Tessa Fox Reads
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About Me

Book Review: 'Hondo' by Louis L'Amour

3/26/2016

1 Comment

 
Western week in my readers' advisory course was certainly an interesting one. I am not – nor have I ever been – a fan of westerns. I went into the week knowing that, and I came out of the week believing that even more strongly (haha). Considered a small and somewhat dying genre, the westerns being written today are embracing the idea of the genre-blend – incorporating elements like mystery, romance and the super natural from their respective genres and tying it into a more traditional western plot. Not only does it spice up life in the Great American West, it also makes non-western readers (me!) more likely to give the genre a shot. Based on my impressions from this weeks' readings, it looks like next time I will have to rely heavily on a good genre-blend if I'm to make it through another western ...

For this week's assigned title, the class read Doc by Mary Doria Russell, a novel about the famed dentist-turned-gunslinger, Doc Holliday. While a few members of the class with great interest in the OK Corral and Holliday's life raved about this book, I found myself agreeing with others who found it slow and hard to get through. It's well-written and thoroughly researched, but if you're not into westerns or the beginning of popular American dentistry – don't bother.

The book that I opted to read this week is a classic western: Hondo by Louis L'Amour. Again, I found myself struggling to get through it because of its slow pacing, but readers of the genre claim it is one of the best. It's definitely a "must-read" selection as far as westerns go, but nothing I would naturally recommend to the casual reader. Below is my review of the acclaimed Hondo – a great book, but one that I did not personally enjoy.

Picture

I give this book:
★★

In the baking sun of the Arizona frontier Hondo Lane, a lone government dispatch rider and sharp-shooter, roams the desert scouting for Apaches braves. When he comes upon a secluded ranch deep in the heart of Indian territory, Hondo meets the beautiful Angie Lowe and her young son Johnny. Hondo can’t understand what sort of man would leave his wife and child alone in such a hostile environment, and Angie immediately feels more at peace with a strong male presence around.
​
After Hondo exchanges some labor for one of Angie’s horses, he heads back to the fort only to discover the remains of a brutal Apache attack along the way. Suddenly worried about Angie and Johnny’s safety, he begins to contemplate disobeying orders and returning to the ranch. Meanwhile, Apache chief Vittoro and his men begin to make repeated visits to the farmstead, leaving Angie and her son wondering if and when the mysterious man will return.

Canonical western author Louis L’Amour transports us into the rugged frontier with this enduring genre classic. A traditional western with a little bit of romance, this book was reportedly dubbed the “finest western” John Wayne had ever read. With a slower pace and befitting cowboy speak throughout; Hondo reminds its readers of a simpler time in America’s past.  ​
For another western about a gunslinger with a deep understanding of Native American culture, check out Hombre by Elmore Leonard. After being raised by the Apache, John Russell finds himself on a stagecoach bringing him to his new life in the white man’s world. His fellow passengers want nothing to do with him until a band of outlaws shows up and the outsider becomes an unlikely leader.

As for this cowgirl, I don't see myself picking up another western any time soon ... there's just too many other good books out there waiting to be read!

1 Comment

Book Review: 'The Night Gardener' by George Pelecanos

3/11/2016

0 Comments

 
The next genre covered by my Readers' Advisory class was thrillers. Similar to mysteries, but usually quicker-paced and more suspenseful, thrillers are the types of books that get your pulse pounding. With recent hits like Gone Girl (2012), The Good Girl (2014) and The Girl on the Train​ (2015) [Wow, lots of 'girl' power here!] breathing some new life into the genre, thrillers seem to be more popular than ever.

The required text for whole class was One Shot by Lee Child (2005). While I found the main character of this ninth installment of the Jack Reacher Series a bit too cheesy to handle, I can see how some readers find great appeal in the series. The other thriller I read for this genre week was The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos (2006). Below is my review of the book.

Twenty years after a string of unsolved teenage murders in Washington D.C., another body turns under similar circumstances: found in a community garden with a gunshot wound to the head and semen in the victim’s anus. What’s more is all of the victims’ first names are palindromes – spelled the same way forward as backward.

New to the force when these ‘palindrome murders’ were first committed in 1985, now homicide detective Gus Ramone and former cop, turned chauffer Dan Holiday begin to work separately to solve the new murder, both with unique connections to the case. Holiday, in a drunken stupor, discovered the body while Ramone, upon arriving on-scene, learns that the victim is his son’s friend, Asa. The two have history, but can they work together to solve the case?

While many categorize this book as a “thriller,” Pelecano’s knack for in-depth characterization and use of interwoven subplots makes it perhaps better described as an intense mystery. Regardless, this book will keep reader’s guessing until the very end. A clever and suspenseful book that touches upon the drug trade, race relations and D.C.’s broken education system, The Night Gardner is a contemporary page-turner that is well worth your time.
Picture

I give this book:
★★★

If this sort of book sounds like something you'd enjoy I would also suggest Echo Park by Michael Connelly, another book that gives a detective the opportunity to reopen a cold case that has haunted him for years. The 12th book in the Harry Bosch Series, this mystery/thriller follows the detective of the same name after someone has reportedly confessed to a brutal murder that took place 11 years prior. When Bosch learns that his partner may have overlooked key evidence before the case went cold, the detective is left questioning himself, his colleagues and the truth of the proclaimed killer’s confession.

Read any great thrillers lately? Leave a comment or tweet me @TessaFoxReads or use #TessaFoxReads.
0 Comments

Book Review: 'The Goldwulf Manuscript' by Robert B. Parker

3/2/2016

0 Comments

 
The second genre we focused on in my Readers' Advisory course was mystery. Prior to this semester, I had actually never read a mystery book – I know, "for shame!" Despite growing up playing the Nancy Drew computer games (I surprisingly never picked up the book series), I had sort of discounted the mystery genre. But after reading a few mystery titles lately, I just may be changing my mind.

As I mentioned in my previous post, each week of the course focuses on a different genre, with one title being assigned for the entire class to read and another title picked out individually by each student. For mystery week, our assigned reading was Alan Bradley's The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (2009), which is the first installment of the Flavia de Luce Series. The quirky, inquisitive and poison enthusiast 11-year-old that is the protagonist Flavia de Luce is really what makes the first book so enjoyable, and no doubt the rest of the "cozy mystery" series as well. It's worth noting that I listened to the audiobook version of this title, and I think it was the narration that really captured Flavia's character and made me want to read the rest of the series.

But enough about young Flavia - I'd rather talk about the mystery book I selected to read: the late Robert B. Parker's first book in the Spenser Series, The Godwulf Manuscript (1973). Below is my review.

Picture

I give this book:
★★★★

Written and set in the 1970s, the first installment of the Spenser Series is as clever, nuanced and exciting as the ex-cop turned private eye that the series is named for. When Spenser is called in to a Boston university to investigate the theft of a medieval manuscript, his attention quickly turns toward the politically-radical college student shot dead in his apartment.

All clues point to the deceased’s girlfriend, but she insists she’s been set up. Spenser’s gut says she’s telling the truth, and that the murder and the missing manuscript are connected – but how? When the Mob tells Spenser the manuscript will be returned if he backs off the case, the gritty investigator knows he’s on the right path to solving the murder – even if he has to take a few bullets himself in the process.
​
Between quoting classic literature, chugging down bourbon, cooking gourmet meals, and casually seducing women with his mysterious charm, Spenser's character is intriguing and one-of-a-kind. It appears to be what has kept the series going for more than 40 books, thanks in part to author Ace Atkins who picked up the series after Parker's death in 2010. Parker's use of humor, dialog and vivid description make you feel as if you are in the '70s, bell-bottomed denim and all!
Another mystery series that puts its primary character in similar moral dilemmas as Spenser is the Prey Series (also known as the Lucas Davenport Series) by John Sanford. Sanford’s Lucas Davenport character fits into a similar mode as Spenser and has some borderline connections. The first book in the series is Rules of Prey, although the books can be read out of order. 

If like me, you haven't done much mystery reading, I highly suggest you start sleuthing around the genre, you never know what you might discover – maybe your next great read!
0 Comments

    Author

    Tessa Fox is the Early Literacy Librarian at the Kenosha Public Library. After working in the journalism and publishing fields, Tessa decided to dedicate her life to books and public librarianship, and went back to school to get her Master's in Library and Information Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she graduated in December 2016. Tessa has been working in public libraries since 2014. Disclaimer: The views expressed here are mine alone and do not reflect those of my employer.


    Connect with me online!

    Picture

    Picture
    Picture

    Picture

    Tweets by @TessaFoxReads

    Archives

    April 2020
    December 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    July 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014


    Categories

    All
    Adult
    Audiobooks
    Banned Books
    Best Picture Books Of The Year
    Book Contests
    Book Crafts
    Book Displays
    Book Lists
    Book News
    Book Reviews
    Books
    Bookshelves
    Bookstores
    Booktalking
    Book Trivia
    Children
    Children's Books
    Community Library
    Diversity And Inclusion
    DIY
    Fantasy
    Favorite Books
    Feminism
    Fiction
    Girl Power Books
    Halloween
    Historical Fiction
    Horror
    Humor
    Kenosha
    Kenosha Public Library
    Librarian
    Librarianship
    Libraries Now A Day In The Life
    Library
    Library And Information Science
    Library Contests
    Library Ideas
    Library Internships
    Library News
    Library Programs
    Mainstream Fiction
    Mike De Sisti
    Milwaukee
    Milwaukee Public Library
    MLIS
    Mobile Libraries
    Movies
    MPL Express
    Mystery
    Nonfiction
    Personal
    Picture Books
    Poetry
    Politics
    Public Library
    Quotations
    Reading
    Refurbished Furniture
    Representation
    Romance
    Science Fiction
    Sci-Fi
    Seasonal
    Self-publishing
    Social Media
    South Milwaukee Public Library
    Storytime
    Summer Reading Programs
    Technology
    Television
    The Journal Sentinel
    Thriller
    UWM Grad School
    UWM School Of Information Studies
    Video
    Webinars
    Western
    What I'm Reading
    Why Books Matter
    Why Libraries Matter
    Women's Fiction
    Writing
    Young Adult
    Youth Services

    RSS Feed