The Woodcutter by Reginald Hill

Why I picked up this book:  A coworker recommended it to me.  The title was interesting, as was the book jacket (yes, I do judge a book by its cover...especially if I'm going to carry it around with me).  

What kept me interested:  The main character, Wolf Hadda is a very successful business man whose life is turned upside down when he is wrongly charged with pedophilia.  After serving time in prison, he revisits some of his old "friends" and gives them a dose of their own medicine, axe in hand. 

Hadda is an interesting character, not only to the reader but to the supporting characters in the novel as well.  Despite the fact that he becomes disfigured, he is also somewhat attractive.  Even though he claims his spirit is broken, he is still very much alive and vibrant.  Most of the characters that come to know him, realize his innocence and drawn toward him.  He is also resourceful and very clever.  He uses his skills to dole out justice to those who wronged him.  The author draws reference from The Count of Monte Cristo and in the same vein, Hadda, in the end, feels justice done but the reader must judge for himself if Hadda has been redeemed.  I got the feeling he was ready to start a new chapter in his life.

To Whom would I Recommend this book:  I would recommend lovers of psychological thrillers and unique developed complex characters.

"Perfect Peace"

Why I picked up the book:  The cover caught my eye as it sat on a colleague's desk.  After seeing it remain unmoved for several weeks, I asked if I could read it.  It's a different sort of novel then what I usually read but the insert seemed to promise enough to possibly keep my interest piqued.

Why it kept me interested:  Daniel Black does a magnificent job of capturing a small and very rural southern town's 1930's feel.  The story centers around the lives of the Peace family and the fateful decision made by Emma Jean to raise their seventh son as a girl named Perfect.  No one remains the wiser until young sibling Bartimaeus stumbles upon Emma Jean's secret.  When the secret can remain one no longer, Emma Jean confesses and every member of the Peace family is forced to reexamine their lives and what they believed.  Its a great story about resentment, freedom, and eventual forgiveness.  I loved this story for it's forceful wander into a situation I never pondered.  Its a deep sadness that fills this book but there is also a sweetness that I loved.  I still found myself sympathetic towards Emma Jean even though it was her decisions that cleaved the hearts of the Peace family.

To whom would I recommend this book:  There is spiritual depth to this book that would be great for book discussions.  I was also really surprised at the emotional maturity of many of the characters so it would present a good character study.  For more leisurely readers, "Perfect Peace" is riddled with strife but the characters' determination to overcome and be true to who they were was encouraging.  Just be warned, the ending is a sober one.

"Full Dark, No Stars"

Why I picked it up:  I've read a good many Stephen King short stories and have liked them, so I was pretty excited when I heard there was a new one to be released.  Plus I really liked the cover design and the title itself told me to expect no sunshine here.

Why it kept me interested:  To be honest some stories kept me more interested than others.  The first, "1922" was interesting in that a husband forces his son to become an accomplice to the murder of his mother.  The consequences lead to a madness that reminded me of the narrator's sufferings in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-tale Heart".  After a point, it began to follow too closely to that story line for me but it was still a pretty good variation.  The second story, "Big Driver", was probably my favorite.  A tale of an author (and rape victim) that discovers she was not the first to fall for her roadside rapist's trap and so seeks revenge in a very bloody way.  The murder is sort of rush both plot and in writing and ended flat but it was bearable.  "Fair Extension" was an rehash of guy-makes-deal-with-devil storyline so to me, it wasn't all that interesting.  Finally, "A Good Marriage" gave the reader a good end to the collection.  A woman is married to a serial killer and just happens upon his secret one day.  Her subsequent reaction is what she feels is just and necessary for his punishment.  It was interesting to think what I would do if I were in her position and felt that she did right.  Quite the predicament!

To whom would I recommend this book:  The stories pass quick enough but for a Stephen King collection I have to say that I'm a little disappointed.  I would still recommend Stephen King fans take a peak at it, if only for the sake of argument.  Perhaps I would recommend this book to someone who has never read Stephen King.  The tales are dark, just not dark enough for me.  I guess I expected too much.

"Zombie"

Why I picked this book up:  I've always been a fan of Joyce Carol Oates' writing and although the title sightly put me off (I'm not one for zombie plots), the insert sounded interesting enough (and not actually about the mind-eating zombies featured in many movies nowadays).  Plus it was more like a novella at 192 pages, so I figured what was the harm?

Why it kept me interested:  The narrator, Quinton P., is a disturbing young man who treats the murders he commits with utter normality.  He possesses such a passion for his pursuits that I almost wished he had succeeded in creating his doting zombie if only to see how he would react to his success.  He is also frighteningly normal; he is an apartment manager for foreign exchange students and displays an interest in math.  The way Oates writes as Quinton reminded me of Chuck Palahniuk's Pygmy where the narrator almost has a language of his own with incomplete and run-on sentences.  Quinton also uses a felt tip pen to insert drawings that provide another insight into his plotting and deviance.

To whom would I recommend this book?  Well, it's a relatively short read that kept me so disturbed that I even had a dream where I had the same characteristics as Quinton.  Oates has a way of casting off the horrifying as seemingly mundane which makes for a more unsettling novel.  Although it's not her best work, it's not her worst either.  I would suggest this novel to someone looking for a quick read and wouldn't mind taking a peak into the mind of a sadistic psychopath.

"House of Leaves"

Why I picked it up:  Mark Danielewski's House of Leaves is an impressive book on first appearance.  Flipping through its 709 pages, one is confronted with hundreds of footnotes, various typography, sidebars, appendices, and colored text.  Initially, it was this unique use of the page that drew me to the book but once I started, I could not put it down.

Why it kept me interested:  The story begins when Johnny Truant discovers a manuscript by a dead hermit known as Zampano.  He decides to edit the manuscript but in doing so, he is drawn deeper into the spiraling fate that befell his predecessor.  His story is contained mainly in the footnotes of the manuscript which is actually a critique of a documentary of the "Navidson Record" by filmmaker Will Navidson.  In the film, Navidson is  moving into a new home with his family but he discovers a closed door that leads to a long dark hallway.  When he goes to examine the outside, he discovers that there is no extension of where the hallway should be.  The house is larger on the inside than on the outside.  A exploring party is formed and as they descend into the darkness, a growling is heard and one by one the party is picked off.  Navidson soon discovers that the hallways shift and move (Danielewski's layout of text to help the reader experience the confinement and confusion of the explorers is fantastic here). 

To whom would I recommend this book?  The book is dense, not just in physical weight but in the amount of footnotes, narration shifts, and fictional referencing so its not for the faint of heart; but I would definitely recommend it for those looking for a good horror book that plays with your mind.  Watching the characters physically and emotionally descend to madness was entertaining enough that I kept on to the very last page.  It is definitely a book that stays with you and I have recommended it several times already.

A Welcome

So this being my first post, I think it only polite to include a little about myself and how this all came about:

I've never been a person who jumps for joy at every possible moment, dreams of unicorns, or seeks pots of gold at the end of rainbows.  I've never been all-together "good" at showing emotions.  I am....somewhat of an introvert although there have been times when I have been known to make a friend or two.  I don't do colors either.  My wardrobe, although there maybe a purple hue here or there, mainly consists of black or grey shirts or pants.  My hair: black.  My nails: black.  My car: black.  If I could I would follow the advice of the Rolling Stones' song and "Paint [everything] Black".  So, in short, I am not a very cheerful person. 

Naturally then, my reading tastes run likewise.  No happy endings for me!  I prefer a death or two of some "fair maiden" included in the storyline or better yet, for the protagonist to go slowly mad.  It all makes for an interesting story.  I stay away from what I refer to as "fluff"....eg. children playing happily in the yard as husband and wife look on, entwining their fingers and smiling lovingly.  Bleh.  So, favorite authors include:  Fyodor Dostoevsky, Anton Chekhov, Tolstoy (eh lets just say most 19th century "Golden Era" Russian authors), Charles Baudelaire, Edgar Allan Poe, Joyce Carol Oates, Ian McEwan, Chuck Palahniuk.  To name just a few. 

As you can imagine, however, Reader's Advisory lists on this type of reading genre are somewhat limited.  That's where this blog comes in.  Plan to see reviews on the dark and the disturbing....who knows though??  I don't mind reading Susan Elizabeth Phillips (don't tell anyone) so perhaps you'll find a little fluff thrown in now and again.  But don't count on it.  And don't look so happy.