Bag of Bones

Succesful author Mike Noonan is dreaming of Manderlay. After his wife’s sudden death, Noonan has an unsettling recurring dream, and while awake he is coping with the physical manifestation of writers block. Deciding to get away from the city, he returns to Sarah Laughs, a holiday home in rural Maine that he hasn’t visited since before his wife died.  Not long after his arrival does he find himself not only embroiled in a custody battle that concerns the whole town, but also the feeling that he is not alone at Sarah Laughs.

Stephen King can never be accused of minimalism. This can sometimes be of a detriment to his novels, as I found the first third of Bag of Bones to be superfluous. However, once Mike Noonan finally gets to Sara Laughs, the story described by blurb begins and it’s definitely worth the dredge through 200 pages of whinging.  Once I'd passed this point, I couldn't put the book down.
  Creepy and atmospheric in all the right places, this is King at his best.  Bag of Bones has a solid story and complex characters to boot.  King manages to provide an explanation for all the right parts, but others bits, that have no need to be explained, are left to sit in the readers mind.  For me, it can’t compete with ‘Salem’s Lot, but I would still recommend Bag of Bones.

Fated

S.G Browne's concept for his second novel intrigued me from the get go.  A humorous tale about the personification of  Fate and Destiny, and what happens when they meddle with the outcomes of the humans lives they preside over.  Fated has a similar tone to Breathers, so don't expect any happy endings, and the same self centered narrative that can be grating.  However, it is apparent that Browne's writing style has evolved, even if only slightly.  Not fantastic but something different and perhaps if Browne carries on with this trend he may publish an amazing novel in the future.

1Q84

I've been having trouble putting a synopsis in my own words, so I'm taking one from the inside jacket for a change:

The year is 1984. Aomame sits in a taxi on the expressway in Tokyo.

Her work is not the kind which can be discussed in public but she is in a hurry to carry out an assignment and, with the traffic at a stand-still, the driver proposes a solution. She agrees, but as a result of her actions starts to feel increasingly detached from the real world. She has been on a top-secret mission, and her next job will lead her to encounter the apparently superhuman founder of a religious cult.

Meanwhile, Tengo is leading a nondescript life but wishes to become a writer. He inadvertently becomes involved in a strange affair surrounding a literary prize to which a mysterious seventeen-year-old girl has submitted her remarkable first novel. It seems to be based on her own experiences and moves readers in unusual ways. Can her story really be true?

Both Aomame and Tengo notice that the world has grown strange; both realise that they are indispensable to each other. While their stories influence one another, at times by accident and at times intentionally, the two come closer and closer to intertwining.

1Q84  reminded me of so many other pieces of work, especially as it is supposed to be Murakami's nod to George Orwell's 1984.  However, I could not help but notice the similarities in the message that Stieg Larsson's highly popular Millennium series conveyed about violence against women.  Aomame's second career and involvement with a woman known only as the Dowager, is tragically thought provoking.

It was for this reason that in Book one I found Aomame's story arc more interesting.  However, in Book Two Tengo's arc became more assured and more is revealed in his chapters that I found myself anticipating his narrative.

Overall, it was fascinating to see how the two stories related to each other.  In the beginning there is no information that links Aomame and Tengo, but by the end of Book Two their narratives have been braided together, often revealing answers to the other but never crossing over.  Murakami's writing is extremely detailed and atmospheric, but crafted in a way that never becomes boring or overwrought. 

It may seem daunting with books one and two amalgamated, but 1Q84 is definitely worth reading.  A lot is asked, but never answered.  If you don't understand when asking, you're not going to understand when answered.  A few attempts were made on trying to figure out what was happening but in the end I had to follow this strange journey.  Book Three is going to have to wait while I've got other books that need to be read, but I look forward, and am intrigued, to see how Tengo and Aomame's stories pan out.

Third Grave Dead Ahead

I wish that I liked this series as so many others seem to be enamored with the adventures of female grim reaper Charley Davidson.  There are pages where I do find myself intrigued and that's why I have persevered to read all three books in the series so far.  However, after finishing Third Grave Dead Ahead, I am certain that Darynda Jones has a writing style that is not to my taste. 

A good series makes sure to inform new readers of what has happened before, while at the same time still rewarding previous readers with new information.  Yet, with almost a third of the book rehashing what went on in the prior two novels, and a nearly identical plot to the Second Grave on the Left, the only redeeming feature of TGDA was the introduction of a biker gang and their dog Artemis. 

The biggest disappointment was the reveal as to why Owen Vaughn tried to run Charely over in high school; it was such a waste of a possible plot line that could have integrated itself into the main mythology of the series. Instead I was left questioning as to why it was included in the books to begin with.. 

Another sticking point, which I may be reading into too much, was what felt like a continual message throughout the series that it's okay for the men in your life to mistreat you.  Both Reyes and Charley's father betray her, enough so that she's gravely injured in both circumstances, but she makes excuses for them. Everything will be okay because she loves them and that notion doesn't sit well with me.  I think it is the main reason why this is the end of the road for me and Charley Davidson.  I can't help but think good riddance.

The Sinner

The third installment in the Rizzoli and Isles series, finally, focuses primarily on medical examiner Maura Isles.  With the arrival of her ex-husband more is revealed about Maura's life before she moved to Boston.  Case-wise, Jane and Maura investigate a brutal attack inside a convent, which leaves one nun dead and another battling for her life.  Also found is a woman with no face, no hand or feet - could the two cases be connected?

The characterization is spot on, and there are plenty of twist and turns within the plot that kept me reading.  Nothing is ever simple, and the real culprit is always hidden away until the last few chapters.  A fantastic read. 

The Apprentice

Detective Jane Rizzoli, having survived her encounter with The Surgeon, is brought into an investigation of a married couple who have been brutally murdered.  The case takes a turn for the worst when Rizzoli can't help but notice similarities between the crime scene and the work of The Surgeon's in the first book.  Maura Isles is finally introduced as the new Boston Medical Examiner.  However, The Apprentice is about Rizzoli's struggles with the emotional scars left from her showdown with Warren Hoyt, as well as the arrival of the mysterious FBI agent Thomas Dean who keeps usurping her authority.

The best thing about Gerritsen novels, aside from a great plot, are that her characters always come across as fully fledged people, warts and all.  They manage to have lives outside of their work and Gerritsen weaves these elements effortlessly within the main case.  The Apprentice is equally as good, if not better than it's counterpart and I look forward to reading The Sinner.

The Night Circus

The Night Circus was so hyped prior to release last year that I couldn't go on Twitter, let alone enter a bookshop, without hearing how Erin Morgenstern's debut novel was amazingly magical and the best book of 2011.

Set in the late 1800's - early 1900's, Morgenstern debut presents a challenge between two opposing illusionists within a mysterious circus.   Short chapters with third person narrative which allows for multiple perspectives, ranging from the illusionists Celia and Marco, to employees and creators of the circus who are caught within this challenge and then to the visitors, such as young American teenager Bailey.

The book is beautiful in design (I love both the American and English covers) and theory, but is hollow in content.  Not enough time is spent with a single character to really know them; this meant that when major events did occur I never felt engaged emotionally.  There were some good ideas but overall I felt the book was screaming at me to find it magical.  Alas, it was a giant cliche.