Book Review: Mystery Girl by David Gordon

Publisher synopsis: Sam Kornberg is a failed novelist living in L.A. with a collapsing marriage. Desperate for work, he becomes the assistant to a portly, housebound detective named Solar Lonsky. His assignment to track a mysterious woman is the trigger for a story involving sexy doppelgangers, insane asylums, south-of-the-border shootouts, mistaken identities, video-store-geekery, and the death of the novel.

My comments: The mystery story surrounds an "art" film by an experimental filmmaker whose trilogy of films appeals to "cinephiles, Satanists, metal heads, stoners, and several deviants of all stripes." Since as a reader I don't really fit into any of these categories, the novel went over my head or below my head, unfortunately.

One of the themes of the novel is the "death of the novel," and the novel as an art form. Unfortunately, the attempts didn't work for me, and I saw it as a mishmash of story, author's thoughts, and the main character's philosophizing that didn't fit together well.

 I saw this book as an experimental novel with lots of stream of consciousness, and detailed description of dress, scenery, background, and people as in a script for a film. As for the story, it got drowned in distractions, such as the subplot of the life of a novelist and the "noir film as art" sections. Perhaps a bit too avant garde for me?

Title: Mystery Girl by David Gordon
Published July 16; New Harvest
Genre: mystery, experimental novel

David Gordon holds an MA in English and Comparative Literature and an MFA in Writing, both from Columbia University, and has worked in film, fashion, publishing, and pornography. His first novel, The Serialist, won the VCU/Cabell First Novel Award and was a finalist for an Edgar Award. His work has also appeared in The Paris Review, Purple, and Fence among other publications. Visit David at his website.

For more reviews and possibly very different views of the book, visit the book tour schedule hosted by TLC Book Tours.

Sunday Salon: Just Reading, No Labor on Labor Day

Welcome to the Sunday Salon!This post lists new books and links up to It's Monday; What Are You Reading? at Book Journey;  to Mailbox Monday hosted by Yolanda of Notorious Spinks Talks Books and to Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews.

Here is what arrived the past couple of weeks, some books I had been looking forward to and others a nice surprise.

Books finished:
Mystery Girl by David Gordon, review to be posted Tuesday for a book tour.
Alex by Pierre Lemaitre, a thriller in the vein of the Stieg Larsson books, but quite different in plot, and VERY creepy, as many French thrillers are.
Going Through the Notions by Cate Price, a cozy mystery in a new series, for a book tour this week.

Now reading:
Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes by Betsy Woodman, a novel set in northern India about a Scottish woman who lives there with her parrot and helper. The first in a series, the second of which, Love Potion Number 10, I also plan to read.

Reviews to be done:
The Sound and the Furry by Spencer Quinn, the sixth in the Chet and Bernie detective series, starring a humorous and unusual duo, Chet the dog and his human partner Bernie.

Enjoy the Labor Day events and long weekend! Put up your feet and relax. No labor on Labor Day, remember?  Are you traveling, and if so, what are you reading?

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Love Potion Number 10 by Betsy Woodman

Friday 56 Rules: *Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader  *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you. *Post it. *Add your (url) post in Linky at Freda's Voice.
Also Book Beginnings by Rose City Reader

Title: Love Potion Number 10: A Jana Bibi Adventure by Betsy Woodman
Published May 14, 2013; Henry Holt Paperbacks
Genre: adventure set in the Indian Himalayas

"Dear," said Ritu, brightly.
Rambir felt a twinge of apprehension. When Ritu said "dear" like that, it meant she was going to bring up a topic that he wouldn't be comfortable with. (p. 56)

Book beginning:

Jana woke abruptly. Downstairs, in the fortune-telling salon, Mr. Ganguly was screeching something like "Water! Cold! Help!" She had not heard hi put those words together before. She sat up in bed, still groggy, now hearing footsteps on the staircase and, next, a frantic knocking on the bedroom door."Jana mem!" came Mary's voice. "Come now! Come quickly!"

Publisher description: "In the newest Jana Bibi adventure, Jana, Mr. Ganguly, and the gang are back as their small town in India is rocked by an espionage scandal and a homemade remedy that has love on everyone’s mind. The Jolly Grant House still welcomes all its visitors with the sign Jana Bibi’s Excellent Fortunes hanging proudly outside its front door. Jana’s fortune-telling has brought a lot of attention to the small town of Hamara Nagar, and all eyes are on the Scottish-born card-reader Jana and her feisty, loose-beaked parrot, Mr. Ganguly. Some people, though, are not to be trusted, and Mr. Ganguly finds himself the target of a potential kidnapping that puts Jana and her household on edge.

Meanwhile, love is in the air and, thanks to Abenath’s Apothecary, it’s also in a bottle. Abenath has created an intoxicating brew that he calls Love Potion Number 10, which seems to have Jana in a tizzy. While she explores her newest hobby, dream interpretation, her head is swimming with questions: Is a new love possible at age fifty-nine? If so, would she ever marry again? All around her she sees different kinds of love and connection—family, arranged marriages, chemical attractions, even intercontinental romance between people who have only met through letters—so when an old flame arrives and rekindles long-gone feelings, Jana begins to think that that Love Potion Number 10 just might be the magic elixir its inventor thinks it is."

I'm getting ready to read this relatively light adventure after finishing some heavy thrillers! Don't you just love the cover?

(Review copy from the publisher).

Book Review: The English Girl by Daniel Silva

I finished The English Girl a few days ago, enjoyed the thriller, and can still remember it vividly. That counts for a rating of at least 4.5/5 in my book!

The English Girl to me is split into two parts. The first section is a hunt for the missing girl who is mixed up in a secret political scandal at the highest level in the British Government. The second part comes after the plot diverges dramatically, still involving the English girl, but following a different path.

I enjoyed the plot, the settings - Israel, Greece, France, England, and Russia - and the main character, Gabriel Allon, an Israeli spy who is tagged for a high position in his government once he has solved this mystery, resolved this conflict involving Britain and Russia.

An entertaining read. I'd like to read more of Silva's novels.

Goodreads description:
When a beautiful young British woman vanishes on the island of Corsica, a prime minister's career is threatened with destruction. Allon, the wayward son of Israeli intelligence, is thrust into a game of shadows where nothing is what it seems...and where the only thing more dangerous than his enemies might be the truth. Silva's work chronicles the adventures of art-restorer and master spy Gabriel Allon.

Title: The English Girl: A Novel by Daniel Silva
Published July 16, 2013: Harper
Genre: thriller
Source: review copy from publisher

New Book Release: Accused by Lisa Scottoline: Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted weekly by Jill at Breaking the Spine. What new releases are you eagerly waiting for. Link your post to Breaking the Spine.

Title: Accused: a Rosato and Associates Novel by Lisa Scottoline
To be published October 29, 2013; St. Martin's Press
Genre: legal thriller

Publisher description: "For her crime fiction, Scottoline created the all-female law firm of Rosato & Associates, thrilling readers with her twisty, fast-paced plots and her cast of strong and relatable female characters. Now Bennie Rosato, Mary DiNunzio, Judy Carrier, and Anne Murphy are back with all cylinders firing in Accused.

Mary Dinuzio  is about to take on a case brought to the firm by a thirteen-year-old genius with a penchant for beekeeping. Allegra Gardner’s sister Fiona was murdered six years ago, and it seemed like an open-and-shut case: the accused, Lonnie Stall, was seen fleeing the scene; his blood was on Fiona and her blood was on him; most damningly, Lonnie Stall pleaded guilty. But Allegra believes Lonnie is innocent and has been wrongly imprisoned. The Gardner family is one of the most powerful in the country and Allegra’s parents don’t believe in reopening the case, so taking it on is risky. But the Rosato & Associates firm can never resist an underdog. Was justice really served all those years ago? It will take a team of unstoppable female lawyers, plus one thirteen-year-old genius, to find out. "

I have not read any of Scottoline's books and am eagerly awaiting the release of this one. What new book are you waiting for?

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It's Monday: What Are You Reading?

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey.

Post the books completed last week, the books you are currently reading, and the books you hope to finish this week.

Books completed the last two weeks:

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, women's fiction, rated 4.5/5
How to Be a Good Wife by Emma Chapman, women's fiction, rated 5/5
A Clean Kill in Tokyo by Barry Eisler, thriller, rated 5/5
A Lonely Resurrection by Barry Eisler, thriller, rated 5/5

Book currently reading:

The English Girl by Daniel Silva, thriller

Books to be finished this week:

Mystery Girl  by David Gordon, romantic mystery, for a book tour next week.

Reviews to be done:

The Sound and the Furry by Spencer Quinn, mystery

What's on your list this week?

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Saturday Snapshot: A Butterfly in Japan

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda of West Metro Mommy.

A tiny butterfly lands on clover on a sidewalk in Japan. Caught last week on our morning walk to the coffee shop in Aichi, Japan.

Just found out from Cindy Mead, an expert on moths, that the butterfly is a Pale Grass Blue, native to Asia.

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