An American Wife - and - Triptych

An American Wife

Curtis Sittenfeld

http://www.curtissittenfeld.com/about-american-wife.html

This was the book I chose to be the ‘book I wouldn’t normally read’ this summer. I tend to do at least one, because I usually just read airport novels (those which while away the time without taxing your brain too much). And, I enjoyed reading it.

It really is three (fictional) installments of the life of an American President’s wife. It is supposed to be something of a tribute to Laura Bush and all the time I was reading it I couldn’t get my mind off ‘Charlie’ being ‘Dubbya’.

The first part tells of Alice’s early life in Wisconsin, which is known for it’s farms and farming. Her father is a small town bank manager and her mother is a tied to the kitchen sink (willingly) housewife. Her grandmother however, is something of a character. Alice has a normal life goes to college and all that stuff. The second part of the book relates to her meeting Charlie, of their courtship, their early marriage and almost divorce. Finally, aspects of both these parts of Alice’s life come back to haunt them both at a critical time in Charlie’s Presidentship. It is a good read and there are some charming reminders of everyday married life and love.

Triptych

Karin Slaughter

Of all the books I’ve read this summer, I think that this is the one I enjoyed the most. This excludes An American Wife, which was a different kind of book. Triptych is one of the read-it: bin-it books you take on holiday (like Connelly, Grisham etc.) It’s possibly part of a series and hopefully – the first one. But it rattled on and surprised me from time to time. Set in Atlanta it goes on the tell of murder and mayhem in a way that I found interesting.

Involves rape and children so maybe not to everyone's taste - but the baddy gets it in the end. Which is as it should be.

A Most Wanted Man

A Most Wanted Man

John leCarré

It’s been a while since I’ve read leCarré, I Tinker Tailor’ed him and a couple of others about the same time but couldn’t get into any of his in-between books. A Most Wanted Man was easy to read, had no real ‘iron curtain’ material in it – although the main characters speak Russian – and it rattled on at a pace.

The book shyly refers to ‘the war on terror’ almost shamefacedly but revolves around a Chechen Muslim who has come into some money via his newly deceased father, a former Soviet General; guilty of criminal acts and murder across the Soviet empire – the son being the result of Chechen rape. All sorts of international organizations become involved and pressures are put to bear on two other principle characters – a lawyer and a banker.

A rattling read, something to while away the long-haul hours or under a sun umbrella.

The Appeal

The Appeal

John Grisham

[I'm on holiday right now, so these might come thick and fast)

What can I say? The last book I read of Grisham’s didn’t impress, so this could only get better. And it did, marginally. It took me about half the book to realise that this wasn’t about any appeal, but about the characters, politics, big business and sly wheeler dealings that go on in life. It is a slow meander through a legal life where the underdog continues to get bitten.

Not the best Grisham I’ve read. I won’t read it again.

The Time Traveller's Wife

It's not that I haven't read any books since last summer - just that I haven't made the time to list them here.

The Time Traveller's Wife
by Audrey Niffennegger

was recommended to me by Lilian Soon.

It has been an absolutely cracking read (I still have a few pages to go - so maybe I haven't finished yet ..), a real roller coaster,which, had I had the time - wouldn't have been put down. I managed to read half the book during a day and a half at half term in Wales but the rest has taken up whatever time I've had outside of work and reading work documents.

Don't let the title put you off - I sort of expected a H.G. Wellsy sort of thing (with some trepidation) but the time traveling is involuntary rather than planned.

At its heart the book is the lifelong love story of Clare and Henry. The way in which characters are drawn and time is used is breathtaking and at times hard to follow - but only because I was leaving the book for days inbetween reads.

I read a lot of books and many of them are fine reads - but this one stands out for me in the same way that Captain Corelli did when I first read that.

Brillian. Thanks Lils.

David

Summer reading - France 2008

Sepulchre – Kate Mosse

This is a formulaic book designed to reap the rewards of its highly successful predecessor – Labyrinth. Set in the same area of Languedoc and split over two time periods, it seems to follow the previous successful recipe. Although I enjoyed reading it (and it was easy enough to read on holiday), I could never get over the feeling that I’d read it before (so like Labyrinth). The plot considers special Tarot and Cathare treasure, with the occasional appearance of Labyrinth characters. It revolves around actions in Paris before moving down to Renne Les Bains, about 25 mile south of Carcassonne. Easy reading, hard to get lost. Not as good as the predecessor.

Life of Pi – Yann Martel

This was an excellent read. At last a new, cliché free plot. Told in the style of a first person narrative (after a third person introduction) it is the story of a sixteen year old Hindu/vegetarian Indian boy emigrating, with his family to Canada. Their ship sinks – and the story moves into uncharted waters (that’s a cliché!).

It’s a lovely read: there is lots of religion, death, cannibalism (not all of it animal on animal) and lots of joy. Nothing is ever what it seems. I recommend this to anyone as a diversion from the usual holiday pap.


The Alchemist’s Secret – Scott Mariani

This is reputedly Scott’s first book. Yet, it seems to me whilst whistling through it, that it was a cynical, formulaic attempt to cash in on the recent spate of Da Vinci Code/Labyrinth genre of holiday pap. (I enjoyed Da Vinci Code and I enjoyed Labyrinth)

It must be hard for someone to claim this as their first book and not be embarrassed. Don’t get me wrong, it was an easy read – ideal for reading in the sun (or inside by a roaring fire when it’s raining hard outside) but it was almost like reading a compendium of other books. For a start the main baddie is Vatican based (ish), the treasure trove is Cathare, the main setting is along the Limoux road immediately south of Carcassonne and in Montpellier (thereby showing that he’d looked at a map of Languadoc). The main goodie is a mean and moody ex-SAS chap who is as resourceful as Matt Damon in the Bourne Trilogy. He could be based on Matt Damon to be honest and the love interest (she’s a professor but seems to be very hairy fairy). Love scenes are twee (and unnecessary). Nice attempt but cynical pap.

English as a Second Language – Megan Crane (http://www.megancrane.com/)

Not nrmally being a consumer of 'chick-lit' books, I found this a refreshing no brainer. Betony had bought it in Atlanta arport when she and her mum were delayed there for 24 hours and both had finished reading it by the time they got back. I similarly finished it in double quick time: But remained constantly entertaied.

The story of a mid-late twenties all American girl coming to England (I suspect York) to study for her Masters. Lots of booze and mooning over boys (men I suppose at this age?) and refresing views of our language. e.g. "alright?" .. being the idiomatic English version of "how are you today? Well I trust?"

Currently reading Holy Fools by Joanne Harris.

e-Guides post

blah blah blah

City of Bones - Michael Connelly

Well – a hat trick of Connelly’s! But by far the best. It’s probably that I like the Hieronymus Bosch books better than the rest. My dad had bought this for £1.00 somewhere and thought that I should read it before he did (because he had a lot of library books to wade though).

So I started last week and I’ve finished it now.

This must be the book that comes before the Narrows because at the end Harry resigns. Basically, they find some bones on a hillside which turn out to be those of a 12 year old boy who died about 20 years before. It’s quite a winding tale but ‘whodunnit?’ didn’t turn out to be who I thought – although she was involved!

The Lincoln Lawyer - Michael Connelly

Well, I just had to prove to myself that Michael Connelly books were not all crap. So – because I had it anyway, I read The Lincoln Lawyer in April.

It had a much better plot that ‘Chasing the Dime’ and rattled on at a pace but there was something about it that didn’t quite settle me.

Nevertheless, this is one that I’ll probably come back to, to see if I can get some more out of it. Basically it’s the story of a guy who, instead of having an office – employs an ex-wife to take phone calls and do filing – whilst he works out of the back of his Lincoln. He’s hired to defend some rich guy who is seriously weird! Can’t remember much else (I have that skill with books like this – read ‘em and forget ‘em – which is why I should keep up to this blog!

Chasing the Dime

by Michael Connelly

It's a bit of a cheat this because I haven't quite finished reading yet. I bought the book because I usually like Michael Connelly’s [http://www.michaelconnelly.com/] books but this one is dire! I’m getting really frustrated reading it. I have The Lincoln Lawyer sat waiting - but this has put me off.

Previous books I’ve read by Connelly have been Harry Bosch books: The Narrows and The Closers (I think that I even read The Poet, but cannot remember the plot) and they have been fine. Reading books like this just to pass the time on a train, in a hotel or on the beach is great – there’s no pressure and a story line that is credible (ish) and goes at some pace helps me to relax.

All this is untrue of ‘Chasing the Dime’. The chief honcho of an advanced techno company (small company on the verge of big-time) is lured into a nightmare world of prostitution, porno web sites and killers simply because his new flat has the ex-number of a call girl/escort. Most of us would wait until the next opportunity (in this case ‘Monday’) to change the number and get on with our lives. But not this guy. Henry Pierce goes off on a crusade to find the girl and to ‘rescue’ her. He does the most unimaginably stupid things, even after having one of the best defence lawyers (yes he gets into bother with the police) secured for him. Things that you and I would not do – we would do ‘this’ or ‘that’ but never what this geek does. I’m at a point now (I will finish the book – I’m determined to see if I’ve missed a point somewhere) where Henry has found hidden keys to a storage facility and (as usual) instead of saying “hey Mrs. Lawyer woman – where do you think these came from?” – He goes up to the facility and opens the solitary freezer he finds there! Well, you can guess can’t you? The body of said call girl is in the freezer and he’s now shed all of his DNA/hair fibres/fingerprints etc. all over the place. He's been set up, but any normal person would have seen that coming.

It’s so frustrating that I’ve had to write this just to calm me down. If we’d been on holiday and I’d been reading this somewhere, I’d have had all the tea prepared by now (not usual when I’m reading).

David

The Hard Way

The Hard Way by Lee Child - a Jack Reacher Thriller (!)

You'll have seen this, I was half way through the book when I noticed that it was one of the big Ads on the London Underground. So there’s big big promotion behind it.

I'd bought the book in Newcastle Station last week, to see me on my way back to Yorkshire on the train. I'd never heard of Lee Child or especially of Jack Reacher. However, as the book was on offer at W.H Smiths @ half price, I was tempted.

It's a rollicking read - if you don't want anything believable and you just want to suspend reality for a while. Jack Reacher is one of those men that just don't exist. He doesn't wear a watch (neither do I - so what?) but knows the exact time to the second - and how many times do we hear of this feat! He can remember details of people that pass him in the street - I can't remember details of people who live in my house! He is super-human in many ways, not least (we are told) in his sexual exploits, although in this book he managed to bed a private investigator ten years older than him (AND she used to be FBI).

Story?

Mercenary kills first wife, second wife wants out, mystery moves from New York to East Anglia. Mystery solved. Jack slopes off.

Includes all sorts of US special forces, UK SAS and Para! As I said above - it's a cracking no brainer.

David