This was the most perfect way to re-read my favorite Austen. I love annotations, but when reading a classic that has all the notes at the end of the book, or the ends of the chapters, it can be frustrating to flip back and forth. This is the perfect answer: a page of text and a facing page full of annotations. And not just your typical footnotes – there are drawings of items of historical significance (carriages, clothing, furniture, etc.), maps, quotes from Austen’s letters regarding places or events in the novel, detailed historical explanations, as well as the typical explanations of outdated language and antiquated word usage. I can’t wait to get my hands on The Annotated Sense and Sensibility and The Annotated Pride and Prejudice!

Title: The Most Dangerous Thing
Author: Laura Lippman
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: William Morrow
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Source: Audiobook from the public library
Audiobook reader: Linda Emond
First line: They throw him out when he falls off the barstool.

I really enjoyed Lippman’s I’d Know You Anywhere, and was hoping this stand-alone mystery would keep me as enthralled. It didn’t. At first, I thought it was the reader, because her performance was just okay – but she also narrated I’d Know You Anywhere, and I listened to it on audio and was engrossed. There seemed to be an emotional distance to this one – I couldn’t relate to any of the characters. The big reveal at the end wasn’t really a surprise, either. I did, however, like the cameo appearance by Lippman’s character Tess Monaghan, a private investigator. I think I would enjoy that series, and definitely need to get my hands on the first one.

Title: Moon Over Manifest
Author: Clare Vanderpool
Genre: Middle grade fiction, historical fiction
Publisher: Yearling
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Source: Audiobook from the public library
Audiobook reader: Justine Eyre, Cassandra Campbell, Kirby Heyborne
First line: The movement of the train rocked me like a lullaby.

Books like Moon Over Manifest remind me why I still read children’s fiction. This is fiction that transcends age. Abilene Tucker is a young heroine reminiscent of Scout Finch, and her summer in Manifest, Kansas, reveals her father’s history – and her future. Along the way, she tries to solve the mystery of The Rattler, finds the letters of a young soldier fighting in the trenches of World War I, does yard work for a diviner, makes two new friends, and lives with a pastor named Shady whose church is in a speakeasy. I can’t say enough about this book – it really deserves its own review, but I allowed myself to fall behind again. Just read it. And if you like audiobooks, that is definitely the way to go with this one, as the narrators are all pitch-perfect.

© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2012. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: audiobooks, children's fiction, classics, historical fiction, jane austen, middle grade fiction, mysteries

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Vanessa “Michael” Munroe is an informationist – she can find and combine information in ways that no one else can, and her services are highly valued by governments, multi-national corporations, and private clients. She has just finished a job in Turkey when her agent, Kate, calls with an interesting offer. Richard Burbank, a Texas oil tycoon, wants to hire her to look into the disappearance of his daughter Emily. Eighteen-year-old Emily disappeared in Africa four years ago, and all attempts to locate her have failed – in spite of unlimited financial backing by Burbank.

Munroe is tempted, even though this is a completely different kind of job than she usually takes. She hasn’t returned to Africa in nine years, and the memories of her childhood and adolescence on the dark continent have haunted her ever since. Munroe takes the job, determined to not only find Emily, but face the demons of her past.

Wow. Really, what more can I say? This book has been getting a lot of buzz (a lot of comparisons to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), and it is all well deserved. There are some similarities between Munroe and Lisbeth Salander of the Stieg Larsson trilogy, but Taylor Stevens has created her own emotionally damaged, kick-butt heroine and thrown her into the middle of a tangled web of a mystery, one in which the final strands aren’t separated until the page-turning final chapters.

The author has her own personal history with Africa, and it shows – she sets the reader right in the middle of the heat and dust and government corruption and violence that embody so many African countries. She also gives Munroe a couple of male characters to play against: Miles Bradford, a security consultant hired by Burbank to watch Munroe’s back while in Africa, against Munroe’s wishes; and Francisco Beyard, a dangerous man from Munroe’s past. The character of Beyard, especially, gives the reader a chance to explore more of Munroe’s history, to understand how she has become the woman she is.

I understand why people are comparing this character to Lisbeth Salander, but there are some differences between this book and the Larsson series, differences I appreciate. While Munroe’s story is equally dark, it is told in a much less graphic way. I don’t mind dark stories with violence, but I like it when the author gives the reader just enough information without spelling out each and every gory, terrible detail. Also, the character seems to make some progress emotionally through the book. Yes, she is damaged, and her story is horrific, but when I closed the book, I didn’t feel like I’d just crawled out of a deep pit of despair, which is how the Larsson books made me feel.

The Innocent, the second book in the Vanessa Munroe series, is already out, and I will be listening to it on audio as soon as my name gets to the top of the hold list. I’m especially excited to read it, knowing that this one will deal with some of the author’s own history as a child of the Children of God/Family International cult. I always find stories about people who escape cults fascinating, and, while I would love to read Steven’s non-fiction memoir, I also am interested to see how she deals with her own history in a fictional way.

© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2012. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: mysteries, thrillers

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~ Caribousmom: Blogger Impact – inspired by author Beth Kephart’s editorial, The Value Rubric: Do Book Bloggers Really Matter?

Reviews and blog posts that have me adding to my to-read list:

~ The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye, mentioned by author Laurie King on Facebook

~ Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski, reviewed by Julie at Book Hooked Blog

~ The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons, reviewed by Katy at A Few More Pages

Book to movie news:

~ The screenplay for the film adaptation of Catching Fire will not be written by Suzanne Collins. Uh, oh…

Other bookish links:

~ Mystery Writers of America announces the 2012 Edgar Award Nominees

~ Are you a fan of the British television series Downton Abbey? If so, publishers have a suggested reading list for you.

~ Penguin is pulling their audiobooks from library download site, Overdrive. After Brilliance Audio pulled the same thing, I’m wondering about the future availability of downloadable audiobooks at the library.

© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2012. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: audiobooks, book awards, book blogging, book to film, movies, mysteries, TBR list

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Faithful Place by Tana French
From my review: “Tana French is a genius when it comes to writing a thriller that succeeds as both a mystery and as well-crafted literature.”

The Sherlockian by Graham Moore
From my review: “The chapters alternate between storylines, and I can’t decide which one I liked best. I loved the character of Harold White, the new Irregular – but I also loved the way that Moore portrayed Doyle. I could see this easily becoming the first in a series of mystery novels, and I, for one, would line up for book two.”

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
From my review: “I love mysteries where the mystery is the story, but I also love mysteries where the mystery is the backdrop for the story of the characters. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is the second type of mystery – and the story of Larry’s and Silas’s friendship takes center stage. Franklin deftly shows how racism has to be taught, and the evolution of the boys’ relationship is heartbreaking.”

V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton
I just finished this one on audio, so I’m not sure if I’ll have time to review it before the end of the year. Suffice it to say that I am in total Kinsey Millhone love again. I didn’t like “T,” but “U” started to win me back, and V is for Vengeance was excellent.

© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2011. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: favorites, mysteries

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For as long as Deuce can remember, she has wanted to be a Huntress, to be given her true name and no longer be one of the nameless brats. But when she achieves her goal, she is assigned Fade as her partner. He grew up outside the enclave, and his strangeness causes Deuce to start to question what she’s always believed, what she’s always been told. I enjoyed Enclave very much – Deuce is a complicated, fierce character, and the transformation of her world and worldview made for a fascinating story. The world-building is also excellent, as well as the interaction between Deuce and Fade. This book works as a stand-alone, but I see that the author has a sequel coming out in 2012. I’m excited to read it – not because she left me hanging at the end of Enclave and I HAVE to read it – but because the world she has built and the characters that people it are worth revisiting.

Title: Ready Player One
Author: Ernest Cline
Genre: Dystopian, science fiction
Publisher: Crown
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Source: Audiobook from the public library
Audiobook reader: Wil Wheaton
First line: Everyone my age remembers where they were and what they were doing when they first heard about the contest.

Sandy was right – this book is amazing! I’m not a gamer, so I wasn’t initially interested in reading Ready Player One. Then, Sandy posted her review, which told me everything I needed to know: chock full of 80s nostalgia, action-packed, and narrated by the brilliant Wil Wheaton. Like Sandy, I am the target audience for this book – and so is my husband. He will be reading it soon – all I had to say was: Joust, War Games, RUSH’s “2112″ album, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, etc. etc. etc.

Title: Explosive Eighteen
Author: Janet Evanovich
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Bantam
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Source: Audiobook from the public libary
Audiobook reader: Lorelei King
First line: New Jersey was 40,000 feet below me, obscured by cloud cover.

Stephanie is back, baby! I wasn’t all that thrilled with the seventeenth book in the series, but I found Explosive Eighteen thoroughly enjoyable. Sure, Stephanie is still torn between Ranger and Morelli, but there was less about that and more Stephanie and Lulu attempting to be Rangeresque bounty hunters, and that makes for lots of humor. And, of course, these books are all read by the incomparable Lorelei King – I wouldn’t experience them any other way.

© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2011. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: audiobooks, dystopian, janet evanovich, lorelei king, mysteries, non-fiction, science fiction, stephanie plum, wendell berry, YA fiction

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After reading the first few of King’s Holmes/Russell mysteries, I decided it was time I read the original. I quickly made my way through all of the original Holmes stories and novellas by Arthur Conan Doyle. They are, of course, brilliant. I also recently read – and enjoyed – The Sherlockian by Graham Moore.

When I heard there was a new Sherlock Holmes novel out – not a pastiche, but an actual Holmes novel narrated by John Watson – I have to admit I was a bit worried. I didn’t know anything about Anthony Horowitz, other than that he was the author of the Alex Rider series for kids. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that I didn’t even know he was a UK author – I thought he was American.

My ignorance aside, it appears that Horowitz is a respected author and lover of the Holmes canon – so much so that the Conan Doyle estate has endorsed his novel The House of Silk. That was enough to convince me – and then I saw this video of Horowitz reading from the preface:

The House of Silk now sits very close to the top of my to-be-read list. I think it will be a perfect winter read.

This is a sponsored post.

© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2011. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: sherlock holmes

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I received an e-mail from my sister, Marni, this week, and it was full of book recommendations that have me excited, so I e-mailed for permission to share them with all of you, and she graciously agreed. Below, you will find Marni’s suggested titles and her thoughts on each one. Enjoy!

Mimus by Lilli Thal – This is a dutch writer who is an absolute genius with dialogue. It’s written for teens and the Jester in it makes a few crude jokes, so use your own discretion about it for your kids. And lots of Christian worldview – though I don’t know what her personal beliefs are. But I loved the book – one of the best I’ve read this year.

Keeper of the Grail (The Youngest Templar, Book 1) by Michael Spradlin – Great adventure stories. These are also for teens. There’s some mild language in them, but I’ve listened to the first one and am in the middle of the second one and I wouldn’t have any objection to Peter (he’s age 9) reading them. Carrie, I think your boys would really enjoy them.

A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd – The first book in the Bess Crawford mystery series. These are set during the first world war – an era I love to learn about.

The Winter Ghosts by Kate Moss – This was a really different story, but good writing and surprises you where it ends up.

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton – Kind of like creepy/gothic/ghost/mystery stuff. Great writing.

© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2011. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: fantasy, gothic fiction, historical fiction, historical mysteries, TBR list, YA fiction

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Brava, Valentine picks up shortly after the end of Very Valentine. Valentine is in Italy for her grandmother’s wedding, hoping to rekindle her romance with Gianluca, and wondering how she is going to run the Angelini shoe company without her grandmother. Gran has a surprise in store, however, when she gives the company to Valentine and her brother, Alfred – to run together. She will have to learn to work with her brother to save the company, as well as decide what she wants for her romantic future. I loved this book as much as the first. The crazy Roncalli family is the main element that makes these novels so much fun – a family that is equal parts insanity, love, and loyalty.

Audio notes: Cassandra Campbell is rapidly becoming one of my favorite female narrators. Her reading was pitch-perfect.

Title: Smokin’ Seventeen
Author: Janet Evanovich
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Bantam
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Source: Audiobook from the public library
Audiobook reader: Lorelei King

I have to admit, these books are starting to drag. I still love the characters, but there is really only so much you can do with a series like this. I think Evanovich would be wise to end the series with the next book – and finally let Stephanie choose between Ranger and Morelli.

Audio notes: If my only choice were to read these books in print, I would have given up on this series. But I can listen to them on audio, read by the brilliant Lorelei King, and so will stick with it.

Title:
Author: Ann Brashares
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Publisher: Random House
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Source: Audiobook from the public library
Audiobook reader: Angela Goethals
First line: Once, when she was thirteen, Carmen remembered turning to Tibby with her CosmoGirl magazine in one hand and her eye pencil in the other and declaring that she could never, ever get sick of doing makeovers.

Brashares has given all of us lovers of the Sisterhood a fitting ending to the series. Without giving anything away, I was pretty mad at the author for a good bit of this book, but came around and ended up loving it.

Audio notes: Angela Goethals was the perfect choice to give the members of the Sisterhood their voices.

Title: Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand
Author: Helen Simonson
Genre: Contemporary fiction, British fiction
Publisher: Random House
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Source: Audiobook from the public library; print copy that was a gift from Vasilly
Audiobook reader: Peter Altschuler
First line: Major Pettigrew was still upset about the phone call from his brother’s wife and so he answered the doorbell without thinking.

This has all the elements of a terrific comedy of manors – very Austen-esque – only set in modern day Britain. I loved Major Pettigrew’s character and his thoughts and observations on the people around him often made me smile or chuckle. The author has dealt with modern-day prejudice with honesty and humor and given the reader a wonderful later-in-life romance. Highly recommended.

Audio notes: Peter Altschuler became Major Pettigrew’s voice in my head. He also did a wonderful job of voicing the other characters, with all their varying accents. I will be watching for more books narrated by him.

© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2011. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: audiobooks, british fiction, contemporary fiction, janet evanovich, mysteries, stephanie plum

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“M, I, crooked letter, crooked letter, I, crooked letter, crooked letter, I, humpback, humpback, I.” -How southern children are taught to spell Mississippi

When Silas and Larry were boys, they were friends. Larry was the son of a white couple; Silas the son of a single black mother. Their parents didn’t know about the friendship, and the rest of the world was determined to come between them. In high school, racial differences seemed too big a gulf to cross, and the boys drifted apart. Then, on prom night, a teenage girl disappeared – and Larry was the last person to be seen with her. Due to lack of evidence and no confession, the charges were dropped, but the town had already convicted Larry and he became the town loner: “Scary Larry.”

Years later, Silas is back, working as the town constable. When another girl goes missing, attention is turned toward Larry, and Silas is in the middle of the investigation. As he searches for the truth, he must also face his history with Larry – and the things he has kept secret from all those years ago.

I love mysteries where the mystery is the story, but I also love mysteries where the mystery is the backdrop for the story of the characters. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is the second type of mystery – and the story of Larry’s and Silas’s friendship takes center stage. Franklin deftly shows how racism has to be taught, and the evolution of the boys’ relationship is heartbreaking.

Franklin knows small town southern life. Larry’s ostracism is complete; he has become a legend, so that even the generations who weren’t around when the girl disappeared treat him like the town freak. In spite of this, he stays in town, making a semblance of a life – a life that would have continued to be the same, day after day, if it wasn’t for the fact that another girl disappears. The mystery isn’t all that mysterious, but I don’t think the author intended it to be. Because it is obvious who the perpetrator is, the reader isn’t distracted from the real story of Larry and Silas.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is a must-read for all fans of southern fiction and literary mysteries. I look forward to reading more of Franklin’s work.

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© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2011. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: contemporary fiction, mysteries

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It has been thirty years since global holocaust, and the village of Carthage is struggling to build a new society. Hadrian Boone, one of the original founders, has watched a village founded on the desire for a future descend into corruption, greed, and power struggles. Disillusioned and wracked with grief over the family he lost, Hadrian has become an alcoholic and frequent trouble-maker. It is only when the town’s wise man, Jonah, is murdered, that Hadrian is motivated to come out of his drunken haze and try to find the connection between Jonah’s murder, a rash of child suicides, and a shipwreck that may or may not have happened.

In many dystopian novels, the dystopia is the story. In this book, the dystopia is only the setting, but don’t let that word “only” fool you. The mystery is the story, and it exists in a dystopian future so real that I dreamed about it. The settlers of Carthage have managed to build an existence that goes back to the days before technology, and they supplement by salvaging what they can find in the ruins around them. Some people, like Hadrian and Jonah, want to preserve the past and learn from it, while others are determined to censor the literature from before the holocaust, believing that their only hope is to forget their history and look to the future.

One of the things I love most about dystopian literature is the way books become valued artifacts and reminders of the past, often reminders that some people want to suppress. Lucas Buchanan, the governor of Carthage, is one of those people. He’s a dangerous leader – the type who believes that the end justifies the means, that the survival of the village is more important than the rights and treatment of the individual citizen. He uses his police force to control the village and has no problem subverting the path of true justice, if he believes it will advance his goals.

Outside the village are the exiles, those most harmed by radiation sickness. The village council pushed them out, unwilling to deal with the illnesses and birth defects becoming rampant in the population. Hadrian, Jonah, and the village doctor, Emily, long to see a bridge built between the town and the exiles, a sharing of resources and knowledge, but Lucas has managed to place people on the council who he is able to control. Or are they controlling him?

Ashes of the Earth vividly demonstrates the fact that human nature doesn’t change. There will always be people determined to do the right thing, people who value learning and knowledge, people who show compassion and mercy to those less fortunate than themselves. And there will always be people who manipulate and twist events to their own benefit, who see others as tools to be used, who see power as something to be grasped, and believe that the weak exist to serve the strong. Those attributes are magnified in a dystopian setting, where it seems like a person’s true nature rises to the surface.

I highly recommend this book to all fans of dystopian fiction. The mystery got a little confusing at times, but all came together in the end, and the quality of writing and world-building make it a must-read addition to the genre.

© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2011. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: dystopian fiction, mysteries, science fiction

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