I listened to "Scott Joplin's Ghost" by Tananarive Due. Checked it out of the library on 19 CDs.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just listened to the book.
Categories: supernatural, mystery, historical fiction, music, african-american
Comments:
I really like the way the author interweaves the historical fiction about Scott Joplin's life and times with a current day story of a young musician tempted by stardom and drawn to create the music within her.
From looking at some other reviews I just realized how well the story of Scott Joplin was done. People believe its true. It may well be. I'm no historian and sure wasn't around as the 1800's turned to the 1900's. But my point is that it's so well done that it comes out believable.
There is something about being black in this book that rings with truth. A cultural connection between the last days of American slavery, the end of reconstruction and today's uneasy truce between respect and racism in the U.S.
I also love the way you can't tell what the phrase "Scott Joplin's Ghost" means by the time you finish the book. I can see at least three distinct meanings in this book.
(On a side note, I read the author's "Blood Colony" within the last year, before I started this blog. I have to smile at the similarities in the heroines of the two stories. Both are young women. Both are very talented but naive. Neither has a driver's license. Both quote lyrics "gotta fly now, don't wanna die now" Also both books have a grandmother appearing as a ghost at the time of her death. Strange, huh?)
Finally, the book does an excellent job paying homage to the musical greats, black and white, that contributed to today's American music. Hip-hop, R&B, soul, gospel, blues, rock and roll, jazz, waltz, opera, classical and ragtime ... its all in there.
I was sad when the reader said, "The End."
It has: homicidal pianos, ragtime music, hip-hop gangsters, drive-by shootings, lynchings, timeless love, faithful friends
What did I like: it's a long book that doesn't seem long, you laugh and cry for both Phoenix and Scotty, family is important in both stories, the story sections-back and forth-build together and give you the information you need at just the right moment.
What didn't I like: the white characters tend to be thin and toneless.
Rating: 4 of 5, I liked it a lot.
29 April 2010
David Baldacci, The Whole Truth
I listened to "The Whole Truth" by David Baldacci.
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just listened to the book.
Categories: spies, action
Comments:
I usually like David Baldacci. This is no different.
How can you not like a story with a hero named Shaw because he grew up in a sequence of orphanages and never had any more name than that.
How can you not like a story with another hero with two Pulitzers, a drunken past and a present writing obituaries for the rich and formerly famous.
How can you not like a story with a villain so cold he discards his wives on a whim, has folks killed for any reason at all and builds Italian orphanages to boot.
Shaw is a twisted 007. He's good at everything a spy needs. He's tall and good looking. He doesn't care if he lives or dies. (Oh, and that's the 007 from the books. The one that hurts so bad he doesn't really care.)
And then he falls in love. Ill fated love it is when his fiance almost stumbles across a plan to almost start WW III for big profits. And the big man is out for revenge.
It has: lone operatives, blackmail, doomed love, drunks with a tortured past, journalists, arms dealers, trophy wives, the evil rich
What did I like: the low key hint of romance between Katie James and A. Shaw, the mindless entertainment, the suspense of how the good guys will win (not if)
What didn't I like: the bad guy was a little too omniscient, the parents should have trusted, the idea of perception management seems too close for comfort
Rating: 3 of 5, I liked it
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just listened to the book.
Categories: spies, action
Comments:
I usually like David Baldacci. This is no different.
How can you not like a story with a hero named Shaw because he grew up in a sequence of orphanages and never had any more name than that.
How can you not like a story with another hero with two Pulitzers, a drunken past and a present writing obituaries for the rich and formerly famous.
How can you not like a story with a villain so cold he discards his wives on a whim, has folks killed for any reason at all and builds Italian orphanages to boot.
Shaw is a twisted 007. He's good at everything a spy needs. He's tall and good looking. He doesn't care if he lives or dies. (Oh, and that's the 007 from the books. The one that hurts so bad he doesn't really care.)
And then he falls in love. Ill fated love it is when his fiance almost stumbles across a plan to almost start WW III for big profits. And the big man is out for revenge.
It has: lone operatives, blackmail, doomed love, drunks with a tortured past, journalists, arms dealers, trophy wives, the evil rich
What did I like: the low key hint of romance between Katie James and A. Shaw, the mindless entertainment, the suspense of how the good guys will win (not if)
What didn't I like: the bad guy was a little too omniscient, the parents should have trusted, the idea of perception management seems too close for comfort
Rating: 3 of 5, I liked it
Peter Speigelmann, Death's Little Helpers
I read "Death's Little Helpers" by Peter Speigelmann
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just read the book.
Categories: mystery, detective, New York
Comments:
I wasn't terribly impressed with the book though it did keep my interest to the end. It just leaves so many questions.
- Why does the girlfriend stick with him?
- Why is the rich family so petty?
- Why is the Russian mob so honorable?
- Why does a detective need to hire a detective friend to answer his questions?
- How long will the family money last if he keeps spending it for no apparent reason?
- What does the missing guy's old girlfriend really have to do with anything?
- Given who the killer was, why did the author include most of the book?
The redeeming factor was the characters. It's easy to care about them.
The long suffering girlfriend of the ex-wife seems real with deep feelings, a rich background and true love for the teenage son.
The teenage son is just the right blend of too smart, too angry, too talented and hurting.
You even feel for the missing man's coworker. She loved him but he was too shallow to love her back. Living with that weight, suddenly he's missing and it only means more hard choices are on the menu. When she does right or when she does wrong, you can identify.
Even with the uneven portrayal of John March, the detective hooks you with the way he consistently flees emotional involvement while being drawn back to the way of goodness and right.
It has: organized crime, wall street greed and corruption, rich kid detective obsessed with solving the crime, rotten parents, eccentric artists, workaholics
What did I like: the action starts up quickly and keeps you going, the romance ebbs and flows, even the good guys have faults
What didn't I like: March was too self destructive, the killer pops out of nowhere at the end, a few too many loose ends (perhaps signaling an intended sequel), the title doesn't fit the book
Rating: 2 of 5, I liked it but not a lot
Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just read the book.
Categories: mystery, detective, New York
Comments:
I wasn't terribly impressed with the book though it did keep my interest to the end. It just leaves so many questions.
- Why does the girlfriend stick with him?
- Why is the rich family so petty?
- Why is the Russian mob so honorable?
- Why does a detective need to hire a detective friend to answer his questions?
- How long will the family money last if he keeps spending it for no apparent reason?
- What does the missing guy's old girlfriend really have to do with anything?
- Given who the killer was, why did the author include most of the book?
The redeeming factor was the characters. It's easy to care about them.
The long suffering girlfriend of the ex-wife seems real with deep feelings, a rich background and true love for the teenage son.
The teenage son is just the right blend of too smart, too angry, too talented and hurting.
You even feel for the missing man's coworker. She loved him but he was too shallow to love her back. Living with that weight, suddenly he's missing and it only means more hard choices are on the menu. When she does right or when she does wrong, you can identify.
Even with the uneven portrayal of John March, the detective hooks you with the way he consistently flees emotional involvement while being drawn back to the way of goodness and right.
It has: organized crime, wall street greed and corruption, rich kid detective obsessed with solving the crime, rotten parents, eccentric artists, workaholics
What did I like: the action starts up quickly and keeps you going, the romance ebbs and flows, even the good guys have faults
What didn't I like: March was too self destructive, the killer pops out of nowhere at the end, a few too many loose ends (perhaps signaling an intended sequel), the title doesn't fit the book
Rating: 2 of 5, I liked it but not a lot
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