Book Round-Up

Smart Baseball By Keith Law: How could I resist a book about baseball stats that quotes heavily from the Simpsons? Law's book about good and bad stats (or "smart" and "smrt" stats) is informative and engaging, particularly when his exasperation with certain concepts (the clutch hitter, win/loss ratio) generates some really funny writing.


Buttoned Up by Kylie Logan: This appears to be the last one in the series, although the ending suggests Logan originally intended more. In any case, it wasn't the best. Although the concept of art incorporating Vudon and buttons was quite fascinating, and Logan made a point of presenting Vudon accurately, there seemed to be no acknowledgement of the cultural appropriation issues that would absolutely have been a big deal in the real world. Also, the romantic conflict was kind of dumb.

Knit Your Own Murder by Monica Ferris: As always, Ferris's latest was super enjoyable. This particular mystery was unusual and clever, and the new characters were interesting.

Gabriel Finley and the Lord of Air and Darkness by George Hagen: A fun, fun book. The magical Brooklyn Hagen has created is a delight, and the series deserves to be as popular as the Harry Potter series.

The Map Thief by Michael Blanding: One of the perks of my job is the occasional free book. This one is about E. Forbes Smiley, a rare map dealer who shocked the book world when he got caught stealing millions in maps from libraries. Smiley ultimately decided not to cooperate with Blanding on the book, so we don't get as much insight into why he did what he did as I would have liked. And I didn't need quite so much detail about the publication of maps. But still, a good read.

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff: the first installment of a series on the 19th century adventures of a daredevil young woman, the story was fun and the art was cute but there wasn't a whole lot to it. Because the point of view is that of the Turkish Lieutenant, Delilah Dirk remains somewhat of a cipher.

Snow Falling by Jane Gloriana Villanueva*: Jane the Virgin is an absolutely delightful show, so of course when the fictional Jane's novel was published in the real world I had to buy it. Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly as delightful. It simply retells the story of the first two seasons, but set in Miami in 1902.  The novel suffers from trying to hit every plot point from the show, and would have benefited from shaking up the narrative. Or better yet, leaning into the historical setting. The characters were far too anachronistic to be credible.

*really Caridad Piñeiro.

Book Round-Up

Panic Button by Kylie Logan:The third installation in the series, and I don't have much to say except it was as enjoyable as expected.  Also, now I want a button charm string.

Threadbare by Monica Ferris:Also enjoyable, with a good mystery that was neither too predictable nor too implausible.  The education in homelessness was laudable, if heavy-handed.  What wasn't laudable was an extended advertisement for a sizeable needlecraft store in North Dakota.

State Fair by Earlene Fowler:A recent addition to another cozy, quilty mystery series, set in a farming and ranching community in California.  What sets this series apart is the very real kindness Fowler has towards all her characters; in her world, people are bundles of positive traits, serious and not so serious flaws, and contradictory behaviors.   She is not afraid to depict complicated characters capable of both good and evil in serious and petty matters, making her stories that much more satisfying.

A Case of Curiosities by Allen Kurzweil:Mostly set in France just before the revolution, about a young artist and inventor fascinated by mechanical works, the book tells his life from the start of his education to the creation of his masterpiece.  The structure mirrors both the case of curiosities that is the title -- a box of nine ordinary objects representing key periods of his life -- and the watch which indirectly starts him on his journey.  The idea of summing up a life in a collection of objects whose symbolism is only apparent to the collector is neat, and I enjoyed seeing what the significance was of the different objects (the watch structure, on the other hand, I didn't even notice until it was spelled out at the end).

Book Round-Up

The Celtic Riddle and The Etruscan Chimera by Lyn Hamilton:  These are two volumes in Hamilton's Archeological Mysteries series, which I am reading out of order because my library does not have them all.  Hamilton's writing is not great -- there are so many clauses, phrases, asides, and tangents in each sentence, I need a road map to get to the period at the end. Moreover, The Celtic Riddle, despite its reliance on a rich vein of Irish mythology, was fairly boring; the "key" to the riddles was figured out early in the book, leaving some not-very-compelling murders for the remaining mystery.  The Tuscan Chimera, on the other hand, was a fun and fast-paced caper.  The plot twists came so quickly and enjoyably, it didn't matter plausible they were (answer: not at all).

The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin: This is a well-known example of the "locked-room mystery" subgenre.  As is often the case in this type of story, there is only a pretense at realism; instead the focus is on the ingenious solution, something Crispin's certainly is.  He also has fun with the Oxford characters, and even tosses in a few meta-references to the genre in general.

Young Romance: the Best of Simon and Kirby's Romance Comics: Time was, romance stories were a huge segment of the comics industry.  This volumes collects just a few of the ones created by Jack Kirby (better known for his work in the superhero genre) and Joe Simon, from 1947 to 1959.  The volume includes an introduction and historical overview of the genre, both of which try just a bit too hard to explain how romance comics really weren't sexist.  On the other hand, the comics really are not as sexist or offensive as a modern reader would expect.  They are, however, deeply conventional in their treatment of romantic relationships.  They are also a hoot to read. 

While I'm at it, I also recommend Truer than True Romance: Classic Love Comics Retold, where Jeanne Martinet replaces all of the original dialogue and narration in the comics with her own, leading to absurd and hysterical stories ("Too Dumb for Love!" "I Hate My Hair!" "Loving Gay Men!").

Hot Button by Kylie Logan: The second in the Button Box Mystery series wasn't quite as engaging as the first, but it was still a fun read, and now I want to go to a button convention.

Book Round-Up

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen: Yet another delightful and easy read, and a nice change of pace after The Shakespeare Wars. I did find the writing to be a bit clumsier than her other books, but I nonetheless enjoyed the heck out of it. One thing I appreciate about Allen's writing is that as pretty and gentle as a her books are, there is a genuine recognition of the suffering people endure in life. Her happy endings may be predictable but they are never cheap.

Buttons and Bones by Monica Ferris: I will keep buying these books as long as she keeps writing them -- I can't help it.  This was as enjoyable (if lightweight) as the others.  It should have been proofread by an editor more -- I caught some inconsistencies -- and the ending was a bit unsatisfactory, but I appreciated that the 70-year-old mystery was not completely wrapped up, which was a realistic touch.

Button Holed by Kylie Logan: This first volume in a new line of crafty-cosy mysteries centered around a button store got off to a rocky start. In an attempt to set this narrator apart (something I did appreciate), Logan gave her too much of an arch, jokey voice that got annoying quickly.  Once the actual mystery got going, however, the witticisms were toned down and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the story.  The next one is already in my Amazon shopping basket.