Wolf To The Slaughter by Ruth Rendell

Recently I heard someone complaining about a book, saying after reading and enjoying it they still weren’t really sure about the title. That is kind of the way I feel about this story. Usually, titles have some sort of tie-in with the actual story, at least in a vague way. This is a murder mystery, and the concept of a wolf being slaughtered sort of ties in with that, but it is otherwise a pretty obscure connection.

Ruth Rendell has written several Wexford mysteries; stories that focus around the investigations of the police station that is overseen by Detective Wexford. A young woman has disappeared and the team of detectives attempt to discover what has happened with only a missing person report and an anonymous note to go on. I have read Ruth Rendell stories before and I consistently enjoy them very much; well written and oh so British.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Though Neil Gaiman is an undeniably successful author with a very loyal readership, I have read very little of his work. A person who has read several of his novels could most likely offer some insight as to whether American Gods is fairly representative of his style, but I cannot. What I can say is that American Gods is that it is an enjoyable book with a well-balanced mix of fantasy and reality.

The book follows Shadow, a recently released felon who finds himself working for Wednesday, an unpredictable con-man. The two are involved in preparations for a coming conflict; the old, traditional gods are facing new gods of Internet, media, industry, etc. Both sides are trying to rally their troops and gain advantage before the conflict that everyone agrees is imminent.

With this book, I often got the feeling that I was missing some of Gaiman’s symbolism; coins are very important but I don’t know that I am clever enough to always get the meaning behind the object. Unfortunately, this is probably my own lack of knowledge of world religions working against me in this case; obviously Gaiman knows a lot more about this than I do. That being said, I’m sure I could quite easily find an excellent article on the inter-web in which someone will gladly explain this to me (maybe a project for tomorrow?). Nevertheless, the story is fun and well paced – surely enjoyable to those who know a lot about this, and those who do not.

The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil by George Saunders

The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil was recommended by a former advisor, and since I had heard it mentioned before, I decided to pick it up. I didn’t really investigate the book much before reading it. The book jacket made a comparison to Animal Farm, so I knew that it was either a) about talking animals or b) a political satire. As disappointed as I was about the lack of farm animals, I still think this was a great book.

Though there are no animals in this book, the characters aren’t quite human either. The somewhat surreal characters are involved in a border dispute; the citizens of Inner-Horner must take turns occupying their country (large enough for only one person at a time), the citizens of Outer-Horner are constantly on alert for “invasions” of their country by the crowded Inner-Horner citizens. The border guards, rivalries, and government appointments, are all perfectly done. Saunders is hilariously funny and just a little bit tragic; this book is a fast read that promises enjoyment.

The Girl Who Played With Fire By Stieg Larsson

Of course, I wouldn’t have read The Girl Who Played With Fire without first reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I can happily report that I have enjoyed The Girl Who Played with Fire as much or more than the first installment in the series. The original book featured recent crimes and not-so recent crimes, and we certainly get more of the same in this book.

One of my favorite things about the first book is that it was an investigation into a mysterious crime from many years ago. My favorite thing about this book is that Investigators Blomvkist and Salander are more personally involved in the investigation that takes place. Though Blomvkist is technically working on articles for his news magazine Millenium, he contributes the amount of energy that he does because of his personal involvement. Larsson successfully creates suspense right to the last page.

I suspect that people who enjoyed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo will enjoy this book as well; there is much to be said for reading the first book before starting this one. As with any series, there is catch up information for those who didn’t read the book, or who haven’t read it recently, but Larsson builds on many relationships that were established in the first book. In my opinion, this would be quite confusing if you haven’t read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Normally, I don’t read many suspense/thriller novels, even though I typically enjoy them. The fact that this series is a bit of a sensation has attracted me though. I recommend the book, and I’m looking forward to The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.