China Mieville, Michael Chabon, and Genre Blending**

In The Millions today, Bill Morris has this great essay on China Mieville entitled, "How China Mieville Got Me To Stop Worrying and Love Monsters."

This is a both a love note to Mieville and a discussion on the mixing of genres.  This is an issue that I also feel strongly about. Great reads do not need to be all literary or all genre based. Just because a book has monsters does not make it "lower" than another book.

Morris' essay on Mieville is a great starting point in this discussion. And, if you haven't read Mieville, you should. But if you want to read more, run out to the library and borrow Michael Chabon's Maps and Legends:Reading and Writing on the Borderlands. Specifically, read the first chapter, "Trickster in a Suit of Lights," which contemplates this issue at length. In this chapter, Chabon posits that the best literature is that which is written in between the genres. Works that take a bit from other genres, in his opinion, tend to be the best.

Chabon should know.  He is a master who mixes genres in all of his works and has racked up the awards to prove his worth.

**This is a cross post with RA for All Horror.

What I'm Reading: The City and the City

Please note: this is the first of 2 final reports on book I finished reading in 2010.

During the 2010 award season, China Mieville's The City and the City (which came out in 2009) pretty much swept the SF awards.  I had it on my to-read list because I enjoy Mieville's genre-crossing speculative fiction.  He has an extraordinary imagination, and is one of the most original writers of thought-provoking and fun genre fiction.

Enough with the praise though, because I have to say, despite my general positive opinion about Mieville, I found The City and the City only so-so.  The premise is fascinating.  The setting is a near-future city-state of Beszel in Eastern Europe.  Our narrator is Borlu, a police detective who is assigned to solve the murder of an unidentified young woman who was dumped in a park.

As Borlu begins to investigate, Mieville consciously obscures a few big facts of life in Beszel which have to do with its neighboring city-state of Ul Qoma.  I don't want to give away too many spoilers here because unravelling the relationship between the two countries is most of the fun in reading this book.  Once that is unravelled however, the book loses steam.

I think it boils down to the fact that the dystopian science fiction parts of the book are awesome.  The ideas and situations are unique, complicated, and just fun to wrap your brain around (again, I don't want to ruin the fun, so I am being purposely vague).  But, the mystery parts of the book are lacking.  I am not a huge mystery reader, but I read enough to know that this is the weakest part of the book, and since it begins with a murder, this is a glaring problem.  It might not have helped that I had also recently finished an amazing crime novel.

Basically, the book has serious third act issues.  Once the Bezel-Ul Qoma connection/relationship is fully comprehended solving the mystery is a bit cliche.  It might only be cliche though in comparison to the brilliance of the set-up.  I am not sure.  All I know is that I loved the process of reading The City and the City for 2/3 of the book, and dutifully finished the last 1/3.  Which is sad to me, because I finished feeling unsatisfied, even though I over-the-top loved the first 2/3.

Appeal: This novel is for fans of dystopian science fiction who are also not fans of a tight mystery.  It is extremely thought-provoking, original, eye opening, and satirical.  The main character is strong and well developed while the rest are more sketches or even stereotypes.  This is a first person point of view story.  Borlu is our only eyes, but his movements allow us to see all facets of this complicated story.  The setting is intriguing; it is exotic yet familiar at the same  time.  By taking the issue of nationality and country borders to an absurd degree, this novel makes the reader contemplate our geopolitical system of countries and borders.  I LOVED this aspect of the novel.  The City and the City has a very complex plot that slowly unravels.  If the reader is willing to put in the work, Mieville will lay it all out by the end.  As a result, the pace is steady, but requires patience.

Three "Words" That Describe This Book: thought-provoking, slowly unravelling plot, dystopian sf

Readalikes:  As I was reading The City and the City, I kept thinking of another dystopian sf title I read in 2010 which I thought did a better job of tackling very similar issues; in fact, that title made my year end top 10 list.  It is Jasper Fforde's Shades of Grey.  Use the link I provided to read more about that book.

A few other dystopian sf titles that I would also suggest are Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, and 1984 by George Orwell.

Another less well known dystopian sf title that I would highly suggest is We by Yevgeny Zamyatin,  This Russian title has been reissued by Modern Library Classics.

Readers may also be interested in learning more about international borders, managing relations in inter-border regions, and even international criminal investigations.  This link can get you started there.

RA Links Round Up--The Back From Vacation Edition

Thanks for hanging in there last week.  I was in Southern California on Spring Break.  A big thanks to my students for guest hosting the blog last week.

But I am back and although I did no work while on vacation, I still did a quick scan of my RSS feeds via my iPhone each day (mostly to clear out the backlog) and starred the things I wanted to pass on.

Also, check out RA for All: Horror later this week. I am working on a report on why people love the Haunted Mansion and Tower of Terror (yes we went to Disney) even though they are fairly scary.

So here are a few tidbits I wanted to pass on:

• The Bram Stoker Awards and the Vampire Novel of the Century were announced on March 31st.  Click here for the official results.  I was very happy to see Joe McKinney's Flesh Eaters win best novel.  His Dead City series is fabulous, and I highlighted it in my PLA presentation.
• I love Bookmobiles.  My dream has always been to run one, but I know it probably will never happen.  Last week, NPR ran this great report on the end of bookmobiles.  If you share my love of bookmobiles, don't forget about Ian Sansom's Bookmobile Mystery series.
• Anne Tyler gave a lengthy interview to NPR.  She has a new book and rarely gives interviews.  I have had great luck using Digging to America as a book discussion book.
• The Sisters Brothers won the Morning News Tournament of Books! I was so happy.  It was one of my personal favs in 2011 too.
• We also hit the Madame Tussaud wax museum in Hollywood.  And in a freaky coincidence, Reading the Past ran this review of Michelle Moran's fiction biography of this fascinating woman.  I was happy to see that we do own the book here at Berwyn.
• One of the most original authors out there today is China Mieville.  The problem is his books are very hard to classify by genre.  They are all genres and no genre at one time.  This is great for readers, but very hard when librarians try to make lists of core authors.  I am embroiled in it right now as I am part of building the new ARRT Popular Authors list.  We have to have Mieville on the list, but cannot figure out where to put him.  The best description I have seen is that he writes "Weird Fiction."  Last week Mieville talked about his writing with Jeff VanderMeer for the Weird Fiction Review.
• While I was gone, Joyce Saricks tackled nonfiction the GSLIS 763 students.  Click here to see what they read last week.

That's what I was thinking about while I was gone.  Look for the Monday Discussion in a few minutes.  And a back to normal week.

Death Brackets: Speculative Division

Now to the other side of the bracket.  First up is Speculative which includes Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror.

To follow all the Death Brackets, click here.

Welcome to the 2012 Author Death Brackets where some of the Berwyn Public Library’s most popular, living authors will participate in a virtual battle to see who comes out alive to claim the title as the favorite (and toughest) author among our patrons. There are 4 categories of 8 authors paired against each other, with the winner of each bracket squaring off in a final four battle.

The Death Brackets are to be taken with a sense of humor.  The library does not condone violence or wish bad things upon these authors.  We do, however, hope to lighten the tense election atmosphere by electing our own sole survivor.

[The idea of author death brackets and the graphic were originally conceived at http://www.criminalelement.com]

Speculative

Round One: 4 Battles
Stephen King vs. Dean Koontz
The first battle is a doozy, pitting two of the most popular horror authors against each other. While Koontz continues to write creepy bestsellers, King rules the charts with horror novels, science fiction, graphic novels, and short stories, and that is just in the last 2 years. With this slight upper hand, King turns dirty. Knowing that Koontz recently wrote a memoir about his dog, King kidnaps the canine, and kicks a distraught Koontz while he’s down for a swift victory. Winner: King

Jim Butcher vs. China Mieville
Butcher’s Harry Dresden is a wizard living in Chicago, keeping us all safe from the seedy, supernatural underbelly. On the other hand, Mieville writes complex, layered, and interesting speculative stories that challenge readers to rethink the idea of genre constraints.  But in the end, Butcher has the home court advantage, and his supernatural friends easily help him take down the more metaphorical Mieville. Winner: Butcher

Orson Scott Card vs. Neil Gaiman
These two genre giants are honored to meet each other for battle and spend the opening rounds paying homage to each other’s genius. The longevity of Card’s Ender Wiggins series in particular puts him in a good offensive position, but in the end, Gaiman’s darker themes allow him to fight dirty.  And when he pulls out his Newbery Medal, Card is forced to concede. Winner: Gaiman

George R. R. Martin vs. Jasper Fforde
Fforde’s literary based fantasy series is extremely popular with patrons. Fforde brings his best weapon, the pun, to arm himself in battle, but the juggernaut that is Martin and his epic The Song of Ice and Fire series filled with deceit, violence, incest, and even zombies, pauses for just a moment to laugh at the first pun and then cuts Fforde down with one swing of the sword. Winner: Martin

********************************************************************
Round Two: 2 Battles
Stephen King vs. Jim Butcher
Butcher knows he has a difficult task ahead of him, going up against one of America’s greatest living storytellers, but the wizard Dresden has some dark magic up his sleeve.  Too bad King has a monster of his own to counter attack everything Dresden throws at him. After weakening Dresden with an evil clown and a vampire, King finally brings him down in a wall of flames courtesy of his first creation, Carrie. Winner: King

Neil Gaiman vs. George R.R. Martin
To counteract the literary might of the Newbery Medal, Martin sends the evil child king Joffrey out to the battlefield. Gaiman has a stable of bestselling creatures of his own, from superheroes to Norse Gods, but none of them are as desperate for power as the Martin characters battling for the Iron Throne. As prolific as Gaiman is the sheer number of brutal, blood thirsty, characters in Martin’s epic series overwhelms Gaiman, burying him and his Newbery in a fetid pile of bodies. Winner: Martin

****************************************************************
Round Three: 1 Battle
Stephen King vs. George R.R. Martin
Martin is feeling confident as his popular books and TV series are reigning supreme, but King is a grizzled veteran who has been at the top of the best seller charts for decades. The cocky Martin tries to put King away in the first round by releasing the dragons. But King, the horror master, sends out his full stable of evil beings to keep Martin tied up while he slips away to travel in time, back to the second before the battle begins, and attacks Martin from behind, ultimately ending this fight before it even began. Speculative Winner: King

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Monday Discussion: Things You Wish You Liked More

Last week I posted here about how I wished I sought out more poetry. I like poetry, I just forget to seek it out, and since it is not shelved in my collection area, I need to work harder to simply remember it.

But then I got to thinking about genres and authors I should like in theory, but when I actually read them, I just don't.

Here are some examples.

China Mieville is an author I should love.  His books are genre benders that mix fantasy and science fiction.  They are intricately plotted, with awesome world-building and lots of social commentary.  But every time I read one, I am disappointed. Usually it is the characters and the endings that let me down.  I really want to like Mieville, but it just never comes together for me.

I also do not like Mysteries as much as I think I should.  I have a few series I like a lot, but I like those because of the characters or the setting.  In general, I am always annoyed at how neatly mysteries end.  The bad guy is caught and the good guys prevail.  Mystery has none of the anxiety and uncertainty I love in horror and psychological suspense.

Here is an example of these mixed feelings from when I read Jo Nesbo's The Snowman.  I loved the book until the movie-like ending.  It wrapped up too neatly for me. But even though I know that Mysteries always end happily resolved without any ambiguity, I keep trying to find one I will love without reservation.

What about you?  For today's Monday Discussion, share an author, genre, or format you wish you liked more.

For past Monday Discussions, click here.

What I’m Reading: This Census-Taker

Here is the draft version of one of my reviews. The final review is in the magazine.

This Census-Taker by China Miéville

Jan. 2016. 208p. Del Rey, hardcover, $24  (9781101967324). 

REVIEW.  First published December 15, 2015 (Booklist).

Mieville is back with an ominous, thought provoking fairy tale for adults, narrated by an unnamed man as he looks back on the pivotal weeks during his ninth year when his mother disappeared under nefarious circumstances. At it’s heart, this is the story of how a scared, confused boy took the first steps that led him to his current adult life. The descriptions of the world in which the novella takes place and the characters involved in the action (both in the past and present) are purposely vague, but this narrative choice gives the story a magical feel, leaving us questioning how much we are supposed to believe. It also captivates, giving us glimpses of cities ravaged by decades of war, mysterious keys that might do dangerous things, many missing persons, and most strikingly, a very deep hole. While many questions will still remain once the final page is turned, answers are not why you read this tale. Rather, Mieville is offering us the opportunity to contemplate our own adult lives and question what led us to where we find ourselves today presented in the form of a compelling and fascinating book that begs to be read in a sitting or two. Fans of Mieville will enjoy seeing some of the ideas he contemplated in regards to place and boundaries in the award-winning The City & The City poking through here. Comparisons to Gaiman’s Ocean at the End of the Lane are inevitable, but this novella more closely resembles the narrative style, quirkiness, and plotting found in the works of Karen Russell, Aimee Bender, or Steven Millhauser.

Three Words That Describe This Book: mysterious, open ended, thought-provoking

Readalikes: Mieville is the reigning king of the New Weird. Another master of this emerging genre is Jeff Vandermeer. HIs Southern Reach Trilogy is a great readalike. I read Annihilation and wrote a review here. At that link I have many more readalikes suggestions. Both This Census Taker and Annihilation can be read in a sitting or two.

ARRT Book Club Study: Yiddish Policemen’s Union is Today But This Post Is Only Tangentially About That

As I mentioned last month here, our next meeting of the ARRT Book Club Study is today and we are discussing The Yiddish Policemen’s Union.

Today I want to touch on a few issues regarding this meeting today and very little of it has to do with the book at hand. Rather, I thought I would use this opportunity to write about a few different things dealing with how and why we run the Book Club Study program.

But first, I want to mention how much fun re-reading this book was for me.  This was one of the best books I read in 2007! I listened to it this time to freshen up my memory, but as I did, I was trying to think back to the person I was when I read this book ten years ago. Honestly it seems like a lifetime ago-- for me and for the world and for our country.

Although I did not write up a new list of readalikes for this discussion, I did run a search of the blog to see when and where I used this Chabon novel as a readalike since 2007. You can click here to see all of the posts, but some titles that appeared were the Last Detective series by Ben Winters, The City and the City by China Mieville, and Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem. Click through for details on all of those titles.

Now back to the ARRT Book Club Study in general.

First of all, we run this book club study as both a training and a support group for book discussion leaders.  I feel very strongly that book club leaders need a place where they can not only get a chance to be a book club participant but also, have a place where they have a chance to complain and commiserate about their groups. For a more nuanced explanation of this point, click here to read my article on the topic from Booklist from December 2015.

But second, and more importantly, this group is my baby. I took our old, flagging, literary book discussion program and, with the help and support of the entire Steering Committee, not only completely changed what we were doing, but also reinvigorated it in the process. It has been rewarding and fun...

...but, now that I have done all the work and feel ownership of the program, I think it is the perfect time to let it go.

WHAT?!? I know that is what many of you are thinking right now. But hear me out.

I have loved creating this new discussion group about book discussion groups, but I also know that the energy I have expended is running low. I have plenty of people here in the organization who are hungry to take over what I revamped and run with it in their own direction. This is also paired with the fact that we are now getting a good core group that makes it to every meeting with a nice rotation of new people coming in and out.

Over the rest of this year, I will be slowly handing off the administrative duties of the Book Club Study to Elizabeth, a fellow Steering Committee member and a former student. She is more than ready to be in charge and I will happily step aside and be her #2. Not only does the organization need me to pass on this program which I revived to someone else, but I need it too. I am getting too busy to run this and it needs the attention it deserves. It is in good hands, yes, but Elizabeth will also be able to lead us into the future. My time to lead is past; I need to step aside.

Like I said, this post is only tangentially about our discussion today, but having the discussion means we will soon have notes on both the discussion of the book and the leadership discussion topic. I will let you know here on the blog when those are live.

But I think this point of letting things go once we get them off the ground is one which many of us need to tackle. I am hoping that my experience will help others to see the good that would come from cross training at a minimum, but also letting go and allowing others to take “your” thing to new places. Because it’s actually not yours, even if it feels that way, it belongs to everyone for whom you created it.

I will still be a member of the Book Club Study for the foreseeable future, and I will continue to update this blog with news and notes, but at least for the next few months, I will also report on the transition. I will be frank and honest about my feelings and actions. I hope it helps others both with their book groups and with any other programs they may want [or need] to hand off.

But until then,  I should tell you that the next discussion will be: Dream Land: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic by Sam Quinones Monday, August 7th from 2-4 pm at Deerfield Public Library and the leadership topic will be about how leading a book discussion on nonfiction is different from fiction. 

Monday Discussion: Bait and Swtich

Today is March 23rd and here in the Chicago area we have gotten at least 5 inches of snow. That is a case of bait and switch if I ever heard of one. Spring? What spring?!?

Rather than wallow in the slush, I got to thinking about books that gave me the bait and switch. What do I mean by that? Well, a book that on paper, or in the review should have been a perfect read for me, but in reality, when I actually read it, I did not enjoy it.

I went back and looked at some of the high profile, well reviewed books that I was surprised not to enjoy. Click through to read the reviews where I do write about why the book was ultimately unsuccessful for me as a reader, but I have to say, I have given these books out to many a satisfied patron over the years.  There truly is a book for every reader, and for every a reader, a book.

Red Moon by Benjamin Percy
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
The City and the City by China Mieville

For today's Monday Discussion, share your bait and switch books.

For past Monday Discussions, click here.

First Annual Award For Meanest Reviews

I spend a lot of time on this blog talking about how it doesn't matter if I personally liked a book or not, rather, it is all about finding the right reader for every book.  As RA librarians, it is our job to think about the appeal of the book on its own terms.  What about this book's pacing, storyline, mood, tone, characterizations, etc.. would make someone like it?

I have tried to practice what I preach.  Here are a few examples of books I really did not enjoy personally, but then consciously separated those feelings from my work in a review:

• Fay by Larry Brown
• The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan
• The City and the City by China Mieville

But that is how we roll in the nonjudgmental world of readers' advisory.  Out in the cut-throat world of professional book reviewing, things can get ugly...very ugly.  Ugly enough to have an award for "The Hatchet Job of the Year."

Click through to this article from FlavorWire on The Omnivore's decision to have an award for the meanest reviews of the year.  All 8 finalists and the publication they appeared in are linked here.  The winner will be announced February 7th.

I liked reading through these for a nice change of pace.  Sometimes it is tiring to have to always be positive about every book.  I am committed to doing it, and particularly, I find great joy in matching a book I did not enjoy with someone who ends up loving it; however, when a book really irks me, I will turn to these truly nasty reviews to help put it all in perspective.

Now is your chance though.  If you want to get your hatred for a book out of your system before you accidentally express those views to a patron, leave your comments here.

RIP Ray Bradbury

Of course it was inevitable.  The great science fiction writer, Bradbury was in his 90s, so while I was not surprised that he passed away on Tuesday, I was saddened.

Bradbury is a writer I have always admired.  He wrote fantastical but accessible stories.  I felt a kinship with his world view.  And I adored how he loved the public library with all of his heart.

Fahrenheit 451 is one of my all time favorite books.  I have read it at least 10 times, but I refuse to own a copy.  Bradbury wrote the book by feeding dimes in the pay typewriters at the LA Public Library.  As a book all about the importance of books and reading, I feel like I show solidarity with his message by reading public library copies of this book.

Also, back in April, I wrote this "Back List Not to Miss" post about Something Wicked This Way Comes.

Many people have argued that Bradbury is responsible for moving science fiction into the mainstream. He was one of the first genre writers who transcended genre and was simply considered...a writer.  Current authors like Neil Gaiman, China Mieville, and Michael Chabon would not be held up as writers of great literary fiction without Bradbury first paving the way.  They might still be confined to the fringes as "genre writers."

As readers, lovers of great story telling, and, for me at least, librarians, we all owe so much to Bradbury, his vision, his imagination, and his talent. All I want to say is "Thank You."

Already planned before his death, a new collection of stories inspired by Bradbury entitled, Shadow Show, featuring new stories by authors as varied as Margaret Atwood, Joe Hill, and Jacquelyn Mitchard, is coming out in July.  What a fitting tribute to such an amazingly talented man.

Click here for Bradbury's official website.

Trend Alert: Novellas are Hot!

I feel like this is the week of trends. Earlier this week over on the horror blog, I posted about the surge in production of horror audio books, and today I NEED to tell you all about the importance of adding novellas to your library collections because not only are they becoming one of the hottest trends in publishing today, but they are also featuring some of the best stories.

Let's start with a tiny bit of background. Novellas have been a vibrant and popular form of story telling especially in the speculative genres of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. for a good while However, even though these 150ish page volumes were popular with readers, libraries rarely bought them for their collections. The argument always was that we don't have enough money to buy every novella, no matter how good, so let's not buy any. Plus, the argument went, those authors who were the best at the form, normally moved into novels, so we would be able to add these authors to our collections when their novels came out. I will not lie, I often came to these conclusions over my 15 years of buying fiction at a public library, even when it came to horror, and there I knew better because I had read some amazing stuff.

My point is, we all did it.

But, in 2013 Neil Gaiman released the fantastic novella, The Ocean at the End of the Lane [link goes to my review] and you would have been hard pressed to find any American library that did NOT order this. It was a huge hit. And it was 100% a novella.

And don't think publishers and authors weren't paying attention to that moment. Case in point- James Patterson's widely popular BookShots with the tag line: "Life moves fast--books should too. Pulse-pounding thrillers under $5 and 150 pages or less."

At first, libraries were debating whether or not they should buy and carry these novellas. Patterson is one of the top circulating authors for all libraries, and demand proved to be too much not to stock them. You can now find many Patterson novellas at your local public library. So no more saying we don't buy novellas in general for libraries. We have all violated this with either the Gaiman or Patterson titles. Every single one of us.

Now proof number three that novellas are not only worth our collection dollars because they are popular, but also, because they are really good. Yesterday, the 2017 Hugo Finalists were announced and I was surprised that I had not only read three of the titles in the novella category, but I had LOVED them all. And I read them on my own, not because I "had" to.  Below is the list with links to my reviews where appropriate:

Best Novella 

• The Ballad of Black Tom, by Victor LaValle (Tor.com publishing)
• The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe, by Kij Johnson (Tor.com publishing)
• Every Heart a Doorway, by Seanan McGuire (Tor.com publishing)
• Penric and the Shaman, by Lois McMaster Bujold (Spectrum Literary Agency)
• A Taste of Honey, by Kai Ashante Wilson (Tor.com publishing)
• This Census-Taker, by China Mieville (Del Rey / Picador)

Every Heart a Doorway also made my year end, overall list of the best books I read and I included The Ballad of Black Tom in my April 2016 column in Library Journal and this recorded book talk. These were books I really enjoyed even when put up against full novels. [Side note/bonus proof, the next book in the McGuire Series is coming out in June; Entertainment Weekly thinks it will be popular enough that they are running an excerpt; order it now.]

I think the reason novellas are trending has a lot to do with the eBook revolution. It has been widely shown that increased readership of eBooks has led people to read more just in general, in any format. People don't care how long something is anymore. Now that they are back into the reading for fun habit, people are looking for good stories, and more of them. Novellas are long enough to give readers the detail and character development they crave without sacrificing a swift pace.

The problem is with us--libraries. We are behind in this trend. We need to get over the blanket "no novellas policy," and stop only making concessions for the biggest name authors. We are missing out on some amazing stories, and the trend will keep building.

Now if you will excuse me, I am off to write a review for Booklist of the next huge novella hit, Gwendy's Button Box by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar. It will become further proof of all I said here as I will be giving it a whole hearted star review. It is up there with the Gaiman and McGuire stories as an excellent dark fantasy tale regardless of length.

Don't miss out on this trend. Not only do readers want more novellas, but authors are giving us excellent options to choose from. Why not try one to see for yourself?

What I'm Reading: Where'd You Go Bernadette?

The march of reviews keeps going.  In my last post I wrote about 2 debut novels, so I thought today would be a good time to look at a second novel.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple had a lot of buzz when it came out a few months ago, so I put it on my to-read list.  The short version of my review is that I was totally engrossed in this book as I was reading it.  It was all set up as a mystery.  Bernadette goes missing and her daughter has created this book as a result of her work piecing everything together.  However, as much as I loved the novel while I was reading it, I was ultimately disappointed in the ending.

That's the quick review, here are the details on the appeal (why you would read it or not) with a little bit of plot details.

The novel is set up in a mostly epistolary style.  Bernadette's precocious 8th grade daughter Bee is gathering the documents to understand why her mom disappeared and figure out where she went.  This adds two interesting things to the story.  First, we have the story of a family told in a caper style format.  Note the word caper.  That denotes not just the investigative elements but the humor here. Second, we have a precocious narrator who is not annoying.  She only takes the narration for small portions of the entire story.  Mostly, she is presenting the emails, documents, letters, and articles to us.

This boils down to a great execution of a complex style by Semple.  This could have been a disaster, but instead, it all worked perfectly.  People who normally avoid overly precocious narrators, will not be annoyed by Bee, and what could have been another wacky family story, comes off as fresh and original  with the investigation's suspense and the quirkiness of the people involved both being positively enhanced by the frame.

Speaking of quirkiness, you will love this book for the characters. Bernadette comes alive through her emails, letters, and the articles about her amazing career as an architect.  Elgin, her husband, is endearing in his incompetence, and Bee, mentioned above, is realistic in her obsession to find her mother.

One customer review in Amazon mentioned that the truth is complicated.  That's another things I liked about this book. Yes it is a domestic comedy at times, and even a bit of a tear jerker at others. but the story and the characters are not one dimensional.  They have complicated back stories and personalities that felt real.  The story could have been filled with stereotypes-- the mean moms at school, the misunderstood mother, the computer genius--but it is not.  It is as rich and complex as life's real problems truly are; well maybe a little bit exaggerated since Bernadette is an actual genius award winner and Elgin, her husband, is a computer programming superstar.  But even that is down played when it comes to the plot. The Fox family, and even the secondary characters, are fleshed out and act and react like real people, not characters.

The setting is also important here as Semple skewers Seattle, its inhabitants, its coffee and Microsoft culture, and the private school system.  Semple's biting wit is slightly exaggerated but mostly true.  She also includes an amusing secondary storyline which satirizes the green building trend.

However, like when I read The City and the City by China Mieville awhile back, a complete reading of Where'd You Go Bernadette made me question whether or not early reviewers read the entire book. The reviews universally loved this book.  I agree that this is a 5 star book until you get to the last letter and final pages of the novel, and then it turns into a 3-3.5 star book.  I was so torn about my absolute adoration for this book until the final pages that I am making a friend with similar reading tastes read it to see if she agrees.

My problem is not that the ending is terrible.  Actually it is fine and serviceable.  But the entire book was so fresh, engaging, and original, that the serviceable ending was disappointing.  I am still leaning toward this book being worth a read because of all the reasons I listed above.  In fact, it would be a great read for the holiday season.  It has some meat to it but the epistolary style allows you to pick it up and put it down easily.  It is a fast, entertaining read, and since most of it takes place in the Fall leading up to and through the holidays, it is also a timely read.

Three Words That Describe This Book: epistolary, caper, character centered

Readalikes: If you liked the epistolary style and tone, you should try Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn In this epistolary novel, a young girl named Ella, lives on the fictional island of Nollop off the coast of North Carolina. The island is named for Nevin Nollop, the author of the famous sentence “The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.” When the local government begins banning letters of the alphabet as they fall off of Nollop’s memorial statue, Ella begins to fight for her community’s freedom of expression. Ella does what she can, but with each falling letter it becomes more difficult for her to communicate.

The intricate family tangle and comedy of manners aspects also reminded by of The Red House by Mark Haddon (review and details coming next week).

This book reminded me of Carl Hiaasen only in Seattle instead of Florida.

The entire book has an investigative frame without really being a true mystery.  If you enjoyed that part of it, I would also suggest The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart. Read my full review here for more details.  In this case, the main characters have lost a child, but the reader gets the full story in bits and pieces.  The humorous tone is similar.  Also, both stories acknowledge that the truth is complicated.

Finally, another 2012 release that has a similar feel is The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce.  Here is the plot summary from NoveList:

Harold Fry is convinced that he must deliver a letter to an old love in order to save her, meeting various characters along the way and reminiscing about the events of his past and people he has known, as he tries to find peace and acceptance.

It appears to also be amusing, heart warming engaging and off beat.  I am putting it on my to-read list.

What I’m Reading: Four [!] Booklist Reviews From August Horror Spotlight Issue

I have four reviews in this current horror packed issue of Booklist including one edited by Stephen King! I will begin with the only one I gave a star; however, I want to say all four are excellent and perfect for all public library horror collections. It’s just that I could only give 1 a star and as you will see in my review, it contains a little something extra that pushed this one over the edge.

As usual, I am giving you my draft reviews which are different from the ones that appear in the magazine, plus I add extra readalikes, appeal terms, and general comments that will help you to better figure out to whom you could suggest these titles. Although, some, like the King edited collection or the official Dracula prequel, sell themselves.

The People’s Republic of Everything.

 

Mamatas, Nick (author).

 
Aug. 2018. 336p. Tachyon, paper, $15.95 (9781616963002); e-book (9781616963019). 
First published August, 2018 (Booklist).

Mamatas [I Am Providence] has been writing critically acclaimed, politically charged, sardonic science fiction, dark fantasy and horror for years, but his voluminous output of short stories has been spread across the publishing landscape from small genre mags to literary reviews and everything in between. Now readers can discover 13 previously published stories, 1 brand new tale, and the author’s preferred text of his short novel, “Under My Roof,” a brilliant but overlooked tale based on Aristophanes’s Archanians, in which a Long Island family builds a nuclear bomb in their garden so that they can use it as leverage to secede from the US, all in one book. From the first story of the collection, “Walking with a Ghost,” an unsettling, yet intriguing tale about the creation of a Lovecraft AI that has achieved singularity and is not happy with being resurrected, readers get a sense of Mamatas’ expertise at both embracing and skewering the speculative genres to which he has dedicated his life. Each tale is entertaining on its surface, but they all also hold a deeper meaning that can be pondered for those who want to dig deeper. However, it is with the inclusion of Mamatas’ author notes appended for each story, revealing the history behind and business of speculative fiction as well as offering a peek into his own life and personal evolution, where this collection makes its mark. Taken together those notes create what reads like a 16th bonus story, one that both centers and elevates the book. This collection will be an easy sell to readers who enjoy genre-blending authors of thought provoking and topical tales such as Jeffrey Ford, China Mieville and Jeff VanderMeer.

Further Appeal: I bolded the text above which explains why this collection got the star. Seriously every book in this post was great. It was a pleasure to read them all, but Mamatas’ author notes were fascinating, compelling, and just plain fun to read. They taught me about him as a writer and a person, but also the publishing industry and what it takes to be a working author these days.

This collection is a genre blend as a whole, but even within stories, the genres can blend. I loved that. Not a single story takes you where you think you will go because no one writes like Mamatas. He is brilliant and original but he also knows how to tell a good compelling story filled with dark humor regardless of genre. He respects the genre tropes but also, refuses to let them define him or his work. It is refreshing.

I know I mentioned the first story in the review. Not only did I love it, I think it sets the stage perfectly for the unsettling, thought provoking stories that will follow. Seriously, after reading the entire collection, it was the perfect choice to kick things off.

Also, I had never read the seminal “Under My Roof” before this collection, and WOW, I missed a good one. If you have fans of dystopian fiction without or without a speculative element, give them this novella immediately.

Three Words That Describe This Book: thought-provoking, genre blend, unsettling

Readlikes: I mentioned three very good ones in the review, and linked them to other posts on my blog where these authors were mentioned. Those links will lead you to even more authors and titles. Specifically, I would also like to mention Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado as an excellent readalike suggestion.

Mamatas’ is also works at Haikasoru a publisher of works in translation. From their homepage:

With a small, elite list of award-winners, classics, and new work by the hottest young writers, Haikasoru is the first imprint dedicated to bringing Japanese science fiction to America and beyond. Featuring the action of anime and the thoughtfulness of the best speculative fiction, Haikasoru aims to truly be the “high castle” of science fiction and fantasy.

I reviewed and loved one of their titles A Small Charred Face by Kazuki Sakuraba and really enjoyed it. Like Mamatas’ work, this novel is an original and thought provoking genre blend that you might also want to check out.

The Siren and the Specter.

Janz, Jonathan (author).

Sept. 2018. 288p. Flame Tree, paper, $14.95  (9781787580053). First published August, 2018 (Booklist).

David Caine author, professor and famous paranormal skeptic is invited to spend a month in the most haunted house in America. Built in the 1700s the Alexander House has a gruesome history, one that has persisted over the centuries and now David has been asked to pass his expert judgment on the years of ghostly sightings and ghastly occurrences, except this job brings him dangerously close to the source of his own personal haunting, the death of his college sweetheart. As the reader can tell from the unsettling opening lines, this is no ordinary haunted house tale. Janz uses the tropes readers think they know- haunted house, lost love, cursed town, regrets- and takes them in an original and terrifying direction. The tension builds unrelentingly, the fear and repulsion are relayed through all five senses, as the fear begins to come at the reader from three different angles, enveloping readers in the terrifying world Janz has created, threatening to never let go. Quickly emerging as one of the most talented horror authors of his generation, Janz’s [Children of the Dark] newest novel will be eagerly scooped up by fans of all haunted house stories and is a great choice for those who enjoyed of The Handyman by Little, The Damned by Pyper or Hex by Heuvelt.

Further Appeal:  I really like Janz as a horror author-- a lot. The way he writes draws you in. His main characters are flawed but you still want to root for them, plus they change and grow. He is liberal with the sex and violence but not more so than others and none of it is gratuitous; there is just enough to show repulsion-- not just fear or unsettling feelings of anxiety, but repulsion.  In the review I mention that he really takes advantage of all five of our senses and I cannot stress that enough. He articulates the fear in touch, sight, smell, hearing and taste very well. He is truly becoming a master at this. Many horror writers rely on the suggestions of the horror unfolding. Not Janz. He shows it on the page, but very eloquently. I don’t want you to think this is a gore-fest. It is not in anyway. This is a sophisticated and intricate horror story that is well executed in both the technique in the writing and how it plays out for the reader.

The novel has two main story lines [which the title perfectly hints at] and it is layered with twists that bring the plots together.

The themes-- haunted house, cursed land, famous skeptic, lost love and redemption are also all easy ways to booktalk and hand-sell this novel. Specifically I was extremely drawn to the detailed history that underlies the genre, a history that goes back to the early days of our country. I found it interesting and believable.

Three Words That Describe This Book: haunted house, repulsion, unrelenting tension

Readalikes: If you take the three readalikes I mentioned and combined them into 1 book, that would be this novel. I would also suggest the work of Nick Cutter or The Binding by Nicholas Wolff Finally, this novel is part of the launch of Flame Tree Press. To learn more about them and their upcoming titles, click here to read my interview with managing editor, Don D’Auria.

Dracul.

 

Stoker, Dacre (author) and J. D. Barker (author).

 
Oct. 2018. 512p. Putnam, $27 (9780735219342). 
First published August, 2018 (Booklist)

What if there was more truth to Dracula than any of us ever imagined? In this official Stoker family sanctioned prequel to the classic that set the standard for all vampire stories since, Stoker’s great- grandnephew, Dacre Stoker, pairs years of research into family history with the skills of bestselling thriller writer J.D. Barker to tell the story behind the famous novel, from the point of view of Bram Stoker himself. Tense form the opening scene as readers encounter a young Stoker doing battle with an evil force, high in an abandoned tower, throughout the course of one terrible night, the story then moves back in time to Stoker’s childhood, the illness which almost killed him at age seven, and the odd, ethereal, and menacing nanny that saved him. The novel moves forward methodically, in a manner very similar to the source material, told with journal entries from Stoker, his brother, and sister as they piece together the truth behind Dracula, a truth Stoker always said grounded his novel, a truth the publisher refused to include in the final edits. Dracul would have been a good read even if it stopped at only shedding light on the original, its characters, and its author, but the novel rises above because of those recurring scenes in the tower, scenes that add just the right touch of the very best of the 21st Century’s suspense techniques, increasing the pace and ratcheting up the fear, leaving readers breathless, wondering what is coming next, and sending them back to the original immediately. While this is book with a huge built in audience, do not forget to also suggest to those who like menacing, supernatural novels about 19th Century writers like Drood by Dan Simmons or Victorian-esque vampire tales like The Quick by Lauren Owen.

Further Appeal: This draft review contains most of the appeal of this novel that I wanted to point out, but I wanted to talk a bit more about the obviously easy appeal factors here-- wo Words: Dracula prequel. Duh. That’s a huge appeal. But is it enough? 

As I mentioned here, I have heard Dacre Stoker speak about the research he has done into Bram’s life and publishing and I knew he had found out a lot of new information, but when this book came my way for review, I was nervous. I like Dacre and JD so much as people. What if the book was terrible?

I am so happy to report that it was even better than it needed to be to draw readers in. I couldn’t put it down. This will not only satisfy Dracula fans, but I would bet that it will create new fans of the classic on its own. Between the excellent inclusion of an author’s note with tons of info, and the ending that leads directly into the beginning of the original, even I was running straight to Dracula to re-read a few sections after finishing Dracul.

Read this book for yourself, even if you aren’t a Dracula fan and of course, order a copy or two. Also check your Dracula copies, you may need to refresh those too. This book and the next one really sell themselves. Just make sure you let readers know about it.

Three Words That Describe This Book: epistolary, methodically paced, menacing

Readalikes: You don’t need my help here. I gave you a few about that also link to even more, but any classic horror, Gothic horror, vampire stories, etc... 

Flight or Fright: 17 Turbulent Tales.

 

King, Stephen (editor) and Bev Vincent (editor).

 
Sept. 2018. 336p. Cemetery Dance, $27.95  (9781587676796). 
First published August, 2018 (Booklist).

Even for people who aren’t afraid of flying, modern, commercial air travel is not the most pleasant experience. But that is exactly what makes it the perfect frame for a anthology of horror stories, especially one co-edited by the most famous horror author in the world, King, who also has a lifelong fear of flying. As he notes in the introduction, “...you are entering what is basically a tube filled with oxygen and sitting atop tons of highly flammable jet fuel.” The terror often writes itself, a point that King and Vincent prove with this expertly compiled collection of tales that entertain and scare. Containing brand new, high demand stories by King and Joe Hill, readers will also find 15 reprinted surprises, tales of horror in the air from famous authors like Arthur Conan Doyle, Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury, and Dan Simmons as well as a classic 1899 story by often forgotten horror legend Ambrose Bierce. Some will want enhance the terror by reading this volume on their next plane ride, while others will make sure to have their feet firmly planted on the ground before diving in, but either way, Flight or Fright delivers on its promised theme and will make your next plane ride a little more exciting. Pair this with other expertly edited and compiled themed, horror anthologies by Ellen Datlow and John Joseph Adams.

Further Appeal: New stories by Stephen King and Joe Hill, the almost universal fear of flying trope, classic stories....this book really does sell itself. And sells it very well as the first printing is already sold out and it hasn’t shipped yet.

But seriously, this is a great intro to horror collection. The mixture of classic authors with new masters and a common trope that is scary but not necessarily gory or based on a supernatural monster, will lure in readers, many of whom might not consider themselves horror readers.

Three Words That Describe This Book: themed anthology, classic, frightening

Readalikes: Besides what appears in the review, here is my updated lis of Stephen King readalikes, all the times I have mentioned Joe Hill, and you can click here for the anthology's table of contents to see all of the authors included as readers might want to try more by them.