The Coroner's Lunch - (Laos)

As I am trying to read detective books set in foreign lands, it seemed natural that I would get around

Started: June 26, 2018

Finished: June 30, 2018

Setting: Laos 

Pages: 287 (epub)

Publication Date: April 7, 2015

to reading a book by Colin Cotterill, with his main character being Dr. Siri Paiboun living in Laos.  Siri is a wise-cracking coroner who happens to have mystical powers which enable him to talk to dead people. And it's this talent that helps him solve crimes perpetrated by the living. It's pretty good premise for a detective series of books. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I liked it as well as the numerous other readers on Goodreads. While I appreciated the humor in the book, at times I though the story lines were too complicated and as a result I got lost. I did appreciate the way the author wove in tidbits of history regarding Laos, Vietnam and American activity in that area during the 1960-1970s. And he did it in such a way that I realized I was learning without feeling like I was being taught.

But, at times I felt too lost in the book and where it was going. There is chapter or two where Dr. Siri is visiting a Hmong village, and while I found that interesting, it was too filled with the mysticism that seems to be central to Dr. Siri's character, and (unfortunately) I floundered there. I appreciate that he exposed me to elements of that part of Asia which I would otherwise never know about about, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Not sure that I would read another in his series, but if I did, it might been of the later books, if only to see how Siri has developed as a character, and how Cotterill has developed as a writer.

Kirkus review

The Good Son (South Korea)

I think I first learned of this book from a crime book blog I recently started following - Crime By The Book. What attracted me to reading the book was probably the fact that it was a translation of a book originally written in Korean. There are tons of translated crime books from Nordic writers (Jo Nesbo and Yrsa Sigurdardottir, to name two) but I had never run across a book from a South Korean author and a female to boot. The author, You-jeoung Jeong has been described as a South Korea's version of Stephen King - high praise indeed. So while I am not by any stretch of the imagination a Stephen King expert, though I do recall reading many of his books in high school (Cujo, The Stand, It) I will do my best to provide by review.

Started: June 17, 2018

Finished: June 24, 2018

Setting: South Korea

Pages: 320 (epub)

Publication Date: May 3, 2018

The Good Son tells the story of You-jin, a 25-year old living with his mother in Seoul, South Korea. He wakes up one morning to discover his mother dead at the bottom of the stairs. She has been stabbed and her throat cut. You-jin has no recollection of what could have happened. He does not remember hearing any disturbances during the night. How could something this horrendous happen? And who did this? As the story unfolds we learn that You-jin has had a few "episodes" - seizures really, where he cannot recall blocks of time. Could this have happened here? And if so, what could have led up to this event?

Over the course of three days, in flashbacks we learn about You-jin, his family and events that unfold themselves in You-jin's mind and we start to have a better understanding of things. How there are two sides to every memory.

I originally gave this 3-stars in Goodreads, because I thought it better than "OK" but not "Great" as many reviewers have pegged it. But on reflection I start to wonder if my 3-star rating should not be upgraded to 4-star? I'm still not sure that it is worth a 5-star rating (at least for me) but as I reflect on the book and the ending, perhaps I have not been as generous with the rating as I should have been. I did like the ending, especially because I did not see it coming (I actually thought it would have another ending) and because it provided a great "twist." This may be one of those books that needs to sit with the reader a bit after you finish it in order to fully digest the story and how well the author was able to tell the story.

So, would I recommend this book? Yes, if for no other reason than the ability to read what many have labelled a psychological thriller from a talented female writer from South Korea. Would I be interested in reading more books from her? Definitely. OK - I think I just convinced my self to upgrade it to 4-stars.

Before I Let Go (United States-Alaska)

Started: April 2018

Finished: DID NOT FINISH

Setting: USA-Alaska

Pages: 358 (hardcover)

Publication Date: Jan 2, 2018

Right off the bat I should admit that I did not finish this book. As I write this review I am about 1/2 way through and will probably not bother to finish it. Why?? It's just too heavy and overly dramatic for me. It's not so much about the issue that one of the main characters (Kyra) has to live with (we learn in flashbacks that she is bipolar) but rather the writing style. And how there seem to be scenes involving another main character (Corey) that repeat themselves over and over and over again - like a bad soliloquy that is repeated with interludes to break them up. And it all plays out against the backdrop of a remote Alaskan town named Lost Creek.

If you go to Goodreads you will find many reviews, so I won’t go into the details or premise. In reading other reviews on Goodreads I see that others also had issues with this book – though to be fair, people also liked it.

I wish I could better articulate what it is about the book (at least what I have read to date) that I do not like. I mentioned above that it is too heavy. Actually, the main character Corey is too heavy and overly dramatic – too intense. Her angst over what happens to her friend Kyra is over the top. Her reactions seem to me too extreme. And too intense. She professes to care about Kyra and is heartbroken about Kyra’s life. But we learn that while Corey was gone from Lost Creek, she (gasp) got enmeshed in her own life away from Lost Creek and developed friends and had a life and did all those things you are supposed to do when you are young and leave a small town for a better opportunity. And in the process she didn’t keep in contact with Kyra as much and as often as she planned to. It’s a perfectly natural reaction, she got a life. But once she returned to Lost Creek, she begins to (almost) punish herself. She blames herself for leaving Kyra, not keeping in touch more, not being there for her. And when she comes back, she tries to solve the “mystery” of what happened to Kyra after she left, as though she is THE ONLY ONE who can do that.

It’s almost as though the author is trying too, too hard to make us care about Corey. And as a result, I just don’t care – not about Corey, not about Kyra, not about the people of Lost Creek, not about any "mystery" surrounding Kyra and definitely not about finishing the book. Sorry, I wish I could leave a different more positive review but I have to honest. There are too many books waiting to be read and I can’t waste any more time on this one.

To Say Nothing of the Dog - England

Started: March 24, 2018
Finished: April 8, 2018
Setting: England
Publication Date: Sep 12, 2013
Pages: 493 (Kindle)

I belong to a library book club that meets monthly. And while I don't always enjoy all the books that have been chosen (sometimes I can't even finish them) I do appreciate the variety of books that we have read over the years. We overwhelmingly seem to read fiction, with a smattering of non-fiction thrown in from time to time, like a cleansing of the literary palate.

Our April book is a rather well-known sci-fi... (TA DA) →→→→

Now I have to admit that the title certainly caught my attention, and a simple Google search gave me some basic information about the book, the plot, the author and even some of the references to other classic books and authors in English literature (such as Jerome K. Jerome's  <I just LOVE that name 😊 > "Three Men in a Boat" and Golden Age mysteries such as Dorothy L. Sayers' "Gaudy Night" - neither of which I have read).

I am not going to repeat the plot summary of To Say Nothing - you can read it here - which is part of the Oxford Time Travel series of books by Connie Willis. But I will leave you with a few initial thoughts about the book (based on my reading as of March 18, 2018) including plot and characters.

First, this book was at a bit of a disadvantage from the beginning because the book I read right before it (as a fluke BTW) was Jodi Taylor's "Just One Damned Thing After Another." "Just One Damned Thing..." is part of the Chronicles of St. Mary's series, and the premise is virtually identical - in the future time travel is very possible and is used primarily by historians to allow them to go back in time and view historical events and monitor them to gather more details, observe and just be a part of them while remaining on the periphery. They can't change events or history (though one could argue that their very presence there does just that, even in very minute and (mostly) innocent ways). I really, really liked the pace of Taylor's book, as well as the characters, their backstories (to the extent revealed) and the plot. So when I discovered that I would be reading a similar book I was bemused, to say the least.

Sunday, April 8, 2018 UPDATE - Well, I finally finished the book. And just in time, as the book club that I am reading it for meets on Wednesday. Despite the fact that I found the concept of being able to go back in time and (possibly) being able to recover lost works of art and articles of historical importance in order to bring them back a very interesting plot device, I found her book, the characters, the use of comedic devices (which I did not find all that humorous) and the writing added up to a big "MEH."

Part of that may due to the fact that I could never quite understand the "logic" that Willis used to explain things, especially in the last two chapters of the book. I generally don't have any issue in suspending disbelief about something (like time travel) but in order to do that I have to have some basic, rudimentary understanding of the explanation being given. If it gets too scientific or too complicated, I think I start to shut down and can't recognize even the slightest possibility of the explanation being plausible. And that may be more my problem as a reader than the author's as a writer. 

And that's what happened for me in the last two chapters. The ways that characters explained the incongruities that may (or may not) have happened; the events that may (or may not) have played a role in history; the way I felt that Willis tried to tie up what may (or may not) have been loose ends just did not make me feel satisfied as a reader. 

Overall, I found "Just One Damned Thing..." which is part of the "Chronicles of St. Mary's" series much, much better. Better writing, better plot, better characters and better use of humor. Oh - and if I COULD go back in time, I would, if only to make the choice of not reading this book by Willis.

Reservoir 13 (England)

Started: Sep 19, 2017

Finished: Nov 11, 2017

Setting: England

Kindle - 340 pages 

The story starts with the disappearance of a 13-year old girl. The girl's name was Rebecca, or Becky, or Bex. She had been looked for everywhere. But lest you think this is a story about Becky's disappearance, or how she disappeared (was she abducted; did she runaway; did she get lost in the surrounding woods; was she murdered; did she fall into one of the reservoirs surrounding the town?) it's not. Instead, the book revolves around the effect Becky's disappearance has on the people of the village and the village itself.

We meet and slowly become acquainted with several residents of the village. And slowly, like an onion, layers are peeled back to reveal more about them, their lives, their hopes and dreams. The seasons pass, people grow older, decisions are made, events happen and still, Becky is not found though she is remembered. Life goes on. For the residents of the village, Becky's parents, the village itself. Everyone but Becky.

The book is divided into 13 chapters, each chapter covering Becky's disappearance and the other 12 cover a year that has passed since Becky's disappearance. I enjoyed this literary device by the author (if it is a literary device) and found it a clever way to show the passage of time. However, until I got used to the writing style, I did find the first few chapters difficult to enjoy. Too many story lines packed into each paragraph.

Speaking of time, it should not have taken me almost 2 months to finish this book. It's not that long of a book, and the chapters are not particularly long - at least not longer than average. So why did it take me so long? In part, I found the writing style difficult to get used to. While he uses complete sentences and correct punctuation, his style (at least in this book) is to have a single paragraph address multiple topics or characters or events. It takes a bit of getting used to. And as a result, I could not read it for more than 1 chapter (or less) at a time. A paragraph might start with information about one character and two sentences later, in the same paragraph, another unrelated character would be mentioned. It flowed, sometimes too quickly and I didn't always feel like I was given a chance to really get to know a character. [I read someone else's review of this book (maybe on Goodreads?) and the reviewer stated that this may have been a device by the author, to show that life in a village goes by quickly - people move from one activity to another.] Perhaps.

I wanted to read this book since it was up for the Man Booker prize. Should it have been nominated? The author is English and in some ways the writing style reminded me of Ian McEwan, another English writer whose work I have read - full disclosure: only 1 book - Atonement. Not sure if that is a fair or apt comparison, but there it is. In some ways this book was a bit of a disappointment. I knew that Becky's disappearance would not be solved but I still wanted that to happen. And again, it comes back to the writing style.Not my most favorite. But, it was a Man Booker. So, would I read another book by this author? Yes, I think I would try one more book. But not right away. I think I need to read a mystery novel, one where the disappearance of a main character gets solved. 

Behind Closed Doors (England, Thailand)

Started: Sep 8, 2017

Finished: Sep 14, 2017

Setting: England, Thailand

Publication Date: 

Pages: 351 (Kindle)

I'm not sure that I can add much to the reviews of this book that have been posted on line or printed in newspapers and magazines other than to say "My Oh My!"

This is the story of Jack and Grace - successful, happy newlyweds who are inseparable. You can see how much Jack loves and respects Grace - always there to hold her hand or always there to help clear the dinner table after parties they throw for friends. And Grace clearly loves and respects Jack. You have only to see the way she looks at John - so much love in her eyes. And everyone can see this. Well, maybe everyone.

But in some ways their behavior is - well, a bit odd to say the least. Sure, it's normal for newlyweds to always seem to be together. In fact, their friends joke about how you never see Grace without Jack.  And that, it seems, may be the one thing about their relationship that is the truth. As the book unfolds we learn the true story of the depth of Jack's feelings for Grace.  And Grace's true feelings for Jack.

Grace is our narrator for the journey and her story unfolds in chapters titled "Past" and "Present." Through Grace, we learn about their courtship, their whirlwind romance, their wedding, their trips to Thailand, John's desire to have Grace's sister Millie (who has developmental issues) come live with them, and so much more about their lives behind closed doors. And what a story!

As the story unfolds we see Grace's personality change, and learn what conditions she has truly been living under since her marriage to Jack, and the decisions she has to make if she wants to save what is most important to her.

Without spoilers, all I can say is that this book is riveting and at times I kept reading "one more chapter" in an effort to finish the book. While the ending wasn't a complete surprise, it was craftily developed by the author.  his is the first book that I have read by this author but it won't be the last.  

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea (North Korea)

North Korea has been in the news a lot recently. A. LOT. And while what I have been hearing scares me, I realized that I really didn't know very much about this country. Most people may not, other than the bits we get in sound bites, news blurbs and such. Many people may have seen this image before - taken from space and providing an image of what North Korea is like - an image that most probably shocks most people in the Western world:

 Yep - that's an image taken from space at night showing South Korea near the bottom, China near the top and that large virtually black area in between, that is North Korea. I must admit that that image truly blows my mind to think that in 2017 there is a place on earth where there is virtually no electricity at night. It's not like there is some environmental catastrophe that causes this to occur. On the contrary, it is an orchestrated effort by the government to keep people "in the dark" both figuratively and literally.

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea was written in 2009, and tells the

Started: Aug 11, 2017

Finished: Sep 7, 2017

Setting: North Korea

Publication Date: Dec 29, 2009

Pages: 338 (Kindle)

true stories of six North Koreans who made it out. They were all true followers of the current family leadership: starting with Kim IL-Sung (who ruled from 1948 to 1994), his son Kim Jong-IL (who ruled from 1994 to 2011) and his son Kim Jong-Un (who has ruled in North Korea since 2011). Three generations of one family have ruled this country and its over 25 million* people. And the ruling family has also continued its line of tyranny, oppression, censorship and apparent indifference to providing even the basic conveniences and comforts to the people whose daily lives they control with an iron fist.

This book has been on my TBR list since 2011, and I wish I had read it sooner. Barbara Demick does a very good job of fleshing out the stories of these 6 individuals, all of varying backgrounds and personalities, all living in the 3rd most populated city, Chongjing. The six main characters/interviewees** of the book (using names different than their real ones to avoid any retribution to relatives left in North Korea) are:

• Mrs. Song - a pro-regime housewife and past head of the apartment block's co-operative spying/reporting organization reporting directly to secret police
• Oak -hee - Mrs. Song's rebellious, and eventually enterprising, daughter who is critical of the regime and only performs good "socialist" activities to avoid suspicion and getting into trouble
• Mi-ran - daughter of a miner, a South Korean POW, with bad family social status which disqualifies her from advancement, but one that may be improved with work; she is accepted at a teacher's college and begins teaching kindergarten right at the start of the country's devastating economic collapse
• Jun-sang - a student from a Japanese-Korean ancestry and Mi-ran's secret boyfriend in North Korea; becomes a privileged university student in Pyongyang but still develops a critical outlook on the regime and begins listening to South Korean television and radio 
• Kim Hyuck - a homeless street-boy whose father commits him to an orphanage and must struggle to survive and fend for himself
• Dr. Kim - a doctor with relatives in China who goes from privilege and prestige to starvation and helplessness in treating her starving patients

Demick does (I think) a good job of not becoming political and doesn't try to present a pro-American or overtly anti-communist slant in the book. Reading about the harsh conditions under which these people must live under, and the incredible journeys they all undertake to escape from North Korea (most involve either sneaking into China by foot or paying/bribing people to enter China) presented a testament to the ability of people to overcome obstacles that I will never have to endure. 

It's a very good book and I am so glad I read it - even though it took about 6 years to do so. I wish it could be updated in some fashion, perhaps to more closely reflect daily life in 2017. But then again, maybe it still does.

*(source: http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/north-korea-population/) 

** (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_Envy)