EBMRG discussion

Her Royal Spyness - Rhys Bowen
Andrea - NR - Awful. It was so cutesy. The plot was stupid, the coincidences were stupid. Just didn't care for it at all.
Charlotte - OK/G - It was kind of fun in the beginning but then it carried the ditzyness way to far.
Corona - G - She had fun with it. She stopped expecting it to be serious very early. It was fun and didn't disappoint when it could have fallen into old stereotypes. The coincidences were too much.
LJ - G - This first book in Ms. Bowen’s new series introduces us to a cast of delightful characters. While some seem to be social stereotypes, it’s hard not to be drawn to Lady Victoria and her non-titled grandfather, an ex-policeman. In fact, almost the first half of the book introduces us to the characters. Only after that do we get into the mystery, which is decently done except for way too many coincidences. The book is a bit too light for my taste, but it is a fun.

Darkness and Light - John Harvey
Andrea - Ex - Liked it. She thought it was excellent. It was well written with good characters and a good story. The Mystery was solved through investigation. She would read another by him.
Charlotte - VG - She enjoyed it. She was nervous about some of the things with the therapist, but it was unfounded worry. She did find that having two characters with "J" names was a bit confusing.
Corona - VG+ - She could see why LJ likes this author. The book felt substantial, the plot was well supported, she didn't have to fill in the holes. She felt for the character. Very good author. It was a great read!
LJ - VG+ - Harvey is such an excellent writer. His plotting is tight and clean, if he begins a thread in one spot, you know it’s going to be picked up and finished in another. His characters are real, interesting and well developed. I particularly enjoyed the cameos by two characters from Harvey ’s Resnick series. Beside being an excellent police procedural, it is an excellent follow-the-clues-to-find-the-killer mystery and those seem rare these days. The book did lose a few points with me as the motive was one we’ve seen before and the ending was a bit unsatisfying. Those points not withstanding, I always enjoy, and highly recommend, Harvey.

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
Corona - Ex - Listened to the audio version. A great story but she wouldn't recommend it to a child. It brought her back to a scary time and reminded her to appreciate what is in front of her. As dark as the story was, she smiled a lot.
LJ - Ex - Although written as a book for young adults, this is one of the most stunningly beautiful, heart-wrenching tragic books I’ve read. It made me laugh; it made me weep. Narrated by Death, the astonishingly visual descriptions at times amazed me. The characters are wonderful and tenderly brought to life. It is a story of love, courage, friendship and loss. It is a story of a love of reading, of stolen books and the power of words. It makes me mindful of what is best, and worst, about us humans. I, most of all, makes me grateful for my own passion for words, reading and books.
   I first listened to the audio version of this book. Allan Corduner did an exceptional job bringing this story to life. I loved the story so much, I then read it in hardcover. The physical style of the way it was printed brought the story even more to live for me, and I had Corduner’s voice in my head. There are a couple pieces of music that, when I heard them for the first time, I happened to be in the car and was so moved, I had to pull over, stop and listen. I had the same reaction to this book, as it started. The entire prologue of this book had me sitting in my car, pulled over off a very busy road, just listening. What can I say; Death is haunted by humans. I was haunted, in the most wonderful way, by this book.
Christina - VG - I listened to the audio version of this book. I might have found it a difficult read, but the narrator did a wonderful job with the voices.
   The story, as you have probably heard, is told by death. He takes an interest in the story of a young girl who is sent to live with foster parents during WWII in Germany. On the train her brother dies and she steals a book. These two events shape her future.
   I had doubts that I would like a story being told by death but the narrative
is wonderful. The characters are beautifully brought to life. There are foreshadowings of the future which are momentarily off-putting. In
spite of the knowledge that a death is going to occur, when it did happen I was still very moved by the description. The advance knowledge doesn't take away from the tragedy.
   The Book Thief is not just about death. It is about the joy of life and love
and words. I recommend the book, and especially the Audio version, to anyone. Every now and then you read or listen to a book that is so above the usual fare, that it is hard to pick up anything more mundane. That is how I am feeling tonight.