The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain

The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Postman Always Rings Twice is a classic crime novel from 1934. It revolves around, and is told from the perspective of Frank Chambers, a homeless tramp who stops in at a diner for a meal and makes a connection with the owner, Nick Papadakis, who puts him to work. Frank quickly falls for Nick's wife Cora who is also attracted to Frank.

It soon becomes clear that Cora is unhappy in her life in the diner and dreams of a different life filled with adventure; Frank, she thinks, can provide that life for her. They soon begin to scheme for Nick's murder. The characters are a bit two-dimensional but that is part of the fun of the book. Having said that, Frank was well-formed enough that I questioned his motivations throughout as he shifted dependant on circumstances just as a person might be expected to in those same situations.

It is a short book that moves quickly and is flavoured by the language of the time and genre. It was a fun read that had me wondering where these characters would end up and pleased with the finale.

View all my reviews

Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus

Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I chose to read this book because of a review I read by Oline H. Cogdill that ran in a local paper. The reviewer highlighted the "engrossing plot, intriguing characters and unpredictable twists" and spoke of a "large cast of characters with depth and compassion". The review ended with the sentence "It is storytelling at its best."

In retrospect that seems like somewhat high praise, but it was a good book with good description and an interesting story. The fact that it was translated to English from German is impressive as there is little that would indicate it is anything but an original work in English.

It is a story of the lingering effects of the murder of a pair of girls on a small German village. It explores issues of community, power and influence, trust, friendship and duty. It moves along at a steady pace, never really dragging or bogging down. There are enough gaps to keep you guessing as to just what is going on and how it will resolve itself and the conclusion is satisfying.

It is definitely worth the read.

View all my reviews

Early to Rise - by Andy Traub

Early To Rise: Learn To Rise Early in 30 Days by Andy Traub
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this a few months ago so I might be a little rusty on details so here are the two things that stuck with me. First, I recall that it could have used a touch more editing. By way of context, I work in publishing, have an English degree and have taken part in more than one snooty conversation about what books are worth bothering to read. But I've begun to realize that as long as people are actually reading and getting value out of what they are reading, a particular book's place in the canon of great literature doesn't matter much. So while I struggled a bit with some of the things that may have been tightened up had it seen further editing, the value of the content wasn't diminished for me.

Second, it changed my habits. I now get up an hour and a half to two hours earlier than I used to and I get all sorts of good things done that I wouldn't have otherwise. So it absolutely achieved what it set out to do - it helped me develop the pattern of rising early to make better use of my time.

It was any easy read and it is laid out such that you can read the whole thing cover to cover in a few sittings (possibly one) or you can do as I did; you can read one entry each morning when you get up early and reflect on the day's reading thereby helping you to create the habit.

A worthwhile read.

View all my reviews

Miriam Black series - #1 - #3 by Chuck Wendig

Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

OK, so I've gotta give Chuck a little love. A little love Chuck.

Now I feel icky.

Anyhoo. Miriam Black. So good. Terrible person. Sort of. But also a little bit "Everyman". If "Everyman" was a whiskey-guzzling, knife-wielding, curse-spitting, loner with Mommy issues and a penchant for trouble.

There are lots of good reviews about Blackbirds, Mockingbird and The Cormorant (the three titles that currently make up the Miriam Black series) that will give you a little nutshell synopses about the stories. I'm not really interested in that. Go read those reviews if you want storyline details.

Here is what I can say. It's January 6, 2014 as I write this. A month ago I had never heard of this cat. I've now plowed (ploughed? - what's with the squiggly red line? is this website British?)… Great, now I've completely lost my train of thought. Where was I? Miriam Black. Angry protagonist. Mid-December Chuckles hits my radar. Right. So, I'm not an overly quick reader. Usually I have multiple books on the go and I flit back and forth from one to another like a squirrel searching the yard for the stash of nuts he's sure he buried somewhere around here if he couLD JUST REMEMBER WHERE!

Sorry. I'm a little excitable too. 3 books in about 2 weeks. It's safe to say that these books pulled me in. I wanted to know what was going to happen next with Miriam Black. I was INVESTED in this character.

Here's what you need to know about this little series. 1) If you're easily offended, keep moving. Nothing to see here. Lots of F-bombs. And various other verbal dynamite. 2) Easy read. But not Sandra Boynton easy. I mean, the stories flow quickly, the characters are easy to picture but there are no hippos. That I recall anyway. I did burn through them pretty quickly. 3) This is the thing that has me all worked up - to the point in fact that I'm writing a book review on GoodReads. Check it out - this is the first review I've written. Remember up above; you know, the excitable thing? It's the descriptions, the metaphors, the juxtaposition of language that Chuck employs that made these books stand out for me. These aren't just stories that go from point A to point B. The writing here grabbed me like nothing has in a long time. It's quick and punchy but colourful and thoughtful. He knows how to turn a phrase and he delivers over and over and over (do I dare repeat it one more time?).

Bottom line - very good stories & the language is lively and satisfying. I look forward to tucking into more of Wendig's stuff. Keep it up, Chuck. See what I did right there?

View all my reviews