And Then There Were None

Rating: 

I am one who enjoys a good mystery or horror book every now and again. October definitely sets me in the mood to devour as many of these tales as I can lay my hands on.

It is sad to say that I have never read this classic before now, but I did enjoy it. The style of writing took a bit of getting use to. Christie sticks with a more blunt, active style of writing - which is completely fine once you get use to it. It also adds more to the story because it keeps it rolling at a much quicker pace. 

There were beautiful twists and turns that I am sure most stories nowadays borrow from - but I can honestly say that I was incorrect in my assumption of the murderer and how the entire story would come to a close. 

The murder is set up around a poem known as "Ten Little Soldiers". It's quite a dark child's tale - although most of what I heard growing up tended to be. The victims follow the pattern, which makes another fun guessing game as you are reading through.

All of the guests to this ominous  little island has been accused taking an innocent life in one way or another, although the majority beg ignorance about the matter. What it quickly boils down to is that there is someone on the island who believes they must die for their sins and, if they don't find who it is quickly, they will never leave. But there are ten of them and ten little soldiers, is there any hope at all?

I could quickly see why this story would become an instant classic and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys such books. 

The Thirteenth Tale

Rating : 

The Thirteenth Tale is an interesting little novel set in Great Britain that revolves around the complex realities of being a twin. Vida Winter is one of Britain's most famous authors and, as all good people do, she is dying. She has come to the belief that there is only one more story for her to tell, and that is her own.

Margaret Lea is a quiet woman who lives at home with her parents and works in her father's bookshop. She has done a few biographies here and there on people she has found interesting, but more for fun than for fame. She is quite surprised when Ms. Winter contacts her to become her personal biographer, especially being that Margaret had never actually read any of Ms. Winter's works until that point.

Margaret has her suspicions about working for Ms. Winter - because this isn't the author's first biography. Every time someone has come to take down her story, Ms. Winter creates an extravagant one that cannot be farther from the truth. But, according to the story teller, one particular individual finally convinces her to eventually tell the truth.

This story isn't a light-hearted one; more of a dark mystery. Not only do we learn of Ms. Winter's twisted family past, we also gain incite on Margaret's family as well. There is a bond between the two women, although in a different way than one might think. But all is revealed in time.

I enjoy a good mystery and Setterfield beautifully added a few twists that I did not fully see coming. For me, the book was a bit sluggish in some areas, but they did help clarify obscure facts to the story. It also takes a little while to get use to the writing style, being that it switches back and forth from the past of Ms. Winter, the past of Margaret (although rarely), and the present. Once you gain a feel, it is easier to read.

For once, I was given what I believe was a complete ending. After reading series for so long, I forget that one book can be only one lifetime. I won't say that the ending is happy, but it is not obscure and fits the story line well. There is a bit of a Prestige twist (although I think I know the answer this time).

Twins have always fascinated me, and I would be curious what a couple of people would think after reading this book. I would recommend this story for a rainy day where you are trapped inside. Maybe with a fluffy creature to pet and a nice cup of tea.

Enjoy,

Kaity

I Am The Messenger

Rating: 

For the first time this summer, I feel that I can actually say that I completely enjoyed this book.Ed Kennedy is an ordinary 19 year old cab driver who plays cards when he's not working, owns a dog called The Doorman, and has an impossible crush on his friend.

Life goes on as it always has until one day, he finds himself stuck in the middle of a bank robbery. In spite of his gut, he makes a heroic move and the small town he's in starts to notice.

Then things get weird. A card arrives in the mail, and on that card are three addresses. Three addresses he never noticed within his small town - and all of them need his help.

There's also a nice little twist at the end that adds some flair.This is a wonderful story about how much you can do by just being ordinary. It is an encouragement to open our eyes to others that surround us and, if we can, help - even if it's just as simple as buying two scoops of ice cream.

I would encourage anyone who needs a kick in the but, who feels they can't, or wants to know ways they can change the world to read this book.

City of Heavenly Fire

Rating: 

Throughout this summer, I have been inhaling The Mortal Instrument Series, starting from about April until this last week.

I thought the book was decent, although, as usual, I have a few problems with it – actually a  few problems with the series.

First big problem? (Spoiler) Incest is not something I support, and having the love interests kiss and then find out that they are related until book three where they continue to constantly kiss is a HUGE no no for me. In fact, after reading the first book last year, I set it down and refused to continue with the series. The only reason that I picked up the next book was when (and I will most likely never say this again) I watched the movie. The adaptation was fairly close, but they also had Hodge suggest to Valentine that he should convince the two they were related.

So I continue to read in hopes that this horribly done twist would be resolved. It was.

Until her actual brother showed up and it was back again.

To be fair, he really wasn't fully human and really had never been loved before. Well – still not a good enough excuse.

CoHF follows our favorite characters Clary, Jase, Alec, Isabelle, and Simon as they rush of boldly (relative term) to defeat the last Morgenstern, Sebastian – Jonathan. They find themselves trapped between lies and demon worlds with impossible choices that Cassandra Clare tries to completely fix in the end.

As an up and coming writer myself, one of my biggest pet peeves is when try to give every character a happy ending – especially when the majority of the book is about battles and war. It is okay to let characters die or move on. Heartbreak is a part of life, and I don’t think that should be worked over in fiction.

But, overall, this really isn't the worst series ending that I have ever read.  

Congrats on the main series finally being finished, Clare.

A Dirty Job

Rating: R (Adult Content)     

I typically am found with a young adult book clutched in my hands, but I went exploring and stumbled across this little beauty.

Christopher Moore takes the idea of Death and places a completely new idea on it. What if Death wasn't just one person? What if people really didn't have souls - or at least didn't have them for part of their lives? What if getting souls to the correct person was the reason if the world fell into destruction or not? What happens when a quiet Beta Male has been plucked from his everyday life and been chosen for something special?

Charlie Asher is a fairly normal man trying to survive as a single father after his wife passed away unexpectedly. After meeting a man in a mint green suit, his life is turned upside down and he finds that people keep dropping dead around him, shadows aren't all that they seem, and his secondhand store has a tendency to attract glowing red objects that only he can see.  

Charlie Asher has stumbled into a new job that he can't really refuse, no matter how hard he tries. You see, he is one of San Francisco's own Death Merchants. His job is to gather up the souls of the deceased and help them find their resting place..er...body.

I enjoyed this book greatly. I found laughable and sobering moments throughout it. I thought that it was pretty well written. I have been advised to dive into Lamb next. We shall see.

Until next time,

Kaity

The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.

Personal Rating:

   
This novel follows a man named Nathaniel (who also goes by Nate) as he is waiting for his own book to be published and complaining to the world how there is no woman that is proportionate between beauty and intelligence that could actually keep him interested long enough for a relationship to develop.

     Nathaniel is a egotistical pig - but I believe that he had to be for the message to come across.

     Waldman's main purpose is to show us how a male academic scholar's mind works when it comes to addressing women. If this is truly an accurate replica of a man's mind (and many reviews have professed that it is) it is a heartbreaking reality. I, myself, started to look back into my own relationships and began to wonder if I came across as shallow as many of these female characters do to Nathaniel P. Or is it that in Nathaniel P.'s mind, all women are shallow and manipulative?

     I found myself also frustrated that this book did not have much of a plot. There was nothing exciting about the content, nothing that really had me thumbing the next page as I hurriedly read to the end. In fact, I found myself wanting more and more to remove my bookmark from the pages and just start on the next book in the pile that sits beside my bed.

     Out of all the characters, I found myself annoyed with Nathaniel the most. Being blessed with the insight of a character's mind also means that you are cursed with seeing the difference between what they think and what they said to others. I found myself constantly yelling at him to just speak his mind to whatever girlfriend he was on at the time. It was infuriating to watch his relationships fall apart when he really could have prevented a lot of it himself.

     At the end, with his newest girl, I feel his personality changes a bit, as almost as someone has finally beaten him just enough to make this newest relationship work. It was not what I was expecting. I felt that the ending of this book was rushed, as if there was nothing else to be written but something had to be put down.

     This was recommended to me as a beach read, but I would not recommend this book unless you need help falling asleep at nights.