Artists in Crime by Ngaio Marsh

I thought this murder mystery was quite enjoyable. I liked seeing Alleyn fall in love (and seeing his mother, as well). The plot itself was a bit off--it felt like the detectives were doing a lot of clean up work and the guilty party was quite clearly indicated for most of the book, until a quick twist at the end. I thought Dame Marsh handled the twists and managed the artists fairly well, for the most part.

The Mighty Queens of Freeville by Amy Dickinson

I thought that this memoir was quite funny and engaging at times, and that Ms. Dickinson managed to avoid one of her habits that most annoys me in her column (that is, scripting responses as a form of advice). I do think that there were moments when the author was trying to have it all. For example, in the prologue, as she described her ex-husband offering to help her mother before their marriage, she notes that the ex-husband (almost viciously denied a name in a book that names most of the other characters, including her current romantic interest) didn't get it, and complains about having to go outside, in the cold, with no warm clothes, to fix his shoddy job of cutting down a tree. I'm not sure why she had to go outside herself, and why she couldn't take a moment to find gloves and a coat. This ancedote sums up my complaints with the book. I did enjoy her style and I thought most of her stories were reasonably well selected.

The Story of Edward Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

I really enjoyed reading this book. I thought Mr. Wroblewski did a good job of adapting the Hamlet story to Wisconsin dog breeders. Although the matches to the play are pretty close, they certainly don't overshadow the story at hand. I thought that Almondine was absolutely luminous. I appreciated that Mr. Wroblewski did not tie up all the loose ends. This book was a long read, but well-worth the time.

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

Although I found Twilight oddly compelling, I liked its sequel less. I think this book continues a disturbing pattern in Bella and Edward's relationship; his behavior strikes me as abusive and controlling. Furthermore, although I fully support a woman's right to choose to stay at home, I feel like Bella dismisses all options that aren't related to Edward without much of a thought. She throws herself into motorcycle riding, only in reaction to the way Edward has treated her. Ms. Meyer's style hasn't noticeably improved either.

The Believers by Zoë Heller

I received this novel through Barnes and Noble's First Look ARC program. I enjoyed Ms. Heller's style; her writing was very easy for me to read. I liked the idea of the book, but I wonder whether it all comes together in the end. I appreciate Ms. Heller's general resistance to easy closing (people break up rather than getting together or getting pregnant), but I don't know that I know any of the characters quite well enough because each shares the spotlight with so many others. I'm sure my views will develop through the discussion program, and I plan on posting my final review from that on this post in about a month, but for now my evaluation of this novel is promising, but ultimately failing to cohere.

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale

This book recounts a famous Victorian murder mystery that fueled detective fiction written by Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens. I think Summerscale has done a great job telling the story of the murder. I also appreciated her thoughts on the creation of the detective and the detective hero. I think she gets into a little bit of trouble as she tries too closely to merge the detective hero and Whicher into one overarching figure. She begins to use literary descriptions of detectives as "proof" for elements of Whicher's behavior and attitudes. Overall, though, I think this book is a smart piece of work.

Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis

I found this book a delightful satire of academia generally, and the British system of universities during the second half of the twentieth century particularly. Jim is a hoot; I particularly adore how he conspires with Christine to hide the damage to the bedsheets after he burns a hole smoking in bed. Overall, though, the book is classic humor, and wonderful satire, and well worth taking the time to read.