Mid-Year Books 2013 (Part 1)

A reboot of my book blog: it has been over 8 months since I last posted about my reading, and I’m hoping to push myself to read and review more. At this time last year, I had read 60 books; this year I’m only at 11. Time is always a compromise, and lately reading has not been on the winning side. Do you find that starting the habit of reading consistently is a struggle? I feel like when I go too long without binge reading, that muscle in my head is weakened and hard to get motivated again.

Well, here are the first reviews of my 2013 books so far, and I’ll try to keep them short and sweet. My primary purpose of keeping this record is to keep myself accountable for what I’m reading, and to remember how I felt about the books after I read them—it’s mostly a selfish endeavor. I hope it also can be a benefit to you, whether it helps you avoid the junk or find a gem. Reading is a lonely task, so this is a means to make this habit a more social experience.

(1) The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Potzsch

I hate to start my first review this way, but I can’t remember the specifics of this story. This is why I can’t wait months to review. All those impressions and thoughts I had about it immediately after reading are now lost, and I’m left with this pathetic excuse for a review. This is what I do know: I was very underwhelmed by this popular book. I purchased the sequel at the same time, and I regret that, because I do not plan on returning to this series. Let’s just pretend this one didn’t happen and get to the next review.

Content Rating: Adult

Length: 448 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

(2) It’s Kind of a Cute Story by Jeff Heimbuch & Rolly Crump

Rolly Crump was an inventive and inspired Imagineer at Disneyland and Disneyworld, and this book is a memoir of his experiences in his career. He was responsible for many of the elements of the Haunted Mansion, Tiki Room and Small World among other Disneyland details. Growing up in Los Angeles, Disneyland is a nostalgic landmark of my childhood. Reading about how some of that magic was dreamed up and created was fascinating —this was a “leave me alone I’m reading” sort of experience. One of my favorite stories was his retelling of how the tiki gods for the Tiki Room were sculpted and painted in the parking lot of his office building. Another detail I loved was that he was the designer of all the figurines that turn the popcorn bar inside Disneyland popcorn carts. His stories are funny and delightful as he explains the behind-the-scenes stories of many details around the park. Now when I go to the parks, I notice many of those details that are “Crump.” Knowing these little anecdotes brings extra meaning to the park experience. I enjoyed about 75% of this book, but grew bored when he recounted his later years after doing Berry Tales at Knott’s Berry Farm. This definitely has a target audience of Disneyland fans.

Content Rating: Minor language

Length: 192 Pages

Genre: Non-fiction memoir

(3) Double Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

I love Dexter. Maybe that is something I should be ashamed of (“Please tell me more about why you are entertained by a silly story about a demented serial killer), but I can’t get enough. The writing and story telling are not that great, but it is fun to be with your dear old pal Dexter the serial killer once again. This is novel #6, and it was my favorite so far. As the title implies, the story revolves around a new killer that is copying Dexter’s techniques. Nothing is literary here, just ridiculous good fun and gore. The ending is unspeakably hilarious, gory and delightful. (Speaking of which, the new season of television Dexter is also outrageously good this season.)

Content Rating: Yes, everything. Not for the faint of heart.

Length: 337 Pages

Genre: Macabre Fiction

(4) The Dead Shall Not Rest by Tessa Harris

The mysteries I’ve read are inclined to feel contrived and predictable due to their tendency of having a twist ending. It’s a delicate balancing act to do as a writer, just giving enough information that the reader doesn’t figure it out too soon, but not so little build up that the ending doesn’t make sense. This, the second book in the Thomas Silkstone series, was confusing, contrived and unbelievable. Strangely, however, this book is supposed to be based on real events. Nonetheless, I didn’t believe the story could actually happen because the characters  were one-dimensionally all good or all bad. I was often confused by character motivations. I thought the first book in the series was a fun CSI in the 1700’s historical novel, but this did not live up to the fun of that mystery.

Content Rating: Adult

Length: 338 Pages

Genre: Historical Mystery

(5) American Gods by Neil Gaiman

  

There were a lot of surprises with this book. First, I was surprised that it was actually about gods. The protagonist gets into trouble with actual Greek mythical gods living in America. I wasn’t expecting the book to be science fiction or fantasy.  Expectations can alter your impressions a lot, and that it was a bad start when I erroneously assumed “American Gods” was a going to be a metaphor for something else. Second surprise: I didn’t like it. Looking at other reviews, I find that this one is very divisive, and I wished that I could have been on the other team. I thought the beginning started very strong and just continually floundered from there. I wish I could be more specific than that, but I don’t feel like I can without major spoilers.

Content Rating: Adult

Length: 560 Pages

Genre: Science Fiction Fantasy

(6) Wool by Hugh Howey

Oh boy, this is a great short story. Not going to get into the plot at all here, but sufficed to say it was like reading an episode of the Twilight Zone. I loved it, and I recently bought the 4 sequels. It took me about 35 minutes to read, so it isn’t a big time commitment if you want to just read something really, really good.  Plus, it’s free on your kindle. Just read it. Please.

Content Rating: Adult

Length: 65 Pages

Genre: Science Fiction

Alright, stay tuned and I’ll have the next 5 up soon: Eye of the World, Gone Girl, Shades of Earth, Bossy Pants and The Thirteenth Tale.