Bogormen

Title: Atonement
Author: Ian McEwan
Genre: Historical fiction, ww2
Rating: 7/10
# pages: 376
Date read: January, 2009

Summary: We meet 13-year-old Briony Tallis in the summer of 1935, as she attempts to stage a production of her new drama The Trials of Arabella to welcome home her elder, idolised brother Leon. But she soon discovers that her cousins, the glamorous Lola and the twin boys Jackson and Pierrot, aren't up to the task, and directorial ambitions are abandoned as more interesting preoccupations come onto the scene. The charlady's son Robbie Turner appears to be forcing Briony's sister Cecilia to strip in the Fountain and sends her obscene letters; Leon has brought home a dim chocolate magnate keen for a war to promote his new "Army Amo" bar; and upstairs Briony's migraine-stricken mother Emily keeps tabs on the house from her bed. Soon, secrets emerge that change the lives of everyone present...

Review: It took me quite awhile to finish this book. A lot longer than I had expected. The book is split up into 3 parts and an epilogue. The first part was exceedingly boring and almost caused me to give up in despair. I got stubborn though, and stuck with it. And I'm glad I did, because part 2 and 3 were a lot better. Still, like somebody else expressed it, McEwan always feels like he takes about 20 pages to describe someone walking down a flight of stairs.

A lot of what I would have considered important plot elements got left out when the book moved from part to part, and was only alluded to later on, which made the plot somewhat disjointed, but it actually worked well. At first I felt like I was missing out on important plot points, but "what happened" is never as important as the consequences of it, and I guess this is a good way of showing that. I hated Briony at first, but came to pity her as the story moved on.

I'm not sure it's a book I'll read again, but it did end up being better than I had feared at first, even if not as good as I had expected or hoped for. I debated whether to rate it at 6 or 7, but after the first part, the story did end up grasping my attention, so I'll leave it at 7.

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Title: Knife
Author: R.J. Anderson
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 9/10
# pages: 317
Date read: January, 2009

Summary: As the Faery Queen's appointed Hunter, Knife alone has the courage and skill to fight the crows and other predators who threaten the Oakenfolk's survival. Yet neither she nor the Queen can do anything to stop a mysterious magical disease from claiming the faeries of the Oak one by one.

Knife determines to learn the truth about the Oakenfolk's relationship to humanity, no matter what the Queen might do to prevent her - a quest which threatens the growing friendship between herself and the human, Paul; puts both their lives in jeopardy, and challenges everything Knife has ever believed about humans, faeries, and her own heart's desire. And when at last Knife discovers the secret the Faery Queen has been hiding, she is forced to make an agonizing choice between love and freedom that will change her life, and the lives of her people, forever.

Review: Well, I originally bought this book because I know the author. Turned out that was a brilliant investment, because I can honestly say it's a book I would love to own no matter who had written it.

"Knife" is an alternate look on fairies from what we've seen in many recent books ("Tithe" and "Wondrous Strange" spring to mind), but - IMHO - a more 'correct' one (which makes no sense at all, I know, but bear with me). I loved being introduced to the life and society of the fairy court, and seeing the hesitant contact with humans grow into a strong friendship.

I loved it :-)

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Title: Legs
Author: Angela Lam Turpin
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 7/10
# pages: 344
Date read: January, 2009

Review: Katrina Kay (KK) discovered that there is a truth to the old saying of keeping business and pleasure separate. So far it's been wonderful being business partners with her boyfriend Tom, but when he decides to use a photo of her naked legs on a billboard ad, she realises it's time to break up the partnership. Unfortunately Tom decides that this means breaking off the relationship as well, and soon KK finds herself trying to start over in a new town, far away from her family and friends.

They're not too keen on being left behind though, and are determined to bring KK and Tom back together, so KK finds herself continuously being torn between old friends and new obligations. It's time to stop letting the opinion of others control her life, and start living according to her dreams and desires.

Legs is a very entertaining debut novel from Angela Lam Turpin. Authors are encouraged to "write what you know", and Angela Turpin has done just that by centring her book on the lives of two real estate agents. This is a career not often ventured into in books, making for interesting reading about a profession I knew hardly anything about. The main characters are intriguing, though I often found myself wanting to shake first one and then the other for not talking things through and not listening properly.

My only issue with the book was KK's family members, who were somewhat over-the-top, and therefore came out looking more like caricatures than real people. I hope families like that are few and far between.

That aside I greatly enjoyed the book and can highly recommend it for a day at the beach or a rainy afternoon.

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Title: Kushiel's Dart
Author: Jacqueline Carey
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 8/10
# pages: 901
Date read: January, 2009

Summary: The land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassing beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good....and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.

Phedre no Delaunay is a young woman who was born with a scarlet mote in her left eye. Sold into indentured servitude as a child, her bond is purchased by Anafiel Delaunay, a nobleman with very a special mission....and the first one to recognize who and what she is: one pricked by Kushiel's Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one.

Phedre is trained equally in the courtly arts and the talents of the bedchamber, but, above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Almost as talented a spy as she is courtesan, Phedre stumbles upon a plot that threatens the very foundations of her homeland. Treachery sets her on her path; love and honor goad her further. And in the doing, it will take her to the edge of despair....and beyond.

Review: Good book, but I'm not entirely sure that it's quite good enough to span as many pages as it did. The story could easily have been told in fewer and still be just as good.

There are many disturbing scenes in it, and people who think Wizard's First Rule went overboard in pain/torture definitely shouldn't be reading Kushiel's Dart. Most of the time it served a purpose, but not always.

I still have to give it a high rating though, because it was engagingly written, though not quite as un-put-downable as I like books of that size to be.

Though it's the first book in a trilogy, it can be read on its own. There are some threads left hanging to be picked up in the next, but the main plot is sufficiently resolved that I wasn't annoyed by being left hanging.

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Title: A Mango-Shaped Space
Author: Wendy Mass
Genre: YA
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 270
Date read: January 2009, October 2017

Mia Winchell seems to be a typical teenager, but shes keeping a huge secret from everyone who knows her: sounds, numbers, and words appear in color for her. Mia has synesthesia, the mingling of perceptions whereby a person can see sounds, smell colors, or taste shapes. When trouble in school forces Mia to reveal her condition, her friends and family can't relate to her, and she must look to herself to develop an understanding and appreciation for her gift.


Having no clue what to expect when I purchased this book, I was absolutely fascinated by it. I never knew that synesthesia existed in so many different forms, and that it could be so vivid for some. I have a very mild form of synesthesia myself, but A Mango-Shaped Space brought it home to me rather forcefully just how mild it is. Nothing like Mia anyway, that's for sure.

While in some ways a typical YA fiction with the friendship, family and relationship issues that entail, by far most of the book is used to describe Mia's condition and how it affects her every-day life. It's well written, and readers of all ages will find it an interesting way to learn about synesthesia.

The audiobook version was read by Danielle Ferland who did a good job of sinking into the background and letting Mia tell the story. She did voices well, even if Mia's father could sound a bit strained at times, and Mia's friend Jenna was occasionally too young-sounding. Minor details though - in general, she was a pleasure to listen to.

Title: Jamen, bad jeg da for lidt (But... Then Didn't I Pray Enough?)
Author: Leif Andersen
Genre: Christian non-fiction
Rating: 9/10
# pages: 93
Date read: January, 2009

Summary: Jesus has promised to give us everything we pray for. So why don't we always get it?

Did we pray wrong? Or pray too little? Or believe too little?

It goes without saying that this is one of the most difficult and most important issues in our life with God. Unfortunately it's also the cause of some of the most shallow and superficial cliches in the Christian tradition. And we all suffer under these quick and far too basic answers.

In his usual honest and direct manner, Leif Andersen takes the reader through the many difficult questions connected to prayers apparently left unanswered.

Review: Leif Andersen has a very down-to-earth way of explaining difficult topics, and this book is no exception. I do believe that God loves me personally and individually and I do believe He takes an interest in what happens to me and that prayers do make a difference - so why the apparent silence sometimes?

The answer is as straight-forward as they come - it's not that God remains silent and doesn't answer my prayers, but that He doesn't always answer them in the way I expect or would have preferred. But I can trust that they're always answered in the way that are ultimately best for me.

Interestingly and succinctly written, it's a quick read that I think will stay with me for quite awhile.

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Title: Farthing
Author: Jo Walton
Genre: Alternative history, crime
Rating: 7/10
# pages: 319
Date read: January, 2009

Summary: Over a summers weekend in 1949 -- but not our 1949 -- the upper-crust "Farthing set," the group that overthrew Churchill and negotiated peace with Hitler eight years before, enjoys a country retreat. Lucy is a minor daughter of two politicians in the group; since her marriage to a London Jew, relations have been strained. So she's surprised when she and husband David are invited for the weekend. Then, overnight, a different member of the set is found murdered, with abundant signs that the killing was ritualistic. As the authorities begin to investigate, it becomes clear to Lucy and David that they were invited in order to pin the murder on David. But whoever devised this conspiracy didn't reckon on the man from Scotland Yard being someone with his own private reasons for sympathizing with outcasts and looking beyond the obvious. As the trap slowly shuts on Lucy and David, they begin to see a way out -- a way fraught with peril in a darkening world. More than an alternate-history story, more than a drawing-room mystery, Farthing is a compelling story of encroaching darkness and the people who ultimately decide to resist it.

Review: I really enjoyed the writing style of this novel, with every other chapter being told by Lucy Kahn in first person and every other chapter told from the view point of Inspector Carmichael in third person. Jo Walton did an excellent job of keeping the two different styles distinct, and letting us see the plot unfold from each viewpoint.

But while I enjoyed the writing style, I'm not too sure about the plot. I've never been big on whodunit, but this had the distinct advantage of giving the reader all the same pieces of information as the inspector had, so I was able to puzzle out the clues at the same time as he was. The ending was greatly disappointing, not from a literary point of view but from a personal point of view. I didn't like that it had to end that way, but I can see how it would be necessary to keep true to the book's universe... where might makes right, and prejudices run abundant.

All in all a very interesting social realistic novel set in an alternative history. I'm glad to have read it... but not sure I'd be going out of my way to get hold of more of Walton's books.

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