Robopocalypse

Robopocalypse (2011) by Daniel H. Wilson. A computer scientist keeps creating and destroying an artificial intelligence, which learns too fast and grows intelligent beyond imagining. On the fourteenth try, the AI manages to wrest control from the scientist, and takes control. After that event, robots all over the world rise up and start killing their former masters -- the human race. From that point on, the war is on; the war between man and machine. If you get the feeling that this is a retread of ideas already explored in The Terminator movies, you are partly correct. But in this case Archos, the machine intelligence, decides not to use nuclear weapons to wipe mankind out. Why Archos doesn't use tactical nukes to wipe out pockets of resistance is beyond me. It seems that humankind would have no hope of surviving such a war, but survive we do -- after billions are killed. It seems obvious that this book will lead to a movie, it's only a question of time. It has very cinematic qualities. It could be a good scary movie, too. As a book, it's a pretty good read -- if you like sci-fi. Grade: B+

The Sojourn

The Sojourn (2011) by Andrew Krivak. Young Jozef Vinich leaves the United States early in the 20th Century to travel with his father back to their ancestral homeland in Austria-Hungary. Jozef comes of age at just the wrong time and is conscripted to fight in World War I, where his good marksmanship causes him to be used as a sniper. He has many adventures, both during the war and after it ends, and these adventures constitute his sojourn -- the time he spends in Europe after leaving America and before returning. Although the novel starts slowly, it soon becomes riveting, and makes up an unforgettable story of one young man's journey through Europe in the era of World War I. Although Krivak could not have actually been there, his book has the ring of authenticity. Grade: A-

The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Classical Music

The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Classical Music (2002) by Tim Smith. This is a handy guide for the novice who wishes to dip his toe into the vast ocean that is classical music. It discusses the history of classical music, the different types of music that are considered "classical," the composers, famous works that are considered essential, and classical music on CD. The only criticism I have is that its publication date (2002) makes this book a little out-of-date -- I'm sure plenty has happened in the world of classical music in the past nine years, specifically the rise of DVDs (as opposed to videotape) as a source of recorded concerts. Still, this book would make a good starting point for anyone (like me) who has only a glancing knowledge of classical music. Grade: B+

Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why (2007) by Jay Asher. A girl commits suicide, but before killing herself she records seven audiotapes, which she sends to the people whom she blames for her decision to take her own life. It's a serious subject and a clever premise, but I found the prose to be full of high-school histrionics that were just over the top. Clay Jensen, the protagonist of the book, cries multiple times during the night in which he listens to the tapes, which seems excessive when you're reading it. Plus, the book switches back and forth between italics and normal type, and each switch represents a change in point of view, and I found it constantly irritating. Grade: B-

State of Wonder

State of Wonder (2011) by Ann Patchett. Dr. Marina Singh, a research scientist with a pharma company, is sent to Brazil to track down her former mentor, a Dr. Swenson. She ends up traveling deep into the Amazon, where she finds out that the drug Dr. Swenson is researching is something that will allow women to bear children long past the age when menopause would normally occur. The women of the tribe Dr. Swenson is staying with are lifelong childbearers, and they get this "blessing" by eating the bark of a particular tree. The book is one that was a bit of a chore to read, but is a joy to have read. The writing is cool and precise, without any flights of poetic imagery; which is another way of saying that the book lacks poetry. Still, it makes for an interesting read, even though it sometimes seems to move slowly. Grade: B+

The Arrivals

The Arrivals (2011) by Meg Mitchell Moore. The arrivals of the title are the three grown children of Ginny and William Owen, who all arrive back home in the summer of 2008 with various adult problems. Lillian has left her unfaithful husband, Stephen arrives for the weekend with his pregnant wife Jane, and Rachel is fleeing the difficulties of single life in New York City. Moore does a good job portraying the characters, and the book is always believable, but at times it verges on soap opera. Grade: B

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2011) by Ransom Riggs. The author has invented a new universe for this, his first book. In it, "peculiar" humans exist alongside normals, largely undetected. The peculiars all have talents, such as the ability to float free of the earth, or the ability to manipulate fire or, as in the case of Jacob, the book's hero, the ability to see monsters that others can't see. Jacob discovers his power only after his beloved grandfather, another peculiar, dies. His grandfather had the same power, and was a monster hunter. It seems that Jacob is destined for the same line of work, as on a visit to England he discovers a colony of peculiars living in a "loop" -- a time distortion in which the same calendar day repeats over and over. This book is aimed at the youth audience, and is really not quite up to snuff for adults. Riggs has clearly set it up to be the first in a series, and surely has hopes for Rowling-like success. I, for one, will not be reading the sequel. Grade: B

The Preacher

The Preacher (2011) by Camilla Lackberg. In a rural Swedish location, young women have started to go missing, and one body has been found. A local family is suspected, but DNA fails to prove that any of them are involved. Local detective Patrik Hedstrom leads the frantic investigation, as the authorities try to find the latest abductee while she is still alive. This book has one of two problems: either Lackberg is not a very good writer, or the book loses sharpness in the translation from Swedish to English. In any case, for me, it struck wrong note after wrong note on the way to its unconvincing climax, and I only kept reading because I didn't have anything else to read at the time.
Grade: B-