Book Review: How to Steal a Lion

How to Steal a Lion by Kirk Haggerty
???

About the author: Kirk Haggerty is from Los Angeles but has been living in Munich, Germany for about twenty years. He got the idea for this story at the traditional Munich Oktoberfest when he saw a giant lion statue on a high tower, and wondered to himself "What would it be like if someone stole that?"

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A young journalist student, Daniel Preis, is approached by a mysterious wealthy man to find a way to steal the giant lion from the Oktoberfest. There is a lot of money involved, and Daniel, with the help of a few friends, decides to risk it, in spite of suspecting there must be more behind it than a publicity stunt (which is all he is told).

With this book I was tempted by the title and cover and introduction (how does one steal a giant lion statue??) – and a cheap Kindle deal… ;) However, I soon found myself thinking that it was written like it was meant to be a film (action movie) rather than a book; and this impression just kept increasing throughout the book. The author deserves some credit for managing to convey certain visual images, but there is no depth to the characters. I found myself losing interest after the “peak events”; to wrap the story up afterwards seemed to take unnecessarily long time in spite of being done in short, sketchy scenes (which read even more like suggestions for a film script).

The side characters especially are very stereotypical. For example… There are two Swedish thugs named Sven and Olaf. It may seem insignificant to most readers, but to me the names alone signal half-measure... For one thing, Olaf is a typically Norwegian name while the Swedish variety of the same name would be Olof. And second, any tough Swedish guys bearing those names would typically be given (or else give themselves!) nicknames. If nothing more inventive, at least they would be Svenne and Olle… ;) (Any Swedes out there disagreeing with me on that??)

I do think this story might make a better film than a book… If done properly, with the whole Oktoberfest thing. Still no guarantee of success, though.

Asked to rate the book (as Kindle always does at the end), I spontaneously gave it only two stars, as by then I had grown tired of it. That may be a bit unfair though. It might deserve an extra star for the “idea” as such, even if I was not too pleased with the performance.

(PS. You might want to know that I did not really think much of Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code either!)

Book Review: One Lane Bridge

One Lane Bridge: A Novel, by Don Reid (2010)
****

J. D. is a busy middle-aged man who suddenly finds himself facing both family and business problems – nothing too out of the ordinary, but a lot to cope with all at once. He and his wife run two restaurants, and when cash begins to disappear from one of them, he and his wife disagree about how to deal with the problem. At the same time their daughter comes home unexpectedly, wanting to drop out of college; and on top of that he is worrying about his mother who has recently moved into a nursing home.

One evening, to clear his mind, J. D. goes for a drive on his own in the countryside. He drives over an old one lane bridge, and then the car breaks down. He walks up to an old farmhouse to ask for water for the radiator; and finds a poor family with problems worse than his own.

Their situation continues to bother him, and he decides to go back and offer them some help. But when he does, accompanied by his wife, he can't find the place. The old one lane bridge is simply no longer there – instead there is a modern two lane bridge. J.D. is quite sure that he has not lost his way and that it is the right place – it’s just not the right time!

While J. D. struggles to find his way back to help the strangers in the past, his behaviour creates a further strain on the relationship with his wife; and even his best friend thinks he's crazy.

I found myself liking this book. It’s different, in that it manages to combine very realistic everyday events and relationships with things completely out of the ordinary (time-travel). I particularly admire the author’s ability to let both worlds (or times) remain important, not only to J.D. but also to me as reader.

If I had to compare this book to another one, The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger comes closest in my mind – but not too close!

If you like every loose end neatly tied up at the end, this book may disappoint a little in that respect. Personally, however, I found that to contribute to the illusion of realism.

One of the points I think the author is trying to make in this story is that we’re all connected both with the past and the future – also in ways that go beyond the bonds of immediate family.

(This ebook was temporarily free when I got it; it is no longer free, but not very expensive either. It’s one of the better contemporary ones that I’ve found for free so far.)

 

 

 

A Short Book Review: The Uncommon Reader

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (2008)
***

The Uncommon Reader is none other than the Queen of England, who one day happens to visit a mobile library parked at Buckingham Palace. She borrows a novel because she feels she probably ought to… And from then on, nothing is quite the same!

I listened to this short novel (124 pages in print) as audio book in Swedish translation. To me it seemed to end a bit abruptly; but then (just listening to it) I was not prepared for it to be that short. On the whole, I’d say the author was probably wise not to try to stretch the story further. As a short satire, I found it amusing - even if not as great literature as many of the books mentioned within it. (I wonder if the Queen read it?!)

PS. My advice would be to borrow it from the library :)

Time to Step Outside

As I wrote in a comment on someone else’s blog today, I suspect quite a few of us bloggers in the northern hemisphere go through a period of slight confusion this time of year, as Nature is beginning to call for renewed attention after a long winter. On the one hand there is MORE to blog about and on the other hand LESS time to do the actual blogging…

Spring is making some progress here at last, even if still at unusually slow pace, considering that we’ve actually had quite a lot of sunshine. But the winds are still chilly. There’s still not a whole lot of greenery around yet except for the bravest of spring flowers, and those that are now being planted around town from the greenhouses. The trees are still holding back…

For my own part at least, I’ve been spending less time on the computer the last week or so, while instead dealing more with other “spring things”… Like making my balcony “habitable” again for the summer season (during winter I keep the floor mats and furniture in storage in the basement).

My old sun lounger (bottom middle and right) needed a new cushion cover. I managed to make one from a duvet cover I’d not been using much; and I got a couple of matching pillow-cases out of it too.

I only take the cushions for the chair(s) out on sunny days when I’m actually sitting there, and always take them in at night. There is another balconcy above mine providing a roof, but the rain nearly always comes with wind, and the sides are open. Besides carrying the rain, the wind loves playing havoc with anything on my balcony not secured with stong tape or heavy weights or whatever solutions can be invented…

The very first thing that happed this season was that I had washed a plastic cloth I’d used as protection cover on a wooden bench which I keep on the balcony all year round (I move the bench close to the wall beneath the window in winter and keep some flower boxes under it). Anyway after washing the cloth I wrapped it around the balcony rail to dry, and as it was a windy day, I took care to fasten it properly (or so I thought) with some clothes-pegs on both sides. It flapped a bit but did not look as if it could go anywhere. Next time I looked out the window, however, only 10-15 min or so later… There was no sign of it! I went downstairs and went all around the house twice to look for it. I had expected to find it in some bush, but no. I spied upwards to see if it had landed on some other balcony, but not that I could see. And it wasn’t to be seen on the football field either. That was a couple of weeks ago. Wherever you live in the world… If you happen to see a greenish plastic cloth come flapping by your house in the next storm – it could be mine… :D

(I gave up on ever finding it, and put out a blue one instead. Fastened with several clothes pegs etc of course, but remains to be seen how long it stays…)

Eleven Questions and an Award

I was given this award (which, by the way, I just noticed, pretty as it is, is not spelled right!) by Bethany @ By the Bookful. Although I appreciate being appreciated … Those who have been following my blog for a while will know that I’m a notorious rule-breaker when it comes to awards. I only follow the rules if they please me. And things that come with elevenses seldom please me, unless it’s my cup of tea and a piece of cake (yes, one piece will be sufficient, thank you)…

The rules that come with this award are (sorry, whoever made them up) perfectly horrendous:  List 11 random facts about yourself and answer 11 questions by the award-giver and make up 11 new questions and send those with the award to 11 other friends… Honestly, I don’t think I’ll have 11 friends left if I try that! (I think this award must have swelled since I last got it. I can’t imagine Pauline demanded all that of me back in 2011.)

As Bethany is a new friend and follower, however, I’ll do a compromise and answer her 11 questions. (If you want 11 random facts as well, just click on 11 random previous posts and I’m sure you’ll find enough.)

As for passing it on… Well, if there is anyone among my readers yearning for this misspelled award with the pretty rose and the eleventy-four or forty-eleven tasks to fulfill… Please feel free! (I promise not to keep count.)

My answers to Bethany’s questions:

1. What Started your blogging adventure?

An old penpal of mine invited me to check out her blog (four years ago), and I had to create an account to be able to comment. Having done that, I thought I might as well explore this blogging thing a bit more… And I haven’t stopped yet.

2. Describe yourself in one word.

Blogger.

3. Favorite Fictional Character?

Too many to choose from! Winnie the Pooh. Miss Marple.
I like heroes/heroines who aren’t ‘obvious’ super-heroes.

4. What do you do to relax besides Read and Blog?

Take the camera for a walk. Watch old TV-series on DVD.

5. Favorite Genre and Why?

Don’t think I can say I have just one favourite genre.
Depends on what mood I’m in.

6. Favorite Quote from a book?

“What I like doing best is Nothing."
"How do you do Nothing," asked Pooh after he had wondered for a long time.
"Well, it's when people call out at you just as you're going off to do it, 'What are you going to do, Christopher Robin?' and you say, 'Oh, Nothing,' and then you go and do it.
It means just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering."
"Oh!" said Pooh.”

(Just one of many…)

7. Dream Vacation?

I’d like to be able to just press a button and move my whole apartment, me included, to the seaside for the summer.

8. Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Neither.

9. Favorite thing about Blogging?

Friends across the earth.

10. Your Ideal Place to read a book?

Leaned back and comfortable.

11. Favorite Food Dish?

Lasagna, perhaps. (Must be lactose free, though!)