I've mentioned before that I'm not a big fan of Christian fiction. Too much is just not up to contemporary standards. And I've noticed that more of them seem to be written for church book groups rather than just written the way other novels are. Otherwise how do you explain that they all seem to come with discussion questions at the end? May be unfair but it makes me take them less seriously. Having said that I'verecently read two. One reinforced my opinion and the other was the exception that proved the rule.
The Book of Days - James L. Rubart - The concept sounded intriguing. The search for a book actually written by God (not inspired by or even placed into the minds of men. An actual book written by God's own hand) which shows all the days of every person's life - past, present and future. A young man is told about it by his father and wife just before each of them die. And it may save him from losing his mind. Interesting concept even if I have certain theological concerns. Hey, I'm broadminded. The problems are many. The writing feels like that of a talented high school student. The characters are cardboard cutouts and the really interesting issues raised by the story never really get explored. Important story points never get explained. I'll admit I read the book through to the end because I kept hoping that the story would resolve in an interesting fashion. It didn't.
Rating - ** (Not Impressed)
The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow - Joyce Magnin - This is a bit of Jan Karon's Mitford and Garrison Keillor's Lake Woebegone. It's the story of a morbidly obese woman, Agnes Sparrow, who retreats to her home and prays for anyone and everyone. When her prayers begin to make a difference in people's lives Agne's life suddenly gets complicated. Filled with quirky but real characters Magnin shows a wonderful deft touch with dialogue and characterization. There's faith woven through the whole thing but it's not intended to brow beat you. The first book in a series about the folks in the little town of Bright's Pond PA. This book was simply a delight to read. I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected and have recommended it to friends already.
Rating - **** (Recommended Read)
In other reading -
Napoleon's Pyramids - William Dietrich - Here's a really fine piece of historical fiction from a former news reporter who has move successfully into both fiction and non-fiction. Part of a series about his recurring character Ethan Gage. Gage is an American caught up in the intrigues of Napolean Bonaparte's invasion of Egypt. Is he one of Bonaparte's savants, an English spy or just a young man in over his head? Dietrich does a wonderful job of bringing together the exploration/invasion of Egypt where Napolean did indeed bring along over a hundred wise men to help him understand this ancient civilization. Along the way Gage gets involved in some high intrigue and repeated physcial danger. All while not really understanding why he's there or what anyone wants from him. This is the kind of book that kept me up at night reading long past my bed time.
Rating - **** (Recommended Read)
The Limit - Michael Cannell - This is the story of the events leading up to the 1961 Formula 1 racing championship, the first ever won by an American. The central characters are Enzo Ferrari, founder, visionary and undisputed boss of the auto maker that bears his name, Baron Wolfgang von Trips, only son of a minor German noble family with the desire to live fast and drive fast and Phil Hill, California boy who loved cars and racing and became the first great American international driver. By the time the end of the '61 racing season ended they would see many of their friends and drivers die in pursuit of the ultimate racing title. It's a well told story of the greatest racing series in the world.
Rating - **** (Recommended Read)
Relentless - Robin Parrish - Sigh. I'm torn on this book. For the vast majority of this book I REALLY liked it. Liked the writing, liked the concept, liked the characters, liked the plot. It's the story of a man who suddenly in the middle of his morning discovers himself in another man's body and watches himself walking away down the street. Suddenly he has a new identity and some frightening new skills. It brings with it the aspects of science fiction and techno thriller that is guaranteed to lure me in. And it did. But two things take away from the book for me. There is a strange 5-10 page writing blip about 125 pages in where the quality of writing plummets. It recovers and the rest of the book is fine but those few pages just glare. Then about two thirds of the way into the book the plot swerves into a fantasy/supernatural vein that I don't think was properly set up. So at the end of book I felt let down by the author. He led one way then changed directions without a good reason or explanation. The book is the first in a trilogy but you don't even get the whole set up in this first book.So that kicks this down one rating. The author also has this bizarre habit of suddenly jumping from scene to scene in a chapter without any indication. Really annoying.
Rating - *** (Good Read)
The Inside Ring - Mike Lawson - An attempt on the life of the President of the United States narrowly misses, killing instead an old friend of the Chief Executive. When a note surfaces that claims that the President's security team has been compromised the Speaker of the House of Representatives sends his trouble shooter Joe DeMarco to figure out what the the truth is. This is Lawson's first novel and he shows a fabulous grip on what makes a thriller. The book can be shocking at times with some gritty realism. Lawson keeps a solid grip on it and drives the story home. I was deeply impressed by the book. Well with one minor exception. There's a little plot twist at the very end that strikes me as artificial and silly. But it's such a small thing, even in the context of the story, that I can't deduct too many points from the book.
Ratting - **** Recommended Read
Amos Walker - The Complete Story Collection - Loren D Estleman - I'd never heard of the author or his signature private detective character Amos Walker. By the end of the book it was clear I'd comitted a major oversight. Walker comes from the tradition of the hard boiled detective. He's terse and gritty and fascinating to follow. These are short stories and well worth the read. If you love detectives and want some quick involving reading then you want to grab this collection right now.
Rating - **** Recommended Read
Clues to Christie - The Definitive Guide to Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Tommy & Tuppence and All of Agatha Christie's Mysteries - This is a short introduction (77 pages) to all of the First Lady of Mystery's works. It also includes three lesser known stories of three of her best known characters. It was a very interesting read that filled in some details that I never knew about Christie. She wrote more widely than I'd ever realized. Christie fans should read this. Mystery fans should read this as well.
Rating - ****
Chili con Corpses - J.B. Stanley - This is a fun little mystery that centers on a group of friends who gather to share food and friendship. Along the way they solve a mystery or two. In this one they are trying to solve a few damaged love lives and learn to cook classic Mexican foods as well. The author gets your mouth watering for the dishes described and offers recipes for them as well. Several of the mysteries I've read recently have been heavy, serious stories. Stanley creates a much lighter and light hearted story. It was a fun read.
Rating - ***
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