Sphere by Michael Crichton

Filed under:Mystery — posted by Randolph on August 27, 2009 @ 3:19 pm

Sphere by Michael CrichtonThe story was fun and intriguing, but I couldn’t quite get into the people. Most of them seemed a bit shallow, they had odd idiosynchrosies that didn’t seem to match the characters but were useful for the plot. For instance, the marine biologist was claustrophobic and couldn’t travel in a submarine. The theme reminded me strongly of the old movie, but if I name it, it’ll ruin the book. So there!

The ending seemed a bit contrived. I couldn’t see these people going to this conclusion. And some of the conclusions they jumped to seemed a bit far-fetched. But otherwise the book was enjoyable. The action and suspense is typical for Crichton.

Revenge of the Spellmans: A Novel by Lisa Lutz

Filed under:Favorites,Humor,Mystery — posted by Randolph on August 20, 2009 @ 12:00 am

Revenge of the Spellmans by Lisa LutzThe third installment of the Spellman saga. Izzy has her usual life, nowhere to live so she sneaks in her brother’s place, and she has to spy on him to figure out his secret. Her therapy isn’t going so well, she needs two doctors. Someone is blackmailing her to go to the museum and wash her father’s car. And she doesn’t know why! Meanwhile, Rae cheated on the Psssats, so her parents cancel their disappearance. Did I mention she has a job to spy on a man’s wife? And someone is tailing her. Then she was offered a big bribe, but for what?? Its all explained in the third book [now available in hardback.

My Man Jeeves: A Collection Of Short Stories. by P. G. Wodehouse

Filed under:Humor,Series — posted by Randolph on August 15, 2009 @ 7:18 pm

My Man Jeeves by P. G. WodehouseThe Jeeves stories are fun, but not all the stories in the book involve Jeeves. The book started with three of them, and ended with another. The stories in the middle were not as good, and ended with more of a down note than is typical of the Jeeves stories. Wodehouse seemed to be experimenting with a different style that didn’t work as well. Skip those.

The Jeeves stories will meet your expectations, Jeeves is a step ahead of the rest of the world and provides insights and a small surprise to every situation.

The Fly on the Wall by Tony Hillerman

Filed under:Mystery — posted by Randolph on August 8, 2009 @ 7:52 pm

The Fly on the Wall by Tony Hillerman

In The Year 2889 by Jules Verne

Filed under:Science Fiction — posted by Randolph on August 6, 2009 @ 3:18 pm

In The Year 2889 by Jules VerneThis is the far future, as seen by someone in the distant past. It has some interesting point and visions, but does not hold up to the current state of science fiction.  It is short, and rather odd. It’s all done with mirrors.



image: detail of installation by Bronwyn Lace