Book 14: Double Indemnity

What a thrill ride.  Short, sweet, with enough noirish highlights, but surprisingly strong character development.  Actually a bit believable until the very end.  Very enjoyable, easy read.  Sorta perfect thing for a poolside in Hawaii.  Wish I read it there. 

Book 13: The Great Gatsby

I'm not sure I've ever actually read The Great Gatsby even though I know that I was assigned it at some point during my school career.  After seeing the trailers for Baz Luhrman's upcoming film adaptation, I figured it was time to finally read it for real.  And I found it extremely enjoyable.  Themetically pitch perfect, well written, yet never boring.  As far as so-called great novels go, it is extremely accessible even though it's around 80 years old.  I'm surprised whenever I go to good reads on a book like this because the trashers get much higher billing than they should.  Sure, not every book is for everyone, but if you like solid paced plotting, thematic richness, and historic perspective, The Great Gatsby is awesome. 

Book 12: Last Watch

For someone who has read all four books of the Night Watch series, I'm not as big of a fan as I probably should be.  The series itself focuses on a magician who works in the Night Watch (good), making sure that the opposing forces (bad) adhere to the treaties.  In turn, the Day Watch watches the good guys.  Of course, this G vs. E construct is not as black and white as it comes across in writing and Anton, the magician, is well aware of this. 

While I liked the first book, I think Sergie Lukyaneko has smartly gotten away from the more fantastical elements as the books have moved on, focusing much more on Anton and his growing cynicism and disenchantment.  Each book delves into these elements more and I think it makes them stronger as the reader is treated to a very real crises of his soul.  To me, the night watch series is a superior example of urban fantasy.  It's not always what it seems, oftentimes setting up the supposed good guys as having character issues.  Interestingly, the watches are set up more as chaos vs. order than good vs. evil, which allows Sergie to plumb some interesting conflicts.  The fourth book is the best, weaving the murky morality of the players with solid action throughout.  Sure, it has a few dopey moments, but overall, I really enjoyed this one.

Book 11: Strangers on a Train

In my mostly worthless opinion, Patricia Highsmith does not get nearly enough run as a top American writer.  Perhaps it's because her novels are sometimes dismissed as genre fiction.  Maybe it's because she deals in depth with disturbing psychologies.  Maybe it's because people want to think that over indulgent messes masquerading as great fiction is where its at. Whatever.  Highsmith is great and though Strangers on a Train has some weaknesses, its still a thrilling ride.  The slow degradation of the main characters is astonishing and the book, gratefully short, careens towards a great ending.  Highsmith's later novels smooth over the rough points a bit (I found this book to spend too much time in the protagonists psyche), but Strangers on a Train is still a great example of a great writer.

Book 10: Bite Me

Didn't realize this was number three in a series when I read. Christopher Moore gets a lot of press as a funny guy, and he certainly can bring the humor. Though it was a lot of fun, I really wish I read the first two. It didn't stand alone very well at all with a ton of references to the previous characters. My bad for not checking that first. As to the book, if the whole thing had been done in Abby Normal's voice, I probably would have loved it anyway and given it five stars. One of the best and funniest narrators I've ever encountered. But the rest of the book, while sorta funny, never really got above the mildly amusing mark and just made me miss Abby that much more

Book 9: A Plague of Wolves and Women

Reading this was like really rough sex. While it is mostly outstanding, there are moments where I wondered if those marks are going to be permanent or at least how long they'd be visible. Riley Michael Parker delivers a horrifying tale told in 2-3 page koans reflecting on the experience of a boy in a cursed village of indeterminate time or place. The violence is real and shocking at times, but the narration, effectively first person with an almost worldly matter of fact retelling that is vital in not allowing the often gruesome details to become torture porn, Parker somehow manages to bring a heaping amount of poignancy through the little kindnesses and smiles. It is dense and extremely complex, sad, and terrifying all at once. This book is in many ways indescribable. I cannot recommend it to anyone but I found it absolutely amazing. Strangely, I let my mother read it, who also loved it not despite the horribleness, but because of it. Parker kept the book very short (less than 100 pages), a good decision as the subject matter wouldn't hold up to much more. There's a not so subtle satirical element here as well. Hunger Games and it's ilk where violence against children is presented in fairly weak and disposable thematic environment while masquerading as young adult fiction gets it's comeuppance. In Parker's world, violence isn't pretty, the motivations aren't rational, and there are no banquets or celebrations for the survivors. It is grim business and finding virtue despite it is what Parker goes for. This is a love or hate book. You'll either find yourself sucked in very quickly, examining your own like for the book or you'll put it down after a few pages. I finished this in a day and was mesmerized the entire time>

Book 8: Devil in Silver

There are elements of this that are entirely brilliant. The writing is crisp, characters easily distinguished, realistic dialogue. The mental asylum is effectively presented as a horrible, beauracratic nightmare. The main character, an incredible bulk named Pepper, provides a great filter for the story to unfold, though the supporting characters are dazzling in their own rights and often steal the proverbial show. The only complaints I had was that there were a lot of unanswered questions (which is okay sometimes, but Lavalle seemed to go out of his way to clean up some items while leaving others completely dangling) and the ending seemed inevitable and a bit predictable, though I feel like that's quibbling. But I loved the ride in getting there and have LaValle on a short list of my favorite contemporary authors.