Review: Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies by William Golding
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Take a walk on the dark side...
I read Lord of the Flies long ago, so I was ready for a new take on the classic. Fortunately, it was long enough ago that I didn't remember the plot details. Oh my, what dark sides we humans have.... and so interesting to see how they come out. Good vs evil. Dark vs light. Excellent narration, which really added to my experience ~ I felt I 'got' the characters.

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Review: Rooftops of Tehran

Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fantastic
I loved this book. I chose to read this book in light of recent news and politics, hoping it would give me more insight into Iran and the Iranian people. It did not disappoint. The hopes and dreams of Iran's youth, set against the context of the country's norms and traditions, provided a rich picture. The characters were very real to me. The tiny details of the neighbourhood, the cooling hose in the heat, the imaginings under the stars, took me right there. Richly written. Great narration. 5 stars.

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Review: Deadly Deception- The Jennifer Pan Story

A Daughter's Deadly Deception: The Jennifer Pan Story by Jeremy Grimaldi
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Rambling
I'd had enough of this book about half way through, but stuck it out. Not so sure it was worth it. Overall, the book could have been 1/3 shorter and told the same story. The order was odd, the last half was misplaced. It was factual at first, but seemed to fall into conjecture. The last 2 minutes of the Acknowledgements told me why, and I wasn't thrilled to have spent my time on it. I like true crime stories but would not read this author again.

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Review: Bloodstains

Bloodstains by Jeff Mudgett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Very dark but compelling.
I've had Eric Larson's "The Devil in the White City" sitting unlistened to in my library for sometime, but decided to read it before reading "Bloodstains". I recommend you do the same, as it provided context.
I like memoirs and have read a few by people who have learned about a parent or relative's criminal history ~ drawn by the curiosity of wondering what that must be like ~ so Bloodlines caught my eye.
But this is no run of the mill serial killer (if there is such a thing), this was the first and worst. A truly evil psychopath. And I knew this story would involve unfathomable darkness. The journey Mudgett took to uncover his family history was inseparable from his own mental illness, which reared its head while he was uncovering revelations. It made for a very dark story indeed. But I am glad I read it.
There is an oddity about this book in that it has a music and sound effects in the background throughout most of it, and it was distracting. Like B-grade movie, the amateurish audio effects drew attention to them, instead of enhancing the story.

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Review: Devil in the White City

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dark history in the white city.
After a false start a year ago, when I couldn't get into this book, I picked it up again. I had just come across "Bloodstains" by Jeff Mudgett, the great grandson of the "devil" in this book, and thought I should read this first (I recommend reading them in this order; it gave good context for Mudgett's revelations).
Overall, this was a pretty good book, but tying together two largely unrelated storylines isn't easy to do. While both were joined by the time and place of the Chicago World's Fair, flipping from a mass murderer's arrival in the city to the architects planning the site couldn't help but feel disjointed.
In the end, the stories were joined in the grizzly nightmares and calamities during the fair. It was disturbing to learn that the disappearing women barely registered with authorities and the "devil" carried on under their noses.
It is a dark history, but interesting nonetheless.

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Review: Coffin Road

Coffin Road by Peter May
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Convoluted.
Interesting premise, but the storyline was just too convoluted for me. Yes, it worked in terms of making it impossible to guess what might happen next, and who the characters really were. The story and main characters never really grabbed me though. I wasn't left to mull over the lessons or revelations or human relationships afterwards.

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Review: The Professor and the Madman

The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A fascinating read!
I finished this book months ago, but it feels like yesterday... the story is that memorable. If you think you have an idea how the original dictionaries were created, think again. This book will blow your mind. It does move a bit slow at times, but I could put up with it, given the surprises that it contains. There are lovely word interludes, giving insight to how the definitions of certain words were created. And, yes, there IS a madman at the centre of the story.

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Review: The Billionaire Murders

The Billionaire Murders: The Mysterious Deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman by Kevin Donovan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Interestingly unsatisfying...
A well researched and written book... but oddly unsatisfying. I knew going in that these murders have not yet been solved, but finishing the story felt unfinished. Who did it? And why? I am fascinated by the crime, so I did what the author knew (or hoped) I would do: buy it anyways. Perfect set-up for me to buy book 2 later, which I will probably do.

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Review: The Turn of the Key

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hardly memorable.
I enjoyed this book when I read it (listened to it), but a month or two later, as I go to write this review, I had no memory of it. I truly drew a blank. Of course, once I read the book summary, it came back to me, and I remembered the storyline. There were surprises and twists and turns I did not see coming, so it was good in that respect, but my lack of recollection afterwards tells me that it wasn't compelling enough to engage me on a deeper level. Even for fiction, I want to be moved in some way, to be made to think, to ponder the lessons long afterward.

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Review: Rick Mercer Final Report

Rick Mercer Final Report by Rick Mercer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks Rick.
Definitely worth a listen. A combination of Rick's rants/reports (in context), backstories from the show's making, and the Canadian icon's life. Overall, entertaining and well told. Jann Arden fans will not be disappointed.

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Review: The Last Job

The Last Job: "The Bad Grandpas" and the Hatton Garden Heist by Dan Bilefsky
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great heist story...
I always love heist stories, fascinated by how they pulled it off... and how they got caught. I downloaded this book after hearing an interview with the author on CBC. I had just watched the movie about the old gents' crime (I'm a sucker for Michael Caine), so wondered if it would still hold my attention. It did... though funnily enough the narrator sounded a lot like Caine. Overall, very well researched and written. The only thing that turned me off ~ almost to the point of not continuing ~ was the excessive use of the 'c word' (ladies be warned). I respect that initially this was part of creating realistic characters, but it got tired very fast. I think men (in this case the author) have no idea how offensive this term is to women. I was ready to stop listening. It became gratuitous and unnecessary, and took away from an otherwise excellent book.

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Review: Rules of Civility

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book!
Be ready to be transported to New York City in the 30's and 40's. An extremely well told story told from the perspective of an interesting and independent woman, not prone to convention or loveless relationships. Full of fun, adventure, heartbreak, serendipity and rich characters. Lots of insights to the publishing world. The perfect narrator for the story.

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Review: The Missing Millionaire

The Missing Millionaire: The True Story of Ambrose Small and the City Obsessed With Finding Him by Katie Daubs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Love a true Canadian mystery...
In all honesty, the lack of a definitive answer to what happened to Small made it hard to spin a compelling tale, so I would find my mind drifting. The book was well enough written that I stayed with it, and in the end, it was worth the listen. I like that I have added to my knowledge of Canadian mysteries and history. Would probably be even more interesting to Torontonians.

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Review: I'll Be Gone in the Dark

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A true crime reader's dream.
A fascinating look into the world of those who are driven to solve real life mysteries. Unfortunately, Michelle died before the final pieces fell into place, so thanks are extended to her friends who finished this work posthumously. Also the very interesting background to the killer caught by connecting DNA from genealogy testing (which he had never done) ~ verified by a coffee cup.

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Review: Aliens of Extraordinary Ability

Aliens of Extraordinary Ability by Maeve Higgins, Shaina Feinberg, Cristela Alonzo, Alysia Reiner, Cole Escola, Karim Nematt, Carlos Ib
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Transported me
What a lovely little audio drama. It felt like a docu drama. At first, it was simply entertaining, then I became aware of how the lives of these 'illegal immigrants' parallel the lives of people today. The ups and downs, the joys and the fears. Always the fears. Although set in New York City, and our treatment of immigrants is different in Canada, it gave me new compassion for those establishing new lives here. And empathy for refugees and immigrants everywhere. Listen and let Aliens of Extraordinary Abilities transport you...

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Review: The Secret Cyclist

The Secret Cyclist: Real Life as a Rider in the Professional Peloton by The Secret Cyclist
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Secrets without a lot of drama
A great listen, and easy to digest over a day or two of the TDF. Lots of recent relevant observations, including happenings in the 2018 Tour de France. Having read several books about professional cycling, and having followed the ups and downs of doping and scandals, not much would surprise me, and nothing here did. Instead, I got a refreshingly positive inside look at the life of a professional cyclist, one who has stayed grounded and clean over the years. But it's not bland. Our secret cyclist has strong opinions and shares them with conviction. Insights on other riders relate mainly to the stories behind and around crashes and controversies, but are respectful of others privacy. It's not a tell-all, it's a tell-some. Good choice of narrator, it sounded like it was the rider himself.

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Review: The Silent Patient

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this book, but I didn't love it.
The premise was interesting, and it was well written. But it didn't draw me in. I even enjoyed an interview with the author so much I wish I'd liked it more. I realize I couldn't relate to, or feel compassion for, any of the characters. Yes, everyone has a dark side that challenges you to still accept someone, despite their flaws. But I never got to the point of really liking anyone. Perhaps that's beneficial, as there wasn't a pedestal to fall off of.... otherwise I can imagine if you could relate, this could be a real roller coaster ride.

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Review: The President Is Missing

The President Is Missing by Bill Clinton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A bubble escape story...
I wanted to read this book simply because I thought it was so interesting that a former President of the United States had written a mystery with one of the best authors of the day....

Spoiler alert.... to read the rest of this review, click here.

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Review: Prisoner: My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison

Prisoner: My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison—Solitary Confinement, a Sham Trial, High-Stakes Diplomacy, and the Extraordinary Efforts It Took to Get Me Out by Jason Rezaian
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An incredible tale
Jason Rezaian had a story to tell, but it's not the one he expected. The man was, and is, a journalist, and he was held without cause in an Iranian prison. At first his wife, also a journalist, was also held, but she was released after a relatively short period of time. Telling his story in his own voice, Jason shares the long stretches of solitude he experienced, the surprising (to me) stretches held in a prison house of sorts with another prisoner, the hope, the dashed hopes, and all the false starts before he was eventually released. It's a compelling story.

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Review: I'm Feeling Lucky - Confessions of Google Employee Number 59

I'm Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59 by Douglas Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The early days of Google, from an insider
I enjoyed this account of the early days of Google, from one of the earliest hired employees. It was a stage of the company's history that could only be told by someone who worked there at the time. Douglas Edwards was well suited to the task, as he is both a writer and a non-engineer, enabling him to give the rest of us non-engineer types a sense of the happenings. As one of those set up for life from IPO, I appreciated the time he took to tell the story. I have a feeling the history post his departure won't be quite as fascinating.

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