All the bants

Thanks to my friends (Katie, I'm talking to you!) over at Pegasus Books, I was able to get my hands on the latest installment to The Gower Street Detective series before publication (April 11th aka my birthday). Sidney Grice and his plucky assistant, March Middleton, are at it again in The Secrets of Gaslight Lane where they are tasked with solving not one but two locked room murders perpetrated in the same house several years apart. I have to caution yet again that this is not a series for anyone with a weak stomach or an aversion to overuse of adjectives and adverbs. (I think M.R.C. Kasasian possesses the most extensive vocabulary of any author I have ever read.) For those hoping for further resolution to the dramas surrounding Grice's past with March's mother and/or March's relationshiop with Inspector Pound then you're going to be fairly disappointed with this book. This is a case-heavy narrative with complicated facets and multiple characters. It's also chock full of hilarity and acerbic wit. Grice and March are definitely getting in the groove of their partnership and their back-and-forth banter (especially with clients) is delicious. This is a series I could see being re-tooled on Masterpiece Mystery and if cast correctly it would be fantastic. And as with his previous books in this series, Kasasian manages to drop a bombshell at the end which will leave readers salivating for more. 10/10 and I can't wait for Dark Dawn Over Steep House which will hopefully be out at the end of the year.

Source: Pegasus Books

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

Murder most foul

Death Descends on Saturn Villa is the third book in the Gower Street Detective series by M.R.C. Kasasian. (Go here for the review of the first book and here for the second.) The tension continues to ratchet higher and higher between the famous detective Sidney Grice and his protege March Middleton as we inch closer and closer to the truth about Grice's past and his connection to March's mother. Kasasian is finally starting to clear up some of the mystery revolving around their pasts but he's still weaving webs of intrigue around them both (only fitting I suppose). This book centers on a case which is high stakes and multifaceted with March as the prime suspect. DUM DUM DUUUUUM (That's supposed to be menacingly tense music not a commentary on the intelligence of the storyline by the way.) Once again, I feel I need to caution readers who might have sensitive stomachs because Kasasian has a gift for detailed descriptions of gore. I must also mention that if you get triggered easily then you should approach this book with caution. (You'll probably be fine but I just want to make you aware.) This book ultimately raises more questions than it answers but one thing it does do is make Grice a little more human. If you've enjoyed the first two books in the series then you're sure to enjoy this continuation. The fourth book in the series, The Secrets of Gaslight Lane, is due out on April 4th of this year so get caught up while you still have plenty of time. XD

**If you're interested in buying any of these books or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books. Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

Weak stomachs steer clear from here!

Not too long ago, I reviewed The Mangle Street Murders by M.R.C. Kasasian which is the first book in the Gower Street Detective series. Today's post is about the second book in the series which is titled The Curse of the House of Foskett. The sequel delves a bit deeper into March Middleton's past and hints at Sidney Grice's past as well (and possibly why he stepped forward as her guardian). As the prologue attests the case covered in this book shows a definite shift in their relationship and partnership. I enjoyed that most of all I think. The story starts out with our detective and his wannabe assistant cooped up in Gower Street because after the results of his last disastrous case (from the first book) he is being derided by the public and press at every turn. When he is approached by a member of the Final Death Society to make sure that if anything untoward happens to the members their deaths will be investigated everything spirals out of control. Grisly doesn't begin to cover the actions in this book so if you have a sensitive stomach this isn't one for you. However, if you enjoyed The Mangle Street Murders then I think you'll thoroughly enjoy this as you can really feel Kasasian is hitting his stride with characterization. (Also, the wit and sarcasm are to die for!) There are mysteries within mysteries within mysteries in this book. I can see that he's setting up a rather shocking revelation to be delivered most likely many books down the line. (That's smart marketing right there!). As it is, there is another book already out and a fourth is slated to come out next year I believe. I'd give this one an 8/10.

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

The parodied detective

A self-obsessed, aloof, personal detective who occasionally wears an eye patch and lives in the heart of London at the end of the 19th century. A young woman with surgical experience and a determination to be treated the same as a man. A bloody murder with an obvious suspect who acts as if he's completely innocent. Where can you find all of these things in the same place? In The Mangle Street Murders by M.R.C. Kasasian. This is the first book in the Gower Street Detective series and it really sets the scene for the kind of rude, sarcastic sleuthing that would have amused Arthur Conan Doyle to no end. This book often parodies Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories (there's even mention of the author himself) as well as the mystery genre in general. Sidney Grice is not a nice man. I didn't find him to be a likeable character in the slightest. His motivation for solving crimes is made somewhat less honorable by his greediness and priggishness. His ward, March Middleton, is somewhat of a caricature of what it means to be a feminist from the 19th century. She is continuously frustrated with Grice's narcissism in regards to the central case of this novel. The prime suspect displays all the indications of innocence while Grice refuses to budge from his position that the suspect is guilty. If you can't handle descriptions of gore then you might find certain passages of The Mangle Street Murders quite difficult to read. However, if you think the idea of a fussy detective who treats everyone with as little consideration as he can get away with sounds like a good time then this is the book for you. I plan on continuing this series (at least through the second book) so I guess we'll find out together what kind of trouble Grice will find himself in next. For this one, I give it an 8/10.


**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

Comfort reading

If you harken back to my Dickensian love fest a la A Tale of Two Cities then you'll recall that Charles Dickens is one of my all-time favorite authors. Therefore, it should come as no surprise to you that whenever I come across any of his works that I don't own (we don't speak of the two copies of David Copperfield which I covet) I pick it up. That's how The Mudfog Papers came into my life and I couldn't be happier about it. It's a satirical little novel that was original written in serial format (as most of the works by Dickens were). It's all about the goings on in the town of Mudfog. Especially of interest were the meetings of 'The Mudfog Society for the Advancement of Everything' where a reporter was sent to take notes for public consumption. It is HYSTERICAL. Between the caricatures of the learned men in the so-called 'Society' and the minute-by-minute letters from the reporter it's Dickens's tongue-in-cheek commentary at its best. (He was lampooning the British Association for the Advancement of Science by the way.) I read a few pages a night of this delightful little tome only so I could prolong the experience. This is 'comfort reading' at its very, very best. 10/10 highly recommend this and (everything he's written) to everyone.


**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

When a book doesn't deliver OR how I felt about After Alice

After Alice was one of those books that had a lot of promise but just didn't quite deliver. I felt so on the fence about this book that I actually did something out of the ordinary...I read other people's reviews. The donsensus of those reviews was that there were a lot of storylines that were begun and then didn't really go anywhere. I have to agree. The premise was basically a look at the world that Lewis Carroll created in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland but from another perspective. The journey through Ada's eyes, however, was basically a rehashing of the original tale. We got tantalizing glimpses into the character of Ada (briefly mentioned as a school friend of Alice) who is stigmatized because of a disability but it never really goes anywhere. The story isn't just focused on her though. In the world of 1800s England, Lydia who is Alice's older sister is having her own difficulties. And then Charles Darwin shows up with a young man and the runaway slave that he's harboring. Did I mention that there are a lot of storylines that are not fully developed? I have to echo the wish of one reviewer that lamented that the issue of gender inequality and the culture of the time period wasn't a bigger theme. (That's a book I'd like to read so if you have any recommendations please comment below!) I'm really unsure of my lasting impression other than I wouldn't buy it and I'm not much inclined to reading anything else by this author. :-/

**If you're interested in buying any of these books or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

Remembering 16

Firstly, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Short Stories was written while Susanna Clarke was still working on Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell which I just found out took her 10 years to complete...so I guess I won't hold my breath on her next novel. Secondly, this was a great short story compilation, ya'll. This was especially great if you are thinking of reading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell but you're not sure if you want to commit yourself to such an epic length book. This will definitely give you a taste of her narrative style as well as the world that she has created (Faerie! Also other places!). Honestly, I can't say enough good things about this author. I am super excited to see what else she comes up with but as I said a few sentences ago she does like to take her time (and she's also been ill so don't be too hard on her). Go check this book out!

Now onto why I titled this post 'Remembering 16': To Hear the Ocean Sigh by Bryant A. Loney (who is only 18!). I was sent a copy of the book by the publisher, Verona Booksellers, a few months ago and I've just finished reading it. This is the story of an 'every man' named Jay Murchison who is just trying to get through his sophomore year of high school (and become popular in the process). There's typical teenage angst about what it means to be 'popular' but embedded within that is the question of what it means to be authentic to oneself. I found the book to be at times poignant (the reason behind the title kinda blew my mind a little bit) and pedantic (I don't need to know every single move that Jay makes throughout his day especially when it's a mundane everyday activity). If you're a fan of John Green style young adult novels you'll most likely enjoy this one.

Sticking to the young adult theme, I'm about to be caught up with the Lunar Chronicles series because I've just picked up Fairest: Levana's Story. Each of the previous books in the series focused on different characters from fairytales with a twist. This one is all about the villain of the series, Levana. I'm excited to learn the backstory of the one character that so far has seemed pretty one-sided. On with the reading!

This is a debut novel?!

Congratulations, Susanna Clarke! You have cracked my Top 10 Favorite Authors! *confetti explosion* I couldn't believe that this epic masterpiece was a debut novel. However, it makes sense when you discover that Clarke has a history in the publishing world and most likely has had time to learn the ins and outs of the business and craft her work accordingly. The book had such a great reception that it was recently made into a 7 part BBC miniseries (I've started it and it's also amazing). The book focuses on two English magicians who are trying to bring practical magic back to England. The two men couldn't be more different. Where Strange is looking to test the boundaries of what magic can do, Norrell is trying to lay his hands on every magical book in existence (and keep himself cooped up in his library doing the same spells over and over). The book reads as a nonfiction historical piece with footnotes detailing the history of magic as if the reader should be aware of the general history but just in case here are the particulars. (I LOVE footnotes, guys.) The characters, the language, the settings, the magic. It's all SO GOOD. AND I've discovered she's written a collection of "fairy tales" from the land of Faerie itself titled The Ladies of Grace Adieu (and Jonathan Strange makes an appearance!). You know I'm adding that one to the TRL.

I'm back in the swing of The Lunar Chronicles with the next in the series: Cress. This one focuses on the story of Rapunzel who in this case is a Lunar shell trapped in a satellite orbiting earth. She's an expert computer hacker who is basically the puppet of the thaumaturge Sybil. (If you're completely confused about the terminology used here you might want to check out my review of Cinder and Scarlet.)

As always, I thank you for checking out my blog and if you're feeling so inclined please drop a comment and let me know what you thought. :-) If you're a longtime reader of the blog, thanks for making my blog a part of your life and I hope that you're getting as much out of it as I am. If you're new, I encourage you to take a look through my posts either randomly if that's your thing or by using the search bar to look through the tags.  HAPPY READING!!

So my favorite Jane Austen novel ISN'T Pride & Prejudice...

You may be surprised to learn that my favorite Jane Austen novel is actually...Mansfield Park. I'm aware that this isn't the popular opinion. However, I don't give a hoot because I LOVE IT. Considering that I'm not a huge fan of drama or romance in general, this book is CHOCK FULL of drama and romance (and scandal oh my!). For those who haven't delved into this book, the story revolves around a young woman named Fanny Price who is sent to live with her aunt and her family when she is a young girl. From the very beginning, she is treated as an outsider and a lower class citizen among the members of her family except by her cousin Edmund. (Here is where I caution you all to remember the time period in which this book is written because otherwise you're gonna be all like SAY WHAT?!) The dynamics of the household are an odd mix of ambivalence, haughtiness, vanity, and neuroses. Then there's Fanny who is the embodiment of all that is lovely and pure but who is entirely overlooked and abused by her family...except by Edmund who she has come to admire greatly. (Do you see where this is headed?) Things start to get juicy when a brother/sister duo enter the neighborhood and rouse up trouble among the youths (picture the equivalent of ditching class to smoke cigarettes behind the gym but in Regency period England). Through it all, Fanny stays true to what she thinks is right despite the injustice of her situation. A lot of people find her character annoying and too morally rigid. However, I think they're missing out on the best parts of her character. Fanny stays firm to what she believes in and despite the temptation to give in and follow what everyone else is doing she rejects the easy path. The reader can clearly see her self-confidence and self-esteem bloom as the novel progresses. If you haven't read this fantastic classic by the inestimable Jane Austen then you are truly missing out.


I'll (hopefully) be back next week with an update to Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. I'm a little over halfway through it so if I keep up the pace I should stick to my end of week posting schedule (yes, I have a posting schedule). As always, I thank you for checking out my blog and if you're feeling so inclined please drop a comment and let me know what you thought. :-) If you're a longtime reader of the blog, thanks for making my blog a part of your life and I hope that you're getting as much out of it as I am. If you're new, I encourage you to take a look through my posts either randomly if that's your thing or by using the search bar to look through the tags.  HAPPY READING!!

Can you ever truly know another person?

It must be said that John Green is an absolutely phenomenal writer. The only experience I had with his writing was The Fault in Our Stars which is completely different from Paper Towns (except for the main characters being teenagers). There is another similarity in that you are made more aware by reading this book. It's an excellent book for introspection. You're almost led to believe that the book is about Margo Roth Speigelman when in point of fact it's about Quentin "Q" Jacobsen and in actuality he is really just a stand-in for the reader. (This book is also a love letter to Walt Whitman. Seriously.) This is the story of someone who everyone felt they knew but at the same time was unknowable. It is more the story of someone who wanted to know that person as utterly and completely as they knew themselves. We are all so many facets and pieces put together and what we choose to show to the world may not even be a true reflection of what lives inside of us. John Green somehow articulates this and makes it okay that it is not always possible to get to the root of a person and that even if you do you might discover that what you find there is nothing like what you imagined or hoped. 10/10

I'm definitely the kind of person that sees a commercial for a film or tv series and when I see that it was based off of the book I immediately write down the title. That's how I came to discover Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. This book is 1,006 pages long. Nope, that wasn't a typo. It's the story of two very different magicians living in the early 19th century in England. They join forces to fight in the war against France but for one of them there is a pull toward the dark side of magic and everything is in danger of collapse. I like magic. I like the early 19th century. I definitely like England. This should hopefully be a no-brainer.

If you're a longtime reader of the blog, thanks for making my blog a part of your life and I hope that you're getting as much out of it as I am. If you're new, I encourage you to take a look through my posts either randomly if that's your thing or by using the search bar to look through the tags. No matter what camp you fall into I hope that you drop me a comment and let me know if you're reading the same book or if you have any recommendations for me. HAPPY READING!!

Science!! Mystery!! Tuberculosis?

It's no mystery (see what I did there?) to you, dear reader, that I'm a science nerd. I've reviewed enough scientific nonfiction to lend credence to that statement. That being said, I have to give props where props are due. The Remedy was superb. Goetz brings to light the achievements of 19th century scientists that were instrumental in modernizing medicine which at the time was seen as imprecise and oftentimes dangerous. Robert Koch, a man known to science mostly for his methodology postulates, was also one of the fathers of bacteriology alongside his nemesis, Louis Pasteur. Koch's triumphs and downfalls in relation to TB are brought to light right alongside the magnificent story of Arthur Conan Doyle and his journey from dissatisfied doctor to acclaimed author. While these stories seem to have no relation to one another, Goetz illustrates that these two scientifically minded men have more in common than meets the eye. For anyone looking to learn more about ACD's creation of that illustrious detective Sherlock Holmes or for those yearning to learn more about the deadly disease of Tuberculosis, this is the book for you!

PS TB is still a major threat to humanity and kills large numbers of people every year.

To give you all a glimpse into my mind, the next book on the list is just as up my alley as The Remedy. I'm reading D is for Dahl: A gloriumptious A-Z guide to the world of Roald Dahl by Roald Dahl, compiled by Wendy Cooling, and illustrated by Quentin Blake. Roald Dahl is, simply put, one of the greatest children's authors of all time. If you haven't read any of his books then you are truly missing out on an extraordinarily delightful reading experience. Who can think of a more beguiling adventure than a tour through a chocolate factory such as in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Who could possibly be nastier than the Grand High Witch from The Witches? The man was a genius and when his books were joined by the illustrations of Quentin Blake the characters fairly leaped off of the page and into the imaginations of children and adults the world over. Therefore, why wouldn't I want to read random facts and trivia about the man himself (with the bonus of QB illustrations littering the pages)?!