These are the books I read in April 2011. I offer these short reviews to help you decide what to put on your nightstand.
The Collectors (A Camel Club Mystery)
David Baldacci
What do the deaths of the Speaker of the House and a curator at the Library of Congress have in common? Misrepresented by Library Journal as one of the best thrillers of 2006, this novel leads the members of the Camel Club to discoveries of illicit affairs, disappearing ink, and treason in their search for the answer. Along they way, they join forces with a woman hiding from a sociopathic casino owner. I give this 5 out of 10 stars, but only because the writing isn't atrocious and the characters are interesting.
Darkmans
Nicola Barker
Be prepared for a difficult ride if you decide to heft this 838-page exploration of history as a malevolent prankster infiltrating our present lives. This theme is personified in John Scoggin, the medieval court jester who takes possession of a number of the book's characters, including a narcoleptic security guard and an estranged father and son living in the same house. Add an art forger, an unscrupulous builder, a precocious 5-year-old engaged in the chronological construction of a French village, a Kurd with a lettuce phobia, a stolen paralyzed dog (complete with mobility cart) to the cast and it becomes clear that this is a comedy. This book earned Barker the 2008 Hawthornden Prize and a place on the 2007 Man Booker Prize for Fiction shortlist. I award this 7 out of 10 stars: the plotting is difficult and the characters unlikeable, but the language is exquisite.
Matter (The Culture Series)
Iain M. Banks
Space opera meets feudal court intrigue in the eighth installment of Banks' Culture series. The reader follows Prince Ferbin and his servant Holse (think Frodo and Sam) as they journey from their civilization's appointed level on an artificial world in search of Ferbin's sister. He seeks her assistance in avenging their father's assassination. Djan's position as a black-ops Special Circumstances agent for the Culture makes her particularly suited for the task. This sets the stage for a clash between races of the technologically advanced Culture as they manipulate more primitive societies to advance their own inscrutable ends. This novel was short-listed for the 2009 Prometheus Award and Locus Award. My rating: 6 stars out of a possible 10.
The Secret Scripture
Sebastian Barry
In this lyrical novel, 100-year-old Roseanne McNulty composes her memoirs and hides the pages beneath the floorboards of her room in the asylum where she has lived for the last half-century. The asylum is slated for demolition, and psychiatrist Dr. Grene must determine which of his patients can be released into the community and those who should be transferred to a new, smaller, facility. His observations as he seeks to uncover the circumstances of Roseanne's incarceration serve as a counterpoint to her fragmented reconstructions. Barry explores themes of love, prejudice, family, and the subjective nature of memory against a backdrop of 50 years of Irish social and political history. Short-listed for the 2008 Man Booker Prize and winner of the 2008 Costa Book Award, I rate this book a perfect 10.
Our Horses in Egypt
Rosalind Belben
World War I widow Griselda Romney begins a quest for her horse Philomena, one of thousands of English horses requisitioned into service by the War Office and then sold into service to spare the expense of transport home. One strand of narrative follows Griselda as she travels from England to Cairo with young daughter and nanny in tow; the other presents Philomena's war experience. Despite the dense technical horse-related lingo and wartime abbreviations, I was gripped by Philomena's experiences of hardship and companionship. I found Griselda's narcissistic character lacking in compassion (except for horses) and any desire to understand the world around her. I rate this winner of the 2008 James Tait Black Prize for Fiction at 7 out of 10 stars.
City of Thieves
David Benioff
Rather than being executed for looting the body of a German paratrooper, 17-year-old Lev is tasked with the quest of locating a dozen eggs so a colonel's daughter can have a proper cake for her wedding. This is a difficult mission as the residents of Leningrad are under siege and reduced to eating book paste, sawdust-filled bread, and each other. I am not going to give away any more than that because I loved this book: it has friendship and pain, romance and adventure--an ALA Notable Book for 2009 and another perfect 10.
Two in one month--lucky me!
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