Adam Shields

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

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Summary: Good writing, mixed storyline.

I picked up the audiobook of Where’d You Go, Bernadette from the library because I thought it has been nominated for an Audie Award.(It was not, I was thinking of Beautiful Ruins).

I am very mixed on the book.  Where’d You Go, Bernadette is a satire about the problems up the top 1% in Seattle. The problem is that it fails as satire.

As a story it isn’t bad.  But the attempt at satire pushed the characters into a place where they were unlikable for much of the book.  Bernadette is an architect, former winner of a MacArthur Genius Grant, wife and mother of Bee. Elgin, her husband, is a genius in his own right. Microsoft bought out his company 20 years ago and he is now the head of a big robotics research project and fully invested in the Seattle lifestyle.

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The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

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The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil GaimanTakeaway: Fairytales are important, especially for adults.

We need more fairy tales in the world. And I don’t mean either vampire paranormal tales or moralistic children’s stories. I mean stories that show the world we see as part of a greater world. Stories that get at the real meaning of life. Stories that you can lose yourself in. There are lots of great authors, but few people that write fairy tales.

Gaiman is the best modern fairytale writer that I know of.  The Ocean at the End of the Lane is either my second or third most favorite book by Gaiman. I think Stardust is his best (also a great fairy tale for adults). And this vies with Neverwhere as his second best book.

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Offsite Review: Words for Readers and Writers: Spirit-Pooled Dialogues

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Words For Readers and Writers: a book reviewI am a big fan of beautifully written words.  It is not just a good story, good stories are important and necessary for good fiction.  But there is something else about the richly written phrase.  Carolyn Weber is one of the masters of this craft.

James Matichuk has a review of Word for Readers and Writer: Spirit-Pooled Dialogues by Larry Woiwode that evokes the kind of love I have for Weber’s writing.  Looks like a book worth picking up.

When I picked up Word for Readers and Writers: Spirit-Pooled Dialogues I had no idea who Larry Woiwode was. I had read his bio and knew he was an award winning novelist (William Faulkner Foundation Award, John DosPassos Prize, plus a finalist for the National Book Award and Book Critics Circle Award), recipient of the Medal of Merit from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Poet Laureate for the state of North Dakota since 1995. But I had not read any of his works, much less heard of them until I picked up this book.

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Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

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Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro cover imageSummary: A Butler of one of the great houses in England reflects back on his life.

Remains of the Day ended up in my reading list after being nominated for a 2013 Audie Award.  I watched the movie years ago and knew the had won a Booker Award in 1989 when it came out.  So after Audible had it on sale I started listening to it.

It is an excellent audiobook.  Simon Prebble was a very good choice as narrator.

Mr Stevens has been at Darlington Hall for 35 years. Lord Darlington, his long time employer, passed away 3 years ago and the great house was purchased by an American business man. While the new owner is away, Mr Stevens decides to take a trip to see the former housekeeper.

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Volcanoes by Nicole Hamlett (A Grace Murphy Novel)

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Volcanoes by Nicole Hamlett Summary: Third book in a fun adventure series where a single mom finds out she is the daughter of the Diana (of Greek God fame) and suddenly has a variety of powers (and enemies).

The Grace Murphy books are classic summer reads.  They are fun, light reading.  A good bit of action, a little bit of romance and something quite different from my standard fare.

The cover of this one is a bit more ‘provokative’ than the previous covers.  But it does make sense.  Grace Murphy is ‘a god’.  Well not actually a god, but one of a race of alien that live a long time and after whom the Greek Gods were modeled.  So her mother is Diana, and her father is Zachary (also known as Zeus).

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