The Terror, by Dan Simmons

I've been interested in the doomed Franklin Expedition to find the Northwest Passage ever since I was young and the wax museum in Victoria put up an exhibit on it. So when I read a review of this book, which is a fictionalized retelling of the expedition, in an adventure travel magazine, I thought I might like it. I was a little dismayed when I went to pick it up at the library and a) it was an 800 page hardcover and b) the jacket told me the story featured a supernatural beast killing off the men. I was cynical, but thought I'd give it a shot.

I'd describe The Terror as historical fiction / thriller. It was extremely well researched, with details I remembered from the wax museum (like the lower jaw of a corpse being bound) and a long bibliography. It was also exciting and highly readable. I found myself wishing I could have saved it for a long plane ride. While I ended up quite liking it, and accepting the mythical killer beast, when Simmons threw in a psychic captain so he could work in other historical facts that the icebound sailors would have had no way of knowing, I thought that was going a bit far. But then...that plot point worked out in the end too.

Even though I went in knowing that everyone died, I still felt sad near the end when they started dying en masse. (Not a spoiler, that's just how it went down as time passed and everyone got sicker and hungrier.) Despite the slight hokiness, it was a good read and inspired me to read more about the true history of the Franklin Expedition.

The Terror: A Novel

Juliet, Naked, by Nick Hornby

I love Nick Hornby, and this book didn't disappoint, although I disapproved of the use of American terms in a few places, such as "potato chips" instead of "crisps", which I thought might have been pandering to the larger market. That's neither here nor there though, because I loved this book. I had to wait a while to get it from the library, but not as long as I'll have to wait for the new Margaret Atwood (I'm still at least 200th in line for that.) Meanwhile, Kelly bought it for not one but two e-readers (long story). I'm not bitter.

Anyway, even if he didn't manage to slip in a mention of Arsenal, this is Hornby at top form. He doesn't often write from the point of view of a woman, but he knows what he's on about. I liked this a lot more than How to be Good, which also featured a woman as the main character. This book was cheery and loving, and although the main plot point probably wouldn't really happen in real life, it all feels very realistic and insightful. It's been a while since I read a book so quickly and with such enjoyment. Hurrah!

Higher than the Eagle Soars, by Stephen Venables

Oh man. First I hemmed and hawed over whether or not I even wanted to read this book (which was free), and then I took forever reading it, and then I took my sweet time writing about it. This was a slow book.

I've always been attracted to stories about climbing Mt. Everest, but my hesitation with this book was that it seemed to be more a memoir of this man's life than anything. There were certainly stories about mountain climbing in it, and a tale of Everest as the climax, but there were also stories of his education and love life as well. I liked hearing about this posh Oxford boy becoming an experienced mountaineer, but for thrilling climbs, I'd be better off rereading Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air.

Wait, now this one is about books

So I caved and ordered 2666 by Roberto Bolano from amazon.ca. Here is the link to the book I ordered. Here is the link to the book I should have ordered. Look at them side by side. Do you see the difference?

...

The difference is that the one I ordered was in Spanish! Hilarious! Funny thing, if you search '2666' on Amazon, the Spanish version is the first result. How silly of me to order it. Maybe if the customer reviews hadn't been in English, making me think that it was read by people who speak English? I see now that if I had bothered to search inside, I would have seen the Spanish, but I wasn't buying a picture book, so I didn't bother. And yes, I see that it's in the product details, but I didn't think that was required reading.

So I tried to return it and was pleased to see that Amazon would pay for the shipping and send a replacement, since it was their mistake for not making the language obvious. But then I got an email (promptly and from a real person, to my surprise) telling me that it was actually my mistake and so I had to pay for the shipping and would only get a refund. Meaning that if I wanted to re-order the book in English I would have to pay for that shipping too. After a frustrating morning of writing frustrated emails and getting prompt replies from humans, finally one of them gave in and said they would pay for the return shipping, but I would still just get a refund instead of a replacement. Which is what I wanted. I'll just take that refund and buy 2666 at my neighbourhood bookstore.

Wait a second, this isn't about books!

But fun, right guys? I would totally enter this contest if I didn't work there.

The Yiddish Policeman's Union, by Michael Chabon

I picked this book up shortly before leaving for our honeymoon to bring on it. A few days into the trip, as I read the New York Times over breakfast, I saw an ad for upcoming signings at Barnes & Noble, including one by Michael Chabon. I was thrilled.

I suppose readings/signings by famous authors isn't as big a deal in New York as it is here, seeing as we turned up an hour before it started and got a seat fairly near the front. It did fill up, but much closer to the appointed hour. Compare this to the time I waited FOUR HOURS to see David Sedaris at Bolen Books in Victoria, and then waited another 3 hours to get my book signed.

Michael Chabon read 2 short stories from his new book and then answered questions for a bit (which were much less mundane than most of the questions asked Sedaris at the Victoria signing.) We were ushered row-by-row into a very orderly line, and after a short wait, Chabon signed our books. The meeting wasn't much to speak of, but it happened and I was so glad.

                                        

The Yiddish Policeman's Union was good too. It wasn't true love like Kavalier and Clay, and to be honest, I was a bit confused by the story (a detective story in an alternate reality where all the Jews live in Alaska), but I got involved with the characters and was almost totally satisfied.

The Complete Calvin and Hobbes, by Bill Watterson

Talk about easy reads. I didn't want to start a new book because I didn't think I could finish it before leaving for my trip (tomorrow!). While I was arranging our new bookcase, I pulled one of the three thick Calvin and Hobbes volumes out and joked that I would just finish it before I carried on. Then I thought, "Why don't I?" I thought it was a really cool gift when Kelly got it a Christmas or two ago, but for some reason I never opened a book up. Perhaps because they are so imposingly large and heavy.

I finished the first two and now I'm partway through the third volume of my all-time favourite comic strip (with Peanuts close behind), and it's an eminently satisfying read. It's still just as good as when I was a kid, but now I'm noticing how good the illustrations are, the philosophical references, and the warmth of the relationships.