Sci-Fi Book #6 - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

It is kind of interesting how the way you remember or interpret an older book can change depending on current events and the political climate. What really stuck out to me this time when I read Fahrenheit 451 is that within the story the banning of books isn't because the government is trying to force its own ideology but rather they're just trying to make people happy by getting rid of opposing opinions in general because they cause people to argue and be unhappy. So the lesson learned this time - appreciate the freedom of speech of those with different views (which I think is a lesson that needs to be taught to the younger generation).

So I enjoyed the book, but I think I'll have to give it an A-. It seemed like the third act felt a bit rushed and the ending pretty much comes out of nowhere. *SPOILERS* I'm just not seeing how the destruction of the city really fits in with the theme. It isn't like the city destroys itself, but rather some foreign enemy destroys it for reasons unknown.

The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King

In The Wind Through the Keyhole, Stephen King returns to the Dark Tower series and tells us about a time when Roland and his ka-tet were traveling after the events of Wizard and Glass and they take shelter to sit out a storm. During this time Roland tells everyone a story that follows up on his super long story in Wizard and Glass. During that story young Roland needs to kill some time again and tells someone else another story that's basically a Mid-World fairy tale. And it is that story within a story within a story that actually makes up the bulk of the book. I'll say that I did like this one a lot more than the previous book. Maybe it is because the various stories move along quickly and don't drag along like the last book. Plus in true Dark Tower fashion pretty much no progress is made towards the Dark Tower. B.

Mystery Book # 37 Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman

I'm finding that a number of the books on the top 100 mystery books list are quite inconsequential and follow the whole "police procedural" thing pretty closely. At least this one was short. Dance Hall of the Dead in the second in a series of books about a Navajo policeman that solves crimes on his reservation. The setting was different and I enjoyed that but the rest was pretty routine. Before the end I figured out who the killer was because in these procedurals it is never the most obvious person and always someone that was questioned early on in the process. Also, the cop doesn't succeed in his one goal of finding another character before he gets murdered... which is fine in that I don't mind a downer of an ending, but the cop just shrugs it off. Basically he accomplishes absolutely nothing by the end. Let's say this gets a C+, and that's being generous.

Book # 33 - Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Somehow I doubt I could really say anything new or unique about Moby Dick. I will say that I enjoyed it and it really holds up. And now I feel like I know a bit too much about the mid-1800's whaling industry. A.

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

After reading a bunch of great reviews for Lincoln in the Bardo I was happy to discover that the hype is justified and this is a terrific book. I have a feeling that this will be a book that people will be talking about for awhile (hopefully). The writing style is a bit unusual and there's isn't a traditional plot here... but don't let that deter you. The whole thing just seems so beautifully written and emotionally moving.

The "plot" is a bit unusual. It takes place on the day of the funeral of Abraham Lincoln's son, Willie, and is about the effect Willie's spirit has on the other spirits that live in the cemetery and have not fully moved on to the next stage of the afterlife. After the funeral Abe Lincoln returns to the cemetery and  visits Willie's body in the crypt. The other spirits realize that Willie is stuck and they try to manipulate actions so that Willie can be at peace and move on even though these other spirits are in a strong stage of denial that they themselves are also dead and stuck in a state of limbo.

So if you like weird literary books I'd highly recommend it. A

The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass by Stephen King

Well The Dark Tower series continues to defy a reader's expectations with Wizard and Glass. After actual progress in the quest to the Dark Tower is finally made in The Waste Lands, Wizard and Glass gives us a flashback that takes up about ninety percent of the book. And since the book is 1000+ pages that's a pretty long flashback. It isn't that I mind the digression... since that seems to be the theme of the series, or the length of the book either... it is just that the story presented just doesn't require this many pages. Maybe since the previous novels all featured Roland going on adventures in several different locations, having him stuck in one location for so long makes this one really drag. The first 100 pages and the last 300 pages are all full of the usual thrills... but the 600 pages in between really could have been condensed down. How many times do really need to read about Susan arguing with her aunt? Or the bad guys talking about how much they hate Roland? B

The Summer That Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel

I will give The Summer That Melted Everything credit for one thing... always being able to find a way to top itself in having horrible things happen to its characters. The book starts off interestingly enough with the narrator telling us about how as a child he met a boy that claimed to be the devil. Bad luck seems to follow the boy around and there is some thoughtful discussion on the nature of man, God and Satan... but then the bad stuff just keeps getting piled on until the reader is beaten into submission and stops to care about what happens. So SPOILERS... this book has the following : death of a dog, miscarriage, infidelity, child abuse, sexual abuse, false imprisonment, racism, suicide, homophobia, AIDS, more suicide, dead parents, cults, and the death of more than one child. I'm probably forgetting something... oh yeah.. after the big climax when an angry mob burns a child to death when I'm thinking "well at least there wasn't any cannibalism" we find out on the second to last page that one of the characters is a serial killer that eats small children! For a relatively  short book this is maybe a few too many topics to tackle. The whole thing is so over the top it is hard to care about what happens. There are at least three major plot lines that could have served up enough plot for the entire novel. For awhile the book reminded me of kind of a dark mirror universe equivalent of A Prayer for Owen Meany... they both have the same structure of a narrator looking back and telling us about a childhood friend (that accidentally kills someone) that was weird and may or may not have a supernatural purpose... but you know Owen Meany takes its time to really build up the characters and balances the dark with some lightness and packs an emotional punch. This book, not so much.  Plus I'll also note that the characters have ridiculous names and it doesn't help. Let's say this gets a C.

List books mentioned : Alice in Wonderland, Lord of the Flies, Gone with the Wind and To Kill a Mockingbird.