In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1) by Tana French

“They are running into legend, into sleepover stories and nightmares parents never hear. Down the faint lost paths you would never find alone, skidding round the tumbled stone walls, they stream calls and shoelaces behind them like comet-trails.” pg 14, ebook.

Rob Ryan is a detective in the Dublin Murder Squad. He has a curious past, being the only survivor of a strange afternoon in the woods. Rob and two of his friends went into the woods, but only he emerged. His memories of that time are a blank. It may be that his subconscious prefers it that way.

“Obviously, I have always wished I could remember what happened in that wood. The very few people who know about the whole Knocknaree thing invariably suggest, sooner or later, that I should try hypnotic regression… I worry that I might come out of hypnosis with that sugar-high glaze of self-satisfied enlightenment, like a seventeen-year-old who’s just discovered Kerouac, and start proselytizing strangers in pubs.” pg 35, ebook

Fast forward twenty years, a child’s body is found in the same town, Knocknaree, where Rob lived when he was a child. Could the two cases be related?

“This is what I read in the file, the day after I made detective. I will come back to this story again and again, in any number of different ways. A poor thing, possibly, but mine own: this is the only story in the world that nobody but me will ever be able to tell.” pg 15, ebook

I loved the unfolding of both of these stories. Tana French was able to build tension through the slow reveal and she kept me guessing. Rob was the quintessential unreliable narrator and likable (for the most part). He made some bone-headed decisions that I didn’t agree with, but the reader always knew why he was making them.

Rob’s partner, Cassie, was my favorite character in the story. She’s the only woman on the Dublin Murder Squad and loyal to a fault. Cassie also has some dark secrets in her past. She and Rob complement each other perfectly.

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“When we went into work the next morning we were friends. It really as simple as that: we planted seeds without thinking, and woke up to our own private beanstalk.” pg 30, ebook

I also loved the layers of this story. There’s the relationship between Cassie and Rob, their relationship to the rest of the squad, Rob’s memories, Cassie’s backstory, the two cases, and the reactions of everyone around them.

“Now death is un-cool, old-fashioned. To my mind the defining characteristic of our era is spin, everything tailored to vanishing point by market research, brands and bands manufactured to precise specifications; we are so used to things transmuting into whatever we would like them to be that it comes as a profound outrage to encounter death, stubbornly unspinnable, only and immutably itself.” pg 57, ebook

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Recommended for readers who enjoy mysteries and not-so-scary thrillers. I’m definitely picking up the next book in this series.

For any readers who enjoy page to screen viewing, the show adaptation of this book and its sequel called “Dublin Murders” was pretty well done.

Thanks for reading!

Three Years with Quantrell: A True Story Told By His Scout by John McCorkle, O. S. Barton

In Three Years of Quantrell, John McCorkle recounts riding as an irregular with William Quantrell and how they fought against the Federals in Missouri and Kansas during the American Civil War.

It is a sobering look at how war is hell. McCorkle never knew who he could trust and who he couldn’t. During the infamous raid at Lawrence, Kansas, McCorkle says that some good men may have died in the raid, “but that wasn’t our intent.”

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It’s hard to imagine what a country at odds with itself must have been like. People would take advantage of each other, steal property, and even the lives of their neighbors.

My one quibble with this memoir is it contains a lot of travel. It feels like McCorkle said we went here, then here, then here… as he goes through his memories of the war. There’s plenty of “hours of boredom punctuated by moments of terror.”

Recommended for history readers who want an original source for research about the American Civil War.

Thanks for reading!

Mary B: An Untold Story of Pride and Prejudice by Katherine J. Chen

Mary B is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice (before and after the original story) from Mary Bennet’s point of view. It is well written and unique… and probably will be hated by any serious “Austenites”.

Katherine Chen takes major characters and adds to their stories in ways that were difficult to swallow. In that way, it reminded me of Longbourn. And I’m not even what you would call an Austenite.

“It was therefore acknowledged, long before my younger sisters and I had any say in the matter, that beauty, goodness, and intelligence had disproportionately concentrated themselves in the two eldest and gone woefully amiss the three following; namely, that I had been touched with a plainness in appearance unrivaled throughout the whole country…” pgs 3-4

Mary Bennet is the forgotten middle child of the Bennet family. Her two older sisters, Jane and Elizabeth, are the main focus of Pride and Prejudice and her younger two sisters, Kitty and Lydia, create scandal and mayhem almost wherever they go.

Mary just wants to play piano and relax quietly with her own thoughts. She doesn’t get to do that often between her sisters and her ever-worrying mother.

“I wonder sometimes that Mary is so plain and what, in consequence, will become of her!” pg 12

Readers can empathize with her love of books and writing. But Mary has also weaponized these things, using them to keep the world that has rejected her at arm’s length, so that it cannot hurt her even more. Or so she thinks.

… the act of reading is a silent rebellion. To read in the presence of company is a most convenient excuse for not partaking in conversation. The book is a better tool than the piano in this regard. pg 21

In addition to an excuse not to mingle, Mary uses reading to escape her carefully restricted world and its expectations of beauty, wit and submissiveness.

“But there is pleasure, is there not, Mr. Collins, unrivaled by any other feeling in the world, to reach the last page of a book and know that you have lived in it, that you have stood witness to the performance of momentous deeds at the hands of extraordinary personalities?” pg 33

Most of Mary B is actually rather sad. Because of her looks and circumstances, Mary has very little say in what happens to her or what goes on around her. In small ways, she pushes back. This book has made me appreciate, as a modern woman, how much gender equality has advanced.

Not that everything is perfect. But at least I can own property now, hold a job and make decisions that affect my own life.

“So you see, dear cousin, the lesson to be learned from this is that one should never settle in life for what others may think is best and right for you. There is always the larger and more delicious fruit hanging from a higher branch, just out of your grasp, and which might easily be yours, if someone would only lend you the ladder to reach it.” pgs 66-67

Surprisingly, I found myself feeling some pity for the generally despised Mr. Collins. But the way Chen alters the fate of Mr. Darcy was not my favorite change. The ending of this book, in fact, was what lessened my enjoyment of it.

Prior to the ending, I was thinking highly of the book. It finally gives Mary Bennet a story and a moment in the limelight. I think she deserves that considering the way she was treated, or almost completely ignored, in the other story.

“The fewer Mary Bennets there are in the world, the better. They add no beauty to their surroundings and will all grow up to be ugly old maids, living on the charity of their families.” pg 71

Recommended for readers who like books that are written in the style of Jane Austen and who can also bear new major story arcs to beloved characters. They may not be so beloved after this book.

Thanks for reading!

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

“The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry” is a contemporary fictional story about a book shop owner and how he handles the unexpected twists and turns that life has in store for him. If you are a reader who enjoys mulling over and applying what you read to your real life, you may really like this book. The main characters are all about that — learning lessons from books.

“Her mother likes to say that novels have ruined Amelia for real men. This observation insults Amelia because it implies that she only reads books with classically romantic heroes. She does not mind the occasional novel with a romantic hero but her reading tastes are far more varied than that.” pg 12, ebook.

There’s some romance, some mystery, some heart break in this tale. There’s also fantastic book analysis of classic works written by the character A.J. Fikry that add dimension to the story as it unfolds. It is through these mini book reviews (and his actions) that the reader gets to know A.J., who is otherwise a rather introverted and sometimes curmudgeonly character.

“Despite the fact that he loves books and owns a bookstore, A.J. does not particularly care for writers. He finds them to be unkempt, narcissistic, silly and generally unpleasant people. He tries to avoid meeting the ones who’ve written books he loves for fear that they will ruin their books for him.” pg 39, ebook.

But he’s not unpleasant to the extent that I didn’t like him. In fact, A.J. was my favorite character. I felt like he lashed out at people or kept them at a distance because he was hurting. I think at one point or another in our lives, we’ve all been there.

“So it’s basically like a book party.” “Yeah, sure.” Lambiase has never been to a book party. “I hate book parties,” A.J. says. “But you run the bookstore,” Lambiase says. “It’s a problem,” A.J. admits. pgs 74-75, ebook

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There’s plenty of relate-able moments in The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. The characters feel real with all of their imperfections and dreams.

The thing is, though, sometimes people tell you you’re on one kind of trip, but it turns out to be another kind of trip, you know what I mean? I just want to know what kind of trip I’m on. Are we going to see topiaries, or are we going to see something else? Maybe that lady friend of yours, say? pg 118, ebook.

The trip this story takes you on is unexpected, very much like life. Who know where we’re all headed and what we’re going to do along the way. But, at the very least, I hope we all get to read as much enjoyable fiction as we want to before the trip ends.

Recommended for readers who enjoy contemporary fiction and book clubs.

Have you heard they’re making this into a film?

Thanks for reading!

Hypnotize Yourself to a Worry-Free Life by Crystal Dwyer

Crystal Dwyer, a new age instructor, has developed a set of guided meditations to enable listeners to improve their lives in a variety of ways. These tracks address issues from insomnia to anxiety. She has a pleasant voice and the meditations are enjoyable.

If you’re not into new age themes, you may want to try another hypnosis program. At the beginning of the audiobook, Dwyer is straight forward with her beliefs about God being within each of us and our individual power as creators. I could see that being problematic with those who don’t connect with those teachings.

I feel that the title of this work is a bit misleading. There are going to be ups and downs in any life. To suggest that you can eliminate anything seems suspect and sort of pie-in-the-sky. It reminds me of books that tout “read this and lose ten pounds in three weeks” and things of that nature. These meditations are valuable enough without the publisher (or author) making promises that perhaps they can’t keep.

That being said, I don’t think many people know what hypnosis is. In my experience, hypnosis, similar to a trance-state, just feels like deep relaxation. Everyone is different, but when I’m under, my body feels heavy but light, which seems impossible. My limbs sort of disappear and I feel as if I’m floating.

Once I’m there, in that relaxed state, then I let the meditation I’m listening to just wash over me. It feels really good actually. Generally, at the end, the hypnotist will say something like, “You’re coming back and you’ll feel entirely refreshed.” And, wouldn’t you know it, I do.

I think popular culture hasn’t done hypnosis any favors with people’s expectations about how it works. (The film “Office Space” comes to mind.) You don’t turn into some suggest-able zombie person when you’re under. Like most things, hypnosis and relaxation are a choice. Worry is a choice. It’s all about controlling that inner narrative and changing your inner thought processes to ones that are pleasing to you.

A child once asked me to teach her about hypnosis so she could “control her brother”, which cracked me up. But then I explained to her that hypnosis isn’t a tool for controlling other people. The name of the game is improving and controlling yourself.

It’s like Marcus Aurelius said: “You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”

Recommended for seekers looking for another tool to help them on their path to self knowledge.

Thanks for reading!

Ghost Story (The Dresden Files, #13) by Jim Butcher

Harry Dresden, wizard for hire, is dead. And he still has to save the world by discovering his killer. How is that fair?

Maybe I was dead, but I was sure as hell not ready to go. I had to make sure the people who’d helped me take on the Red King were taken care of. pgs 32-33

He quickly discovers that magic and dead people don’t mix. Now, instead of taking on god-like enemies with the backing of the Winter Queen, he can’t even pass through thresholds without permission.

It’s frustrating for both Harry and the reader. I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed reading about Harry blowing stuff up until he couldn’t do it anymore.

One of the things a lot of people don’t understand about magic is that the rules of how it works aren’t hard-and-fast; they’re fluid, changing with time, with the seasons, with location, and with the intent of a practitioner. pg 179. And if you’re alive or dead.

We spend a lot of time in Harry’s mind and memory in Ghost Story and less time in action. Frankly, it’s not as much fun as the other books in the series.

“You have entered a new world. Your old life is no more. You cannot be a part of it any longer. The wide universe stretches before you.” pg 185

I also didn’t realize how much I enjoyed the give-and-take of the characters in this series until the main character couldn’t interact with most of them anymore.

Ghosts who weren’t supermighty manifested all the time. It wasn’t a question of raw power, and it never had been — it was a matter of desire. You just had to be crazy enough to make it happen.” pg 550

That being said, the ending of this book was strangely satisfying. And I cried at the part with Mouse. Overall, I’m glad I read it, but I’m not of the opinion that it was the best in the series.

I would have already started on the next book but there’s a wait list for the digital copy. Library user problems, sigh.

Thanks for reading!

The Science of Being Great: The Practical Guide to a Life of Power by Wallace D. Wattles

In the latest installment of “Heidi re-listens to all the old audiobooks on her hard drive”, I gave The Science of Being Great another chance to share its wisdom with me.

Couched in religious language, Wallace Wattles shares his new age viewpoint long before modern audiences became enamored of it with the mammoth success of The Secret. In fact, that’s how the publisher marketed this older manuscript, as source material for The Secret.

I suppose it could be considered “source material” in that Wattles teaches enlightenment is to be found within. But he has very little in it about the guiding power of emotions, which was a cornerstone of The Secret. Wattles book is more along the lines of: You are a god walking among gods and should act accordingly. And don’t stick your nose into other people’s business.

Some of his advice is more tricky, such as: see the world in a perfect state of becoming. Nothing has gone wrong or could go wrong. Everyone and everything is perfect for where they are and everything has the chance to get better.

That’s hard stuff to swallow if you take a second to think about it. “The world is in a perfect state of becoming.” Maybe I’ve become too accustomed to looking for problems rather than relying on faith that everything is working out how its supposed to.

Other parts of this book sounded similar to more modern new age authors with these ideas: Books and people will be drawn to you when you need them. Go where your inner feelings tell you to go. As you think, so you will become. Thoughts are things, etc.

By comparing and contrasting this book with other authors, I’m not intending to denigrate those teachings. I wouldn’t want to dismiss the power of the mind and emotions. Using just those things, people can certainly change their lives.

It’s just that the way they are packaged in The Science of Being Great may make it difficult for some readers to absorb it. Take the word “God” for example or “the Father”. Wattles throws those two around in every other sentence or so. That could be problematic for people who have struggled with religion or have involving it. Or those who don’t believe religion and science can mix.

And the whole book takes itself so seriously. Even the title “The Science of Being Great”, reminds me of an encyclopedia entry or something. I’ve had the most success in my own personal life when I’ve lightened up and stopped making such a big deal out of things.

In conclusion, is there helpful information in this book? Yes. Would I recommend taking the time to go through it to find those gems? It depends on how you learn best, I guess. Personally, I’d recommend Esther Hicks if you want the same sort of new age teachings with less religious trappings and a bigger dose of fun.

Thanks for reading!

Circuit of Heaven by Dennis Danvers

“Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the height of the stars, how high they are. And thou sayest, How doth God know? Can he judge through the dark cloud? Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.”pg 14

Humanity has created a computer program that can contain a person’s soul within its code. The programmers have made a new world — one without disease, violence or hunger, where those who leave their bodies behind and enter it, can live forever.

Prior to this breakthrough, programmers learned how to implant portions of people’s personalities into biological bodies, to work as laborers and earn money for the ultimate project of building the new paradise. They called these creations, “constructs”.

Not everyone, including some leftover constructs, have chosen to take advantage of this “heaven” and entered the program. Religious fundamentalists and those who have other objections to entering have remained behind. However, society has broken down without the leaders, who entered the program along with billions of other souls. Food is hard to come by and wild packs of dogs roam the streets.

Nemo, for reasons he can’t totally explain even to himself, has chosen not to enter the program (commonly called ‘the Bin’) to be with his parents. But on a recent visit, he meets a beautiful woman and his life will never be the same.

Justine is a recent arrival to the Bin. But her memories are confused and she can’t remember where she has been for the past few weeks. Is it a programming error or indicative of a bigger problem with the Bin itself?

There were scare stories about people going into the Bin and breaking up like a virtual in a thunderstorm, that there were flaws in the crystalline structure of the Bin, and you could find yourself in nightmarish worlds that made no sense, completely alone.” pgs 12-13

I enjoyed the science fiction portions of this story and contemplating the power that humanity could one day potentially wield over life and death. With computers advancing the way they are, it’s not too hard to imagine that someone someday will figure out how to code a personality or soul. And that raises a whole host of other questions, doesn’t it.

What about the psychological effects of everything you could ever want being available at the touch of a button? What does it mean when a mother can program herself to look younger than her children? And what about children in a world without death? Should babies be uploaded immediately into the Bin or programmed from pure code without ever having existed in the real world?

The dilemmas go on and on. Beyond considering the hypothetical moral questions, I had a few problems with this book.

The characterizations were weak. A few of the major plot twists were clear well before they happened. But there was one, a big one, that I didn’t expect and it was pretty messed up. Then, the characters just seemed to get over it and move on. They had a few conversations and that was that. To be honest, it took me awhile longer. (No spoilers, but if you read this one, I’m certain you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.)

Then the ending, when it came, was too rushed, which was rather a shame. So, that’s why I gave this a middling review. The premise was fantastic. Then it devolved into a so-so science fiction.

Thanks for reading!

I’m Not a Terrorist, But I’ve Played One on TV: Memoirs of a Middle Eastern Funny Man by Maz Jobrani

Humor is an interesting concept. It varies from person to person and even day to day. Something that you find funny today might not even make you crack a smile tomorrow.

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But what I’ve discovered through watching a variety of stand-up comics is that the most successful ones tend to bring their own lives into the act in a powerful way. They distill what makes them unique and apply a humorous lens to it, making you feel like laughing or crying. It’s almost like storytelling through jokes. I feel like you have to be a brave person to even attempt it. Because what if you fail?

Have you ever watched Maz Jobrani‘s stand up? He does some storytelling and it’s rather funny. But he also has a back-and-forth with his audience, highlighting the differences between everyone but, beneath that, our essential humanness.

It is that unique voice that comes through in his memoir. He describes growing up Iranian in America and it wasn’t an easy ride. But even through his difficulties, Maz makes it amusing.

He helped me to understand what it is like to be an Iranian in America and also a successful, stand up comic.

In addition to his life story, Maz’s detailed descriptions of other countries makes the reader want to travel to all sorts of exotic locales. This book made me want to visit Petra. 🙂 Some day, perhaps.

If you enjoyed I’m Not a Terrorist, But I’ve Played One on TV, you may want to read Sleepwalk With Me and Other Painfully True Stories by Mike Birbiglia, Shrinkage: Manhood, Marriage, and the Tumor That Tried to Kill Me by Bryan Bishop or I’m Just a Person by Tig Notaro.

In similar ways to this book, Birbiglia, Bishop and Notaro take their lives and share them with us, the readers. They make you laugh, and like Maz, you can’t help but appreciate the brilliance and bravery of comedians. Life isn’t always funny, but it can be. It just depends on what you focus on.

Thanks for reading!

The Help Desk Book Blog

Sharing reviews and deep thoughts about life.

Tag: book blog

In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1) by Tana French

Three Years with Quantrell: A True Story Told By His Scout by John McCorkle, O. S. Barton

Mary B: An Untold Story of Pride and Prejudice by Katherine J. Chen

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

Hypnotize Yourself to a Worry-Free Life by Crystal Dwyer

Ghost Story (The Dresden Files, #13) by Jim Butcher

The Science of Being Great: The Practical Guide to a Life of Power by Wallace D. Wattles

Circuit of Heaven by Dennis Danvers

I’m Not a Terrorist, But I’ve Played One on TV: Memoirs of a Middle Eastern Funny Man by Maz Jobrani

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