Two reviews in one: Hush by Kate White and Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd

Isn’t it odd, how similar things often appear simultaneously? Remember that "disaster summer" at the movies, Deep Impact and Armageddon? It seems like I inadvertently read similar books near the same time too. Two such books, which I probably should review individually, (but heck..it’s my blog and I’ll double up is I want to) were Hush by Kate White and Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd.


In both of these books, the protagonists were placed in unlikely situations and then behaved in an idiotic manner. In Ordinary Thunderstorms, the hero, Adam Kindred, is in London for a job interview. Feeling good about his future, he’s having dinner alone when he strikes up a conversation with a fellow diner. Based on this chance encounter, Adam is soon on the run from the police; the primary suspect in a murder.

The main character in Hush, Lake Warren is feeling pretty low. She has just discovered that her husband, who she has only been separated from for a few months, is suing for full custody of her kids. With her kids away at camp, she is the marketing consultant at an infertility clinic. One evening, after an office get-together, she goes home with a clinic doctor who had been flirting with her. Upon waking in the morning, in a strange apartment, she is horrified to discover her one-night-stand has been murdered; his throat slashed. Based on this encounter, Lake is immersed in a game of cat and mouse with the unknown killer, and fearing she will come under suspicion by the police.

Okay, I know, it sounds like I’m really stretching to compare these two books. But they just felt similar to me. Both protagonists were, in a word, idiots. Both authors justified the characters moronic choices. I’ll admit, I’ve never woke up in an apartment with a man whose throat has been slashed while my soon-to-be ex is threatening to take my kids. And I’ve never visited London, attempted to return a forgotten file to a fellow customer from a diner, walked into his hotel room through door left ajar and found him murdered. Perhaps if these situations occurred to me, I’d be an idiot too. But I’d like to think I’d call the police in the first instance, and leave the damn file at the reception desk in the second. Supposing I was momentarily flummoxed and made all the wrong choices, and now thought I was in deep trouble. I’d still like to think I’d be smart enough to find a lawyer and talk to the police. Boyd's scenario in Ordinary Thunderstorms was a bit more plausible, but was still pretty darned surreal.

As you can tell, I wasn’t too impressed with either book. I wanted to smack Lake Warren upside her privileged spoiled head for the stupid things she did. And by the time the book concluded, I just didn’t really care who the crazy killer was. Yep, it was a little bit of a surprise, I didn’t peg the killer early on, but I didn’t really try. I just didn’t care all that much. And although Adam Kindred was a more interesting character, I didn’t have much patience with his choice to become a homeless bum in London instead of talking to the police. Both of their choices just made me think, “Really? Seriously? What the hell is wrong with these people??”

(Review copies provided by Harper Collins)

My rating (for both books) :

Books you've just GOT to read!! #6

(Or our favorite under-appreciated, under-loved, long-forgotten or never heard of books that we know you'll love just as much as we do when we convince you to finally read them!...phew....books....)

It's time for another installment!

This time, I wanted to talk a bit about a much loved, but sometimes overlooked and forgotten series...The Boxcar Children. So many of us grew up reading the Boxcar Children books and then many of our kids did as well. I thought you'd enjoy the story of what the Boxcar Children meant to one reader...

Mandie of Just We Moms shares her story with us:

When Gertrude Warner was home sick from her teaching job one day, she came up with the idea of The Boxcar Children. She began writing the first of many Boxcar Children stories. Many of her pupils were learning English as a second language, so Ms. Warner worked diligently to make the story simple to read to encourage emergent readers to develop a love for reading.

Back in February of 1985, I moved from North Carolina to Iowa. Moving mid-year meant all the students my new class had already formed bonds with one another and I had a more difficult time breaking into the group. I vividly remember walking into the school library and finding a copy of The Boxcar Children on the shelf. I remember it was one shelf removed from the circulation desk located on the middle shelf on the far left side, the carpet was brown, and the librarian scared me. My interest was peaked because this book was the first in a series and if I liked it, I wouldn’t have to do the overwhelming job of finding another book with the scary librarian watching my every move since this was just the first in a series!

I was not disappointed with The Boxcar Children. Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny quickly captured my imagination. I had three sisters at home, but never a close relationship with them. I had multiple new friends at school, but no one with whom I had created a close bond.Visiting with the Alden orphans on a daily basis filled a large void in my life. I imagined running away from the orphanage, going to the local dump with them looking for the necessities of life, and finding that boxcar in the woods like an oasis in the desert. I joined Henry in his trips to the nice doctor’s house where he earned money to help feed his siblings. I sat in suspense as Violet fell ill and grew concerned whenever thoughts of the book’s villain, the orphans’ grandfather, came to mind.

When Gertrude Warner wrote the first book in this series in 1924, I am sure she never imagined it would grow to be 140 installments since she only penned the first 19! I am sure she also never imagined a younggirl in Iowa looking for a place to belong and finding solace the characters she created. Because of the experiences I had with the series, I will always have a special place in my heart for Gertrude
Warner, Henry, Jessie, Violet, Benny, and their grandfather, Mr. Alden.

Plot Summary of the first Boxcar Children book (from Wikipedia)

The first book tells the story of four children: Henry James Alden, 14; Jessie Alden, 12; Violet Alden, 10; Benny Alden, 6; and their dog Watch. Upon the death of their mother and father, their grandfather assumes custody of the children, but they run away because they believe him to be cruel. Finding an abandoned boxcar, they start a new life of independence. They furnish their boxcar with items retrieved from a local dump while Henry works for a young doctor, in order to earn money for food. The young doctor, Dr. Moore, who lives in a nearby city, hires Henry to do jobs around his home, such as mowing the lawn and organizing his garage. He also does gardening for Mrs. Moore. (In one case, Mrs. Moore let him take home some parsnips and carrots he had picked because they were too small) The children's lives are pleasant and simple until Violet becomes ill and they must go to Dr. Moore for assistance.

Earlier in the novel, Dr. Moore has read in the newspaper that a man named James Alden was offering a $5,000 reward for anyone who can locate his four lost grandchildren. When Violet is taken ill, Dr. Moore finally contacts James Alden, who arrives just after the children bring in Violet for treatment. Not wanting to frighten the children into running away again, their grandfather referred to himself as Mr. Henry (Henry being his middle name). Not knowing that the man was their "cruel" grandfather, the children warm to his kindness and are surprised but delighted when Dr. Moore reveals to them that he is their grandfather. After moving in with their grandfather, Mr. Alden moves the boxcar to his backyard for their enjoyment.

Boxcar Children is one of those rare literary franchises that can last for decades. You might remember them from your childhood, if so, introduce the Alden children to your family once again!

Books you've just GOTTA read!! #5

(Or our favorite under-appreciated, under-loved, long-forgotten or never heard of books that we know you'll love just as much as we do when we convince you to finally read them!...phew....books....)

The last books that DesLily talked with me about is the Dragonlance series.

".....And how do I speak of Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman's, Dragonlance? Many know the game, and it is still fairly popular, but I no longer hear of the books that brought them to life.

There are many books written under the name Dragonlance. But the main 6 novels written by Weis and Hickman were the ones that really made it all possible. The first publication of their books was in 1984.

Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Dragons of Winter Night, Dragons of Spring Dawning, Test of the Twins, Time of the Twins and War of the Twins.

Many more Dragonlance books are out there but these are the "best of the best".

Once again, although filled with adventure and daring I found them to be character driven, with a wide variety of characters, from humans to half elf to dwarf to kinder to sorcerer...and there's not a one who won't remain with you for years to come.

I don't know what it is about a book (or books) that makes me never want to leave them. I don't know why I find I must return to them time and again. I don't know what it is that makes me wish I were a very real part of them. There seems to be no one thing I can point to and say, "this is why I think they are so wonderful"... they just are.

These authors and their books are from "my era". But they still sell them! They are still out there for new people to find them and to fall in love with them. I can only wish that they will be found by another generation and become the success they were once again. --DesLily"


Lest all you young'uns think you have the market on fantastic fiction and creative gaming cornered...its been around a lot longer than you think!

From Wikipedia
Dragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of popular fantasy novels. The Hickmans devised the concept that became Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job application. At TSR, Tracy met his future writing partner Margaret Weis, and they gathered a group of associates to play the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The adventures during that game inspired a series of gaming modules, and a series of novels, as well as licensed products such as board games, and lead miniature figures.

In 1984, TSR published the first Dragonlance novel, Dragons of Autumn Twilight. It began the Chronicles Trilogy, a core element of Dragonlance. While the authoring team of Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis wrote the setting's central books, numerous other authors contributed novels and short stories to the setting. Over 190 novels have used the Dragonlance setting, and have been accompanied by a supplemental campaign setting in the Dungeons & Dragons – style for over a decade. In 1997, Wizards of the Coast LLC purchased TSR, and licensed Dragonlance to Sovereign Press, Inc in 2001 to produce game materials; this licensing agreement expired in 2007.

The fictional Dragonlance world of Krynn contains numerous characters, an extensive timeline, and a detailed geography. The history of Krynn consists of six ages. The novels and related game products are primarily set in the fifth age, The Age of Despair. Since February 2009, the sixth age, the Age of Mortals, has been used. The Heroes of the Lance, created by Weis and Hickman, are the popular protagonists of the Chronicles trilogy, the first books set in the Dragonlance universe. Along with D&D's world of the Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance is one of the most popular shared worlds in fiction.

A huge THANK YOU to DesLily for pointing out a whole new genre. I always knew these types of books were around, but haven't ever read any. I'm about to expand my horizons!

What horizon expanding and genre bending have you done lately??

Books you've just GOTTA read!! #4

(Or our favorite under-appreciated, under-loved, long-forgotten or never heard of books that we know you'll love just as much as we do when we convince you to finally read them!...phew....books....)

Let's continue with DesLily's favorite long-forgotten books:

......Then there is David Eddings and his Belgariad series. Sadly Mr Eddings recently passed away, but he did leave a legacy of his books behind so that others may still find his world and his characters and his wizards!

This series of books began in 1982 (well that means some of you were born!) and is a series of 5 books.


Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit, Castle of Wizardry, Enchanters' End Game.

It is followed by The Malloreon which is a five book sequel that continues the story started in the Belgariad. The two books added later: Bergarath the Sorcerer and Polara the Sorceress.


Besides being an adventure filled with wars and secrets, it is a very character driven series of books. Once again I found that the characters felt like I knew them. (or wanted to know them) This is just another example of a series of books that no longer gets talked about or mentioned. They too have found their way onto the "forgotten list of extraordinary books.".. and yet I so wanted to meet Belgarath and Polgara!! (and still do!)......

Eddings is yet another author that I haven't read. He died in June of this year and while googling him, I found a great article about him on Starlog.com.

Eddings had some strong reservations about how fantasy is written today, especially concerning the genre’s prudishness. He charged the veritable father of fantasy with starting the trend. “Papa Tolkien was such a prissy guy,” Eddings claimed. “I would also say that this is the prissiest art form that there is. That’s what fantasy is about now. Tolkien didn’t want boy-girl relationships. [But during that time], there was a certain amount of hanky-panky going on. Click here to read the article in its entirety.

DesLily has convinced me, I'm going to check out this genre, and I'll certainly begin with her favorites.

(The last part of DesLily's discussion of her favorites will continue on Saturday..You're just gonna have to wait and see what's in store.. I know...I'm evil....)

Books you've just GOTTA read!! #3

(Or our favorite under-appreciated, under-loved, long-forgotten or never heard of books that we know you'll love just as much as we do when we convince you to finally read them!...phew....books....)

This week's "Gotta read" features books suggested by Deslily. Here's a portion of the discussion we've had about her favorite books:

Books of Another Time

Wow.. where does one begin when asked to write about their all time favorite books?

Kelly, of The Novel Book Worm, asked me to write down some thoughts about the books I mentioned when I entered her giveaway.

I'm not very good at writing, especially writing how I feel about things. But I guess I will give it a shot.

The books I listed with Kelly are Anne McCaffrey's Pern books, David Eddings Belgariad series and Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance series.

Originally Kelly asked this:

Have you ever read a book and loved it, only to learn that it doesn't find the great success you'd expect? Maybe because its from a small publishing house, or maybe because its badly marketed? It's not only frustrating for us, the readers, but imagine how it must feel to be the author. To put heart and soul into a book, to know its really good, and yet....phhhhtttt....tepid sales.

But I really didn't know any books that I loved that fit the category of not having success. But I did feel that the books I loved for so many years have started to become a thing of the past... the forgotten writings of some great authors with great stories to be told.



Anne McCaffrey's Pern books started coming out way back in 1968.. that's before many of you were born! So it's no surprise that if I asked you have your read The Dragonriders of Pern, you'd say : "huh?" And yet between Anne and her son Todd they have 20 (yes, you are reading right) books out on the Dragonriders and Dragons and Pern itself. However, in the beginning there were: Dragonflight, Dragonquest, The White Dragon and then the Harper Hall Trilogy, Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, and Dragondrums.

I dearly love these books! Anne McCaffrey created a planet with problems, filled it with good and evil people and most of all with her wonderful Dragons and then swept me away for years to come.

They are books I have read and reread a number of times.

They are books that for no apparent reason will pop into my head and I find it's time to read them again!

The books are character driven. And even the dragons have personalities and so they are a part of the equation. I can't even envision Pern without the dragons!

Although one cannot buy the "original books" anymore, they have been distributed in new paperback versions........

(More to follow....yep...I'm keeping you in suspense....)

Of course, my conversation with Deslily sent me straight to google, I'm certainly old enough to have read McCaffrey's work, but I'm "genre-challenged" (i.e. Stuck in a Rut), so her work is new to me!

From Wikipedia
McCaffrey's most famous works are the Dragonriders of Pern series. These are set on an Earth colony which has reverted to medieval times but also produced dragons. These dragons are flown by elite "dragonriders" who communicate telepathically with their dragons, and defend Pern against pernicious "threads" which cross space periodically from a nearby planetoid and threaten to destroy all vegetation on Pern. The short story "Weyr Search" (1968), the initial story in the Dragonriders of Pern series, won a Hugo Award for Best Novella. McCaffrey thus became the first woman to win a Hugo for fiction.

At the 2005 Nebula Award ceremonies, McCaffrey was named the 22nd Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America organization. In 2006 she was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.

From Anne's Biography on her website:
Anne McCaffrey’s first story was published by Sam Moskowitz in Science Fiction + Magazine and her first novel was published by Ballantine Books in 1967. By the time the three children of her marriage were comfortably in school most of the day, she had already achieved enough success with short stories to devote full time to writing. Her first novel, Restoree, was written as a protest against the absurd and unrealistic portrayals of women in s-f novels in the 50s and early 60s. It is, however, in the handling of broader themes and the worlds of her imagination, particularly the two series The Ship Who Sang and the fourteen novels about the Dragonriders of Pern that Ms. McCaffrey’s talents as a story-teller are best displayed.

Although she used to make appearances throughout the world as guest of honor at science fiction conventions, arthritis has now restricted such travel. She lives in a house of her own design, Dragonhold-Underhill (because she had to dig out a hill on her farm to build it) in Wicklow County, Ireland. It is not remotely like a castle, "on purpose," she says to people who believe ‘hold’ is synonymous with ‘castle’ in Ireland.

Anne runs a private livery stable and her horses have been successful in Horse Trials and showjumping. She does not ride in competition, she hastens to add, but has enjoyed the success of horse and rider and, until recently, rode out on her black and white mare, Pi.

Anne McCaffrey is a prolific writer, whose work I'm not familar with. Many readers have suggested books for this series in the fantasy/scifi type genre, and I've got to say, I've never really read much of either genre. (You can't count the Lord of the Rings series...everyone has read them!!) I don't think I realized what a reading rut I've been in most of my adult life, I'm expanding my horizons thanks to readers like Deslily! You can see Anne McCaffrey's complete bibliography here

Books you've just GOTTA read!! #2

(Or our favorite under-appreciated, under-loved, long-forgotten or never heard of books that we know you'll love just as much as we do when we convince you to finally read them!...phew....books....)

This week's featured books come from Jill at Rhapsody in Books. (Thanks Jill!!) On Tuesday, Doomsday Book was featured and today is Jill's other suggestion, “This is the Way The World Ends” by James Morrow.

From SFF.net:

In 1995, George Paxton is an ordinary American living an ordinary life in an ordinary town. Content as a tombstone carver and family man, George lacks only one thing: a fashionable "scopas" survival suit--complete with sanitary facilities and a Colt.45--to protect his daughter in the event of nuclear war.

Then, through a twist of fate, George secures the coveted suit, a deluxe golden model, for the price of a mere signature. Unfortunately, what he signs proves to be a diabolical pact affirming his complicity in the escalating arms race, and as the war that could never happen happens, George is whisked into the past and the future to face the consequences of his actions.

Jill once more provided me with an excellent review of this book for this feature:

This satiric noir sci-fi novel is about a global nuclear holocaust from the point of view of the victims – i.e., the dead, who place the survivors on trial for having killed them. In spite of a plot that could be dreadfully sad, Morrow has a wicked sense of humor that will appeal to fans of Kurt Vonnegut and even Jonathan Swift.

One of the blurbs calls this book “a surrealistic, dark comedy” which I think captures its tone precisely. What I love so much about this book is that it hits the mark in so many ways.

I first read this many years ago, and found to my delight (or dismay!) that when I reread it last year, it didn’t seem dated at all. And when the trial finally yields the motive for the disaster, even as you laugh out loud you will want to stand up and shout in terror, “This could actually happen!!!”

I found some interesting comments the author made which have piqued my interest even more!

At first blush, a critic might bracket This Is the Way the World Ends with other post-holocaust fiction. From Alas, Babylon through A Canticle for Leibowitz to Riddley Walker, this genre has commonly styled itself an avatar of hope. My goal lay elsewhere. I began with the assumption that most people would prefer to exercise hope before the warheads arrive. I wanted to speak for victims, not celebrate survivors.

Even the most elaborate nuclear exchange would probably fail to extinguish Homo sapiens. Some of us will muddle through. In This Is the Way the World Ends, though, I decided to use self-extinction as a metaphor for the legions who won't make it. It's all very well to valorize our species's undoubted resilience, but a mass grave is hardly a fit monument to such sentiments.

Reading Jonathan Schell's The Fate of the Earth., I was particularly impressed by one line: "The right vantage point from which to view a holocaust is that of a corpse." It struck me that most nuclear-war fiction is really a kind of pornography, inviting us to identify with winners while the losers, the corpses, drop away. So how might a novelist assume the vantage point of the dead? Through recourse, I reasoned, to the tools of speculative fiction. Eventually I hit upon the conceit of "the unadmitted," the generations whose births were canceled by the extinction. I gave them flesh and a temporary lease on life.

Reprinted from SFWA Bulletin

This book has grabbed me just like Jill's other suggestion, and I'm on my way to the bookstore to snag a copy. If your local bookstore is out of stock, (it's been around for a while) and you just can't wait, here you go....

Y'all come back now, I'll be featuring James Morrow one more time, hopefully pretty soon! And next week, a reader named Deslily has three favorite authors for the project.

Books you've just GOTTA read!! #1

(Or our favorite under-appreciated, under-loved, long-forgotten or never heard of books that we know you'll love just as much as we do when we convince you to finally read them!...phew....books....)

Last month, while hoping to interest everyone in my current favorite Under-appreciated book, Big Sid's Vincati, I asked what your favorite under-appreciated book was. And did I get answers! We are a passionate bunch about books we love. And I'll admit, I hadn't heard of many of these books. So, starting today, I'm going to add a regular feature to the blog....and here is the first installment.....*drumroll please......

This week's featured books come from Jill at Rhapsody in Books! (Thanks Jill!!)



Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

From Amazon:
Connie Willis labored five years on this story of a history student in 2048 who is transported to an English village in the 14th century. The student arrives mistakenly on the eve of the onset of the Black Plague. Her dealings with a family of "contemps" in 1348 and with her historian cohorts lead to complications as the book unfolds into a surprisingly dark, deep conclusion. The book, which won Hugo and Nebula Awards, draws upon Willis' understanding of the universalities of human nature to explore the ageless issues of evil, suffering and the indomitable will of the human spirit.

Jill brought this book to my attention, and she was kind enough to send me this terrific review on the book:

There are two settings in this book: the Oxford University History Department in 2054, and Medieval England in 1348.

In 2054, Oxford is using time travel to amend and correct historical records, and so it allows Kivrin, a young woman studying history, to go back to 1320 for research. Unfortunately, an error drops her 28 years later, right into the time period of the Bubonic Plague.

The book alternates between 2054 and 1348 as the historians try to get Kivrin back, and as Kivrin fights for her life. As we get to know the people with whom Kivrin stays in 1348 and learn to care about them, we live through the Plague as vividly and poignantly as she does. And we live through Kivrin’s terror that she may never get back.

Connie Willis is a remarkable author for several reasons. One is that she so thoroughly researches her work that this account of Medieval England is as extensive and accurate as any you will get in any academic study. The second is that books by Willis focus extensively on miscommunications – sentences only half spoken, or misunderstood, or never conveyed, or conveyed too late, or lost in dreams. The tragic as well as comedic consequences of not communicating well are a recurring theme in her work and serve to provide dramatic tension as well as sociological commentary.

This book is classified as scifi rather than historical fiction, but it could certainly be well-suited in either category.

If you'd like to read a bit more about the plot, you can head over to the Wikipedia entry, which is more detailed, but might give away a little too much. After reading the Wikipedia entry and Jill's review, I'm hooked! Even though I hardly ever read this type of book, it's time to expand my horizons a bit. Doomsday Book is now right up there at the top of my list, and I can't wait to read it!

This first entry into my "Books I've Got To Read" project is a book I can't wait to get my hands on. Thanks so much to Jill for bringing it to my attention!!

Come back Thursday for Jill's other "Books you've just GOTTA read" selection!!