Larocque and Roll

The year in books, Part 1 January 2, 2008

…And December reads! Actually, I’ll do that first. It was a pretty good month, what with the holidays and reading on the train home and back.

~ Cruisie, Jennifer and Bob Myer. Don’t Look Down (2)
I think I finished this one out of boredom. Not much to recommend about it.

~ Findley, Timothy. Not Wanted on the Voyage (6.5) (Canada Reads Book #1)
When I started reading this one, I would complain loud and long to anyone who stood still long enough about how much I hated some of the characters. They were pushovers! They were megalomaniacs! They were passive aggressive! And Yahweh chose them to repopulate the earth after the flood? The thing is, it’s been almost four weeks since I finished it, and yet it’s still in the forefront of my mind. That said, I liked the writing, and the overall story was gripping, keeping me guessing until the end. It’s a good example of the difference between not liking the characters and/or the plot, and not liking the writing - when it’s the latter, you don’t feel bad about putting the book down and finding something else to do or read.

~ Hopkinson, Nalo. Brown Girl in the Ring (3) (Canada Reads Book #2)
Boring - I felt nothing for the characters, and the plot was not very engaging. The colloquialisms didn’t do much for me, either. I can see this one being the first book eliminated from the competition in February.

~ Wharton, Thomas. Icefields (6.5) (Canada Reads Book #3)
A slow-moving book, much like the glaciers it describes. This isn’t meant in a bad way, as I enjoyed the spare prose [1] and gentle pace of the book very much. Having also been to the glacier and surrounding area described in the book (Jasper and the Columbia Ice Fields), it was kind of cool to learn a little bit about the history of the area. Plus, the whole angel-in-the-ice was intriguing, as was Sarah’s story at the beginning.

~ Haley, Susan Charlotte. How to Start a Charter Airline (6.5)
If it weren’t for the fact that this was my mother’s book club book and I’d picked it up at the library for her, I’d never have heard of this book. It’s a very typically Canadian love story, in that it takes place in a very Canadian local (in a remote community in northern Canada) and dealing with a very Canadian subject (how to provide service to rural and remote communities). And none of the characters were beautiful, perfect people leading perfect lives - they had pasts they were avoiding, tough ones.

~ Quarrington, Paul. King Leary (7) (Canada Reads Book #4)
Although this book was out of print until recently, my library still had an old copy (woo!) King Leary was overwhelmingly sad, about an elderly former pro-hockey player who spends much of the story reminiscing about his career. You expect the grandstanding and the embellishments. What you don’t expect are those quiet moments where he remembers the monks who taught him everything about hockey, and talks about them in a tone of awe. And you always know he’s holding something back even when the people around him aren’t asking him what he’s not saying, but it’s largely because it’s too painful for him to dwell on. [2]

~ Moore, Christopher. Fluke (8)
This is a weird book, even for him. I’d try and explain it, but it would only ruin it for you.

~ Moore, Christopher. Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove (8) [3]
Again with the weirdness! But in a good way!

~ Willig, Lauren. Masque of the Black Tulip (6.5)
Silly, yet fun chicklit/bodice-ripper. Some fun contemporary pop-cult references pop up from time to time.

Okay, so now that I’ve totally bored you with what I read last month, I’m going to hold off on the highs and lows of last year until tomorrow.

[1] Ooooh, look at me, being all scholarly!
[2] I’d like to see this one win Canada reads, but I suspect it’s going to be Not Wanted on the Voyage.
[3] What happened was this - months ago, I loaned Lamb to my mother, who loaned it to my sister, who loaned it to her husband. Many hints were dropped to me that I should bring the rest of my Moore books home for everyone to read.