The Irresponsible Reader - I Read (a lot) and then Rant, Rave and maybe Review

Unabridged Audiobook, 15 hrs and 46 mins
Random House Audio, 2011
Read: March 19 – 27, 2014

As much as I enjoy a good audiobook, I rarely have time for them, and I usually only listen to books that I’ve previously read. When my family needed something to listen to on a road trip last month, this was an automatic top contender — the printed version of this was probably my favorite book of 2011, and I was due for another read.

I’m so glad we picked this one, it was long enough (an important consideration for a road trip) and it was marvelously done. Wil Wheaton was an inspired choice to read this — not only is he an experienced, and accomplished audiobook performer (is that the right word?); but being who he is — an Internet/Nerd icon and a 1980’s child star — he adds a layer of authenticity and authority to the book.

I’m not going to talk about the book, I can’t. I’ve tried it before, and failed. But it’s just about perfect — funny, adventurous, immersed in pop culture (particularly from the 80’s, my formative years), smart, with heart — a lot of it.

So when you add one of the best performances of Wheaton’s career to that, you’ve got something worth spending 15 hours with. If only for his Sean Connery impression.^* Wheaton captures the flavor, the pathos, the charm of the book and the characters that inhabit it. Go grab the book and give it a read. The audiobook’s almost as good. If you’ve read it, the audiobook’s a good way to revisit it.

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^* There are several other “if only”s I could’ve used there, that’s just the first that came to mind. As Alan Sepinwall would put it, Deyanu!

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5 Stars

Dusted Off: Bloody Mary by J.A. Konrath

By HCNewton

On May 12, 2014

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Bloody Mary

by J.A. Konrath

Hardcover, 307 pg.
Hyperion, 2005
Read: July 8, 2012

What a great mix–funny, gruesome, drama and a touch of pathos. The murderer at the center of this novel is one of the creepiest I’ve run across, and it’s best not to visualize the crimes in too much detail. But thankfully, there are some laugh-out-loud lines and visuals to counterbalance the grisliness.

Overall, I think the police work, and the interplay between Jack and the other police was superior in the first novel; and some of the legal maneuvering was a little too slick–but the strengths of the novel far outweighed the weaknesses. This one’ll be parked out in my subconscious for quite a while.

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4 Stars

Dusted Off: King City by Lee Goldberg

By HCNewton

On May 12, 2014

In Fiction, Lee Goldberg, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

King City

by Lee Goldberg

Paperback, 246 pg.
Thomas and Mercer, 2012
Read: July 4-5, 2012

One part Jack Reacher, one part Jesse Stone, this first installment in Lee Goldberg’s new series reads like a Western set in the 21st century.

Tom Wade, a rigorously scrupulous cop is assigned to a part of King City so crime and poverty-ridden that city officials pretend it doesn’t exist. He’s sent there because the police force is overly-politicized where it isn’t overtly corrupted, and they can’t fire such an upstanding cop–but maybe his new post will lead to him being killed.

Wade is fully aware of this, but accepts his new post with gusto–he has a chance to make a difference and sets out to do so in as splashy a way as possible.

This isn’t a subtle book with complex characters–and doesn’t try to be. The characters are pretty much the dictionary definition of “stock,” the good guys are good, the bad guys are really bad–and that’s that. A fun, straightforward testosterone-y action book. Hopefully the first of many.

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3 Stars

Saturday Miscellany — 5/10/14

By HCNewton

On May 10, 2014

In Books, Harry Dresden, Jim Butcher, News/Misc., Robert B. Parker, Spenser

Odds ‘n ends over the last week or so about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

Skin Game Book Trailer — io9 premiered this yesterday. Not that I needed the encouragement to buy the next Dresden Files, but it whet my appetite just a little more.
Close-reading Jennifer Weiner: Let’s give the best-selling author the serious, critical read she demands — I’d quibble with some of what’s said here — more than some, probably. And I think this writer has some sort of chip on her shoulder. Still, Weiner wants people to write about her work this way, this is a good start.
10 Words Every Book Lover Should Know — yeah, a few of these apply to me.
What Your Reading Rules Reveal About Your Personality — fun little piece from BookRiot
Looking For a Light at the End of GrimDark? Check Out These 13 Life-Affirming Fantasies — Leah Schnelbach gives a nice reminder that not every fantasy has to read like something from George R. R. Martin or Joe Abercrombie (nothing against them, I assure you)

Robert B. Parker’s Cheap Shot by Ace Atkins — Atkins’ 3^rd outing at the helm of this series, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Sadly, couldn’t find time this week. Another week will not pass without that being fixed. Read a little Q&A about the book.

Shovel Ready by Adam Sternbergh

By HCNewton

On May 9, 2014

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Science Fiction

Shovel Ready

by Adam Sternbergh

Hardcover, 256 pg
Crown, 2014
Read: May 1 – 3, 2014

It’s the near future, NYC has been rendered nearly uninhabitable by terrorist attacks and most of those that are still there aren’t really in NYC — they’re permanently jacked in to a virtual reality, kept alive by IV feeding bags. (think of a dystopian vision of Ready Player One‘s OASIS)

One of the few not hooked to the VR world is Mr. Spademan, a hitman. He doesn’t care who, he doesn’t care why, as long as the money’s right and he’s given a name, he’ll take the job. Once he’s taken the job, you might as well consider it done, he never fails, he never quits.

Well, until this job. Otherwise, it really wouldn’t be much of a story now, would it? Something happens that keeps Spademan from doing what he does — and the aftermath is pretty deadly. Spademan, his friends/allies, and those around them will be fighting for their lives before long as they plunge into a world of the ultra-rich, ultra-pampered and pseudo-religious.

The voice that Sternbergh employs is strong — you want to hear this guy tell his story. It’s a little heavy-handed from time to time — particularly at the beginning. But there’s a purpose for it, I think — at first I thought it was just a product of this being his first novel, but that’s condescending, and blind. Sternbergh knew exactly what he was doing — persevere through the heavy-handedness and you’ll understand why it was there.

A great mix of noir, SF, and suspense — with a little extra thrown in. It’d be easy to just chalk up this book to a fun combination of style, setting, and premise. But it’d be a mistake, there’s real heart here. Heart, genuine suspense, and a good story (yeah, and style, setting, and premise).

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3.5 Stars

Dawn’s Early Light by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris

By HCNewton

On May 2, 2014

In Fiction, Steampunk

Dawn’s Early Light

by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris
Series: Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, #3

Mass-Market Paperback, 374 pg.
Ace, 2014

Read: April 23 – May 1

Agents Braun and Books are back in action — this time in the U.S. of A. Teamed up with a pair of agents from the Office of the Supernatural and the Metaphysical, they set out to investigate a rash of missing ships (of both the air and sea varieties) along the Eastern Seaboard. While full enough of the requisite peril and adventure, this particular investigation is wrapped up quickly — but in doing so, the four agents uncover a plot that’s far more hazardous to both nations. The Pinkertons, the House of Usher, the British Royal Family, and a couple of notable scientists/inventors from the era soon are involved in twist-filled machination to wreak havoc.

This leads the agents chasing their suspects across the continent — with stops in Detroit, Flagstaff, and San Francisco. As fun as it is to see Ballantine and Morris show us around a Steampunk Victorian England, a tour of the States is a nice change (also, nice to see a Steampunk U. S. not filled with Priest’s Rotters). Books latest invention (not to mention the toys that the team at the Ministry give them) are perfect — just the kind of things secret agents need (and could even use today), “science”-y in a suspended disbelief manner, and outlandish enough to have to be fictional.

There are two storylines that only relate to the main plot at the end of the book — one involving the House of Usher attempting to kidnap a Ministry agent, and one involving the assassin Sophia del Morte and the Prince of Wales. I could’ve easily taken another fifty pages or more with both of these. Hope to see all these characters again soon. Speaking of characters to see again soon — the scientists/inventors I mentioned earlier? Yeah, we need more of them.

Of course, the Ministry’s missions (even those not actually condoned by the Ministry) are only part of what makes these books page turners. There’s the whole Will They or Won’t They thing with Books and Braun — scratch that. There’s never been a Won’t They, just a When Will They? That’s been obvious from the get-go, honestly. It’s merely a question of what obstacles will be in the way. This time, the obstacles are the American agents — clearly set-up to be stumbling blocks on their road to romance, the fetching librarian and the gun-slinger each with enough common ground and personality to match our heroes. It was a little too heavy-handed for me, and as much as I liked the Americans as characters, I really disliked them in their role as hindrances. Sure, our authors make those storylines pay off nicely — but I didn’t enjoy the ride.

Nothing against the book, it was a fun read with a couple of characters that I enjoy spending time with, but it wasn’t as good (on the whole) as the previous two (see above paragraph) — but the last two chapters, as they revealed exactly what stakes are involved, earned it the extra half star. A fun read, but mostly one that moved pieces into place for the next book or so while tying up a couple of loose ends from the previous books. I’m really looking forward to what’s next. It’ll be great.

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3.5 Stars

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

By HCNewton

On April 29, 2014

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature

Oy vey. After this, I’m forty-five books away from being caught up. 45.

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Outlander

by Diana Gabaldon

Mass-Market Paperback, 870 pg.
Dell Publishing Company, 2005
Read: March 7 – 19, 2014

So when the announcement was made that this was going to be a TV series, the descriptions offered sounded intriguing — a mix of historical fiction and time travel. I figured the series was at least worth a look. I mean with that many sequels, it had to have something going for it. 50,000,000 Elvis fans can’t be wrong, you know?

Well, they’re probably not wrong, but they sure aren’t talking for me. What an exercise in futility. I literally knew nothing more about the key plot point on page 870 than I did on page 100. While I don’t demand to understand everything fully (even if there weren’t a half-dozen sequels to explain things), but I want to learn something, not just watch hundreds of pages of plot go by to get us nowhere.

So, in the days after the end WWII, an English nurse and her husband — both back from the War and reunited — go off on a second honeymoon in the Scottish Highlands. While her husband, the historian, is off talking about local history, Claire goes off for stroll and (skipping details here) finds herself face-to-face with her husband’s great-great-something-grandfather. Who turns out to be not-a-nice-man. So Claire ends up running away from this British officer with a group of Scots. Eventually, she finds herself married to one of them, falling in love with her second husband and having loads of sex. And there’s some running from the Brits, dealing with local politics, merging 18th century medicine with 20th century medicine, and getting some sort of religious instruction.

Outlander is big, sweeping, well-written, maddeningly dependent on coincidence, with one-dimensional villains and wayyyyy too much sexy-time — and, worst of all, it’s ultimately pointless. There is literally no point to this all. getting to the expected point is really what kept me going for the last 600+ pages. There are people who will love this (obviously, just do a quick Google search), but I won’t be joining that number.

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2 Stars

In Defense of the Descent by Daniel R. Hyde

By HCNewton

On April 27, 2014

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

This is the first book of a series edited by Daniel Hyde and Mark Jones called, “Explorations in Reformed Confessional Theology.” Although I haven’t read it, I’ve heard an interview with the author of the second book in the series. Based on that interview and this book, the only thing I can say is, “Where’s the rest of the series?”

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In Defense Of The Descent

by Daniel R Hyde

Paperback, 88 pg.
Reformation Heritage Books, 2010
Read: April 27, 2014

Wow. Hyde crammed a lot of history and theology (and history of theology) into these 74 pages! This book could’ve easily been another 50 pages longer if he’d taken the time to fully flesh out some of these points. But the book isn’t lacking because he didn’t do that — not at all. It’s just concentrated, a double shot of espresso instead of the grande drip it could have been.

We may like to think our generation (or so) is the first to be enlightened enough to have qualms with the clause in The Apostle’s Creed, “He descended into Hell,” but that’s just not the case. It’s a centuries-old controversy, and each time the orthodox response has been, “keep the descent,” and Hyde sees no reason to change that.

Hyde examines 6^* possible interpretations of the phrase — from the ridiculous (and heretical) to the orthodox. While his critiques of the more lacking views are helpful, he’s at his strongest when he’s giving a positive presentation. When Hyde explains the Reformed and Presbyterian view of the descent clause — first as expressed by the Westminster Larger Catechism (Q. 50), and then as expressed by the Heidelberg (Q. 44). At this point Hyde interacts with a variety of Reformed theologians and catechisms to fully explain the perspective — all very helpful.

Other highlights are his careful examinations of Ephesians 4:7-10 and 1 Peter 3:18-19 (used to support some explanations of the clause) and the four benefits to retaining the clause — a very pastoral section.

It’s short, sweet, to the point. For the believer who feels strange every time they confess “He descended into hell,” Hyde helps you understand just what you’re saying, so next time that clause comes up you can boldly and confidently confess that it is just what you believe.

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^* 5, really. Two of them are just flip-sides of the same explanation.

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4 Stars

Tuesday Miscellany — 4/22/14

By HCNewton

On April 22, 2014

In Books, News/Misc.

Remember me? Sorry this page hasn’t been updated in forever, I’m really frustrated that things have gotten so hectic (beyond hectic) that I haven’t been able to write practically anything. It’s worse than that, actually, I’m down to about a novel a week for the last month and a half or so. Still no time to write anything, but I figure at least I can dump a bunch of miscellany links and whatnot.

I have to start with this one: On Becoming 1/3 of Robert B. Parker — I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’ve been disappointed (to put it mildly) with Michael Brandman‘s efforts taking the helm of the Jesse Stone books — as much as I’ve appreciated his work on the movies. I’ve only read Coleman’s piece in the In Pursuit of Spenser book — and about 1/3 of Walking the Perfect Square so far — but I’ve got a really good feeling about this.
Speaking of Robert B. Parker, here’s a nice lil’ piece, A Conversation with Ace Atkins
How you help authors the most — Kevin Hearne answers a question I’ve always wondered: what’s the best way to get your book buying dollars to help an author?
Brad Parks, who’s becoming one of the more reliable mystery writers around, recently paid tribute to Sue Grafton at a mystery convention. Watch his Alphabet Sue
Retaining the Look of a Series — I thought this blog post from Strange Chemistry about the design of covers for a series was quite fascinating.
The genre debate: Science fiction travels farther than literary fiction — The Guardian gives us yet another defense of SF/F’s ability to do what “literary” fiction cannot
On the lighter side, a nice little Buzzfeed post: 33 Reasons Why You’re Addicted To Books
and lastly, I second everything here: A Few Things I’ve Learned As An Avid Reader

The Dragon Business by Kevin J. Anderson — looks like fun
Attack The Geek: A Ree Reyes Side-Quest by Michael R. Underwood — One of the most fun Urban Fantasy series around gets a new entry. Yah-hoo!
The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham — The first in a hopefully very long Veronica Mars series. Not as good as I hoped, but fun enough to keep me wanting more. I’ll try to write more soon.
Heaven’s Queen by Rachel Bach — The Paradox series ends here. Can’t wait.
Dawn’s Early Light by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris — The third Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences novel. Should be fun.

Saturday Miscellany — 3/29/14

By HCNewton

On March 29, 2014

In Books, Fantasy, News/Misc.

No, I haven’t abandoned blog. Things are a little busy at Irresponsible HQ, I’m juggling a little more than usual lately, and sadly, the ball that keeps getting dropped is this one. I’m working on it. I do have a handful of things I wanted to post here, but no time. But this link, this story? Had to take a moment and do my part to boost the signal. (not that my bit is needed or will be noticed)

The Slow Regard of Silent Things: A Kingkiller Chronicle Novella — I have pretty iron-clad plans for Nov. 4^th now, and it wouldn’t behoove anyone to interfere.