So after a month of reading Dune, it took me about 24 hours to completely devour my newest Ploughshares volume. So many great stories in this one, so I'll just hit some highlights.
Collectors by Joan Murray - a woman gets roped into an art selling scheme and realizes she's both been duped, and used as a prop to help dupe others. Best quote: "He was close to my age - in his late forties - which always seems older when it's someone else."
Bajadas by Francisco Cantu - a really great look at new recruits who become border agents in the Southwest. Glimpses of banal cruelty and compassion alike.
Here I am Laughing with Boers by Laurie Baker - an American teacher working in South Africa at the end of apartheid grapples with being one step removed from cultural outrage while still benefiting from the position of privilege it affords her.
Ghost by Meng Jib - the story of an amputee who's missing limb seems to have a mind of its own. Haunting prose which is fitting given the title of the story.
Always One More Way by Alison Wisdom - an excellent look at a soldier living with PTSD in the form of a very present dead friend.
Restitution by Jerry Whitus - a man who has been bullied his entire life takes his revenge.
The poems I liked best in this one were Stutter by Adam Giennelli and Way Above Illinois by George Bilgere.
I even really enjoyed the LookTwo Essay profiling Uruguayan author Felisberto Hernandez who's signature style seemed to be giving inanimate objects a point of view in his stories. While he takes some influence from Faulkner (who I really really have tried to like but don't), he definitely is a voice of his own.
Friday, March 18, 2016
Monday, March 14, 2016
Dune - Frank Herbert
This book took a supremely long time for me to read. It was challenging. Herbert's cadence is unique, and certainly the universe he creates is completely foreign. Typically with this type of book, it takes me about 100 pages to get familiar with the world and accept the normative structures relied upon by the author (see my review of A Crown for Cold Silver here). This did, in fact, occur for the most part while reading this book. However, afterwards, the sheer amount of information provided in each chapter was a bit overwhelming and I was unable to read large portions of the book without stopping.
With that said, the story is rather epic. House Atreides has been granted a fiefdom over Arrakis, a stark and barren planet that is the sole producer of the universe's most valuable mineral, melange (spice). House Atreides is taking over the fiefdom from House Harkonnen, which has held reign over Arrakis for 70ish years.
Duke Leto, his companion Jessica, and their son Paul arrive on Arrakis with their advisors in tow. Paul has been specially trained in combat, but also in mystical learning by his mother who was brought up under a teaching called Ben Gesserit. The Ben Gesserit have been focused on breeding a specific person through various bloodlines in the empire. Paul is the accidental culmination of this attempt.
Well, as can be expected, the House losing control of the universe's most profitable and valuable substance is not too ready to leave and House Harkonnen attacks the Atreides with help from a treacherous insider - leaving Paul and Jessica wandering through the desert and Leto dead.
However, the Harkonnens have underestimated Paul, Jessica, and, as it turns out, the entire population of native people living on Arrakis, the Fremen, who take in Paul and Jessica from the desert. Paul proves himself in combat and becomes a prophet as well as leader of the Fremen. His training have prepared him to create a master army out of the Fremen, who have been subjugated and harassed by the Harkonnens and are prime for revolution.
Ultimately, I think there's a certain narrative distance with which the story is told that made it extremely enjoyable but also made it lacking in a certain development which would have improved upon the entire experience of reading this book. I'll be continuing the story at least through the fourth book, which I'm told is the last episode in the series that is worth reading. I'm interested to see what happens after this first book lets off because it certainly ends abruptly.
4/5 Stars.
With that said, the story is rather epic. House Atreides has been granted a fiefdom over Arrakis, a stark and barren planet that is the sole producer of the universe's most valuable mineral, melange (spice). House Atreides is taking over the fiefdom from House Harkonnen, which has held reign over Arrakis for 70ish years.
Duke Leto, his companion Jessica, and their son Paul arrive on Arrakis with their advisors in tow. Paul has been specially trained in combat, but also in mystical learning by his mother who was brought up under a teaching called Ben Gesserit. The Ben Gesserit have been focused on breeding a specific person through various bloodlines in the empire. Paul is the accidental culmination of this attempt.
Well, as can be expected, the House losing control of the universe's most profitable and valuable substance is not too ready to leave and House Harkonnen attacks the Atreides with help from a treacherous insider - leaving Paul and Jessica wandering through the desert and Leto dead.
However, the Harkonnens have underestimated Paul, Jessica, and, as it turns out, the entire population of native people living on Arrakis, the Fremen, who take in Paul and Jessica from the desert. Paul proves himself in combat and becomes a prophet as well as leader of the Fremen. His training have prepared him to create a master army out of the Fremen, who have been subjugated and harassed by the Harkonnens and are prime for revolution.
Ultimately, I think there's a certain narrative distance with which the story is told that made it extremely enjoyable but also made it lacking in a certain development which would have improved upon the entire experience of reading this book. I'll be continuing the story at least through the fourth book, which I'm told is the last episode in the series that is worth reading. I'm interested to see what happens after this first book lets off because it certainly ends abruptly.
4/5 Stars.
Monday, March 7, 2016
Two for the Dough - Janet Evanovich

Two for the Dough begins where One for the Money left off (read my review here). Stephanie Plum is not quite such a novice bounty hunter, although she still has a lot of room to improve. She kind of bumbles around irritating criminals and police alike. Detective Joe Morelli is back and the chemistry between him and Stephanie has increased. It's fun to anticipate these two getting together. They fight, they flirt, he left her handcuffed to a shower curtain last time around, this time she leaves him pantless on the side of the road. You know, tit for tat with these two.
Ranger makes a few small appearances. And Grandma Massur is back and doing ride alongs with Stephanie. I did miss some of the people I got used to being around in the first book, like her cousin's husband Eddy Gazarra, but LuLu is back and she's working with Stephanie now and keeping her in the books was a hugely wise move I think. She may have been a hooker in the first book, but now she's a file clerk for the bond agency and she's the only one there with street smarts. This all made much more sense to me because once upon a time a few years ago I read #15 in this series and while I don't think I needed to read all the previous books to understand the plot, reading these does have a lot more payoff with character development over such a long series). This book actually made me laugh out loud a couple of times and I found it funnier than the first, even if the plot didn't move quite as briskly.
In this one, Stephanie is looking for Kenny Mancuso (I apologize for mispelling any names here, I don't know how they are spelled since I only listen to the audio books). Mancuso is Morelli's cousin and just happened to shoot his best friend in the knee cap. Stephanie wants to find him because it means basically a month's paycheck for one guy. As Morelli says, she does have a knack for running into her marks. She happens upon Kenny several times.
The story weaves in some conspiracy with coffins and some missing guns. I can say that I put this one together pretty quickly so I felt a bit smarter than Stephanie in the end. So the mystery part of the story could be a little tighter. However, for a running distraction, this book was the perfect fit.
4/5 Stars.
Monday, February 22, 2016
One for the Money - Janet Evanovich
This was an entertaining book that was a good selection for running. It was easy to listen to and follow. It was funny and engaging. I think I'll be listening to more of these as I go forward into my latest half-marathon training.
I had already read #8.5 and I think #15 in this series. So I'm familiar with the setup but it was nice to see where it began. The whole series follows Stephanie Plum, a bounty hunter in Trenton, NJ. (Everything is legal in NJ). She was a discount lingerie buyer but was laid off and the only job she could find was working as a "recovery agent" for her sleazy cousin, a bondsman.
So Stephanie decides for her first gig, she'll go after a big score. A bond worth $10,000. It just happens to be a high school love interest, Joseph Morelli. Morelli has been accused of murder after responding to a distress call from an informant. Morelli claims he shot in self defense, but as no gun was found on the dead man, Morelli is kind of out of luck.
As Stephanie fumbles her way along to capturing Morelli, she begins to believe in his innocence. Even if she does still want to collect her bounty. In her search for Morelli, she encounters some unsavory characters, including the psychopath boxer, Benito Ramirez. Ramirez ends up being sexually sadistic and develops a grudge against Stephanie when she turns him down. He is actually pretty terrifying, for what is for the most part, a light hearted romp through the bounty hunter world. Even when someone gets blown up in this book, it's done slightly tongue in cheek. The character proclaims, "Fuck God" right before he's blown up. Whoops.
People who are fans of the alphabet series will like this one as well even if Kinsey Millhone (catch my Q is for Quarry review here) and Stephanie Plum don't have much in common.
I'd probably want to give this one 4 stars since I was so entertained, but it was kind of consumable literature and I don't want to feel bad. So, 3.5/5 stars?
I had already read #8.5 and I think #15 in this series. So I'm familiar with the setup but it was nice to see where it began. The whole series follows Stephanie Plum, a bounty hunter in Trenton, NJ. (Everything is legal in NJ). She was a discount lingerie buyer but was laid off and the only job she could find was working as a "recovery agent" for her sleazy cousin, a bondsman.
So Stephanie decides for her first gig, she'll go after a big score. A bond worth $10,000. It just happens to be a high school love interest, Joseph Morelli. Morelli has been accused of murder after responding to a distress call from an informant. Morelli claims he shot in self defense, but as no gun was found on the dead man, Morelli is kind of out of luck.
As Stephanie fumbles her way along to capturing Morelli, she begins to believe in his innocence. Even if she does still want to collect her bounty. In her search for Morelli, she encounters some unsavory characters, including the psychopath boxer, Benito Ramirez. Ramirez ends up being sexually sadistic and develops a grudge against Stephanie when she turns him down. He is actually pretty terrifying, for what is for the most part, a light hearted romp through the bounty hunter world. Even when someone gets blown up in this book, it's done slightly tongue in cheek. The character proclaims, "Fuck God" right before he's blown up. Whoops.
People who are fans of the alphabet series will like this one as well even if Kinsey Millhone (catch my Q is for Quarry review here) and Stephanie Plum don't have much in common.
I'd probably want to give this one 4 stars since I was so entertained, but it was kind of consumable literature and I don't want to feel bad. So, 3.5/5 stars?
Monday, February 8, 2016
Q is for Quarry - Sue Grafton

I know, I know. But this one. This one was different. This one was BETTER. This one earned it. (Plus is probably doesn't hurt that it comes after the extremely weak and confusing P is for Peril - see my review of that one here).
When I got to the author's note at the end, it all made sense. Grafton was inspired by a real case for this one. And for some reason, life really can be stranger than fiction, or at least more interesting. Sometimes real life offers us just the perfect mix of mystery, suspense, and horror. Whereas fiction can sometimes reach too far and somehow miss the mark.
Q is the story of an old unsolved murder with an unidentified victim. Lt. Dolan is trying to cheer up a friend of his by enlisting Kinsey's help in re-investigating a cold case of a woman who was dumped in a quarry in 1969. The victim is a Jane Doe - not much to go on. A small detail leads Kinsey and Dolan down state where they start to unravel not only the identity of the victim, but also the identity of the killer.
The story unraveled well. Kinsey was helpful and even though the story involved some more background on her family, she didn't come across as a sulky teenager in this one when interacting with her family. So all in all, this is probably the best book in the alphabet series I have read. Is 2016 the year I finish the alphabet series? Probably not, but I'm going to keep reading them and hopefully some of the future installments measure up to this one.
4/5 Stars.
Thursday, February 4, 2016
Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids: How to Stop Yelling and Start Connecting - Laura Markham

Essentially, if I had to condense this book's advice into a single sentence, it would be, "Don't be an asshole." And really that's kind of it. But it's more nuanced of course, as all things parenting are. In effect, we must realize that "do as I say, and not as I do" is not an effective parenting technique. Children learn by watching adults, and for the large portion of their early lives those role models are their parents. When we yell and overcome them with physical force to prove a point or to punish, we are modeling to them the way we believe they should handle their own conflicts. NO WONDER WE HAVEN'T ACHIEVED WORLD PEACE YET!
It also touches on a lot of the evidence from studies that suggest that children cognitively cannot pull their behavior into line with our expectations with the kind of regularity we would expect from adults. So give the kids a break, show them some love, understanding, and compassion, and move on from a punishment mindset. All in all some good reminders for busy parents. If you don't want to read the entire book, just check out the website where a lot of these topics are discussed. You can find it here.
4/5 Stars.
Monday, February 1, 2016
Ploughshares Solos Omnibus 3
I was totally blown away with the quality of writing and the stories in the Solos Omnibus Volume 3. What a great collection. I'm not sure where to really begin, but I guess I'll just discuss a couple of my favorites and reiterate that Ploughshares is probably the best single subscription I have ever invested in - check out their site here. And if you are not a subscriber you should seriously consider it.
Villa Boheme by Kevin Gonzalez follows a 15 year old boy and he navigates that narrow ledge of adolescence between childhood and adulthood. On one hand he yearns to feel older and life with his father in a run down hotel gives him that chance - an opportunity to be away from his mother who is distracted by a new romance. However, as time wears on, he begins to see that the freedom he craves has not come quite the way he desired. It's a pretty heartbreaking reminder that teenagers are full of contrast and conflict even in their own desires.
The Brooks Brother Guru by Alix Ohlin involves Amanda whose cousin has recently declared via facebook that he is going to live in a group home and unplugging from the world. His concerned friends convince Amanda to track him down, which she does. She explores the new commune in which he lives and wonders if she can convince herself to give up certain things in her life in order to embrace the simplicity in which her cousin now lives. It's an interesting look on how much we are willing to adapt ourselves to a certain lifestyle in order to gain the things we think are important.
The Beginning of the End of the Beginning by Anne Elliott was also a favorite. It involves Clay, a down and out performance artist who has kind of lost his way in the life of art. He stoops to getting a day job in order to pay some bills and in doing so, alienates his girlfriend and best friend. Their vicious revenge on him makes him contemplate what he is really doing with his life.
Other honorable mentions are Cafe Deux Mondes is timely with Syrian immigrants opening a restaurant with their African American neighbors. It's well written and the friendship between the two women protagonists feels real and not at all contrived for the plot. Pie, about a former mennonite girl who is convinced to move west with a man who buys pie in her diner only to find out he's been keeping some secrets was also well done. The girl, Kathryn, must find her own way in a post-war era.
Such a great collection and I'm so glad to have a subscription with access to the Omnibus, because the individual stories are usually around 2.99 a piece on the website, but for some really high quality short fiction, it's worth it.
Villa Boheme by Kevin Gonzalez follows a 15 year old boy and he navigates that narrow ledge of adolescence between childhood and adulthood. On one hand he yearns to feel older and life with his father in a run down hotel gives him that chance - an opportunity to be away from his mother who is distracted by a new romance. However, as time wears on, he begins to see that the freedom he craves has not come quite the way he desired. It's a pretty heartbreaking reminder that teenagers are full of contrast and conflict even in their own desires.
The Brooks Brother Guru by Alix Ohlin involves Amanda whose cousin has recently declared via facebook that he is going to live in a group home and unplugging from the world. His concerned friends convince Amanda to track him down, which she does. She explores the new commune in which he lives and wonders if she can convince herself to give up certain things in her life in order to embrace the simplicity in which her cousin now lives. It's an interesting look on how much we are willing to adapt ourselves to a certain lifestyle in order to gain the things we think are important.
The Beginning of the End of the Beginning by Anne Elliott was also a favorite. It involves Clay, a down and out performance artist who has kind of lost his way in the life of art. He stoops to getting a day job in order to pay some bills and in doing so, alienates his girlfriend and best friend. Their vicious revenge on him makes him contemplate what he is really doing with his life.
Other honorable mentions are Cafe Deux Mondes is timely with Syrian immigrants opening a restaurant with their African American neighbors. It's well written and the friendship between the two women protagonists feels real and not at all contrived for the plot. Pie, about a former mennonite girl who is convinced to move west with a man who buys pie in her diner only to find out he's been keeping some secrets was also well done. The girl, Kathryn, must find her own way in a post-war era.
Such a great collection and I'm so glad to have a subscription with access to the Omnibus, because the individual stories are usually around 2.99 a piece on the website, but for some really high quality short fiction, it's worth it.
5/5 Stars.
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