A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon

The Basics: A Spot of Bother, Mark Haddon, 2006, 354 pages, hardcover

How I found it: I really enjoyed Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and thought I should read his most recent novel.

What's it about?: This novel follows the members of a dysfunctional and oh-so-English family as they prepare for the daughter's upcoming wedding. The "spot of bother" is a mysterious rash on the retired father's hip that he becomes convinced is cancer. As their patriarch, George, slips into paranoia, depression and anxiety, Jean, the mother, Katie, the newly-engaged single mom, and Jamie, the unlucky in love gay son, struggle to cope with this change in their lives, as well as their own problems.

Did I like it?: From reading the description above would you believe that this book is supposed to be a comedy? In a lot of ways, this book is filled with typical English humour about usually unfunny subjects. The humour is supposed to be a counterpoint to the strife facing this family, but I mostly found the book sad, rather than funny. The book is told from the perspectives of all four members of the family and while I really enjoyed Jamie's portions, I found Katie and Jean's portions quite boring. George, the newly "crazy" dad's narratives were actually frightening to me as I witnessed first hand his descent into madness and his family's powerlessness to stop it. Compared to The Curious Incident, which I really loved, I didn't really enjoy this book.

Will you like it?: If you are a true fan of English black comedy, you might like this book. However, if you've never read any Haddon before, I suggest you start with The Curious Incident since A Spot of Bother is far inferior.

But don't take my word for it: The usual publisher-approved reviews and reader reviews from Amazon, a review from the New York Times, another from The Guardian, one from PopMatters, and finally one from the Literary Feline blog.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clarke

The Basics: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke, 2004, 1006 pages, paperback

How I found it: Random browsing in Chapters. I believe I picked it up because it sounded interesting and it was a best seller.

What's it about?: This book is historical fiction (or fictionalized history?) and deals with the return of magic to England in the 1800s. The protagonists are Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, two magicians who go from being unknown and known, to master and pupil, to sworn enemies, to... whatever it is they are the end of the book. The book is fairly long and deals with the minutia of the lives of these magicians. In addition to being about magic, this book deals with the historical events in England at the time, such as the Napoleonic wars. This novel is a bit Austen or Bronte-esque in that it is obsessed with the social engagements and standing of each of its characters.

Did I like it?: This book drove me crazy. It took me a very long time to read it - not only because the book itself is long, but because for great portions of it I was uninterested in it. The book is 1006 pages long and it is the author's first novel. She could have benefited greatly from a better editor. The book could have been perhaps a third of the length and still told the same story. Clarke seemed determined to make the reader feel as if they were reading a historical book so she added numerous and mostly irrelevant footnotes and some "ye olde english" spellings. This just drove me crazy. Large portions of the plot could have been summarized in a chapter or two, but instead they drag on for hundreds of pages. The characters of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell are not particularly likable or relatable, and the author's treatment of them leaves the reader wondering who we are supposed to root for - who is the hero and who is the villian? Overall, I was disappointed with this book and did not really enjoy reading it. Above all, I found it annoying on many levels.

Will you like it?: If you are a fan of the fantasy genre (which I am not), you may like this book. However, there are not enough battles or mystical creatures to satisfy a Lord of the Rings fan and there is too much discussion of the types of ball gowns worn and which government official has invited the magicians for tea. Apparently this book is a New York Times bestseller, so there must be lots of people out there who liked it. Sorry to say, I can't figure out who they might possibly be.

But don't take my word for it: The usual editorial and reader reviews from Amazon, a glowing review from the Washington Post, one from SF Site, another from Salon, one from scifi.com, and one from Strange Horizons.

The Map That Changed the World - Simon Winchester

The Basics: The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology, Simon Winchester, 2001, 329 pages, paperback

How I found it: Random browsing in the bestsellers section at Chapters (although I don't think it's an actual current bestseller - just one of those "If you liked ____, you'll like this" books). I'd also read Winchester's book on Krakatoa that Greg had.

What it's about: A biography on William Smith, the English father of geology and the guy who invented stratigraphy. (Stratigraphy is where you compare rocks in different layers to tell their age. It's also called relative dating, which I thought was pretty funny in high school.) Apparently this early, white Will Smith was into fossils, but still had a pretty rough life.

Did I like it?: As much as I like geology and geography, and I usually like biographies, this book was a bit dull. It could have been half as long and been more interesting. Winchester also jumps around a lot so I didn't get a real sense of the chronology of Smith's life - which is something I think you should get out of a biography. Apparently Winchester is a trained geologist (at Oxford no less) so he tries to give the reader a little geology lesson as background for the book and it gets really boring (even for me). However, I'm glad I read it as I learned all about early geology and stratigraphy, which I wouldn't have done otherwise.

Will you like it: Probably not. Unless you are a geologist, in which case you might have known about this guy anyway. It wasn't terrible by any means, I just don't really recommend it.

But don't take my word for it: Check out these scathing reader reviews on Amazon and some more favourable editorial reviews.