Book Review: Brenner and God by Wolf Haas
3 Stars , Fiction , Latest Posts / July 25, 2012

Article first published as Book Review: Brenner and God by Wolf Haas on Blogcritics. About: Brenner and God by Wolf Haas is a detective novel taking place in Germany.Mr. Haas, a popular author in Germany, has recently had his first translated work published. 224 pages Publisher: Melville International Crime; Language: English ISBN-10: 1612191134 My rating for Brenner and God – 3 Buy this book in paper or electronic format More Books by Wolf Haas Thoughts: Brenner and God by Wolf Haas is an entertaining, yet wildly strange novel. The book is narrated by an unnamed person who has a wicked, dark and wry sense of humor – much like my own which is why I thought I’d enjoy the book more. The style of the novel is unwieldy and I never got used to it. I don’t know whether the style is that way because it’s meant to be that way or simply lost in translation – meaning the translation is fine, but the style simply doesn’t conform to the English reader. The narrator says things like “listen carefully”, “take note” etc. and reminds himself things retrospectively. The main character of Brenner walks around the novel, basically it seems just…

Novella Review: The Perfect Defective by Clark Casey
3 Stars , Fiction , Latest Posts / June 25, 2012

About: The Perfect Defective by Clark Casey is a short story written in pulp style with jokes thrown in almost every paragraph. While the story certainly isn’t for everybody, it might appeal to mystery fans with a thick skin and humorous aptitude. My rating for The Perfect Defective – 3 Buy this book in electronic format More Books by Clark Casey Thoughts: I don’t usually read short stories, even though I read a few this year, but figured why not read The Perfect Defective by Clark Casey , I have a fondness for pulp. I had a spare hour in between books and figured… why not? The protagonist, Jack Hannigan, is a drunkard jerk with sympathy for off colored, juvenile jokes. While the story didn’t have me roaring with laughter, I did crack a smile here and there and even a few chuckles. While I didn’t find anything in the story very offensive, I can only assume it is meant to offend, but to his credit, Jack tries to offend all. I tried to trudge through the plot, which is purposely absurd and seems to be a vehicle to carry the jokes Jack drink himself to oblivion, have sex and…

Thoughts on: Akhmed and the Atomic Matzo Balls by Gary Buslik
3 Stars , Fiction , Latest Posts / May 17, 2012

About: Akhmed and the Atomic Matzo Balls by Gary Buslik is a fictional comedic book. The story spans the globe and includes tyrants, professors and even… conservatives. 370 pages Publisher: Travelers’ Tales/Solas House Language: English ISBN-10: 1609520696 My rating for Akhmed and the Atomic Matzo Balls – 3 Buy this book in paper or in elec­tronic format More Books by Gary Buslik Thoughts: I really don’t know what to think about Akhmed and the Atomic Matzo Balls by Gary Buslik. Some parts I found really funny, others not so much, yet at times it seemed as if Larry David was in my face trying too hard to make me laugh. This is a wacky novel, as you can tell from the wonderful title; the good news is that it’s wacky on purpose. The plot is over the top and the dialog is mostly funny, some of the jokes were not akin to my humor, but many others were. I like the sarcastic sense of humor, absurd humor sometimes passes me by. While the characterization is good, there is not one nice, sympathetic or relatable person in the whole book. That’s what the author wanted to do, I believe, and that’s what we got but…

Thoughts on: The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger
3 Stars , Fiction , Latest Posts / May 1, 2012

About: The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger is a fictional book which deals with online marriages of US citizens to mail order brides. As with any marriage, this one is also fraught with challenges on a day to day basis. My rating for The Newlyweds – 3 Buy this book in paper or in elec­tronic format. More books by Nell Freudenberger Thoughts: The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger is a well written book and a first rate drama. The author created a rich world and some thought provoking instances in the narrative. This is one of those books that I’m on the fence about (much like Jane Eyre). While I certainly appreciate the quality, the story didn’t speak to me nor could I identify myself with anyone of the characters except George, the American husband, which is basically a set piece. As someone who is not unfamiliar with cross cultural / cross religious marriages, as well as immigration and culture shock, I thought this book would speak to me more – but it didn’t. I really liked the premise of a Bangladeshi woman coming to the United States to marry an American. Amina is not some dimwit, but an intelligent (far more intelligent than her husband),…

Thoughts on: Queenmaker: A Novel of King David’s Queen by India Edghill
3 Stars , Biblical Fiction , Fiction , Latest Posts / March 20, 2012

Article first published as Book Review: Queenmaker: A Novel of King David’s Queen by India Edghill on Blogcritics. About: Queenmaker: A Novel of King David’s Queen by India Edghill is considered to be biblical fiction. I have studied the bible (both Jewish and Christian) and do enjoy biblical fiction very much. 384 pages Publisher: Picador; First Edition edition (November 2002) Language: English ISBN-10: 0312289197 My rating for Queenmaker – 3 Buy this book in paper for­mat through the Man of la Book Affil­i­ate Account More books by India Edghill Thoughts: I enjoyed India Edghill’s (website) Delilah: A Novel (book review) very much so I figured I’ll pick up her novel Queenmaker as a follow-up. Queenmaker is a biblical fiction first person narrative of Michal, King David’s first wife (out of several) and the one to hold the title of Queen. The book follows the biblical books of Samuel and II Samuel from Michal’s perspective; from her humble beginning as a daughter of Saul, a humble farmer, through his ascension to king, wars and madness. After marrying her father’s harper / war hero David she helps him escapes her father and for her help gets sold to another man until David’s army goes back to reclaim /…

Thoughts on: A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
3 Stars , Fiction , Latest Posts / March 8, 2012

Article first published as Book Review: A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs on Blogcritics. About: A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs is a science-fiction book published in 1912. This is Burroughs first published book and stars John Carter. 160 pages Publisher: Del Rey ISBN: 0345331389 My rating for A Princess of Mars – 3 Great price on this book in paper or FREE in electronic Format through the Man of la Book Affil­i­ate Account More books by Edgar Rice Burroughs Thoughts: A Princess of Mars is Edgar Rice Burroughs’ first novel, while the novel is good, it feels like a first novel and I’m glad Burroughs continued to write and get better each time. What impressed me about the book was how imaginative it was compared to other science-fiction stories of the time. While Jules Verne concentrated on the science aspect of his stories (see my review of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) and H.G. Wells’ science fiction stories were more about social commentary (my thoughts on The Invisible Man), Burroughs concentrated more on the story aspect, but instead of taking place on earth, he set it on Mars. The book is an escapable fantasy, and enjoyable tale which, if…

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