What We Think -- Random Roundup

I've read books lately -- six in the last month! That's not even counting BH&G! Just that alone is blogworthy, but I'm even adding opinion and commentary. Brief opinion and commentary. Such a day is rarely seen in the blogworld.

• Something from the Nightside, Simon Green
• Agents of Light and Darkness, Simon Green

The Nightside books are everything I hate. Private eye, horror, gritty and dark, violent. I'm completely at a loss as to why I enjoy them so much. It isn't even that Green is a top-notch writer, merely an entertaining one. Maybe it's because the books are a mix of reality, fantasy, and sci-fi, and there are some very funny lines. Maybe it's because the bad guys are really, really bad and the good guy resists sinking to their level. Maybe I enjoy the fact that the author allows real supernatural power to exist, whether good or bad. The second book features angels and demons as strong, terrifying, single-minded messengers who show no mercy. These are beings you want to steer clear of. (They're also a bit limited in their thinking, since all they do is carry out orders, which is pretty funny.)

• Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen

I got this book from my book swap partner. (I sent her The Oxford Book of Humourous Prose, which isn't nearly as terrible as it sounds.) Gruen is a writer of enormous skill. I enjoyed her writing as much as I did the story itself, about a Depression-era circus. One example of how understated she is, but still manages to tell her story, is the part where Marlena gets hurt and is taken to Barbara's tent. Barbara is the strip-tease dancer and prostitute. The ringmaster asks where Marlena is, and Jacob (the protagonist) says, "She's in Barbara's tent." The ringmaster says, "Who?" and Jacob says, "The cooch girl." The ringmaster turns and says, "She's in the cooch girl's tent. Go get somebody to help." It's enlightening that Jacob knows Barbara's name and the ringmaster doesn't. The whole book is written in the same restrained, illuminating style.

Fine print: There are some "R-rated" scenes -- rather trashy scenes -- but they fit the context of the story. For the record I do object on principle to the choices of some of the characters. But I loved this book.

• The Shack, William P. Young

A controversial book about God that people find inspirational and healing. I saw sweetness and goo all over the place and ignored this book. My mother-in-law not only read it, but agreed to do a discussion of it at her church, and asked us to read it. So I picked it up. I was engaged by the first chapter, cried during the middle (not because of touching scenes, but because I so identified with the main character's anger and inability to trust that God is good), and finished it with the feeling that it's a healing book to read. Not perfect and occasionally a trifle precious, but overall a good read. I think it appeals to a certain type of person, especially those who have wounds that haven't healed over very well. Plus it's not a traditional novel. It's more a framework for discussions of God and who He is. As for the Big-C Controversial part of it, it made sense within the story and I had no trouble with it.

• Twilight, Stephanie Meyer

This has hit the Bestseller list, has been made into an upcoming movie, and is the type of book I like. Well, I'm not fond of vampire stories in general, but this one is Young Adult and very clean. And what could be cooler than a story about a girl who falls in love with a vampire? Huh. LOTS could be cooler than this book. I didn't like it. The author thinks her vampire is about twenty-five times more fascinating than I do, the protagonist is angsty and unfriendly, and the entire point of the book was... falling in love? Eternally? At seventeen? Pardon me for being underwhelmed. I've been assured by at least two Twlight fans that I'll like the second book better. The author split a story in half and stuffed it with cotton candy to make it longer. Still, I'm not rushing out to throw myself on the waiting list at the library.

In the interest of equal time, Darren liked the book. Whatever.

• The Blue Sword, Robin McKinley

Darren told me over and over how much he likes this book (the sequel won a Newberry). I finally decided to try it, even though McKinley and I have a rocky relationship. Her word choices or phrasing often irritate me, although when I go back and read it carefully, I realize she's saying exactly what she wants to. This book started off dry, but I stuck with it. I'm glad I did. It's not a rollicking tale; it's very dense narrative, rather detached in tone. But it's a very engaging story. Plus, McKinley being a poet, the descriptions -- even of the desert -- are beautifully done. And the story itself has whiffs of the classic potboiler Upright English Lady Carried Off By Sensual Desert Sheik, which makes it appealing on other levels. :)

That's the lineup.

-- SJ