Mystery Book # 31 - The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett

 Well after the last month of reading mystery books that itch has definitely been scratched for a while. I started out liking The Thin Man, but maybe it took just a tad too long to get where it was going (which really wasn't even that far).  Maybe I just didn't feel that invested in the murder mystery but still it was enjoyable. B+

Mystery Book # 48 - The Third Man by Graham Greene

 

Maybe 15-20 years ago I was reading a lot of Graham Greene books. At the time I'd probably say he was one of my favorites. But you know, I haven't read anything of his in well over a decade now. Somehow I never read The Third Man either. Anyway, I enjoyed it but I made the mistake of reading it in several short sittings instead of the maybe one or two that would have been optimal. And like the movie, I feel like I'm missing something here. So, B.

Sci-Fi Book # 24 - Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein

 Robert Heinlein has some opinions, very 1950's opinions, and he's going to share quite a few of them in Starship Troopers. I was kind of "meh" when I first read it  maybe 15 years ago and have pretty much the same opinion now. The first half is pretty decent while it details the main character's training but after a while I don't really need to read a whole speech about why kids should be spanked or know the minutiae of military rankings in a fictional universe. And there's not much plot either. I think the film version took the right angle by presenting the material in an ironic light. B-

The High Window (Philip Marlowe #3) by Raymond Chandler

The other Marlowe books I've read have all been better than The High Window. That's not saying it is a bad book or anything - the trademark Chandler style and dialogue is there - but the story isn't the most compelling and is pretty by the numbers. Still I enjoyed it but it is hardly a classic. B

Gwendy's Magic Feather (The Button Box #2) by Richard Chizmar

 

Maybe in the end I was a bit disappointed, but while I was reading it I did enjoy Gwendy's Magic Feather. I was probably just waiting for some twist that never really came about. Unlike the first book nothing really bad actually happens to Gwendy and she never seems particularly tempted to push the buttons on the magic box. Basically she just gets super stressed out when the box reappears and helps solve a missing child case through some type of magical means that isn't fully explained. Maybe all will make a bit more sense in the next book. Since it was short and there's still a chance that this was all a set up for the final book in the series I'll go easy on the grade and say B.

The Fallen Star (Star Wars: The High Republic) by Claudia Gray

If I counted correctly, The Fallen Star is the 300th book I've read since starting this blog. Really that means nothing but hey, just figured I'd mention it. Anyway - these Star Wars High Republic books keep coming out and I keep reading them. Are they great? No, not really but now I'm somewhat invested in them. My qualms are the same... just too many random Jedis and aliens with weird names and it is difficult to keep track of them. And how are there not more workers or engineers on their space station? Did they hire a staff for this place? And the lack of a linear reading path somewhat bothers me. I'm supposed to know these characters that only appeared previously in a children's book? ARGH. I guess it is a B

Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami

 I'm not exactly sure how a short story that takes maybe half an hour to read (and has little to no plot) is transformed into a three hour film... as is the case of the story "Drive My Car" in the collection of stories by Haruki Murakami, Men Without Women. I guess I'll have to watch the movie now. Overall I enjoyed all of the stories. Since they're written by Murakami there are of course disappearing women, mysterious cats that seem to know more than they let on and numerous mentions of jazz albums. Ask me in a year if I recall any of these stories and I probably wouldn't be able to, but still it was a nice read. B