Sometimes a fantasy book written in the horror genre is just so appealing and Hill (Stephen King’s son) is a go-to author (previous recommendation for Heart Shaped Box). In this book, the title is from the license plate on a vintage 1938 Rolls Royce Wraith car, and of course stands for Nosferatu (German for vampire). This is an imaginative story with portals between the physical world and the mind, with child abductions and serial killings: the story is violent with many vivid descriptions of pain and quite a few deaths, so be warned. If you like (occasional) horror books, this is a cracking good read.
Author: AJ
Kitchens Of The Great Midwest – JR Stradal
What’s not to love about a book with a first chapter entitled Lutefisk, when a Danish-Norwegian marriage is described as mixed race, and two children are named Rothko and Bracque (OK, the father is an art history professor). This is a book about the modern foodie culture, with a wise treatment of life in the Mid-West. The reading is very satisfying with some ridiculously funny parts and then amazingly poignant sections.
The Three Sisters Bar and Hotel – Katherine Govier
An epic story of the Western Rocky Mountains, with the setting of Gateway (actually Canmore). The story covers 100 years, from 1911 with guides taking pack-horse expeditions into the mountains. The core story is the disappearance of an American fossil-hunting expedition. The history of Canadian National Parks is presented as an evocative back story. This is a very good read, capturing the romance (literal and figurative) of mountains and the men and women who blazed the trails.
The Past – Tessa Hadley
This is a perfect introspective story of family relationships in the present and past. There are secrets, things that are observed but not spoken of. The point of view of the children is most extraordinary – what they observe and what they keep secret. This is a very English story with some surprises – overall a very fine read.
A Little Life – Hanya Yanagihara
This is a powerful and also profoundly disturbing book, a guy book about 4 male college friends, with a detailed (1352 pages in my digital library copy) account of their relationships with each other mostly: intense friendship and sometimes love. There are essentially no important relationships with women. At the core of the book is Jude, who undergoes horrific abuse as a child that will bring you to tears. Predictably, Jude suffers pronounced attachment disorder which makes his subsequent relationships with his friends very complicated. One of the brilliant features of this book is the ability to illustrate how someone who is very very intelligent can repeatedly engage in completely irrational behaviour: Jude knows this but can’t stop. This should produce a pause in those who think that abuse can be trivialized by “just get over it”. This is a tough read for emotional reasons but very worthwhile. This book is a Man Booker finalist.
The Girl With All The Gifts – MR Carey
A variation on zombies: a fungus has created the “hungries”. Twenty years after the outbreak, there are very few survivors but this includes some children who have the infection but retain brain function, especially the ability to learn. Not surprisingly, these children are the subject of intensive scientific investigations in a secret army location. The best aspect of this book is the treatment of the sociology of an infection. A major part of the book details a journey with a disparate group of distrustful people who have to cooperate. Overall, a very interesting story.
Commentary
Note from David: having 6 notable titles out of a total of 8 books might be a record for good reading. Also, I want to report that I abandoned two books this month, proving that I can be discriminating!
The Sky Is Falling – Caroline Adderson
Adderson writes perfect novels of time and place, in this case Vancouver in the early 1980s. A group of young people share a home in Kitsilano, and the description of their lifestyle is fantastic. They are preoccupied (obsessed) with concern about war and the nuclear arms race, and their confusion and angst drives the plot. This is an under-rated novel, so highly recommended.
Slade House – David Mitchell
An imaginative story about soul vampires who lust for immortality. Parts of this book are similar to The Bone Clocks, but the story is much shorter, more like a novella.
Amy notes: David reads so voraciously that I rarely get to say this: I read this book before him!
What David Read 