The Wrong Goodbye

de Chris F. Holm

The Collector Book Two

Urban fantasy

Angry Robot - 2012

387 pages - 8.99 $

En français ici

Why this book

After reading the first one (Dead Harvest), I could only read more. I love Holm's writing style that mixes so well thrillers, fantasy, pulp and a humor ... very dark. 

Summary 

Because of his efforts to avert the Apocalypse, Sam Thornton has been given a second chance – provided he can stick to the straight-and-narrow.Which sounds all well and good, but when the soul Sam’s sent to collect goes missing, Sam finds himself off the straight-and-narrow pretty quick.

A small part

My feet cast wild shadows as they scrabbled for puchase, but it wasn't any use. "I didn't -  I swear!"

He slammed me into the rock wall behind me. My head hit so hard I thought I'd puke. Then I did puke, so, you know, yay for being right.

"I think you're lying to me, Sammy," he said, and slammed me into the wall again, so hard my vision swam. Not that I minded much. In the best times, Dumas wasn't much to look at, and these weren't the best of times. 

My opinion

I have not been disappointed, once again, by the quality of the story and the writing of Chris F. Holm. He really has a knack for creating an atmosphere of his own and to make endearing characters, while at the base ... who wants to  befriend a collector?

I love the dark humor he distills throughout the book that enhances the dark side of the book and at the same time makes Sam more human and sympathetic.

I liked to meet up Sam and discover with him his new ​​colorful friends, but also to learn more about two people crucial in his life - his own collector Dumas and Lilith her boss.

Finally, I appreciate the nervous rhythm of the book that does not weaken. The book is packed with action, so you'll never have time to get bored. I wonder what those book would give on screen but I bet that'll blow one away!

Let's be brief

A book and a writer I highly recommend for who loves pulp, fantasy or both! 

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 3/100

by Mark Twain

Aventure
Flammarion - 1994
Collection : Garnier Flammarion / Littérature étrangère
344 pages - 15.95 $

En français ici

Why this book

During my undergraduate degree in international studies and foreign languages, I took courses in English literature. It was one of the mandatory books (the other one was Life of PI). And also, like so many, I followed Tom Sawyer and Huck's adventures on TV when I was a child so it was a pleasure to immerse myself again in their story. And Hey! It's part of the 100!

Summary

Wild child Huck has to get away. His violent drunk of a father is back in town again, raising Cain. He won't rest until he has Huck's money. So the enterprising boy fakes his own death and sets out in search of adventure and freedom. Teaming up with Jim, an escaped slave with a price on his head, the two fugitives go on the run, travelling down the wide Mississippi River. But Huck finds himself wrestling with his conscience. Should he save Jim, or turn his friend over to a terrible fate? 

What I think of it 

I've read it in English and it was quite difficult. Mark Twain wrote in languages spoken by the different social classes of the time which  makes the book more authentic, certainly, but also quite difficult to understand. However, I can't blame him for the linguistic details that make the book so interesting.

The tone of the book is still quite light, it is written in an autobiographical point of view and the narrator, Huck is a young boy uneducated and quite candid, but also very clever. That said, his candidly description of the people he encounters makes an even more cynical portrait of the society that Mark Twain criticizes. This is a pessimistic and realistic  novel and it puts us in the presence of samples of different social classes (bourgeois, bandit, trapper, etc..) all more cunning or hypocrites than the others.

I liked less how the book treats Black people and the endless questioning of Huck as to whether or not he will return Jim to his life as a slave. After all that Jim had done for him, I did not like that he can still ponder. However, I understand that this is a painting of the society at that time and that such questioning could actually arise.

This book was the precursor of American literary style that uses dialects spoken during the period. The theme of good and evil is very present, but distilled humor makes the book enjoyable to read. This is a realistic and fierce critic of Southern society before the Civil War and that it is very interesting. Just as it is interesting to see how the notion of good and evil could be reversed for the interests of the wealthy (eg, slavery is good).

Let's be brief

A book less known than Tom Sawyer, but very nice to read. A book I recommend for those who want an overview of the society at the time and the evils of slavery. If you like Charles Dickens, you should like Mark Twain.

Ru

by Kim Thúy

Random House Of Canada | September 6, 2012 | Trade Paperback

160 pages - 18.95 $

En français ici

Why this book

For its cover (I know it's lame!) For the poetry it exuded even before you open it. For the originality of the narrative form ... which I must say was a good point because I thought ... after all, even if it is not terrible,I will finish it quickly!

Summary

At ten years old, Kim Thúy fled Vietnam on a boat with her family, leaving behind a grand house and the many less tangible riches of their home country: the ponds of lotus blossoms, the songs of soup-vendors. The family arrived in Quebec, where they found clothes at the flea market, and mattresses with actual fleas. Kim learned French and English, and as she grew older, seized what opportunities an immigrant could; she put herself through school picking vegetables and sewing clothes, worked as a lawyer and interpreter, and later as a restaurateur. She was married and a mother when the urge to write struck her, and she found herself scribbling words at every opportunity - pulling out her notebook at stoplights and missing the change to green. The story emerging was one of a Vietnamese émigré on a boat to an unknown future: her own story fictionalized and crafted into a stunning novel.

The novel's title, Ru, has meaning in both Kim's native and adoptive languages: in Vietnamese, ru is a lullaby; in French, a stream. And it provides the perfect name for this slim yet potent novel. With prose that soothes and sings, Ru weaves through time, flows and transports: a river of sensuous memories gathering power. It's a classic immigrant story told in a breathtaking new way.

What I think about it

This is the story of Kim, a young  boat People, arrived in Canada and who builts her identity : a mixture of her native Vietnam and her new homeland. She gives us a series of stories about her, her family or her knowledge, and through anecdotes we understand what was life in Vietnam after the departure of Western and what is the life of refugees..

I loved it. It reads very quickly (one day only). In fact, I devoured it. I loved her style : poetic and decent despite the horrors told. Never negative, even if it is sometimes nostalgic, the author gives no moral lesson but presents her reality with humor and kindness. Even the style of the book is original: each anecdote or story idea starts on a new page, even if the previous one is only ten lines long. 

This book proves that you can tell the darkness of this world and of life without falling into misery. Proves that life is not pretty but you can tell it beautifully.

Let's be brief

A book to give or to treat yourself to that will delight the most sad souls because at the end of the book they'll know that life if beautiful... nevertheless 

Another thing to fall

by Laura Lippman

Crime fiction

Harper; Reprint edition (February 24, 2009)

352 pages - 7,99$

En français ici

Why this book

Another writer I've met at the QuebeCrime Festival.

Summary

The California dream weavers have invaded Charm City with their cameras, their stars, and their controversy . . .

When Tess Monaghan literally runs into the crew of the fledgling TV series Mann of Steel while sculling, she never expects to be hired to serve as bodyguard/babysitter to the young female lead, Selene Waites. But the company has been plagued by a series of disturbing "mishaps" lately. And the discovery of a corpse surrounded by photos of the beautiful, difficult superstar-in-the-making is causing Mann's creator and Hollywood legend, Flip Tumulty, considerable distress.

Keeping a spoiled movie princess under wraps may be more than Tess can handle, since Selene is less naive and far more devious than she initially appears to be. But murder is an occurrence the fish-out-of-water P.I. is all too familiar with—and a grisly on-set slaying suddenly threatens to topple the wall of secrets surrounding Mann of Steel, leaving lives, dreams, and careers scattered among the ruins.

What I think of it

When I read a thriller, I do not like having to wait half the book for something to happen ... and this was the case. The majority of the book is a credit to the limitless knowledge of the author in film but she lost us in her endless quotes. There is little action and no suspense, because the majority of the book consists of discussion about films or TV shows. The private detective does not investigate the murder, leaving it to the police, even if she eventually finds the culprit in a (very) few pages.

When I read a thriller, I like to read a thriller ... not an encyclopedia about movies, even if it's very interesting. There I found that the author goes a little too far : in the excerpt that I submit to you, the heroine catches red-handed some youngsters into the home of a dead guy as they were about to commit sins of the flesh and spirit (house, she herself is trespassing but that's another story). Tess asked them how they managed to get in there and the answer is such a completely atypical response from a teenager that it becomes detrimental to the credibility of the text! I mean : do you know a lot of teens who would have not  answered "so what! whatever..."

Abstract

He shrugged, almost proudly. He wasn't altogether dimwited. Tess stared him down.

"The first time, I came through the cellar," he admitted. "He has them Wizard of Oz doors."

It took her a second to get that reference, but it made her smile. Some old Baltimore houses did have storm cellar doors, although tornados were rare.

In a nutshell

Lovers of old movies or TV series will surely love this book that allows you to associate thriller and film and I must recognize the knowledge and / or research work of the author. However, I did not get into it, because I had trouble keeping the thread of the plot, drowned as I was in quotes.

The Night Season

by Chelsea Cain

Thrillers

St Martin's Paperbacks - 2011

337 pages - 9, 99 $

En Français ici

Why this book

Again, because I met the author at the QuebeCrime festival. As I had already bought a lot of book form male authors, I wanted to try a feminine approach of the thriller.

Summary

He captured the Beauty Killer, one of the most deranged serial killers in the country. Now, Portland police detective Archie Sheridan faces a different kind of killer—a brutal rain season that has flooded the Willamette River, claiming several lives. As water levels rise, so does the fear. Because some of the victims didn’t drown—they were murdered.

The first body contains a rare poison. Three others prove to be murders as well. And with each gruesome discovery the medical examiner uncovers, Archie begins to realize he has not escaped his nightmares—even with his deadliest enemy behind bars. The flood has washed up old skeletons from the past. And a ruthless new serial killer rules the night…

The story without revealing it

Archie Sheridan, still traumatized from his encounter with The Beauty Killer, tracks another serial killer who takes advantage of the flood of Portland and the incessant rain to sow corpses. He is assisted by Susan Ward, a journalist dedicated to the dead and other creepy weird with a knack for finding herself where she should not be.

What I think of it

Really good! I finished it at 2:00 in the morning, because I have not been able to close it earlier promising me to finish it the next day. I had to know how it would end. It's nervous, it moves all the time, the characters are well drawn. The trap at the end is a little déjà-vu, but that does not stop the stress up a notch. This is also the strength of Chelsea Cain, you know that something will happen and you can not let go of the book!

In addition, the atmosphere is very present throughout the book, without tons of description - which is cool as I usually hate them. Here the flood of Portland brings a landscape and a creepy atmosphere (I've never been so happy to be warm under my duvet while Archie and Susan were drenched in a downpour .. .)

Let's be brief

A writer to discover. It seems that the first three books are in sequence, but this fourth installment can be read without having read the others, although there are some references - that make you want to read the beginning of the series - in the story. A reference that I'll keep for my next purchase and I would definitely recommend for anyone who loves a good captivating thriller.

A Clash of Kings

by George R. R. Martin

Fantasy

Random House Publishing Group, 2011

1009 pages - 10,99 $

En français ici

Why this book 

Because after having enjoyed the first book, I did not want to stop there. I love  series, because it gives you all the time and leisure to know the characters and love (or hate) them. To read a sequel, it's a bit like getting friends at home: hours of fun - well, normally, if not... you might want to read the Marquis de Sade.  I could not wait to plunge into the world so complete and complex of Martin.

Summary

A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. And from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns. Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war. It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel...and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles.

What I think of it

Once again I have not been disappointed. Martin is truly a master in story telling. We are spellbound throughout the book. I love the way paragraphs succede each other according to the points of view of characters. It's different and it avoids the chronological appearance in most other novels. There may be two actions simultaneously, but in different places and I like very much this impression to see the unfolding of the story through the eyes of the characters.

Another plus point for which the author is known, nobody is totally good or totally bad, everyone has their reasons. At first I was afraid of the result - because yes, I like that the heroes are heroes unconditionally - but ultimately one can be closer to the characters, because let's face it, it is not easy to compare oneself to a hero without fear and without reproach (especially the blameless side...)

In any case, the 1000 pages of the book go like lightning. I loved Tyron Lannister and his rogue intelligence, I wondered if Arya would return one day to her family, I felt like killing Theon - but then he was looking for trouble - I exulted when Robb became king of the north, I was afraid for Jon ... what amount of emotions experienced! Finally, the only one that I like less is Bran, but perhaps it will eventually revealed something of his adventures.

Let's be brief

A sequel not to be missed ... but honestly, if you've read this book, it's that you have already read the first ... and I do not have much to say to convince you of the quality of this story!

Midnight's Children 2/100

by Salman Rushdie
Vintage Canada Edition - 2006
533 pages - 22 $

En Français ici

Why this book

I wanted to read at least one book by this great author I've heard about at the exit of The Satanic Verses thanks to the scandal it generated. I said to myself "I should read an author who unleashed such passion, be it for whether he is worth it." And most importantly, the Satanic Verses not tempted me a lot... the story of a guy who flies and turns to end up with horns and hoofs ... how to say: too metaphorical for me? Anyway, I decided to try this author with Midnight's Children whose summary tempted me more.

Summary

Saleem Sinai is born at the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, the very moment of India's independence. Greeted by fireworks displays, cheering crowds, and Prime Minister Nehru himself, Saleem grows up to learn the ominous consequences of this coincidence. His every act is mirrored and magnified in events that sway the course of national affairs; his health and well-being are inextricably bound to those of his nation; his life is inseparable, at times indistinguishable, from the history of his country. Perhaps most remarkable are the telepathic powers linking him with India's 1,000 other "midnight's children," all born in that initial hour and endowed with magical gifts.

This novel is at once a fascinating family saga and an astonishing evocation of a vast land and its people-a brilliant incarnation of the universal human comedy. Twenty-five years after its publication, Midnight's Children stands apart as both an epochal work of fiction and a brilliant performance by one of the great literary voices of our time.

What I think about it

Rushdie is undoubtedly a master in the art of carrying us into a world of magic and poetry. He is capable of creating a world full of color, brilliance and magic. Reading the book I had the impression of being in a setting of the Thousand and One Nights and for that alone, it's worth it. It is rare that a book enchants me by his descriptions and settings. As for the story, it is also powerful and for who knows or loves India, it's parallel with the history of this country and Pakistan is not to be underestimated. I also liked to see what I enjoyed in India: that every action, every gesture, every adventure is fraught with meaning. Nothing is left to chance and the rich context of this country is an endless source of discoveries. Midnight's Children is no exception and everything that happens there makes sense.

For cons, I found some passages a little too long - euphemism: I was bored - especially the chapter in the forest. I also had trouble with the multiple metaphors the author uses, resulting in completely fantastical scenes - in my case - hard to understand, but as I said earlier: metaphors and me ...

Let's be brief

A book to read for its magic and richness of imagination in which we are transported - even imported - but that's also serious and concrete. After all, it's not every day that a country political history is also written in such a pretty way!