Author Archives: Delia

Tick Tock – Dean Koontz

There was a time, years ago, when I went through a Dean Koontz phase and read a bunch of his books and enjoyed most of them. Then I moved on to other writers. And not long ago I found this book at a clearance sale and thought, hey, it’s been a while, let’s see what this one is about.
Tommy Phan is an American of Vietnamese origin. He finally has the job of his dreams and has bought a car to celebrate. That night he finds a doll on his doorstep, a cotton doll with stitches for eyes and mouth – and he brings it inside the house. Big mistake. The doll has a plan and that’s not good news for Tommy who finds himself running to stay alive. The deadline is dawn and in that one crazy night he meets a woman who will help him, learns new things about his family and gets the shock of his life when he finds out who made the doll and why.
I was surprised as well, which was great. The book however falls into the “light read” category, and because of its silly action and dialogue, I was relieved to find out from the note to the reader at the back, that it was meant to be like that, just a bit of fun after writing another one of his books which the author describes as “one of the most intense and arguably most complex books I had ever done”. Ok then, that makes sense.

Tales of the Otherworld – Kelley Armstrong

Just reading the blurb on the back of this one made my fingers ache to start turning the pages. And because it was a short story collection I decided to start in the middle, with a story called Beginnings, in which Clayton, a young professor, falls in love with Elena, one of his students. The real trouble begins when he finds himself caught between the desire to tell her who he really is, and trying to lead a normal life under the pretense of being a normal person. But that’s difficult because he’s a werewolf and she’s a normal human girl. I liked how the story unfolded and how “normal” it seemed. I was sorry to reach the end but then, big surprise, I found out this is just a part of a bigger story, a series to be more exact. Ah, I hate it when that happens…. This story took about one third of the book.
Rebirth is about Aaron, a young farmer who gets stabbed one night and wakes up to discover he’s a vampire, not because he was attacked by one, but because it was a trait passed down from generations on his mother’s side. What I liked about the story was the different take on the vampire myth and how it was seen as a blessing rather than a curse. In a way, the whole story made sense.

The stories in the book are connected through different characters. I just wish I knew that this was a series, because apart from the Beginnings and Rebirth, the other stories didn’t really click with me. Witches working as detectives in the real world did not appeal to me as much as werewolves and vampires, but most likely it’s just a question of preference rather than a fault of the stories.

She, A History of Adventure – H. Rider Haggard

After reading King Solomon’s Mines years ago and enjoying it very much I was curious to see if this book was just as good.
A family story that descends to the times of pharaohs, a love story that spans centuries and a terrible act that changes the fate of a family and its descendants, Haggard’s book was a delight to read. Holly and Leo embark on the adventure of their lives when they decide to solve the mystery that’s always been in Leo’s family. Holly is his guardian and friend, and on their journey to the heart of Africa they survive a storm, travel along a mosquito infested river, live among the Amahagger and at last meet She-who-must-be-obeyed who holds the key to the mystery. She had been alive for centuries, waiting for the rebirth of the man she had killed in a fit of jealousy, and she believes Leo is that man, the reincarnation of her beloved Kallikrates. History and philosophy, religion, the quest for immortality and above all this, love and obsession, make this classic story one of a kind. Written in 1887, the author says about the book:

“The fact is that it was written at a white heat, almost without rest…I remember that when I sat down to the task, my ideas as to its development were of the vaguest. The only clear notion that I had in my head was that of an immortal woman inspired by an immortal love. All the rest shaped itself round this figure.”

One of my favorite passages:

“But so it has always been; man can never be content with that which his hand may pluck. If a lamp shines for him to light him through the darkness, straightaway he casts it down because it is no star. Happiness dances ever a pace before his feet, like the marsh-fire in the swamps, and he must catch the fire, and he must win the star! Beauty is naught to him, because there are lips more honey-sweet; and wealth is poverty, because others can weigh him down with heavier shekels; and fame is emptiness, because there have been greater men than he. Well, thou dreamiest that thou shall clasp the star. I believe it not, and I name thee fool, my Holly, to throw away the lamp.”

A Season of Unlikely Happiness – Laura Munson

I’m beginning to like memoirs more and more – the idea of reading about someone’s true experience makes the whole story very appealing and this book was no exception. Laura Munson has one great quality I admire: she never gave up. She never gave up when her marriage started to crumble, and never gave up on her dream of publishing a book, even if that meant to keep writing a good number of novels that met with rejection. Just reading about how many she actually wrote made me admire her even more. Maybe it’s no surprise that the book that got published was one based on her experience. In this memoir she writes about her marriage and love and kids and how difficult it was sometimes to balance all of them. I’m glad I read it and even though her writing doesn’t have that polished quality that makes you think of words flowing effortlessly on the page, she makes up for it with her own style which rings true and very life-like.

Anne of Green Gables – L.M. Montgomery

This book was given to me by one of my friends, and because she has never recommended a book I didn’t like, I was curious to read it.
Anne is an orphan girl sent to live with Marilla Cuthbert and her brother Matthew. She is eleven years old, with red hair and a lot of energy, and also with a penchant to speak up her mind about everything. The tranquil life at Green Gables, the small farm owned by the Cuthberts, is turned upside down by her arrival, as Anne’s vivacity and rich imagination get her into trouble frequently.
This is a book I loved – I was afraid that the story of an American childhood would feel alien to me but it wasn’t. It reminded me of holidays spent in the countryside when I was the same age as Anne, it made me feel nostalgic and also grateful for having had the chance to experience that. As for Anne, she was an interesting character whose adventures kept the story alive to the last page. Even though she talked too much – a trait I’m fine with in books but which I find annoying in real life – there was an innocence to her words and a heartwarming sincerity which I found endearing. I would like to re-read this book one day, and also the other books in the series (there are eight of them, including this one).

The book contains 27 new stories by authors like Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill, Alice Hoffman, Dave Eggers, Harlan Ellison, Margaret Atwood, Jacquelin Mitchard and many others. After each story there’s a short explanation of how the writers came up with the ideas. Some have met Bradbury, even got writing advice from him, or grew up reading his stories, and those stories had shaped their lives as authors. All the stories in the book are connected in some way to Bradbury’s work – be it characters or themes or just concepts that were inspired from his stories; dystopian worlds, monsters, mysterious strangers, these are just some of the ideas the stories are based on. I did not read anything Bradbury until last year, when Fahrenheit 451 had such an impact on me I don’t think I’ll ever forget that first sentence, so when I saw this book, I knew I had to read it. Like with any short story collection, some of the stories were quite enjoyable, others less so. A few words on my favorites:

The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury, by Neil Gaiman.
This story has the feeling of a soliloquy on the subject of Ray Bradbury’s work as a writer. It’s also about forgetting things, particularly names and about the stories that stay with you even though you forgot who wrote them or their complete name. From all the stories in the book, this is the one that feels more like a farewell tribute than a story in itself.

Headlife, by Margaret Atwood
A very apt title, meant to be taken ad literam. Everything happens in the future, where technology is so advanced that heads can be severed from the body and still live to talk. Memories and fantasies can be projected on screens for others to watch and buy. A scary look into what happens when you lose the right to your own privacy.

The Girl in the Funeral Parlor, by Sam Weller.
What happens when you meet your soul mate but she’s already dead? This is a twisted tale of a young man who falls in love with a dead girl and tries to find out more about her and how she died. What he finds out only strengthens his conviction that they would have been perfect for each other but the timing was wrong. A beautiful story.

The Companions, by David Morrell
Death comes at the right time. A couple go out to for a night at the opera where they meet two men who later they find out were dead. The mystery gets deeper as they meet them again a year later and then again, a few years after that. The sightings are not random and the last time the couple sees them, the mystery is revealed and everything comes together. Sad and moving.

Children of the Bedtime Machine, by Robert McCammon
This was a story I particularly liked; maybe it was the loneliness of the old woman living in a world on the brink of extinction, or perhaps the sense of joy and fulfillment she found in reading stories to children. It just goes to show that no matter where you live of how your life turns out, there’s always new territory to discover between the pages of a book.

Who Knocks, by Dave Eggers
A girl takes a boat out on a lake in the middle of the night and is never seen again. All that remains is her journal which is found in the boat – and a few lines that provide a glimpse into the mystery of the disappearance. Scary and entertaining.

Because I’ve only read one book by Bradbury, in a way I feel like I missed out on some of the stories in this collection. Some of them were great as standalone stories but with others I felt like maybe I would have liked them better had I read the original first. Most of the stories were good, some were great (like the ones I mentioned above) and some just didn’t do much for me, but in the end it was worth the read.

*Read in August, 2012

What do you do when you find out about a major book sale? You take advantage of it. On my first trip to that book shop I came away with a bunch of books. The second time I got a smaller bunch but even then, I found some titles that made me happy; The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is one book I look forward to reading, and I’ve already started on the new Anne Rice’s series, The Songs of The Seraphim – sadly, 57 pages into Angel Time, the first book, and my mind already wanders to other novels. Have I been spoiled by my recent Victorian read where drama lurks in every corner and mysteries abound? I find my patience is running out and long conversations stretching over a seemingly interminable number of pages make me want to speed read. That being said, I’m not giving up.

Yesterday was our monthly bookcrossing get-together and I came away with two books. One was I Am The Messenger, by Markus Zusak , a novel I was reading about only a few days ago on Jen’s blog and even though she didn’t seem to like it all that much, I was curious to see what it was all about; the other is called The Best American Travel Writing 2000 which is a collection of short stories from various corners of the world, from Russia and China to France and Uganda, to name just a few.

There are also these two (big!) books I keep telling myself I should read because I need to return them to a friend. I actually started on The Widow for One Year but it just didn’t click with my mood so I put it aside and went on to read something else. Maybe I’ll give the other one a go first. The Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao sounds more interesting.

Right now I’m working on a review for Shadow Show, a collection of short stories inspired by Ray Bradbury, which should be up sometimes this week (I hope).

What are your reading plans for this week and do you have any books you can’t wait to read? Or maybe you’re familiar with some of the titles you see here…opinions and recommendations are always welcome.

A read-along. Part IV/Volume IV

This is the fourth week of the read read-along I am doing with Vishy in which we discuss the last part of The Mysteries of Udolpho.

In this last volume, all mysteries are being revealed and everything comes together, explanations are given and a happy end ensues. Between the drama played by Valancourt and Emily – who was still caught between what was “proper” and what her heart really wanted (a timeless dilemma, isn’t it) the story of the strange goings on at the castle of the count de Villefort, and the nun with a terrible secret at the monastery of Saint Claire, there are banditi attacks, a shocking disappearance and of course, a double wedding. The bad guys get their just punishment, a dark family history is revealed and everything ends on a happy note.

I enjoyed the book – in spite of its happily-ever-after ending and a few high drama moments that had me roll my eyes, there was still enough tension, unpredictability and plenty of mystery to keep me engaged until the end. I liked it better than “A Sicilian Romance” (by the same author) – it was darker, scarier and more mysterious, not to mention much longer and with a more intricate plot. Reading this book only confirmed my preference for Gothic novels which combine romance with mysteries and of course, if there’s a haunted castle and a few ghosts, real or not, even better.

Published in 1794 and the fourth of Ann Radcliffe’s six published novels, The Mysteries of Udolpho was considered the archetypal Gothic novel; while at first sight it appears to be just a novel where romance and elements of the supernatural are combined, the author later provides an explanation for those “supernatural” elements – I’m not sure if that’s good or if an unsolved mystery would have been better but I liked it nevertheless. Sometimes it’s good to have closure.
The book is also mentioned in Jane Austen’s “Northanger Abbey”, which is the reason why I now have this book on my to-be-read pile. Would I recommend The Mysteries of Udolpho? With all my heart, but then it depends on what you want to take away from it – if you’re looking for some deeper meaning, this is not the book you want, but if you’d like something entertaining, with poetry scattered here and there and a wonderfully old language, this is just perfect. Enjoy.

You can find Vishy’s review here.

*Read in August, 2012

A read-along. Part III/Volume III

This is the third week of the read-along I am doing with Vishy and we discuss the third volume in this four volume book.

Some of the mysteries that were building up in the previous volumes have been revealed and new mysteries have been introduced. After finding out who the voice singing in the night belonged to – it was Monsieur Du Pont, an ardent admirer of Emily, who was Montoni’s prisoner – and after the death of her aunt, Emily escapes from the castle of Udolpho and manages to embark on a ship and return to France. Du Pont, and servants Annette and Ludovico go with her and the gloomy castle is left behind.

In a separate story, we get to find out more about another castle, one which Emily and her father passed by on their travels. This castle was now inhabited by the Count of Villefort and his family, after his cousin, the Marquis de Villeroi had died. There’s talk of ghosts (again) that haunt the rooms the Marchioness died in, and the old housekeeper, Dorothee, hasn’t set foot in there since the death of her mistress, many years ago.

The two stories come together when the count and his men save Emily and her companions from a terrible storm which destroyed the ship they were traveling on. There’s a monastery close to the castle and that’s where Emily goes from time to time, coming back to visit the count’s family.
It seems the mention of a ghost and strange music in the middle of the night are two recurrent ideas that seem to follow Emily to this new castle. She finds out who the woman in the miniature portrait is (the one she saw her father weep over at the beginning of the book) but she’s not aware of the connection to her own family yet.

Valancourt finally appears in this part of the story. The count mentions to Emily the rumours he has heard from Paris, that her beloved has been in prison over debts unpaid and his character has changed since she’s last seen him, all for the worst. This is made even worse by Du Pont’s insisting that Emily accept his love – something she cannot do. The separated lovers do meet, eventually, but with typical attention to “proper etiquette”, Emily is not ready to accept Valancourt’s apologies and being the good girl that she is, prefers to suffer in silence and go live in the nearby convent of St. Clair instead of trying to find out exactly what he had done so terrible during her absence. Volume III ends with plans for a new meeting between the two, there’s much anguish, indecision and dread as to the outcome. Will they be together in the end, will Emily forgive Valancourt for whatever wrong he had done?

This part of the book has lost much of that gloomy atmosphere that was so dominant in the previous volume. There is a new castle with its own set of mysteries but there is no threat here – the conflict is more emotional and more connected to Emily rather than an outside threat. The story had shifted into a new direction, focusing now on the romance between Emily and Valancourt and the obstacles dividing them, as well as on the mystery surrounding the death of the Marchioness. Volume IV, the last, will bring about closure, but that’s to be discussed next weekend, as all the mysteries come together and old secrets are finally revealed.

You can find Vishy’s review here

Last Saturday I went to a book sale, as a result of an email from a bibliophile friend. I was so excited to go and have a look around and at the end of my shopping spree I came out with 10 books and the biggest, happiest grin on my face. Who says Christmas comes only once a year?
I got the books in the picture for about 34 US $ and that’s a pretty good deal considering most of the books I buy are at least 10 $ each.
As for choosing the books, here’s how it went:

NEVERWHERE – Neil Gaiman
Aaa, there you are, another Gaiman novel. Hopefully I will like it better than American Gods. I’m a huge fan of his short stories; I can’t say the same about his novels, but then I’ve only read one so that hardly counts. Ok, let’s give this a try since I’ve always wanted to read more of his books.

GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING – Tracy Chevalier
This does sound intriguing, I must have read a review somewhere on a blog and made a mental note to read it. Let’s do that.

TO THE LIGHTHOUSE – Virginia Woolf
I really enjoyed Mrs Dalloway so it’s about time to expand my horizons and go for another one of Virginia Woolf’s books.

THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES – Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Scarlet Letter was an amazing book and that movie with Gary Oldman and Demi Moore wasn’t too bad either, and didn’t he write a vampire story I recently read somewhere? It turns out his son, Julian Hawthorne did, and the story is in this huge awesome book.

NORTHANGER ABBEY – Jane Austen
There are two reasons why I chose this book: the first being that I’ve read Emma a few years ago and didn’t like it all that much so I hoped this one would make me change my mind about Austen, and the second is closely connected to the read-along I am doing now. It seems The Mysteries of Udolpho is mentioned in this book so I wanted to know how and why.

RED EARTH AND POURING RAIN – Vikram Chandra
Apart from a beautiful cover, the words in the title painted a vivid picture in my mind so I wanted to know what this book was about. Also, I was curious to read another novel by an Indian author because I thought The Alchemy of Desire by Tarun J. Tejpal was a beautifully written book and wanted to compare the styles.

TALES OF THE OTHERWOLRD – Kelley Armstrong
Vampires, witches, werewolves, bingo! This collection of short stories was waiting just for me!

THE CORAL THIEF – Rebecca Stott
I just like the title and the action takes place in 1815, France. I love books from the 1800’s so I couldn’t let this one just sit there lonely on the shelf.

THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS – John Connolly
Reading the blurb at the back reminded me of a movie called Pan’s Labyrinth (original title: El laberinto del fauno) which I loved. Fantasy as a means to escape the real world. Sounds right up my alley.

THE PALE KING – David Foster Wallace
This is not a book I would have normally chosen on my own but my bibliophile friend warmly recommended it and so I thought why not, sometimes we have to get out of our comfort zone.

How do you buy books? Do you go with a list (like my friend did) or just go with the flow and pick whatever catches your eye (like I did)? Have you read any of these books?

A read-along. Part II/Volume II

On the second week of this read-along I am doing with Vishy, we review and discuss Volume II in the Mysteries of Udolpho.

In this next part of the story, the gaiety and splendors of Italy replace the French countryside and the group of travelers, Emily, her aunt and Montoni, set up residence in one of the beautiful houses in Venice. By now Montoni had started to show his true character – he is distant and ignores his wife for the most part and Emily’s aunt begins to see what kind of man she had married. Her hopes of being a wealthy lady in Italy begin to fade, as Montoni gambles away his money along with the part of wife’s fortune that came to him after marriage.
Emily is enchanted by this new setting and for a while manages to give herself to this new experience of visiting a foreign country. Venice is splendid: the carnival is in full swing, the people are happy and charming, the costumes are gorgeous and the music beautiful.

“The first object that attracted her notice was a group of dancers on the terrace below, led by a guitar, and some other instruments. The girl, who struck the guitar, and another, who flourished a tambourine, passed on in a dancing step, and with a light grace and gaiety of heart, that would have subdued the goddess of spleen in her worst humour. After these came a group of fantastic figures, some dressed as gondolieri, others as minstrels, while others seemed to defy all description.”

Emily often thinks of Valancourt, but soon enough count Morano, one of Montoni’s friends, becomes her suitor and before she knows what’s happening, she is supposed to get ready for marriage. Her aunt and Montoni do everything in their power to convince her to accept the marriage, going as far as to prepare for the wedding. The morning the wedding was supposed to take place the whole house is awakened and the servants prepare to leave in a hurry for the castle of Udolpho, where Montoni intends to take his wife and niece.

Finally, I thought, we have arrived at the mysterious castle and sure enough, there is one mystery after another. There are rumors of an apparition walking in the woods, a love that was not returned and of murder that happened many years ago. There are strange sounds, secret passages, and a general feeling of despair and gloominess pervades the soul of Emily who spends her days crying and thinking of her beloved Valancourt. Strange music is heard at night, strange men come and go, staying at the castle for long discussions into the night with Montoni who seemed to be none other than a captain of a group of banditi who raid the area, coming to the castle with the spoils of their robberies. The castle is old and so large that not all of the rooms are fit for setting up residence. It’s a cold and gloomy place, and Emily gets to sleep in a chamber which leads to a room where a mysterious portrait hangs on a wall, covered with a black veil. Annette, one of the servants, tells Emily the story of the lady of the castle and how it is believed Montoni has had a part to play in her death. I found Annette an entertaining character – her constant chatter and funny outbursts helped dispel for a while the oppressive darkness of the story. She’s not the brightest spark but she has a good heart and she really cares about Emily and her aunt.

By now Montoni had abandoned all pretense at civility and decorum and had tried to force his wife to sign over her last part of the fortune in the form of some estates in France who were supposed to go to Emily after her death. He confines her to a cold and comfortless part of the castle and forbids her any visitors. Emily manages to find out where her aunt is being kept a prisoner and one of the guards in the castle offers to take her to see her. Is it a trap, or will she find her aunt there? Is her aunt dead and is Montoni trying to murder her as well in order to get his hands on her aunt’s last bit of fortune? I feared for Emily’s aunt. Her death wouldn’t be a surprise, and then there will be only Emily left to be disposed of.

***

It is clear by now that Montoni is the villain, Emily is the personification of strength and virtue and madame Cheron, her aunt, just a selfish woman whose ambitions have been shattered when she thought she would marry into money and live in splendor in a new country. Her marriage with Montoni is but a reminder of the society of that time where wealth was the most important thing (and sometimes the only thing) a marriage was based on.

I was intrigued by Montoni and remembered another villain – count Fosco in “The Woman in White” by Wilkie Collins, both Italians, ruthless and manipulative in their own way, and couldn’t help but wonder if Collins got the inspiration for his bad guy from Ann Radcliffe’s story. I did a little research and discovered that Collins was born a year after Ann Radcliffe’s death and “The Woman in White” and “The Mysteries of Udolpho” were published 66 years apart. That doesn’t answer my question but then sometimes is just fun to discover how things are connected (or not).
The two villains belong to different species of evil. While Fosco is jovial by nature, capable of such intelligence that allows him to manipulate people in an almost effortless way, Montoni is moody, contemptuous, cold and capable of violence in order to get what he wants. After Emily, he is the living character I found most interesting in the story so far. Of course, the mystery in the castle of Udolpho has yet to be revealed. How did he came to be in possession of the castle, what happens to madame Cheron and will Emily ever escape to France, are questions whose answers are yet to come.

When describing the castle, Radcliffe manages to convey pure dread. A cold, dark place, with plenty of mystery and very little light (imagine if you had to wait in near darkness for a servant to come up with a candle – why didn’t they just leave a nice supply in every inhabited room, I wonder), its gloomy atmosphere would be enough to drive anyone mad, especially someone as vulnerable as Emily. It feels like a prison, a very big one but a prison nevertheless.

On the subject of the language in the book, I found the use of “casement” instead of plain “window”, as seen in this passage:

“At length, she left the casement, but her steps faltered, as she approached the bed, and she stopped and looked round. The single lamp, that burned in her spacious chamber, was expiring; For a moment, she shrunk from the darkness beyond; and then, ashamed of the weakness, which, however, she could not wholly conquer, went forward to the bed, where her mind did not soon know the soothings of sleep. She still mused on the late occurrence, and looked with anxiety to the next night, when, at the same hour, she determined to watch whether the music returned. “If those sounds were human”, said she, “I shall probably hear them again”.

And now, the questions for Vishy:

1. What is happening with Valancourt? Is the trip to Paris meant to be his downfall or will he be strong enough to resist temptation?
2. Any thoughts on the mysterious voice that sings in the night?
3. Is Emily’s aunt being punished for her arrogance?
4. Do you think that in this chapter the book continues to follow the clear distinction between good and bad and do the stereotypes applied to the characters make the story any less interesting?
5. What character do you like best so far and why?

You can read Vishy’s review of Volume II here.
Volume III is going to be reviewed next weekend.