“The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum,” by Kirsten Weiss

FM’s ratings:

1. Premise 9
2. Prose 8
3. Plot 8
4. Characters 8
5. Overall 8

Comments (optional - but try to keep it under 3000 words!)

Here is yet another "Cozy" that turns out to be a real jewel. The paranormal elements are mostly relegated to a secondary role, but succeed in providing a nice atmosphere nevertheless. The liveliness of the prose keeps our attention fairly riveted throughout and the romantic interest is kept low-key enough to add an effective counterpoint to the plot. The protagonist is very likable, and the plot is a great example of what the standard Mystery readership is expecting. The wonderful colorfulness of the book cover is mirrored in the story; and I found myself looking for other works by Ms. Weiss, finding several that pique my interest - including some fascinating-looking Steampunk works. Thanks, Ms. Weiss: I'll be seeing you again soon!

“The Three Musketeers,” by Alexandre Dumas

FM's ratings:

1. Premise 5
2. Prose 6
3. Plot 4
4. Characters 6
5. Overall 5

Comments (optional - but try to keep it under 3000 words!)

This was a pretty big surprise, and not in a good way. I have put off reading this for literally decades, mostly because I have a dislike for reading a book of which I already know a lot about the story. I still have not read “Tom Sawyer” for that reason. I cases like this, I often will read an author’s relatively lesser known books first; as I did with Dumas, reading “The Count of Monte Cristo” first, and with Hawthorne, reading “The Marble Faun” (MUCH better than “The Scarlet Letter” by the way!) first. Having enjoyed “The Count…” rather well, despite its lengthiness, I came to this book with high expectations, after my son had encouraged me to read it for years. All my positive expectations went unmet. I do understand why it’s a classic; it has the same action-packed pace and excitement as Sir Walter Scott’s “Ivanhoe” minus the coherence of plot or premise. It has the same random aimlessness as “Don Quixote” but without the justification that “Don Quixote” has of being precisely that kind of work as a fundamental premise. The characters are mostly stereotypical, but even the stereotypes are bland. And the title is misleading. This isn’t a book about three musketeers at all; those characters are supporting cast, at best, for d’Artagnan or even more so for Milady, Sir Buckingham, and the Cardinal. It’s like calling “The Lord of the Rings” “The Perils of Merry and Pippin.” The pace is fast and furious throughout most of the book, disallowing any deeper exploration of themes or development of characters. Then suddenly we hit a plot point where 5 entire chapters are devoted to Milady’s captivity, describing in great detail her attempts to escape. This book is a mess! I remember thinking that the movie made of this novel a few years back seemed like rather a silly attempt to re-cast an important work. Now I think I see why it was so vacuous. My son loves it but has no use for The Beatles. I love The Beatles but have no use for this book. We discussed this and it helped us to understand our relative perspectives. How can I think so little of a book that has been cherished by millions all over the world for many, many decades? Equivalently, how can he feel that same way about The Beatles? I hear “The Man in the Iron Mask” is quite good. But it might be a long while before a give it a go.

Here’s the March line-up:
"V is for Vengeance," by Sue Grafton [3-3-18]

"A Dirty Job," by Christopher Moore [3-10-18]

"Sackett," by Louis L'Amour [3-17-18]

"Caught Dead Handed," by Carol J. Perry [3-24-18]
"Finn," by Jon Clinch [3-31-18]

“The Ape Who Guards the Balance,” by Elizabeth Peters

FM’s ratings:

1. Premise 6
2. Prose 7
3. Plot 5
4. Characters 10
5. Overall 7

Comments (optional - but try to keep it under 3000 words!)

Yes, a rather lopsided grouping of ratings. The book is worth reading, if only for the excellent characters; but only just. The plot line is so ridiculously “padded,” encumbered by so much pointless literary ornamentation that it’s almost possible to miss it completely until near the end. The prose verges on stilted, but wouldn’t detract as much if the plot held together better. The setting would get an “8” or a “9” for its uniqueness and atmosphere, but the visual aspect is limited to colorful sunrises, sunsets, and sparse descriptions of the, well, sparseness of the Egyptian desert. Oh, and dress. As a male, I simply didn’t place as much importance on the descriptions of wardrobe as did the author. The premise tries to be more interesting than your standard murder attempts, but doesn’t really impress. But the characters – very effectively realized much more so than in other books I’ve read by the same writer. The love interests are actually a plus; not merely standard fare for a novel aimed at a female readership, but intelligently explored. My wife, who is extremely picky about works of fiction and not at all susceptible to “chick-lit”, actually recommended this book to me, but I believe the aspects she enjoyed were the same as mine. It’s been a long time since I read one of Peters’ books; and it may be even longer until the next one.

“The Right Attitude To Rain,” by Alexander McCall Smith

FM's ratings:

1. Premise 6
2. Prose 7
3. Plot 8
4. Characters 8
5. Overall 7

Comments (optional - but try to keep it under 3000 words!)

This series has always been in danger of being labeled "Boring" with it's emphasis on pedagogical philosophy. McCall Smith adds philosophical questions like a spice to all is writing, but more so here, with a protagonist who edits a philosophy journal as her occupation. The first two books in the series evade the "Boring" label with plenty of amateur sleuthing thrown in to keep the suspense going. This one focuses more on romantic relationships and the philosophical questions that such a topic entails. As usual with this author, there are some very poignant moments, but the prose barely carries the weight of the interest. The chief issue with the prose is the prominence of a rather odd idiosyncrasy of ending a spoken paragraph with a reiteration of a fragment of the last sentence. "So-and-so said such-and-such. HE DID." "Such-and-such was such-and-such. IT WAS." "Object A can be seen as Object B. IT CAN." After 4 or 5 of these, they begin to chafe. Many more and they become a flaw. The premise? It's a subtle interweaving of several threads, none of which really seems to take precedence until the end. Yes, our heroine falls in love, despite her misgivings; so it can be seen as a love story. But the other issues that are a little too thoroughly explored here are just as thought-provoking, if not more so. I think that anyone who hasn't read any of this author's works and isn't used to his style would probably be disappointed in this one. I have to admit, it's wearing a little thin on me, too.