Generation A

by Douglas Coupland

Quickie Recap: In the not too distant future, the world will have no more bees, and with the bees go lots of our favourite crops. Five years after the extinction, 5 seemingly unconnected individuals are stung all over the world, and in rush the scientists to study them while they blow up all over social media.

Quickie Review: Told from a shifting-frame perspective, each of the group of 5 gets their chance to narrate and bring their own views and unique voice to the novel. This style is supposed to mimic Coupland's most famous novel, Generation X. I liked this book, although I read it warily. As usual, Coupland explores the meet and greet between culture and media\technology. His protagonists are all slackers, all disaffected youth, and all seem to be up for this non-voluntary adventure their bee stings have obligated. They're also living in a time when heroin addiction is null because of course, poppies require bees. A new drug, called Solon, has stepped in to replace it and everyone's attracted to it - except for these five. Released from their experimentation cells, they have a new prison: celebrity. To escape, they are herded by a charismatic scientist named Serge onto a remote Canadian island where they are encouraged to tell stories. These stories end up revealing things about their raconteurs of course, but also about who they are becoming, isolated together on the island. The stories, unfortunately, take the place of plot, and the book kind of falls apart in the second half, and Douglas struggles to regain control so that he may grant us the ending we deserve.

 

Quickie Recommendation: I wish we had learned more about this world without bees. The stories did very little for me. I missed action, I missed movement in the story. I'd still say check it out, but it doesn't stand up to his previous great works.

The Martian

by Andy Weir

Quickie Recap: Astronaut Mark Watney is left behind on a Mars mission and now faces the physical and psychological challenge of bleek, lonely, long-term survival until the next mission, 4 impossible years away, may return to save him.

Quickie Review: This book heavy on technical detail. Watney writes mission logs highlighting the challenges that each day presents, his problem-solving, and the outcome. Although the technology is light-years over my head, I still enjoyed reading these parts, and though I can't verify the sciences, it certainly sounds plausible, like Weir must have spent an exhaustive amount of time on research. His imagination doesn't fail us either, and I particularly enjoyed Watney's brand of wit. Weir does a great job of balancing the desolation with humour.

Quickie Recommendation: One of the more enjoyable reads I've had all year. Although I can see that the science-heavy jargon may not be for everyone, I still find it accessible to a general audience and I'm eagerly awaiting something else from this promising new author.

The Tiger

A True Story of Vengeance and Survival

by John Vaillant

Quickie Recap: A literal man-eating tiger is stalking a village and they've called in the big guns to get rid of it before it can make another meal of human meat. This tiger is not just any man-eating tiger - it has a beef with these people, and it seems pretty intent on making good on its grudge.

Quickie Review: Interesting fact about tigers? Once they eat human flesh, they can't get enough of it. Oh yeah, you'll learn stuff while reading this book. Actual stuff. This book conveys a real sense of hunting and being hunted; the hair on the back of your neck will not get a rest for days.

Quickie Recommendation: Depends on what your gore factor is. If you have the stomach for it, go for it.

Still Reading.

So here I am, reviewing books again.
It's been two and a half years, which probably means over 500 missed titles while I've been gone, some good, some bad, some forgettable.

Actually, looking through some of my old posts I'm surprised at myself - how some of the ones I seem to have loved the most have faded from memory while some of the stinkers are still in my head, taking up space. Interesting how that works out.

I cannot remember a single day of my adult life that I did not read. At the very least, it's how each day ends: whatever book is on my night stand gets as many pages read as possible before my eyes start to flutter. Books are also my companion in my almost-daily baths, a quiet time of luxury and escape into a world of words that I can never get enough of.

I find that I have missed having a record of what I've read, and also missed being able to share the truly good ones with people who might appreciate them. Even more, I've missed my fellow readers helping to shape my shopping list, and passing me THEIR stellar recommendations. There aren't enough book lovers in my circle of friends, there aren't enough in the world, and I suppose I crave having this little niche available to me when I need to rave or rant about something I've lovingly placed on my shelf, or angrily thrown out the window.

The Night Circus

by Erin Morgenstern

Quickie Recap: A mysterious circus that opens only at night enraptures its audience wherever it goes, but for all the amazing acts and sights to see in the circus, it's the people who run the show who are of most interest. As the book unravels, we begin to understand that two powerful and rivalling magicians are pulling more strings than we know, and less than they'd like.

Quickie Review: This is another book I walked by a few times before I finally picked it up. I suppose it reminded me a little of Water for Elephants and since I loved that book, I didn't want some pale comparison mucking it all up for me. But while yes, they are both circus-y, they are different books, and now I could not say which I preferred because this one was definitely the best thing I've read this year, and my favourite thing I've read in quite some time. It's her first novel, which astounds me, because it felt really rich and layered and well-developed. It's the kind of book that leaves you with really strong pictures in your head, and while at times it feels as if the author just has yet another really cool idea and is trying hard to finagle it into the book, I can almost forgive it of her because it IS a cool idea, and it adds to this magical universe she's created where maybe not everything is plot-centric, but rather floats around creating this overall impression. At this point, I'd say Morgenstern was more magic than craft, but for this novel it really worked, it was a wonder, and I look forward to reading more from her.

Quickie Recommendation: Without reservation.

The Art of Racing in the Rain

by Garth Stein.

Quickie Recap: This story is recounted by a dog named Enzo who watches enough television to have formed the belief that when a dog dies, if he is lucky, he will come back as a human in his next life. Enzo wants this very, very much. Of course, this becomes primarily the story of the family that Enzo lives with, and he tells it the way a dog would: with more compassion than is probably deserved, and abounding love and faith and loyalty.

Quickie Review: I remember seeing this book in an airport some time ago and I gave it a miss. It looked a bit silly. But then I read all the other books in the book store (okay, maybe not all, but enough that I could give this book a second look) and so I picked this up, and started reading right in the parking lot and didn't put it down until I was done, about 4 hours later. I was crying on page 5. Okay, so I'm a sap who happens to be lucky enough to have not one but three of the world's most awesome dogs living in my house (and cuddled around me as I read this). So maybe I was predisposed to love this. Whatever the case, I did. It was sweet, but not cloying. It is a bit silly, a bit simple. It's what a dog's book should be. It doesn't feel gimmicky or particularly childish. It's a bit of a reach, I'm not going to lie. The end is a bit cheesy-movie contrived. But on a snowy afternoon, cuddled in front of the fire, it was perfect.

Quickie Recommendation: I'm going to say yes. I'm not sure about the author, he was a little uneven, but he hit on a great little story here and it warmed me right up.

The Cat's Table

by Michael Ondaatje

Quickie Recap: In the 1950s a little boy gets on a big boat destined for England. He makes 3 same-aged friends, and together they come across a whole cast of characters, varying from the benignly mysterious to the criminally dangerous. Now a grown man, Michael looks back to this voyage as a seminal influence that began an even bigger journey.

Quickie Review: First, let me point out that this is perhaps Ondaatje's most readable novel to date. So that's a surprising bonus. While reading it, someone asked me to name the best thing I'd read recently and I really searched my memory before coming up blank. I could name over a dozen titles I'd read in 2012, but none really stood out. This one certainly doesn't. I'm the first to admit I'm just not a huge Ondaatje fan, but always feel compelled to pick up his books because he's one of those Canadian writers that one should read. But they end up feeling like a chore. And this one...it felt kind of meh to me. It goes down easier compared to say, The English Patient, and there are passages that are truly beautiful, almost worth the read. There were some really vibrant characters, and these sketches make Ondaatje's skill strikingly evident. But it wasn't enough. I felt ... unfulfilled, uninspired, and a little bored.

Quickie Recommendation: Not quite.