Wulf C. Krueger

I read one book at a time, always. I simply cannot just “switch” from one book to another anymore. So, if I hit a rotten tomato I tend to actually read less. I'm typing this on my iPhone. A minute ago, I found myself wondering and thinking, “I usually read at a time like this.” - while I was playing a game. Then it began to dawn on me: ‘How much must you despise a book to fantasise about writing its review on GoodReads while actively trying to avoid reading said book?!‘ The answer in a nutshell: Very much, and the reason is that pretty much everything in this book is bland, wrong and unbalanced. Let's start with the supernatural aspects: While I'm in no way superstitious, don't believe in anything supernatural, I actually greatly enjoyed the ambivalence of the previous instalments in this series. For McGray pretty much everything was at least supernaturally influenced whereas Frey never really believed in anything like that. The resulting strains between both and the different approaches made things interesting. It made for a nice balance. Even better: De Muriel kept the ambivalence and we never knew for certain if there were supernatural elements or not. We, as readers, could make up our minds ourselves. In “Darker Arts”, though, Frey and his no-nonsense philosophy clearly dominate the entire book. McGray basically only features as an unhinged clown who has a good idea at times but mostly raves or broods, sometimes attacking people. Somehow, among complicated family trees, goldmines in Africa and lots of spiteful people the story meanders along, seemingly aimlessly and no progress is being made. At first, our heroes don't worry but time passes and nothing really seems to be moving anywhere. Lots of false leads, a travesty of a trial and until the sensationalist ending during which Frey miraculously conceives the solution to the crime in a most unbelievable way, de Muriel obviously tries hard to bore us to death. The solution to the crime is so complicated that de Muriel actually has to resort to having Frey spell everything out to his superior and, thus, us. If an author has to resort to such desperate measures, they'd better gone back and revised their plot. Plus: Frey is basically constantly bemoaning his uncle's untimely death during the previous book. The previous book, in fact, overshadows this one as it is being alluded to all the time. So often actually that I became annoyed about it. Yes, I enjoyed “[b:The Loch of the Dead 35295069 The Loch of the Dead (Frey & McGray, #4) Oscar de Muriel https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1518499722l/35295069.SY75.jpg 56660680]” but it's not like it would garner de Muriel Nobel the Nobel Prize in Literature... “Darker Arts” reads like de Muriel has spent all his good ideas. If it wasn't for certain developments at the very end, I'd say this might be a farewell to the series – McGray receives grim personal news, Frey is impaired by the events of “The Loch of the Dead”, another important character leaves the scene... Ultimately, considering the bland story, the bad writing and the fact that this book made me read less, I think that's it for me – Oscar de Muriel just lost a reader for good. Or, to say it with McGray's constantly repeated words: “Och nae...” Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Let me state clearly where I stand when it comes to Alex Verus: I think he's the greatest Urban Fantasy protagonist ever. I've enjoyed every single book in the series and I enjoyed this latest instalment as well – just not as much as most of the others, unfortunately. Why though? The trademark humour is there, Luna is there and so are Anne, Variam, Arachne and others. Sadly, they mostly take a place on the backseat this time. Luna barely gets any serious “stage” time; she's generally around and worries a lot but doesn't get to do or experience much. For such an important character that's pretty sad. We do get to see more of Anne who has a more “active” role in the proceedings but she remains unrefined and pale compared to many other characters. Maybe part of that is my own perception, though; I've never felt that Anne added much to the books – she always felt like the obligatory love interest and I never found her especially interesting. It's probably because of that I don't care very much about the role she plays in this tenth book. Personally, I think even the air elemental Starbreeze – who is FINALLY back in this book – is a lot more interesting and even more important. The story is rather simple as well: The war between Britain's Light Council and Richard Drakh is ongoing and Alex comes to realise he will have to step up his game and make some hard decisions in order to actually achieve at least some of his goals and protect those he loves. And that he does: He plunges head first into the action and does what has to be done – the personal consequences – as of yet unclear – be damned. The personal and character changes these bring are subtly shown by Jacka and that's a large part of why I still enjoyed this book. One of the major downsides can best be illustrated by a direct quote from the book: “I looked at the house for a moment longer, feeling as though a very old piece of unfinished business had just come to an end.” Reading many parts of this book makes me feel exactly like that: “Being on a clock” (as Alex puts it) – because we're nearing the end of the series – makes Jacka pick up loose threads from earlier books (so loose I often didn't even remember them...) and put quite some effort into resolving them. That, in itself, is commendable but I'd rather have had some real character development beyond Alex himself and that is sorely lacking in “Fallen”, unfortunately. Jacka is setting up his stage for the final books, makes previous characters reappear (cf. Starbreeze or Meredith), makes some others disappear (and that one character to boot! How dare he!) and is generally preparing to move on to greener pastures. That we feel this in the tenth of twelve planned books is a bit premature, I think. Maybe, though, it's again me who already feels saddened by the thought of having to say goodbye to Alex Verus whose adventures have brightened up my reading time. Last but not least, don't worry if you're a fan – you will enjoy “Fallen” (aptly titled!) as it's fast-paced, suspenseful and features much of what we came to love. I just wish it had been less of a “blast from the past” and more of a future-oriented book. If you're new to Alex Verus, don't start with this book, though. This is one of those series you need to read in order. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

“Time had sneaked in and stolen her recklessness.” Michael J. Sullivan has done it again: He has written a book that doesn't need to hide behind any other work in contemporary fantasy. His latest masterpiece, Age of Legend, the Kickstarter of which I had the honour to participate in, begins after the Battle of Grandford at the end of the previous book, [b: Age of War 18052169 Age of War (The Legends of the First Empire, #3) Michael J. Sullivan https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1516720471s/18052169.jpg 25336191]. This makes “Age of Legend” the fourth book in Michael's “The Legends of the First Empire” series which I whole-heartedly recommend to, well, actually anyone who reads. (In fact, my wife isn't really into fantasy but thoroughly enjoyed Michael's Riyria books.) I already wrote it in the review for the previous book but this latest instalment solidifies this feeling: More and more, “Legends” turns into Michael's magnum opus. The Riyria books, which are fairly different from Legends, are undoubtedly great but the narrative depth of Legends is absolutely remarkable. Michael gets pretty much everything right and this starts even before the actual book with his “Author's Note”: “Now, there are a few things in this second half that I've done differently than my other books, and I want to warn you about them in advance.” This is expectation management done right – before we even get started Michael informs us about what he has done differently. I love his transparency. The main part of the book again takes us to the war of the Rhunes against the Fhrey and lets us accompany our heroes Persephone, Suri, Brin, Gifford and the others in their global as well as their personal struggles. True, some of them take a backseat compared to the earlier books but to me at least this feels completely natural – there's so much story to tell that the narration has to concentrate on slightly fewer characters. Some of them grow far beyond what I expected (and they themselves!) and some fall short of their own expectations. Michael is a master of characterisation, though, and consequently, those characters he focusses on truly come to life and “feel” real, alive. Literally nobody here is perfect, none of them are spotless white-vested heroes. As do we all, our heroes struggle – against their own fallibility, their doubts and, of course, an enemy who considers them animals. Among all the considerable developments in this book, Michael never loses his touch for careful world building, e. g. a very simple question... “I noticed a number of carts being lashed to horses outside. What's that all about?” ... leads us to the invention of chariots. Just as in the earlier books this is executed brilliantly. And while all this plays out about 3000 years before Riyria and, thus, long before our time, Michael carefully makes us think of contemporary challenges but never preaches or lectures us: “The dwarf?” Malcolm paused and thought a moment. “Well, I wasn't referring to him specifically. But now that you bring it up, I should point out that you run the risk of painting a whole race with the same ugly brush, which could have unexpected consequences in the future.” I think Michael's greatest gift and the key to understanding his work but especially “The Legends of the First Empire” is his empathy. The downtrodden, the despised – however deserved that may be – are not beyond redemption. This deeply human attitude is part of what makes me love his books: “Empathy—the ability to understand and appreciate the feelings of others—is the cornerstone of civilization and the foundation of our relationships. Lack of it . . . well, lack of empathy is as close to a definition of evil that I can come up with.” In the beginning, I already referred to Michael doing Kickstarter projects for his latest works (and even this he does pretty much perfectly). Kickstarter projects are great for this kind of stuff – the author finally gets more than just a meagre share of the proceedings and we, the readers, get to read the book earlier at the very least and, if committing by pledging higher amounts, lots of other goodies. I certainly wish more authors would make such good use of Kickstarter. So, if you're into fantasy go ahead and read Michael J. Sullivan's fantastic books!

»This morning I delivered little baby Sayton – pronounced Satan, as in King of the Underworld.«Wow, what a ride! [a:Adam Kay 17160706 Adam Kay https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1594843517p2/17160706.jpg], doctor gone writer, describes what he experienced in six years of medical practice in the United Kingdom.In about 10 chapters, Adam first introduces us to the new position or posting he's in now. He then proceeds to write in usually short passages in anecdotal style to explain the manifold lows and highs of his profession.There were passages I laughed out loud at (something I rarely do and which garnered me curious and worried looks from my family), some that I thought couldn't be true and others again that really truly hurt.So, first information if you want to read this book: On multiple levels, the title is extremely well chosen.Definitely dominant, though, is a wonderfully dry humour that, I imagine, in part allowed Adam to pull through those obviously at least partly hard, harsh years.»Clearly blood isn't the delicious post-delivery snack she imagines placenta might be.«(She probably simply hasn't read the right cookbooks!)Another part seems to be Adam's deeply ingrained empathy for his patients - even though the latter ultimately drove him out of his profession.He honestly describes some horrible experiences, e. g. when having to take samples from a still-born baby:»I dress him again, look up to a God I don't believe in and say, ‘Look after him.'«It's this kind of doctor I would wish to treat me or my family. One that will, like Adam explains his doctor persona, go »for a ‘straight to the point' vibe – no nonsense, no small talk, let's deal with the matter in hand, a bit of sarcasm thrown into the mix.« This kind of approach is applied in “[b:This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor 35510008 This is Going to Hurt Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor Adam Kay https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498340278l/35510008.SY75.jpg 56583337]” as well: You get dumped straight into the “action” - be it sweet (as in the case of the baby named after him) or bitter (as the incident that made Adam leave his medical profession). Every word he writes feels honest and rings true in every respect. And just like that, Adam Kay single-handedly improved my opinion on doctors - because I don't see a huge influx from the UK to my country, Germany, I suspect things aren't all that much better over here either... If you just want to read an excellent book beyond all its merits mentioned before, you're on the right track as well: Instead of “just one more page” I was like “just one more diary entry” and kept repeating that till I noticed I had read the same diary entry a few times already and I simply couldn't concentrate anymore - it's just that good.If you remember (and hopefully like) [a:James Herriot 18062 James Herriot https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1258249907p2/18062.jpg]'s wonderful stories from his life as a country vet in Yorkshire, you might, at times at least, feel reminded of Herriot - a younger, sharper and more sarcastic version, though.A brilliant, hilarious, heart-breaking book. Unreservedly recommended to anyone who reads. Five out of five stars. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

“A completely gripping, heart-stopping crime thriller”


Nah, it's not, just joking. This is just an annoying trend (lately?) to add such marketing bullshit to the title of any books feared not to sell otherwise – or so it seems.

“The Bones She Buried” is, of course, neither completely gripping nor, fortunately, heart-stopping. It's pretty much a bog-standard police procedural featuring Josie Quinn, a thirty-something (I guess?) police detective in Pennsylvania (which doesn't matter at all because the setting is usually completely generic), who is investigating for the fifth time now with the usual staff who, so far, “covered cases so shocking and high-profile, they'd made national news.”

And, of course, Josie will eventually “[unravel] a scandal so massive and so complex that it's still sending shockwaves through not just the region but the entire nation.” And it all starts with the murder of someone close to her.

Honestly, all that thickly-applied pathos is not even necessary: Sure, Lisa Regan (whose surname I tend to “prominently” misspell) will never become a new Hemingway or Shakespeare. That's just fine, though, because the “absolutely unputdownable” “crime thrillers” she writes as if there was no tomorrow, are entertaining, well-paced, sometimes amusing, and always suspenseful.

Compared to many other books, this is fastfood – best devoured quickly and in secret, feeling slightly guilty over the wasted hours but, ultimately, happy to have read something that entertained me without taxing me.

Well, at times things do get a bit... complex:

“Josie's ex-fiancé, Luke Creighton's sister had a farm up in Sullivan County, so Josie had been there before.”

Such things happen if you mass-produce like Regan (but at least I don't have to wait long for each new instalment):



Vanishing Girls: A totally heart-stopping crime thriller (Detective Josie Quinn Book 1) Jan 17, 2018

The Girl With No Name: Absolutely gripping mystery and suspense (Detective Josie Quinn Book 2) Apr 19, 2018

Her Mother's Grave: Absolutely gripping crime fiction with unputdownable mystery and suspense (Detective Josie Quinn Book 3) Jul 19, 2018

Her Final Confession: An absolutely addictive crime fiction novel (Detective Josie Quinn Book 4) Nov 28, 2018

The Bones She Buried: A completely gripping, heart-stopping crime thriller (Detective Josie Quinn Book 5) Mar 27, 2019



So, if you can enjoy a run-of-the-mill police procedural, you can't go wrong with Lisa Regan.

“Christmas Eve?”, I hear you cry. Why that?! Why pick an unimportant short story from the Harry Dresden universe and write about that?

Simply because it lets me make a point: Harry Dresden is a male chauvinist pig; he's a misogynist arse. And even an impromptu short story is worth reviewing it because the stuff is just that good.

I read the first book, “Storm Front”, expecting nothing, getting something weird. I certainly didn't really like it – generous 3 stars. I was wondering if it would get any better and read book two. More of the same – but people said, “WAIT! It's going to get better soon-ish!”.

I read on. Same experience with books three, four (yes, the one that's supposed to have gotten better!), five... All three stars, all... interesting. Somehow... exciting, though... Harry still is all the above and yet, there are redeeming qualities. Not sure what they are but why ever else would I have read on?!

Book 10, lo and behold, actually did get better! People – for ONCE! – were right! Harry Dresden is annoying but I'm sitting here and can't wait for book – wait for it – 16 of this weird literary junk food that so entices me, that calls out to me, that sounds like a Siren's song to me!



This story? It's just nice. The most important people we've come to love from Harry's neck of the Chicago woods are around, the atmosphere is right and, well, it has Harry...



Hello, I'm Wulf and I can't get enough of Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden.

»Books are life, they are brain food, they bring joy, and relief, and connection.«(From the ackowledgements)Finally, a good one again! This novel was much more fun than I had expected and it had two brilliant protagonists.Olive and Ethan hate each other - until they don't. (Or maybe they never hated each other but who wants to be a spoil-sport?). On the tropical island of Maui they try hard not to fall for each other but fail miserably. The good thing is: They do so by actually communicating (mostly) intelligently and honestly with each other. They start to trust each other. They support and encourage each other. They grow with each other. Before that happens, though, I really enjoyed their banter:»“I am totally out of my depth here.”“That's been my general impression so far. Be more specific.”«(Is that great art? No, but it's highly entertaining.)Trust needs a deeper level, though, than just amusing, silly banter. Don't get me wrong: The “tropical island”, “holiday”, “summer beach read” vibes are strong in this one and that's wonderful and hilarious. That Christina Lauren is able to deliver on more serious aspects, surprised and delighted me:»Soon, Ethan and I are swimming completely in sync, our feet kicking lazily behind us. He points to things he sees; I do the same. There are no words, no verbal jabs. There is no desire to smack him or poke his eyes out—there is only the confusing truth that holding his hand down here isn't just tolerable, it's nice.«There's an amazing and refreshing balance between the humour and the emotion in the book. There were moments of laughter and fun, but also moments of vulnerability and honesty. The tropical island setting was also a nice backdrop for Olive and Ethan romance, as it gave them a chance to relax and explore.It's nice and, yes, romantic; wholesome even. Maybe I've become soft but I like that and I like it when our heroine simply decides to go for honesty “under duress”... »Honesty has always seemed to work best for us: “I'm freaking out a little that you suggested we spend the day together, just us, and it doesn't make me want to rappel down the balcony.”«There are still a few scenes during which I would have liked to grab them and force them to talk straight but mostly they simply do just that and it's so satisfying! I think they both showed a lot of maturity and respect for each other, which made me root for them even more.When at home, Olive and Ethan even get their priorities right:»“Garlic chicken first, sex second.”«(Speaking of that second “course”: It could have been a bit more spicy and detailed. The sex scenes were a bit too vague and fade-to-black for my taste. I would have liked to see more of their passion and intimacy, especially after all the build-up and tension. It's a funny, clever, warm, nice novel with a brilliant Olive and Ethan so I'd argue we deserve better!)As mentioned, Olive and Ethan are wisely using their time to build trust... Until they don't; in the third-act breakup - but even that feels plausible: Thomas believes his brother and not his partner. Olive is understandably extremely annoyed and disappointed by that and pretty much walks out on Ethan whereas he formally ends their relationship. And, at the time, it made a whole lot of sense. »I know now that it's a waste of my time looking for reasons, or fate, or luck. But I've definitely come to embrace choices in the past month or so, and I'm going to have to figure out which one I'll make where Ethan is concerned—do I forgive him, or do I walk away?«It even helps Olive along because she fully recognises her feelings for Ethan - and for herself:»I feel more myself with him than without, and that happened so fast, it's dizzying.«Even while pining for Ethan, Olive remains strong and self-reliant:»“I don't have to do anything where Ethan Thomas is concerned.”«And, ultimately, Olive's final conflict - trust him again or leave him for good? - also plays out plausibly: She knows very well her trust might be misplaced and that it might be a good idea to leave him - but she doesn't want to leave and trusts herself (and partly him). She prioritises love while seeing its risks and it is entirely her clear-headed decision. That is courageous and, in my book, admirable.I liked how Olive didn't let Ethan or anyone else define her or make decisions for her. She had her own goals and dreams, and she pursued them with determination and confidence. She also had a lot of self-awareness and self-respect, and she didn't settle for less than she deserved. I applaud that.For this much mutual honesty and fun, courage and thoughtfulness; for this fresh breeze of self-reliance and respect - how could I award anything less than five out of five stars?»“Ethan,” I whisper, and dart my eyes around, feeling the pressure of everyone's attention on us, still. This moment is starting to feel like a reconciliation, and as much as my heart and lungs and lady parts are on board for that, I don't want to roll over the deeper issue here, which is that what he did by ignoring my truth wasn't okay. “You really hurt me. We had this rare, awesome honesty, and so when you thought I was lying, it was really hard.”«Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

“The October Man” served as a quick escape from another book I simply didn't want to keep reading right now. For that, a quick escape, this book is great. It's nothing really special, though, and feels like it was written to fill the gap between full-length novels. If you remember the previous book (and especially its ending!) in the series, this probably makes sense. This book won't work as an introduction to the series but nobody will expect that, I hope, from an instalment that's listed as “7.5”. For the fans, though, it's a nice, quick read and you'll feel right at home. This time, we follow Tobias Winter, a German police officer and magic practitioner who – with the help of Vanessa Sommer, a colleague – investigates the murder of two members of a drinking club. Amusingly, Tobias originates from Ludwigshafen (am Rhein) which is located about 9 km northwest of where I've been living for half my life now. While having been born and raised in Lower Saxony for the first half of my life, it came as a bit of a shock that I've come to like the land and its people. Most of the story plays out in and around Trier, though, and not Mannheim and Ludwigshafen. That's pretty much the only risk Aaronovitch takes – everything else follows his tried formula (or is it a mind-controlling forma?) of the series: Slightly hapless hero cop chases after traces of magic, vestigia, and tries not to mess up to badly. And both Winter and Aaronovitch succeed at that – the trademark humour is there... “Mama used to be a radical Green, which is how she met my father. She assaulted him, he arrested her—it was love at first handcuffing.” ... the usual banter is as well... “Then she laughed and looked me straight in the eyes. “Fuck me,” she said. “You're the magic police.” “It's not nearly as much fun as you think it is,” I said. But I could tell she didn't believe me.” ... and, just like that and before you quite realise, the book is over as is this review. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

“Slow Horses” by Mick Herron was excessively true to its name - it's a very slow, half-dead horse that gets beaten and bogged down by its own limping pace. And I considered myself in danger of dying from boredom.The entire first quarter consists almost exclusively of introductions to the characters and their world. Until half the book was behind me, a person had been kidnapped and that was pretty much all. Lots of foreshadowing happens, e. g. “x is going to happen”, “y is going to happen”, etc. etc. and, yes, that's usually technically true but also entirely irrelevant for the story and the entire novel. Also annoying were the excessively long chapters - the aforementioned 25% of the book are only three chapters... The pace very slightly picked up during the final third of this novel but it was way too late and by far not enough to keep my interest. It also didn't help that I didn't care about any of the characters at all. Only once did I actually sympathise with our wanna-be hero River...»River had a sudden image of darkened rooms all over the country, all over the world; heads bent over monitors, studying iPhones, watching nothing happening, slowly.«... because I also felt like that when reading this novel!Two stars out of five.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

I have to say [a:Paul Harding's 4371731 Paul Harding https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1328557292p2/4371731.jpg] “[b:Tinkers 4957350 Tinkers Paul Harding https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1364258693l/4957350.SX50.jpg 5023150]” left me feeling unmoved and dissatisfied - like so many other books this year... The novel revolves around an old man named George who is dying from cancer, and the narrative follows his thoughts and memories as he grapples with his mortality. The language used by the author is often ornate and overwrought, which, coupled with the slow pacing of the story, made for a tedious reading experience.The characters lack depth and development, with George being the only character with any discernible personality traits, and even those are underwhelming. The supporting cast feels two-dimensional, failing to contribute anything meaningful to the narrative.The themes of loss, mortality, and the passing of time are not uncommon in literature, but Harding's handling of them is clichéd and trite. Rather than telling a compelling story, the author seems more concerned with showcasing his literary prowess.In conclusion, “Tinkers” is not a book that I would recommend to others. While the themes it explores are important, the execution leaves much to be desired. Two out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

(“Why me?!”, impromptu art by my daughter when I asked her to do something for me) “Why me?!”, I asked my wife, “Why do I always have to choose the worst books?!” - with the prettiest covers, I might add. Because this book is a classic example why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover – which, in this case, is beautiful whereas the contents read like they've partly been ripped out of the script to some mediocre horror b-movie and partly been born out of the brain of a pubescent teenager. Maybe a sadistic ecology freak was on-board as well because at times the book reads like something along the lines of “nature strikes back”. The plot is simple and the premise interesting: A female-only boarding school on a small island; “the Tox”, some kind of plague, ravaging the wildlife, the girls and their teachers. Hetty, Byatt and Reese, three pupils and friends, are trying to survive. Suddenly, when Byatt vanishes Hetty learns something sinister is going on on the island... I'm not even sure where to start with my criticism because this book has almost no redeeming qualities: The writing is weird and I found myself asking “what did she smoke?!”: “And in the other hand, Raxter. No ferry on the horizon, mainland far and farther. Water and shoreline born new every day. Everything what it wants to be. Everything mine. I'm buried there no matter where I go.”The wise old woman expressing the above is Hetty, a teenager of 16 years... Yeah, riiight... The pacing is all over the place, too: Slow introductive scenes into the not-so-normal school life with the Tox dominate the first 50% of the book. Then, suddenly, things escalate quickly and we find ourselves in outlandish fights with cross-breeds between human and flora (!), and corrupted animals. Then again, things come to a screeching halt and we're back inside the school. As if that wasn't enough already, we're witnessing school girl tragedy, the evil headmistress, the misunderstood well-meaning teacher and lots of other characterless characters. In a rather simplistic attempt to cater to a broader audience, there are some LGBT motifs tacked on to the story. Unfortunately, they feel completely artificial and add nothing at all to the story. The entire ménage à trois between our three lacklustre “heroines” feels completely off and weird. Worst with respect to that, though: I didn't care one bit. Byatt? Reese? I couldn't care less whom of which makes Hetty's heart beat faster. This entire book feels very bizarre but not in a good way. I progressed from “bizarre”... ““Don't,” [...] cries from behind me. But I can't listen. It's not him anymore. I lean hard, brace my hand on his elbow as I wedge the knife deeper and deeper and start to lever it up. There's a heart to all this. There has to be.” ... by way of “seriously?!”... “He's rotting from the inside out.” ... to “disgusting”... “Until finally. A snap. And inside his rib cage, I see it. A beating heart, glossed in blood. Built from the earth, from the bristle of pine, and inside, there is something else, something more, something living. I don't think twice. Just claw at it with both hands, and it comes screaming out with a wet tear.” ... within this very scene and the entire book. Especially the above scene made me actually think that these might simply be the feverish violent fantasies of a pubescent boy, tinged with bloodthirsty revenge. Curiously, Hetty of all people sums up my feelings for this book pretty well: “Person after person collapsing under the weight of this place, lie after lie, and I've had enough of this. Enough of these confrontations, of secrets spilling out of us like blood.” Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Recently, I watched the series “Band of Brothers” and was surprised by its quality. The often-used introductory statements of the former members of the 101st were very impressive and lent the series a lot of credibility.After having watched the final episode, I decided I wanted to read Ambrose's book that served as the source material. Little did I know what awaited me...While the series provided me with a consistent, logical stream of events, the book simply adds anecdote after anecdote. There's hardly any reflection on those anecdotes either and if Ambrose tries to add his analysis, it's sadly lacking, simple-minded and features lots of “Hooray patriotism” that's part of what actually caused the war he narrates about.At times, Ambrose tries to actually support his point of view by citing other works - unfortunately, they're mostly of similarly questionable quality as his own book. In other cases, Ambrose references books that were written in the immediate aftermath of the war and, thus, still strongly subjectively influenced.I for one, though, prefer a proper history book on World War II and not a collection of anecdotes. Especially the strong hero worship Ambrose resorts to all too often...“The coordination with British artillery was outstanding. So was Winters.”... truly annoys me: From what I've read about Richard Winters beyond the praise Ambrose never ceases to sing, Winters must have been a great man and soldier. So let his deeds speak for himself, i. e. Wikipedia calmly tells us that “Winters agreed for the statue to bear his resemblance on the condition that the monument would be dedicated to all junior officers who served and died during the Normandy landings.” when they erected a statue at Utah Beach.The series itself actually shows the war as it must have been - grim, bloody, horrible. Whenever the former soldiers get to talk about their experiences, they often get teary-eyed whereas Ambrose belittles what they got through by making it look easier than it could have been. And, in fact, Ambrose stoops so low that he compares the weapon fire to Fourth of July fireworks:“War provides more meat to satisfy that lust than any other human activity. The fireworks displays are far longer lasting, and far more sensational, than the most elaborate Fourth of July display.”Wow, just wow. Please excuse me for a moment while I vomit.Sometimes, Ambrose tries to get in some German quotes into his narrative. Unfortunately, these parts obviously got very little attention by him or his editors:“Hinkle, Hinkle, ist das du“To me, a German, this reads like a verbatim translation of “is that you?” whereas proper German would be “bist Du das?”. It's a small issue but it's just as annoying as the military abbreviations Ambrose liberally uses. Yes, after a few uses I can imagine “CP” stands for Command Post”, “OP” for “Outpost” or “ETO” for “European Theatre of Operations” but till I figured it out, it was confusing for no good reason.And while Ambrose obviously is a fan of “Ike” Eisenhower, he's not good enough to avoid belittling other famous commanders like Montgomery:“Ike needed the 101st and 82d in the line. It was a question of timing. Eisenhower wanted to attack even before New Year's Eve, but Monty, commanding the forces (all American) on the northern shoulder of the Bulge, stalled and shivered and made excuses, so it did not happen.”A little xenophobia bordering on racism (another cause for the war) isn't something Ambrose is much concerned with either:“Had Reese been a Soviet, German, or Japanese soldier, this little nonincident probably would have turned out differently.”(The “non-incident” he's talking about is severe, continued sexual harassment of civilians, by the way.)War crimes are talked about but there's no criticism at all:““You shoot him,” Moone replied. “The war is over.” Skinny Sisk stepped forward, leveled his M-1 at the fleeing man, and shot him dead.”Pretty much the only decent thoughts expressed in “Band of Brothers” are, interestingly, those of Richard Winters again who remembers reaching a concentration camp:“The memory of starved, dazed men,” Winters wrote, “who dropped their eyes and heads when we looked at them through the chain-link fence, in the same manner that a beaten, mistreated dog would cringe, leaves feelings that cannot be described and will never be forgotten. The impact of seeing those people behind that fence left me saying, only to myself, ‘Now I know why I am here!' ”I will definitely avoid Ambrose as an author from now on and stick to my history books. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Well, this much is clear: I wouldn't bother to save this novel in a fire. This book is a whole new kind of bad. It actually made me annoyed and, at times, angry.Sexualised violence, PTSD, cancer, sexism, general violence, stalking, abandonment, arson, insta-love, and forgiveness (for all of the afore-mentioned) - all in this one novel and badly done to boot.Before anything else - even being human - Cassie Hanwell is an extremely successful firefighter. No doubt in large part due to the fact that this profession in the USA is dominated by men. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in 2020 only 9% of the firefighters were female.I couldn't easily find my native Germany's statistics but in the UK, the percentage of female firefighters is about 7%. So, I'm going to assume it's the same problem in the USA and in Europe.Thus, Cassie - like many women - has always had (and still has) to work harder and longer than her male colleagues. She has also experienced sexualised violence at the age of 16.Shockingly and shamefully, according to the US National Sexual Violence Resource Center, she has that in common with approximately one in five women in the United States has experienced completed or attempted rape during their lifetime. Additionally, 81% of women reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetime. According to a report by the United Nations, globally, approximately one in three women experience physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner or sexual violence from a non-partner.Ten years later at an award ceremony in her honour, to everyone's surprise, when confronted with her attacker, 26-year-old Cassie thoroughly beats him up on stage. She's given the choice to apologise or be fired (let's not go into the question of whether any of that is realistic...) but comes up with a way out: Since her mother needs help with an eye issue, she's going to move to her into another state and take a job there - at an all-male fire station the male captain of which loudly complains about women in his profession...Prepared by her current female captain (“Don't ever be a girl! Be a robot instead!”), she moves and is confronted by a world I naïvely had hoped went extinct with the ‘90s. »l looked the sheet over. “So, to succeed in my new job, I basically need to be an asexual, androgynous, human robot that's dead to all physical and emotional sensation.”She sat back in her chair and nodded, like, Yep. Simple.I nodded.“Just be a machine,” she said. “A machine that eats fire.”«I will now go into spoilerish detail, so on platforms that support it, I'm going to use spoiler tags. On all others; beyond here be dragons!Cassie first moves in with her estranged mother, Diana, who walked out on her and Cassie's father on Cassie's 16th birthday, which also happened to be the date when she was raped...»I looked up to see Josie smiling at me. Then she reached out and tucked a wisp of hair behind my ear. “She believed you'd be okay,” she said again. “And she was right.”«Diana, it turns out, is an emotional manipulator who knows no boundaries and has no clue what happened to her daughter. Her “eye issue” also turns out to be a malignant, aggressive brain tumour which Diana neglects to mention till she cannot hide it any longer.Pretty much like her father, who never even tried to get Cassie help but resorted to teaching her basketball... In the present, he's a full-blown asshole when he “asks” her to help her mother:»“How could you say no to her?” he demanded. “She needs you.”“Can we talk about this later?” I asked.“It doesn't matter when we talk about it,” my dad said, rolling out his most authoritative voice. “You're going.”“I already said no.”“Change your mind.”“I'm not going to change my mind,” I said, like he was completely nuts.“She's your mother, and she needs you, and you're going.”“You're telling me to leave my job, my apartment, my life—everything?”“You're young. You'll make it work.”«But since mommy is going to teach Cassie forgiveness, daddy will be immediately forgiven for this and everything else.Let's stay with forgiveness, a central topic of this novel, for a moment: Yes, forgiveness can make sense. Most of all when we forgive ourselves. Or minor infractions by others. Mommy Diana, though, is trying to teach her adult daughter to forgive her rapist, a physically and emotionally violent criminal, and everyone else - all in the name of forgiveness and for forgiveness' sake. Even if you feel this is valid and fine: Said violent criminal who even confesses, gets away with a slap on the wrist. The same guy who stalked, threatened and even became physically violent against Cassie in fact gets back into her good graces:»In acknowledgment of his personal growth, I got him a T-shirt that says THIS IS WHAT A FEMINIST LOOKS LIKE.«Yea, right.Nothing is going to deter him or anyone else around to just do more of the same. While one's first duty is, undisputedly, to oneself, one has to keep the consequences of one's actions in mind. If one still stands by said action afterwards, that's fine. But in this novel there's no consideration for what might happen later.Let's move on: Having just arrived on duty, Cassie and a rookie, her love interest Owen, are being “initialised” by a ritual of duct-taping both of them half-naked to a post at night:»“Are you guys here to haze me?” I asked, lowering my arms.Tiny gave a little shrug. “We're supposed to duct-tape you to the basketball pole.”I nodded and relaxed out of my crouch. Fair enough. “Okay, then.”Tiny didn't step forward, so I waved him toward me.“Let's get it over with,” I said.[...]Next thing I knew, they had pressed us together, standing back to back against the basketball pole, running a roll of duct tape around us to keep us there. It was late summer and starting to get chilly.«Now, some of you might feel that this isn't so bad. Let's see, though: The way this plays out makes it pretty clear they suffer through it but at no point consent to this intentionally degrading and humiliating procedure. In fact, they're physically restrained.While it does not involve direct, immediate physical harm, it does involve subjecting individuals to discomfort and potential embarrassment. It's just plain disgusting and unworthy behaviour for any human being.But, hey, at least - and here we come to the issue of instant love which is about as attractive as instant coffee - both Cassie and Owen immediately fall in love with each other. Within a year, they will be engaged and about a year later married. The epilogue kindly informs us of the further adventures; two kids, lots of forgiveness and a happily-ever-after.This is, of course, helped by the fact that Cassie considers every single firefighter a hero and expects them always to be “the good ones”: Hyperbolising every firefighter into a hero is doing them a disservice as it creates unrealistic expectations and puts undue pressure on them. While firefighters are undoubtedly brave and selfless individuals who put their lives on the line to save others, they are also human beings who experience fear, stress, and trauma like everyone else. By portraying them as infallible heroes, we risk overlooking the mental and emotional toll that their job can take on them. This can lead to feelings of inadequacy, guilt, and shame when they are unable to live up to these unrealistic expectations.»Somebody who's supposed to be a hero.”«By acknowledging their humanity and vulnerability, we can create a more supportive environment that encourages them to seek help when they need it instead of trying to compartmentalise or other forms of self-abuse. This very novel shows us an example of that.»“Firefighters are supposed to be the good guys.”«This novel is not a romance but a misguided attempt at hero worship.Meanwhile, Owen asks Cassie to join him at a family celebration during which he magically “heals” all her issues with a kiss. Yes, I kid you not. PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder)? Just kiss it well!Of course, Owen has lots of issues himself: As a child he played a part in causing a huge fire which cost his paternal uncle's life. Plagued by guilt, Owen has never told anybody and became a fireman himself because daddy is “Big Robby”, a hotshot firefighter himself. Even though he, Owen, always wanted to become a cook! (Which, of course, in a reverse-Grisu move, he's going to become!)Due to their severe cases of mutual instant love, they don't have to talk or interact much either. There's no banter in this novel. There's no chance for chemistry to develop. They fall in love, jump into bed together (fade to black) and even before Owen gets discharged from the hospital after a life-threatening injury (Cassie of course saved his life!), he proposes to Cassie... (Using a “ring” made from the still-sticky foil of a yoghurt.)Worst of all, though: None of the above is reflected upon in the novel - the extreme sexism, bizarre initiation rituals, toxic masculinity - it's all just accepted as preordained. It's just like people saying “boys will be boys” after witnessing a boy harassing a girl. No, it's not that simple: We're not born as assholes but we become assholes. And whoever spouts irresponsible crap like the above is an immediate part of the problem.At least, though, it all magically works out for Cassie...»I even read a whole book on the psychology of post-traumatic growth, and how, in the wake of the terrible, traumatic, unfair, cruel, gaping wounds that life inflicts on us, we can become wiser and stronger than we were before.Am I wiser and stronger now?Without question. Even in the wake of it all.«... and she has even read a whole psychology book (gasp!) and is now a lifelong expert!One annoyed and angry star out of five.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

Wow, we're already at the 18th instalment of this great series. When I picked this book up, I was slightly worried how I would like it, considering that I haven't exactly had much luck with long-running series this year; the latest Dupin a disappointment almost as badly as the latest Bruno (review here). Would Deborah Crombie let me down as well? Would she make me wish for Duncan and Gemma, whose exploits I've been following for years, to finally ride into the sunset? The answer, fortunately, is a resounding “NO!”. Set this time in the Cotswolds – and thus outside Duncan's and Gemma's jurisdiction – we find ourselves at Beck House, the summer house of Melody Talbot's parents, Ivan and Addie. What was planned as a carefree weekend for Duncan, Gemma, Melody and Doug with a charity luncheon turns into something much more sinister when it comes to light that one of the victims of a car accident had already been dead at the time of the collision... The other victim of said collision is actually Duncan Kincaid himself – fortunately alone in the car at the time. The fact that I just felt compelled to mention he was alone is a strong indicator for one fact: You know you really like a series and its characters when you're actually truly worrying about what's going to happen to one of the main characters.During the entire book which switches perspectives frequently and naturally (meaning you don't get confused at all!) I was wondering what might happen to Duncan. I was keeping my fingers crossed all the time and worried with Gemma about him. I've always liked her as well and I sympathised even more with her during this book because she constantly has a lot on her plate: She has to organise the kids, has to be a “proper” guest of the Talbots, a friend to several characters in the book and takes part in the investigation with Duncan (both being supported by Melody and Doug, of course!). It's not only Gemma, though: Everyone – including even minor character like Kit – get a fair amount of “stage time” and, surprisingly, everyone is actually interesting. This applies to the local cop, DI Colin Booth as well: Booth, who could have reacted territorially, gladly accepts the help he's getting from his London colleagues and they, in return, don't try to take over his investigation. I'm not sure how realistic that actually is but it surely helped with the lively atmosphere. Booth is smart, down-to-earth and simply very congenial: ““Colin Booth, Gloucester CID. And you are?” Gemma noticed that he hadn't used his rank, and that in the few moments since he'd arrived he had very unobtrusively loosened the knot in his tie. She was beginning to like Colin Booth.” So did I. Even the interludes – describing past events in the lives of some major characters – were actually enjoyable and helped understand current events better. One sentence, early on, reminded me strongly of the entire series and, especially, this book...“Down-to-earth food, and delicious, the sort of thing he'd grown up on in Cheshire.” ... which is similarly down-to-earth and delicious. No, Crombie didn't let me down and I'm happily awaiting the 19th book! Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

This is the story of a family, holidaying in Nantucket over the summer each year. We're getting an insight into their life during the eponymous “Summer of ‘69”.Exalta, the grandparent generation, is the matriarch of the family. Her husband, Penn, passed away years ago and is idolised by Exalta who herself has been a prisoner of the (sometimes questionable) morals of the time but is on her way to make the best of the tumultuous times.Exalta's daughter, Kate, is part of the parent generation. Her first husband, Wilder, who served in the Korean War, died shortly after coming home while cleaning his gun. Wilder is the father of Kate's daughters Blair and Kirby and her son Tiger whereas her third daughter, Jessie, is her second husband's child. David, Jessie's father, is a lawyer and made sure Kate got the life insurance payout after Wilder's death. David is such a great guy, that instead of talking to his binge-drinking wife, he passive-aggressively avoids her completely - to which she responds by buying something huge... Tiger has quit college to go to war in Vietnam and finds out that's what he wants to do. Of course, he's the good kind of soldier and rescues a young boy whose mother was killed (but she was Viet Cong, of course!) instead of massacring innocent villagers, using Napalm and Agent Orange like the rest of them (cf. My Lai).Kate is so upset about his leaving that she starts drinking heavily. Well, Kate, wait till you see the pictures of what Tiger and his nice buddies did in Vietnam...Her oldest daughter, Blair, is married to Angus (whose brother, Joey, she used to date) and is expecting their first child. Angus is mostly married to his job at NASA, though, and is working on the planned moon landing while possibly cheating on Blair.Blair's sister Kirby is a bit younger; a young adult with a secret that changed her outlook on life. Kirby strives to be more independent and, thus, finds herself a job on Martha's Vineyard instead of summering with her family in Nantucket.From a young age on, Kirby wanted to be a rebel and, thus, went on a march with Dr. King and her teacher. She rather actively “befriends” the police (the nice guys routinely murdering coloured people in the USA, cf. George Floyd) while at it; slightly defeating the purpose.She's quite principled as well - unless the guy's hot in which case she tells him off (his parents might not approve!) to later date him again when nobody will know it...Finally, there's Jessie: Jessie has just turned 13 and falls for Pick, 16, the son of the caretaker of her family's summer home in Nantucket. Unfortunately for her, while he's trying to get to second base with her, he's working on another girl in parallel. Once that girl agrees to “go steady”, Jessie's dismissed. Just in case, though, he keeps in touch with her as her penpal.Jessie also routinely steals when under pressure but her grandmother, Exalta, quickly fixes that for her to “save face”. Exalta doesn't really want to know the reasons either, she just grounds Jessie for a week. There are other characters like Bill, Pick's grandfather, Bill's hippie child-neglecting commune-living daughter Lorraine (AKA Lavender), the grabby tennis teacher, the pseudo-feminist tennis teacher, some of the “upper echelon”, etc. etc. but you get the gist.Why do I tell you all this when I usually just skip to the nitty-gritty? Because you should know what this book is about before you stumble into it, knowing nothing - like I did. I have no idea why this book made it to my “to-read” list and I probably wouldn't have read it in the first place had I known what I was in for.By now, you might come to the conclusion that I'm not exactly fond of “Summer of ‘69”. Surprisingly (and somewhat shamefully), that's not the case. In fact, I really enjoyed reading this multi-generation family soap opera of a book. Sure, while writing this review, I feel like I should hate every single person that is even mentioned in passing in this book and, yet, it's a feel-good summer read which is what I wanted. And now a storm is brewing here - must be karma for actually liking this.A guilty-feeling four stars. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

The Test - an exercise in superfluousness

“The Test” is a short story about an immigrant taking a citizenship test. What he doesn't know: It's all simulated. When a group of terrorists takes everyone hostage at the test and they put him into difficult situations, his behaviour is actually being evaluated with respect to suitability for citizenship.

The story isn't bad at all but nothing here is new and all of it has already been executed a lot better by other authors. There are even a few things intrinsically implausible that are never explained and before you know it, you've finished the very short novella.

It's a bit like Brecht once wrote: “Indeed it is a curious way of coping: To close the play, leaving the issue open...”

Unfortunately, Neuvel isn't Brecht and can't really pull this off as successfully but wrote a novella that's simply superfluous.

Thus, to quote Brecht to the end, “There's only one solution that we know: That you should now consider as you go What sort of measures you would recommend To help good people to a happy end.”

The measures I would recommend are simple: Find a better book to read.
​

This will be an untypically short review because this book was interesting enough but I had expected so much more: This books predecessor, “[b:A Dark Lure 25316313 A Dark Lure (A Dark Lure, #1) Loreth Anne White https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1430780443l/25316313.SX50.jpg 41421218]”, was very, very suspenseful and exciting and told a really interesting story. “The Dark Bones” features a few characters from the first book (namely Olivia and her daughter Tori) but deals with the murder of Noah North which his daughter, Rebecca, a white-collar-crime cop investigates. During the course of her investigation Rebecca meets her ex-boyfriend, Ash, again who quickly becomes a “person of interest” in this case and an older one about two missing kids. As in the previous book, White's career as a romance writer shines through and – again – her heroine falls for the handsome rugged second protagonist – it worked the first time so why not try to apply the successful formula again? Which would be fine by me but somehow I was not as invested in both the story and the people this time around. Rebecca broke up with Ash because he cheated on her and met the girl again – she never asked him for the reason but just left. Ok, so some people do that, I get it, but if she really loved him so much that Rebecca never had any serious relationship again would she really just leave? Wouldn't she at least ask him to explain himself before basically burning all bridges and leaving her home for good? Either way, even when Rebecca becomes convinced of Ash's innocence, she still feels that he harbours a huge dark secret – and instead of digging into him till he spills, she tries to distance herself emotionally – which didn't work when he cheated and, surprise, surprise, doesn't work now either. The story takes a long time to pick up speed and when it does, it feels slightly rushed. The twist at the end doesn't really feel right either – like it was “tacked on” in hindsight. It's pretty obvious what happened to the missing kids so that part of the story wasn't as interesting as it could have been either. Among all the romance stuff and our heroine oscillating between loving her Ash and being wary of him I sadly sometimes lost interest in the entire proceedings. Maybe it's in fact that: The book is simply too long for what it has to tell us. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

David “Selbstzweifel” Hunter ist zurück - leider nicht in Bestform

Der forensische Anthropologe David Hunter, bekannt aus Becketts früheren Romanen in dieser Reihe, wird diesmal zu einem Leichenfund in einem ehemaligen Krankenhaus, dem St. Jude, gerufen. Dort angekommen wird sehr schnell klar, daß sich ein größeres Geheimnis hinter den abrissreifen und finsteren Mauern des St. Jude verbirgt. Damit steht die Kulisse für einen ebenfalls eher düsteren Krimi mit gelegentlichen “Ausrutschern” in beinahe schon poetische Sprache und ein wenig Humor.

Ich freute mich auf einen neuen Krimi mit Hunter, der mir aus früheren Bänden sympathisch und interessant in Erinnerung war. Das bleibt auch bei diesem Buch so, jedoch wird es leider von den permanenten Querelen zwischen Haupt- und Nebencharakteren massiv überschattet - ein forensischer Taphonom verärgert Hunter, Hunter verärgert seine Auftraggeber bei der Polizei, ein frustrierter Bauunternehmer verärgert alle.

Als wäre das noch nicht genug, läßt sich auch Hunter von all dem Ärger ins Boxhorn jagen und an sich selbst zweifeln. Angesichts seiner Erfahrung und seines Renommees ist das aber nur sehr bedingt plausibel und hat mich zumindest doch sehr gestört.

So viel Ärger und Selbstzweifel machen einfach keinen Spaß mehr und trüben das gesamte Lesevergnügen deutlich ein. Völlig unnötigerweise noch dazu, denn Beckett schreibt – wie immer – gut und zeitweise geradezu poetisch...

“Die Stille, die auf allem ruht, hat eine andere Textur als tagsüber, ist besinnlich und noch gedämpfter. Sie hat ein fast spürbares Gewicht.”

... gepaart mit Einschüben (direkt auf das vorhergehende Zitat folgend) trockenen Humors...

“Vielleicht liegt es auch bloß an mir.”


Hemmend auf den Lesefluß wirken sich zudem die Zeitsprünge aus – da wird von einer dramatischen Entwicklung erzählt und an deren Höhepunkt ein Sprung in die Zukunft im nächsten Kapitel vollführt, von dem aus dann in Form einer Rückblende erzählt wird. Das nimmt Tempo heraus und mindert – ebenfalls völlig unnötig - die Spannung.

Ganz am Schluß tritt dann etwas ein, anläßlich dessen ich nur noch innerlich leise aufstöhnte, “nicht schon wieder!”. Völlig überflüssig und ärgerlich wird hier eine Nebenhandlung erneut in den Vordergrund gerückt, die besser einfach in der Vergangenheit verbleiben wäre.


“Die ewigen Toten” läßt mich insofern ein wenig ratlos zurück: Einerseits ist es ein durchaus gelungener Krimi, andererseits ist die Atmosphäre übermäßig angespannt und bedrückend. Darüber hinaus zieht sich das Buch bis zur Mitte reichlich in die Länge, um dann am Schluß im “Schweinsgalopp” zu einer mäßig glaubwürdigen Auflösung unter Einbeziehung “oller Kamellen” zu kommen.

Ich glaube, für mich ist der Zeitpunkt gekommen, mich von David Hunter und Simon Beckett zu verabschieden.

I came to this book immediately after having read [a:Sager's 15263414 Riley Sager https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1555890121p2/15263414.jpg] “[b:Home Before Dark 50833559 Home Before Dark Riley Sager https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1571683410l/50833559.SX50_SY75.jpg 73695354]” which I devoured breathlessly. Sadly, “Lock Every Door” didn't live up to my expectations.It starts out interesting enough: Jules, 25, has lost her parents some years ago, now she has just lost her job and left her boyfriend because he cheated. While she tries to put her life back together, she sleeps on a friend's couch. This is when she gets a job as an apartment sitter in the “Bartholomew”, a posh apartment building in New York City. Apart from a few weird rules (“no visitors at all”, “every night must be spent at the apartment”) everything seems fine until Jules meets another, rather peculiar, apartment sitter who then proceeds to disappear...The setting is perfect, the ideas are good but this is a book of missed opportunities because the characters and the building itself are fairly interesting but Sager doesn't really use that: The apartment sitter who vanishes, Ingrid? Jules just met her three times and immediately believes pretty much everything Ingrid tells her. Nick, the nice and hot surgeon next door? He's potentially an interesting character but he doesn't get enough focus by far.Or the residents, or Charlie, the doorman - they all remain flat and shallow. Whereas I'd have liked to get to know them a bit, they're treated as accessories.The building features gargoyles - what a chance for an author to evoke even more of a Gothic atmosphere but Sager misses that opportunity as well. Jules even names the gargoyle next to her bedroom “George” but apart from a dream or two, he just sits there on his ledge.While “Lock Every Door” is still a page turner, it never reaches the quality of “[b:The Last Time I Lied 36626748 The Last Time I Lied Riley Sager https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511141004l/36626748.SY75.jpg 57845636]” or “[b:Home Before Dark 50833559 Home Before Dark Riley Sager https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1571683410l/50833559.SX50_SY75.jpg 73695354]”. Building up suspense and a latent atmosphere of threat - which I expect from a good thriller - takes time but everything in this book feels rushed. We hardly met Ingrid and gone she is. Dylan, another apartment sitter? Gone before he could take shape. The aging one-hit-wonder author? We hear a bit about her but then she's (mostly) whisked away.And then there's the ending... The mystery behind what happens in the Batholomew is outlandish, absurd and unbelievable. It feels rushed as well - just as if Sager felt he was running out of ideas and had to come to a conclusion. Any conclusion. No, this, sadly, was very disappointing compared to Riley Sager's other works and, thus, I can only award a still-generous three stars. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

“I didn't know it then, but it was too late—I had internalized my father, introjected him, buried him deep in my unconscious. No matter how far I ran, I carried him with me wherever I went. I was pursued by an infernal, relentless chorus of furies, all with his voice—shrieking that I was worthless, shameful, a failure.”

but

“It's not hopeless. You're not a boy at the mercy of your father anymore.”


It all started out so well: The narrator, Theo Faber, is a psychotherapist who goes out of his way to help Alicia, the “Silent Patient”. Alicia has been put into a psychiatric hospital after her husband was murdered with her standing next to him, the weapon at her feet. She refuses to (or can't) speak at all.

Theo himself is damaged as well by an overbearing father who has always made him feel insufficient, worthless and a failure (cf. opening quotation). He feels like he's pretty much the only person on earth who can help Alicia find her voice – metaphorically and literally – and so he sets out to help her.

The setting I described above intrigued me – it sounded exciting and promised suspense and I strongly related to Theo with whom I felt I shared some “history”.

“Psychotherapy had quite literally saved my life.”



The entire first part of the book struck me deeply and the narrative “vibes” resonated within myself:

“I could feel myself thawing in the heat, softening around the edges, like a tortoise emerging into the sun after a long winter's sleep, blinking and waking up. Kathy did that for me—she was my invitation to life, one I grasped with both hands. So this is it, I remember thinking. This is love.”

I vividly remember a few situations (e. g. the restaurant in Amsterdam, C., where they “shot” me ;) ) with my wife of almost 20 years now that triggered similar feelings and reminded me of similar experiences.

“About love. About how we often mistake love for fireworks—for drama and dysfunction. But real love is very quiet, very still. It's boring, if seen from the perspective of high drama. Love is deep and calm—and constant.”

These “autobiographic connections” and the expectations they raised are, undoubtedly, part of why I feel so let-down by and disappointed in this book.

Soon, though, there were discordant tones within the narration that had rung true so far:

“I wanted to reach out and pull her close. I wanted to hold her. But I couldn't. Kathy had gone—the person I loved so much had disappeared forever, leaving this stranger in her place.”

This is quite obviously delusional – Theo simply confuses his picture of Kathy with the real person. Sure, this is certainly a literary device but crudely wielded and, thus, it annoyed me slightly in the beginning.

Later in the book, Theo's own issues become even more prevalent and, to me at least, more and more annoying. They escalate in their narrational crudeness as well:

“Perhaps he wasn't human at all, but the instrument of some malevolent deity intent on punishing me. Was God punishing me?”

What?! Yes, sure, whatever...

There are quite a few characters as well who take quite some space in the book but never really get used: There's Jean-Felix, a caricature of a gallery owner and Alicia's friend, there's her brother-in-law, the latter's wife, Tanya (his assistant, how cliched is that...), Alicia's cousin Paul and others who pretty much all have something to hide or to be embarrassed about but who only ever serve as a means to an end – to distract us, the reader, from the simple truth which you begin to sense early on and which leads to “the big twist”.

Some characters, like the hospital's director, Diomedes, are pretty much caricatures of themselves, so shallowly are they depicted.


On the other hand, Michaelides does get a few things right: Short, engaging chapters that keep you glued to the book (“just one more chapter and then I'll sleep!”), inserting excerpts from Alicia's diary helps as well and all in all, it's still an interesting read – at least in the beginning.

The middle parts of the book are rather slow and uneventful. Lots of stuff is going on but only few things happen that actually drive the story forward. Towards the end, things are being rushed and the story, after “the big twist”, deflates as quickly as a punctured balloon.

Ultimately, this book has good ideas and an interesting premise but it feels sensationalist and simply can't live up to the hype that's been generated about it. Alex Michaelides is, first and foremost, a screen writer and it definitely shows in this book.

A breath of fresh non-young-adult romance air! A great premise, brilliant writing. Loved it!After a string of less-than-desirable reading experiences, I opted to go for a fun, light read - a romance!I expected the usual: Some trope, like enemies-to-lovers, banter, quick lovey-dovey, some conflict, reconciliation and a happily ever after. Mostly, romance novels feel like they're addressing a rather young audience - which I don't exactly belong to anymore.In “[b:The Flatshare 36478784 The Flatshare (The Flatshare, #1) Beth O'Leary https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552471375l/36478784.SY75.jpg 58189559]” by [a:Beth O'Leary 13038484 Beth O'Leary https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1546818419p2/13038484.jpg] I got banter, on post-it notes. In a shared flat. Written by two adults; Leon, a male nurse with his own mental burdens, with a brother, Richie, who's in jail, with a mother who has a long history of abusive men in her life. Leon also is a work-a-holic whose girlfriend has demands which Leon needs to meet as well. Last but not least, Leon is on a “humanitarian mission”.Tiffy on the other hand is broke, looking for somewhere to live after the umpteenth separation from her abusive boyfriend. Said abuse has left deep mental scars. Her job at a small DIY publisher is... challenging in its own ways (“Crochet Your Way” is the latest book she's working on...), with difficult colleagues.“So much for a light and fluffy read.”, were my immediate thoughts. I read on, and on, and on. I pretty much swallowed it hook, line and sinker. This novel, it turned out, was certainly a very nice romance but also a much-needed breath of fresh air - those people feel real: Tiffy and Leon have lives. They have very real burdens to carry and there's no quick-and-easy love but a fledgling friendship that “organically” develops...I felt those people were actually thinking, responsible, highly relatable and likeable adults who also act like adults. The conflicts were there and they were very real but Leon, Tiffy and their friends dealt with them in a believable and intelligent manner. Like Tiffy actively going to get counselling. (Let me quickly tell you that YOU should never hesitate for a second to get professional help if things get overwhelming. There's no shame in asking for and getting help. Thrice in my life I've gone to a psychotherapist myself and it was a life-changing, relieving, freeing experience. Should you live in Germany, it's free and way easier to get than you think. Just ask your local doc about it!)»You know what? I am extremely proud of myself.«(Tiffy after a counselling session.)O'Leary didn't write a dead-serious complicated novel, though, but manages to artistically walk a very fine line that's also rich on (mostly) good-natured humour.»What's the bedroom going to look like?Venture in, intrepid. Let out a strangled wail. It looks like someone vomited rainbows and calico in here, covering every surface in colors that do not belong together in nature. Horrific, moth-eaten blanket over bed. Enormous beige sewing machine taking up most of desk. And clothes ... clothes everywhere.«The author also manages to write a very convincing Leon: Initially, I was slightly put off by his short, concise sentences; a very pronounced style of communication...»I wonder if Leon will talk the way he writes, all short sentences and no pronouns.«... only to find out that this short, abbreviated style actually gives the novel a more authentic feel and I came to actually appreciate it.The dialogues - both on post-its and face-to-face - are also highly enjoyable...»“Twilight?”Leon blinks at me, putting the book down in his lap. “You went from unconscious to judgmental very quickly there.”«That's still not all, though: O'Leary also manages to write so empathically about her characters I actually felt for everyone (sans certain people whom we're meant to despise).I'm immensely happy to have found and read this book and I can't recommend it enough - even to those of you who usually don't read romance. This one's different.A very happy, very wow'ed five stars out of five!Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

I very much liked “[b:The Goblin Emperor 17910048 The Goblin Emperor (The Goblin Emperor, #1) Katherine Addison https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1373039517l/17910048.SX50.jpg 24241248]”, the first book in this unusual series. Unfortunately, this successor fell clearly short of greatness.The book's eponymous “Witness for the dead”, Thara Celehar, is a humble, demure and thoroughly traumatized prelate who has - more or less - been exiled because he had an affair with a married man who proceeded to murder his wife.Celehar is originally called upon to investigate the murder of an opera singer but large parts of the book are not actually about this investigation but about a forged will, a serial murderer who kills his newly-wed wives, a ghoul who needs banishing in the country side and a lot of other small “sub-plots”.That's where my issues with this book start: There is not one consistent primary storyline but there are several that are mostly unrelated to each other. Just like our thoroughly likeable hero Celehar, we're following him in his exploits. The writing and world-building is so well executed that I, at times, felt like I was witnessing what happened. Everything felt plausible and intrinsically “real”.Unfortunately, reality tends to be a lot about routine which isn't very exciting. While I smiled at Celehar feeding stray cats, and I commiserated with him for his insomnia, his need to ration; it's just not very interesting.At times, especially when Celehar went to banish the ghoul, I wondered what narrative purpose this side story had - which turned out to be none.At another time, Celehar is to undergo a “trial by ordeal” which amounted to spending the night on the “Hill of Werewolves”:»The path, paved in ancient flagstones, meandered a good deal; I resisted the impulse to try to take a shortcut, even in places where it looked reasonable. I was halfway up the hill before I encountered the first ghost.«Sounds great, doesn't it? And it's not just a single ghosts, it's an entire battle between ghosts! And it culminates at the end of the page like this:»Now all I had to do was to get through the rest of the night without going mad.«I was drawing in my breath sharply, I felt my lungs expand, I held my breath; preparing to turn to the next page where I was shocked to read this:»When I reached the gate at dawn, the canon was not the only one waiting for me.«I immediately deflated.There are lots of missed opportunities in this book that had - by its merits of good writing, a complex world, interesting characters and an author who knows how to capture her readers - every chance of greatness but failed.The murder of the opera singer? Solved pretty much by chance instead of using the setting of the opera house itself, its huge cast pretty much all of whom despised the victim.The explosion of an airship, similar to the Hindenburg Disaster? In terms of the overall story just a side-note.Or the shy beginnings of a romance between Celehar and the director of the opera, Pel-Thenhior: Of course, after the horrible ending of his previous relationship, Celehar is understandably reluctant to act upon his attraction to (and fledgling feelings for) Pel-Thenhior. The longer both interact, the more obvious it becomes that Pel-Thenhior, too, harbours more than just good will for Celehar but this remains a loose end like so many others.Still, “The Witness for the Dead” is definitely not a bad book. It's just one that, sadly, failed to realize its immense potential.Three out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Dear Dana,

I‘ve watched your videos on YouTube and really enjoyed myself - I like your style, your charming, fresh, delightful and funny presentation. It‘s both greatly amusing and relaxing as well as informative and interesting.
I'll never forget the video in which you explain your opinions on the USA and their current administration as it deeply moved me and showed a side of you rarely seen.

Your book, too, started strong: Indiana Jones of linguistics - I could almost picture you wearing a fedora and whipping the German language; my native language. I feel thoroughly at home in English as well; I'm having a lifelong love affair with it. ;-)

Unfortunately, the book becomes annoying pretty early as you start explaining even small things like quotation marks (“Anführungszeichen gewollt”). If you put something in quotation marks that doesn't need it, your readers will get your meaning. We're not daft, don't spell it out.

At times, it looks like you're forgetting you're writing a book and not a blog post or something like that and start YELLING AT US.
Please don't do that. It's like taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut (Mit Kanonen auf Spatzen schießen ;-) ).

Another example of “blogisms” are the overused interjections like this one: “Haha! Scherz! Die versteht doch kein Mensch, oder?”
Either something is funny or it's not. As you write yourself later, chances are high it's not that funny if you have to explain it. Or, as you put it, “manchmal funktioniert der Witz auch nur für mich”. All to often that's the case here.

At other times you start lecturing us, e. g. when writing about sentence structure and verb placement. Taking an unfunny longish sentence nobody would ever use doesn't help either.

Really truly jarring are the factual mistakes, though: Starting with the fact that “Bretzel” is not a word but a simple misspelling of “Brezel” (cf. the Duden as the ultimate authority on German).
You don't have to know that but your translator should have, and your editor, etc.

And don't listen to Stefan, please, when it comes to German: The genetive might, unfortunately, not be used as it should be but that's simply part laziness and part ignorance, sorry!
It really is “wegen des Regens”, not “wegen dem Regen”. If you want read about this, I strongly recommend Bastian Sick's “Der Dativ ist dem Genetiv sein Tod” (sic).

By the way, wouldn't you say “Sehnsucht” translates very well to “longing” or “yearning”?

Anyway, in spite of all of my criticism there is a lot of the ;-) Dana in here; if it's you accidentally expressing your desire to eat all those animals in the park, or the following poetic passage which evoked images of you in some of your videos:

“[...] ich kann mich daran erinnern, dass mein Herz förmlich dahinschmolz, sich schnell wieder fasste, nur um dann vor Freude zu hüpfen und zu tanzen.”

I'm loving that one. :-)

In short, Dana, please keep making amazing, funny, touching, beautiful videos. That's where you shine the brightest.

(Oh, and while I certainly respect you deeply, I wouldn't hesitate a second to Du'z you! ;-) )

Best regards, Wulf
​

First and foremost, “[b:The Travelling Cat Chronicles 40961230 The Travelling Cat Chronicles Hiro Arikawa https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532711745l/40961230.SX50.jpg 50618763]” by [a:Hiro Arikawa 4823030 Hiro Arikawa https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1553387795p2/4823030.jpg] is a tranquil novel that narrates the tale of Satoru and his feline companion, Nana. While the main plot revolves around Satoru searching among his friends for someone who can care for Nana, we are enlightened through flashbacks about the origins of these friendships.»Yoshimine changed the subject.“What's your name?”“Satoru Miyawaki. Nice to meet you.”He didn't have to say anything like Let's hang out, for by this time they were already friends.«From primary school to university and beyond, the amiable and empathetic Satoru effortlessly forges friendships wherever he ventures. However, it is beyond doubt that the most profound and significant bond in his life is with Nana. They share a mutual trust and affection that transcends words and species. They also support each other through difficult times and enjoy each other's company.»Whenever he stayed overnight at Satoru's, sleeping on the futon beside his bed, he'd often be woken in the early hours by four feet clomping over him. Feeling the weight of a cat's paws pressing into your shoulders in the middle of the night—not much beats that.«As is often the case, in this splendidly serene yet vibrantly colourful narrative, the journey, the quest for Nana's new owner, and the unique experiences shared by Nana and Satoru take precedence. I also liked how the novel gradually reveals the reason for their road trip, and how it connects to Satoru's past and present. It is a bittersweet and moving twist that makes the reader appreciate their journey even more.Through five episodic chapters, we organically acquaint ourselves with Satoru as we witness his warm-hearted and understanding interactions with his friends. Each character is granted ample time and space to unfold, wherein every friend, every companion possesses a well-rounded nature, and the diverse and distinctive relationships with Satoru take centre stage.Intelligently and occasionally laced with sarcasm and irony, the present is commented upon by Nana, who comprehends every word, yet can only respond to a limited extent.»“Oh, look—it's eating. How sweet!”“So sweet!”Hey, you idiotic couple. How would you like it if somebody pointed at you while you were eating? And today happens to be a chicken-breast-and-gourmet-seafood blend.How come cat lovers spot me every time? Whenever we take a break, they swarm around me. Pretty amazing, if you think about it.If you guys were the ones who fed me, then I'd be as sweet to you as the quality of the food merited, but Satoru's the one who feeds me. So let me focus on my food. Okay?«However, Nana exhibits exceptional ability in communicating with the animals belonging to his potential new owners...Arikawa delivers a beautiful, poignant, and utterly cohesive narrative. However, I must confess that my freshwater pool now contains a substantial saline component. Despite occasionally tugging at the heartstrings, the “Chronicles” never become overly sentimental.I also enjoyed the illustrations at the beginning of each chapter that fit the narration stylistically perfectly. Together, they create a magnificent piece of art. I think the book is a beautiful tribute to the power of friendship and love, and how they can overcome any obstacle or hardship.Five stars out of five!Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

This was an all-around bad book. Most of the story elements were pilfered from the abundance of old films mentioned here, e. g. “Rear Window”, “Witness To Murder”, and large parts from more recent films like “Copycat”.It also reminded me a lot of an old song by Tom Lehrer: Lobachevsky.It has basically no redeeming qualities. If you want more details, read on, but be warned: Spoilers ahead!The protagonist, Anna Fox, is an ex-psychologist who suffers from agoraphobia after both her husband and her child died after an accident. She drove the car and was the sole survivor. She still talks to both of them and pretends they're alive but live separately. Anna is on strong medication but takes those with lots and lots of wine which she's getting delivered in bulk. She doesn't quite see dead people yet but suffers from lots of side effects.One day Anna witnesses a murder and nobody believes her. As a reader, I didn't give a rat's ass: Anna is almost criminally stupid and very unlikeable. Just like I didn't care about any other member of the cast - the father who is supposed to be protective but acts like a violent lunatic; the wife who's just plain hostile; the “good cop” who tries to understand Anna but doesn't really do anything to help; his “bad cop” partner whose character seems to solely consist of being annoyed... They're all shallowly depicted caricatures.All the characters, especially our drunken heroine, make the worst possible choices all the time. Anna herself is also weirdly written in that she's supposed to be 38 but reads like she's beyond 60. I saw every single twist coming and was solely surprised by how cheap and primitive Finn resolves them. Apparently, he lacks any sense of subtlety and suspense building.One star out of five.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam