Book Challenge: Seconds Challenge

When I started this blog late in 2011, I had every intention of signing up for every book challenge I could find in 2012. Specifically a 52 books challenge, possibly an A–Z challenge. But then life happened and I haven't had as much time for reading or blogging.

We're almost halfway through 2012, but I still haven't given up on joining a challenge and I was intrigued when I found the Seconds Challenge at A Few More (Reading) Challenges.

Basically, here's how it works: You make it a point to read a second book by an author you've read once before or the second book in a series. It could be an author or series that you enjoyed but haven't got around to reading again or it could be a second chance for an author or series that you didn't enjoy the first time but are willing to try reading again.

There are four different levels:

• Just a spoonful - Read 3 books that are 2nd in a series or the second time you’ve read the author. 
• A few more bites - Read 6 books that are 2nd in a series or the second time you’ve read the author.
• A full plate - Read 12 books that are 2nd in a series or the second time you’ve read the author.
• All you can eat - Read 20 books (or more) that are 2nd in a series or the second time you’ve read the author.

Appropriately enough for a seconds challenge, I'm going to try for the second level (6 books), but hopefully I'll be able to surpass that. This challenge appealed to me because there are so many times that I read a book and mean to pick up another book by the same author ... and then three years (or 13 years, but who's counting?) go by and I still haven't gotten around to it. It might take me a few weeks to get into this because I just started a book and have another on hold at the library, but hopefully by posting this challenge I'll be motivated to get going as soon as possible. 

A Town Like Alice

Synopsis
Englishwoman Jean Paget unexpectedly inherits a large chunk of money. She decides to use part of it to help the Malayan village where she spent the last part of World War II. Her journey gets more interesting when she discovers that an Australian POW who helped her was not killed as she thought and may still be alive.

My thoughts
The romance at the heart of this book was sweet, sappy, and almost too good to be true. Jean met Joe very briefly during the war, when she was being led on a forced march through the Malayan countryside. He stole some chickens from a cruel Japanese soldier and gave them to Jean to help feed her and the other women and children on the march. When the Japanese soldiers discovered the chickens with her, Joe took the blame and Jean thought he was killed.

Her trek to find him touchingly coincides with his journey to find her. They finally do reunite and sparks fly. But there's a not insignificant obstacle to overcome before they can live happily ever after. Joe lives in the harsh Australian outback and he's not convinced Jean will like it. She solves this on her own by using a little more of her inheritance to become a successful entrepreneur, proving that she can hold her own. I loved Jean's character. She's resourceful, sassy, and tough. She's a very modern woman in a man's world.


On the other hand, the casual racism and paternalism directed at the Asian and Australian Aboriginal characters was difficult to read. I know it's a product of the times the book was set in and written in, but it kept me from truly enjoying the book.

The book is told from the point of view of Jean's lawyer, which was less than enjoyable and made the book drag. (It's a short book, but between the irrelevant lawyer's inner thoughts and the main characters' wanderings it could have been cut in half.)


Bottom line
It's a quick read, so it's worth a look.


Fine print
A Town Like Alice, by Nevil Shute 
Genre: fiction

Photo from Goodreads
I borrowed this book from the library

Beast

Synopsis
"Beauty and the Beast" from the Beast's point of view, set in Persia.

My take
I'm a sucker for fairy tale retellings, but I was disappointed in this one. I was intrigued by the promise of seeing the Beast's point of view; unfortunately, it wasn't very interesting. Beast—or Prince Orasmyn, in his human form—is actually a good, decent guy who gets turned into a lion on a technicality. Because of this, there's obviously no need for a journey from bad guy to good guy, and the story is the worse for it.

I did like that it was set in Persia and discussed the friction between traditional Persian culture and Islam. That wasn't the main point of the book, but I did appreciate that it played even a small role.

Bottom line
Just watch Beauty and the Beast again.

Fine print
Beast, by Donna Jo Napoli
Genre: YA fiction
Photo from Goodreads
I bought this book

The Lost Symbol

Synopsis
Robert Langdon is back in another thriller, this one set in Washington, D.C. A rogue Freemason kidnaps one of Langdon's mentors and it's up to Langdon to save his friend's life.

My take
This is a real page-turner and it kept me entertained—but it's probably my least favorite of the Robert Langdon books I've read. (Angels and Demons ranks first because I read it first and found it utterly captivating. The Da Vinci Code comes in second; the premise was intriguing, it was just as fast-paced as Angels and Demons, and it kept me guessing right to the end.) The Lost Symbol tries to be bigger and better than its predecessors, but ultimately it's just too much. It's like Dan Brown knew he needed to top Langdon's other adventures but couldn't quite pull it off. And that's why I rarely let myself get drawn into series books or books that have a common protagonist—no matter how much I love the characters, the quality invariably deteriorates. (This was why I stopped reading Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series and I may not finish George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series for the same reason.)

There were many twists and turns, but I was disappointed that I was able to figure out the villain's true identity well before the dramatic reveal. My husband and I read Angels and Demons at the same time and he figured out who the bad guy was long before I did—he even wrote a page-long analysis explaining his logic to convince me. And I didn't see the Da Vinci Code resolution coming either.

Another drawback: there was a lot of tedious long-winded explanation in this book, which is something I don't remember from Angels and Demons or The Da Vinci Code (although it's been a few years since I've read them). Angels and Demons contained both scientific and religious details, but they were woven into the overall narrative more seamlessly. Brown was less successful in doing that with The Lost Symbol. The explanations were easy to follow, but they were distracting and they took me away from the action. It was like watching a movie and having to hit pause every few minutes to have something explained.

But enough negatives—on to the positives. Brown manages to cultivate a sense of suspense despite the fact that the formula of the genre dictates that the good guys live happily ever after. And as an organization, the Freemasons make a compelling focus for Brown's trademark symbolism-driven mystery. They're just as fascinating as the Illuminati or Opus Dei. I also liked that the action was set in Washington, D.C. It's not as glamorous or as historically rich as Rome or Paris, but it makes a strong impression (much like the first National Treasure movie). Brown goes out of his way to stress that D.C. is just as worthy as the grand old European cities, but I don't quite buy it. After all, it did take him this long to focus on D.C. himself.

Finally, a modest cheer for the smart female sidekick, who for once is not a leggy brunette half Langdon's age.

Bottom line
It certainly lives up to its billing as a thriller. It's leagues above most of the rest of the genre, but it's not quite on the same level as Angels and Demons or The Da Vinci Code. Like previous Dan Brown books there's a lot of gore, so it may not be for anyone who is squeamish. And if it's ever adapted for the screen you can probably skip the book and just see the movie.

Fine print
The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown
Genre: Thriller
Photo from Goodreads
I bought this book

Smilla's Sense of Snow

Synopsis
A young boy falls to his death and his neighbor Smilla sets out on a quest to prove he was murdered and find out why.

My take
This is not your typical whodunnit. It doesn't have a conventional ending or a conventional heroine. I liked that the ending didn't tie things up in a neat bow for me, but I'm still a little surprised I made it to the end at all. I just couldn't get into this book and I think most of the reason lies with Smilla. She's the star attraction of the book, and she's a polarizing figure you either love or hate. I didn't care for her. She possesses many traits I find admirable—self-sufficiency, inquisitiveness, pragmatism. But she was so aloof and robotic that it was hard to see her as fully human.

I also had a problem with the way the plot unfolded. I didn't follow the logic behind many of Smilla's decisions. Isaiah was afraid of heights, so it makes sense that Smilla would be suspicious about how he came to fall to his death from the top of the apartment building. But I never understood why she connected Isaiah's father's death with Isaiah's death. She turns out to be right and there wouldn't have been a story if she hadn't figured out the link between the two deaths, but the book is full of developments that I didn't quite follow.

This book did make me curious about the author, Peter Hoeg. He chose a female narrator and he also brings in elements you don't normally see in the mystery/thriller genre—for instance, the cultural clash between Denmark and Greenland and the use of math and science to solve the mystery.

Bottom line
If you can get past the flaws in characters and development, read this book on a swelteringly hot day or in front of a roaring fire because not only are the characters cold, but the locale is too—and it only gets worse the more the book goes on.

Fine print
Smilla's Sense of Snow, by Peter Hoeg 
Genre: Mystery
Photo from Goodreads
I borrowed this book from the library

Across the Nightingale Floor

Synopsis
Takeo's world is upended when his entire family is killed and his village is obliterated. He is adopted by his mysterious savior and learns he is a member of the Tribe, a family of assassins that possesses modest supernatural powers. He hones his skills and nurses dreams of revenge.

My take
I can't remember how I first heard about this book—I may have read about it when it the New York Times named it one of the notable books of the year in 2002—but I'm glad I put it on my reading list.

The story takes place in a world that's very similar—but obviously not identical—to feudal Japan. While some of the characters and events are based on real historical figures and occurrences, I didn't mind that they weren't exact copies. Lian Hearn introduced the concept of a separate race of people who can move at super speeds and make themselves invisible, so why not alter other details to suit the story?

Across the Nightingale Floor was written for a non-Japanese audience, so I was impressed at how seamlessly Hearn incorporated information about a history and culture that most readers probably wouldn't know much about. Her writing style also helps move the story along smoothly.

Takeo has a strong voice and is a well-drawn character. I felt for him and was fully invested in his part of the story. It was fun to read along as he discovered his new talents, and it was wrenching to read about the choices he faced—avenge his family, stay loyal to his adoptive father, or fully join the Tribe. His metamorphosis from country boy to mature warrior is well done. Unfortunately, the female lead, Kaede, does not fare so well. Her story is never as captivating or convincing as Takeo's. She's supposed to be a young woman who finds strength within herself much as Takeo does, but it seems forced and even a little cliched. Takeo's and Kaede's stories eventually mesh and they predictably fall in love immediately. It was sweet to read about but distracted from the larger picture. The narrative was strong—until the end, which was mostly Kaede's fault. Without giving too much away, I understand she needed revenge just like Takeo did, but the resolution to her story seemed contrived and it came at the expense of a satisfying conclusion for Takeo. Since he was the main protagonist, I felt cheated.

Bottom line
Highly enjoyable and mostly terrific. I'd recommend it, especially if you have any interest in feudal Japan. It's the first book in a series—I put the second one on my to-read list, but I didn't run out and get it, mostly because I was a little disappointed in the ending.

Fine print
Across the Nightingale Floor, by Lian Hearn
Genre: Fantasyish/historyish fiction
Photo from Goodreads
I borrowed this book from the library

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Synopsis
And they all died. Once upon a time there had been a town-wide plague of insomnia-induced memory loss, a woman who rose to heaven with her sister-in-law's precious sheets, and rains that lasted for four years, eleven months, and two days. And so it goes.


My thoughts
I had to struggle to finish this book. Every now and then, I pick out a book because it's on all the "100 Best" and "Must Read Before You Die" lists. Experiences like this make it easier for me to ignore those snobby lists. I was disappointed.

Jose Arcadio Buendia, his wife Ursula, and their merry band of followers leave their hometown and wander around in search of the ocean, where they've decided to build a new settlement. They never find the ocean, so they eventually just plop down in the middle of nowhere. The plot is pretty straightforward—it charts Jose Arcadio and Ursula's exploits and those of their descendants for almost 500 meandering pages.

I love epic family sagas, but this one didn't hold my interest. The characters all have variations of the same names, but they're easy to keep track of through their individual incestuous and/or obsessive compulsive tendencies. I never felt close to any of the characters because there's not much to relate to.

The detached writing style and the sheer ridiculousness of the characters' circumstances don't help. I know that's Gabriel Garcia Marquez's style, but I prefer Jorge Luis Borges's brand of magical realism. Garcia Marquez has this maddening habit of introducing an event or idea that seems promising and then veering off on a tangent for seventeen pages (all one dense paragraph) before finally getting to the point. By the time I finally, finally reached the end of one of these, I was usually so exhausted/exasperated that I didn't get any reward from whatever I'd just read. Yes, the writing is lyrical, but the beauty was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of prose.

Bottom line
At least I can check this one off my list of must-read classics.

Fine print
One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez 
Genre: Classic fiction
Photo from Goodreads
I borrowed this book from the library
Edited for typos