Book Forty-Seven: The Neighbor

Janey is a marriage with a cheating husband.  He's got a great job and on his way to becoming partner.  He works late because he prefers to stay in the office to bang his secretary instead of his wife.  Please.

Not smart enough to be called erotic fiction; not smutty enough to be called porn... so what do you call it?!  Utterly forgettable.   

As I see it, how in the @#$!? does crap like this get published?!  More disconcerting... why the @#^!? did I read it?!

Book Forty-Six: The Hangman's Daughter

A dying boy is pulled from a river and found with a crude symbol on his shoulder.  When the local midwife is accused of witchcraft and the boy's death, hangman Jakob Kuisl is called upon to torture the woman.  He teams with a local doctor determined to prove her innocence.  But can he do it before the townspeople demand her head on a pike?

Set in 1600s, The Hangman's Daughter, is a cross between Brother Cadfael and Sherlock Holmes.  It's historically detailed and can sometimes drag between events because of the author's commitment to accuracy.  Author Oliver Pötzsch writes a beautiful thriller that manages to intrigue and educate.  Tracing his lineage from a famous Bavarian executioner clan, Pötzsch's love of the source material is obvious.

The hangman's daughter, Magdelina, featured somewhat prominently, is sure to be the heroine of the series.  However, I can't say that this book is compelling enough to make me want to continue with it.  The exhaustive nature of the author--endlessly describing dressage and fleshing out every detail--the book becomes laborious.  As I see it, The Hangman's Daughter is a solid bit of historical fiction and fans of the genre will, no doubt, enjoy!  

Book Forty-Five: Eat More Better

If Dan Pashman had a tribe, I'd be in it.  Creator of The Sporkful, a podcast not for foodies but for eaters, Dan is a man after my own heart... the joy of unpretentious food.  Food that is a delicious to eat and look at without being obnoxious.  Eaters are always in pursuit of the next best bite.  Dan's podcast has asked the difficult questions like what are the ethics behind cherry-picking your favorites bits out of the snack mix.  He dissects the ways in which an eater can apply mix to cereal.  We are talking about the things that keep an Eater up at night.

As the subtitle hints, Pashman's book is an attempt to help the eater get the most delicious bites out of every meal.  Unfortunately for fans of Pashman and his podcast, you won't find must new content.  As an Eater, it's nice to find many of the theories and maxims of the Eatscape in one book.  However, only a freshman--a newbie--to the world of deliciousness will find the book truly fascinating.

As I see it, this alumni of Sporkful University is proud of Dan's accomplishment.  The book is a momentous event for long-time fans of the podcast.  It will help Eaters of all ages pass along the knowledge of deliciousness.  It will help explain the difference between 'bite variety' and 'bite consistency' which, as every Eater knows, is important for optimum deliciousness as every meal.  We can educate people everywhere on the importance of surface-area-to-volume ratio and how it plays into enjoying friend foods and ice our drinks.  Eat More Better has the potential to change the way you look at your food.  For the better, of course!

Book Forty-Four: Emily of New Moon

Author L. M. Montgomery is best known for Anne of Green Gables, no doubt.  Anne with an 'e' was indeed a 'kindred spirit' to this young reader growing up.  Her exploits with Diana are the stuff of legends.  Strangely enough, I only now just discovered Emily of New Moon.

Emily Starr is orphaned at an early age and left to be raised by her overbearing relatives of New Moon.  Deemed a 'peculiar' child by her Aunt Elizabeth, Emily is left to her own devices at New Moon.  Cousin Jimmy takes a shine to Emily and encourages the child in her peculiar ways.  Emily is an aspiring poetess.  She is compelled to write much to the dismay of Aunt Elizabeth.

Montgomery has a brilliant pen.  She has the ability to write convincingly of characters and issues that readers can relate to.  Infidelity, alcoholism, and death aren't exactly the choicest of subjects.  Montgomery has always managed to approach difficult topics with honesty and without the cruelty.  She respects her readers and her characters allowing them mistakes and reconciliations.  Everything is not always 'rosy' but working through life and the cards dealt without giving up one's identity is the over-arching theme.

As I see it, Emily of New Moon is a precious gem of a book.  I'm looking forward to finishing the series to see what becomes of my newest favorite heroine.   

Book Forty-Three: Gone Girl

I hesitate to share one iota of plot to prevent ruining the bestseller from author Gillian Flynn.  On the other hand, I want to spare you the time investment.  There isn't a likeable character in the book and for those of above average intelligence, you can see the climax coming.  I don't write this sound arrogant.  I write this to say... how did this book become a New York Times bestseller?!  Is this really the best you've got?

No apologies for this unfavorable opinion.  Flynn uses most of the reader's time to develop a dialogue between Nick Dunne and his wife, Amy.  On their 5th anniversary, Nick comes home to find Amy missing.  A contrived cat and mouse hunt ensues.  Flynn's attempt at weaving a suspenseful thriller are poorly executed.  The book is lackluster with flat, stereo-typical character development.  Nick's relationship with his sister feels almost incestuous.  While I understand what the author is driving at, poor Nick is the result of unfortunate circumstances as is Amy... but does she really have to pander to the lowest common denominator?!

As I see it, I'm disappointed.  Perhaps the hype over-sold it.  Perhaps it will make a better movie.  Perhaps I don't care.  Don't say I didn't warn you.