December 31, 2007, was the hottest day of the hottest year in Melbourne history, according to the TV news.
The 7 Books I Read in December
Philip K. Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?: Having never read sci-fi, or seen the film, before, this novel was somewhat of a revelation to me. While I had trouble keeping track of the details, I loved the big ideas: interplanetary immigration, religion/cult, empathy boxes, the value of a real living animal…and of course the moral debate of whether bounty hunter Rick Deckard should retire (read: kill) androids simply because of what they are. My favourite character was Luba Luft; she’s such a funny bugger. But perhaps the funniest thing was that the novel is set in 1992, but you can blame hindsight for my chuckles. While overall the novel was probably too intelligent for dim me to fully comprehend, I’m definitely interested in seeking out more sci-fi, particularly by this author. If you know of any books in particular you think I’ll enjoy, please send the recommendations my way. This was fun!
Sydney Bauer, Undertow: Why is an Australian writing a novel entirely set in the U.S.? I’m not the person to ask. There are times, however, when the author slips in bits of Australiana that weren’t caught by the Australian editor. For instance, our protag trial lawyer David Cavanaugh plays rugby. The author tries to justify it by talking of how Irish Boston is, but I reckon the Irish would’ve played soccer. Americans wouldn’t play rugby, as far as I know. Also, there’s a reference to how Australians drink their beer – which is the same as pretty much anywhere in the world, except for warm-beer drinkers in places that I won’t mention to protect the guilty 😉 Also, in court a witness says ‘bloody’ numerous times, when he should’ve said ‘freakin’, but no one asked me 😉 All this aside, it’s a compelling novel exploring race relations and corrupt politicians in Boston. The good guys are clearly painted as the good guys, the bad guys clearly painted as the bad guys, so there’s no messing with readers’ perceptions. I’ll be looking for the author’s subsequent novels.
Robin Cook, Crisis: There’s a lot to admire about the author. He started writing novels as a way of bringing medical issues into the public eye, and he still does that today. This 2006 novel introduces readers (well, I’d never heard of it before) to concierge medicine, which…well, read the book, and that should explain it. But this novel is more medico-legal than the author’s previous medical thrillers. I’m fascinated with all the medical issues the author explores, but purely as a reader I have trouble enjoying the characters and the writing. Though Dr Latasha Wylie is a gem. So I don’t read these novels for entertainment: I read to learn, and I’m very grateful to Dr Robin Cook for that.
Paullina Simons, The Girl in Times Square: The author may be better known for her historical fiction, but it’s this contemporary tale that’s a real stunner. New York, a missing woman, a seriously screwed family, politics, peyote…this novel has it all. But really, the less you know about the novel, the better, for there are true shocks and surprises. Keep your eye out for Milo, one of the most unforgettable characters I’ve ever come across. The 602 pages were read over the span of about five days, so my memory didn’t hold up so well: ‘Who’s that? Did we hear about that guy earlier in the novel and I’ve just forgotten?’ The novel may warrant a reread to jog your memory, but it was the mystery itself that was the most intriguing part of the story – this is a good read.
Kathy Reichs, Bones to Ashes: Acknowledgements are sometimes put at the end of novels for a good reason – in case they spoil a plot point. The acknowledgements in this book were at the start. Lucky for the author, I didn’t know what a *L-word* was. Just in case your vocabulary is bigger than mine, I suggest you save reading the acknowledgements for last because, indeed, that *L-word* stuff was the most fascinating aspect of this novel. (It’s a medical something, by the way.) In non-spoiler news, the novel brings attention to the Acadian people, whom I’d never heard of before. Yay, I learned something! Also featuring are Tempe Brennan’s summer childhood friend, her somewhat trashy sister Harry, and a cockatiel who quotes the Black Eyed Peas and Korn. Good times!
Nicci French, Until It’s Over: This author (well, authors – Nicci French is a pseudonym for two journalists) is a master of psychological thrillers, and is my favourite writer to come out of England. These standalone novels take ordinary people living ordinary lives, and turn their existence into the stuff of very real nightmares. In this book, cycle courier Astrid Bell’s neighbour is murdered, and a random client of Astrid’s is dead when she arrives to collect a package. But it’s a third murder that leads the police to believe that there is no such thing as coincidence in this case. The book was quite a cracker, until it switched to the POV of the culprit – then there was a rehash of the events through the killer’s eyes. While it was nice to read some explanation, it didn’t seem entirely necessary. Nevertheless, I’m eagerly awaiting the author’s next book.
Simmone Howell, Notes from the Teenage Underground: So when I first came across Gem, Lo and Mira they were trying so hard to be different that they appeared to contradict themselves. (Like in that South Park episode where Stan meets the Goths, who say that if he wants to hang out with them, he has have to wear black, write poems about pain and not be conformist.) But once I got over that, this was quite a good read, and is deserving of its accolades.
Tez Says 