The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman

January 4, 2025

The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman

A holiday (sort of) short story by the author of A Man Called Ove. A bit more melancholy than most of Backman's writing. But that doesn't really matter since I read everything he writes.

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

January 3, 2025

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

In 1940, three women are recruited to do war work at Bletchley Park in the English countryside. One is a debutante who speaks several languages, one has superior office skills, and the third can work a crossword puzzle in minutes. Although none of them are sure at first what the people at Bletchley Park are doing, they soon learn that BP is Britain's World War II code breaking center.

Based on actual people who worked at Bletchley Par on the German enigma cypher. They recruited university types at first, but later also people who did puzzles, spoke languages, and had great organizational skills. The reason the cypher was initially so difficult to break is that the code changed daily. Once the code breakers figured out how to break the code, the challenge became preventing the Axis forces from realizing that the British were reading their secret messages. Part of the government's strategy for keeping the secret was isolating each section from the others, sharing only the information that they needed to do their work. The rose code in the book is an example of the types of code they worked on, so called because the code wrapped around like the petals on a rose.

While I was interested in the whole story of code breaking and the enigma cypher, the book is a whopping 650 page and would have been a better book if an editor had whacked out 100 or so pages of repetitious details. Fun fact: Valerie Middleton, grandmother of Katherine, Princess of Wales, was a code breaker at BP during the war and appears in the book. Recommended for readers of historical fiction, especially about World War II.

Bletchley Park

The Women of Troy by Pat Barker

December 28, 2024

The Women of Troy by Pat Barker

After Achilles' death, his former war prize Briseis is now married to one of Achilles' lieutenants to protect her and Achilles' unborn child. Her husband is now lieutenant to Pyrrhus, son of Achilles. With the war over, the Greek army waits for a suitable wind to sail for home, only three days away, but they are stuck there waiting for the will of the gods to favor them.

The second book in Barker's Women of Troy trilogy begins inside the infamous Trojan Horse, in the voice of Pyrrhus. Pyrrhus is kind of a jerk, but you feel sorry for him as well - there is no way he can live up to his hero father's image. When you hear about the Trojan Horse, you don't think about a bunch of big hot sweaty men stuck inside for hours with no bathroom facilities and no ventilation (nasty). All of the main characters here are only names mentioned in the Ilian (Hecuba, Cassandra, Briseis) because they are women and therefore beneath notice. When someone in the camp commits a forbidden act, the Greek soldiers are sure it was one of the two Trojan men in the camp. There are hundreds of Trojan women, but they are totally discounted, the way royalty and aristocrats treat their servants, like they are part of the furniture. Looking forward to the third book in the trilogy. Recommended for readers of historical fiction and mythology.

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

December 23, 2024

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

Before the city of Troy fell, the invading Greek army destroyed the cities on the Trojan plain, killing the men and boys and taking the girls and women as slaves. The wife of a high ranking noble, Briseis was given to the warrior Achilles as a war prize. Achilles treats her kindly if indifferently, but his close friend and charioteer Patroclus becomes a friend to Briseis.

The story of the Trojan War is usually told by the men who were the victors: Odysseus, Achilles, Agamemmon, Menelaus. Rarely are the voices of the losing side heard, and almost never the women. This is the first book in Barker's trilogy about the women and girls who were the real victims, forced into slavery or prostitution by the conquering Greeks. Highly recommended for readers of historical fiction and mythology. Also recommended are The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati.

Ruins believed to be part of ancient Troy

The Answer is No by Fredrik Backman

December 21, 2024

The Answer is No by Fredrik Backman

Lucas lives a happy life. He lives alone, works from home, enjoys pizza and a glass of good red wine, and plays video games. His secret to happiness: just say no. When other people want you to do something, either politely refuse or just ignore them. He has no interest in changing his life, and it's a great system until someone in his apartment complex discards an old skillet next to the garbage dumpster, and then the trouble begins.

A short story by the author of A Man Called Ove, filled with Backman's signature humorous view of the human race. Enjoyable.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

And yes, pad thai should have peanuts in it.

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

December 20, 2024

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Megan Chase lives on a pig farm in the Louisiana Bayou with her mother, stepfather and half-brother. She is an outcast but her best friend Robbie, another outcast, has always been there for her. On her 16th birthday, like a miracle, the quarterback of the football team asks her to lunch, only for Megan to become the victim of a vicious prank. Things only get worse when she arrives home to find that a changeling has taken the place of her half-brother who has been spirited off to the land of Faery. Megan is determined to go after him and bring him back, whatever the cost.

First book in the Iron Fey series. These faeries and elves aren't the Disney variety, more like the Eoin Colfer type (see the Artemis Fowl series). Many well known characters such as Puck and Oberon, and Grimalkin the faery cat is a great character. There are some fun and creative parts, like the road back to Faery through a dance club in Detroit. Many of the settings in the Iron King section have strong overtones of The Lord of the Rings. Note to fey folk: if you know that iron can kill you, maybe it's not the best idea to go into a land made of iron. Will appeal to readers of YA fantasy/romantasy.

The land of Faery

Kills Well With Others by Deanna Raybourn

December 19, 2024

Kills Well With Others by Deanna Raybourn

The four middle-aged supposedly retired assassins from Killers of a Certain Age are back for another adventure. The son of the target of their first kill is methodically tracking down and killing the people responsible for his father's death. It's up to the four assassins to take him out before he finds them. But how will they find him, and how does he know where they are?

The Golden Girls meets Charlie's Angels. Despite being in their 60s, the four female assassins are still evolving and growing. They are smart, sassy and sexy. I do like the recommendations for using common household items as killing or torture tools. Also, I would like Taverner if Billie is finished with him. A worthy sequel to the first book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Venice