Wulf C. Krueger

»All those years I thought that I had been running away from my past I had, in fact, been working my way steadily back to it.«This was not easy to read and even less so to review. In “[b:Memorial Drive 48613168 Memorial Drive A Daughter's Memoir Natasha Trethewey https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1572991814l/48613168.SY75.jpg 72583361]” Trethewey remembers her childhood, born 1966, in a still very much segregated Gulfport, Mississippi, USA. Her mother black and her father white this clearly was a challenge.Trethewey's father leaves the family and when her mother meets another man and, ultimately, marries him, things quickly escalate for young Trethewey who is routinely abused by her stepfather, Joel, who also beats his wife and terrorises the entire family.Joel eventually murders his then-ex wife.First and foremost, “Memorial Drive” is about remembering a loving mother and telling her story. When asked about what Trethewey would want to be a key takeaway from reading “Memorial Drive” she answered as follows:“If I was really honest, I would want for people to fall a little bit in love with her the way I love her. I want people to care so much about her life so that when you read it, despite knowing the outcome, you wish fiercely, fiercely for her survival. ”Trethewey succeeded at that for me.Four out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam

Reading “[b:Piranesi 50202953 Piranesi Susanna Clarke https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1609095173l/50202953.SY75.jpg 73586702]”, I mostly felt unbelievably bored: Piranesi lives in a house with infinite halls; some of them submerged, in some there is an ocean and all feature statues depicting people of all kinds. Piranesi has developed a kind of faith based upon the house and how he feels it cares for him; even going as far as considering himself the child of the house.We witness Piranesi as he wanders the halls of the house; fishing, talking to birds, the statues and the skeletons of the other thirteen people Piranesi believes to have lived in the house and, consequently, in the entire world because to Piranesi the house is the world.There is one other living person in Piranesi's little house - the Other! The Other is - like Piranesi - some kind of (pseudo-)scientist who devises occult rituals to find “Great and Secret Knowledge” and for years, Piranesi has almost religiously and unquestioningly followed the Other's instructions, believed what the Other believes and catered to the Other's whims.This is where my issues with the book start: Piranesi is extremely naive and only very late in the “story” starts questioning what he's being told. He thinks of himself as a scientist but instead of actually applying scientific methods, Piranesi shys away from looking too closely at the facts as he comes across them.Piranesi is the archetypical “noble savage”; a wild human, uncorrupted by modern civilization, innocent and, thus, prone to deception. His house which he reveres as a deity - “The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite.” - “gives him life” and Piranesi believes himself to be in actual communication with the house itself.This kind of glorification of one lifestyle which is perceived by a modern author as pure and unadulterated is something I absolutely abhor. Combined with the pseudo-religious elements and the absence of an actual story (I refuse to accept the poor excuse of “transgressive thinking” as one) this makes for the second-worst reading experience for me in 2021.One out of five stars. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

If you consider the fact that I usually don't read books that have an average rating below 4.00 on GoodReads, you'll find when looking at my year in books that I actually awarded 3.5 stars on average.That makes a lot of sense to me as 2020 has been a difficult year on many levels for me.I read the amazing “[b:Herkunft 44429051 Herkunft Saša Stanišić https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552569522l/44429051.SY75.jpg 68990636]” by [a:Saša Stanišić 877513 Saša Stanišić https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1555621090p2/877513.jpg], though, and that was definitely one of the highlights of my reading year.Looking things over, I remember how travel-memoir writer [a:Tony James Slater 5005420 Tony James Slater https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1326400289p2/5005420.jpg] rekindled my interest in science fiction by writing his series “The Ancient Guardians” of which I read the final instalments in 2020, e. g. [b:Warden's Fate 53261690 Warden's Fate (The Ancient Guardians #5) Tony James Slater https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1587833288l/53261690.SY75.jpg 80953069].Those led me to the unforgettable “Murderbot Diaries” by [a:Martha Wells 87305 Martha Wells https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1397566224p2/87305.jpg] which I've practically devoured!Encouraged by these reading experiences, I decided to move on to “[b:Leviathan Wakes 8855321 Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse, #1) James S.A. Corey https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1411013134l/8855321.SY75.jpg 13730452]” of the “The Expanse” series by [a:James S.A. Corey 4192148 James S.A. Corey https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1573162332p2/4192148.jpg]. I was struggling with it as you can read in my review but I came to love the characters, the world and the way Corey injects a tiny ray of hope into the bleakest of situations.I've also re-read “[b:Homo Faber 10009 Homo Faber Max Frisch https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1399843869l/10009.SX50.jpg 691697]” by [a:Max Frisch 6530 Max Frisch https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1223192970p2/6530.jpg] after about 30 years. When I first read it at the age of 15/16, I was immediately taken by it. It struck chords I didn't even know about. This time it were completely different aspects of the book that struck new chords again.I'm not going to let another 30 years pass but I'll surely re-read it again.Another book from last year that keeps haunting me is “[b:Everything I Never Told You 18693763 Everything I Never Told You Celeste Ng https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386795198l/18693763.SY75.jpg 26542311]” by [a:Celeste Ng 164692 Celeste Ng https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1404857644p2/164692.jpg]. I hadn't read anything by Ng before but this book was an instant classic for me.The last two books of 2020 were [a:Alice Schwarzer 59576 Alice Schwarzer https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1477212420p2/59576.jpg]'s biography of one of Germany's most important publicists, [a:Marion Gräfin Dönhoff 518038 Marion Gräfin Dönhoff https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1361829081p2/518038.jpg].Dönhoff was part of the resistance against Hitler in her “first life” and went on to become a journalist and the head of one of Germany's most prestigious newspapers, “Die Zeit”.The second of those two books was by Dönhoff herself: “[b:Um der Ehre willen. Erinnerungen an die Freunde vom 20. Juli 3214942 Um der Ehre willen. Erinnerungen an die Freunde vom 20. Juli Marion Gräfin Dönhoff https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1358849759l/3214942.SY75.jpg 3248782]”. It expands on her work from 1945 (!) in which she remembers her friends from the resistance - most of all Heinrich “Heini” Graf Lehndorff.No review of my year in books could ever be complete, though, if I neglected to mention [a:Michael J. Sullivan 2063919 Michael J. Sullivan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1433443335p2/2063919.jpg]. Michael and his fantasy series have been recommended to me by Ingmar to whom I remain indebted for that. Be it Royce and Hadrian from “Riyria” or “The Legends of the First Empire” - whatever Michael writes is so wonderful that it keeps amazing me. It's probably because - in Michael's own words: “The stories I write might be fantasy, but the depiction of the feelings people share for each other is real.”What more could I ask from a work of fiction than to let me experience their characters' feelings? Or, in my own words, “I don't know Michael personally but after having read thousands of pages he wrote, I've come to see him as a bright beacon of hope, empathy and love.”Speaking of personal heroes: The greatest literary surprise of 2020 was [a:Allie Brosh 6984726 Allie Brosh https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1384994070p2/6984726.jpg] resurfacing and getting her unforgettable, hauntingly beautiful and breathtakingly sad “[b:Solutions and Other Problems 56172046 Solutions and Other Problems Allie Brosh https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1607194021l/56172046.SX50.jpg 44089182]” published.Reading its “serious part” made me cry over a comic for the first time ever.There were lots of let-downs as well but if you really want, discover them yourselves! Reflecting on all this and realising that I'm a wet-eyed snivelling mess again, the year 2020 wasn't so bad after all and I'm looking forward to 2021.Happy new year, everyone!Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

In this modern spin of “Sleeping Beauty” we meet Zinnia “Zin” Gray who is suffering from a rare condition which usually leads to death before the 22nd birthday - and Zin has just turned 21... Since Zin is obsessed with the fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty” her best friend, Charm, throws her a themed birthday party during which Zin pricks herself with a spindle. As this is a modern spin, she doesn't quite fall asleep but rather through the “multiverse” and in a trance-like state meets lots of other “Sleeping Beauties” until she steps out into one world in which she goes on an adventure with the resident “Beauty”, Princess Primrose, to, ideally, lift both their “curses”.Fortunately, this was a quick, short and amusing read because there's simply not enough substance to either the story told here or the characters to sustain a longer novel. The one-hundred pages of this novella pretty much flew past and I was willing to overlook some questionable explanations about Zin's condition, the mystery of full cell phone coverage in “Princess Primrose of Perceforest”'s fairy tale land and quite few other (minor) issues that I simply chose to ignore because I had a blast reading this fast-paced adventure.If you're willing to suspend your disbelief and/or are looking for a quick filler, maybe some literary fast food, you likely won't be disappointed.Just don't expect something like “[b:Uprooted 22544764 Uprooted Naomi Novik https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550135418l/22544764.SX50.jpg 41876730]” or “[b:Spinning Silver 36896898 Spinning Silver Naomi Novik https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1513872748l/36896898.SX50.jpg 58657620]” both of which “play” in an entirely different league and are hereby highly recommended!Should Harrow decide to publish more “Fractured Fables” I'm going to read those as well - despite some reservations about a price tag of about ten Euros (roughly 12 US-Dollars) for such a slim book...Four out of five stars. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

I'm writing this review with a heavy heart because I've been a fan of Armand Gamache since the very first book.Gamache is the most human investigator I've had the pleasure to “accompany” him through 16 books now. His cases were never easy or clear-cut. There were rarely any truly, irredeemable evil perpetrators.Gamache himself wasn't always the knight in shining armour but a believable human being. Three Pines, the almost mythological home of the Gamaches', basically became a beloved part of (almost) all the books. Its inhabitants - Clara, Gabri, Ruth - they usually played an important role.In this book, though, Armand and his entire family find themselves in Paris for the birth of Annie's and Jean-Guy Beauvoir's child where the latter live after Jean-Guy got a job at an engineering company.Also in Paris is Stephen Horowitz, Armand Gamache's godfather, who took care of young Armand after the death of Armand's parents.After a family dinner, an attempt on Stephen's life is made and, thus, the game is afoot!I was immediately sceptical when I realised we would stay in Paris for (almost) the entire book. Three Pines is so atmospherically important that I missed it.As an IT guy I couldn't really tolerate this either:“Beauvoir could see past Loiselle, into Arbour's office. Something was happening. The computer had come back to life, and images were flashing across the screen. Even from a distance, he could see what it was. Emails. Schematics. Being erased.”This is just nonsense and only ever happens in films. In real life, you wouldn't see a thing. The data would silently be deleted and none would be the wiser for it. This is, of course, just a detail but it annoyed me.Attention to details in an author has always been important to me and Louise Penny didn't majorly disappoint so far but in this book, she just does away with some things, e. g. Horowitz' children:“I do need to point out that in a previous book Horowitz has children. In this book he does not. I'm afraid I made a mistake in that first mention of Horowitz, in being far more specific than I needed to be.Lesson learned. Children erased.”Children erased. Just like that. Annoying.These are just my minor qualms with the book, though. What really disappointed me was that Armand Gamache almost turns into an action hero in this book. His more philosophical traits take a backseat to a mystery that's not even very interesting intrinsically.The solution feels a lot like a deus ex machina after a rather complicated, convoluted and far-fetched plot that wasn't hard to follow but wasn't really interesting either.In her afterword, Penny explains why she wrote the book the way she did:“I've tried to bring that wonderment. That awe. That love of place because of the place, but also because of the memories a place holds, to this book. That love of Paris that I discovered with Michael.”I love Paris myself but apart from the fact that I bought a mystery novel and not a book about Paris, Penny regrettably even fails to convey how Paris “feels”: Yes, she describes it well enough but the bustling streets, the Parisians themselves, the contrasts of the touristic Paris and its darker sides - they're all missing. It's a pretty sterile description of places but the “awe” she mentions is absent for me.I can absolutely relate to “explore” Paris with your significant other (been there, done that) but unless you write about Paris, you cannot really convey that to your readers.A bit later Penny writes...“This is a book about love, about belonging. About family and friendship. It's about how lives are shaped by our perceptions, by not just our memories, but how we remember things.”... and she's right: She wrote about the Gamaches' and their love for each other. Unfortunately, that's not enough for a good Gamache mystery, though.Especially when the (few) conflicts among the family (Armand and his son Daniel) feel mostly superficial. The one potential major conflict among the family in this book that is not about Daniel is, disappointingly again, solved within six sentences (the new-born child...) and feels artificial and “tacked-on”. Just as the ending made me roll my eyes (Stephen).No, sadly, this is the one Gamache you should probably skip if you want to remember Armand Gamache as he used to be. Let's hope for a better 17th instalment next year. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

A nice albeit very short short story featuring [a:Michael J. Sullivan's 2063919 Michael J. Sullivan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1433443335p2/2063919.jpg] Hadrian and Royce (Riyria). It is part of the Riyria Chronicles. There's so little actual story, I won't summarise it here. Suffice it to say you won't be disappointed even though there's a slight deja-vu feeling...Thankfully, the “[b:Heroes Wanted 49013656 Heroes Wanted A Fantasy Anthology Laura M. Hughes https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575091464l/49013656.SX50.jpg 74436003]” anthology which it is part of can be gotten for free from Amazon fairly often and so you have nothing to lose. Four out of five stars for a happy reunion with Riyria!Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam

This is one of the rare occasions I'm giving up on a book but I just don't enjoy this one at all... From the beginning, I'm confronted with “paranormal”, “supernatural” bullshit.»My mother was a witch.«Yes, sure... But that's not all, superstition abounds...»The forking of the fingers to divert the path of malchance.«Then there's the catholic priest... I despise anything related to so-called “churches” which, to me, are dens of bigotry, hypocrisy and a haven for hostile and misanthropic beliefs and people. And, worst of all, home to any kind of preacher (the child-molesting variety gets extra protection).So, yes, even in a negative context as in this novel, I don't want to hear about those male harpies. Also, a novel that in all seriousness tells me »Scrying with chocolate is a difficult business.« is beyond redemption. The 25% I've read were also very, very clichéd with simplistic characters, a heroine that left me entirely and completely devoid of interest in herself or her “illegitimate” daughter and parts that felt so old-fashioned I was afraid of dying of boredom.When I realised I was actually binge-watching the worst kind of TV show just to avoid reading this one (despite having ample time to read after a minor (but really annoying!) surgery), I allowed myself to let this one go. Since I don't feel I read enough to give a star rating, I'll abstain for once.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

In this sixth instalment of Regan's Josie Quinn series a child is abducted in a rather complex way and more “surprises” await Josie and her team during the investigation because not everything is as it looks at the beginning... At least it's not like it looks to Josie or anyone on her team because very early on there is a horrible give-away as to the reasons of the abduction which made me see a lot of the things to come right from the start. That was a huge let-down and while there's still a lot of suspense, it severely detracted from the potential this book showed. This is especially disappointing for me as I've really enjoyed “following” Josie during her cases so far. While the books in this series never had much depth and were at no point intellectually challenging, they were suspenseful, often surprising and never dull. Compared to other cases, though, this one – while not exactly dragging on – isn't quite as fast-paced. All the more so if one considers the tumultuous events of the previous book. What's missing as well are the actual characters on Josie's team: While Noah, Gretchen, Mettner, Lamay and Chitwood, are all there, they mostly seem to be lacking their earlier personalities. For some reason I don't really understand Noah is still injured and while he was an idiot during the previous book, now he's a softie. Gretchen hardly ever gets into the limelight; Chitwood, Josie's boss, isn't his usual abrasive self either and I had to look up the others as they were unrecognisably shallow. There's hardly anything going on in Josie's private life and the one potentially major development that could have become great limps away whimpering because Regan didn't have the courage to go through with it. All in all, while this is not a bad book in itself, it's just a disappointment as I've come to expect more from Regan. It's a lukewarm instalment in this series that can be skipped without really missing anything. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

It's 1982 and Vivian “Viv” Delaney leaves her confining home to find fame and fortune in New York City. By chance, Viv ends up in Fell, New York, where she finds a job as a night manager at the eponymous Sun Down Motel. At the end of November 1982, Viv disappears.35 years later, in 2017, her niece, Carly Kirk, follows in Viv's footsteps after the death of Carly's mother, Viv's sister. Carly also flees her overbearing brother, her college courses and her life in general, in pursuit of Viv whose fate she's determined to discover.Consequently, Carly, too, goes to Fell and also gets a job at the Sun Down Motel - as the night manager. She even moves into Viv's old flat and proceeds to not only discover but experience the past...The book switches (mostly from chapter to chapter) between Viv's story in 1982 and Carly's in 2017. While this is currently an often-used storytelling device which would usually distract and, potentially, annoy me, in this instance, it actually adds to the atmosphere of this book.Its dense, chilling atmosphere, the late night setting (and weary days) is, in fact, one of the major selling points: It has been a long time since I actually lost sleep over a book because I wanted to read just one more chapter...The writing is (mostly) subtle and elaborate, be it about a “featherlight click sound” or “the perfect, silent hush of night”. Most of all, though, I enjoyed the two converging stories of Viv and Carly who both come to realise not all is as peaceful as it seems in Fell.I worried for both young women pretty much all the time - a run-down motel, at night, strange noises, the only guests a man who can't sleep anywhere else, cheating spouses and a strange travelling salesman...For the most part I was guessing what had happened to Viv and what might yet happen to Carly, both of whom I found very likeable. “The Sun Down Motel” read like a mystery thriller with a supernatural touch (which was, actually, the only part I did not really enjoy, especially not the part at the end...).For the thrills it gave me, the sleep it stole and its satisfying writing, “The Sun Down Motel” gets four very much deserved stars from me. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

“Stories matter – telling them, sharing them, preserving them, changing them, learning from them, and escaping with and through them. We learn about ourselves and the world that we live in through fiction just as much as through facts. Empathy, perception and understanding are never wasted. All libraries are a gateway into other worlds, including the past – and the future.”It's been a while since I've read a book that featured a passage good enough for an opening quote. And the above passage is just from the Cogman's acknowledgements at the very beginning. Fortunately, the implicit promise given holds true for this sixth instalment of the series.Originally, I intended to give this book four stars, maybe mention it's more like 4.5 but when I thought about what's missing in this book for the fifth full star, I couldn't really think of anything. Yes, there's not much “philosophical depth” to be found in “The Secret Chapter” but when I contemplated that, I realised I'm perfectly fine with that - the entire series is a lot of fun and yet gives some food for thought and sometimes that's enough. “The Secret Chapter” is much like its predecessors: Irene's and Kai's dynamics are there and some of the others, e. g. Silver and Vale, are making an appearance. Vale, unfortunately, doesn't feature prominently in this book but considering what it's about, this makes sense.Because this time, Irene is sent to acquire a book by doing a Fae lord a favour by stealing a painting. Doesn't sound very exciting? Well, Irene needs the book to save an entire world; in fact, a world that used to be her safe haven in complicated times - she went to school there and it helped in lot in shaping her.Thus, a heist is planned in the vein of the heist films of old, e. g. “Rififi” or “The Sting”, with a gang consisting of Fae, Irene, Kai - and a rogue dragon! Starts sounding more interesting, eh?The job seems to go quite well up to a certain turning point at which an already suspenseful novel takes a turn into a fast-paced action thriller which is quite refreshing. Nevertheless, just as I would have hoped and expected, the aptly-named “The Secret Chapter” ultimately turns out to be much more than “just” a heist story or an action thriller.Satisfyingly, it succeeds as well in incorporating Irene's parents into the story in a good and believable way.As if all that wasn't enough, the trademark humour of the series is there as well:“‘Kai! There's been a palace revolution and the peasants are attacking!' Kai gave a deep shuddering sigh and finally opened his eyes properly. ‘Execute them all in the public square,' he mumbled, clearly still half-asleep.”If I had to find fault with this book, I'd probably point out that while Irene and Kai are obviously devoted to each other, there are reservations on both their parts. They keep secrets from each other and that's fine - we all do. The motivation is what counts, though, and at least Irene's reason to hold back is - at least in part - mistrust or maybe insecurity. I can't really define it but by the sixth book, I would have wished for more trust and intimacy.I also like Cogman's take on Brexit - especially in the grim light of the result of yesterday's (12.12.2019) general election in the UK:“‘The United Kingdom?' ‘Very strongly tied to Europe, which is why CENSOR has an English name and acronym. It did attempt to leave the European Union last year, but apparently that was prompted by demonic interference. A lot of politicians were subsequently tried for treason and beheaded at the Tower of London.'”While I don't condone the beheading, I certainly think the divisive short-sighted tactics of a certain hare-brained prime minister will lead to disaster for those who just elected him.Anyway, coming back to the book, it ends with a twist that I didn't see coming at all - a twist that isn't a big deal in an immediate or urgent sense but it has the potential to upset the precious balance that has only so recently been achieved among the worlds and factions. And yet, it all fits satisfyingly together naturally and in a strangely uplifting way. It's probably helped by the personal growth Irene shows at the end:“‘Mother, please, hear me out. If there's something I've learned over the last few years, it's that everything people do is important. I happen to have chosen this particular thing to do with my life, and I was lucky enough to have the choice.” Whole-heartedly recommended without reservation to any fan of the series; recommend with minor reservations to those who haven't read “The Secret Chapter”'s predecessors yet. You would miss out on a lot of minor things so go and read this entire series. “‘Life was much easier before I had to worry about everyone else worrying,' Irene muttered. ‘It's called growing up, dear. It comes with staying alive.'” Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

I've read this book because it sounded a bit like [a:Jim Butcher 10746 Jim Butcher https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1400640324p2/10746.jpg]'s “Dresden Files” which I like. And, indeed, there are similarities – the most important one for me was that I didn't really like either series' respective first book. “Magic Bites” was a confusing read much of which is due to the messy style of storytelling employed here. There's a knightly order that's supposed to help people in case of magic disasters which seem to happen due to weird alternating “cycles” of magical and technological “dominance” which in turn seem to have devastated the major cities but not everywhere (?). There's a mercenary guild that somehow plays a role as well and of which Kate, our heroine, is part of. Somehow Kate is obviously “special” due to her father (?) but at least in this first instalment of the series we never get to know what the big deal is. Lots of things aren't explained or so badly explained that I missed those explanation or promptly forgot about them – none of that being very likely. I often felt like I was missing crucial information. As if I had started not the first but a follow-up novel in the series. But from some other reviews, I don't seem to be the only one. As far as the story goes, it's simple, nothing new and, to be honest, rather boring: Kate's mentor Greg, one of the more important and powerful knights of the order, has been brutally murdered and Kate is investigating what happened. “Move over, Sherlock.” is how she puts it but that's really not how I see things because Kate doesn't seem to have much of a criminalistic sense or experience. At least, though, she's lucky and so she somehow manages to solve the case and (barely) survive. We don't really get to know Kate, though: We rarely “see” her in her “natural habitat”; yes, she does go out with a potential love interest but while it starts out nicely... “Would you go to dinner with me?” “I would,” I found myself saying. “Tonight?” he asked, his eyes hopeful. “I'll try,” I promised and actually intended to do so. “Call me around six.” I gave him my address in case the magic knocked the phone out.“ ... and I found myself smiling, what happens during that date feels artificial and shallow because Kate – who obviously really wanted to go – is suddenly greatly annoyed when they eat at a fancy restaurant and considers giving up on the guy entirely. Harry Dresden at least whines and complains and while I didn't exactly like him in the first “Dresden Files” book there was at least humour and cheesiness in a good way. At times there are attempts at humour here as well but they often fall quite flat: Like calling a mare “Frau” (German for “woman”). It's a small thing but it bothers me. There are tons of loose ends as well: “The fact that vampires weren't supposed to have existed two hundred years ago when the tech was in full swing bothered me a great deal” Ok, and what does Kate do about it? Does she follow up on this with anyone at all? No. She's greatly bothered but promptly forgets about it. Wow. In fact, who is Kate? Who was her father? What – apart from her mentor – was Greg to Kate? Why does everything miraculously fall in place during the epilogue? As if that wasn't enough, the writing isn't very good either: “There was something so alien in the way he moved, in how he sat, how he smelled, how he looked at me with the eyes brimming with hate, something so inhuman that my brain stopped, smashing against that inhumanity like a brick wall. He made me want to scream.” Sorry, what? Her brains stops but smashes itself... Sorry, I think mine is about to disengage trying to make sense of that. Ultimately, I'm confused by this book but I'm told the series “gets waaaaaaayy better!” so – just like “Dresden Files” that took 9 books till I liked it – I'm going to give this series another chance. Not like Kate who has the last word(s) in the book... “Tomorrow,” I said. “I can start tomorrow.” ... but once after I've recovered from my book-induced dizziness. ;-) Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

“He turned back, meeting my gaze, a disarming openness in his eyes. Right there, in that exact moment, I did a terrible, terrible thing. I fell in love with my boss.”(Just to let you know what you might be about to read. ;-) ) This was another quick and easy read just to relax. I wanted something amusing and entertaining and this “romantic comedy” was just the thing. “Faking Ms. Right” is about Everly, the sunshiny assistant of Shepherd Calloway. Shepherd mimes the cold-hearted robot but is, of course, a great person deep inside. To get back at an ex-girlfriend who now dates his own father (yikes!), he manages to convince Everly not only to fake being his girlfriend but to even move in with him. This being a romantic comedy what has to happen happens and they fall in love. Since it's a “hot romantic comedy” the story encompasses all kinds of encounters in some detail... This is by no means a demanding or sophisticated book but both Everly and Shepherd are fun and irresistibly likeable and the chemistry between both feels just right. A quick dose of Everly? “The truth was, I liked making people happy. It was my catnip. Getting someone grouchy to smile? Best high ever.” Yes, it's clichéd and so is the entire book – and this was just what I expected and wanted. Shepherd is somewhat possessive and neanderthal but, hey, I enjoyed even that: “But there was a deeply primal part of me that wanted to insist—no, command—that she wear my ring at all other times. Running, shopping, out with her friends drinking martinis—I wanted that ring on her finger.” The story is told from both Everly's and Shepherd's perspectives and mostly switches between them from chapter to chapter which often distracts me but was executed perfectly in this case. The only thing I found somewhat annoying is the author's excessive use of the “f-bomb” - and I usually don't care about that at all but once per sentence at times is a bit much even for me. Ultimately, this is nothing you have to read but if you (occasionally) enjoy a romantic comedy in the cinema or on TV, you'll feel right at home in this book. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Well, this was a light read, indeed. The pages flew by and I felt entertained but, sadly, on a very, very shallow level despite the topics of racism, privilege and “class” differences. After a rushed ending, it feels like the author simply bit off too much for her debut novel.Emira, our black protagonist, came across as devoid of any ambition, drifting mostly with the flow. She works for white influencer Alix Chamberlain and her husband, Peter. Yes, she loves her charge, young Briar - Alix' and Peter's first child - but even with Briar, Emira mostly remains strangely indifferent.Alix' and Emira's girlfriends are also rather nebulous figures who seem to merely exist as inconsequential side-kicks of the respective protagonist. They could have taken clearer roles in this novel but as it is, they remain “filling” material and mostly merely reflect their friend.The self-deceiving schemer Alix is written to be annoyingly over-the-top: While her actions still remain this side of plausibility, her motivations and justifications are way beyond - her “ruined” senior year is sixteen years in the past.In Alix' self-perception she would long have risen above Kelley Copeland: a career, a merry band of adoring and cheering girlfriends at her beck and call, a very white husband, two children (one of whom she likes...) - in Alix' bubble that would allow her to just write a Kelley Copeland gracefully off.All in all, “Such a Fun Age” was an amusing read but it's leaving a rather bland taste because from all the ambitious topics nothing is truly looked into and, thus, the real issues remain unresolved.Three out of five stars. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

“If there was ever a candidate to be patron saint of computers then it would be Alan Turing. Mathematician, war hero and tragic victim of homophobia.”And the above quotation is pretty much the only redeeming quality of this entire uninspired mess of a book.As seems almost mandatory among “hip” authors these days, we have completely unnecessary jumps in the narrated time between chapters. Why can't people tell their story linearly?! It's not that hard and Aaronovitch stops jumping around the middle of the book and nothing of value is lost. So, why do it in the first place?There's no character development, no furthering any story arc, nothing. Not even the mediocre story of mixing magic, the generally supernatural and technology is fully explored but lacklustrely told and unconvincingly at that.Even worse: Apart from countless allusions to the Hitchhiker's Guide, “False Value” alludes to other works of Aaronovitch (probably those graphic “novels”) which I'm not in the least interested in reading.This book was so boring, I'm surprised I managed to finish it. If you've been a fan so far, skip this one and hope for better times. If you haven't read any “Rivers of London” yet, start at the beginning instead and, if you get that far, pretend this turd doesn't exist. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Phew... 816 pages, 10 days and I feel like I aged 10 years because this was such a tiresome read.We find ourselves in the most fanciful and easiest fantasy world to write: A (probably) dystopian future on planet Midgard (yes... the subtlety is killing me...) in which humans are in a constant state of rebellion against their angel/fae/werewolf/ overlords who enslaved and/or killed their leaders.Fortunately, not only does this Midgard feature powerful magic, supernatural beings and great weapons of mass destruction (brimstone missiles!), no, it also features modern technology like smartphones and email...Bryce Quinlan is a “half-breed” between human and fae and, of course, supernaturally beautiful, tall, sexy and almost suicidally depressed about the murder of her more-than-a-friend-but-not-quite-a-lover-even-though-their-love-is-eternal werewolf companion and the latter's entire pack.Along comes the “dark and brooding” kind of male angel (yes... an angel... of death to boot...), Hunt Athalar, enslaved to the afore-mentioned overlords for being the rebellion's leading general and the deceased rebellion leader's lover. Both having lost their respective lover/love interest/ they initially loathe each other to fall all the harder later on. To be honest, this romance aspect in a “GoodReads Choice Award” winner for fantasy was a minor reason for me to read this.Do not fall into the same trap, though: Most of the time, the tension between both is luke-warm at best due to their insecurities, the level of which surpasses that of a 14-year old. Whenever they're really “hot and bothered” (yes, actually spelt out like that because we're all morons...) and are about to rip into each other, their phone rings and... interruptus. It's unbelievable. As if all that wouldn't yet be enough to thoroughly ruin any book, Maas tops it off: Maas seems to be primarily a young-adult author. She tries hard (and completely unsuccessfully) to make this an “adult book” - but she lacks the means and resorts to liberally sprinkling a “fuck” into pretty much every sentence. Now, don't get me wrong, I couldn't care less about expletives in general if used “normally” - most of us swear from time to time. Here, though, we're exposed to so many that it's just annoying:»Ruhn's blue eyes glimmered in his shadow-nest or whatever the fuck he called it.« That would still be fine and simply make me roll my eyes (which the characters here do all the time as well...) but even Maas' story drags on, and on, and on, and on. There are so many false leads, minor twists, dead ends and what-not that I oftenly got confused about why someone did something and about the motives of the plethora of annoying stereotyped characters. I don't think any major cliché in the world is absent from this book; from the ambitious mother who's envious of her daughter's success, that daughter being a “wild child” with substance-abuse issues, to Bryce's daddy issues and both hers and Hunt's survivor's guilt. The adorable sidekick who makes a valiant sacrifice - it never stops until the very end of the book. The last 200 pages at least pick up the pace but it's all way too late, too cheesy and cliched to redeem this book. While I do understand that many adoring young girls probably voted a billion times for this turd to become a winner, there's no reason whatsoever an adult with a working brain should expose themselves to this kind of drivel. One star out of five - and I'd like all those wasted hours back, please! Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

““We all have our little shortcomings,” Silk admitted blandly.” This is yet more of the same I've read so far in the Belgariad. We're still travelling, we're still seeing some fights the result of which is crystal clear from the outset and it's becoming stale and bland. There's some character development finally but mostly everyone still feels like an archetype and not like a real person. As if that wasn't enough, there are lots of “Deus ex machina” moments during which something that should be hard gets resolved effortlessly: “He ran his fingers over the icy iron, not knowing just what he was looking for. He found a spot that felt a little different. “Here it is.”” And just like that, that's it. Garion explores some more of his capabilities but is still kept small by Belgarath and Pol. The ending is rushed, anti-climactic and actually feels like Eddings just wanted to end the book which doesn't bode well for the rest of the series.Sometimes I wish I could “unread” books because they were so fantastic. In this case, I would have had to forget an entire genre to find any original thought or idea. This book was actually starting to get boring and tiresome; everything feels rather mediocre about it – I just hope the next one gets better again... Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Finally. I'm done with “The Belgariad”. For life. And I'm so happy about it. This epic fantasy adventure started out well with “[b:Pawn of Prophecy 44659 Pawn of Prophecy (The Belgariad, #1) David Eddings https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391346857l/44659.SX50.jpg 2558293]”, went slightly downhill in “[b:Queen of Sorcery 587582 Queen of Sorcery (The Belgariad, #2) David Eddings https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1428943169l/587582.SY75.jpg 44016]” due to all the travelling, went straight into a wall when “[b:Magician's Gambit 44688 Magician's Gambit (The Belgariad, #3) David Eddings https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1315276590l/44688.SY75.jpg 938086]” turned out to be a lame duck, recovered somewhat during “[b:Castle of Wizardry 645023 Castle of Wizardry (The Belgariad, #4) David Eddings https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1421711682l/645023.SY75.jpg 1808841]” and, eventually, went down the drain with this last instalment – “[b:Enchanters' End Game 44687 Enchanters' End Game (The Belgariad, #5) David Eddings https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1217735909l/44687.SY75.jpg 938064]”. In this final book of the Belgariad, we accompany Ce'Nedra's army into the land of the Murgos, fighting against them and the Malloreans. Wait a second, though – Ce'Nedra's army? No, in fact it's been taken from her by the men around her whom Eddings obviously felt much more competent to handle matters of war: “Once she was comfortably quartered in the Stronghold, Princess Ce'Nedra found herself even more removed from the day-to-day command of her troops.” Sadly, Ce'Nedra herself seems quite content to fall back into her cliched role as her Garion's mindless “tiny princess”. Whenever she actually does something, she gets put firmly back into place and is scolded by whatever man is around. She never gets a real chance to learn and grow beyond what she is. As for the others, they travel a bit, they fight a bit, some sidekicks die; forgotten as soon as they draw their last breath. Honestly, all the travelling and the pretty much non-existent hurdles were seriously boring me by now. Reading this book mostly was a chore for me. Even the titular endgame is boring and beyond redemption. Ultimately, Garion puts it best: ““Then everything worked out for the best, didn't it?” - “Yes, Garion. It's as if it had all been fated to happen. Everything feels so right, somehow.” “It's possible that it was fated,” Garion mused. “I sometimes think we have very little control over our own lives - I know I don't.”” After the second book at the latest, it's crystal clear nobody of importance is going to die or even sacrifice anything. Yes, as mentioned before, an unimportant sidekick or two die (I've just finished this book and already forgotten who...) but at the end of the day, there's no way things are going to go really wrong – and this makes this entire epic fantasy saga stale and bland for me. There's absolutely nothing I take away with me from these books. I've learned nothing new, I've felt nothing new, I've not noticed any new or original idea. Not even a single quote-worthy sentence is to be found in this seemingly unending bleak desert of words whereas I thirst for something that nourishes me. If you're young (10 to 15 maybe?) and haven't read much fantasy before, the Belgariad may be to your liking. It does have its moments. If you've read these books when you were younger and loved them, stay clear; you will be disappointed because even if these books were what you remember them to be – you are not who you were anymore. Anyone else, stay clear as well: A seasoned reader will pretty much know the entire story very early on and there's nothing in these books to surprise you or keep your interest for tens of thousands of words. And this in books that are about “the Word and the Will... Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Update, because this made me ridiculously happy: As of right now, I'm actually still undecided how many stars I'm going to award “The Dark Archive” as, unfortunately, I cannot do five stars but oscillate between three and four starts... Let's get going and see where reflection leads me...So, the seventh instalment of “The Invisible Library” lies behind me - and a whole new field of opportunities for further books has been opened on several levels.That's good because just as we change throughout life, so must a series of books as it evolves or it will outlive its welcome - at the very least with me.Evolution does have its risks and drawbacks, though, and to get all the characters - new and old - to where they need to be; to set the stage for what's to come, Cogman seems to have lost a little bit of the plot. More on that later, though. Let's start with the good news: This is, indeed, undeniably and recognizable “The Invisible Library” how we know and love it: Irene Winters, the protagonist, is at the height of her game and, as usual, chasing after another important book.With her is Catherine, the woefully-absent Lord Silver's niece, Irene's new apprentice. Silver himself has fled London due to immediate threats. Catherine aspires to become a librarian - an archetypal one, of course, which leads to some... challenges... in her relationship with Irene.While Catherine starts out as your “run-of-the-mill” Fae, she organically and believably develops throughout the novel which I truly enjoyed witnessing. This speaks highly of Cogman's ability to create and nurture convincing characters.Speaking of “development” inevitably leads me to Kai: Kai gets a few scenes only to himself which I liked and which were nicely integrated into the story as a whole. There's not much outward relationship development between Kai and Irene - with the exception of one crucial point... Not perfect but I liked its unobtrusiveness.Another welcome new addition to the cast is Shan Yuan, Kai's older brother, whom Kai defers to but who, in turn, seems to loathe Kai. While I don't like him as a person, Shan is an interesting character at the very least whose addition I enjoyed.Vale is with us throughout most of the book as well: London's great detective hunts “The Professor” - which is a lovely pseudonym, paying homage to both [a:J.R.R. Tolkien 656983 J.R.R. Tolkien https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1564399522p2/656983.jpg] (you can do, too, with the Tolkien Birthday Toast) and Sherlock Holmes' greatest adversary, Moriarty, whom every devotee worth his salt will know. Said Professor understandably doesn't really enjoy being hunted and, thus, sends assassins after several of our heroes which makes for a fast-paced and action-loaded novel. It's just like always when you're enjoying a book - “just one more chapter” stole me quite a few hours of sleep (but fortunately, I'm on holidays right now!).Cogman's light-hearted and (mostly) friendly trademark humour is present as well, for example, when Irene and Kai philosophize about universal healthcare and other current issues. (Still unforgotten, last book's witty reference to a certain hare-brained Prime Minister who is, unfortunately, still leading his country back into the bad old times...)With so much light, there is some shadow as well: The plot itself is a bit thin for me. Yes, we do get a story but it doesn't really hold water. There are no real “leaks” but in the heat of the action said water dissipates and once we're in a calmer phase, we do get to wonder about what's behind all this... The epilogue might hint at what lies ahead but, still, this is a small blemish on an otherwise good book.A secondary blemish is one choice of Irene's, a casual cruelty, which was not strictly necessary and feels out of character. Yes, she admonishes herself immediately for it and that somewhat relativises it but it still marred my picture of Irene.Despite these blemishes, though, this is a fast-paced, enjoyable and oftentimes funny book that fits well into Cogman's fictitious universe - and ours, of course.Well, my reflection finished and all said and done, I'm now ready to decide upon the initial question of awarding stars: A slightly-generous four stars it is.Oh, and a huge “Thank You” to you, Genevieve, for writing this book - and for gifting me a copy! (In contrast to the former, the latter had no influence on this review!)Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

We all know them: Those relatives at family reunions who insist on telling “terrific jokes” that make us cringe. If you don't, let me put you into the right mood:»When asked if they would have sex with Bill Clinton, 86% of women in D.C. said, “Not again.”«Or this one: »3 men are stranded in a boat with 4 cigarettes and no way to light them. So they toss the 4th cigarette overboard, which makes the whole boat a cigarette lighter.«Ok, you're with me, right? Now imagine a book that's full of humour like this. A book that tries so hard to be funny that it actually becomes tiresome. I've tried “Discworld” before and found it lacking in all departments but “[b:Good Omens 26793697 Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch Terry Pratchett https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553714221l/26793697.SX50.jpg 94183624]” made even that look good.Some actual samples of the humour? Here's one about sperms:»And there were his fellow trainees—fellow sperms, to switch metaphors, all struggling forward in the knowledge that there could only ever be one Chairman of Industrial Holdings (Holdings) PLC, and that the job would probably go to the biggest prick.«Or this gem, bordering on xenophobia:»A man threw himself through the window, a knife between his teeth, a Kalashnikov automatic rifle in one hand, a grenade in the other. “I glaim gis oteg id der gaing og der—” he paused. He took the knife out of his mouth and began again. “I claim this hotel in the name of the pro-Turkish Liberation Faction!”«And nothing's better than combining a little climate change with nuclear weapons testing:»“I'm surprised there was any water left in the pond. I blame it on the lack of nuclear testing, myself. You used to get proper summers when I was a boy. It used to rain all the time.”«The assembled “dad jokes”, “politically incorrect jokes”, the juvenile humour - it just became too much and so I did not finish this steaming turd of a book.One out of five stars. Go and watch the TV series instead - that's actually pretty good! (Which tells you a lot about this book...)Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam

Nine people are invited to stay at a luxury resort in the Canadian wilderness. One of them doesn't even depart with the others and then there were eight... When they arrive, they find out there's no resort but a remote derelict old lodge with no power in the middle of nowhere, there's a storm brewing, bears and wolves around, no phone signal and a killer among them - and no way home.Sounds enticing? To me at least, that's an irresistible premise and, indeed, for about two thirds of the novel the execution held up all my expectations: Things escalated quickly and satisfyingly for the reader (not so much for the characters...). I was already beginning to formulate a review that would praise this book as an exciting, suspenseful and thrilling work!Sadly, this wouldn't hold up: First of all, I would have loved to read continuously about the developments in and around the lodge. After all, it's a great setting and almost part of the cast itself. The narration about the lodge which tells of the end of October, though, is regularly interrupted by jumping either to early November and the search and rescue party which is alerted to the entire affair by finding a crashed plane with a body inside.These interruptions while making some sense severely disturb the sense of urgency that builds up during the time at the lodge. Also, during the search two of the protagonists feel drawn to each other but one of them is still bound to their spouse who has been in a coma for 14 months at the local hospital. There's no reason for said spouse to even exist story-wise apart from preventing those two people who feel a strong mutual attraction to act upon it. Meh.Due to the large cast of characters in this book - the nine people, the search and rescue party, some cops, some children, etc. etc. - in combination with the constantly switching perspective I had some difficulties keeping track of everything happening.The ultimate let-down, though, came after those first two thirds: At that point, we entirely leave the people struggling to survive at and around the lodge and stay for most of the remainder of the book with the search party. Right when dramatic things at the lodge were happening, we moved elsewhere. Yes, the perspective of the search party has its own appeal but it was a jarring departure from people I really started wanting to die! Shortly before the end, we return to the survivors' perspective but it's too late because we already know the basics of what happened and too little as well because White needs an entire chapter to actually untangle the complex web of connections she spun. The final niggle that cost this novel the fourth star it would otherwise have gotten is Stella's ultimate fate (which I will not spoil for you, of course!). It's a cheap and often-used narrative device which I'm tired of. All in all, for two thirds, this was a truly good read but it went downhill quickly. Amusingly, the mathematics are with me: 66% of 5 stars are 3.3 stars which I'm rounding down to three out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

“»Wo bist du zu Hause?« »Meine Sonne«, sagt Großmutter. »Meine Freude. Mein Esel. Begreif das endlich. Es zählt nicht, wo was ist. Oder woher man ist. Es zählt, wohin du gehst. Und am Ende zählt nicht mal das. Schau mich an: Ich weiß weder, woher ich komme, noch wohin ich gehe. Und ich kann dir sagen: Manchmal ist das gar nicht so schlecht.«” Ein neues Jahr und die erste Rezension - zu diesem Anlaß habe ich einmal mehr in meiner Muttersprache gelesen. Saša Stanišić war mir als Autor völlig unbekannt und nur durch die Vorstellung seines Buches “Herkunft”, das den Deutschen Buchpreis 2019 gewann, in “Druckfrisch” und das Gespräch zwischen dem von mir hoch geschätzten [a:Denis Scheck 25593 Denis Scheck https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] und Stanišić, wurde ich auf ihn aufmerksam. Um es gleich vorweg zu nehmen: “Herkunft” ist ein überaus persönliches Buch und erzählt aus Stanišić' Leben. Insofern mag nicht jeder sich mit diesem Werk anfreunden können. Auch ich tat mich insbesondere anfangs sehr schwer mit Stil und Inhalt: “Der Hund findet im Gebüsch einen Stück Stoff, blau, weiß, rot, wie die Fahne. Nicht zu glauben, flüstere ich. Der Hund riecht nach frisch gemähtem Gras. Ich langweile den Hund.”Allzu merkwürdig anekdotisch und sprunghaft kam mir das alles vor. Ein Buch aus vielen Fragmenten mit Sprüngen quer durch Zeit und Raum, vor und zurück. Von den 80'ern bis 2018, von Jugoslawien (als es das noch gab) bis Deutschland. Seltsam, manchmal anstrengend und, ja, auch recht lang. Nach knapp einem Fünftel des Buches war ich drauf und dran, aufzugeben und ein weniger anstrengendes Buch zu lesen. Doch der “erzählte” Stanišić (handelt es sich doch um eine Mischung aus (viel) Erinnerung und (wohl wenig) Fiktion) war mir ungeheuer sympathisch und so lehnte ich mich geistig zurück und ließ mich schlicht auf das Buch ein. Ab diesem Moment wurde “Herkunft” zu einem für mich streckenweise ungeheuer ergreifenden Buch. Bei allem Witz (“Müssen Flößer schwimmen können?”) und Geist, den dieses Buch versprüht, so habe ich dennoch viele Taschentücher gebraucht und auch jetzt - in der Rückschau - “schniefe” ich vor mich hin. Es sind gar nicht so viele “neue Erkenntnisse”, die ich diesem Buch entnehmen konnte; vielmehr verspürte ich eine merkwürdige Verbundenheit, was des Autors “Philosophie” angeht: “»Ihr habt es mir nicht schwer gemacht. Das Dorf nicht, nicht die Schwiegereltern«, sagte Großmutter. Das gefiel mir: Es jemandem nicht schwer zu machen, genau darum sollte es doch überhaupt und immer gehen.”Nicht “leicht machen”, aber es jemandem nicht schwer machen - eine einfache und doch überaus menschenfreundliche Einstellung.Ich erwähnte bereits, daß “Herkunft” ein überaus persönliches Buch ist. Insofern steht es mir eigentlich nicht zu, mich über manche Längen im Buch zu echauffieren. Obschon ich zeitweise der Ansicht war, daß eine radikale Kürzungen dem Lese- und Erzählfluß vielleicht gut getan hätten. Andererseits bedarf es vielleicht gerade der Länge, um dem Sujet gerecht zu werden:“Heimat, sage ich, ist das, worüber ich gerade schreibe. Großmütter. Als meine Großmutter Kristina Erinnerungen zu verlieren begann, begann ich, Erinnerungen zu sammeln.”Auch sprachlich ist das Buch ein Genuß; noch nie zuvor habe ich beispielsweise vom “multikulturellen Faustdialog” gehört. Bei allem Persönlichen bezieht Stanišić jedoch auch ganz klar politisch Stellung, was man ihm gerade heute hoch anrechnen muß: “Welten vergehen, stellt man sich denen, die sie vergehen lassen wollen, nicht früh und entschieden in den Weg. Heute ist der 21. September 2018. Wäre am nächsten Sonntag Bundestagswahl, käme die AfD auf 18% der Stimmen.”Eine erschreckende Erinnerung, daß die Herrschaft der Nationalsozialisten wohl doch schon für viele Wähler zu lange zurückliegt.Der letzte Teil des Buches ist auch formal eine Zeitreise - wer um die 40 ist, wird sich wahrscheinlich aus den 80'ern an die sogenannten “Spielbücher” erinnern, die man “kreuz-und-quer” las - wer das nicht kennt, dem möchte ich die Überraschung nicht nehmen und allen anderen sei gesagt, das Stanišić hier noch einmal zu fantasievoller erzählerischer Hochform aufläuft.Eine so schöne und persönliche Definition von Herkunft ist selten und absolut lesenswert. “»Ein Stanišić, noch ein Stanišić und noch einer«, frohlockte Gavrilo. Sein Atem ging schnell, er stellte sich aufrecht hin, um sich Platz zu verschaffen. Die Luft wog schwer vor Ahnungen und Ahnen. »Und sie fanden den geeigneten Ort«, rief er. »Der Ort ist hier! Oskoruša! Hier schlugen sie ihre Wurzeln! Stanišić, Stanišić, Stanišić. Und jetzt – jetzt kommst du!« Um darüber zu schreiben? Über Vorfahren und Nachkommen. Gräber und Tischdecken und Wiedergänger. Überlebende. Und jetzt ja wohl auch über Drachen.” Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Two years ago, I somehow came across “[b:Still Life 338691 Still Life (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #1) Louise Penny https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1324373974l/338691.SY75.jpg 898083]”, the first in a series about Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Quebec, Canada. It was a good book, no doubt, and I was quick to catch up with the series which I greatly enjoyed. What I expected to be a standard police procedural turned out to be so much more. Gamache isn't the young, enthusiastic investigator but a man in his fifties who has experienced a lot and instead of becoming disillusioned, embittered or hopeless as one might expect, he grows. “Things are strongest where they're broken.” is how Gamache puts it and how he lives – and he himself has been broken a lot of times. He's not the “Gentleman police officer” that [a:George's 1402383 Elizabeth George https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1235518043p2/1402383.jpg] Lynley is (or used to be). He's not [a:Rankin's 33031 Ian Rankin https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1270338491p2/33031.jpg] cynical Inspector Rebus. Armand Gamache is a literary unicum. In this fifteenth novel of the series, Gamache investigates the disappearance of a young woman who is beaten by her husband. She is soon found dead and so is her murderer. If he can be convicted, though, is not quite as certain... As always, Gamache's home, the small village “Three Pines”, and its inhabitants play a role (albeit less prominently than in some of the other books) and we get treated to all the familiar characters like Ruth, the semi-insane poet, Clara, the artist, and, of course, Jean-Guy Beauvoir and Isabelle Lacoste. The relationships between the characters are another of the major highlights of this series: The closely-knit and yet open, welcoming and open-minded community of “Three Pines” is the fictious place we would love our kids to grow up in. These books live from the relationships so lovingly depicted and the almost mythical quality of “Three Pines”. As with every one of her Gamache novels, Penny has a fundamental topic which might not continually take a centre place but which will surface throughout the novel. In this case it's vigilantism – how do the central characters deal with it themselves when most seriously tempted; when all it would take is looking away at the right moment... “It was all Jean-Guy Beauvoir could do not to turn around. March back to [...]. Tell Armand and Reine-Marie and Billy to look away while he forced [...] to a kneeling position, took out his gun. Placed it at the base of the monster's skull. And fired.” And – how would we deal with it? Would we give in to the temptation? I'm going to admit it: I for one was sympathising with Beauvoir at that (rather early!) point in the story. I hope I'd do as he does... Would we be able to face the consequences of our deeds? ““Consequences,” said Gamache. “We must always consider the consequences of our actions. Or inaction. It won't necessarily change what we do, but we need to be aware of the effect.” Ultimately, though, both Gamache and Beauvoir disregard exactly that advice and that's part of what so greatly appeals to me about those two men: When they feel they have to act, they're just going to do it – no matter the consequences because it's the right thing to do: “Homer plowed right through them, running straight into the Bella Bella. Wading in. Breaking through the thin ice at the shore, he fought his way forward. To get to his little girl. Gamache and Beauvoir plunged in after him.” Even if that means plunging into a flooding river – and Penny pulls that off effortlessly. She has given each character her books so much personality that we never – not for a second – doubt they would do this. It's another one of the immense strengths of Penny's story-telling – she is a master of characterisation. As similar both Gamache and Beauvoir are, they are different kinds of investigators which is another highly interesting aspect of the Gamache novels: “While Jean-Guy Beauvoir explored the tangible, what could be touched, Armand Gamache explored what was felt. He went into that chaotic territory. Hunting. Searching. Tracking. Immersing himself in emotions until he found one so rancid it led to a killer. Beauvoir stopped at the door. Gamache went through it.” All this may sound intimidating if you're just in it to read a good mystery but do not despair because while there's lots of serious wisdom and kindness to be found in these books, they never take themselves too seriously and there's always a good portion of humour involved: “Isabelle. Jean-Guy. Armand. Three colleagues. Three friends. A trinity. Sturdy. Eternal. Together. “Three Pines,” she said. “Three Stooges,” said Ruth as she walked by and entered the bistro.” As usual, there are very few things not to like about a Gamache novel but there are two minor issues in this one: First of all, there's a huge flooding. Basically, the entire province of Quebec is in a state of emergency and we get to read quite a bit about it in the first half of the book. This entire part of the story is pretty much completely neglected in the second half. It's not a big deal but it's a loose end that could easily have been avoided. A little more annoying were the weird and superfluous injections of Twitter messages at the beginning of a few chapters. They didn't really add to the story and they were an unwelcome distraction. I don't get why some authors these days seem to believe they cannot write a good modern book without directly adding social media parts. Especially when they obviously don't quite grasp how said social media work (in a technological sense). Nevertheless, these are really minor issues that simply don't matter considering Louise Penny's achievement by writing yet another, the fifteenth (!), absolutely fabulous book. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

“The past will hunt you down” it says right there on the cover and I wish it was sarcasm by Patterson to put it there. Because the past hunts only him down.Let's start at the beginning, though: In typical Patterson redneck manner, he lets Cross witness the state-sponsored murder of a killer he put away - right after Cross framed the guy... Cross himself about the framing part:“You might ask if I believed the ends justified the means, and I'd answer that in this case, yes.”Wow, just wow. But, hey, we're not yet done with such crap because next to believing in state-sponsored murder, god and similar sources of evil, e. g. patriotism, Cross is just plain unbelievably dumb (how that reflects on his creator is left as an exercise to the reader...). An example: Right before heading deep down into an underground bunker (!) of one of those “preppers”, he asks his friend Sampson:“I'm not back in an hour, use the Find My Friends app and come get me.”Yes, riiiiiight... Since our author obviously thinks he needs to be up-to-date with blackmail practices, he showcases his deep knowledge about crypto-currencies by letting a nerd (of all things...) say the following:“The Ethereum stopped moving,” he [the nerd] said. “Okay,” I said. “Where is it?” “In two hundred and fourteen accounts spread out all over the world. Some of it has been downloaded to so-called hard wallets, but I have the codes for them. Not a Bitcoin of it has been spent, though. As far as I can tell.” “So it's just sitting there?”You're not required to know but Ethereum and Bitcoin are two different crypto-currencies and the above is like saying “he didn't spend a Dollar from the thousands of Euro”. It just makes no sense and simply displays how ignorant the author actually is.But let's put these blunders aside - is it a decent story? Well, it's not too bad but, unfortunately, we've ready it all before - Jannie running? Check! Nana Mama being an annoying wise-crack? Check! Ali being... Well, I won't spoil that one for you but, hey, “the (history) book on the shelf, Is always repeating itself” - WATERLOO! (Yes, Abba is much more entertaining!)Patterson doesn't stop at repeating himself, though, no: He even puts in large portions of previous investigations, including some Kyle Craig crap and other rehashed nonsense.And then there's the ending... Again, I won't “spoil” (haha!) it for you but, honestly? How cheap can one author get?Seriously, James Patterson is dead to me. And nothing of value was lost. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Wow, this was such an annoying read! Chloe Sophia Brown comes across as a pampered, snobby whiny, weak damsel in distress who needs rescuing. From this outset, I already didn't like her. Someone who describes herself like this... “This mind-blowing bore had zero friends, hadn't traveled in a decade despite plenty of opportunity, liked to code on the weekends, and never did anything that wasn't scheduled in her planner. Don't cry for her; she's in a better place now. Even Heaven can't be that dull.” ... is simply someone who is wallowing in her own shitty quality of life. Chloe thinks, feels and behaves like a victim of her fibromyalgia (chronic pain, pressure sensitivity, tiredness, sleep problems, etc.) and Hibbert never ceases to emphasize how horribly suffering her heroine is. Not only from her illness but from being abandoned by her ex-fiancé, every single friend she ever had (we ask ourselves: what kind of “friends” were those?), her family (apart from her sisters) and who knows whom else.In addition to being ill, Chloe is overweight and black. At times, I've wondered how Hibbert managed to not make her an amputee as well or clinically depressed or maybe blind... Yes, sorry, I'm being sarcastic because Chloe was so annoying. Then there's her “love interest”, Redford “Red” Morgan, whose previous relationship was with some kind of glamour girl who oh-so-horribly abused the poor guy: She hated his motorcycle but used it for glamour photos. Wow! What abuse...Furthermore, she is described as somewhat bitchy. It was all so horrible that poor Red (who is, of course, a ginger!) fled London and, gasp, changed and tried something new! What tragic development! Apart from that he's an uneducated moron who doesn't know the word “indisposed” and reacts to it like this: “He was going to have to buy a bloody dictionary to keep up with her vocab, but he could read between the lines.” Or he could take some English lessons and, thus, extend his two-hundred-words vocabulary. In addition said vocabulary seems to be dominated by the word “fucking”. It features prominently in every second sentence or thought of his. (Chloe has a similarly obsessive relationship with the word “pussy”...)I'm not averse to some swearing but does it have to be all the time? “He watched her as closely as he could, which was pretty fucking close.” and next he decides to tell Chloe “You're cute as fuck, you know that?” - why? Is there really a woman who would want to hear that? (I have no doubt there are enormous numbers of male morons who think so...) And Chloe swoons at that... Red, at times, is outright creepy, e. g. when he “[drinks] in every detail like some sexually deprived Victorian bloke”. Urks... At other times, he's more of an animal: “She snorted, rolling her eyes, but he could tell she was pleased. It oozed out of her like jam from a layer cake, and he was lapping the sweetness up, desperate for more.” Is he a dog?! When it comes to creepy, Chloe isn't exactly innocent either: “This hunger was urging her to sneak inside his head and devour everything she came across. But that would be a little creepy, possibly violent, and probably illegal, so she settled for asking questions.” “Possibly violent”? Devouring his brain? Thanks, but no thanks! Last but not least, the book is full of what my children kindly informed me is called “fake-depth” or calendar mottos to me: “Bliss should be held on to with both hands.”“Good things usually hurt in the end.” Ultimately, this book failed miserably for me on many levels: For a mindless romance (which I expected) it's too complicated; for a serious book, it's too shallow and simple.In the end, to me this book was one of suffering - of Chloe's and of mine reading this stuff... Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

»O day and night, but this is wondrous strange!« (Horatio in [a:Shakespeare's 947 William Shakespeare https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1654446514p2/947.jpg] “[b:Hamlet 1420 Hamlet William Shakespeare https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1351051208l/1420.SY75.jpg 1885548]”, act 1, scene 5.)And so is this novel! Though it has some truly great ideas, they are often immediately overshadowed by banality and crudeness... Before I get ahead of myself, though, let me quickly state that this is it (for now) with Christmas romances but I came across the title - “The Wedding Night Before Christmas” - and couldn't help myself but read it.Beyond its strangeness, this was a winner for me and this is mostly due to the extremely relatable Audrey “Motherfuckin'” Clarke - how could I not root for her?!»Two documents, exactly the same—except one was stapled on the diagonal, and the other stapled vertically.Who does that? Only a monster.«(Indeed, Audrey, and isn't it almost as bad if the staple is not either precisely vertical, horizontal or - best of all! - on a precise 45° diagonal?!)Audrey, the female protagonist and rock upon which this novel safely rests, is a capable, powerful, intelligent, self-made rich, attractive and neurodivergent woman.»I'm not cold. But I don't express myself in the same way many people do. I can barely tolerate people touching me or touching them in return. Affection isn't physical for me; it's mental and emotional. So I show affection by showing interest—and it's impossible for me to feign interest if I don't care about what someone is talking about or doing. But even when I do care, I know my manner comes off as lacking in warmth. If I could act, maybe I could fake it. But I'm not any better at pretending than I am at lying. So I can't be anything other than who I am.«Caleb, the male protagonist, approaches Audrey because he needs her financial backing to get even with a family who is trying to sue him out of his inheritance. His unconventional idea: He proposes marriage to Audrey and she accepts on the spot.At this point, I looked up the author, [a:Kati Wilde 8578278 Kati Wilde https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1412026887p2/8578278.jpg], to see if I had accidentally stumbled into a male wish-fulfilment fantasy...Caleb also swears all the time. For no fucking reason at all. In every second sentence. I'm not fucking exaggerating. And he has a “slight” personality problem:»Personality-wise, I'm a vulgar asshole at my worst, and miles away from Prince Charming at my best.«This becomes especially grating when very nice ideas...»A fantasy that takes a warped perception I had of her, one that hurt her and ate me up with guilt, and turns that pain into something that'll give us both pleasure.«... drastically clash with Caleb's swearing and crudeness.»She told me to dress for a date, so I settled for what was clean and might stand up to the cold outside. And I suppose I look like some giant lumberjack escorting a sexy fairy princess into this damn party, but I can't bring myself to give a shit if we don't match.«And yet, this novel worked for me because the chemistry between Audrey and Caleb is simply great and he never feels threatened by Audrey's self-confidence or outward powerfulness. As any decent partner should, Caleb supports Audrey, takes her needs and challenges seriously, and vice versa. I would have loved to get to read a little more about Audrey as a successful business woman, about her assistants, Jessica and Jeremy, and some other side characters which are sadly neglected.This is a very, very hot, spicy and steamy novel. I liked it but if you prefer a “fade-to-black” approach, this is very definitely not “your” novel... Also, versus the end, there's more sex than anything else and I found myself wishing to read more about those two in non-sexual contexts.Especially since there are quite a few open questions that aren't addressed by the epilogue (“Five years later”) either: What becomes of the Wyndhams? What does Caleb do with his inheritance? What about Audrey's parents? Despite being seriously annoyed by Caleb at times, I didn't like putting this one down. Four out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam