Book Review Friday: The Aeronaut's Windlass

 

The Aeronaut's Windlass
The Cinder Spires Series
By Jim Butcher

This book clocked in at 630 pages long.  Now you know why it's been two weeks since I posted a review.  It took awhile to read this one.  And it was worth every minute.

The Aeronaut's Windlass is a Steampunk Fantasy, set in a world where everyone lives in mile high towers built ages ago and the surface of the earth is a mist covered land filled with fantastic and dangerous beasts.  The various spires are governed by ruling houses (along the lines of the British aristocracy) and alternately do business with and war against one another.  The main mode of transport from spire to spire is the airship.  They are powered by electricity which is generated from crystals that can channel the etheric energy that courses around and through the world.

That's the world, the characters that live in it are amazing.  Francis Madison Grimm, drummed out of the Spire Albion Fleet for cowardice now captains a merchant vessel named Predator.   When his ship is damaged in an altercation with the flag ship from Spire Aurora, Captain Grimm is at a loss as to how to replace the damaged crystals he needs to power his vessel, until the Spirearch of Albion makes him an offer he can't refuse.  Grimm finds himself on a mission to transport the Spirearch's agents on a mission to track down an enemy who threatens the safety of everyone in the Spire. But there is more to their enemies than meets the eye and surviving this mission may be a cakewalk compared to what lies in store.

Jim Butcher is a master of writing battle scenes both on the ground and in the air.  His characters are well developed, and are by turns fascinating, frightening, sympathetic and infuriating.  My only complaint is that since the book was just released this month I have to wait at least a year for the next installment of The Cinder Spires. I can only hope it doesn't take Mr. Butcher as long to write a novel as it does George R. R. Martin.

I listened to the audio book read by Euan Morton. He does an excellent job with all the voices and accents of the various characters and he keeps the action moving along.   In point of fact, the story was so compelling I couldn't wait for my next commute to finish, so I borrowed the book as well.  But I'm still finishing the audio, even though I know how it ends.

Jim Butcher is the author of the Dresden Files Series, start with Storm Front
 and the Codex Alera Series, start with Furies of Calderon

If you like The Aeronaut's Windlass, you make like these books (according to Novelist Plus)
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
The Horns of Ruin by Tim Akers
Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik

Book Review Friday: Dead Wake

 

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania
By Erik Larson


I thought I knew about the Lusitania.  Heck, we all learned about it in school, didn't we?  Now I know better.   Even though I knew the outcome I was caught up in Erik Larson's narrative. Told from the varying perspectives of the passengers and crew of the Lusitania, the German captain of the u-boat that fired the fateful torpedo, and the movers and shakers in the British, German, and United States governments, Larson does an amazing job of pulling all the facts together and weaving a tale of thrills and suspense out of an historic event.   I listened to the audio book narrated by Scott Brick, he was an excellent narrator.

If you liked Dead Wake you might like:

Lusitania: Triumph, Tragedy and the End of the Victorian Age by Greg King and Penny Wilson
Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy by John P. Easton

Also by Erik Larson:
Isaac's Storm: A Man, A Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
Thunderstruck
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin

Book Review Friday: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

 

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
By Robin Sloan

I finished Wednesday.  The book discussion was Thursday.  That's good.  The discussion was great.  Not too many attendees, but everyone loved the book and thanked me for recommending it.  Is there higher praise for a librarian?  I don't think so.

Anyway ...

Clay Jannon is a suddenly downsized computer programmer desperately looking for gainful employment when he stumbles upon Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore.  Clay soon learns that Penumbra's is unlike any other bookstore he's ever seen and though he's been warned not to snoop, his curiosity gets the best of him.  Mr. Penumbra's shop holds the key to a mystery that people have been trying to solve for centuries and Clay thinks he might just have a new way to find the answer.

The story is an homage to books and the printed word and at the same time relies heavily on technology and all things Interwebs.   In a real life mirror of his favorite fantasy adventure novels, Clay calls in his friends to help him use the power of computers and 21st century technology on his quest to help Mr. Penumbra and solve the mystery.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore won the 2013 Alex award from YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association).  The award is given to adult books that have a special appeal to young adults.

If you like this book, you may like:

Ready Player One by  Ernest Cline
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

Book Review Friday: The Belgariad

The Belgariad
By David Eddings

Technically, The Belgariad is not a book.  It is five books.  The first one was published in 1982.

Pawn of Prophecy
Queen of Sorcery
Magician's Gambit
Castle of Wizardry
Enchanter's End Game

This is one of my favorite stories.  I've read it a dozen times, at least.  I've shared it with friends, I've read the books aloud to my children.  I've warn out paperback copies.  But, frankly, as a librarian, this isn't something I'd recommend everyday, because they're just not on the library shelves anymore.  But if you can find them and you love a good epic fantasy.  You should try this.

The story begins with young Garion living on a farm with his Aunt Pol, who cooks for the farmer and his large staff of workers.  One day the old storyteller shows up and Garion's life is turned upside down.   And Garion slowly comes to realize that the storyteller, Aunt Pol, and even Garion himself are not who he thought they were and that they have a task to perform that will change the world.

Great characters, lots of humor, knights, thieves, magic, villains, and even a dragon make their way across the pages of Eddings' epic adventure.  And if you can't get enough, Garion's adventures continue in The Mallorean (another five book series).

Book Review Friday: The Thriling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage

The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Computer  (from the front cover)
By Sydney Padua
OR
The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage with Interesting & Curious Anecdotes of Celebrated and Distinguished Characters Fully Illustrating a Variety of Instructive and Amusing Scenes; As Performed within and without the Remarkable Difference Engine: Embellished with Portraits and Scientifick Diagrams  (from the cover page)
By Sydney Padua

A graphic novel history book.  Who knew?  Author/Artist Sydney Padua provides a factual, pictorial history of the lives of Ada, Countess of Lovelace and Charles Babbage,the mathematicians who originated the ideas for a programmable computer in the early 1800s.  Babbage's machine, the Difference Engine, wasn't built until the year 2000 and Lovelace died young, but in an alternate "pocket universe" Padua imagines what it would have been like if the amazing Difference Engine had been built.  With amazingly detailed illustrations she depicts some of the adventures Babbage and Lovelace would have had as they used the Difference Engine and interacted with notable characters of the day including Queen Victoria, Dickens, Darwin, and more.  Padua's drawings are incredible and the history is fascinating and the steampunk/alternate universe is a blast.  Padua outdoes herself with her footnotes and endnotes, which, if read, will give the reader an amazing education in the history of computers, mathematics, and Victorian England as well as providing a few good laughs.

Book Review Friday: The Coroner's Lunch

 

The Coroner's Lunch
By Colin Cotterill

A friend of a friend recommended this book, the first in a cozy mystery series. It's definitely a series I'll be recommending to patrons of the library.
1976, the Vietnam War is over, just barely, and the Communist Pathet Lao party has taken over the government of the small nation of Laos.  Dr. Siri Paiboun, a longtime member of the party (he's 72) was expecting to retire, but now he has been assigned to be the nation's chief coroner.  With little forensics training,  a badly equipped morgue, and only two assistants Dr. Siri tries to do his job while dealing with the bureaucratic red tape that comes with any government.  Then a couple of corpses come in that have Siri asking questions, questions that are making someone uncomfortable.
With dry wit and great historical details in an exotic Asian setting, Colin Cotterill tells a story of murder, mystery, and mysticism.

Other books in the series:
Thirty-three Teeth
Disco for the Departed
Anarchy and Old Dogs
Curse of the Pogo Stick
The Merry Misogynist
Love Songs from a Shallow Grave
Slash and Burn
The Woman Who Wouldn't Die
Six and a Half Deadly Sins


If you like The Siri Paiboun series you may also like:

The #1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith
The Jules Maigret Mystery series by Georges Simenon
The Shan Tao Yun Mysteries by Eliot Pattison 
Bruno Courreges Investigations series by Martin Walker

Book Review Friday: Death in Salem

Death in Salem: The Private Lives Behind the 1692 Witch Hunt
By Diane E. Foulds

I'm a history buff and a descendant of Rebecca Nurse, one of the unfortunate victims hung for witchcraft in Salem in 1692, so I've read a lot of books about the trials.  Death in Salem: The Private Lives Behind the 1692 Witch Hunt by Diane E. Foulds is an interesting addition to the canon.  Instead of focusing on the various theories on the whys and wherefores of the trials, Ms. Foulds' book offers short biographical sketches of everyone involved covering the stresses, personalities, and politics of life in a harsh and sometimes hostile environment.  Complete with an index and bibliography, this is a good resource for students, historians, and genealogists.

Book Review Friday: King Solomon's Mines

King Solomon's Mines
By H. Rider Haggard

I grew up watching Stewart Granger and Deborah Kerr in the movie King Solomon's Mines.  This is the first time I ever tried reading the book.  Wow, is this a different story.  Main character, Allan Quartermain narrates this tale of adventure and the first thing he points out to his reader, the story is written primarily for his son, is that there are no women in it.  Except for one evil, extremely old, witch, named Gagool.  So if you loved the romance between Granger and Kerr in the 1950 movie, you won't find it here.  H. Rider Haggard's story is an adventure tale, through and through. Set in 19th century, colonial Africa and told at a much slower pace than modern adventure stories, King Solomon's Mines is the story of adventurer Allan Quartermain leading Sir Henry Curtis and his friend John Good on a quest to find Sir Henry's missing brother George, who was lost while looking for the legendary treasure trove, King Solomon's Mines.  On their way they encounter savage animals, natives both friendly and hostile, blazing deserts, and long lost civilizations. 
The slow pace and rich detail might put off some readers used to the short, clipped prose of Patterson, but for the reader willing to spend the time, it's a good story.


If you like adventure stories set in far of locales, you may enjoy:

The Tarzan series by Sir Edgar Rice Burroughs
The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Sigma Force series by James Rollins
The Amelia Peabody mystery series by Elizabeth Peters (set in Egypt)

Other authors to explore include:

Christian Jacq
Rudyard Kipling
William Dietrich
Robert Louis Stevenson

Book Review Friday: Cat Out of Hell

Cat out of Hell
By Lynne Truss

After the unexpected death of his wife, Alec Charlesworth takes an extended holiday to mourn and regroup  When he and his dog, Watson, aren't wandering the windswept beaches of Norfolk, England, Alec starts reading a curious document sent to him by a man he barely knows.  The computer files relate the story of a man named Will Caton-Pines, Wiggy to his friends.  Wiggy's sister disappeared under mysterious circumstances and when he went to her home to investigate, Wiggy encountered Roger, a cat who could talk.

Suspend disbelief and allow author Lynne Truss to take you on an hysterical, horrifying adventure into the real world of cats.  You will never look at your cat the same way again.

Truss is the author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, and several other works of fiction and nonfiction. She is currently at work on a sequel to Cat Out of Hell.

Book Review Friday: Destiny of the Republic

 

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President
By Candice Millard

Don't know much about History?  Here's the amazing story of the life and death of James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States.  Killed by an assassin's bullet only a few months after his inauguration. Except, as the assassin argued at his trial, the bullet didn't kill President Garfield, it was his incompetent doctor and the poor medical care he received that killed him.

Candice Millard displays an amazing depth of research in her writing and provides insight into the life and death of an almost forgotten President.  The post Civil War era was a time of turmoil in the United States as people tried to heal the wounds of the Civil War and chart a course through the murky world of politics. James A. Garfield rose from a poverty stricken youth to become an educator, a Civil War General, a Congressman, and finally a reluctant Presidential candidate. Meanwhile, his would-be assassin, Charles Guiteau, was charging through life convinced that he was destined for greatness.  Millard details Guiteau's delusions of grandeur, his family's attempts to institutionalize him, and his close encounters with Washington DC's political elite until the fateful day that he crossed paths with Garfield in a Washington train station.  Other lives touched Garfield's as well, from Doctor Joseph Lister in England to Alexander Grahame Bell in Boston, Millard describes the threads that formed a tragic tapestry that brought Americans together to mourn the death of a President for the second time in 15 years.

This was a great book, very readable and accessible, not a textbook history.  An excellent choice to recommend to History buffs especially Civil War buffs and those interested in Presidential assassinations.  Also a great recommendation for people interested in reading more about the history of medicine or politics in the United States.



 

Book Review Friday: Everything I Need to Know ...

Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Little Golden Book
By Diane Muldrow

Everyone of a certain age remembers Little Golden Books.  My childhood was full of those sweet little books, with their simple stories and rich illustrations.  Diane Muldrow has repurposed those illustrations into this little book of life's lessons learned.  Simple enough to share with your children or grandchildren and profound in its wisdom and simplicity.  This book would make a great gift for graduates, newlyweds, or that person who has everything on your gift list. Recommended for everyone.

Book Review Friday: The Aviators

The Aviators: Eddie Rickenbacker, Jimmy Doolittle, Charles Lindbergh, and the Epic Age of Flight

By Winston Groom

Historian and master storyteller Winston Groom weaves together the life stories of three pioneers of American aviation history.  The Aviators traces the lives of WWI Ace of Aces Eddie Rickenbacker, General Jimmy Doolittle, and aviator Charles Lindbergh from their exploits before WWI through their contributions to the war effort during WWII.  While extraordinarily different in temperaments and career paths, each of these three men began life in humble circumstances and through perseverance and ingenuity all three overcame setbacks and tragedy to achieve great things both personally and professionally.  All three foresaw the commercial and military importance of aviation and championed the cause of creating a modern air force in the United States in the years leading up to WWII.

This was a remarkable book, highly recommended to history buffs and anyone who loves a good story.  Groom’s research into the military and civilian histories of these men is meticulous and the backstory, history, and politics that shaped their careers is fascinating.  Try the audio book, Robertson Dean’s narration was outstanding.

For more about these pioneers of flight try these titles:

Ace of Aces: The Life of Capt. Edie Rickenbacker

By H. Paul Jeffers

Enduring Courage: Ace Pilot Eddie Rickenbacker and the Dawn of the Age of Speed

By John F. Ross

I Could Never Be So Lucky Again

By James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle, with Carroll V. Glines

The First Heroes: The Extraordinary Story of the Doolittle Raid – America’s First World War II Victory

By C. R. Nelson

The Flight of the Century: Charles Lindbergh & the Rise of American Aviation

By Thomas Kessner

The Spirit of St. Louis

By Charles A. Lindbergh

Book Review Friday: The Girls at the Kingfisher Club

The Girls at the Kingfisher Club: A Novel

By Genevieve Valentine

The Hamilton sisters are hidden away by their domineering father and rarely see the light of day.  Then they begin sneaking out to dance the night away in the speakeasies of Manhattan and wearing out their catalog ordered dancing shoes, until their suspicious father decides to marry them off to control their wild ways.  The story is told from the perspective of oldest sister, Jo “the General,” who guides and safeguards her sisters until a confrontation with their father leaves the girls separated and alone on the streets of Manhattan.

This is a delightful reimagining of the “Twelve Dancing Princesses” fairytale set in the glitz and glamour of the jazz age of the 1920s. 

If you like retold fairy-tales, you may enjoy:

Briar Rose

By Jane Yolen

Spindle’s End

By Robin McKinley

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister

By Gregory Maguire

Princess of the Midnight Ball

By Jessica Day George

Beastly

By Alex Finn

Cinder

By Marissa Meyer

Book Review Friday: A Duty to the Dead

A Duty to the Dead

By Charles Todd

In 1916, on board the hospital ship Britannic, nurse Bess Crawford promises a dying soldier to deliver a message.   But when the cryptic message is delivered, Arthur Graham’s family seems distant and unresponsive to his dying request and Bess finds herself embroiled in the Graham family’s secret past and troubled present.

This is the first novel in a series by a mother-son duo who write under the name of Charles Todd.  The story is steeped in historic detail and paints a vivid picture of life in war torn Europe.  The mystery is intriguing and Bess is an engaging amateur sleuth. 

More books in the Bess Crawford Series:

A Duty to the Dead

An Impartial Witness

A Bitter Truth

An Unmarked Grave

A Question of Honor

An Unwilling Accomplice

The Maharani’s Pearls

A Pattern of Lies

Also by Charles Todd:

The Ian Rutledge Mystery Series

If you like Charles Todd you may also like:

James R. Benn

Kerry Greenwood

Susan Elia MacNeal

Louise Penny

Anne Perry

Dorothy L. Sayers

Jacqueline Winspear

Book Review Friday: The Remedy

The Remedy: Robert Koch, Arthur Conan Doyle, and 

the Quest to Cure Tuberculosis

By Thomas Goetz

Publication date: 2014

Before the Germ Theory was developed in the late 19^th century diseases were terrible, misunderstood scourges that doctors could neither treat nor prevent.  German physician Robert Koch was one of the scientists who pioneered the Germ Theory. Using painstaking scientific research methods of his own design Koch first set his sights on anthrax and later cholera, but his greatest triumph was the isolation and identification of the bacteria that caused tuberculosis.  Science is a competitive field and the drive to find a cure can become too much. When Koch announced a remedy for tuberculosis, Dr. Arthur Conan Doyle observed the experiments and the results and realized that Koch had missed the mark and wrote a scathing review of Koch’s methods in researching his remedy.  Later, when Doyle left medicine, he used Koch’s principles of painstaking scientific analysis to develop his great detective, Sherlock Holmes.

Science writer Thomas Goetz uses his own painstaking research to tell the story of these pioneers of science.  The links between them are tenuous.  Doyle and Koch never met, but their lives were both profoundly influenced by their need to understand the world in a scientific framework.  Goetz’s narrative switches back and forth from Koch’s story to Doyle’s and occasionally moves backward in time, creating a fascinating look at the history of scientific discovery.

For more great reads about the early years of modern medicine try these:

The Fantastic Laboratory of Dr. Weigl: How Two Brave Scientists Battled Typhus and Sabotaged the Nazis

By Arthur Allen

Dr. Mütter’s Marvels: A True Tale of Intrigue and Innovation at the Dawn of Modern Medicine 

By Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz

The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York

By Deborah Blum

The Ghost Map: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic – And How it Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World

By Steven Johnson

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President

By Candice Millard

The Doctor’s Plague: Germs, Childbed Fever, and the Strange Story of Ignác Semmelweis

By Sherwin B. Nuland