Review: Caveat Emptor

Caveat Emptor by Ken Perenyi

My rating:         Non-Fiction Memoir

I wanted so much to enjoy this book. The story of how someone develops a career as a master art forger really should be an interesting one, but it never quite engaged me.

The book starts with the background, telling the tale of how the author went from being a failure at school to developing friends in the worlds of fine art and petty criminality, by way of endless sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll. This should be fertile ground for anecdote, but unfortunately it's all told in a dry style that left me completely cold. The start of one love affair is even presented as bullet points.

Once Perenyi gets into his artistic stride, there is plenty of detail about the mechanics of faking it, from gesso to varnish, composition to framing. These technical parts were the most interesting to me, as he "discovers" long-lost works by various Dutch, British, and American painters. The sales come easily, almost too easily, and when there's drama it's down to Perenyi's less-competent colleagues. In fact, overall, the forger himself develops into a likeable and down-to-earth businessman - it's just the nature of his business that's unethical.

There were some good parts to this book, but overall, I was disappointed and frequently bored. I wish Perenyi had dedicated as much effort to mimicking literary genius as he did to perfecting the style of the painters he copied.

Review: Chocolate Wishes

Chocolate Wishes by Trisha Ashley

My rating:         Contemporary Romance

Chocolate Wishes stars Chloe, who owns her own chocolate-making business, and has raised her younger half-brother almost as her own son since their mother deserted them. When the family moves to Sticklepond (the setting for many of Trisha Ashley's books), she thinks she might finally get a clean break from the past, but it is not to be.

As always, Trisha Ashley guarantees a sweet, romantic plotline with an interesting cast of supporting characters. This time they're a bit stranger than usual - with lots of tarot card readings and magic charms, the detail of which detracted a bit from the rest of the story.

I also felt that it took rather too long for Raffy to arrive on the scene, given that the blurb of the book tells the reader exactly what to expect. But everything picked up once he came to the village, and despite my reservations about the beginning, I really enjoyed the last few chapters and was sorry to reach the end so soon.

Challenge: NetGalley Knockout (August 1-31)

When I first started using NetGalley, I was a kid in a sweet shop.

That looks good! *click* Oooh, that one looks interesting! *click* And... *click*

I didn't really think I'd get approved for any of them, at first, let alone most of what I asked for. And even after I figured that out, I didn't exactly stop myself... so what I'm trying to say is that I have a bit of a backlog.

The Netgalley Knockout challenge is to read as many e-galleys as possible during August, and I thought this might be a good opportunity to clear my virtual shelves, at least of books that are being released in August/September. Of which I have really rather too many. Here they are:

Crime/Thriller

• Dead Anyway, by Chris Knopf {done}
• The Paris Lawyer, by Sylvie Granotier {done}
• Syndrome E, by Franck Thilliez {done}
• The Vanishing Point, by Val McDermid {done}
• False Impressions, by Laura Caldwell {done}
• Treachery in Bordeaux, by Jean-Pierre Alaux & Noël Balen

Fantasy / Science Fiction

• Blackwood, by Gwenda Bond {done}
• The Assassin's Curse, by Cassandra Rose Clarke {done}
• Bad Glass, by Richard E. Gropp
• Mad Science Institute, by Sechin Power {done}

Non-Fiction

• Meander, by Jeremy Seal {done}
• Planet Taco, by Jeffrey M. Pilcher {reading}
• Picturing Illinois, by John A. Jackle & Keith A. Sculle
• Best Buddhist Writing 2012, edited by Melvin McLeod {done}
• Liars and Outliers, by Bruce Schneier

That's fourteen, but I'll be pretty happy if I can get through ten of them. I haven't decided which ones yet.

Review: The Last Bird

The Last Bird by Ewan Nordmark

My rating:         Thriller

An intelligent thriller set around the university at Santa Cruz, The Last Bird tells of the disturbance caused by two seemingly unrelated deaths in the student body. The perspective flits between various characters - victims and offenders, witnesses and investigators - though it comes back to rest upon Neil Janus, of the campus police department, often enough to make him a sort of focus.

I found the premise intriguing, and the layers of mystery unfolded in a way which was both suspenseful and strangely beautiful. This being a university, it is peopled by a vibrant cast of insecure students and arrogant professors, and even Neil dabbles in poetry, scribbling stanzas in the margins of his police notebook. Most of the relationships shown are complex dances between troubled individuals, and nothing is quite as it seems.

A very enjoyable read - I'll be looking out for more from this author.

Friday Conversation 27/7

This week's Book Blogger Hop has a blogging question: What is one thing that your blog readers probably do not know about you?

Well, I lived on a narrowboat for about five years. It certainly makes you philosophical about things you might otherwise take for granted: we lived without mains electricity or running water, relied on bottled gas that could run out at any moment, and used a chemical toilet which we had to empty by hand when it got full. I was quite happy to move back on to dry land, but I'll be honest, it's been long enough now for me to start romanticising it again... and daydreaming.

Feature & Follow asks what was your favourite book that you were required to read at school?

For me, it would have to be Hamlet, which I did for English A-level. Yes, it's a play, sorry - but we did a fairly balanced mixture of plays, poetry, and prose. The novels I remember (Jane Eyre, Of Mice And Men) weren't favourites. I also loved reading Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (by Tom Stoppard) which is set in between scenes of Hamlet.

I actually managed not to buy any books this week. However, I did get a couple for review, from a new publisher specialising  in translation of French novels - I'm quite excited about both of these:

• The Paris Lawyer by Sylvie Granotier
• Treachery in Bordeaux by Jean-Pierre Alaux & Noël Balen

Review: How Not To Write A Novel

How Not To Write A Novel
by Sandra Newman & Howard Mittelmark

My rating:         Non-fiction / Writing

Illustrated with countless examples of so-bad-it's-good writing, this is a book of writing rules written with a lot more humour than most I've encountered. In fact, I have to admit that I read it more for the laughs than for the serious points: there's very little in here that I haven't heard before, but oh, it's funny.

There are sections on everything from plot and pacing to literary style - all of which are provided with carefully constructed, cringe-worthy examples featuring implausible heroines, feeble villains, and stereotypical sidekicks. Definitely a fun way of conveying what could otherwise have been rather dry material.

Review: Social Communication

Social Communication edited by Klaus Fiedler

My rating:         Psychology Textbook

This is a solid, readable introduction to concepts in the psychology of language, and in particular, the role of communication in society.

My background is in linguistics, so a lot of this material was very familiar to me, as the book is pitched primarily at psychologists wanting to get some background in the study of language. However, as a linguist more interested in getting an introduction to the psychological concepts, I found the text was almost equally well-suited to that purpose.

Particularly excellent chapters included the language and cognitive role of stereotyping, and a thorough overview of experiments into sexist language. In fact, the chapter on sexism was one of the few which covered languages and cultures other than English/American; overall I was a little disappointed in the Anglo-centric bias (and lack of acknowledgement of the same). But that is a fault found in very many studies, and setting that aside, the book is a very good introduction to a fascinating area.

Review: The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My rating:          Dystopian

The Hunger Games Series:
1. The Hunger Games • 2. Catching Fire • 3. Mockingjay

The very premise of The Hunger Games - children forced to fight to the death, on live TV - gives away the dystopian bent of this novel, and (aside from seeing what all the hype was about) this is a large part of what attracted me to it. I do like a good dystopia. The government of Panem uses violence and fear to keep the population in check, and The Games are just one very public, very unpleasant, facet of this system. And although it's brutal, the concept isn't terribly far removed from Roman gladiator fights - there's nothing that implausible about death-as-entertainment, unfortunately. I was competely sucked into the world from page one, and didn't want to put the book down.

One boy and one girl from every District must go and fight in the Hunger Games every year, with victory going to the last one standing. Katniss lives in fear that her name will come up, but what actually happens is worse: her younger sister is selected. Without even stopping to think, Katniss invokes a little-used rule to volunteer and take Prim's place as tribute. Along with Peeta, a boy she knows only barely, she's then thrust into a strange world where winning over the TV audience can bring gifts that mean the difference between life and death. This mix of fickle reality show with the harsh environment of the arena makes for a chilling combination. As tributes from poverty-stricken District 12, Katniss and Peeta aren't expected to win the kind of public support that would give them a fighting chance, but if there's one thing life has taught Katniss it's how to survive.

That the story is told exclusively from Katniss's perspective adds an interesting dimension. In the arena, the reader knows no better than she does where danger lurks, or who is close on her heels, or who can truly be trusted. The latter is particularly true of her relationship with Peeta: when he seems to care, we see only one side of the story, and share Katniss's doubts as to his motives. I'm usually quite indifferent to first- versus third-person narrative, but in this case I think that it really works, and these ongoing uncertainties keep up the tension as the story develops.

Another implication of the first-person perspective is that Katniss doesn't know much about life outside her district: the ruling classes keep information rationed as much as they do supplies. So while there are tantalising hints of history and politics, so much of the fabric of society remains a mystery. I hope she, and therefore the reader, will learn more in later books.

Review: The Duchess of the Shallows

The Duchess of the Shallows (Duchess of the Shallows #1)
by Daniel Ravipinto & Neil McGarry

My rating:         Fantasy

The Duchess of the Shallows is an engaging fantasy adventure, following the story of Duchess, an orphan who has been raised in a bakery. She's skilled with dough, but she's also strong from pushing the bread cart and handy with a knife from fending off would-be thieves. But as the story begins, her life is turned upside down (for the second time) by the delivery of a mysterious letter, and a bronze token which introduces her to the shadowy organisation of the Grey. To join, however, she must complete a seemingly impossible challenge.

The setting is a fairly generic, medieval-style fantasy world - but it's the characters which bring it alive. Duchess herself is brave and resourceful, determined to succeed although the road ahead is a hard one for which she isn't really prepared. Her best friend Lysander introduced Duchess to life in the Shallows, and must now face the fact that she's going to go further than he ever has. Brothel owner Minette, who is herself a powerful force in the Grey, reminded me of Momma K from Brent Weeks' The Way of Shadows (in a good way); her relationship with Duchess is a curious mixture of mentor and gatekeeper.

I loved the verbal sparring and quiet politicking, just as much as I enjoyed the fights and adventures. There's no magic in evidence, yet, but there are hints of something supernatural going on, and the various religions of Rodaas are well characterised as players in the city-wide game. I can't wait for the promised sequel.