Wulf C. Krueger

"Blood Lines" by Angela Marsons initially grabbed my attention with its suspenseful and gripping story. It certainly is a page-turner, and for a while, I was convinced that this was a solid four-star read. The premise was intriguing, and the pacing kept me engaged, making it easy reading at first. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm waned as the story progressed.

»She was not as surprised as she should have been that Alex had come crashing back into her life.«

The return of Alex Thorne, an old foe, felt contrived, and Alex’ actions seemed almost universally outlandish. Why resurrect old villains when you can create new, compelling antagonists? And let’s be honest, she's unbelievably manipulative and cartoonish. It severely impacted my enjoyment to see such a lazy plot device used. It’s just more of the same, nothing new—and, of course, Kim fell for it almost every time…

If you—like me—didn’t enjoy “Evil Games” (Kim Stone #2) all that much, be prepared for more “blasts from the past”—including a dying scene so utterly clichéd to the extent that it induced secondhand embarrassment.

Then we have the storyline itself: the plot became increasingly contrived, and some connections Kim made were thread-bare. On a more positive note, the dynamics within Kim’s team are as engaging as ever. One of the team members, though, made several mistakes to the point where it became difficult to suspend disbelief; these errors had no real consequences – a "good bollocking" seemed to suffice, rather than any meaningful repercussions.

»Emotion. Because you have none you can’t even begin to understand how they affect people’s actions.«

This gross oversimplification of a sociopath's abilities, especially given that Alex had demonstrably understood emotions, and used them to great success throughout the novel, was grating to say the least. This also reflects badly on Kim’s understanding of her foe.

Overall, "Blood Lines" had the potential to be a brilliant crime thriller. It started promisingly but ultimately failed to deliver on its initial appeal.

Three stars out of five.

Wikipedia defines GrimDark as something that is “particularly dystopian, amoral, or violent” and that's pretty much the definition of what I do not like in my fantasy books. When I read fantasy, I want the heroes to be good people at their core. I want a world that's essentially worth saving and not a dystopia that basically deserves going down the drain anyway and while violence is nothing I abhor, it's something that should be used sparingly and only if necessary for the story. Fortunately, “Pawn of Prophecy”, the first volume of “The Belgariad” is quite the opposite of GrimDark and pretty much exactly what I outlined above: Garion, a young farmhand, tutored by his “Aunt Pol” grows up on the farm of a modest, good-natured man who cares about his people. When strangers arrive at the farm, Pol and an elderly story-teller, “Mister Wolf”, come to the conclusion it's time to make a move of their own and so they leave with Garion and the local blacksmith to go on a dangerous trip through the land, searching for a dangerous ancient artefact and its thief. They're closely followed by their mysterious adversaries at each step... A lot of this book reminded me of Tolkien and I suspect Eddings was inspired by Lord of the Rings to some extent. The story, albeit simple so far, is original enough, though, to have kept me entertained throughout the entire about 80.000 words and I was actually surprised when I hit the end of the ebook edition I was reading. Of course, this being a somewhat simple story, there's no philosophical depth to be expected or huge new insights into life, the universe and everything to be gleaned but even simple truths are helping me feel “at home” in a book and in this particular case, I was captured by the very first paragraph of the first chapter already: “THE FIRST THING the boy Garion remembered was the kitchen at Faldor's farm. For all the rest of his life he had a special warm feeling for kitchens and those peculiar sounds and smells that seemed somehow to combine into a bustling seriousness that had to do with love and food and comfort and security and, above all, home. No matter how high Garion rose in life, he never forgot that all his memories began in that kitchen.” As everyone knows, the kitchen is the (secret) haven of any respectable home and the heart of every good party as well as the place where said party starts and ends. As such, it is only fitting for any respectable book to start right there! That and quite a bit of humour... “My Master wanted me to move a rock,” Wolf said. “He seemed to think that it was in his way. I tried to move it, but it was too heavy. After a while I got angry, and I told it to move. It did. I was a little surprised, but my Master didn't seem to think it so unusual.” ... are good enough for me to be happy. Anyway, depth and insights are not required for my personal taste in fantasy anyway, though, and so I enjoyed this book for what it was – an excellent start into a work of epic fantasy that's new to me. That said: Please excuse me while I start devouring the next book in the series... Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Earlier this year, I read the first part of [a:Marjane Satrapi's 6238 Marjane Satrapi https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1303646506p2/6238.jpg] memoirs, the graphic novel “[b:Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood 9516 Persepolis The Story of a Childhood (Persepolis, #1) Marjane Satrapi https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1425871473l/9516.SX50.jpg 3303888]”. Now, I felt, was a good time to revisit her story that in this second part begins with her difficult years in Austria.In Vienna, Marjane feels isolated: Her experiences living in Vienna as a young adult highlight the challenges of being a foreigner in a new and unfamiliar culture. Marjane's struggles with language, cultural norms, and social expectations make her feel like an outsider.Her experiences in Vienna also highlight the cultural differences between Iran and the West, and the challenges of navigating those differences as a young person. Marjane's rebellious streak and her desire to fit in with her Western peers often clash with her Iranian upbringing and cultural values, leading to feelings of confusion and isolation.Considering she lived there during the early 80s, a time during which conservatism, xenophobia and intolerance really thrived again, it's no wonder she had some horrible experiences and, ultimately, decided to return to Iran.Hardly at what she considered home, though, Marjane has to face the challenges of returning to a familiar but changed culture: Her experiences living abroad had given her a new perspective on her Iranian upbringing, and she struggles to reconcile her Western-influenced worldview with the traditional values and expectations of Iranian society. Her experiences with romantic relationships, gender roles, and political activism all highlight the tensions between her personal beliefs and the expectations of Iranian society.Marjane's candid and honest portrayal of her experiences also helps to demystify Iran and Iranian culture for readers - like myself - who are not familiar with it. By sharing her personal experiences and perspectives, Marjane allows us to see Iran as a complex and multifaceted society, rather than a monolithic or exoticized entity. This helps to bridge cultural divides and promote greater understanding and empathy between different cultures.I also appreciate Satrapi's unflinching honesty in her storytelling. She doesn't shy away from difficult or uncomfortable subjects, and her willingness to share her personal experiences and emotions make the story all the more authentic and relatable. Her portrayal of the complexities of Iranian society and the impact of political upheaval on individuals and families is both nuanced and insightful.Another of the strengths of “Persepolis 2” is Satrapi's unique graphic style, which is both simple and expressive. Her use of black and white illustrations adds to the starkness of the story, and the minimalism of the drawings allows the reader to focus on the emotions and experiences of the characters.Overall, “Persepolis 2” is a powerful and moving graphic novel that offers a unique perspective on Iranian history and culture, while also exploring universal themes of identity, belonging, and resilience.Five out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

“Not to be confused with William Goldman.”, Wikipedia helpfully told me when I looked up Golding - and yet I did confuse flashy, flamboyant Goldman with the unpretentious Golding. A grave mistake.“The Princess Bride”, supposedly the “good parts only” version of his alter ego's novel, starts with an introduction by its author whom I immediately disliked after reading it. His often-occurring interruptions of an extremely banal and simple story were further aggravating.I also strongly disliked pretty much every single character: Buttercup, beautiful and an enormously stupid damsel-in-distress; the perfect Westley who is basically super-human from his first appearance onwards; Humperdinkh, the plotting prince of the land; the evil six-fingered count - I was almost bored to death by them all.The story is mind-numbingly daft: Girl rejects boy in favour of a prince, boy finds fame/infamy, girl gets rescued by boy, consequently regrets all her life choices and tries to make amends.Cliché after cliché after cliché as Goldman does could have led to a biting satire but this drivel reads more like an homage to the “cloak & sword” genre that is, thankfully, quite dead.I rarely don't finish a book (in fact, at the time of writing, it's number 11 in 48 years); much more rarely at 74% but this sorry effort of a novel made me want to stop reading entirely.One star out of five. Oh, and happy holidays!Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

I feel a bit like a philistine when it comes to “[b:Brokeback Mountain 1627 Brokeback Mountain Annie Proulx https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442919969l/1627.SY75.jpg 1795113]”: The relationship between the two farm hands, Ennis and Jack, made sense to me and felt real. Sadly, both the story this short story tells as well as the style in which it is told, fall somewhat flat for me.[a:Annie Proulx 1262010 Annie Proulx https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1219720509p2/1262010.jpg] laconically and unemotionally narrates her story and while there are some powerful scenes (the shirts...), I cannot help but feel that some of this story's potential hasn't been fulfilled.I'm late to to read this, though: First published in 1997 and the narrated time starting quite a bit earlier, western societies at least are changing: We're still farther from true equality than I had would have hoped for but at least in my native Germany, we're making progress:With Nyke Slawik und Tessa Ganserer we have two openly transgender people elected to the German parliament, the Bundestag.And there are more members of the German parliament who give me hope that the times of “tire irons” are over. If you're interested, read about Armand Zorn, Lamya Kaddor, Kassem Taher Saleh, Muhanad Al-Halak, Serap Güler, Ates Gürpinar (and my apologies in advance to those people whose names I've missed!).Three out of five stars for this novella.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

It's summer, the weather is fine, the water in my pool has 34°C (roughly 93F) and I'm exhausted from work. Nevertheless, my holidays are nearing (two weeks from now!) and I'm slowly getting into “Summer Reading Mode”.That means that I prefer easy, quick-to-read novels that simply amuse me and, thus, I was only too happy to take up on “An Offer From a Gentleman” in which Sophie Beckett, a late earl's daughter - born out of wedlock, though - captures the heart of Benedict Bridgerton - and vice versa.There's not much to be said about this specific book; it's more or less a Cinderella story. A fluffy fairy tale in which everyone gets what they deserve. You don't read this for philosophical depths or “enlightenment”.If you read this book, you do it purely for entertainment; it's the literary equivalent of candyfloss, a TV romcom or a soap opera.If that's what you're in the mood for, you can hardly go wrong with this book. Although... If you ponder reading this third book in this series, you know perfectly well what to expect anyway: It's more of the same in a good way. Four swooning stars out of five.P.S.: Yes, he blackmails her. Yes, he asks her to become his mistress. Since it's inherently consistent with the fictitious universe of “Bridgertons” I choose to suspend my moral indignation. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

The premise of this short story is simple: Omelas, a radiant city of happiness, has built its riches upon the suffering of a single child. Every citizen knows of the child and many visit it to witness its suffering.There are basically three options according to Le Guin: - Walk away and live your life, knowing your happiness depends on the misery of an innocent child.- Walk away from Omelas; leave, never to come back.- Rescue the child - but that doesn't happen.According to Le Guin's afterword those are the only options because those are the rules:»You can only play a game – chess, soccer, parable – if you follow the rules.«And that's where I say she's wrong: We abide by the “rules” because we want to. We allow the rules to restrict what we do. We choose to follow the rules - but we don't have to!In the face of developing countries being ravaged by COVID-19 like we'd never tolerate it here, we can tell Bill Gates that his stance on not waiving intellectual property rights for vaccines is inhumane.We can tell BioNTech whose research we've supported with 375 million Euros (ca. 445 million US-Dollars) from German taxpayers alone that selling its vaccine at high price tags while also vetoing patent waiving is greedy, irresponsible and, again, inhumane.We do not have to play by the rules if that means ruining the game for generations to come. We do not have to accept the suffering of some in order to allow others to thrive at the formers' expense.Yes, we do tend to walk away from Omelas but there are other options than ignorance or turning a blind eye. We can rescue the child of Omelas and yet live good lives. We just need to change the rules.Two out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

During my recent re-read of “[b:The Hobbit, or There and Back Again 5907 The Hobbit, or There and Back Again J.R.R. Tolkien https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546071216l/5907.SY75.jpg 1540236]” I remembered that years ago I had bought this “atlas” in order to immerse myself even more fully into Tolkien's world and to provide my children with maps to the adventures I was reading to them at the time.In this atlas, you'll find brilliant maps in two colours that are in all aspects very fitting to their source material. You'll find the maps sorted by ages as well as regional maps, e. g. The Shire, as well as maps relating to the books and, last but not least, thematic maps, e. g. landforms, climate, vegetation and population.It shows that the author is an actual cartographer because Fonstad's maps feel real - like they were made by observance and not by obviously extensive research.“[b:The Atlas of Middle-Earth 92003 The Atlas of Middle-Earth Karen Wynn Fonstad https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529947259l/92003.SX50.jpg 1502479]” is an amazing feat and every Tolkien enthusiast should own a copy!Five out of five stars. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

I'm not sure what this was supposed to be: A mystery? There's nothing really mysterious here apart from the fact who Westing and his ex-wife might be. The “bomber” (whose motives I never fully understood)? That's just plainly revealed at some point.The writing itself might be a mystery because at times I felt like I read in some truly foreign language because the story as told by the narrator was interspersed with thoughts of the respective person we're told about. It made for an immensely confusing and rather annoying reading experience.The perspectives change all the time between the way-too-large cast of 16 (!) characters whom the author instils with the depth of a cardboard cut-out. If at least one or two of these had been likeable, interesting or at least relatable in some way but, no, they all remain shadowy at best.In addition, there's latent racism, defamation of people with disabilities and many other issues that can be attributed to the time this was first published - in 1978. None of that feels intentionally offensive but all of it adds to the general feeling that this book has aged really, truly badly.One out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

This was a tricky one for me... I have tried reading science fiction before and (usually) didn't like it. It was all too often dark, gritty and bleak, set in a dystopian universe in which pretty much everyone acts completely self-absorbed. Thus, I disavowed science fiction in books because I'm a closet optimist: I've subscribed early on to the philosophy, the idealism and optimistic view of the future as imagined in “Star Trek: The Next Generation”.(And, in fact, while we're far from it yet I do believe we will get there one day. We're going to overcome today's egotism, the Pathological Orange Trickster of the United States (POTUS), we will find lasting and sustainable solutions for global warming, water scarcity, hunger and all the challenges humanity is and will be facing. Even if it's only for the simple reason that it's that or extinction - and I refuse to accept the latter.)“Leviathan Wakes” is (mostly) the former kind of sci-fi: We witness a beginning war between several factions (Earth, Mars, the Belt), we see “vomit zombies” and, in general, some parts of this book were so gruesome and almost depressing that I considered to give up on it entirely. I understand the grit and grime to be essential explanations of the condicio humana, the human condition, as it is in the fictional universe of “Leviathan Wakes” but I don't want or need them. I need to believe I can improve my world a little bit for as long as I'm here at least.There's a general grittiness to the entire setting that is far from what I prefer in sci-fi. In addition, I'm not really a fan of the “noir” genre by which “Leviathan Wakes” obviously was inspired by as well. The story is great, though: Due to acts of brutality in order to instigate a war, we meet Miller, a down-trodden cop, and Holden, first an officer on a ship that becomes a victim of the afore-mentioned provocations, later on serving as captain of his own ship. Whereas Miller is disillusioned by his work, the general state of the world and life as such, Holden is an incurable idealist. Holden unwaveringly tries to do everyone justice and wants to be a force of good in his world and acts accordingly.“One bad mistake on either side and both planets might be radioactive rubble by the end of dinner. But right now they were just friends having a meal together. It was right. It was what Holden had to keep fighting for.”Together (albeit not always voluntarily), Holden and Miller try to unravel the mystery of cloaked ships and their attacks, the intentions of an aggressive alien protomolecule and, ultimately, to save humanity as a whole.As can be derived from these broad topics, “Leviathan Wakes” features a long, complex story that plays out over many months.The narrated point of view switches between those of Holden and Miller respectively which is, especially at the beginning of the book, somewhat tiresome because until they finally meet (after about one third of the book!), both their storylines don't obviously overlap and it's sometimes hard to get back into the reading flow. Once the storylines merge, though, the switches turn from nuisance to elegant pleasure.At times, I was basically fighting my way through this book because I felt a complete absence of hope for the situation and our heroes whom I found extremely convincing and relatable. Each and every character was masterfully created - even those on the sidelines - and the developments among them felt so real and plausible that I just couldn't bring myself to give up. Plus: Right after a major turning point (Eros Station...) a tiny spark of hope appeared. This, too, was brilliantly orchestrated by Corey and helped me get over the reading-induced blues I was feeling.Holden's idealism, the antithesis to Miller's abjectedness, to what Miller calls his “death-self”, also helped a lot to get me through this book. This area of conflict between both men was at times almost painful and stressful to witness but so fascinatingly written that I found it entirely, almost overwhelmingly so, believable and plausible.The great writing, the suspense (sometimes hardly endurable!), the interesting setting and the richness of the universe in which I even liked someone aptly nicknamed “the Butcher of Anderson Station” - they all made this book an unforgettable experience.Ultimately, “Leviathan Wakes” is challenging, long, complex and dark but of an overall quality that makes it feel like it pretty much plays in its own league.If you're even slightly into science fiction and can make it past what happens on Eros Station, give “Leviathan Wakes” a try. Highly recommended - especially considering the amazing ending!If you lean more to the whacky side of sci-fi, give [a:Tony James Slater 5005420 Tony James Slater https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1326400289p2/5005420.jpg] and his “The Ancient Guardians” series a spin which I actually enjoyed, too. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

“[b:The Grand Sophy 261689 The Grand Sophy Georgette Heyer https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1414731822l/261689.SY75.jpg 3234291]” by [a:Georgette Heyer 18067 Georgette Heyer https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1336748892p2/18067.jpg] delivered exactly what I expected: a sparkling, if somewhat dated, Regency romance. At times, it felt stuffy and blustery, especially in the dialogue, where I found myself struggling with the verbosity of certain characters.»Really, Horace, I must say that I think that most unjust of you, for how could he help it? It is so mortifying for him! And, what is more, excessively unfortunate, because I don't doubt that had he been able to attach Cecilia... But no one can deny that nothing could be more ill-timed than Charlbury's mumps!« This type of rambling speech made the beginning of the book feel quite slow for me. The social dynamics and constant talk of marriages seemed quaint and twee—typical of early 20th-century historical fiction, yet it grated on me initially. However, as the story progressed and Sophy's vivacious nature took centre stage, the novel became utterly irresistible. From orchestrating romantic entanglements to causing delightful mayhem, Sophy is a force of nature.Though it's tempting to dismiss such stories as too formulaic or predictable, Heyer demonstrates masterful pacing. Her truly witty writing, far better than many imitators in the Regency romance genre, propelled the latter half of the book to become a page-turner of the highest degree. While old-fashioned in certain areas, “Sophy” holds up far better than many of her contemporaries.Four out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

I was so looking forward to reading this and I really wanted to love it... I didn't, though, since I was dropped right into the middle of the action - of the aftermath of “[b:Network Effect 52381770 Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries, #5) Martha Wells https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1640597293l/52381770.SY75.jpg 63614271]”, an earlier novel in the series, which I don't remember at all.I felt confused for a long time because there were lots of references to the earlier book that I simply didn't get. I finally got somewhat into the flimsy excuse for a story at around the half-way mark - and still felt let down by Murderbot's anti-climatic “redacted” event and a story that felt like an “extension”, an add-on.“[b:System Collapse 65211701 System Collapse (The Murderbot Diaries, #7) Martha Wells https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1674575978l/65211701.SY75.jpg 90712113]” should have been published as part of “Network Effect” because as it is, it's just like Wells recovered the “missing chapters”.Yes, I knew part of that before even starting to read this one but I don't re-read and an author should make an effort to get me up to speed.Three out of five stars - and even those feel slightly generous. Meh.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

Let's face it – I'm not going to finish this weird book. I'm totally confused: I pretty much loved [a:Marchetta's 47104 Melina Marchetta https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1277655889p2/47104.jpg] earlier novel “[b:Saving Francesca 82434 Saving Francesca Melina Marchetta https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327865374l/82434.SY75.jpg 18042740]”. It was one of the best books I've read 2019 so far. Thus, I expected to love “The Piper's Son” as well but I never got into this book. Somehow, the entire book with its plethora of characters and jumps in time falls flat for me. What I'm taking away for myself is this: Just as in music there are one-hit wonders in literature as well. To me, it seems like Marchetta is one of those – she wrote one amazing book in which she told the one great story she had to share with all of us and for that I'm grateful. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

“[b:Grooks 1 691209 Grooks 1 (Grooks, #1) Piet Hein https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1337877092l/691209.SY75.jpg 677553]” by [a:Piet Hein 369545 Piet Hein https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1484586641p2/369545.jpg] was both a thoroughly impressive as well as hilarious read. This book is a collection of short poems, each only a few lines long, but they pack a powerful punch. The poems are witty, clever, and often thought-provoking.What I really enjoyed about these poems is that they are easy to read and understand, yet they convey deep meaning and insight - and some are just plain amazingly funny! They are the perfect blend of simplicity in form and complexity in style. Each poem can be read and appreciated on its own, but when read together, they form a larger picture of the human experience. The humour and playfulness are pretty much unmatched.Overall, “Grooks” is a delightful and engaging book that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a quick read that is both intellectually stimulating and entertaining. Whether you are a poetry lover or simply looking for some witty and insightful musings, this book is sure to satisfy.Five stars out of five.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

When I was around the age of 18 - the age of majority in Germany - I felt like I had broken through some magical barrier to adulthood. (I hadn't.)Now, I felt, it was my sacred duty (it wasn't) to find out about - imagine a drum roll if you will - nothing lesser than the meaning of life itself. (Didn't find it.)Young me contacted the most well-meaning, wisest and awe-inspiring people I knew (not my parents) and asked them indirectly what the meaning of life is. I think I received exactly one answer and that went like “You'll have to find out for yourself.”. It took me about 20 years to figure that one out:There is no “meaning of life”. There is just what we figure out we want to do with our lives and how we live it. I have a vague idea for myself but I'm still figuring it out and I think the “figuring it out” part matters much more than the result - especially since for me, said result is always changing. Not in substance but in nuances.Along comes a book whose author states:“The subject was The Meaning of Life. It was taught from experience.”As if that wasn't pretentious enough in itself, we all have to figure it out for ourselves. And who is either Mitch Albom or Morrie to judge that “So many people walk around with a meaningless life.”?Albom isn't a great writer either: His simple style and his child-like adoration of Morris Schwartz drives him to try writing his idol into a pseudo-religious transcendent figure:“And the things he was saying in his final months on earth seemed to transcend all religious differences.”I'm sorry, I can buy into Morrie having been a very kind and interesting person but to basically glorify him like that cannot do any person justice.In its entirety, “Tuesdays with Morrie” feels like a collection of anecdotes, the glorification of the mundane and stating the obvious. Beyond its inherent merit of paying its subject's medical bills, it wasn't worth reading for me. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

““Is it true you haven't read any of these books?” “Books are boring.” “Books are mirrors: you only see in them what you already have inside you,” answered Julián.“ “The Shadow of the Wind” is one of those books that leave me deeply satisfied and in tears. It's a sweeping epic about Daniel Sempere, a bookseller's son, who – by accident or preordained by fate – learns about an obscure and mostly forgotten author, Julian Carax, whose book “The Shadow of the Wind” will change Daniel's life and those of pretty much everyone he loves. Even though there are some rather exciting and suspenseful scenes throughout the book, Zafón takes his time to paint a broad picture of Barcelona, the narrated time (1945 to 1966) and people. And, yes, at times this does make the book somewhat slow but only by giving room to everyone in this book to gain a character of his or her own can we really appreciate the masterpiece this book actually is. Because there's not a single character to whom we cannot relate: Daniel, driven first by his desire to know and understand the secret he is chasing after. His father who understands him and – in spite of warning Daniel – lets the latter make his own mistakes. Fermin, the reliable albeit somewhat shady friend of the family whom Daniel picks up from the street. Not only the major characters are fully fleshed out, though, but even a tram conductor on the sidelines of the story gets his chance to shine. Zafón can do this because not only does he have a wonderful story to tell but he has the language to tell it as well: “My voice, rather stiff at first, slowly became more relaxed, and soon I forgot myself and was submerged once more in the narrative, discovering cadences and turns of phrase that flowed like musical motifs, riddles made of timbre and pauses I had not noticed during my first reading.” Nevertheless, beyond phases of untarnished happiness (“She looked intoxicated with happiness.”) there's always a sublime threat lurking just beyond the page we're currently reading. We always feel Franco's oppressive dictatorship and the climate of denunciation, endangering whatever little peace the characters get. Yet, there's always hope and, often, a bit of comic relief: “Isaac let out a snort of defeat and examined Bea carefully, like a suspicious policeman. “Do you realize you're in the company of an idiot?” he asked. Bea smiled politely. “I'm beginning to come to terms with it.”” At the end of the day, this is certainly not a simple book; not one that lends itself to be read at the beach but more of one that should be enjoyed with a glass of wine, read amongst books because this is a story about books: “About accursed books, about the man who wrote them, about a character who broke out of the pages of a novel so that he could burn it, about a betrayal and a lost friendship. It's a story of love, of hatred, and of the dreams that live in the shadow of the wind.” Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Having read multiple entries from [a:Michael Connelly's 12470 Michael Connelly https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1539114448p2/12470.jpg] Harry Bosch series, I approached “The Narrows” with high expectations, and for the most part, it didn't disappoint. As one of the later books in the series, the tone is darker, more introspective, and delves into an older Bosch trying to adjust to life after the LAPD, all while being drawn into a chilling case involving a serial killer.The plot kicks off with Bosch investigating the death of a friend's husband, which also links FBI agent Rachel Walling to the resurgence of a notorious killer. Connelly's deft plotting shines through, as the story unspools with a quiet, steady tension that kept me flipping pages. There's a masterful blend of investigation and emotional weight, particularly as we see Bosch juggle the demands of the case with his tangled personal life, especially his fractured relationship with his daughter.What elevates The Narrows beyond a simple police procedural is its subtle exploration of Bosch's internal struggles. As a character, Bosch here feels weighed down by his years of service. The walls are closing in on him in many ways, and at times, the book takes on a meditative tone as Bosch confronts his past choices and his identity outside the badge.“The Narrows” is slow, methodical. While the story has its share of action, it's not relentless, instead giving space for character reflection—and that's where the novel truly shines.Though predictable at moments, the book offers a layered story with tension, driven by Bosch's relentless pursuit of justice.Four stars out of five.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

Finally, we're (mostly) back on track: Garion gets to know his place in the big picture, Ce'Nedra finally becomes a character and not some one-dimensional caricature and Belgarath shows some human feelings. Whenever we're not witnessing our heroes travelling but get to know them in their “natural habitat”, things get really interesting. I'm certainly never going to recommend “The Belgariad” to anyone but a teenager but at least this book made me actually want to finish the series instead of DNF'ing. I hope the fifth book doesn't make me regret my decision... Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Hm... This was the grimdark version of an Alex Verus novella, I'd say. There were some rather brutal scenes and the protagonists became ever more unlikeable with the lacklustre story progressing.Worst of all, though, one major character from the series becomes less likeable due to their actions in this novella. That actually made me slightly sad and I will pretend this novella doesn't exist and this series really ended with “[b:Risen 56358066 Risen (Alex Verus, #12) Benedict Jacka https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1654268010l/56358066.SY75.jpg 87821781]”.Still, my Stockholm syndrome says I have to award three stars out of five. ;)Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

This was my Schrödinger's reading experience: At the same time, this novel was what I expected - and it wasn't at all. And by simply reading, I influenced the outcome of the experiment! Thankfully, it all went down in a very good way.I smiled, grinned, and giggled my way through [a:Ali Hazelwood's 21098177 Ali Hazelwood https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1611084228p2/21098177.jpg] “[b:The Love Hypothesis 56732449 The Love Hypothesis Ali Hazelwood https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1611937942l/56732449.SX50.jpg 88674377]” and even a bit more so with her “[b:Love on the Brain 59571699 Love on the Brain Ali Hazelwood https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1657897729l/59571699.SY75.jpg 93021199]”. I almost feverishly waited for “[b:Love, Theoretically 61326735 Love, Theoretically Ali Hazelwood https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1681476644l/61326735.SY75.jpg 96703712]” and while I found myself smiling at the very first sentence, for quite a bit of the novel, I didn't really get the same “vibes”.Elsie seemed so naïve (a Goodreads friend of mine put it less favourably as “dumb af”!) and I wasn't entirely sure about Jack either. And then I started to understand that Hazelwood didn't seem to aim for the nerdy, uplifting, carefree romance/romcom I was expecting. She actually seemed to take time to build up both protagonists. »Professionally, my life sucks a bit. Psychologically, I'm not, as some would say, “healthy.” Musically, I should hire a tuba to follow me around. But on the upside, I've been killing it in the lunch invite department.«Elsie has been manipulated, psychologically abused, and gaslighted from childhood on by pretty much everyone - starting with her mother, her brothers, her (fake-) boyfriend, her mentor - everyone but her best friend and the latter's hedgehog. (Who she's deeply suspicious of anyway, though!)Elsie is so injured and so insecure, that she hides her personality and instead applies a strategy she calls “APE” - “Assess” what the person she's interacting with expects from her, which “version” of her said person wants to interact with. Next comes the “Plan” phase during which Elsie quickly calculates success chances, tactics, etc. to best please her counterpart and then she “Enacts” the plan most likely to succeed.Elsie can “read” anyone and hide from anyone - but Jack. And Jack has a razor sharp bullshit detector when it comes to Elsie.No wonder she's constantly tired. Elsie is a chameleon, or a shapeshifter, or changeling, if you will. She bends till breaking point and even with her best friend she's not entirely honest.Just like Jack I found myself wondering: »What happened to you, Elsie?«Speaking of Jack: Jack lost his mother at such a young age, he doesn't even have memories of her. What he got was a stepmother who ordered him to stop calling her “Mom” in a difficult situation. His father was pretty much absent. Greg, Jack's brother, with his own issues is much of a confidant but not entirely either.So we have two seriously “damaged” people meeting each other - and Elsie has been “trained” to despise or even hate Jack.So, how do two people like that get together? Like hedgehogs, very carefully. (I am a dad so I'm allowed that joke!) In fact, they both hesitatingly agree on basic honesty and, like that, they grow together. Don't get me wrong: It isn't all mental health and hide-and-seek between those two. Elsie, when alone in her own head, is a brilliant theoretical physicist and has very clear (and amusing) ideas...»Experimentalists . . . well, they like to fuck around and find out. Build things and get their hands dirty. Like engineers. Or three-year-olds at the sandbox.«(As an engineer I obviously find that comparison ludicrous and despicable but that's theorists for you...)I also cannot help but root for any person who believably says:»I think I might be happy.Though due to a lack of hands-on experience, I cannot be sure.«As so often, there's also lots to relate to:»I love this. Just as much as I thought I hated him. And Jack's right: this is going fast—too fast, maybe. But I wonder if certain relationships are living proof of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle: their position and their velocity simply cannot both be measured at the same time, not even in theory.«How often have I battled “Heisenbugs”? And didn't my wife propose after a few weeks and didn't we get married less than three months after our first meeting? For once even the final “hiccup” between Elsie and Jack felt believable and, actually, right. It made sense on many levels and I felt a kind of pride in Elsie standing up for herself - at potentially huge cost to herself. Elsie felt like the most honest character Hazelwood has written so far. (And she's right about the star of 2001 being HAL; about Lars von Trier; just not about Bing!)»I'm a mess. A work in progress. I'm two steps forward and one step back. I hoard my cheese, and I can't efficiently load the dishwasher, and I'm going to struggle with the truth until the day I croak.«Also: An Adam and Olive cameo (and so nice!) and Bee is mentioned? I'm melting! I remain convinced we're pretty much all messes. Unique messes, messy messes, ugly messes, wonderful and horrible messes. First and foremost, though: Irresistibly human messes. I like that the novel celebrates that and shows how two messes can find love and happiness together.This is certainly no perfect romance novel but it was nuanced, intelligent, empathic and, ultimately, something Ali Hazelwood is hopefully very damn proud of. I can hardly wait to see where Hazelwood takes us next. However else could I honour that but with full five stars out of five?»I treasure my newfound feelings. Hoard them. Every once in a while I study them, turn them around, squint at them like they're a ripe piece of fruit, plucked from a mysterious tree that shouldn't even be growing in my yard. When I pop them in my mouth to swallow them whole, they taste at once bitter and delicious.«Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

Oh, well, here we go again - just when a mostly-meh year has ended and a new year begins, it begins with yet another meh novel...I usually like [a:Lisa Regan's 6443334 Lisa Regan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1589563239p2/6443334.jpg] Josie-Quinn novels a lot - they're usually very well paced, engaging and suspenseful. Josie and the entire team are interesting and everyone gets some time in the spotlight, e. g. in a recent instalment we learned a lot about Josie's ever-angry boss. At another time Mettner, her colleague, fell in love with the press liaison, Amber, and so on.This time around in “[b:The Innocent Wife 62973163 The Innocent Wife (Detective Josie Quinn, #16) Lisa Regan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1671008848l/62973163.SY75.jpg 98795433]” (what a cheesy title!) by [a:Lisa Regan 6443334 Lisa Regan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1589563239p2/6443334.jpg], there's nothing but the plain murder mystery - and that is, indeed, rather plain. And bland, and boring. For about 80% we just follow Josie and colleagues around on a wild goose chase after the killer. Sadly, that chase is neither very interesting nor is the eventual reveal much of a result of police procedure but much of it is plain old luck - and a healthy dose of deus ex machina.Usually, these books are page turners for me and I'm always looking forward to the next instalment because I've come to rely on my yearly (some twice yearly!) dose of Josie Quinn.There's lots of police procedure here but hardly anything else. Yes, there are some far-fetched scenarios about adultery in combination with a brain-damaged person, children born out of wedlock, complicated, almost incestuous feeling affairs among the crew of a TV show, a person whom you peg immediately for a killer - or are they?As if all that mess wasn't bad enough in itself, even after they finally solve their case, there are lots of loose ends, many questions remain unanswered and one that is central to the entire mystery is not even addressed in any way.The worst surprise, though: The actual book ends at a mere 89% - all that remains are 11% advertisements...Still, this is not a bad book - just one that is seriously mediocre. I'm still looking forward to Josie Quinn no. 17! Three out of five stars. Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

Good one, read it. Nuff said!

I set out to read - and hopefully love - this because it came with high praise by most of my GoodReads friends and my daughter (who loves the film, though).Thus prepared, I set out on this literary journey and quickly got confused: Sophie gets cursed by the Witch from the Waste? Whatever for? And she just gets up, moves out without thinking and stumbles upon the eponymous [b:Howl's Moving Castle 6294 Howl's Moving Castle (Howl's Moving Castle, #1) Diana Wynne Jones https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630502935l/6294.SX50.jpg 2001]? Huh?She accepts any crap coming her way because »Sophie was a failure anyway. It came of being the eldest.«?Sorry, what? Every ridiculous and absurd situation that goes on to arise can be summarised as Howl does near the very end of this book:»“I'm the eldest!” Sophie shrieked. “I'm a failure!”“Garbage!” Howl shouted. “You just never stop to think!”«Some of you might think me too old for this - but for one thing, I still love the Moomins for example. Plus: I can tell you right here and now that as a child I would have despised this even more strongly.The entire story is just too wild and fantastic for my taste. It's a glorified fairy tale, akin to other wild rides without much substance.Still, it's not entirely bad and, thus, it's still getting three stars out of five from me.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam

“[b:Starter Villain 61885029 Starter Villain John Scalzi https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1683564155l/61885029.SY75.jpg 97563902]” by [a:John Scalzi 4763 John Scalzi https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1724435824p2/4763.jpg] is a light, fast-paced read filled with Scalzi's characteristic wit and humour. I approached the book expecting an entertaining romp, but unfortunately, while it had moments of genuine charm, it often felt too shallow and predictable to leave a lasting impact. It's a story that adheres closely to a wish-fulfilment fantasy setup — a relatively ordinary protagonist finds himself embroiled in a world of supervillains, talking cats, and evil corporations. However, the execution falls a bit flat.Scalzi's success with the Old Man's War series and Redshirts lies in his ability to blend humour with substance, and in comparison, Starter Villain seems to lack the depth and complexity of his earlier works. The novel is full of zany situations, but it all feels rather surface-level, with little emotional heft or character development. Even with its quick pacing, the stakes never felt particularly high, and I found myself detached from the outcome.That said, Scalzi's humour shines through, and there are definitely laugh-out-loud moments. A particularly amusing element is the talking cats, who inject a level of absurdity that I imagine would appeal to fans of Scalzi's quirkier side. Moreover, the dialogue crackles with the same snappy back-and-forth that readers have come to expect from the author.Ultimately, Starter Villain is one of those books that's easy to pick up and put down. It's fun in the moment, but for readers who crave something with more complexity or deeper world-building, it might not be the offering that best represents Scalzi's talents.Three out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

2023 has passed and I've read more during that year than usual. Sadly, though, reading-wise 2023 was a very mixed bag - 3.1 was my average rating, Goodreads helpfully informs me in my year in books and it makes sense.There were some very good books, though, and on those I'm going to focus here:The most lasting reading impression of 2023 was made by something totally unexpected: Saga, a comic. It has magnificent, diverse, colourful characters that struggle in a universe that is so fantastically different from ours and yet so eerily familiar in some aspects. Saga's wonderful art and, ultimately, its strong and unwavering support for being oneself and acting responsibly - it actually gives me hope.[a:Gale Zoe Garnett's 588519 Gale Zoe Garnett https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] “[b:Visible Amazement 19554491 Visible Amazement Gale Zoe Garnett https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387657834l/19554491.SY75.jpg 761549]” put me in a difficult spot: May I like a novel that has a 42 year old man have a sexual relationship with a 14 year old girl? Considering it's up here with Saga, the answer I came up with after many discussions is obvious. The longer answer is in my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4882049374The chronologically first book that really captured my interest was [a:Marjane Satrapi's 6238 Marjane Satrapi https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1303646506p2/6238.jpg] graphic novel “[b:Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood 9516 Persepolis The Story of a Childhood (Persepolis, #1) Marjane Satrapi https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1425871473l/9516.SX50.jpg 3303888]” about her childhood and youth in Iran. Here followed many attempts to reign-in my intense hatred and disgust for the country's “government”, “laws” and “doctrine” today. I failed so I just deleted it all and I'd just like to invite you to make up your mind based upon reading this brilliant novel and its successors.“[b:The Island of Missing Trees 56587382 The Island of Missing Trees Elif Shafak https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1620048257l/56587382.SY75.jpg 88381372]” by [a:Elif Shafak 6542440 Elif Shafak https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1395322919p2/6542440.jpg] was a “surprise success” for me - I have no idea how this book smuggled itself onto my TBR pile. It allowed me a glimpse at the divided island of Cyprus and how this division affects its people.In yet another attempt to improve my understanding of the darkest part of history of my native Germany, I read the first part of a new Hitler biography by German historian [a:Volker Ullrich 482732 Volker Ullrich https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1479928951p2/482732.jpg].It was brilliant, informative, engagingly written - and still left me wondering how people could fall under this man's spell. Maybe the second part that I'm going to read this year will help - even though I doubt it.Of course, I've read a lot more but looking over my year in books, nothing else really needs mentioning.I wish you and yours all the best for 2024 and may there always be great books in your path! Happy new year!Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam