The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt

Oh, I'm so glad I picked up this book at the library from the new books section. It is fabulous!

Patrick deWitt has written one of the funniest novels about the Old West (1850s) and the Gold Rush ever written. The Sisters brothers are Charlie and Eli Sisters. They are hired killers. 

As you've noticed, if you read this book blog, I don't like to give away anything, just give a book a thumbs up or a nah, don't bother. This one gets two thumbs up. I'd give it more if I had more.

The recurring theme of teeth brushing plays nicely through the book.

Book Read: The Sisters Brothers

Author:  Patrick deWitt

ISBN: 978-0-06-204128-9

The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2003 and Schmidt Steps Back

Or I could call this post Long Time No Post but Two Books to Report. I started reading the first book, The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2003, and read most of it. It is highly amusing in places, serious in others, but good writing all around. This book series is edited by Dave Eggers, and each year a new edition is published with somewhat overlooked writing worth reading.

Then I got Schmidt Steps Back by Louis Begley and just finished it last night. You might have heard of About Schmidt, either the book or the movie starring Jack Nicholson, Hope Davis, Dermot Mulroney, and Kathy Bates. I saw the movie but didn't read the book. Schmidt Steps Back is the third Schmidtie book; the second is Schmidt Delivered.

 
I was struck by how different Schmidt was in the book from the character in the movie. The film makers changed him quite a bit and once I accepted that fact, the book was fine. 

I'd recommend either book or both.  

Books Read: The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2003 and Schmidt Steps Back

Editor:  Dave Eggers, Author:  Louis Begley

ISBN: 0-618-24695-9 and 978-0-307-70065-0

Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George

I love Elizabeth George's books, but when I start reading one, I always know it'll be a week or two before I'm done. I'm a slow reader and her books are long. But good!

I just finished reading Believing the Lie this morning. I tried to stay up last night to finish it but couldn't do it. I like to finish books in the light of day anyway, especially good ones.  This was sort of an "Elizabeth George light" because of the way it ended. Surprisingly the whodunit part wasn't addressed in the typical fashion, which is refreshing, since not all deaths are crimes. But there was still plenty of intrigue with the alternate story lines.

Do you read Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley mysteries?

Book Read: Believing the Lie

Author:  Elizabeth George

ISBN: 978-0-525-95258-9

A Reliable Wife by Charles Goolrick

A Reliable Wife by Charles Goolrick turned out to be just the ticket! I had been wanting to read a book that was engaging and suspenseful and this one was both.

The twists in the story may have been obvious to some but I go in blind when I read a book. I don't like to read reviews or even the dust jacket blurb before I read a novel. I want it all to unfold with no preconceived ideas on my part. The surprises along the way--I can think of two big ones--make this book a really reliable book.

Here's a tidbit from the Booklist review:  "Completely original. . .  The unforeseen conclusion provides a big payoff for readers of this tension-laden debut from a promising new talent."

Book Read: A Reliable Wife

Author:  Charles Goolrick

ISBN: 978-1-56512-596-4

The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

I finished reading The Night Watch by Sarah Waters late last night. I stopped reading a little after midnight, was tired, sleepy even, which isn't always a given lately. I've had the windows open for a few weeks now day and night, and even though the cool night air was streaming in, I could hear people outside talking. I really (really!) hate that. I mean, it was after midnight. Go inside, already! It takes everything for me not to scream out the window! So, instead I turned the light back on and finished my book.

I would give this book a B (4 stars out of 5). It was very good but a little tedious. I'm not sure what kind of book I want to read, but none of them have been hitting it out of the ballpark for me lately.

One thing I really did enjoy though was the format of this book. It started the story in 1947, after World War II in England, telling the stories of the lives of Helen, Julia, Duncan, and Viv. Then the second part was set in 1944 during the war, when there were bombings and night watches daily. The third part is set  in 1941.

It's very interesting getting the back story at the tail end of the book! Ah, so that's why she knows here. Hmmm. Another book written in this format is Charles Baxter's First Light. I loved it a bit more, I think, but I really enjoyed seeing this drifting back technique in Sarah Waters' book too.

Book Read: The Night Watch

Author:  Sarah Waters

ISBN:  1-59448-905-X

Small Island by Andrea Levy

I finished reading Small Island last night, late. Then when I woke up this morning, I fiddled around on the computer a little then watched the PBS Masterpiece Classic show Small Island. I love being able to do that!

The book was exceptional, telling the tale of four young people during and after World War II. Hortense and Gilbert Joseph are from Jamaica and come to England after the war to begin new, better lives. Gilbert met Queenie during the war and since her husband, Bernard does not return home after serving in the RAF during the war, she lets rooms. Gilbert and Hortense rent a room and since I don't want to giveaway more of the story, I'll stop with the storyline.

Small Island won the British Orange Prize in 2004, and rightfully so. This novel is well written and tells a story, thought fiction, of a snippet of four main characters' lives during the war, bringing that period to life. Oh, the Masterpiece Classic show was very good too. It followed the book closely but they added a small ending that wasn't in the book reflecting what present day was like thanks to the main characters.

Book Read: Small Island

Author:  Andrea Levy

ISBN:  0-312-42467-1

The Temple of Music by Jonathan Lowy

Well, this is another book I never thought I'd finish. The Temple of Music is a historical novel that is based in fact. It is basically the story of the people and events that led up to President William McKinley's assassination in 1901. 

Mostly what made this book a bit difficult for me was the format; it is totally different than any other book I remember reading. The author skips from one character to another to tell their particular story in a particular time. The sequence of events is not necessarily chronological, making it a bit of a "keeping you on your toes" reading experience.

From the book jacket:

America is starkly divided between the haves and the have-nots. A Republican president seeks reelection in the afterglow of a war many view as unnecessary and imperialistic. He is bankrolled by millionaires, with every step of his career orchestrated by a political mastermind.  Religious extremists crusade against the nation's moral collapse. Terrorists plot the assassination of leaders around the world. And a lonely, disturbed revolutionary stalks the President . . . .

This book was interesting, but I knew next to nothing about this snippet of American history. I wasn't even sure when McKinley was president before reading The Temple of Music, which refers to the building at the 1901 Buffalo World's Fair where Leon Czolgosz shot President McKinley in a receiving line.

All in all, I like The Temple of Music:  I learned about the McKinley era/assassination, the writing was very good, and the author's filling in the blanks made the historical facts come alive.

 
Book Read: The Temple of Music

Author:  Jonathan Lowy

ISBN:  0-609-60819-3