also made me want to visit the area in which Three Pines exists - having spent much time in the Northeast Kingdom and in Montreal, it's a pity I've never explored the English Townships in between.

As with many in this cozy procedural genre, skipping around doesn't seem to matter. Can't wait to read the rest, in whatever order.

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The Way We Were; Marcia Willett

The Way We Were: A Novel by Marcia Willett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Yet another AGA saga, so nothing really to discuss: the usual "things from the past coming back to haunt us", misunderstandings about love and friendship, etc. This didn't actually have an AGA, but still it very much fits the genre's mold.

And, of course, it's a great reading-palate cleanser.

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Lit; Mary Karr

Lit: A Memoir by Mary Karr
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Note to self: stop reading memoirs about people who simply survived something (horrible parents, poverty, being "different").

I know this is heresy, because Lit is appearing on so many Best Lists, but "meh". Yes, Karr's childhood was difficult - her parents were not what we would consider to be good parents, and she had things to overcome on her way to being an adult, a writer, a whole person. But beyond that? "meh"

Here's one of my problems with the book. I love writing that sounds good, words that just feel good to read. A.S. Byatt... Julian Barnes... Robertson Davies... P.D. James... they all have that ability. Karr? She's enamored with words, to be sure. But I, the reader, shouldn't notice that. I should be so engrossed in the story that the technique and the love of words doesn't hit me over the head, I should just feel wrapped up in them. And unfortunately, after reading this, my head hurts.

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