Category: Connor - W(REC)'D

she said/she said review: ghostly echoes by william ritter

10/24/2016

The Facts

Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter
Basia rates it: 5/5 stars
Connor rates it: 5/5 stars

The Reviews

basia

When Connor told me to cancel my library hold because I couldn't possibly wait drove the book across the city to my front door, I knew it was going to be good. I had worried this wouldn't quite measure up to the first two books, but I think it surpassed them. Ritter's prose is poignant and humorous at the same time, deeply profound in a way that knocks you off your feet and fulfills you all at once. The cast of characters is, as always, delightful: full of favorites old and new, and one favorite who is both new and very old at the same time.

connor

I was somewhat concerned this might not live up to the previous two novels, but once again Ritter's prose delivers in SPADES. Ghostly Echoes is both compelling and delightful to behold--humorous in all the right places and detailed in all the curious ones, with our regular motley crew and a number of interesting additions to keep things moving forward. Besides, there aren't many books that I'd drive across town (through traffic, no less) to deliver to Basia's door when I know she won't even be there to say hello.

she said/she said review: stoker & holmes by colleen gleason

9/23/2016

The Facts

The Spiritglass Charade and The Chess Queen Enigma
Stoker & Holmes, Books 2 and 3
by Colleen Gleason

The Reviews

basia

connor

The Spiritglass Charade
Basia rates it 4/5
Connor rates it 4/5

I actually enjoyed this book more than I enjoyed the first one, so this is a solid 4-star rating from me. This book still suffers from the weird lack of editing that I noticed in the last one, and the ending still wraps up far too quickly for my satisfaction (there are several questions to which I'd like the answers--are the ghosts real?!), but my real problem with this book, it will surprise no one to know, rests largely on Dylan's shoulders. I still find him unnecessary and annoying, and in this book he's come to embody one of my most-hated tropes: The Outsider (from another world/time/whatever) brings in practices from their more "advanced" society and uses it to "better" the lives of the poor, ignorant people of the world into which they've stumbled. I suppose this was to make Dylan seem a more necessary plot point, but I honestly still see the point for neither him nor his time travel. He sticks out like a sore thumb, and although he might be meant to, it's not endearing--it's jarring. It's very apparent that he isn't supposed to be there, and I'd greatly prefer it if he wasn't.

That being said, the girls really shine in this book. There was, I felt, more of a balance between narrative points of view in comparison to Scarab, and both Mina and Evaline get to shine spectacularly in their respective fields. They are, quite literally, kicking ass and taking names, and I started the third book immediately after I closed the second, because I wanted to see more of them. (Unfortunately for me, that also means seeing more of Dylan. Ugh.)

Also, there's a puppy, which is enough to make me love any book.

As with Basia, I found this book more enjoyable than the first one. Not only was the case more interesting (although still rather fantastical, at the end of the day--but then, what does one expect from a steampunk tale featuring both the niece of Sherlock Holmes and, more to the point, a vampire slaying teenager?), but I was very appreciative that we got to see more of Miss Stoker's Particular Talents (TM). Mina and Evaline's rather tenuous partnership is bolstered throughout this novel by their lively debates about the existence (or nonexistence) of everything from the UnDead to genuine mediums. They might not be ready to call themselves friends, per se, but the growth in their relationship and mutual understanding made this book a better read than the first. They are both clearly growing in their own areas of expertise, too, which is a delight to behold.

And then we come to the bitter point of the book: Dylan. Once again, our Outsider is stepping into the savior role and bringing his Superior Understanding to matters both trivial and serious. In an otherwise fairly character-driven mystery-esque series, he sticks out like sore thumb. While some of the feats he performs here would be interesting on their own, his presumptuousness in the face of Society's values still rubs me the wrong way.

Overall, Gleason managed to captivate me from page one--I devoured this entire book in something like four or five hours--and while I felt there were too few scenes with one Scottish Inspector and too many with the American interloper, I will admit the puppy made up for both.

The Chess Queen Enigma
Basia rates it 4/5
Connor rates it 4/5

This book was, by far, the best of the three. Not simply in terms of content--although this novel definitely felt the most balanced of the three, both narratively and as far as pacing goes--but also in terms of writing. I feel as if, reading these books, I've seen Gleason grow as a writer, and it's lovely to be on that journey with her, even as a spectator. I didn't find myself nit-picking about things as much because there was not much to nitpick. It was a refreshing, sweep-you-along sort of novel that I tore through in a matter of hours immediately after finishing The Spiritglass Charade.

That being said, my main criticism still revolves around Dylan. This isn't so much about his character, as much as he annoys me, but more about his narrative function. Dylan is, to put it simply, a plot device. I don't like him precisely because he feels intrusive and wildly inappropriate in the story. His deus ex machina role continues into Chess Queen, and more than once it left me gritting my teeth. "I can't do anything that would change the future!" he cries, while dashing off to do just that. That's the sort of narrative trope that always bothers me, regardless of whether or not I like the character, and it's sloppily done here. It sticks out in a novel that otherwise feels fairly polished. Dylan Eckhert: the hangnail, so to speak.

I stand by my original, slapdash review of this whole thing: the most wonderful and unexpected thing to come out of this installment was Evaline and Grayling being total bros.

Must I really wait until 2017 for the next one?

After the Dylan-heavy narrative of The Spiritglass Charade, I must admit I found his relative absence in The Chess Queen Enigma most refreshing.

(He still managed to irk me to no end and play the Outsider Savior trope to perfection, though, so don't get your hopes up too high. He's an entirely too convenient character for me to find any enjoyment in his presence.)

And yet--despite that, Enigma is easily the best of the three Stoker & Holmes novels to date. There's an elegance in Gleason's handling of plot and character that was hinted at in Spiritglass and noticeably absent in The Clockwork Scarab: in short, her writing has improved with the series, and witnessing that is an utter joy. While the narrative in Scarab felt a bit scattered and in Spiritglass a bit too wrapped up in Dylan, Enigma handles these more gently.

The relationship between Mina and Evaline continues to grow as they work on their newest case from opposite ends, but what truly stood out about this narrative was the presence of Inspector Grayling, our resident Scottish detective who also happens to have the most adorable puppy of all time. His relationship with Mina grows, as one might expect, but what struck me as truly revolutionary was the unexpected friendship that arose between Evaline and Grayling. Also, there were some totally great, badass fight scenes in this book for more than just our vampire-slaying heroine.

In truth, the only downside to finishing both of these within twenty-two hours is that waiting for the next feels agonizing.

she said/she said review: the raven king by maggie stiefvater

9/15/2016

We, as you might have already gathered from Basia's W(REC)'D post about Sinner, are big fans of Maggie Stiefvater. We were therefore eagerly awaiting the release of the fourth and final installment in The Raven Cycle, and are happy to present our reviews of The Raven King for today's #throwback.

The Facts

The Raven King, by Maggie Stiefvater
Basia rates it: 5/5
Connor rates it: 5/5

The Reviews

basia

Reading a Stiefvater book always makes me feel as if I've found a part of myself I thought I'd lost, and closing the book once I've finished leaves me feeling oddly bereft again, as if I can only hold onto the magic for as long as I'm reading the book.

The Raven King is like that, and it is so much more. It is magical and terrible and beautiful and heartbreaking all in one, and my heart aches because this series speaks so clearly to my soul and I will miss it with every fiber of my being. There are unanswered questions but ones that are not so much "plot holes" or "loose ends" but things that allow you, as a reader, to hope.

It was exactly what an ending should be: it both satisfies and leaves you wanting. I have an indescribable longing after finishing this book, a longing for that something more, but I can't tell you what it is. I don't long for something from Maggie; it's something else, something both related and unrelated to the book and the series as a whole.

The book hangover is going to be so, so real. Thanks for the ride, Stiefvater. Excelsior.

connor

That's all there is.

... Or, too put it in many more words: reading Stiefvater is always a curious experience. Something about her prose grabs my imagination so thoroughly that when I finish one of her novels, I feel simultaneously completely listless and completely, utterly content and at ease.

The Raven King is no different--it's the sort of novel you want to BE. The sort of novel that it takes a series to get to because it takes a series for you to know the characters and for the characters to know each other in the way that makes a novel like this even possible. The sort of novel with the conversations you recognize from your own friendships that run deep and strong and true. The sort of novel that has her characters wrestle to describe the same things you wrestle to describe.

Everything belongs. Everyone belongs. Every moment is where it needs to be, and when you close this book the last puzzle piece of Henrietta, Blue Sargent, and her Raven boys falls into place.

Ah, you say. Of course.

That's all there is.

a beautiful blue death

8/15/2016

The Facts

A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch
Connor rates it: 3.5/5

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a lady in possession of a fondness for mystery novels must always be in search of another series.

Or at least, that's the truth I've discovered after fifteen or so years in pursuit of, to turn a phrase, novel mysteries. Agatha Christie became one of my favorite authors after my brilliant book club leader decided the group of seventh grade girls she was leading should read Death on the Nile. (I owe a lot to that book club--my love of Jane Austen and The Lord of the Rings included--but I will always be especially grateful to our leader for deciding we needed to appreciate Hercule Poirot.)

The thing is, a girl in her early teens with a mind bent on reading Agatha Christie can accomplish that quite quickly. There are, after all, several Agatha Christie novels and detectives to enjoy, and obtaining them is not particularly difficult: the title of "best selling novelist" isn't an honorary one. But there comes a time in every mystery lover's life when she must turn away from the Queen of Crime and pick up the works of other mystery novelists. This was the point where my mother introduced me to what quickly became my next downfall: historical mysteries.

And that is how, after discovering Ellis Peters, Dorothy Sayers, Victoria Thompson, Elizabeth Peters, Peter Tremayne, and, most recently, Charles Todd--it came to pass that I needed a new mystery series.

Or, you know, nine. Ten, even. But at least two or three, and quite probably more.

I did what I always do in moments of literary trouble: I looked my problem dead in the eye, and I tackled it with all the force of a twenty-four year old bookworm with access to the internet. It wavered. It dissolved. It split at the seams. It tumbled into oblivion. It fell down upon the mountainside in ruins. It faded into nothingness. It trembled. It crashed. In short, it crumbled beneath the combined weight of Goodreads, the Free Library of Philadelphia, and my own curiosity, and I emerged with a list of not one, not two, but twelve mystery series to investigate.

One of the books that emerged from this was A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch. While not the most technically deft mystery I've ever read, I nevertheless enjoyed it quite a bit. The book cover described the novel as something of a combination of Sherlock Holmes, Gosford Park, and P. G. Wodehouse. For once, this was a surprisingly accurate description. I would argue that the Sherlockian tidbits were unnecessary and felt a bit forced, but on the whole the novel does have a Wodehouse/Gosford Park vibe to it.

Which is to say: the prose has an airy, refreshing lightness despite the pages' content, and the mystery seems less important than the characters involved.

The breezy writing is well anchored in Finch's main character, Charles Lenox. It is Lenox's cheery outlook (and occasionally his dour moods) that keep the story moving along, and it is Lenox's relationships that interested me most: that with his best friend, his brother, and his butler. The butler is Lenox's most dependable compatriot in any investigation, from ferreting out information to providing background knowledge and an extra set of hands. Lenox's brother has a much quieter brilliance than Lenox himself, but their clear affection for each other and willingness to help with the other's difficulties or career is admirable. His best friend, though, is a woman he has known since childhood, the widow Lady Jane Grey.

I have often found that novels professing "life long friendships" leave me wondering how on earth the author expected me to believe these characters were lifelong friends--they never understand each other and, in fact, scarcely seem to care for each other at all. Finch is a pleasant exception to my experience, and A Beautiful Blue Death showcases a quiet, mutual affection between Lady Jane and Lenox that is both believable and lovely to read.

These three relationships--butler, brother, friend--keep Finch's prose from veering too far into the lightheartedness of Wodehouse while also providing enough counterweight to keep Lenox from veering into despair as he works to solve the case. The murder itself proves a curious one, with enough twists to keep me guessing and a resolution that managed to live up to them, and I look forward to reading Charles Lenox's next case.

sorcery and cecelia, or: the enchanted chocolate pot

8/5/2016

The Facts

Sorcery and Cecelia, or: The Enchanted Chocolate Pot
by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
Basia rates it: 5/5
Connor rates it: 5/5

The Reviews

basia

I normally am very wary when I approach an epistolary novel because I can never quite get into them. They always bother me in that the characters writing to each other act as if they've never met before, and they give long and rambling details of backstory purely for the reader's benefit, which real people writing letters to one another obviously wouldn't do.

That's why I loved this novel so much. Not only was it delightful, I felt, for once, like the characters really knew each other. They was no clunky delving into backstory that we didn't need; everything we did need to know was cleverly revealed, so that I never felt like the novel was suddenly self-aware that it had readers who needed explanations.

Also, "Are you bamming me?" has got to be one of the best phrases I've ever read, and I think I'll be using it in the future.

connor

I first read this novel years ago when I discovered Patricia C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles and wanted to try her other books. I devoured it (and the sequels, which are not quite as delightful but still Quite Good).

Sorcery and Cecelia is the account of two outrageously fun cousins, Cecelia and Kate, and their even more outrageous adventures as they accidentally stumble into a world of magic and intrigue.

... Well, somewhat accidentally, anyway. Cecy and Kate are prone to these things (see also: the goat incident). Their letters do an excellent job of expressing their wit, their frustration, and their single-minded determination that they "simply must Do Something," a phrase I've happily adopted for my own purposes since I first read it, and I wholeheartedly recommend this to fans of fantasy and magical realism alike.

#getwrecd

We're happy to introduce Sorcery and Cecelia for our second book drop! Keep an eye out for details--we'll be sharing them soon.

murder on the orient express

7/18/2016

The Facts

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Connor rates it: 4.5/5

Anyone who knows me could tell you I read an awful lot of mystery novels. Almost every other book I read is a mystery novel. Agatha Christie, Ellis Peters, Dorothy Sayers, Peter Tremayne, Jacqueline Winspear, Elizabeth Peters, Charles Todd--I always have at least one mystery on hand, and quite often two or three behind it. Today, we’re focusing on one of my most-recommended authors, the Queen of Crime herself: Agatha Christie.

I’ve heard more than one person tell me that while the Americans invented the murder mystery (a… sort of accurate fact? Thank you, Edgar Allan Poe), the Brits perfected it. Agatha Christie remains one of the most popular authors of all time--she’s right up there with Shakespeare in the “two to four billion sales, we aren’t really sure which” category--and this particular novel of hers is my favorite.

Murder on the Orient Express is not the first Agatha Christie novel I read (Death on the Nile, seventh grade book club). It is not the one that gripped me most thoroughly (And Then There Were None, one year later in a single sitting), nor even the one with the most startling ending (The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, a few months after that). But like I said: it’s my favorite.

In addition to M. Hercule Poirot, that most celebrated of detectives who uses the little grey cells to solve crimes, the audience has an ally in M. Bouc, to whom Poirot often explains (or chooses not to explain) his methods, and the array of murder suspects is numerous and varied enough to amuse even the most persnickety of readers.

While Christie swaps narrative viewpoints like M. Bouc swaps accusations of murder, there’s a reason Murder on the Orient Express remains an iconic crime novel over eighty years after its initial publication. After all, there aren’t many murder mysteries that beg to be re-read; the revelation of the murderer is often half the fun, and a reread means already knowing whodunnit. Murder on the Orient Express is an exception. Christie always keeps her plots and characters interesting and inventive, but in this particular novel--with its peculiar dose of Poirot’s arrogance and misleading clues--she shines.

(And if you insist you don’t have time for this 300 or so paged novel, I’d recommend the audiobook. The most recent version was recorded by Dan Stevens, and his character voices are absolutely phenomenal.)

a study in charlotte

6/3/2016

The Facts

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
Connor rates it: 4/5

In short: this book is a delight.

Imagine, if you will, your favorite crime solving/crime fighting dynamic duo. It could be Sherlock and Holmes, as we have here in a different light; it could be Mulder and Scully, or maybe early-seasons-Booth and Bones; Batman and Robin, perhaps; Carter and Jarvis, or maybe Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Whichever they are, Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson are sure to join your list of favorites. They are bright and clever, with curious talents and pursuits just enough their own to make them unique, but also just enough in line with their illustrious ancestors to make them absurdly fun to read.

A Study in Charlotte doesn't just subvert various Holmes/Watson tropes; it finagles its way around them, over them, through them. There are mysteries, subplots, intrigue, secretive chemistry experiments, a Stradivarius--and, of course, the sort of mutual devotion one expects from a Holmes and a Watson.

If you're worried this won't live up to your expectations of a teenage Sherlock Holmes: you've got the wrong book. This isn't a book about Sherlock Holmes. It's a book related to Sherlock Holmes. It's about legacy and character, history and the modern age, true friendship and loyalty in an age of loneliness and mystery--and it shines.

I will happily admit that it is not perfect. I will also admit that there were moments where I winced, and there were topics that were not handled quite so delicately or deftly as I might have liked.

But I will also admit, wholeheartedly, that this book was more than I had hoped, and I am decidedly looking forward to the next installment of the trilogy. The delicate movement of Charlotte and Jamie from strangers to friends and partners is carefully chronicled here. It's not an easy road--there is, as mentioned, murder and mystery, and also intrigue! forgery! secret tunnels! a literal explosion!--but then, it wouldn't be Holmes and Watson if it were.

sunshine

5/31/2016

The Facts

Sunshine, by Robin McKinley
Basia rates it: 5/5
Connor rates it: 5/5
W(REC)'D: FIERY ELMO DOT GIF

The Reviews

basia

Everything about this book was beautiful. I don't even have words to describe how this book made me feel. Just...wow.

connor

You know that part at the beginning of The Princess Bride when Buttercup says she will never love again?

That's how I feel about vampire books after reading this one. Forget any of the others. THIS IS IT. IT CAN'T GET BETTER THAN THIS.

we should all be feminists

5/27/2016

To be honest, the title says it all.

There's not much we can say about this that hasn't been said already by those wiser and more articulate than we (e.g. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie herself), but to put it briefly: we should all be feminists. This isn't about wanting money (although equal pay is important--and let's not gloss over the fact that the disparity is greater for women of color than it is for white women. That's important). It's not about wanting more women in politics, or in science, or nominated for Oscars, or running corporations.

At least, it's not entirely about that.

This is about opportunity. This is about attitude. It's about working together to re-shape society into a place that welcomes and encourages and supports those of us who aren't white men. It's about creating an environment in which a woman who wants to stay at home with their kids and a woman who wants to work full time are both given dignity and respect for their choices: a space where expectations are not defined by gender.

It is, as Adichie says, a reminder that culture does not make people. People make culture. And we must--we can, we should, we must--do better.

wink poppy midnight

5/25/2016

As fans of the unusual and unexpected, we picked up Wink Poppy Midnight on a friend's recommendation with very, very little idea of what to expect.

The Facts

Wink Poppy Midnight, by April Genevieve Tucholke
Basia rates it: 3.5/5
Connor rates it: 3.5/5

The Reviews

basia

This book used the phrase "sweet girl parts" on page two, so I didn't quite know what to expect going in, but I was already wary.

The three main characters have voices that are remarkably distinct, especially in a book where perspective shifts so often, which was refreshing and made it easy for me to focus on the story instead of becoming mired in the question of whose narrative voice I was reading. But it's also the sort of book where I didn't really like any of the protagonists, and while that itself is not a problem, I'm unsure if that was intended by the author, which is a disconnect that always leaves a funny taste in my mouth.

I didn't at all dislike the book, I enjoyed its strangeness, but the ending was a bit too vanilla for my tastes. I felt as if it was trying too hard to be a "happy ending," in its own way, at least, which counteracted a lot of the almost threatening strangeness of the rest of the narrative.

connor

I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about this book. It's a quick read, and I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys a quirky, curious sort of read.

The writing style is remarkable, mostly because I'm in awe of how Tucholke manages to vary her style and tone for each of the three narrators (who are named, you guessed it, Wink, Poppy, and Midnight). The plot is curiously ethereal; while I didn't predict anywhere near all of the twists it would take, the novel was too dreamy for me to be thoroughly surprised at them.

While I didn't become particularly invested in any of the characters, I did enjoy this book and all the weirdness it provoked. The ending doesn't tie everything up in a nice little bow, but this is a dreamy sort of novel which makes what might usually be unsatisfactory a bit more vague than that.

(like I said, I'm still not entirely sure what I think about this novel.)

the storied life of a. j. fikry

5/23/2016

The Facts

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry, by Gabrielle Zevin
Connor rates it: 4.5/5

Fikry is an easy read with a peculiar pacing, but doesn't feel staggered or rushed for all that it took little time for me to make my way through its pages. The characters are charming, despite their faults, and the alacrity with which I grew fond of them--perhaps especially the titular character, A. J. Fikry--should probably alarm me. The intricacies of Zevin's prose are delightful to read, and I will definitely be looking up her other books.

My favorite college professor once told me a book doesn't have to end happily, but it should end hopeful. Zevin manages to do just that without coming across as forceful or heavy-handed in her approach.