Mailbox Monday – 9/9

Mailbox Monday – 9/9

by Carol10 Comments
Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. Tell us about your new arrivals by adding your Mailbox Monday post to the linky at mailboxmonday.wordpress.com. Claire North has a new one coming out this November, The Pursuit of William Abbey. I've loved almost everything of hers I've read, so when I saw NetGalley had it, I couldn't resist. I picked up a cheap audiobook on Chirp. And I got this one because we're going to Biltmore in October....
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We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

by Carol6 Comments
To be honest, I had never heard of We by Yevgany Zamyatin, but I was looking for a classic in translation and Sci Fi June was on my mind, which led me to We. I found it on a list of 23 Best Non-English Science Fiction Books at Best Sci Fi Books.com. We was first published in 1921 and is one of the grandfathers of the satirical futuristic dystopia genre. Zamyatin, born in 1884, was heavily influenced by the turn-of-the-century Russian revolutions and push for industrialization. His is a history of controversial and critical writings, leading to a series of arrests and exiles: first by the Tsarists in 1905, 1911, and 1914; then by the Soviets in 1919 and 1922; and ultimately in 1931 through a self-imposed retreat from Bolshevik censorship. While We does not directly criticize the Soviets, it was unsurprisingly denied publication in Russia and received the dubious honor of being the first book to be banned by...
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The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad

The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad

by Carol7 Comments
I have not read anything by Joseph Conrad before. Obviously, I've heard of him, but neither Heart of Darkness or Lord Jim ever made it to my TBR list. Honestly, I was looking for a classic audiobook available to "read now" from my library and came across The Secret Agent— the title grabbed my attention and the blurb made me borrow it. Verloc is our secret agent in London who works for Russia? Germany?—it's not really clear. Mostly he collects a check to pass on whatever rumors come his way and hangs out with anarchists. He also keeps on the cops' good side by sharing info with them. His wife Winnie marries for security for herself and her brother, but has no idea about the true nature of his work. Then, the rather nasty Mr. Vladimir, from "the embassy" tells Verloc that he needs to do more than observe to keep getting his check. He needs to do something, specifically blow up...
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The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

by Carol10 Comments
I don't want to tell you much about The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. I don't want to ruin it for you. Someone described it as "Agatha Christie meets Groundhog Day" and I think that's pretty dead on. If you enjoy a good country house mystery, but like to take a chance with a book that's outside the usual, that may confuse/frustrate you at times, you should definitely pick it up. Aiden Bishop is our detective, but he doesn't remember being Aiden. He only knows that he's here, in Blackheath, and has to solve a murder that doesn't look like a murder. He repeats the same day eight times, but in eight different bodies. There are clues and red herrings, helpers and adversaries. We've got the standards of a house party, relatives who don't get along, guests with tons of secrets, scandals and drugs. And then we've got the almost sci-fi aspect of switching hosts and affecting how the day progresses...
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The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

by Carol3 Comments
I really liked The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, but I don't have much to say about it. Do you ever run into that problem. For the most part, we're hanging out with the crew of the Wayfarer who are an awesome group of "people" - humans and other species, even a sentient AI. They are wormhole tunnelers, which is can be tough, but this newest job is the chance of a lifetime. Often, it seems like sci-fi is about the politics or the weapons or the conflict, whatever it is. In The Long Way, all those things exist, but it's more about how the crew are a family, how they face the big issues. We tag along on their adventures in ports or planets where friends live. We worry with them when they face a crisis, but know it will work out, because together they can handle most anything. I became attached to them all. I may have...
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The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton

by Carol4 Comments
Even though I had an eARC of The Cracked Spine, I listened to the audio version. I think it was a good choice. I could relax and listen to the words and accents. It was fun to listen to the Scottish lilt in the dialogue. I looked at my digital version, and I think actually reading the accent in print could have been a bit difficult. I would have almost had to read some portion aloud, at least at the beginning, just to get ahold of what was being said. I love the setting- a bookstore in Scotland, and I enjoyed the plot, unless I think about it too much. Delaney's off on an adventure that most of us can only dream off, and she's a nice lady who I enjoyed spending time with. I didn't quite understand her immediate jump into trying to figure out who killed a woman she had never met, the sister of her new boss who she...
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