Been Awhile since the Last time I reviewed a book.

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.
There's so much going on in this short novel / story. The horror of European pillaging in Africa. The petty concerns of selfish functionaries whose only talent, only virtue, only superpower is to stay physically healthy in a place that routinely kills other Europeans through indigenous people's attacks, through disease, and through technology break downs.
As you no doubt know, the movie Apocalypse Now is based on Heart of Darkness with some exact quotes but moved around. The phrase "for my sins" is much later in the book, and the movie uses it differently, for example.
   But the questions of Truth and of moral responsibilities are posed in both the book and the movie. It's a short enough read, so give it a go and see what you think.
  In these times where persons of color are writing their own view and voice of some Western Civ stories and tropes, I wonder how someone of that culture(-al) background might re-tell a similar story?

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The Raven Boys by Maggie Stievfater

****_
I Listened to the audio book. I enjoyed this book. Even though there's obviously a sequel, there's not the sense that you're left hanging. This novel has its own arc and I find that most satisfying.
I love the character development. There's much more depth to discover, but I felt like these were real people, not just cardboard stand-ups.
The action was thrilling. I regret my review isn't as good as the book. But ignore that part and go read The Raven Boys. (Will Patton is great as the Narrator as well.)

Random Harvest by James Hilton; pub by Books You Hear

As the introduction to this audio version points out, although historical fiction today, it was contemporary fiction when published.  It has that contemporary immediacy even now.

I first read Random Harvest in high school, on the bus ride home (it was boarding school, so it wasn't just an hour read). I've read it many times since then. My love of this book meant an audio book needed to be great to augment the text or at least good not to detract from it.

I'm pleased to say that this multi-voiced cast production augments the text.

Hilton has some striking quotable lines (which you may find for yourself). But rest assured I think you will find some of your own.

My only regret about this book is the same one people have about any great books they have read: I can never read it for the first time ever again. But maybe you can read it for the first time. You'll be glad to share my regret if you do.

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The Body in Griffith Park by Jennifer Kincheloe

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I listened to the audio book, and Moira Quirk is the perfect narrator for the story. The Body... is nearly amazing and I wish they'd let me give 4.5, not just 4 or 5 here.

This is the third book in the Anna Blanc mystery series. You could start here, and it would be a good experience, but I recommend starting with The Secret Life of Anna Blanc.

Anna is the disinherited daughter of a conservative banker in the early 1900s. She had been raised sheltered and isolated to her own class.

Her energy and intelligence, although untrained and trained wrong in so many ways, won't let her take the expected path. She became an L. A. police matron.

The eponymous body in Griffith Park draws her in, turning up, as it does, almost at her feet. In this outing Anna, again, has to fight against societal strictures as well as her own inexperience. She has learned from past experiences, so she has grown. Still, her focus on solving the murder leads to both humorous and dangerous events.

I don't want to do spoilers, but I'm not showing how good The Body in Griffith Park is. Anna will charm and sometimes frustrate you just as she does with the people around her. Yet you will find the experience exhilarating, as Detective Joe does.

Read this book. If you start here first, it will make you want to go back. If you've read Anna's adventures before, it will light off in you all those series satisfactions that attend a really good series!



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