I had a few goals at the start of the year: (1) to read more classic novels, (ii) to re-read more books (I used to re-read a lot), (3) to be more selective in the mystery novels I read, and (4) to read more non-fiction. I ended up finishing a couple of classic novels this month, one of which was a re-read (sorta). I also read a non-fiction book in one of my areas of interest that I used to read in all the time. I also read a few very good mystery novels. So it was, in many ways a successful reading month. And yet ... perhaps because it was the beginning of spring, I felt less like reading this month than I did in the prior months. The following are the books I finished in April.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain read by Elijah Wood
I decided I wanted to read the new novel "James" this month (see below) which is based on Mark Twain's Huck Finn novel. But it had been years and years since I had read Huck Finn and I wanted to refresh my memory. This novel was never in any of my school curricula although we had a copy at home that I read (although I'm not even sure that I finished it.) I had a vague recollection of the plot and I had a vague recollection that it went on and on and on in some places describing all the hijinks that Huck got up to. And, yes, it does go on and on but it is much funnier than I remembered. I don't think this is a novel for young people to read. I don't think they would really get the satire. Much of the humor requires the reader to have a certain level of education in history and literature to understand all the allusions. I did remember all the dialect Twain used so, after my success reading Their Eyes Were Watching God in audio, I decided to listen to an audio recording. If you've never read Huck Finn I can highly recommend the Audible recording done by Elijah Wood. He does all the voices wonderfully, even the women. And most importantly he makes Huck (and Tom Sawyer) sound like the youngsters they are in the book. If you don't remember that they are youngsters, they could be very annoying. This was a groundbreaking anti-slavery novel in its day but be warned that Twain uses the vernacular of the day including much casual use of the N word. It can be jarring. Perhaps the best thing about the novel in my opinion is his description of floating down the Mississippi on the raft. Growing up next to the river, this was delightful to me. The runaway slave, Jim, is of course a main character in the novel and I paid particular attention to Jim since his story is the story of "James". Although it is clear that Twain is fond of Jim as a character, he also uses a lot of stereotypes and often Jim sounds like a simpleton. The real point of the novel comes when Huck wrestles with his conscience which tells him that legally and in accordance with religious mores of the day he needs to deliver Jim to the authorities but he can't do that to his friend. When he finally decides that if being true to Jim means he will go to hell, then he will go to hell. Even without the publication of "James" I'm very glad I re-read this novel.
James by Percival Everett
First, you do not have to have read Huck Finn to enjoy this tour de force retelling of Twain's story. But remembering the Twain story does add to the enjoyment. Huck Finn is told from the point of view of a boy who, no matter the danger, just wants to enjoy the adventure. James is told from the point of view of a grown man with a wife and child. He is also a character that is in danger every minute from all the people he and Huck meet. So while Huck may know that the two men known as the Duke and the King are con artists, its still an adventure for him. For James, he knows they have the power of life and death over him. Everett also is less wordy than Twain and there wasn't a point where I grew tired of the side characters. In Huck Finn there are multiple places where Jim and Huck are separated and the story stays with Huck (since it is told in the first person). Everett fills in the blanks. He does make a lot of changes, especially to the end of the story and even the time period in which it takes place. And there is a big unexpected twist that I'm not sure was necessary but certainly made the story more interesting. The best thing is that he retained the humor and added many ludicrous situations that I think Twain would have approved of. And he made James a real person, not a stereotype. All in all, highly recommended. I'll be thinking about this novel for a long time.
Middlemarch by George Eliot
I read this as part of a group read-along on BlueSky and I'm glad I did it that way. I tried to read it last year but only read about 1/3 of the novel before leaving it behind. In general this novel was not for me but I know that some people consider it their favorite novel of all time. I discuss why it didn't work for me in this post.
Murder at the Merton Library by Andrea Penrose
This is a part of a continuing mystery series set during the Regency Period. The thing I like about this series is that the plot usually revolves around some kind of scientific experiment or invention that really happened during the period and I always learn something. This time the plot revolved around the race to develop a steam powered vessel that could cross the Atlantic (there were steam powered paddlewheelers at this time but paddlewheels were not suitable for ocean swells). Eventually they would come up with the screw shaped propeller blade but there was also the problem of generating enough steam which required more fuel than the ship could carry. We know that eventually all these problems were solved but not until after the time periord of this novel. The mystery was, as usual, decent. I also like the gradual development of the characters over the span of the books.
What Cannot Be Said by C. S. Harris
This is the next installment in one of my favorite mystery series: The Sebastien St. Cyr mystery series. Set during the regency, Sebastien St. Cyr is a Viscount who helps the police from time to time. It started because he was better able to assist when someone in the aristocracy was involved. I enjoyed this installment although the possible solution occurred to me early on and I thought "no, she would never go in that direction". The thing I like best about this series is her slow character development. She never rushes anything. For a few books I've been waiting to hear what the reaction of his community has been to Sebastien and his wife Hero adopting a child who looks just like Sebastien. Oh the gossip there must be. And yet it isn't until this book, in one line, that we begin to hear it. And I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop on what Hero's cousin Victoria is up to. If you are going to read this series you need to read from the beginning. Know that the first few books are fine but they really start to get good at about book 4.
The Lake District Murder by John Bude
This is another of the British Library Crime Classics I inherited from my mom. This is the third John Bude novel that I've read and of all the BLCC books I've read I've consistently understood why his are being reissued. This one is more of a police procedural than a whodunnit. We have a pretty good idea early on whodunnit, but the why and how (and how to prove them) are the mystery. Sometimes this novel got bogged down in describing the procedures the police (Inspector Meredith) used to catch the criminals but otherwise it was perfectly enjoyable.
Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman
Back when I was in college I worked at the local JC Penney. Usually I was "customer facing" (in the coat department) but every once in a while they needed help back in the stock room, unboxing stock and putting price tags on things. This novel brought back memories of that time. The characters work at a nationwide big box chain (similar to Target I think because it is supposed to be more upscale than Walmart) who arrive at work at 4 in the morning, unload the trucks and put the new merchandise out, leaving when the customers arrive. They are underpaid and never have enough hours so they live hand to mouth. On the other hand, most of them feel lucky to have the job. They like the store manager (Big Will) but he is leaving to manage a better store and they realize that their direct boss, Meredith, is likely to take his place. On the one hand Meredith is incompetent, on the other hand, if she moves up that will create an opening for one of them to move into management. More hours, better pay, better benefits. Thus is hatched a plot to make Meredith look better than she really is. I really liked Waldman's debut novel "The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P." in which she created very realistic characters. But there were only a few characters in that novel. Here she also creates realistic characters, it's just that there are so many characters. Waldman writes in third person omniscient, which I like, but much of this novel involves descriptions of what brought these characters to this point in their lives and their interior thoughts. There is dialog and there is action but I could have used a bit more dialog (my "need to hear the voices" problem). She does a great job of describing the day-to-day routine and puts in some great jabs at the unnamed "online retailer" that is the biggest competition of brick and mortar stores. This is a character driven novel that has a plot (albeit a slow moving plot). Even though I liked "Nathaniel P" better, I did like this one too. I recognized the characters from that other time in my life. On the other hand, the boredom of their jobs and the poverty of their lives sometimes got to me.
The History and Archaeology of Fort Ouiatenon: 300 Years in the Making edited by Misty M. Jackson, H. Kory Cooper, and David M. Hovde
This book will only be of interest to people like me who love to read about North American French Colonial History, and even for me it was a little too "in the weeds". Fort Ouiatenon was a trading post established by the French in the 18th Century near what is today Lafayette, Indiana. After the conclusion of the French and Indian War the British took it over as a military post and then, after the American Revolution it was destroyed. This book is a collection of papers about the archeology that has occurred at the site over the last 70+ years. I did learn some things about costume (paste) jewelry in colonial times and there was an interesting section about the Miami tribe that originally lived in the area (now living in Oklahoma).
Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz
This is the fifth book in the Horowitz and Hawthorne series in which Anthony Horowitz is a character in his own book. Horowitz is the Dr. Watson to Hawthorne's Sherlock Holmes and never did that seem clearer than in this book when they didn't even work together on the case. Horowitz is writing up an old case that Hawthorne solved years before, having access to all of Hawthorne's notes. Unusual for this series, parts of it are told in the third person. These parts are broken up by the usual first person narration of Horowitz as he tries to figure out what is going on from all of Hawthorne's notes and how to write it up. I liked this novel but not as much as the others and I think that's because of the separation of the two characters. This is also a locked door mystery (in part) and (as Horowitz himself says) locked door crimes require the kind of planning that doesn't usually happen in crime. But on the whole, recommended.
