Of Micro Reviews and Sealing Wax, Of Cabbages and Kings

Books
YA/MG fiction
The Whispering Mountain (**** – liked)
Shades of Milk and Honey (**** – liked)
The Boneshaker (*** – enjoyed)
Ashfall (**** – liked)

Adult fiction
Heart-Shaped Box (**** – liked)
A Single Shot (*** – enjoyed)
The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus (**** – liked)
The Shining Girls (**** – liked)

Adult non-fiction
Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now (***** – loved)
Ghost Hunters: William James and the Search for Scientific Proof of Life After Death (**** – liked)
The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus (**** – liked)
The Forest for the Trees: an Editor’s Advice to Writers (**** – liked)
The Artful Edit: On the Practice of Editing Yourself (*** – enjoyed)

Films
The Heat (** – found interesting)

The Whispering Mountain, by Joan Aiken (MG novel, ) – In the Welsh mountains, Owen and Arabis (and an eclectic cast of characters) must rescue the mythical golden harp from the clutches of just about everyone, but especially the heartless Lord Malyn. This atmospheric, pseudo-historical fiction is an exciting adventure. It walks the edge of grounded realism and surrealist absurdity.

Shades of Milk and Honey, by Mary Robinette Kowal (YA historical fantasy novel, 2010) – In a nineteenth century where manipulation of magical illusions called glamour is an art akin to painting or music, gifted but plain glamourist Jane assumes she will never find a romantic partner. The novel moves slowly but beautifully. I had a bit of trouble believing Jane’s sudden happiness with the romantic partner she eventually falls for, but overall I found the story satisfying.

The Boneshaker, by Kate Milford (MG fantasy novel, 2010) – I found this historical fantasy about a sinister medicine show that comes to a small US town tough to get into because there was so much going on, and I never felt like I was right there with the characters. I loved the way the protagonist, Natalie, is into mechanics and has to figure out how every machine she encounters works. My favourite aspect of the plot was the purposely ambiguous tie to Christian heaven vs. hell tradition.

Ashfall, by Mike Mullin (YA novel, 2011) – I should not have read this story during Toronto’s torrential downpour last week. It’s about teenagers fighting to survive in the aftermath of a supervolcano eruption, and its realistic details are at once engaging and disturbing. I was a bit skeptical about the plausibility of the interpersonal subplot, and it took me a while to get into the book, but I liked the protagonist’s gradual but clear character growth.

Heart-Shaped Box, by Joe Hill (horror novel, 2007) – Aging rocker Judas Coyne buys a ghost online and lots of scary plot happens. This is one of my favourite horror novels so far, because in most horror novels, I despise the protagonist more and more as the story progresses; in this one, I got to like him more and more as he started to rise to the deadly challenge. The plot has lots of twists and turns but never gets too complicated or veers away from making sense for the sake of a scare.

A Single Shot, by Matthew F. Jones (suspense novel, 1996) – Poacher John Moon accidentally kills a teenage girl while illegally tracking a deer, and the death  shoots him into a dangerous world of drug traffickers and stolen money. I found the thriller part of the story too slow for my taste, but I loved the voice. The author draws the reader right into the protagonist’s world.

The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus, by Margaret Atwood (novella, 2005) – Margaret Atwood re-tells the Odyssey myth from the perspective of Odysseus’s wife Penelope and also the perspective of her maids. Because those sometimes conflict, the reader is never allowed to settle into the complacent state of knowing the complete truth and who’s the “good” hero. I wish I’d seen this when it was onstage.

The Shining Girls, by Lauren Beukes (speculative thriller novel, 2013) – I love the concept for this novel: time-travelling serial killer hunted by his surviving victim. The writing is sharp, and the immersive characters draw the reader on. That said, this atmospheric story wasn’t quite the logic-twisting chase I’d hoped for, which is my fault, not the author’s.

Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now, by Douglas Rushkoff (non-fiction book, 2013) – This book is crammed full of interesting ideas on the ways people interact with rapidly changing technologies. The author ties them all together through the concept of “present shock”: the inability of people to deal with living in the extended present. The author is careful to note and accept the limits of his evidence, but he provides a lot to chew on.

Ghost Hunters: William James and the Search for Scientific Proof of Life After Death, by Deborah Blum (non-fiction book, 2006) – Although I did my dissertation on subjects tangential to turn-of-the-century Spiritualism, I hadn’t before seen a study as thorough as this on the scientific proponents of psychical research. It’s worth a read. Just don’t get the same copy I did from the Toronto Public Library, because whoever had it before me smoked something vile-smelling while reading.

The Forest for the Trees: an Editor’s Advice to Writers, by Betsy Lerner (non-fiction book, 2010 ) – Thank you, Diana, for recommending this to me! This book feels like a novel in itself, describing what it feels like to have worked in the publishing industry over the years. It’s less about writing and more about how to be a decent colleague while being part of in the business of writing. The style is classy and readable.

The Artful Edit: On the Practice of Editing Yourself, by Susan Bell (non-fiction book, 2008 (reprint)) – And this one too, Diana! I enjoyed that this book about the mechanics of revision provided checklists and suggested exercises. Its helpful examples from The Great Gatsby illustrated key concepts. However, it concentrated on literary fiction, which I found less useful.

The Heat, directed by Paul Feig (buddy cop film, 2013) – I love, love, love the idea of female buddy cops in principle. However, this movie, despite the stellar performance of Melissa McCarthy, didn’t deliver the comedy and action I wanted. I didn’t feel the chemistry between the two leads, and the movie’s conventions of realism seemed erratic (e.g. am I supposed to be scared for the characters’ safety or laughing at the slapstick bleeding?).

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