Book Review Quickie: The Snowman by Jo Nesbo

As a new project for iamjanesheart.com, I have decided to write (at least a short blurb) about every book I read in 2013. I tend to keep my posts to books sent to me for review or for books that I have a passionate response to; generally, I leave out mediocre books, re-reads and simply bad books (if you can't say something nice, yadda yadda yadda).

Anywho, The Snowman is not the type of book that I would normally review. Its fine. Really. It's a decent crime novel, which gets extra points for being a Scandinavian novel.

This was my introduction to Inspector Harry Hole - I believe this is the seventh novel in his story arc - Harry is a recovering alchololic who recently lost his partner(s) (both his professional partner and his romantic partner). He is fixated on serial killers, to the extent that no one seems to believe him when he says that the recent disappearances and murders of women throughout Oslo are linked and committed by a serial murderer. We follow some crazy leads and various assumptions until we find the true offender. 

Nesbo threw me off the scent of the killer about half-way through the novel. Some of the foreshadowing was misleading, I knew that we were being told something for a resone but the reason did not show itself until the last quarter of the book in a rapid vomit of motives. 

This reminds me a lot of the Dexter novels, strike that, it totally reminds me of Law and Order more. I know the story isn't great, I have a general idea of how it will end, but its an easy, entertaining read. 

So if your mind needs to take a break, I suggest The Snowman by Jo Nesbo. 

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This is Why I use the Library ... 2012 Wrap-up; or, How I saved $834.60 This Year

This year, I read a total of 98 books. Fifty-six of which were checked out from my local library. I pulled prices from Amazon, though, I purchase books at independent stores. 

Fables, Vol. 15: Rose Red by Bill Willingham - $12.23

Fables, Vol.14: Witches by Bill Willingham - $12.23

Fables, Vol.11: War and Pieces by Bill Willingham - $12.23

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling (audio) - $44.07

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling (audio) - $44.47

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling (audio) - $44.47

IT by Stephen King (audio) - $33.77

Promethea: Book Five by Alan Moore - $12.23

Signal to Noise by Neil Gaiman - $16.47

Promethea, Vol. 4 by Alan Moore - $12.23

Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman - $10.85

Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall by Bill Willingham - $10.94

The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman - $6.99

Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman - $10.19

Fables, Vol. 10: The Good Prince by Bill Willingham - $12.23

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen - $10.88

Neverwhere by Mike Garey  - $14.59

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson - $14.99

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson  - $10.88

Blankets by Craig Thompson  - $26.37

M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman - $6.99

The Book Thief by Mark Zusak - $7.70

Salem Brownstone: All Along the Watchtowers by John Harris Dunning – $14.81

Pinocchio by Winshluss - $19.87

The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch by Neil Gaiman - $11.86

Fables, Vol.17: Inherit the Wind by Bill Willingham - $10.19

Sin City, Vol. 7: Hell and Back by Frank Miller - $19.80

Sin City, Vol. 6: Booze, Broads, and Bullets by Frank Miller - $11.56

Promethea, Vol. 2 by Allan Moore - $12.23

Promethea, Vol. 3 by Allan Moore - $10.19

Promethea, Vol. 1 by Allan Moore - $12.23

Sin City, Vol. 5: Family Values by Frank Miller - $11.20

Sin City, Vol. 4: That Yellow Bastard by Frank Miller - $13.14

Sin City, Vol. 3: The Big Fat Kill by Frank Miller - $12.92

Sin City, Vol. 2: A Dame to Kill For by Frank Miller - $11.57

The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger - $14.56

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century 1910 by Alan Moore - $7.95

Thessaly: Witch for Hire by Bill Willingham - $9.98

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier by Alan Moore - $13.59

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore - $10.98

Robopocalypse by Daniel Wilson - $10.85

We the Animals by Justin Torres - $10.36

Fables, Vol. 16: Super Team by Bill Willingham - $10.19

The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson - $11.19

Fables, Vol. 13: The Great Fables Crossover by Bill Willingham - $12.23

The Apothecary by Maile Meloy - $11.55

300 by Frank Miller - $19.80

Sin City, Vol. 1: The Hard Goodbye by Frank Miller - $12.92

Black Hole by Charles Burnes - $13.45

The Faery Reel: Tales form the Twilight Realm by Ellen Datlow - $21.36

The Books of Magic by Neil Gaiman- $14.59

The Books of Magic, Vol. 1: Bindings by John Ney Rieber- $12.23

Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer- $13.59

Maus: A Survivor’s Tale, Vol.2: And Here My Trouble Began by Art Spiegelman - $10.23

Fables, Vol. 12: The Dark Ages by Bill Willingham - $12.23

Habibi by Craig Thompson - $21.20

Total Savings: $834.60

This is why I love my library. This is why I donate my money and volunteer my time.

2012 Book Challenge Completed!

Though, I completely bombed my self-prescribed book challenge. Apparently, constraints in my reading life, just do not work.

Books Read (by genre)

Fiction

The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberol, Agnete Friis

Triburbia by Karl Taro Greenfield

Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer

The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner

Dexter by Design by Jeff Lindsay

Fifty Shames of Earl Grey by Andrew Shaffer

Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson

The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson *

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak*

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James

Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

The Murders at Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe

Carry the One: A Novel by Carol Anshaw

We Are the Animals by Justin Torres*

Crash by J.G. Ballard

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson*

Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

SF/Fantasy/Horror:

Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version by Philip Pullman

The Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm edited by Ellen Datlow*

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling*

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

Mockingbird by Chuck Wendig

Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

It by Stephen King *

The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Talulla Rising by Glen Duncan

The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling*

Ladies’ Night by Jack Ketchum

The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum

Battle Royale by Koshum Takami

The Last Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko

Slaughterhouse-five by Kurt Vonnegut

Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling*

Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson*

The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan

Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman*

The Apothecary by Maile Meloy*

The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman*

Among Others by Jo Walton*

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

The Neil Gaiman Audio Collection CD: The Neil Gaiman Audio Collection CD by Neil Gaiman

A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman

Graphic Novels

Promethea: Book One by Alan Moore*

Promethea: Book Two by Alan Moore*

Promethea: Book Three by Alan Moore*

Promethea: Book Four by Alan Moore*

Promethea: Book Five by Alan Moore*

Sin City, Vol. 1: The Hard Goodbye by Frank Miller*

Sin City, Vol. 2: A Dame to Kill For by Frank Miller*

Sin City, Vol. 3: The Big Fat Kill by Frank Miller*

Sin City, Vol. 4: That Yellow Bastard by Frank Miller*

Sin City, Vol. 5: Family Values by Frank Miller*

Sin City, Vol. 6: Booze, Broads, and Bullets by Frank Miller*

Sin City, Vol.7: Hell and Back by Frank Miller*

Fables, Vol. 10: The Good Prince by Bill Willingham*

Fables, Vol. 11: War and Pieces by Bill Willingham*

Fables, Vol. 12: The Dark Ages by Bill Willingham*

Fables, Vol. 13: The Great Fables Crossover by Bill Willingham*

Fables, Vol. 14: Witches by Bill Willingham*

Fables, Vol. 15: Rose Red by Bill Willingham*

Fables, Vol. 16: Super Team by Bill Willingham*

Fables, Vol. 17: Inherit the Wind by Bill Willingham

Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall by Bill Willingham*

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Vol. 1 by Alan Moore*

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Vol. 2 by Alan Moore*

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier by Alan Moore*

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century 1910 by Alan Moore*

Maus: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman*

Maus: A Survivor's Tale, Vol. 2: And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman*

The Books of Magic by Neil Gaiman*

The Books of Magic, Vol. 1: the Binding by John Ney Rieber*

Salem Brownstone: All Along the Watchtowers by John Harris Dunning*

Blankets by Craig Thompson *

Pinocchio by Winshluss*

The Walking Dead, Compendium 2 by Robert Kirkman

The Facts in the Case of the Disappearance of Miss Finch by Neil Gaiman*

Black Hole by Charles Burns*

Neverwhere by Mike Carey*

Signal to Noise by Neil Gaiman*

Black Orchid by Neil Gaiman*

The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger*

Habibi by Craig Thompson*

300 by Frank Miller*

Thessaly: Witch for Hire by Bill Willingham*

M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman*

Non-Fiction

Getting Things Done: The Art Of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die by Peter Boxall

Let’s Pretend this Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson

* denotes library book

Bold denotes genre favorite

Book Review: Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version

Aptly timed for the 200th Anniversary of the first edition of the Grimm's Brothers Tales, Philip Pullman (author of His Dark Materials!!) has pull together fifty stories from these tales into a collection. Some of these stories are more popular, such as: "Cinderella", "The Frog Prince", and "Briar Rose". However, the majority of the stories are lesser known. Pullman acknowledges that fairy tales have changed throughout the years. Specifically, the Grimm's tales have suffered a castration during the many editions that have been released. 

In these tales, Pullman has brought together the best parts of all iterations of the tales. At the end of each story, he acknowledges any changes that may have been made as well as listing the ways in which the Grimm's brothers came to know the tale. 

I would love to pretend to that I knew these tales from my serious, scholarly fairy tale reading, but in reality I knew them from a fantastic show on Nickelodeon in the early 90's called "Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics". This collection was filled with nostalgic moments for me. 

This was such a pleasurable read for a fairy-tale-junkie like myself. I suggest that this book should be enjoyed slowly, just a nibble or two before bed. 

Favorite quote … "He ordered three iron bands to put around his heart to stop it bursting with grief."

Fairy Tales From the Brother's Grimm is currently available at your local bookstore. 

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Goodreads Choice Award Winners 2012

This week, Goodreads has announced the winners of their annual Choice Awards, the nominees are voted on by the legions of Goodreads users. 

I was very pleased with the results, the full list can be found on the Goodreads site.

The winners that have a place in my heart are: 

Mystery and Thriller: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Paranormal Fantasy: Shadow of Night by Deborah Harnkess

Humor: Let's Pretend this Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

Now, of course, I had to add many of the winners to my ever-growing "to-read" list.

Book Review: The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis

Nina leads a seemingly ordinary life as a nurse in Denmark. In addition to being an nurse, Nina is honestly a good person. A person who cares much more than she should. When Nina receives a distress call from her old friend Karin, of course she runs to help. 

Karin needs a favor, from someone just like Nina, someone much stronger than Karin who will not turn a blind eye. Karin's request leads Nina to a train station locker room. She was told to retrieve a suitcase. Nina half-drags the suitcase back to her car and discovers a small boy. Naked, drugged, but alive.

In Lithuania, Sigita wakes in a hospital bed with a broken arm. She is told that she had alcohol poisoning. Sigita has no idea how she has gotten to the hospital and she has no idea who has her son. Sigita goes to the police but they do not believe her, assuming her to be a drunk. She is soon made aware that children who are stolen with no obvious cause, are rarely returned. 

The perspectives of the novel cycle throughout the main characters. This allows exposition to occur, without it seeming too unnatural. 

Ninety percent of this book is great. However, once you understand how everything is connected the novel ends quickly thereafter. Specifically, we see no legal repercussions. No character follow-up for many of the main characters. 

The Boy in the Suitcase is currently available from Soho Press. 

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Book Review Quickie: Triburbia: A Novel by Karl Taro Greenfield

I often wonder about my neighbors. When you live in close quarters it's hard not to. I wonder about the girl down the street who keeps her pet bird out on the porch, I once saw her talking and kissing the bird, she waved at me … creepy. I wonder about the guy downstairs who looks 45 but dressed like a 25 year old club kid. I try not to wonder about the guy one building over - who I am sure is a child molester - I keep my dog away from him. Triburbia is a perfect book for us nosey neighbors. 

Each chapter title is a different address, each chapter tells the story of the person(s) that live in that address. All are encompassed in Tribeca, a manhattan suburb. Characters do tend to mingle outside of their specific chapters, which makes this novel oh-so-much-fun. Each character is unique and well defined. There are plot lines that run through the stories, but I do not feel that its the main focus. Mainly this novel holds character studies. I adored this novel.  

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Review Update: Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon

I have officially abandoned this read. The characters are really, really annoying. The only character that I had any compassion for was Archie's wife, but clearly not enough to recall her name. ​

Book Review Quickie: Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer

Sunny Mann is a perfect housewife, or at least she has made it her goal in life to seem to be the perfect housewife. She is married to Maxon Mann, a robotics scientist currently in a rocket en route to colonize the moon. Sunny is heavily pregnant with her second child. Her first child, Bubber, is very similar to his father, which can be good or bad. Netzer never labels Maxon. I would feel safe to assume that he has Asperger's or Autism. Maxon has more in common with his robots than with the human race. He has equations and formulas to understand how to act in day-to-day life.  

Sunny’s perfect façade begins to crumble, and once the cracks in her sleepy suburban life start to shake the foundation she begins to wake up and realize what is truly important.

The meat of this story is a love story; it’s the wonderfully ordinary story of a boy and girl who fall in love enveloped in extraordinary circumstances.  

My only qualm with this novel is the ending. There is no clean finale, which really drives me crazy especially after feeling so connected with these characters.

Intersted in more on Lydia Netzer? Click Here​

Book Review: Mockingbird by Chuck Wendig

Miriam Black is trying to be good, no really; she has spent the past year – off the road – with Louis, her trucker manfriend. Miriam has a job as a checkout girl at a local grocery store and at night she comes home to her trailer, which she shares with Louis – though, Louis is gone most of the time.  All is horribly normal until Miriam is fired from her job – as it turns out, she’s really not that great with people – and decides to check out of her normal life all together. 

Miriam packs her bag and head’s back on the road. Her first attempt at hitchhiking lands her right back into the cab of Louis’ truck. She expects Louis to try to convince her to stay; instead he extends a job offer to her. A friend of his, a teacher at a school for troubled girls (the Caldecott School) is a hypochondriac, the job is go to visit this teacher and tell her how she dies. Miriam accepts, without hesitation, to Louis’ dismay. He so wanted her to pick him over adventure.

The job is supposed to be easy, touch the teacher, tell her future, and get $500 bucks. But of course, the easy way is NOT the Miriam Black way. Miriam creeps out the teacher, lies to her about her future, then hangs around the school getting drunk and dying her hair in the girl’s bathroom.  She ends up in the Principal’s office and meets a snotty little girl named, Wren. Complete shithead … like a mini-Miriam. Miriam foresees a horribly violent death destined for Wren. After being kick off campus for her drunken salon session, Miriam must decide if she wants to once again turn against fate to save a young girl.

I hate to harp on this, but at the beginning of the first book, I really hated Miriam Black. I began enjoying Miriam prior to the middle of the first book. It still floors me how attached I became to this character, by the middle of this book I was concerned for her. Like, oh god, I hope she gets out of this one. It’s such a fun feeling to be connected to a character like Miriam. The end of this book hinted at a third, which I am eagerly awaiting.

I would highly recommend this book … to folks who can laugh at vulgar language and who can withstand some pretty violent scenes. Also, those who can appreciate an author with a sense of humor, who doesn’t mind dragging his character through the ringer; Miriam was almost killed in the last book and unlike some leading ladies who have near misses with death, Miriam has the scars to prove it.

Favorite quote, “She gets on her tippy-toes and kisses him. Long, slow, deep. The kind of kiss where you can feel little pieces of your soul trading places as mouths open and breath mingles. “

Mockingbird was released on August 28th by Angry Robot, please buy at your local independent bookseller.

Find out more about Chuck Wendig at terribleminds.

Coming up next week … Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon.