The Unfinished Novel & Other Stories by Valerie Martin

Valerie Martin wrote the book Mary Reilly, which was a retelling of the Jekyll & Hyde story from the point of view of Dr. Jekyll's maid. Mary Reilly was such a good book that I'm surprised I've not run across any of Martin's later books or pursued reading them. When I recently found a review of her new book of short stories, I decided it was time to reintroduce myself to a writer I'd previously enjoyed.

The Unfinished Novel and Other Stories is a collection of short stories about artists. The first story "His Blue Period" is about a painter who cruelly mistreats his live-in lover told by a painter who lived in the same building and had a fantasy love for the woman. "The Bower" tells the story of a woman who directs college drama students and her affair with a talented student. "Beethoven" is the story of an impecunious artist who paints on wallpaper samples and his lover, "The Unfinished Novel" is the story of a writer who runs into a woman he once loved, who has changed both utterly and not at all, "The Open Door" is about two women who are lovers and faculty members on a trip to Italy, and "The Change" is about a writer and a printmaker who are husband and wife--the wife is going through menopause, but she may be changing even more than that.

These are unsettling stories, and make me think I should try to find a few more of Martin's books to read.

Valerie Martin won the 2003 Orange Prize for her book Property.

The Pillow Book of the Lady Wisteria by Laura Joh Rowland

The Pillow Book of the Lady Wisteria is the 7th book in the Sano Ichiro mystery series. Sano Ichiro is the Shogun's chief investigator, and the action takes place in 17th century Japan. Sano is bedeviled by palace intrigues and helped by his wife Reiko and his faithful lieutenant Hirata.

The mystery involves the murder of the Shogun's heir, Lord Mitsuyoshi, in a pleasure house in Yoshiwara--the quarter of the city where gambling, drinking, and prostitution are allowed. The woman who was with Lord Mitsuyoshi, Lady Wisteria, is missing, as is her pillow book.

Sano must solve the mystery in a hurry, because his political rivals are plotting to implicate Sano for the crime. Meanwhile, Hirata seeks to marry Midori--whose father is against the marriage. And, for some reason, Chamberlain Yanagisawa's wife is plotting to harm Reiko and the son she and Sano cherish.

There are now 11 books in the series. I've read several and have found them all involving and well-written. Read more about Laura Joh Rowland and her books here:

http://www.laurajohrowland.com/

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

Housekeeping is a very strange and unexpected novel. It tells the story of two little girls who go to live with their grandmother after their mother commits suicide. The years the girls spend with their grandmother are orderly and safe, compared to their years with the mother. After about five years, though, their grandmother dies and they are cared for briefly by her elderly and fairly odd sisters.

The elderly sisters don't feel up to raising a couple of little girls, so they send a letter to the girls' aunt Sylvie, who shows up to care for them. The problem is that Sylvie is a drifter who doesn't really know how to settle down and care for two little girls. For Ruth--the little girl who is the primary narrator of the book--Sylvie is a kindred spirit, but for her more conventional sister Lucille, Sylvie is a disaster.

Housekeeping is a beautifully written novel with a fully realized sense of place. The following quote is a sample of its haunting perfection.

"To crave and to have are as like as a thing and its shadow. For when does a berry break upon the tongue as sweetly as when one longs to taste it, and when is the taste refracted into so many hues and savors of ripeness and earth, and when do our senses know anything so utterly as when we lack it? And here again is foreshadowing--the world will be made whole. For to wish for a hand on one's hair is all but to feel it. So whatever we may lose, very craving gives it back to us again. Though we dream and hardly know it, longing, like an angel, fosters us, smooths our hair, and brings us wild strawberries." pp. 152-153

Housekeeping was published in 1981. Marilynne Robinson wrote a second book, Gilead, that was published in 2005. Here is a website that discusses both books.

http://www.therevealer.org/archives/timeless_001690.php

A movie was made with the book as source--it is also called Housekeeping. I haven't seen it, and it's not out in DVD, but there is information about it on the IMDB.com site.

Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris

Definitely Dead is the latest of the Sookie Stackhouse mystery/paranormal novels. In this outing, Sookie has a new boyfriend Quinn who is a were-tiger. She also has some adventures involving demons, fairies, vampires, and a very funny witch--who seems likely to return in the next book.

Sookie has to go to New Orleans to clean out her cousin's apartment. Her cousin Hadley was a vampire, but she is now definitely dead. Here death took place in a between books short story that appeared in an anthology. You can find out about Sookie books and stories on the Charlaine Harris website, here:
http://www.charlaineharris.com/bibliog.html

While Sookie is cleaning out Hadley's apartment, she gets involved in a feud between vampire clans as well as being stalked by some weres. Her new boyfriend Quinn helps her out of some tough spots, and her new witch friend helps her solve some of the mysteries she faces. Sookie also learns some things about Bill and from Bill (her first boyfriend and a vampire.) And, finally, Sookie also learns some things about herself.

There will be some weddings coming up in Bon Temps, and Sookie is looking forward to attending them. They will be written about in a forthcoming anthology, My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding, which unfortunately won't be out till the fall.

I really enjoyed the latest Sookie mystery, and I wish I didn't have to wait a year for another one.

Varjak Paw by SF Said

Varjak Paw is a children's book, but not intended for really young children. It is about a cat named Varjak Paw who is a Mesopotamian Blue and the member of a family of Mesopotamian Blues cared for by The Contessa. All of his family are descendents of Jalal, who developed a kind of cat martial art called The Way.

Early in the book, The Contessa disappears and is replaced by a frightening man with two fierce black cats. Varjak escapes from The Contessa's villa to seek out a Dog, as directed by his grandfather.

Varjak Paw meets up with two street cats who take him under their paws and help him survive on the streets. In dreams, Varjak learns The Way, which helps him to overcome many obstacles in his quest. Once Varjak has mastered The Way, he returns home to The Contessa's Villa to try and save his family, aided by his new friends.

This was a cute story with a very nice cover illustration (by Dave McKean) and monotone illustrations throughout. A movie deal is in development.

Rain Fall by Barry Eisler

Rain Fall is a mystery/thriller about a half-American, half-Japanese hitman named John Rain. John is a Vietnam veteran. His Japanese father died when he was a child, so his mother moved him to America to be near her parents. He became a special ops type while serving in Vietnam, and never really got over his experiences during the war.

After the war, John moved to Japan, where he took up a career as a hitman, specializing in making natural-looking hits. This first novel in the John Rain series starts with John (and his assistant Harry) tailing a potential hit. John has three rules about hits: he won't hit women or children, he won't hit secondary targets (e.g. someone whose death will affect the real target), and he won't work on hits unless he's the only hitter hired. When John believes his rules have been broken in the latest hit, he goes underground and starts an investigation of the man who hired him.

In addition to being a hitman, John is a major jazz fan with a particular liking for Bill Evans. Visiting a jazz club, John has a serendipitous meeting with a female jazz pianist (Midori) who is also the victim of his latest hit. While John is enjoying the set, he notices a man who was present at the hit, and determines that Midori is in danger.

The remainder of the book finds John and Midori searching for clues and killers while becoming romantically entangled.

This is an engaging read, and John Rain is an interesting character. At least three additional books have been written in the series. For more information, see:

http://mostlyfiction.com/spy-thriller/eisler.htm