Book Review: The Middle Place & The Arcanum
The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan
I'll probably have little to say about this book. It was an okay read. Kelly finds out she has cancer around the time that her beloved and quirky father is battling cancer again. She finds herself in this "middle place" where she is no longer as dependent on her parents as she was but she is also not as independent from them as she thought. I did relate a little to this "middle place" because that was what really pushed me out of my parents' house: feeling like I was still being treated like a child by them even though I had a child of my own. And now that I am finally financially okay enough to not be borrowing money from them all the time, I feel even more "adult." I am to a certain extent still dependent on them since I'm a single mom and sometimes I need them to help with child care issues, but it's not quite the same dependence (also they are happier about it since my daughter is easier to take care of now that she's older).
Anyhoo, the book managed not to offend my fluffy bullshit sensibilities. I really hate books that are deliberately trying to be inspirational...this book came close a few times but overall the message was not too preachy and there were not too many "this artificial moment created by your Hallmark overlords" scenes.
Rating:
The Arcanum by Thomas Wheeler
I've actually read The Arcanum before and I really do love it. I've probably even written here about it, but I am too lazy to go back through my journal and find what I might have written about it. The idea is that there is a secret society that combats the supernatural in 1919. This group includes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, H.P. Lovecraft, Harry Houdini, and Marie Laveau. When their leader is murdered, it's up to them to find out what terrible plan is being carried out.
I love the way that each of the main characters' talents and fortes are woven into the story. You've got the Sherlock Holmes element to the story with this murdery mystery going on. You've got this uber-creepy supernatural element from Lovecraft. There are daring and near-impossible escapes (love the escape from the sanitarium...Houdini is walking on a TELEPHONE WIRE! Carrying Lovecraft! While being shot at by policemen and chased by a supernatural being!) and definitely some voodoo elements.
Now, I have never read The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and I have only seen the tv-edited version of the movie. But this book is what I would hope to get from an idea like that. Action! Mystery! Suspense! Zombies! Angels! Demons! Angst!
I keep looking for another novel by Thomas Wheeler. I don't anticipate a sequel because a sequel might or might not work. But I would dearly love to read another book by this guy.
Rating:
I'll probably have little to say about this book. It was an okay read. Kelly finds out she has cancer around the time that her beloved and quirky father is battling cancer again. She finds herself in this "middle place" where she is no longer as dependent on her parents as she was but she is also not as independent from them as she thought. I did relate a little to this "middle place" because that was what really pushed me out of my parents' house: feeling like I was still being treated like a child by them even though I had a child of my own. And now that I am finally financially okay enough to not be borrowing money from them all the time, I feel even more "adult." I am to a certain extent still dependent on them since I'm a single mom and sometimes I need them to help with child care issues, but it's not quite the same dependence (also they are happier about it since my daughter is easier to take care of now that she's older).
Anyhoo, the book managed not to offend my fluffy bullshit sensibilities. I really hate books that are deliberately trying to be inspirational...this book came close a few times but overall the message was not too preachy and there were not too many "this artificial moment created by your Hallmark overlords" scenes.
Rating:
The Arcanum by Thomas Wheeler
I've actually read The Arcanum before and I really do love it. I've probably even written here about it, but I am too lazy to go back through my journal and find what I might have written about it. The idea is that there is a secret society that combats the supernatural in 1919. This group includes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, H.P. Lovecraft, Harry Houdini, and Marie Laveau. When their leader is murdered, it's up to them to find out what terrible plan is being carried out.
I love the way that each of the main characters' talents and fortes are woven into the story. You've got the Sherlock Holmes element to the story with this murdery mystery going on. You've got this uber-creepy supernatural element from Lovecraft. There are daring and near-impossible escapes (love the escape from the sanitarium...Houdini is walking on a TELEPHONE WIRE! Carrying Lovecraft! While being shot at by policemen and chased by a supernatural being!) and definitely some voodoo elements.
Now, I have never read The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and I have only seen the tv-edited version of the movie. But this book is what I would hope to get from an idea like that. Action! Mystery! Suspense! Zombies! Angels! Demons! Angst!
I keep looking for another novel by Thomas Wheeler. I don't anticipate a sequel because a sequel might or might not work. But I would dearly love to read another book by this guy.
Rating: