Posted by Candice on Friday, Apr 20, 2012
I've got three books that I recently finished (ish), and if you know me at all, none of them will come as much of a surprise.
The first is Taylor Steven's The Informationist, which I read in ebook format, but we also have several print copies. This is the first book that features the character Vanessa Michael Munroe, the 'informationist.' What's that? Well, in this book, it's someone who has an uncanny ability to go to places and find whatever information someone needs. Usually that means creating some sort of socio-political/financial dossier on a locale for someone who wants to do business there; this time, though, she's sent to South Africa to find a girl who went missing four years previous. Just so happens that Munroe is from South Africa, and has a suitably dark and violent past there.
There are some similarities between Munroe and Lisbeth Salander--both are willfully independent, tough as nails, hyper-intelligent and emotionally stunted. Munroe, though, is a lot more social, and perhaps not quite as inherently damaged as Salander, so her persona is a bit more believable and has more life to it. I liker her character, I liked the settings, and while the story played out like I thought it would, it had enough energy to keep me reading.
Second up...the delicious Chococo Chocolate Cookbook. I had a major sweets craving recently (okay, I always have one), and decided to make a dessert instead of buying one. This book was on the New shelf, and I opened it right to the recipe that I ended up making--marbled ginger bars. Super easy no-bake, very chocolatey, and the ginger was a fresh and unique flavor. I put some Almond Dream ice cream and strawberries on them, and it was a great dessert--vegan, too, although the entire cookbook is not. Chococo is a British chocolatier, and their cafe is called Cocoa Central; the recipes in the book are for the luscious things you would find there.
Finally, I began the latest installment in the Aimee Leduc series, Murder at the Lanterne Rouge. I did not finish it. Aimee, you sound like a broken record! I swear, every time someone behaves oddly or gives a strange look, they're either cheating on someone or on the scam. In this case, Rene, her business partner, has a girlfriend who seems to have something to do with a murder victim; Aimee takes pages to get past the idea that it all stems from the woman wanting to pull a fast one on Rene. It was too much. I don't mind an investigator going through the what-ifs while they try and figure things out, but she needs some new what-ifs, toute de suite! The most exciting thing in this book, at least in the chapters that I got through, was that it appears that Aimee has dyed her hair blonde.
Two good books out of three isn't so bad, though. Right?
About the Author
I work at the Info Desk on the second floor, and I select books for the adult nonfiction collection. I have a degree in anthropology, which really helps in selecting...well...almost anything. I also manage the Art To Go collection of framed prints and original art, and the nonfiction DVDs.
What do you like to read?
In no particular order:... more
This was so good! I came across this title on ICPL's 'Featured Collections' scroller on the website (which, by the way, is a great way to find titles you might not be aware of), and I was hooked from the beginning. The story is told in alternating chapters by Mae and Chris, and the first thing of note is that I found both narrators to be unique and excellent, with a nice range of emotion (even hard-on-the-outside Chris). You know when a narrator sounds just like the character you're imagining? This had that going on for me. The story itself is compelling and original, even while having well-known elements that are in the miasma surrounding Hollywood: the big players, the world of dirty secrets perpetrated by those who hold the power, the broken systems, the people who fall through the cracks, and the people who perpetuate all of this in various ways. I found all the characters to be nicely fleshed out, especially Mae and Chris of course, but the side characters are also given unique characteristics and situations that tell their stories. One final note: this is the second book I've read or listened to recently that has a female "cleaner" at the center of it, someone who helps cover up bad situations for powerful people in Hollywood (the other is the Devil's Playground), and it is making for some very interesting post-book thinking. -Candice