The Gunseller

By Hugh Laurie

I know Hugh Laurie from the television show House, where he plays a Sherlock Holmes inspired doctor who is driven to solve the case by any means necessary.  I acquired this book and thought it would be worth the read.  I didn’t know what to expect, but I’m glad I started reading it without any preconceived ideas.

The book’s main character is Thomas Lang, a retired army officer living in London.  He makes a living picking up odd jobs here and there, mostly involving security/bodyguard work.  Thomas is approached to perform a service as a hitman against a particular businessman, Alexander Woolf.  Refusing the job, he decides to track down the man who offered him the job, only to discover that it was Alexander Woolf himself.  This sets that stage for the unrolling of plot, told in the unconventional Laurie-style.  Woolf explains that he approached Thomas to find out if he was a good man, and that his interests lie in conspiracy to use a newly developed light helicopter to defuse an artificially created terrorist attack.  Soon Thomas finds himself being pursued, beaten, shot at, and involved with numerous unsavory characters.  Undercover, it’s up to him to help stop the terrorist attack.

I’m afraid it’s somewhat difficult to give this book the review it deserves.  I wasn’t blown away by the plot, characters, or the story itself.  I did, however, appreciate the writing style.  I think trying to write about an author’s style is difficult to do without giving particular examples.  The narrative was free flowing, and the descriptions were typically unusual.  This was a fairly enjoyable read, and I could definitely sense the Hugh Laurie influence behind it all.

Rating: 3 out of 5 Bunsen Burners

Up Next: (too many to count)

Dr. Sleep

By Stephen King

            Recently I decided to read The Shining by Stephen King, exclusively for this reason.  Dr. Sleep is King’s follow up novel detailing what happened to Danny Torrance after the incidents at the Overlook hotel. 

            The novel begins with our reintroduction to young Danny Torrance.  After the disaster at the Overlook Hotel, Danny has remained friends with Dick Halloran who served as a counselor for using his shining ability.  We jump forward 20 years to a Dan Torrance who is battling his father’s demons.  Dan is living his life from bender to bender, all over the country.  He hits his bottom after a one night stand with a woman named Deenie in Wilmington, North Carolina (This part is too powerful and haunting to spoil).  Stealing her cash and hitting the road, Dan soon ends up in New Hampshire.  With the help of his new boss, he joins AA to deal with his demons.  While this is going on, we are introduced to a group of “vampires” which feed on people who have the “shine” like Dan.  The True Knot is lead by Rose the Hat.  The True Knot travel the country in RV’s, feeding off “steam” that they capture by torturing children with "the shine."  Each member of the True Knot has their own unique talent, which they exploit to capture their victims.  We are then introduced to Abra Stone, a girl with a powerful "shine".  In Abra’s childhood, she begins showing unique psychokinetic powers and supernatural abilities.  The family is unnerved by her abilities, and as Abra grows older she realizes she needs to keep a lid on these abilities.  At this point, Dan Torrance is working nearby in hospice care at the Helen Rivington house in New Hampshire.  At the Rivington house he uses the shining, now unhampered by alcohol, to ease patients into the hereafter.  One night, he is contacted by young Abra who has felt the dangerous presence of the True Knot.  As Abra gets older, she keeps occasional contact with Dan.  Years later, Abra contacts Dan for help in finding the “baseball boy,” a boy who had been kidnapped by the “True Knot.”  Abra’s investigation into “the baseball boy” exposes her to Rose the Hat.  Running short of steam, the “True Knot” is beginning to suffer various diseases, which makes Rose the Hat desperate to capture Abra. Soon, Abra is in serious danger when a group of the True Knot travels to New Hampshire.  It’s up to Dan and his friends to save Abra, and he’s going to need his “shine” to do it.  The climax ultimately leads Dan to a familiar, and terrifying location from his past.  Is his “shine” powerful enough to save Abra from the evil “True Knot?”

When I heard that Stephen King was writing a sequel to The Shining, I had mixed feelings.  Either Mr. King had some unfinished business with one of his characters, or he had run out of ideas.  Fortunately for fans of his work, the reason was the former.  I really should not have been surprised, since I believe that one of the greatest strengths of King’s work is his character development.  There was obviously a lot of gas left in the tank with Danny Torrance, and Mr. King has produced another phenomenal story with well-developed and interesting characters.  Even if you have not read “The Shining,” this book stands well on its own.  I would highly recommend it.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Bunsen Burners

Up Next: Haunted or Damned by Chuck Palahniuk, Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett, The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie, Xenocide by Orson Scott Card, or Patriot Games by Tom Clancy.  I apologize to you, and myself for the severe backlog.

The Wolf Gift

by Anne Rice

I've heard good things about Anne Rice.  Her "Interview with a Vampire" is almost always held in high esteem.  Being a sucker for the fantasy genre and being especially enthralled with werewolf stories, I was pretty excited to have the opportunity to read this book.

Rice's writing style is best-described as very flowery.  It was easy to picture the settings and characters she described; she has amazing attention to detail and builds a strong setting with her prose.  Yet at no point did her descriptive details feel like overkill nor did they detract from the story.  I was immediately drawn into the world and the characters who were well-thought-out and believable.

The main action started off rather quickly and was, not surprisingly, a bit predictable.  Young Reuben is the protagonist of the story and the unwitting recipient of a bite from a werewolf.  The first few chapters after the bite proceed as one would expect in a story like this.  He discovers his new form.  Unlike many werewolf stories where the change is painful and the resulting form a curse, Reuben is completely at ease with his wolf side and sees his alternate form as a gift.  He maintains his sense of self but gains heightened abilities: like his ability sense evil and eliminate it.  Reuben's "Man Wolf" side almost becomes a superhero as he dispatches criminals.

I found this book to be an interesting take on the werewolf legend.  While some aspects of it were predictable, there was so much of the story that wasn't.  It was difficult to put down and I found myself up past my bedtime a few nights after saying to myself "just one more chapter. . ."  The characters were well-rounded and very easy to relate to which kept me reading on even when the plot unfolded into predictable points.

There were aspects of the story that seemed a bit tacked on.  Near the ending, especially, when the author slows down the pace to enlighten Reuben (and the readers) as to how this group of werewolves came to be.  While I found it interesting, it almost seemed unnecessary for the advancement of the story.  Perhaps it would have been better left to the second book in the series.  I am not sure.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I look forward to the next book in the series when it comes out in the fall.

I give it 4 out of 5.

On the Road

By Jack Kerouac

I can’t really pinpoint what possessed me to read this book, other than knowing the title from an Our Lady Peace song and having a vague understanding that it is a (classic?) book which exemplifies the “beat” culture.  Regardless, I happened to have an electronic copy and I set out to read it on my Kindle.

The main character is Sal Paradise, and the time period is the late 40’s to early 50’s.  I think the best way to summarize this book is not to divulge the major plot points and discuss what happened first and second and so on.  Rather, this book is written in such a way as you might hear a friend tell you a story of their travels.  Its merit is in the free flowing dialogue extracting a multitude of detail from every scene, and giving you a lens to observe the culture and habits of an adolescent “beat” in the late 40’s.  Sal describes hitchhiking back and forth across the country to spend time with his friends.  At first glance it is easy to say that this is a simpler time, but the story notes many of the same things we struggle with today.  Some of these key ideas include race, sexuality, drugs/alcohol, money, and responsibility.  Race is addressed frequently, and despite being before the civil rights movement I would gather that many “beats” got along with African Americans.  (This is exemplified in the Jazz bars and various interactions with black characters in the book).  Homosexuality is mentioned in the book, identifying characters as “fags.”  Out of context, this might seem overly cruel, but further dissection shows that the characters had little malice towards sexual orientation.  The label intended as much hatred as the designation “colored” did in the 60’s and 70’s.  Sal and his friends spend much of the novel getting drunk or trying to acquire “tea.”  I must admit I didn’t get the tea-marijuana connection until late in the book.  We often think of the late 60’s as the drug explosion, and typically view the 40’s and 50’s as a very innocent time.  I think this is typical that every generation thinks that they are so much worse than the previous, but many times the same activities are taking place and just not mentioned for fear of judgment.  It was somewhat eye opening to think of a group of 20 year olds getting high and drunk frequently in the 40’s.  One of Sal’s good friends, Dean Moriarty, is also quite a lecherous individual.  The boys are frequently trying to “make” girls, but Dean takes it a step further when he ultimately ends up married three times and divorced twice, a deed which had to be done in Mexico.

This book was quite different from what I usually read, and I am definitely glad that I made the effort to finish it.  I say “made the effort to finish it” because it didn’t grab me enough to make me long for extensive reading sessions.  I was able to appreciate this book for what it is, but overall I felt it was a somewhat directionless rambling of a story.  I think this was kind of the point of the story, but I found it hard to really devote myself to the non-cohesive narrative.  I’m torn on whether to recommend reading this book or not.  I’d never tell anyone that they absolutely must read it and would never over-state its entertainment value.  But taking it at face value, it was worth the read for the insight it provided.  Check out Wikipedia, or maybe a review better than mine and make your own decision.  It really is all about what you are looking for.

Rating: Undecided

Up Next:  Damned or Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk, Dr. Sleep by Stephen King, or Xenocide by Orson Scott Card

Mystic River

By Dennis Lehane

            As I continue to read more and more, I’m trying to break some of the silly rules I have made for myself.  Some of these rules involve reading all the books in a series straight through, always read the book before watching the movie, only read one book at a time, etc.  Having already seen the movie Mystic River starring Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, and Sean Penn, this was my opportunity to read the book after the movie.

            The novel begins in Boston with three young friends: Jimmy, Sean, and Dave.  The boys are typical rambunctious youths, betting against their own mortality and freewheeling.  One day, Dave is abducted by child molesters and goes missing for several days.  Upon his return, his parents throw him a party and everyone seems to gloss over what he’s been through.  Fast forward to the future, all three boys are grown and still living in Boston.  Jimmy has done time in prison, has a teenage daughter (Katie) and is a widower.  He seems to have gotten his life back on track.  Soon, his daughter’s body is discovered in the park, the victim of a brutal murder.  His former friend Sean is one of the lead detectives on the case, and Dave becomes the primary suspect.  The night of the murder, Dave was involved in an altercation, and his wife has helped him dispose of his bloody clothes.  Despite their mutual trust, Dave’s wife begins to suspect that he may have been involved in Katie’s murder.  In a thrilling story, we dive into Sean’s past, and spend some time inside Dave’s head examining the lasting scars from his abduction.  This novel is intense, and you’ll be left wondering who did it until the end.

I must say that seeing the movie first definitely altered my perception of this book.  Knowing the outcome of the case, I didn’t fully appreciate some of the twists and turns.  However, the book was also able to get into Dave’s head to make you better understand him as a victim.  The dialogue was also brilliant, and I laughed a number of times at how intelligent Dave was when he was interrogated about the murder.  I love Dennis Lehane’s work, and I would strongly suggest you check this book out.  It won’t be spoiled even if you have seen the movie already.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Bunsen Burners

Up Next:  Damned or Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk, Dr. Sleep by Stephen King, Xenocide by Orson Scott Card, or On the Road by Jack Kerouac.

            

Heart-Shaped Box

By Joe Hill

            For my second book written by Stephen King’s son, Joe Hill, I decided on Heart-Shaped Box.  Like his father, it is clear that Joe Hill appreciates music, and there is an obvious connection to music throughout the book.  One obvious connection is the fact that the main character is fictional rocker Judas Coyne.

            Judas Coyne is a hardcore rock star like Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper or Rob Zombie.  Six feet tall, large and with a bushy black beard; Jude lives with his girlfriend “Georgia” and his two dogs: Bon and Angus.  Jude discovers an online auction where a woman is selling her stepfather’s suit, and his soul.  He decides this would be perfect for his collection of macabre tokens, and he immediately buys the suit.  When the suit arrives, however, he realizes that he has purchased more than he has bargained for.  Georgia pricks herself on a pin in the suit, and Jude soon begins seeing the ghost of the former owner inside his home.  His worries about seeing the ghost of Craddock (the old man), persuades Jude to call the seller.  Jude discovers that Craddock was the stepfather of his former girlfriend, Florida.  Her sister, the seller of the suit, laughs at his misfortune.  While Georgia’s hand becomes more infected, and Jude sees Craddock more and more often, the two also start behaving strangely.  After several malicious attacks on himself and Georgia, Jude realizes how much control Craddock has over him.  Georgia and Jude hit the road with their animal protectors, Bon and Angus, and try to escape the danger presented by Craddock.  Jude is forced to deal with his past, and discovers that Craddock’s motivation is based on revenge for his dead stepdaughter.  The story unfolds to detail Jude’s relationship with “Florida” and their relationship which ended in her suicide.  Jude is also forced to reconcile with details from his childhood, including the relationship with his father.  Craddock pursues them relentlessly and the reader is held at the edge of their seat wondering who is going to make it out alive.  The tension is profound, as we wonder if Craddock is right.  Will the “dead bring down the dead?”

            It’s hard not to compare Joe Hill to his father.  Being a huge fan, I think this is a good thing.  Hill’s suspenseful writing, and his descriptions of pain and or violence are palpable.  He pulls you into the story with relatable characters, and creates terrifying scenarios that makes you wonder how they are going to get out of it.  Aside from the supernatural elements, Hill also creates a compelling and believable story for the motivation of all characters involved.  The story progresses to reveal important details about Jude’s childhood and delves further into Florida’s psyche, which only strengthens the narrative.  I look forward to the opportunity to continue to read more by Joe Hill, and would recommend you do the same.  As a side note:  Joe Hill’s writing obviously continues to improve, as I enjoyed NOS4A2 much more than this book.  I am eager to see what he will write in the future.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Bunsen Burners

Up Next: Haunted or Damned by Chuck Palahniuk, Xenocide by Orson Scott Card, Mystic River by Dennis Lehane, or Dr. Sleep by Stephen King.

Survivor

By Chuck Palahniuk

I heard an interview with Chuck Palahniuk and decided that he sounded like an author I’d like to try out.  Mostly because of the way he discussed his writing and motivation, as well as his openness and his unique past.  Having not read Fight Club (but did see the movie) I decided to take a gamble on three books that I found at a used book store.  These include Survivor, Haunted, and Damned.

The book begins with Tender Branson on a plane destined to crash while he dictates his story to the flight recorder.  As the fuel gauge counts down towards the end of the story, Tender wants to tell all.  Tender is a survivor of the Creedish Death Cult, a cult based in Nebraska.  The church focuses on training followers in etiquette, and manual labor.  Being the second born of a Creedish family, Tender is sent away from the (“homeland”) to serve the church in the outside world.  Creedish Cult members were trained to work unskilled jobs as a means to provide money to the church and their families.  Tender works as a housekeeper for a rather odd and demanding couple.  His job primarily consists of answering phone calls in regards to etiquette, and sporadic inquiries about what work he is doing around the house.  Due to a newspaper misprint, he also begins receiving phone calls from people contemplating suicide.  He advises callers to go through with it, even offering advice.  “try barbiturates and alcohol with your head inside a dry cleaning bag.”  This is how he meets Fertility, the sister of one of his suicide hotline callers.  He meets Fertility while visiting Trevor’s (her brother) tomb, and the two soon begin a friendship.

Typical to most cults, they ultimately commit mass suicide, partially induced by an FBI raid of their farm.  Continuing to obey church doctrine, the remaining outside members seem to be killing themselves.  Tender discovers that these are actually murders perpetrated by his twin brother Adam.  Tender is soon believed to be the lone survivor, and is thrust into the spotlight.  He becomes a popular religious figurehead, a process which requires both a physical and historical makeover.  He begins working out, using steroids and other pharmaceuticals (such as thyroid medication to stay thin), having various aesthetic surgeries, and his entire backstory is rewritten.  He becomes very commercialized and famous, but like most celebrities his fame begins to wane.  The public demands more and more from him, requesting a number of miracles.  Along the way Tender can feel his brother breathing down his neck.  Following a chaotic event at the Superbowl; Tender, Adam and Fertility are on the run.  This family reunion forces Tender to confront some of the horrific events that occurred on the Creedish farm.  As the plane slowly runs out of gas, Tender delves further and further into details about the cult.  The engines are flaming out, and we wonder if Tender will be able to get out alive like Fertility predicted.

            The most interesting thing about this book would have to be the style of the writing.  All dialogue from the main character is inferred, and he often trails off about how to clean, remove stains, or fix things in extensive detail.  The narrative is punctuated with details of how to clean particular areas and remove troublesome stains.  This creates a very unique kind of dialogue with the reader, as he diverts from the storyline into random asides.  Such as: “Just ask me how to get bloodstains out of a fur coat…The secret is cornmeal and brushing the fur the wrong way.  The tricky part is keeping your mouth shut.”  And “Ask me how to repair stab holes in nightgowns, tuxedos, and hats.  My secret is a little clear nail polish on the inside of the puncture.”  The author’s detail about cleaning techniques, pharmaceuticals/steroids shows that he has extensively researched these details to add to the story.  I respect this attention to detail, and felt it added to the story.  This novel was really interesting, and very different from the style of book I usually read.  I would definitely recommend it, as it was a quick read and a good change of pace from what I was reading at the time.  I look forward to reading more by Chuck Palahniuk.  If you decide to read this book, make sure you check out the author’s website for his own interpretation of the semi open-ended ending.  It wasn’t what I thought while reading the book, and I felt that it was a great explanation.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Bunsen Burners

Up Next: Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk

Al Capone Does My Shirts

by Gennifer Choldenko

        As a teacher, I am constantly looking for respectable, engaging, and educational books to recommend to my students. I try to set an example for them by reading constantly, I do this not just for myself, but also so I can become more knowledgeable about the books that are currently on the shelves within their reading levels. When it came time to plan a novel study, I had to quickly choose a reputable book to read with my class and I chose this Newbery Honor book. I was thrilled with my decision.
      This young adult book is a historical fiction that takes place on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, California in the year 1935. The main character, Matthew Flanagan (Moose), is a 12 year old boy whose father works as an electrician and guard on the island. His family recently moved there for his father's position and for a chance to get Moose's sister Natalie, into a prestigious school for children with disabilities.  Moose has a hard time adjusting to the island and misses his friends back in Santa Monica. He quickly begins to meet other children that live on the island, including the warden's daughter, Piper. Moose soon learns that Piper is always scheming to try and make money or try to meet the infamous Al Capone. Moose not only has to try to stay away from Piper's plots, but try to make friends, and constantly be caretaker for Natalie when his parents are working. This would be hard for any child, but living on Alcatraz has its own set of issues. When Piper comes up with a plan to get kids at school to give her their dirty laundry "to be washed by notorious gangsters Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly", Piper tries desperately to get Moose to help her.  
     This book was a fast and entertaining read from the beginning. The wealth of history and knowledge that the author has included about Alcatraz is amazing. She stays true to the time period throughout the book and includes details from her research of actually being on the island herself. She explains the layout of the island, famous convicts that would be prisoners at the time, and inside knowledge about what the guards families saw day in and day out. It was very impressive to read such an in-depth history of Alcatraz, in a very articulate manner. I also loved the easy way my students could make connections with the characters. Despite the time period, my students could easily connect with Moose's dilemmas, emotions, and conversations with peers. One of Moose's biggest relationships is the one with his sister Natalie. In modern day, Natalie would have most likely been diagnosed with autism, given her behaviors and lack of communication. Staying true to the time period, the author never called it autism in the book since it was not diagnosed until 1943. Learning that the author had a sister with autism, this made me understand why the author was so adept at describing the difficulties that the family had dealing with his sister's disorder. Their emotions can easily be felt by the reader. The only critique I would give this book is that some of the content is uncomfortable to explain as it comes from the eyes of a 12 year old boy. Many of these descriptions elicited a quiet giggle from a few students. Otherwise, it was not a big issue at all. Despite this critique I would not hesitate to read this book again to students.
      All of my students are able to comprehend the book and it leads to wonderful discussions as we read. I took two days to teach my students about Alcatraz Island, Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, the prison, the Great Depression, and autism before we read the book. This was beneficial and I would teach it the exact same way again. I will continue to recommend this book to my future students and teachers. Even if you are an adult you will easily enjoy this book.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Up Next: Devil in the White City by Erik Larson