The Long Earth

The Long Earth

Even before Terry Pratchett had even begun his Discworld series, he had an idea about a possible premise for a science fiction series. His fantasy series, however, was such a huge success that he never got around to writing the science fiction work -- until recently, when he collaborated with Stephen Baxter, an author well-known in his own right for his work in the world of hard science fiction. As an avid Terry Pratchett fan, I was eager to find out what it was all about.

I could have waited. This book, presumably the first in a series, is little more than an exposition of the premise. There are a whole string of alternate universes, you see, and people from Earth can easily "step" from one to another. Most people need a device to do it. Some can step naturally; some can't step at all. There is world after world after world, all remarkably alike, differing mainly in the climate conditions and the particular beings that inhabit each world. Even the characters find it boring.

Besides showing us the scenery, the book introduces us to the main characters, essentially cardboard cut-outs with names attached. There is no actual conflict, although there is a foreboding of doom. We actually get introduced to the potential source of future conflict at somewhere around page 300, just before the end of the book.

This is a dreadful, dreadful book, and, as much as I love practically everything Terry has been involved with, I will not be likely to read any future volumes in the series.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations

Sure, we've all had a look at Bartlett's a time or two in our lives, but sometimes we forget just how good it is.

Of course, you can always find quotations on the internet, but this time I was looking for a series of quotations by a particular author for a Zazzle project I'm working on, and it was real handy for me to settle down in my comfy chair with Bartlett's on my lap. Unlike some books of quotations, Bartlett's is organized chronologically by author, which in my case was exactly what I was looking for.

A good reference book is always good to have.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier

The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Well, I'm definitely in the minority here. The Pioneer Woman Cooks has 586 customer reviews on Amazon and 480 people gave her 5 stars.

For my money, though (and I'm glad I didn't spend any ) this is a book to be looked at once and then taken back to the library. There is nothing here I would care to make, the recipes are way more complicated than they need to be, and the quantity of photos is ridiculous. I mean, seriously, do you really need a picture of how to mix dry ingredients together? Of how to pour broth? They're also laid out funny, in my opinion. I kept trying to follow them left to right, but the pictures read top to bottom. Oh, well.

If you're a big fan of the Pioneer Woman, or if you just like to collect cookbooks, you might want this book. But even her biggest fans report that all of these recipes are available on her website.

Stay Close by Harlan Coben

Stay Close - Harlan Coben

Ray Levine is a man with the worst job imaginable. He's a for-hire "fake paparazzi" -- a man who gives Bar Mitzvah boys and awkward suitors the full experience of being relentlessly pursued by the media. Megan Pierce is a happily married suburban soccer mom, but years ago she was a stripper named Cassie, who loved to walk on the wild side. 17 years ago the two were lovers, until a savage murder forced them apart.

Now, a similar murder has occurred, and soon it becomes clear that's it's just the latest in a long string of grisly events. Ray and Megan are forced to work together, and who knows what will happen next?
Stay Close was a fairly absorbing novel, although I can't say that the characters were particularly well drawn, or that the "mystery" was much of one. It's pretty apparent from early on who the real killer is, and what the motivation was. Still, it was an quick and easy read, and fairly enjoyable summer entertainment.

The Effect of Living Backwards

The Effect of Living Backwards

Last month, I read and enjoyed The Vanishers, a rather bizarre tale of dueling parapsychologists.

I hadn't had quite enough weirdness, so I undertook another book by Heidi Julavits. Living Backwards is the story of two sisters, Alice and Edith, who get hijacked on their way to Edith's wedding by a bizarre set of characters. The story is told from Alice's point of view, with frequent side-bar "Shame Stories" -- stories that Alice has invented about the people she meets.

If you're looking for a story with a straight narrative, this isn't it. In fact, it's a little difficult to make out exactly what did happen in this book. But for a rollicking tale of absurdity and sibling rivalry, interspersed with a threat of maybe-terrorism, this book can't be beat!

A Conspiracy of Friends

A Conspiracy of Friends

What we have here is yet another bright and breezy novel by Alexander McCall Smith. A Conspiracy of Friends is book 3 in the Corduroy Mansion series, set in London's Pimlico neighborhood.

This book finds William less concerned about his issues with his slacker son and more worried about fighting off an unwanted admirer (which he accomplishes by getting himself entangled in another web.) His greatest concern, however, is the disappearance of his beloved pooch, Freedie de la Hay. He is right to be concerned -- Freddie has a terrifying experience.

Meanwhile, literary agents Barbara Ragg and Rupert Porter quarrel over the right to represent a Yeti author, and the despicable politician, Oedipus Snark -- whom even his own mother loathes -- undergoes an amazing transformation.

If you've enjoyed any of Alexander McCall Smith's books, you'll doubtless enjoy this one, too.

By Blood by Ellen Ullman

By Blood by Ellen Ullman

By Blood is set in 1970's San Francisco, where the main character, a disgraced professor, is taking a mandatory leave of absence from his university and attempting to put his life back together. He rents an office in a seedier part of town, and soon discovers that on the other side of his paper-thin wall (and a badly fitting connecting door) is a practicing psychiatrist. She generally employs a white-noise machine during sessions, but one of her patients cannot abide the sound, and for her, the machine is turned off.

Our professor soon finds himself enthralled by her story. He sits very, very quietly in his office, not daring to move for fear that the squeak of his chair will alert his neighbors of his presence. (After all, he can hear the sound of their nylon stockings when they cross their legs.) The patient is trying to deal with issues regarding her adopted family, and decides to begin a search for her birth mother.

She soon learns that she was adopted through a Catholic agency that may have been involved in "stealing" Jewish babies from their extended families in the wake of World War II. After finding only a few shreds of information, however, she is thwarted in her search.

But if there's one thing the professor knows how to do, it's research. He soon undertakes the mysterious patient's quest, and learns quite a bit about her origins. Since he has no excuse to contact her directly, he develops a subterfuge to get the information to her, and then listens as she recounts her experiences to her therapist. Soon he becomes entirely entangled in her life.

To tell you the truth, I almost stopped reading the book after the first chapter. Ullman's style (at this point, anyway) is particularly stylized and ornate; I found myself wondering if she was trying to channel Poe. In fact, I did stop reading after the first chapter, and went and read another book. Eventually, though, I came back and finished it. It was a fairly absorbing book -- I'm glad I did.