I Can See You - Karen Rose

Eve has been damaged in the past and is determined to put that hurt to good. As a psychology student she is doing a study into online gaming and trying to find a way that would give victims a way to feel safe in the real world. Somehow she has gotten hold of her participant list and this could not only get her expelled but black listed too. One of the participants though has committed suicide and she wonders if it has anything to do with her high volume of hours spent in the virtual world. She tried to tell her mentor who ignores it. When another woman dies in the same way and is believed to now have been murdered Eve has now choice but to go to the police. Detective Noah Webster is the first of the Hats to realise theses suicides are the work of one sick individual. Noah is in love with Eve and this murder has brought him together. As the killer works his way through Eve's list it's clear that Eve is also a target. Noah is determined that he won't lose someone else he cares about and races to catch the killer.

This is probably the easiest read I have had in a long time and was exactly what I needed. Not a lot of thinking had to go into it at all. About five years ago I would have turned my nose up at the type of book too. Glad I got over it. The crime side of the story was fairly interesting. A serial killer (it's always a serial killer isn't it?) wants to be finally noticed and get his revenge on the group of detectives known as the Hats. There is a growing trend in crime books for the criminals to use technology. Jeffery Deaver has used it a few times and now Karen Rose. It always makes for an interesting premise I think. In this case the killer is stocking his victims on and online game. A game that's supposed to be anonymous which makes finding the killer difficult. It wasn't hard though to work out who it was as the killer had to have some kind of inside knowledge (I'm honestly not giving anything away with that one).

I did have a chuckle at the hat squad. I couldn't help it. The idea that detectives receive and wear a hat after solving their first case just seemed very old fashioned. Do people wear these hats other than in the old black and white movies. I had to take back that laugh though when I read that this team of detectives is actually based on a real life team who do that. I probably shouldn't make fun of something that is probably a good team building exercise and brings the team closer together.

I also couldn't let this book go without commenting on the romance. As you know I am not a romance fan. I don't go out of my way to read it. This author is described as a romance-suspense writer so I shouldn't really be surprised when there is quite a bit of it in the book. I wasn't ignorant of it either when I picked it up. The friends who convinced me to read this book did warn me. I have to say it didn't actually bother me too much. I still preferred the crime side of the book but I could live with it. That doesn't mean that I have changed my mind about romance books in general.

Not my favourite book in the world but it was mildly entertaining and what I needed at the time. Perfect for anyone who wants a light crime book and a touch of romance. These books are all connected in some way so I will probably go back to the beginning and read the others.

Player One - Douglas Coupland

Four people separately find their way to a cocktail bar at Toronto airport.  All four are there for various reason. All four are waiting for their lives to change. Karen is there to meet someone after years of being alone. Rick is the bar man. He is waiting for his life to start over again. Luke has run away from his old life and picked the bar at random. Rachel is there to prove to her family that she is human after all. Their lives do change but not in a way they could ever predict or expect. The fuel crisis hits and all four are stranded as the world outside starts to riot.

I found this to be a very easy read. I was able to read it in a day and still got some studying done. It actually take me back to early Coupland because I did the same with most of those books too. The plot is a little unrealistic. I remember someone saying in a review that they felt that there would be a little more warning when we do run out of fuel. Fuel saving strategies would probably have kicked in on the lead up. I have to say that I agree. However, unrealistic isn't unusual for Coupland. One of my favourites, "All Families Are Psychotic" also had an unlikely scenario and I still loved it. As did "Girlfriend In A Coma".

In the end the fuel crisis was actually only background noise. A way for these characters to come together and to change each others lives. The story of each character was key to the plot. They each represent the everyday in some way. Each of them have everyday problems too. Essentially they are all lonely and are trying to find a way to break down that loneliness. The disaster gives them that chance to discover themselves and each other.

There really isn't much  more I can say about the book other than I very much liked it. Reading it I felt that Coupland was going back to his writing before Jpod. It's the first one he has published since then that I haven't been mildly disappointed with. Overall a good read.

RIP Anne McCaffrey

The plan today was that I would post a review. I am actually two behind. I then found out that Anne McCaffrey passed away two days ago. I had to dedicate a post to her.

I was introduced to the fantasy genre by an ex who got me reading David Eddings. I enjoyed it so much that I eventually picked out an author I had always wanted to try. That was Anne McCaffrey. I loved dragons and so her Pern series appealed to me. Of course I realised that it was more science fiction than fantasy but that didn't matter. I had fallen in love with the series and soon devoured the rest. I was saddened when she stopped writing them and I'm sorry to say that her sons additions just aren't the same. She didn't just write the Pern books of course. She is also famous for her Brainship, Acorna and Crystal Singer series'. She opened up a whole world to me and for that she will be missed.

RIP Anne McCaffrey.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This is a book meme by Sheila of Book Journey. A fun way for everyone to share their reading week.

I haven't taken part in this in a few weeks. Mainly because I have been reading the same books. Last time I was reading a large collection of short stories by Edgar Allan Poe. It was part of my Halloween reads but as I was so busy and it was quite large I knew there was no way I would get that one finished over Halloween. I was still going to go ahead with it but after reading a few I decided I wasn't in the right frame of mind to read short stories. I wasn't appreciating them. So I am going to leave the book for next Halloween. I don't normally leave books aside like that but it will give me something to look forward to.

Last week I read;

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (book one and two). Two years I have been waiting for it and it took me just over two weeks to read. A fantastic book and now my favourite by the author. Can't wait for book 3.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. A fast paced start, a slow middle and an amazing ending. Now also a favourite by this author. Has restored my faith in him. Was originally one of the titles I chose for the books I should have read by now challenge before I called it quits. Now it is just my classic of the month.

Player One by Douglas Coupland. I only finished this last night and have yet to review it so no link. A great book though. Very much enjoyed it.

Just now I'm reading;

I Can See You by Karen Rose. Another book that I had on my books I should have read by now challenge list. I've read one book by the author before and this one is starting out with a similar feel. I was in the mood for something light and easy and I think with this I am going to get it.

I am not going to plan a next book as my reading has been taking it's time of late. Not unexpected in all honesty. I am thinking that the next one might be some non fiction though. but we'll see how I feel at the time.

In the last week or so I also signed up for some 2012 book challenges and decided against creating my own (which I was originally going to do). You can see all those challenges on my sidebar. I've also decided that my next book shopping spree won't be until after Christmas. So with these challenges I am planning a rather large shopping list. Can't wait.

How has your reading week been?

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

Sweet Lucie Manette and Mr Lorry travel to France in order to rescue her Father. Once believed to be dead he is now free in France after years of unlawful imprisonment. He is now a broken man and it's only the love of his daughter that can bring him back to a shadow of his former self. Back in England circumstances cause to men to fall in love with Lucie. Meanwhile France is in upheaval and is heading towards it's revolution. At the center is the man and wife who cared for Dr Manette until his daughter arrived. Lucie is now married and with her own little daughter but is somehow dragged into the center of events. It's only the love that these two men feel for her that will help save her and her family.

I think most of Dickens books are famous but this one is probably more famed. Mainly for it's opening line. How many of us could quote it without having ever read the book? I know I could. Despite that I was a little hesitant in reading it. I was so disappointed with Hard Times and I didn't want that same disappointment. I was worried that maybe Dickens had lost it's appeal for me. I have to admit that at first I thought that worry was going to come true.

The book has an exciting start. Mr Lorry is on his way to Paris by coach. There is already turmoil in France and each traveler is suspicious of the other and so keeps to themselves. Mr Lorry and Lucie then arrive at the wine shop of Defarge and his wife. Again there seems to be some tension amongst the people and Defarge is keen to show Dr Manette off to others. This then filters away to them being back in England and settled some years. The story slows down and there are hints of things within this section that seem to be unconnected to the story. It was with impatience that I read the scenes of Mr Cruncher and his family. All very interesting had it anything to do with the story itself. Plus it wasn't the only thing that didn't seem to connect.

In the third part things get interesting again. The tension in Paris has built up nicely with characters we already know at the center. As I said already Lucie and her family and friends are dragged into these events and the book really takes off. It's in the last 100 pages of the book that all these scenes that annoyed me now make sense. They are actually connected and it adds to the tension of the story. I probably shouldn't have been surprised as Dickens is well known for his coincidences in his tales. I happen to like that aspect of his writing and it certainly made this book exciting.

My complaint about Hard Times was that the characters felt a little flat and that the characters I found interesting practically disappeared from the story. This wasn't the case with Two Cities. Sure the characters were stereotypical for the author but there were more to them. Each of them had an interesting back story and there were even one or two surprises in there for me.

A Tale of Two Cities has not only revived my faith in Dickens it is now my favourite of his books. Looking through the list though it would seem that I have mainly read his later books. When I next plan to pick up one I think I will read an earlier book (possibly his first) as an interesting comparison.

This was my classic book of the month.

What's Next!

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel published May 2012.

This obviously isn't the image for Bring Up the Bodies. There isn't on yet. In fact the title of the second book was only announced this week. I read this book before I started this blog. Which is a shame because it means I haven't shared with you how amazing this book actually is. If you love historical fiction then I have no doubt that you will enjoy this. For those of you who don't know the book is written from the point of Thomas Cromwell, a controversial adviser to Henry VIII. He has often been portrayed as a rather dark character. One who uses situations for his own political gain and is blamed for the downfall of Anne Boleyn. This book instead gives a more sympathetic view of Cromwell. He is seen as a family man who hasn't had the best start in life and is now just trying to do what is best for his family and his King. He is more a victim of circumstance. It's a rather large book and the writing style felt a little strange at first but I soon was caught up in the story and quickly devoured it. I have enjoyed Booker Prize winners in the past but this is the first time I have felt the need to rave about one. It was also the first historical fiction that I had read. A new genre for me to explore.

Enough raving about the first book. As I said the title of the second book was announced this week. I knew that there was going to be a sequel due to the way Wolf Hall ended. It was set up so that the second book would be about the downfall of Anne Boleyn. What I didn't know was that it is going to be a trilogy. I read an article in the guardian this week which said that the author had decided that when writing Bring Up the Bodies that she felt that it needed a third book. Very excited about that and I really can't wait for the publication of Bring Up the Bodies.

1Q84: Books 1 and 2 - Haruki Murakami

Aomame is a fitness instructor who specialises in the muscles. As the story begins she is on her way to assassinate someone. Tengo is a maths teacher who writes fiction in his spare time. He opens his story with a meeting with his editor as he tries to push forward an unusual piece of writing for a literary prize. As children they once recognised something of themselves in each other. Ever since they have never left each others thoughts although they never saw each other again. Events in both their current lives seem to be overlapping without them being aware. For Aomame it is the belief that she has entered  an alternate world that she calls 1Q84. For Tengo it begins when he decides to ghost write for a 17 year old.

That brief paragraph doesn't even begin to describe this book. Murakami's strength is surrealism and I think he surpassed himself here. Alternate worlds and mysterious figures are actually nothing new to him. Although some of his other books have been slightly more bizarre this really was something else. The surrealism started early with Aomame discovering that she was ignorant of some parts of recent history. Things that she is 100% sure she would have noticed. It's relatively mild at first though and picks up pace later on in the book.

As I said this isn't exactly new for Murakami. By book 2 however, it gets darker. I have read all of Murakami's books and never before have I sat on the edge as I waited to see what happens next. There is one chapter that this was particularly so. Of course the chapters alternate between Aomame and Tengo so I had to wait a whole other chapter to find out what happens. I have never had that experience when reading one of his books. It's the kind of thing that would make you stay up to the early hours just to get to the end.

One Critcisim of Murakami I have frequently seen is the slow pace of his books. I actually like that about them and I never feel that not much is happening. Instead I take the time to enjoy the writing style. I felt that I could take my time and appreciate it. It can be refreshing when you come across a book and you actually enjoy the slow pace. 1Q84 gave the impression that it was going to be this way too and so after the first chapter I settled in to that expectation. Of course, as I have already said, that changed in book 2. Since it was unexpected I was completely blown away by it. It's mainly for this reason that I would say it has overtaken Norwegian Wood on my list of favourites.

Don't get me wrong I think the characters are truly stereotypical for him. His writing didn't change that much. They are fairly likable and average for the most part. Sure they excel in things but in terms of personality they are average and it's another thing that I like about them. Even the quirky characters have that feel of every day about them (even when they are not every day. Perhaps because the characters don't see anything unusual in themselves and think of themselves as average). It's not a criticism and it's another reason why I love his work. Again with this book there was one difference and that was my reaction to them. Perhaps because I was so caught up in the second book but I really wanted everything to go right for them. I felt very strongly about that.

I really don't want to say too much about what happens within the book in general as I don't want to spoil any surprises for the reader. My recommendation is that you read the book. If you are new to Murakami though I would read some of his others first. Not because I think it's necessary to understand 1Q84. Really, it's because I would hate for anyone to read it and love it and then be disappointed with his back list after reading such a good book.

Of course I have yet to read the third book and I am not sure when I will get to do that (I haven't even picked it up yet). I am a little curious as the third one was translated by someone else. I wonder if that will affect the style. Definitely a worry and something to look out for.

Which brings me to another worry. How is Murakami going to surpass himself with his next book? I really don't see how that would be possible. I wonder if he will have set the bar too high with this one (in my opinion I think Douglas Coupland did that with Jpod). It will interesting to find out.