The Candy Factory

Katharine Weber's True Confections is the story of one Alice Tatnall Ziplinsky's life in the world of Zip's Candies, a world she entered through her marriage.  Weber begins this novel with an affidavit by Alice that the following is "true and correct to the best of my knowledge."  Although we know fairly early on that Alice is known as an arsonist, we are teased with the details of that arson interspersed with life in a candy factory.  The teasing way she tells her story makes the reader yearn for more and read on. The story leaps from one event to another, skipping details, only to jump back to an earlier topic, thus tantalizing the reader the way a good chocolate bar might.

But all is not perfect about this book.  The author's detour into one character's escape from WWII Hungary to Madagascar is murky and confused at best.  The main character, who is narrating this escape admits to making things up, but that does not help.  

Sleepless goes to the Movies!

I go to the movies about twice a year; My spouse goes about 35 times a year.  Well today was the day for me.  We went to see Alice in Wonderland.  I'm not unhappy I saw it, but it was not that great.  Plus my hearing is such that I needed it to be closed captioned! ;-)  I liked the effects (other than the Mad Hatter's dancing - that was just stupid).  The cards were good as were the Jabberwock and the White Queen's chessmen soldiers.

As an aficionado of Lewis Carroll's books and Tenniel's illustrations, I'd say the fall down the rabbit hole and the Jabberwock were right on.

The Stupidity of Reading Crummy Books

I just finished slogging through Kelli Stanley's Nox Dormienda (A Long Night for Sleeping).  This is the first in her "Arcturus" murder mystery series - and as far as I am concerned, it may as well be her last. 

The book is supposed to be a noir mystery taking place in Roman Britain.  I could not figure out who was who many times in this book.  When I finished, I did not know how we got to the resolution of the mystery.  It was rough going as there are Latin words a-plenty in this murder mystery - fortunately it has a glossary. 

I kept asking myself why I was so determined to finish it.  What a waste of time.

And Another Book Goes into the Reject Pile

I was trying to read Tim Dorsey's Gator a-go-go and suddenly realized I have gotten old.  I just did not care about the Spring Break activities of what turned out to be the main characters.  The book kept jumping from one scene to another in Florida; and from Boston to Florida; and I could not keep track.

Woman Hollering Creek

I just finished reading Sandra Cisneros' collection of short stories Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories.  I really am not a fan of short story collections, but wanted to give this book a try.  I liked some, and found others dull.  I suppose that is a normal reaction to a collection of this sort.  I really liked "Woman Hollering Creek," "Bien Pretty," and "Little Miracles, Kept Promises."  It was difficult when it switched to Spanish; I only know a little Spanish.  I had to put some stuff into Google translate in order to read it, but not that much.  I liked The House on Mango Street much better.  I still have Caramelo to read. 

One Problem with Listening to Books

I was listening to Wife of the Gods by Kwei J. Quartey, a murder mystery set in Ghana.  I had to quit more than halfway through the book because of violence.  I find it much more difficult to listen to a violent scene than read it.  Now I will never know how Detective Inspector Darko Dawson solves the murder.  If I had been reading the book, I would have skimmed through that rather than be forced to visualize it.  No, fast forward was not an option since I had lost any sympathy for the main character.  It's probably a wonderful book.  Perhaps someone will be able to tell me.

Lovejoy

Spend Game 
          Lovejoy and his love of the moment witness the murder of an antique dealer.  Why murder Leckie?  What had he been involved in?  Of course, Lovejoy never dreams of telling the police what he saw and pursues the murderers himself.  As usual he ends up in a tight spot clamoring for an antique no one is really sure exists.

The Sleepers of Erin
          This one begins with Lovejoy in the hospital bleeding from a wound he acquired while trying to stop the robbery of a church's priceless antiques.  Before he is released, he finds that he is under arrest for the very robbery he tried to prevent.  How will he get out of this one?

I still have many Lovejoy books to re-read before I begin the new one.