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Title: Be Angry But Don't Blow It
Author: Lisa Bevere
Genre: Christian non-fiction
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 192
Date read: February 2010

Are you tired of anger destroying your life, health, and relationships? Or perhaps you're upset and have held it in for far too long. Guess what-you're not alone! A lot of women are angry, and they're blowing it! They vent it on the very ones they love the most and desperately want to stop but they don't know how.

This book interweaves powerful scriptural truths with practical, personal examples and prayer. Readers will learn to channel passionate emotions constructively. Anger is not wrong, it is how we express it and how far we take it that determines the outcome. For those really ready to be honest and get free, this book will light the way.

Difficult book to review because it was A) very different from what I had expected, and thus B) not very relevant to me, yet C) very well written.

I had assumed that it was a book on all aspects of being angry, meant both for those who got too angry and for those who didn't get angry enough. It turned out it was only aimed at the former, and as keeping my temper isn't really a problem to me, there wasn't much in the book I could use.

Lisa Bevere has an interesting and captivating way of writing though, and there were some chapters that were spot on - not keeping a grudge for instance, and giving an honest apology if you were in the wrong - so at the end of the day, I'm glad I read it, even if I didn't get as much out of it as I'd originally hoped.

Tags: christian non-fiction, february 2010

Title: The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear
Author: Walter Moers
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5+/5
# pages: 681
Date read: January, 2010

Captain Bluebear is a bear with blue fur, a creature as unique as the fantastic adventures he undergoes. Unlike cats, which have only nine lives, bluebears have twenty-seven. This is fortunate, because our hero is forever avoiding disaster by a paw's breadth. In this remarkable book, Captain Bluebear tells the story of his first thirteen-and-a-half lives spent on the mysterious continent of Zamonia, where intelligence is an infectious disease and water flows uphill, where headless giants roam deserts made of sugar, and where only Captain Bluebear's courage and ingenuity enable him to escape the dangers that lie in wait for him around every corner.

Now this is just brilliant! The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear is one of the most fascinating books I've read. Walter Moers creates a vivid and imaginative universe and stays absolutely true to it to the very end. I think it might even be a bit better than The City of Dreaming Books although I don't like to admit it.

I love his way of using the book media to tell his story, and though I generally don't care much for illustrations one way or another, here they definitely enhance the story. The characters are original and well described, and the 13.5 lives different enough to make for a very interesting story. I simply couldn't put the book down but devoured it in 2 days.

In atmosphere Zamonien reminded me quite a bit of Dystopia, although the two books otherwise have nothing in common.

Tags: fantasy, january 2010

Title: My Life in France
Author: Julia Child
Genre: Non-fiction
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 333
Date read: January, 2010

In her own words, here is the story of Julia Child's years in France, where she fell in love with French food and found her "true calling." Filled with the black-and-white photographs that her husband Paul loved to take when he was not battling bureaucrats, as well as family snapshots, this memoir is laced with stories about the French character, particularly in the world of food, and the way of life that Julia embraced so whole-heartedly. Above all, she reveals the kind of spirit and determination, the sheer love of cooking, and the drive to share that with her fellow Americans that made her the extraordinary success she became.

My Life in France is one of those delightful non-fiction books that reads like fiction, and is therefore easily accessible and enjoyable.

Reading about the making of a cookbook (or cookery-bookery as Julia Child called it) was fascinating, and made me realise how much work went into putting together Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It wasn't just a matter of choosing some favourite recipes - they had to be tried and tested numerous times, using both French and American ingredients.

My Life in France wasn't quite as bad at making me hungry as Julie&Julia because while as stock-full of mentions of good food, Julia Child didn't go into as much detail as Julie Powell did.

I do want to get my hands on MtAoFC now though, and try out some of the most delicious-sounding recipes.

Tags: january 2010, non-fiction

Title: Fasandræberne (Pheasant killers)
Author: Jussi Adler-Olsen
Genre: Suspense
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: 399
Date read: January, 2010

In 1987 a brother and sister are found brutally murdered in a summer house. The investigations conducted by the police indicate that the murderer is to be found among a group of young boarding school students, whose parents are among the richest and most influential people in Denmark. But the evidence isn't clear enough, and the case is abandoned.

But with the introduction of the new Department Q the old case sees the light of day again, and Carl Mørck is convinced that there's more to the case than meets the eye.

Still a page-turner, but unfortunately the weakest of Jussi Adler-Olsen's books. Or perhaps I just didn't find the plot as interesting. Also, I discovered that Jussi Adler-Olsen suffers from the same issue as many other genre-writers - their books end up being very similar, which isn't a problem as long as you don't read them too closely together.

That said, I'm still excited to have found a new and talented Danish author, and will definitely be following his career with interest.

Tags: january 2010, suspense

Title: Harry Bentley's Second Chance
Author: Dave Jackson
Genre: Christian fiction
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: 336
Date read: January, 2010

Retired Chicago cop, Harry Bentley, was lying low. He'd blown the whistle on a gang of rogue cops and was awaiting the day when Internal Affairs would call him to testify and help put their leader, Lieutenant Matty Fagan, behind bars. His cover was working as a doorman in a luxury highrise on Chicago's lakefront. Then Gabby Fairbanks and her husband moved into the building's penthouse. She brought home a bag lady, got a job at the Manna House Women's Shelter, found her life falling apart, and managed to entangle Harry in the whole affair.

But there was an upside. Through Gabby, Harry meets the Yada Yada brothers and the classy Estelle Williams and envisions a second chance at romance. The Yada Yada brothers provide a new circle of friends to replace his old CPD cohorts. But when Harry discovers he has a grandson he didn't know about, will he find the faith to take on the boy as a "second chance" to be the father he'd failed to be to his own son-even when the boy creates new dangers in Harry's fight against corruption, and may derail his "second chance" at love?

An enjoyable book that unfortunately suffered from being compared to its compagnion novel.

Harry Bentley's Second Chance is a well-written Christian novel. If I'd read it as a stand-alone, I'd have enjoyed it greatly. It's an interesting story with believable characters and a sweet love story.

Unfortunately it just doesn't measure up to its companion novel ("Where Do I Go?" by Neta Jackson) in poignancy, and therefore unfairly falls flat, where it'd have been enjoyed more in its own right. If you haven't read either, I recommend reading this one first in order to do it justice.

Tags: christian fiction, january 2010

Title: Her Fearful Symmetry
Author: Audrey Niffenegger
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 2.5/5
# pages: 400
Date read: January, 2010

When Elspeth Noblin dies of cancer, she leaves her London apartment to her twin nieces, Julia and Valentina. These two American girls never met their English aunt, only knew that their mother, too, was a twin, and Elspeth her sister. Julia and Valentina are semi-normal American teenagers--with seemingly little interest in college, finding jobs, or anything outside their cozy home in the suburbs of Chicago, and with an abnormally intense attachment to one another.

The girls move to Elspeth's flat, which borders Highgate Cemetery in London. They come to know the building's other residents. There is Martin, a brilliant and charming crossword puzzle setter suffering from crippling Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; Marjike, Martin's devoted but trapped wife; and Robert, Elspeth's elusive lover, a scholar of the cemetery. As the girls become embroiled in the fraying lives of their aunt's neighbors, they also discover that much is still alive in Highgate, including--perhaps--their aunt, who can't seem to leave her old apartment and life behind.

I absolutely adored The Time Traveler's Wife and consider it one of my favourite books, so when I heard Audrey Niffenegger had written a new book, I was thrilled, and knew I had to read it.

Unfortunately I ended up terribly disappointed by it. I found myself completely unable to care for any of the characters (which the possible exception of Martin, who unfortunately got far too little page-time) as they all seemed incredibly selfish and unsympathetic. The climax disturbed me greatly and I felt absolutely disgusted by the people who brought it into fruition.

For plot alone I would give Her Fearful Symmetry only 2 stars, but Niffenegger's captive writing is still in action, so she gets another half star for making me unable to put down the book despite my misgivings.

Tags: fiction, january 2010

Title: The Eye of the Moon
Author: Anonymous
Genre: Paranormal, suspense
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 380
Date read: January, 2010

Young lovers Dante and Kacy, hapless bartender Sanchez, Peto the Hubal monk and the mysterious Jessica - each will be drawn into the violent vortex surrounding the Bourbon Kid, the supernatural killer who is himself now being hunted. Hot on his heels are several vampire gangs, the US Secret Service, a couple of werewolves, some corrupt cops, and the Dark Lord himself, and none will rest until he is dead. But the Kid has vengeance of his own to wreak...

Seems like the body count was even higher here than in The Book With No Name. It was still a fascinating story, but didn't seem quite as well thought out. The author tried to give Bourbon Kid a motivation here, whereas in the first book, it was just the way he was - which actually was more in the spirit of the book.

I still really enjoyed it though, and had a very difficult time putting it down. It's wacky enough to appeal to my sense of the absurd, and only occasionally had me wincing from the graphic decapitations.

Tags: january 2010, paranormal, suspense

Title: Wishful Drinking
Author: Carrie Fisher
Genre: memoir
Rating: 4/5
# pages: Audiobook ~3hrs
Date read: January, 2010

Finally, after four hit novels, Carrie Fisher comes clean (well, sort of ) with the crazy truth that is her life in her first-ever memoir. In Wishful Drinking, adapted from her one-woman stage show, Fisher reveals what it was really like to grow up a product of "Hollywood in-breeding," come of age on the set of a little movie called Star Wars, and become a cultural icon and bestselling action figure at the age of nineteen.

Intimate, hilarious, and sobering, Wishful Drinking is Fisher, looking at her life as she best remembers it (what do you expect after electroshock therapy?). It's an incredible tale: the child of Hollywood royalty -- Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher -- homewrecked by Elizabeth Taylor, marrying (then divorcing, then dating) Paul Simon, having her likeness merchandized on everything from Princess Leia shampoo to PEZ dispensers, learning the father of her daughter forgot to tell her he was gay, and ultimately waking up one morning and finding a friend dead beside her in bed.

Very amusing memoir. As more or less a transcript of her stand-up show it was quickly read and very easily accessible. I enjoyed learning more about Carrie Fisher. I've heard so many rumours about her, that it's nice to be able to separate at least some of the facts from the fiction.

The version I found was read by Carrie Fisher herself, with lent a nice touch to it.

Tags: january 2010, memoir

Title: Kvinden i buret (The Woman in the Cage)
Author: Jussi Adler-Olsen
Genre: Suspense
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 379
Date read: January, 2010

I've found a new author to look out for. Jussi Adler-Olsen writes excellent page-turners, and so far I've been very impressed by his books.

A beautiful winterday in 2002 the young, ambitious politician Merete Lynggaard disappears completely. The media jump on the story and headlines guess everything from murder or suicide to a deliberate disappearance. The police immediately start an elaborate search, but with no results. Merete Lynggaard is nowhere to be found.

Five years later, Carl Mørck is made head of the new police department for 'Cases of special importance', and picks up the Merete Lynggaard case again. A seemingly innocent remark turns out to be a new clue, and soon he and his assistant Assad are on the hunt of a ruthless criminal with an insane plan. The question is whether they're in time to prevent the hideous outcome, or if they'll be victims as well.

Jussi Adler-Olsen writes both from the POV of Carl Mørck and Merete Lynggaard which makes for a more interesting read, than if we had just gotten one of the stories. It starts a bit slowly, as he sets up his characters and the universe, but quickly picks up pace and keeps it high for the rest of the book.

It's not really meant to be a 'whodunnit' (I'd guessed the identity of the criminal before it was revealed), but more a psychological thriller. I was shocked by the thought of being kept captive for 5 years with nothing for company but your own thoughts. I think I'd go mad!

Excellent book. I'm looking forward to reading more of his work.

Tags: january 2010, suspense

Title: The Book With No Name
Author: Anonymous
Genre: Suspense, paranormal
Rating: 5/5
# pages: 380
Date read: January, 2010

For many centuries the shelves of a library in South America held a terrible secret. Sitting on these shelves was a book with no name, written by an anonymous author. Everyone who ever read it ended up dead, yet the book always found it's way back to the library. In 2005 a special government investigator uncovered the truth about the book and it's link to the murders. Now available in paperback, you can discover for yourself the reason why no one ever read the book and lived, until now...

I saw this book on Amazon during a random browsing, and was so completely intrigued by the premise that I just had to read it. Thankfully the library had it, so I didn't have to wait too long :)

I've heard it described as a Quentin Tarantino style book, and I would have to agree. There are a lot of similarities to "From Dusk Till Dawn", both in plot and in style which makes for a very fascinating page-turner. And don't be mislead - it's just as bloody (in less graphic detail, thankfully), so don't assume anybody is safe, just because they seem a major character.

The story is told from several different POV, which works quite well in providing the reader with the full pictures... well, as full as we're allowed to get anyway. There are some questions left unanswered, that I assume will be picked up in the sequel.

Tags: january 2010, paranormal, suspense

Title: The Girl in a Swing
Author: Richard Adams
Genre: Suspense
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 395
Date read: January, 2010

A shy young man meets a beautiful woman in the company of a young girl. He finds himself swept off of his feet and married to her, bringing her with him to live in his family home. She is his erotic dream come true; she does everything she can to bind him to her and join him in his comfortable life.

Soon, however, odd things begin to happen. Things in the house are strangely damp with what looks like seawater, bodies appear under the water that aren't really there. It all winds up to a horrifying (but fairly gentle, for all of that) conclusion.

I hardly know how to describe this book. It started out very slowly, and I was wondering if I'd have the patience to work my way through it, but suddenly it captured me completely, and I read the last 200 pages in one sitting.

It is so very, very different from Watership Down that it's almost hard to believe it was written by the same author. Instead of being a social commentary, The Girl in a Swing touches upon the supernatural while tying it up to Christian theology.

I'd been warned that the book was depressing, but I actually didn't find it so. It was sad to be sure, and both troubling and disturbing, but I'm obviously no good at figuring out clues, so it took me almost to the very end, to figure out what the secret was - and suddenly, a lot of the earlier theological debates made sense.

A lot of the book takes place in Copenhagen, Denmark, and I have to admit to being tickled pink by all the references to places I know, and even all the Danish words being thrown in there - that's very rare to see.

Tags: january 2010, suspense

Title: The Door to Time (Ulysses Moore #1)
Author: Pierdomenico Baccalario
Genre: YA, fantasy
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: 123
Date read: December, 2009

Eleven-year-old twins Jason and Julia have just moved from London to an old mansion on the English coast. Their new home is filled with twisting tunnels and strange artifacts from around the world, and the twins can't wait to discover all its secrets.

Before long, Jason, Julia, and their friend Rick stumble upon a mysterious-looking door hidden behind an old wardrobe. But none of the keys in the house will open it.

What lies behind the door? And why has someone tried to conceal it? Jason, Julia, and Rick are determined to find out, no matter what it takes...

Very interesting combination of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and "Over Sea, Under Stone" in style and atmosphere, plus it had a bunch of riddles to solve and codes to break, which always fascinates me. Obviously aimed at a much younger audience, but it still had enough going for it to keep an older reader like me entertained ;)

Unfortunately it ends with a cliff-hanger (a pet-peeve of mine), and feels more like a part of a longer book, or an introduction/prequel than a book that's meant to stand alone. If it had felt more 'complete', I would probably have rated it a 4 instead.

Tags: 2009: december, fantasy, ya

Title: Looking for Alibrandi
Author: Melina Marchetta
Genre: YA
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: 228
Date read: December, 2009

For as long as Josephine Alibrandi can remember, it's just been her, her mom, and her grandmother. Now it's her final year at a wealthy Catholic high school. The nuns couldn't be any stricter - but that doesn't seem to stop all kinds of men from coming into her life.

Caught between the old-world values of her Italian grandmother, the no-nonsense wisdom of her mom, and the boys who continue to mystify her, Josephine is on the ride of her life. This will be the year she falls in love, the year she discovers the secrets of her family's past - and the year she sets herself free.

A friend saw I'd really enjoyed "Does My Head Look Big In This?", and recommended "Looking for Alibrandi" as being even better. I still prefer the former, but I did enjoy this one as well. It's a sweet YA and I enjoyed the way Melina Marchetta explored the family dynamics of the Alibrandi family.

I would probably have liked it better if I hadn't known to compare it to DMHLBIT though. It's good on its own, but couldn't live up to my expectations.

Tags: 2009: december, ya

Title: Flaskepost fra P (Message in a Bottle From P)
Author: Jussi Adler-Olsen
Genre: Suspense
Rating: 5/5
# pages: 486
Date read: December, 2009

In the small town of Wick in Scotland, a bottle had been forgotten in the old police station for many years. When somebody finally notices a letter hidden inside, possibly written in blood and with only the word "HELP" legible, the bottle travels to Denmark where policeman Carl Mørck and his assistant Assad discover a disturbing case about kidnapped siblings who've never been reported missing by their parents.

A true page-turner. It's almost 500 pages long but I simply couldn't put it down. It's well-written and the changing narrators fits the style and plot well and helps build the tension. I was absolutely mesmerised and found myself alternatively feeling pity for the perpetrator and being absolutely disgusted by him.

"Flaskepost fra P" is the third book in the series about Department Q, but though I could occasionally sense references to the previous books, they were in no way necessary in order to follow the plot of this one.

Brilliant crime novel. I hope it will eventually be translated to English so more people get to read it.

Tags: 2009: december, suspense

Title: Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict
Author: Laurie Viera Rigler
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 288
Date read: December, 2009

After nursing a broken engagement with Jane Austen novels and Absolut, Courtney Stone wakes up and finds herself not in her Los Angeles bedroom or even in her own body, but inside the bedchamber of a woman in Regency England. Who but an Austen addict like herself could concoct such a fantasy?

Not only is Courtney stuck in another woman's life, she is forced to pretend she actually is that woman; and despite knowing nothing about her, she manages to fool even the most astute observer. But not even her love of Jane Austen has prepared Courtney for the chamber pots and filthy coaching inns of nineteenth-century England, let alone the realities of being a single woman who must fend off suffocating chaperones, condomless seducers, and marriages of convenience. Enter the enigmatic Mr. Edgeworth, who fills Courtney's borrowed brain with confusing memories that are clearly not her own.

Try as she might to control her mind and find a way home, Courtney cannot deny that she is becoming this other woman—and being this other woman is not without its advantages: Especially in a looking-glass Austen world. Especially with a suitor who may not turn out to be a familiar species of philanderer after all.

I always find books with some sort of time-travel fascinating - especially those where the main character cannot reveal that she is not from that era, but has to "fake" her way through. A trick made even more interesting here by the fact that Courtney didn't just end up in a different time, but also in a different body, and had to figure out how her "new" self acted and what she knew.

Enjoyable, light-hearted chick-lit. I wouldn't recommend it to anybody who didn't know (and love) Jane Austen though.

Tags: 2009: december, chick-lit

Title: Adam
Author: Ted Dekker
Genre: Christian fiction, suspense
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 388
Date read: December, 2009

FBI behavioral psychologist Daniel Clark has been made famous by his arguments that religion is one of society's greatest antagonists. What Daniel doesn't know is that his obsessive pursuit of a serial killer known only as "Eve" will end in his own death at Eve's hand. Twenty minutes later Daniel is resuscitated, only to be haunted by those twenty missing minutes of life.

It soon becomes painfully clear that the only way to stop Eve is to recover those missing minutes by dying... again. What isn't nearly as clear is just how many times he will have to die to discover the truth, not only about Eve, but about himself. Daniel will have to face haunting realities about demon possession in the modern world--and reevaluate his own prejudice against religion--to stop the killer.

Good entertainment, but not high literature. Some threads were left hanging, and certain twist had the definite air of a true plot device. Also I was annoyed by Daniel's single-mindedness and the flirtation with death that that caused.

I found the ending a bit rushed, which was a shame, as it had me riveted. I'd love to have had Ted Dekker spend more time on that aspect of it.

Tags: 2009: december, christian fiction, suspense

Title: Voices in Summer
Author: Rosamunde Pilcher
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 190
Date read: December, 2009

Rosamunde Pilcher invites you into long summer days on the coast of Cornwall-and into the stormy heart of newlywed Laura Haverstock. Shy, recovering from illness, and away from her husband, Laura's is a fearful heart on the verge of intimate discoveries...about herself, her family, and the source of true love within her.

Usually Rosamunde Pilcher's shorter books aren't as well-written as her long ones, but this is the exception that proves the rule. It's a simple plot that works very well in the 190 pages she used for it, and her character descriptions were thorough and believable. I'd guessed the who of the ending but not the why, which meant the book avoided being too predictable, and I was very glad to be proven wrong about both Alec and Gabriel.

Sweet book, and perfect for a lazy afternoon.

Tags: 2009: december, fiction

Title: Twilight Children
Author: Torey Hayden
Genre: Non-fiction, memoir
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 403
Date read: December, 2009

While working in the children's psychiatric ward of a large hospital, Torey was introduced to seven-year-old Cassandra, a child who had been kidnapped by her father and was found dirty, starving and picking through rubbish bins to survive. She refused to speak, so Torey could only imagine what she had been through.
Drake, by contrast, was a charismatic four-year-old who managed to participate fully in his pre-school class without uttering a single word.

Last, there was Gerda, eighty-two, who had suffered a massive stroke and was unwilling to engage in conversation with anyone. Although Torey had never worked with adults, she agreed to help when all other efforts had failed.

This is the third book by Torey Hayden I've read, and like the two others, it was fascinating. I find it intriguing to read how she connects with troubled children and helps them move on.

I think that most of its appeal is that it's memoir - I don't think I'd be nearly as interested if it was fiction, because I wouldn't be as certain about the validity of the actions. As it is, I'm eager to read more.

Tags: 2009: december, memoir, non-fiction