Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith

Precious Ramotswe, the sole female detective in Botswana, listened carefully as the American woman in her office talked about her son, who went missing 10-years ago while living in a cooperative in the southern African country. "What could she do for this woman?" thought Precious. "Could she find anything out if the Botswana Police and the American Embassy had tried and failed?"

With this question the reader is introduced to the main storyline of Tears of the Giraffe, the second installment in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Beautifully written, with fluid pace, and filled with heartwarming, lovable characters, this novel is a wonderful read.  Like the opening book in the series, this sequel crafts a positive and thoughtful landscape, while tacking a series of complex issues.

The book opens with Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, the kind mechanic and owner of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, who is awestruck that Precious has agreed to marry him. As the happy couple begin to plan their future life together, Precious meets Mrs. Andrea Curtin, who tells her the story of Michael, her son who went missing many years ago while living in Botswana. After agreeing to accept on the case, Precious begins a search that will eventually take her to Zimbabwe. Along the way, she becomes (to her surprise) a step-mother to two children, promotes her earnest secretary Mma Makutsi to assistant detective, and has to ponder a series of moral questions while dealing with a case of a cheating wife, whose adultery is linked to the fortunes of her young son.

This book is a true page-turner that is both smart and life-affirming. I highly recommend it, but only after you have read the first novel in this series, which is also excellent.

4 1/2 of out 5 stars

The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon

It's the near future and genetic diseases are being cured by modern medicine. Most people with a genetic disorder will be corrected before birth, while the rest will receive treatment while infants. For one generation, however, the new treatments came too late, having been born after the new techniques arose.

Lou Arrendale is a member of this lost generation. A high-functioning autistic man, he works for a pharmaceutical company while living a carefully structured life (grocery shopping on Tuesday; fencing class on Wednesday; laundry on Friday). This calm life is soon shaken, however, by a series of events at work and in his personal life. First, there is a new treatment that promises to reverse his autism and turn him into a "normal" person. Then he has to deal with Mr. Crenshaw, his power-hungry and mean-spirited boss who wants to eliminate the special privileges that the autistic employees enjoy at work as a cost-saving measure. And then there is the series of attacks that are launched against his car, as his tires are first slashed, then his window broken, and finally an explosive put in his motor.

As Lou tries to figure out who wants to hurt him (and why), he imagines what will happen to him if he undergoes the new treatment. If the procedure is successful, will the new, non-autistic Lou be a different person, and will he still like his friends from fencing class, especially Marjory, the women he has fallen in love with?

I discovered this book while browsing in my local library, so I was not familiar with the writings of Elizabeth Moon. After finishing this impressive work, however, I definitely plan to read more of her books. With great skill and love, Moon is able to switch from the first-person perspective of an autistic person, to the voice of a "normal" character. In this transition, the reader gets the sense that they are viewing the world through a different set of eyes (one pair autistic; the other "normal"), and in the process acquiring a better understanding of what it means to perceive the world, and also what it means to be an individual, with a unique set of thoughts and emotions.

4 of 5 stars

Mr. Paradise by Elmore Leonard

Roommates Chlöe and Kelly are loving life in their posh apartment in downtown Detroit. Young and flush with cash, Kelly is a Victoria's Secret model, while Chlöe (a former escort who used to make as much as $900 an hour after appearing in a Playboy spread) is now earning $5,000 a week to be the girlfriend of an elderly, retired lawyer named Mr. Paradiso, who likes to be referred to as Mr. Paradise.

One night, Chlöe invites Kelly over to Mr. Paradiso's home so they can perform the old man's favourite routine: Doing dirty cheers by the side of the television while he watches University of Michigan football games. Suddenly, a coin flip leads to Chlöe and the old man being alone downstairs, while Kelly and Montez (an ex-con who has worked for Mr. Paradise for the past 10-years) go upstairs in the house. When two armed men invade the home and kill Chlöe and Mr. Paradise, the police are led to believe by Montez that Kelly is actually Chlöe.

Set over the span of a week, the story revolves around the investigation of Det. Delsa, an honest, friendly cop whose wife, who was also a cop, recently died. While piecing together why Montez lied to him, Delsa falls for Kelly / Chlöe, while meeting such characters as Lloyd, Mr. Paradise's house servant, and Tony Jr., the old man's son.

For Elmore Leonard fans, this enjoyable novel contains many of his trademarks: fast-paced dialogue, a colourful set of personalities, and a brilliant detective novel that makes you feel as if you have been transported down to street level to watch the cops chase down the robbers. If you are a mystery fan, or simply want to enjoy a fun read on a Sunday afternoon, then this book is well worth the read.

3 1/2 out of 5 stars

You Don't Love Me Yet by Jonathan Lethem

I'm not sure if Jonathan Lethem is a pretentious flake or a witty writer who is brilliant at crafting sarcastic humour. In this "rock  & roll" novel, Lethem tells the story of a Los Angeles rock band that is seeking their big break. Light in tone, the book contains a series of quirky characters. There is bassist Lucinda Hoekke, a woman in her late-twenties who accepts a job at a telephone complaint line that is in reality an art project. Then there is lead singer Matthew who works at a local zoo, and who decides to kidnap a Kangaroo to save it from ennui. Drummer Denise, meanwhile, works at a sex shop, while lead guitarist Bedwin (who is suffering from writers block) is obsessed with a Fritz Lang movie that he sees again and again.

The book revolves around the relationship between Lucinda and Carl, a regular caller to the complaint line that she falls in love with. After repeatedly listing to Carl's dark any cynical musings, Lucinda begins to use his words as song lyrics. When Carl find out about this he forces himself into the band with disastrous consequences.

On the surface, this story is fairly interesting, while the pace and flow is pretty good. A big problem, however, is the book's numerous pretentious passages that make the reader roll their eyes in disbelief. For instance, what is one supposed to say when reading this: "But I change others. I affect people. Women. Something happens to them, but nothing happens to me. The sameness of my life is confirmed by the effect I have on women."

Or how about this gem of a paragraph, that has the label "pretentious goof" written all over it: "It's going to be a dance party," said Falmouth. "Only the rule is that you can't bring anyone you know. And you have to wear headphones. You have to listen to whatever you prefer to dance to, your own mix. If people don't have their headphones we'll provide them at the door, like neckties and jackets at a club. What I want is a sea of dancing bodies, each to their own private music. I might call it Party of Strangers. Or maybe Aparty, like apart, y." 

And of course, there is this immortal sentence, "There is nothing sadder than being a genius of sex."

So I repeat: I'm not sure if Lethem is a pretentious goof or an excellent satirist. What I do know, however, is that by the end of this book I wanted to punch the characters in the face.

2 out of 5 stars

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

This wonderful novel is a joy to read. Set in Botswana in southern Africa, it tells the story of Precious Ramotswe, a clever woman in her mid-thirties who decides to open up her country's first-ever female detective agency. Using the inheritance money from her father's death to set up her new business, Precious (or, to be more precise, Mma Ramotswe), begins to work on a series of cases that include, among other things, uncovering a cheating husband, investigating a fraudulent doctor (or is it doctors?), following a wayward daughter, and in a particularly chilling case tracking down a boy who has been kidnapped.

Written in clear and beautiful prose, this novel offers a life-affirming portrait of Africa. Unlike the stereotypical images that appear all too often in the news (with famine, civil wars and dictatorships), the adventures of Precious provide an uplifting and positive vision of Africa, while wrapped up in a highly enjoyable detective story.

This book, the first installment in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, is a true gem. The moment I put this novel down I immediately wanted to pick up the second book. So if you haven't already done so, do yourself a favour and begin reading this series.

5 out of 5 stars

The Learners by Chipp Kidd

It's the summer of 1961 and Happy (who just graduated from college) is looking for work as a graphics designer. Inspired by one of his professors, Happy seeks out an ad firm in New Haven, Connecticut, where his professor used to work many years ago. Determined to make a name for himself, Happy works hard in order to impress his co-workers, who are an eclectic (and eccentric) group of characters.

After meeting an old college friend by chance, however, his life is turned upside down. Things then take a turn for the worse when Happy participates in an experiment at the Department of Psychology at Yale University. Shocked by the results of the experiment, Happy is forced to reexamine his life, while pondering the limits of human cruelty.

This clever novel is filled with wit and insightful writing. I so thoroughly enjoyed this book that I found it difficult to put down; in fact, some passages are right down brilliant. That being said, if one insists on being a critic, one could point to minor "flaws" in the book (for example, the ending came across as a bit forced). Overall, however, this is a great story and well worth the read.

4 out of 5 stars

Cuba Libre by Elmore Leonard

It is 1898 and an explosion in Havana Harbour sinks the U.S. battleship Maine. Three days later, a cowboy named Ben Tyler arrives in Cuba from the United States with a group of horses that he wants to sell. In the ensuing days, which take place on the eve of the Spanish-American War, Ben sells his horses to Roland Boudreaux, a rich landowner in Cuba who soon becomes his enemy, falls in love with Boudreaux's mistress Amelia, befriends a survivor of the Maine explosion, and fights members of the Guardia Civil.

Elmore Leonard is an excellent writer who has a gift for crafting brilliant dialogue and interesting (if not quirky) characters. This book, however, is pretty flat. Reading this novel reminded me of a bad movie of the week on TV.  Despite being based on an interesting historical era, this novel was ruined by cheesy drama and some pretty tacky dialogue. As a case in point, we can consider this passage that, to be honest, could have come straight out of a romance novel:

"(Ben) sat waiting for dark in an empty office down in the quarry, thinking about his night with Amelia Brown, hearing her say, "Do you love me, Ben?" And his own voice in the dark saying, "Yes, I do." And then Amelia asking, "Can you say it?" Something he'd never done in the thirty-one years of his life. He had shot four men -- no, five -- had taken their lives, but had never said, "I love you" to a girl. Or to anyone."

One can almost see the cheese dripping off the page after reading paragraphs like that. If you want to kick back on your coach and enjoy excellent writing and fun stories then I highly recommend that you pick up an Elmore Leonard book. That being said, you wouldn't be missing much if you decided to forego this novel.

2 out of 5 stars

Chosen by Mark Millar and Peter Gross

Jodie Christianson is a 12-year-old boy living in a small town in Illinois. While walking in the woods with a couple of friends (in search of a thrown away pornographic magazine, no less) Jodie comes across a bridge that has vehicle traffic overhead. Suddenly, an accident occurs on the bridge, and a giant trailer-truck comes crashing down on Jodie, who is distracted playing a video game with his digital watch.

The driver of the truck is taken to hospital with severe injuries. To the town's shock, however, Jodie survives the accident without even a scratch. On his return to school, Jodie -- who is a notoriously poor student -- begins to answer any question that his teachers ask him, while performing a series of miracles such as curing the sick and turning water into wine. As these seemingly impossible acts begin to accumulate, Jodie is told that he is the Son of God, while still dealing with the fact that he is in junior high.

This comic book is truly brilliant. With a highly original story, gorgeous illustrations and a unforgettable ending, it is a wonderful read. If you are a comic book reader (or even a fan of science fiction and fantasy) this short graphic novel is a must read.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars

Flynn's World by Gregory McDonald

It's shaping up to be a bad day for Boston police inspector Francis Xavier Flynn. First, his daughter Jenny wakes him up in order to bring him to a cemetery where her friend Billy is nailed to a tree. Then, after returning home (and freeing Billy), his wife Elsbeth tells him that Captain Walsh has called to say that he was going to be fired today. In between all of this chaos, Insp. Flynn is assigned to protect a Harvard professor that is being threatened, while uncovering a racist cop that only arrests minorities.

This book is an easy and fun read. It's perfect for those moments at a cottage or on a weekend when you want to kick back and read through a fast book. In terms of its literary quality, however, it is so-so.  For starters, the dialog often sounds like a punch line to a failed joke, while the various intertwining plots are largely treated as mere gimmicks or page fillers to the main story. In short, this  book won't awe you, but if you are looking for an enjoyable read during a rainy Sunday afternoon then this novel is a good choice.

2 out of 5 stars

Be Cool by Elmore Leonard

In this sequel to the highly enjoyable Get Shorty, we are re-introduced to the affable former loan shark turned film producer Chili Palmer. After witnessing his friend (and record company owner) Tommy Athens get executed, Chili helps his Athens' widow Edie resurrect the company by signing a female singer / songwriter named Linda Moon.

Along the way, Chili has to hide from the Russian mob (who killed Athens and are now looking for Chili, who witnessed the crime), as well as Linda Moon's former manager, who also wants to kill Chili for having stolen Linda from him. Other notable characters include the hitman Joe Loop, Elliot the gay Samoan bodyguard and the rock group Aerosmith.

Elmore Leonard is an excellent writer who can craft brilliant dialogue and quirky, memorable characters. For these reasons I enjoyed reading this book. At the same time, however, I felt that Be Cool rehashed a lot of the material from Get Shorty. To use an analogy, reading Be Cool was like eating an excellent meal for the second straight day in a row. The dinner is still good, but not as enjoyable as the first time you ate it, for leftovers are rarely -- if ever -- as good as the original meal.

2 1/2 out of 5 stars

Pagan Babies by Elmore Leonard

Days after arriving in Rwanda, Father Terry Dunn watches his congregation butchered to death inside his church. The massacre is part of the Rwandan Genocide that tears apart this African country. Five years later, Father Dunn -- or "Terry" to his one-armed housekeeper -- has to return home to Detroit, with a tax-fraud indictment hanging over his head.

While in the States, Terry is forced to come to terms with a criminal past, while falling for an ex-con named Debbie who has just been released from prison for running over her ex-boyfriend with a car. Amidst all of this chaos, he trades wits with a series of mafioso characters (e.g. a Capo boss; a dumb as rocks hit man; a wannabe gangster), while seeking to raise money for Rwandan orphans, in an a fundraising operation that may or may not be a scam.

With brilliant writing, Elmore Leonard introduces a seres of wonderful characters and fantastic plot twists in this great book. Reading through this excellent novel I was reminded why he is one of the best contemporary fiction writers

3 1/2 out of 5 stars

The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics by Norton Juster

There was once a sensible straight line who fell in love with a dot. Unfortunately, the dot was a frivolous creature who preferred the chaos of a squiggly line. Heartbroken, the straight line decided to transform itself into countless shapes (e.g fractals, spider web, a maze, numerous geometric shapes, etc.) to win the affection of the dot.

What can one say about this tiny, cute, novel and strange book? I think it's best to quote from the book's jacket cover, "Some may call [this story] a poignant and sensitive evocation of an eternal theme. Other may see it as a sensitive, soul-searching examination of a heart-wrenching dilemma.

"Or, in these uncertain times, we we seem to stand alienated from the meaning of life itself, it is a shining beacon illumination the pat to some higher understanding? 

"We doubt it."

3 out of 5 stars

Spaceland: A Novel of the Fourth Dimension by Rudy Rucker

Joe Cube is a high-tech worker living in Silicon Valley who wants to develop a 3-D TV. On New Year's Eve, while working on his prototype, he is visited by a creature from the fourth-dimension named Momo who tells him that he can give him an advanced new technology.

In the ensuing pages, the reader is taken on a screwball sci-fi adventure involving Joe Cube (the names in this novel are awful), his wife Jena, and other characters with such names as Spazz, Tulip and the strange Wackles. As Joe works towards attaining this strange new technology, he is caught up in a geopolitical struggle between two different fourth-dimensional worlds, while having his body "augmented" so he can leave Spaceland (i.e. the three-dimensional world where humans live) in order to be able see into the hyperspace of 4-D.

This book is a modern rendition of the sci-fi classic Flatland, the 19th century story of a two dimensional creature that is introduced to the third dimension. Unlike the original story, however, Spaceland is hampered by some terrible writing. The dialogue is particularly horrific, while the cheesy humor throughout Spaceland comes across as a weak attempt to hide wooden characters that are (if I can use the expression) one-dimensional.

This is the second book by Rudy Rucker that I have read and, once again, I have not been impressed. It's true that Rucker's ideas are interesting, and that his background as a mathematician, computer scientist and professor give him a lot of legitimacy. As a novelist, however, I find him quite weak, and I am still not sure why he is held in such high esteem by some science fiction fans.

If you are interested in stories about multi-dimensional space, you should forego this book and read instead such works as Flatland, Sphereland and the Planiverse.

1 out of 5 stars

The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure by Hans Magnus Enzensberger

This delightful children's book is an ingenious way of teaching young people about the wonders of mathematics. In this imaginative tale, a young boy named Robert falls asleep and in his dream meets an impish, elderly man who calls himself the Number Devil. Over a series of nights (and dreams), the Number Devil teaches Robert such concepts as prime numbers, infinity, the Fibonacci numbers, pi, imaginary numbers and square roots. Along the way, Robert is introduced to such famous mathematicians as Bertrand Russell, Georg Cantor, Friedrich Gauss and Pythagoras.

Reading this book reminded me of Sophie's World, the wonderful novel by Jostein Gaarder that provides an excellent summary of the history of western philosophy. Like Gaarder (who is able to convey a wide array of ideas with a brilliant tale), Hans Magnus Enzensberger finds a way to explain a wide range of mathematical ideas to his young audience, while simultaneously entertaining them. This is a great book for any parent who wants to teach their young children math.

4 out of 5 stars

Fermat's Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem by Simon Singh

This book is a wonderful recount of how Fermat's last theorem, one of the world's most (in)famous math problems that eluded mathematicians for more than 350 years, was finally solved by the British mathematician Andrew Wiles in the 1990s.

Written in easy to understand prose, Singh not only describes the amazing intellectual breakthroughs that were required to solve this problem, but in the process also recounts the tale of such mathematicians as Sophie Germain, the tragic boy-genius Evariste Galois and the Japanese duo of Taniyama and Yutaka that helped set the stage for Wiles historic and brilliant solution.

4 out of 5 stars

Love and Rockets: Human Diastrophism v. 4 (Love & Rockets 4): Human Diastrophism v. 4 (Love & Rockets 4) by Gilbert Hernandez

For several years now, I have been meaning to read the Love and Rockets comic book series by the Hernandez brothers. I finally took the plunge by going to my local library and picking up this collection of stories that are collected in a graphic novel format.

Based in a Central American town called Palomar, this book contain tales of love, death, art and family with a magic-realist feel. We are introduced to such characters as the passionate and headstrong Luba (along with her numerous lovers, both past and present), the mysterious Tomaso and the semi-crazed artist Humberto.

On paper, this series is exactly the type of story that I enjoy. For some strange reason, however, I was not captivated by this book. I will definitely borrow other volumes of this series from the library (the stories good), but that being said, I wasn't left with an urge to go out and purchase a copy -- as I do with my favorite books or graphic novels -- so I can re-read it again.

3 out of 5 stars

The Unfinished Canadian: The People We Are by Andrew Cohen

Andrew Cohen likes to point out that Canadians are sometimes smug, envious and petty. Based on his arrogant writing style, Cohen makes a perfect Canadian.

This book was a big disappointment. In terms of subject matter, the book is quite interesting: i.e. Cohen analyses the Canadian identity from various angle, from Canada's relationship to the U.S., to the Canadian identity formed by multiculturalism, to the borderline disdain that many Canadians have for the capital Ottawa.

Cohen's interesting analysis, however, is undermined by a literary tone that is, to be frank, right down snooty. It is ironic to hear Cohen complain about how Canadians can sometimes be smug, while engaging in a form of prose that is incredibly arrogant.

By the end of the book I was left with a bitter-taste in my mouth. On the one hand, I was impressed with the depth and variety of Cohen's ideas and analysis. On the other hand, I was not impressed by how much of an arrogant ass he was. All in all, reading this book is like going to a lecture of a brilliant professor who is also pompous and at times insufferable.

2 1/ 2 out of 5 stars

Soccer in a Football World: The Story of America's Forgotten Game (Sporting) by David Wangerin

An interesting history of how soccer developed in the United States. Beginning with the the sport's early start in North America in the 19th century, to the repeated attempts to launch a professional league -- i.e. the American Soccer League (1921-32), the infamous NASL (1968-84) and the current-day MLS -- this book is a wonderful resource for anyone interested in knowing the history of footie in the U.S.


3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Why The Leafs Suck And How They Can Be Fixed by Al Strachan

I hate the Toronto Maple Leafs. Part of this is due to being a Senator fan. If truth be told, however, I mostly hate the Leafs because they have insulted, mocked, screwed over, abused and flipped the bird to their fans for decades, while their sadomasochistic fans continue to cheer them on.

In this book, Al Strachan chronicles the horror that is the Toronto Maple Leafs. Whether it's blowing a chance to have Wayne Gretzky as a player (unbelievable), Scotty Bowman as part of management (amazing) or Don Cherry as a coach (OK, that wasn't such a bad outcome), the Leafs have, time and again, chosen poorly.

The scouting team and drafting choices of the Leafs have also been abysmal. Here are just some of the players that the Leafs overlooked in the draft over the past 30 years: Bobby Clarke, Billy Smith, Bryan Trottier Mike Bossy, Darryl Sutter, Jarri Jurri, Grant Fuhr, Dominik Hasek, Luc Robitaille, Joe Nieuwendyk, Joe Sakic, Teemu Selanne, Martin Brodeur, Scott Niedermayer, Saku Koivu, Evgeni Nabokov, Miikka Kiprusoff, Zdeno Chara and Martin Havlat .

How would things have been different for the Leafs if they had picked one or more of these players in the draft? Considering how incompetent the Leafs have been with trades, they probably would have traded them for a 32-year-old over the hill player!

By the end of the book I felt something that I had never felt before for Leafs fans, namely, pity. For how can you be angry at a group of people who been abused, kicked down, laughed at and treated like garbage by their own team for so long. Which made me ask yet again, why does anybody cheer for Toronto?

3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Long-Range Goals: The Success Story of Major League Soccer by Beau Dure

A sports tale can be written in many different ways. Among the most common: the unimaginative stats dump (e.g., “the Yankees won 5-6 with nine hits and two errors for their third straight win"); the superlative (e.g., “the heavens opened and the angels sang when Messi scored with his exquisite right foot”); and the academic-cum-fan analysis, which consists of discussing sports in a political, social, historical and/or cultural context

In this book, Beau Dure makes use of all three of the above techniques. At its best, this book provides a convincing analysis of how Major League Soccer has not only survived but also started to thrive in the North American landscape. At its worst, however, this book contains too many passages that are pure, 100 per cent boring stats dump, coupled with the odd superlative that overstates the role of MLS.

If you are a fan of soccer (like me) then you will find this book interesting. For those who are not enamoured with footie, however, this work is likely not for you.

2 1/2 out of 5 stars