Book Review: CHERNOBYL PRAYER by Svetlana Alexievich

Chernobyl Prayer: A Chronicle of the Future by Svetlana Alexievich

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"This is not a book on Chernobyl, but on the world of Chernobyl... What I'm concerned with is what I would call the "missing history," the invisible imprint of our stay on earth and in time... I am trying to capture the life of the soul... How many times has art rehearsed the apocalypse? Now, though, we can be assured that life is infinitely more fantastical."

The show that impacted me the most this past year was HBO's "Chernobyl," and writer/producer Craig Mazin said of this book that this was where he "always turned to find beauty and sorrow."

I thought nothing could top the horrors depicted in the series. But as it turns out, there ARE more horrible things! Things unfilmable, things unimaginable, that broke my heart as I read the powerful monologues in this unforgettable book by a Nobel laureate.

I couldn't help but imagine how much more powerful this would be if it was staged or read aloud. The author wrote them down in monologue form, and the variety and number of the monologues are striking. From wives of first-responders, to children and mothers and fathers, to farmers and scientists and intellectuals... all striving for meaning, for some sense to come from their incredible suffering.

Then again, I'm not sure I could bear a live reading of these monologues, when reading them bit by bit already made me weep.

Julian Barnes wrote that the book leaves radiation burns on the brain, and it really does. It truly does.

It is not easy reading. But it is very necessary, if only to remember the names of the innocent who died, victims of a heartless government who cared more for its public face than for the fate of its people.

For that is the greater horror of Chernobyl... not the unimaginable scale of the disaster that still threatens all life on earth, and will continue to do so for thousands of years to come... what is more horrible is the human element of Chernobyl. Despite all the heroism, there was the cover-up, the willful neglect... the organized deception. And thousands died because of it.



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Book Review: THE TOLL (Arc of a Scythe # 3) by Neal Shusterman

The Toll by Neal Shusterman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


" "Why stress my emotional nanites by thinking of terrible things?"
A fine philosophy until the terrible thing comes to you."

The final book of the Arc of a Scythe series ended the trilogy with a neat ending, although one I didn't see coming! And while it left me unsatisfied with the fate of some characters, it is still a pleasant thing to recover from that cliffhanger of an ending in Book 2. The good thing about reading the last book in a series is that there aren't any more cliffs.

Shusterman takes elements of our own world and puts it in his book. Here we have a bisexual character whose gender changes with the weather, to underscore how changeable and inconsequential it is for some. We also have a powerful leader whose lust for power makes him change the laws of his country so he can persecute... and eventually kill... all the groups who dare to question his authority. And we have the Thunderhead, whose story arc asks, just how long can artificial intelligence remain... artificial?

A quick read, a great plot. Typical Shusterman. If I had to rate the books, however, I'd say Book 1 was great, Book 2 was the best of them all, and Book 3 was... OK. I imagine this would appeal greatly to a YA audience, especially because of all the moral and ethical quandaries brought up in the books.



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Book Review: THE ART OF THEFT (Lady Sherlock # 4) by Sherry Thomas

The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"If there is sunshine I can walk beneath, and a good book to read in peace and quiet, then I'll be happy."

Book 4 of the Lady Sherlock series does not disappoint! Sherry Thomas is one of those "buy-on-sight" authors because as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow and that your Book Depository purchases will show up on your credit card bill every month, you know that an S.T. novel will be filled with intelligent dialogue, a multitude of twists and turns, and elevated... nay, ARTISTIC prose.

Book 4 bring us an Indian queen. A shady art gallery. Charlotte's eternal battle between appetite and Maximum Number of Tolerable Chins. Pansexual relationships (tastefully presented) amongst middle-aged respectable people. And the usual S.T. verbal acrobatics.

In terms of stakes, I'd say the stakes were highest in Book 3. But Book 4 still places them in quite enough danger that you still feel a delicious frisson while reading. Not to mention a most memorable "sparring" match between heroine and hero. Ah... don't you LOVE those?

What I loved about Book 4 was the reunion of the cast of characters from the previous books, whom I've come to care for very much. And apart from the far-from-the-usual romance of our lead, Charlotte Holmes, there is also the love story of her sister, Livia.

And there we have it. Love. Everyone who has read this series has come to love it. Eagerly awaiting Book 5!

Here are the links to reviews of Book 3, Book 2, and Book 1.


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Book Review: THE PERSIAN BOY (Alexander the Great # 2) by Mary Renault

The Persian Boy by Mary Renault

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“It is better to believe in men too rashly, and regret, than believe too meanly. Men could be more than what they are, if they would try for it. He has shown them that… Those who look in mankind only for their own littleness, and make them believe in that, kill more than he ever will in all his wars.”

The second book of the Alexander trilogy was very different in tone from the first, as the entire thing is narrated by the true-to-life lover and faithful companion named Bagoas. But of course, the quality of Renault's writing remains ever so lyrical and excellent. I feel like reading a single page ennobles me, if that makes sense??

Renault writes very sympathetically of the relationship between the two, a love that was greater than jealousy borne from Alexander’s two marriages and his older relationship with Hephaistion. She points out that as of his lifetime, "the Christian ideal of chastity was still unborn,” and treats the tender relationship with respect and compassion, never vulgar nor explicit.

It is a love that makes Bagoas follow Alexander through continent after continent, war after war. Through barren deserts and raging rivers and mountain eyries, Bagoas follows and bears all suffering because he can’t bear to be where Alexander is not… until the very end. And even without all his riches, one may call Alexander rich for having a love such as this. *sniff*

I leave the second book with a heavy heart, knowing that the disintegration of the mighty empire is yet to come in Book 3.


See my review for Book 1 here.

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Book Review: MOOMIN (Comic Strip Vol. 1)

Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip, Vol. 1 by Tove Jansson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


One of my favorite books as a child was Tove Jansson's "Comet in Moominland." I remember loving every part of the novel... The dialogue, the illustrations, the cover... It was just PERFECT!

But it wasn't until this first volume that I got to read about Moomin's adventures in comic strip form. And it's just as perfect! Old-school charm, humor with a bit of snarkiness, and a surprising amount of adult themes (including heavily hinted depression) make for a unique reading experience that I just can't get enough of. I need more Moomin in my life!!!

Moomin shows us that problems do come, they are unavoidable... But as long as you've got your family, "with imagination and faith, all problems will be solved!“
May we all "live in peace, plant potatoes, and dream!"



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Book Review: FIRE FROM HEAVEN (Alexander the Great # 1) by Mary Renault

Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“To die, even a little, one should do it for something great.”

This is my third Renault book. Twice before she ensorcelled me back into Ancient Greece, when I read of Theseus and a realistic treatise of his struggle with the House of Minos. I remember being in awe of how the tale was even more epic and no less fantastic, even without the half-man, half-bull.

This third book, the first of Renault’s famous Alexander the Great trilogy, was even better!! With the author being in the height of her powers, having written these much later than the Theseus novels.

What do you get when you combine the scholarship of an Oxford graduate with the real life experience of a World War II nurse who treated Dunkirk survivors?

A unique blend of fantasy and realism, where you can see Grecian dirt and smell fresh Hellene blood, hear the battle cries of hoplites struggling to maintain their phalanx formations, and practically taste the wild Macedonian air in your mouth.

Renault breathes life into an Alexander who is all too human, with flaws like ours, but becomes superhuman through his sheer willpower in his quest for self-mastery.

I knew some of the facts of Alexander’s life beforehand (don’t we all?), but Renault gifts us with an entire supporting cast, masterfully illustrating their innermost psychological workings as well as their actions.

This first book tells us of Alexander’s infancy until the time he takes over as Regent at the age of twenty. We become privy to his traumatic childhood, one where Father and Mother fought each other for control over the young boy’s education and ultimately, his destiny.

One of the things I admire most about Renault is how she treats bisexual relationships in her novels. Neither condemning nor sensationalizing, she presents us a pre-Christian world that recognizes the value of pairing lovers in battle. Renault has given me a whole new appreciation for the Sacred Band of Thebes, “having each in his charge a twofold honour, did not retreat; they advanced, or stood, or died.” For “suppose a state or an army could be made up only of lovers and beloved… Even a few of them, fighting side by side, might well conquer the world.”

It’s good to be reminded of the greatness that sleeps in all men’s souls. As Alexander whispered to Boukephalos before riding into battle: “Remember who we are.”




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Book Review: WAR : TALES OF CONFLICT AND STRIFE by Roald Dahl

War: Tales of Conflict and Strife by Roald Dahl

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“I know that I am not a coward. I am certain of that. I will always keep going… and although I am so frightened that I can hardly think, yet I am going on to do this thing. There was never any question of not going or of turning back. I would rather die than turn back.”

Now THIS is, quite simply, excellent story telling! I'd always known Roald Dahl was a fighter pilot in the War, but I didn’t know of the details of his extraordinary adventures… until now. To me, they are far more amazing than the fantastic tales he wrote for children!

This volume contains his autobiographical novella, GOING SOLO, as well as seven short stories. They're all about his experiences during the War, and all are masterfully written, but the novella and the stories are completely different in tone. The novella is very optimistic and cheerful, while the stories are darker, more sinister… and one of them in particular struck me as being very timely for Halloween. “They Shall Not Grow Old” sent chills up and down my spine with the tale of a fellow fighter pilot who disappears for two days and comes back, reporting that he had been with “the pilots and air crews who had been killed in battle, who now, in their own aircraft were making their last flight, their last journey.”

No fictional glass elevator, no imaginary chocolate factory can compare with this amazing book, which leaves the reader grateful to live in a time of peace, with greater appreciation of the many blessings living in peacetime gives:

“All the things I want to do and all the things I want to see… like going home sometimes. Like walking through a wood. Like pouring a drink from a bottle. Like looking forward to weekends and like being alive every hour every day every year for fifty years.”

Penguin Books released seven other collections of Roald Dahl’s works (Lust, Madness, Cruelty, Deception, Trickery, Innocence, and Fear), and I can’t wait to get my hands on the rest!



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