Exherbo

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le GuinMy rating: 2 of 5 starsThe premise of this short story is simple: Omelas, a radiant city of happiness, has built its riches upon the suffering of a single child. Every citizen knows of the ... [More] child and many visit it to witness its suffering.There are basically three options according to Le Guin:– Walk away and live your life, knowing your happiness depends on the misery of an innocent child.– Walk away from Omelas; leave, never to come back.– Rescue the child – but that doesn’t happen.According to Le Guin’s afterword those are the only options because those are the rules:»You can only play a game — chess, soccer, parable — if you follow the rules.«And that’s where I say she’s wrong: We abide by the “rules” because we want to. We allow the rules to restrict what we do. We choose to follow the rules – but we don’t have to!In the face of developing countries being ravaged by COVID-19 like we’d never tolerate it here, we can tell Bill Gates that his stance on not waiving intellectual property rights for vaccines is inhumane.We can tell BioNTech whose research we’ve supported with 375 million Euros (ca. 445 million US-Dollars) from German taxpayers alone that selling its vaccine at high price tags while also vetoing patent waiving is greedy, irresponsible and, again, inhumane.We do not have to play by the rules if that means ruining the game for generations to come. We do not have to accept the suffering of some in order to allow others to thrive at the formers’ expense.Yes, we do tend to walk away from Omelas but there are other options than ignorance or turning a blind eye. We can rescue the child of Omelas and yet live good lives. We just need to change the rules.Two out of five stars.View all my reviews [Less]

The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie I learnt to read with turn of the century German editions of Sherlock Holmes – set in Fraktur. I still remember lying in front of the bookcase and deciphering those weird letters – and I ... [More] prevailed!Having thus been “initiated” it isn’t surprising I turned to other mystery authors once Conan Doyle’s Sherlock retired to beekeeping.Whom else would I turn to than two masters of the field: Edgar Wallace (who has largely been forgotten in his native UK but whose books are still in-print here in Germany!) and Agatha Christie.I think I’ve read every of Christie’s Miss Marple and Poirot books and greatly enjoyed them. Over the years, I’ve revisited Christie, reading her “The Secret Adversary” for example. (Three stars, no written review.)When I came across a very favourable review of “The Sittaford Mystery” I found myself eager to revisit this childhood icon of mine – which usually is a bad idea.Captain Trevelyan lies slain, a retired soldier of some royal windbag’s Navy, and a simpleton nephew of his, Jim, who fled the scene after unsuccessfully trying to beg some money out of his uncle is charged. Never fear, though, Simple-Jim, your smart fiancee comes to your rescue!Introduced as being “not strikingly beautiful” but having an unforgettable “face which was arresting and unusual”. Featuring “common sense, savoir faire, invincible determination and a most tantalizing fascination” Emily Trefusis proceeds to go after every single one of the numerous red herrings Christie introduces.Emily also enlists the help of a young journalist who immediately falls for her, of course. Suspects are almost as plentiful as motives for the murder and mystery after mystery is presented or at least alluded to but most of those are left behind among all the other plot holes.Set in Dartmoor, near the moorland and not far from a prison even the escape of a violent convict over the moorland ends anti-climactic – the poor wretch runs 20 miles in a circle only to return to from where he fled.Compare that to Conan Doyle’s “The Hound of the Baskervilles” and you’ll see how much potential Christie fails to realise.The ending is achieved by a severe case of “deus ex machina” – the victim’s missing boots point by almost artistic literary convulsions to the one person Christie took pains to keep unsuspected only to condemn them in the end.All of that combined with the dated language, the cliches, the wooden characters and the lacklustre execution of it all leads me to believe that I should probably let Dame Agatha rest in peace and remember all the good times I had in the past with her books instead of trying to recreate them.Three out of five stars.View all my reviews [Less]

The Love Hypothesis by Ali HazelwoodMy rating: 5 of 5 starsSTEM Ph.D. candidate Olive meets Adam Carlsen, Ph.D., fake-dates him, inevitably falls in love, almost loses herself in the web of lies she spins – until she finally gets a grip and ... [More] starts telling the truth. Happily ever after begins.Sounds familiar? Of course. The fake-dating trope is a road very often taken. And, yet, I’ve rarely – if ever – enjoyed the story this much.Not much is new in this story – even the primary conflict is something you might have read about before and, sadly, it’s not uncommon in either academia or industry.Olive is nerdy, insecure, impostor syndrome-prone and, looking back, very, very relatable in many ways. She’s also intelligent, witty, a tease and always trying to treat people fairly.Adam – our dark, brooding hero – has been pining for Olive since he first met her years ago and, thus, quickly agrees to help both Olive and himself by taking part in their fake-dating charade. Meanwhile, he makes his students cry and is widely considered “an ass”.So, it’s all in the execution; the way Hazelwood tells her story and that is where this book takes flight: The writing is engaging – I really didn’t want to put this down. The characters, mostly Olive and Adam but also her friend Malcolm and Adam’s friend Holden are hilarious and the “chemistry” between all of them is great.Also, the night Olive and Adam spend together at the conference… Very nicely written, sensitive and forthright… Ah, well, perfect smut!At times, of course, as with pretty much any romance, I rolled my eyes at the inability to actually talk to each other and just plainly state the truth which would have spared Olive and Adam a lot of crap.When I found myself whisper-shouting at my Kindle “Finally go tell him, stupid!” I knew, though, I really enjoyed this book.Recommended to anyone reading romance and five out of five stars for the enjoyment this novel brought me!View all my reviews [Less]

Die Anomalie by Hervé Le TellierMy rating: 2 of 5 starsDie deutschsprachige Wikipedia definiert Glosse folgendermaßen:»Unter einer Glosse (von altgriechisch γλῶσσα glóssa, „Zunge, Sprache“, über lateinisch glossa) wird ein meist kurzer und ... [More] pointierter, oft satirischer oder polemischer, journalistischer Meinungsbeitrag in einer Zeitung, einer Zeitschrift oder im Fernsehen verstanden.«(Quelle in der Fußnote)Mit “Die Anomalie” liefert Hervé Le Tellier ein Werk ab, das mich über weite Teile an eine Glosse erinnerte, aber vom Umfang her dieses Genre “sprengt”. Nun könnte dies ja auch etwas Gutes sein; ein Novum oder, Entschuldigung!, eine Anomalie.Leider aber ist dem hier nicht so, denn “Die Anomalie” ist nur quantitativ eine solche – aber eben keinesfalls qualitativ.Die Prämisse ist interessant: Ein Flugzeug mit über zweihundert Personen an Bord gerät in eine Notlage, übersteht diese, wird aber jedoch durch die titelgebende Anomalie dupliziert. Fortan gibt es alle Menschen an Bord also mehrfach.Was der Autor zu erzählen hat, könnte als Essay, als Kurzgeschichte, als Gedankenspiel anhand beispielsweise einer Person interessant sein. Auch eine längere Erzählform wäre vorstellbar, böte dies doch die Gelegenheit, die philosophischen und ethischen Aspekte der erzählten Geschichte näher zu untersuchen.Angesichts der vielen Personen, die wir aber im vorliegenden Roman begleiten, verliert sich die jeweilige Geschichte einzelner (z. B. das des krebskranken Piloten oder des mißbrauchten Kindes) in der Beliebigkeit der Vielfalt. Eine wirkliche Nähe auch nur zu einer der Personen kann auf diese Weise gar nicht erst aufkommen.Gleichzeitig aber wirkt diese Mannigfaltigkeit aber auch umgekehrt: Durch die Zerfaserung der Gesamterzählung in viele kleine Teilbereiche, gibt es nur eine minimale “Rahmenhandlung”; die verschiedenen Theorien zum Ursprung der Anomalie werden nicht “zu Ende gedacht” und obschon mit dem buchstäblich letzten Satz eine (unbefriedigende) Auflösung gelingt, bleibt diese Auflösung hohl und ohne wirklichen Erkenntnisgewinn.Meines Erachtens wäre ein offenes Ende – ohne Gewolltheit und mit Brachialgewalt herbeigeführten “Knalleffekt” – hier interessanter gewesen.Das letzte Viertel, in dem dann endlich doch etwas spürbare Emotionen sichtbar werden, in dem es Le Tellier tatsächlich gelingt, sprachlich wie inhaltlich noch etwas Echtheit in seinen ansonsten eher “gekünstelt” wirkenden Roman zu bringen, versöhnt ein wenig mit dem Rest des Buches, jedoch wird dies zunächst durch einen radikalen Akt einer Figur und kurz darauf durch einen ebensolchen des Autors wieder zunichte gemacht – schade!“Die Anomalie” ist für mich sozusagen ein “Denkmal der verschenkten Möglichkeiten” – aus einem guten Ansatz weiß der Autor nicht wirklich etwas zu erschaffen. Seine Figuren bleiben blaß und – in vielerlei Hinsicht – unwirklich und holzschnittartig.Einige Figuren gar, z. B. der US-amerikanische Präsident, werden als Karikaturen ihrer selbst dargestellt und erinnern somit weniger an ihre realen Vorbilder (im vorgenannten Beispiel ist es ein überaus plump “kaschierter” Trump), sondern vielmehr an simpelsten Slapstick.Am Ende bleibe ich enttäuscht zurück: Im Persönlichen der Charaktere überzeugt der Autor mich nicht und “das große Ganze” versinkt in der Beliebigkeit der Möglichkeiten.Zwei von fünf Sternen.Quelleangabe zum Wikipedia-Zitat:Seite „Glosse“. In: Wikipedia – Die freie Enzyklopädie. Bearbeitungsstand: 14. August 2021, 02:43 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?… (Abgerufen: 25. Januar 2022, 16:24 UTC)View all my reviews [Less]

The Westing Game by Ellen RaskinMy rating: 1 of 5 starsI’m not sure what this was supposed to be: A mystery? There’s nothing really mysterious here apart from the fact who Westing and his ex-wife might be. The “bomber” (whose motives I never ... [More] fully understood)? That’s just plainly revealed at some point.The writing itself might be a mystery because at times I felt like I read in some truly foreign language because the story as told by the narrator was interspersed with thoughts of the respective person we’re told about. It made for an immensely confusing and rather annoying reading experience.The perspectives change all the time between the way-too-large cast of 16 (!) characters whom the author instils with the depth of a cardboard cut-out. If at least one or two of these had been likeable, interesting or at least relatable in some way but, no, they all remain shadowy at best.In addition, there’s latent racism, defamation of people with disabilities and many other issues that can be attributed to the time this was first published – in 1978. None of that feels intentionally offensive but all of it adds to the general feeling that this book has aged really, truly badly.One out of five stars.View all my reviews [Less]

The Untold Story by Genevieve CogmanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars»And here in the Library, even if our outer layer is order, we have an inner heart of chaos. We read too much for it to be anything else.«When I first encountered “The Invisible Library” ... [More] I was intrigued: A library beyond space and time; an autonomous realm that sends out its spies to “acquire” unique books in order to safeguard the balance between chaos and order not in just one world but all worlds!Dragons, Fae, Librarians – what a premise! Adventures abound! As someone who loves every single “ingredient” here, I simply had no chance but to read the first book – and, ultimately, the entire series.Don’t get me wrong: The premise is perfect whereas the actual execution isn’t always. Nevertheless, I loved reading every single instalment and it was with eagerness and a dose of sadness that I went on reading this “season finale” as Cogman calls it.And what a finale this was! Sent out on a seemingly impossible assignment, undercover and under the guise of having gone rogue, Irene – supported by Kai (of course!), Vale (the local manifestation of Sherlock Holmes), and her apprentice Catherine, a Fae, goes on to try and get rid of Alberich for good, to solve the mystery of entire worlds disappearing and one that lies at the heart of the Library itself…Since this time the stakes are so high, Irene not only reluctantly accepts but embraces the help of her friends. That pays off not only in terms of the eponymous “Untold Story” (now, paradoxically, told!) but also in allowing us to get even more insight into Kai, Vale and Catherine and each of them gets their respective chance to shine bright which was a delight to read.»‘All right,’ Irene said, accepting [Catherine’s] decision. And may God have mercy on my soul for dragging her and Kai and Vale into this.«Many characters from previous books make an appearance and – in the light of the threat of annihilation – actually cooperate. Cogman expertly plays with archetypes, the resistance to work together and how each character overcomes their inhibitions towards the “other side”.The entire book is fast-paced but intrinsically plausible. No plotholes occur, all the loose ends are picked up and brought together in a furious, brilliant, dramatic and astonishing final showdown.Personally, I could go on reading about Irene’s exploits for many more books but I think it’s a smart choice of Cogman to – at least temporarily – leave her beloved characters to their own devices. Many authors’ heroes overstay their welcome to the point that we don’t even want to read about them anymore.Some authors (cf. Elizabeth George) milk their literary “cows” to the bitter end, others wisely and sensitively dispose of them entirely (cf. Henning Mankell’s Wallander).Just leaving them at the top of their game is, in my (rarely humble) opinion, a great choice: No need to complicatedly “resurrect” the hero (cf. Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes) or kill them.Just let them enjoy prolonged (or possibly even infinite) holidays!»Stories are like that. They’ll wait for you until you can come back to them.«I’ve loved every minute I’ve spent with being told the “Untold Story” – it was like revisiting a beloved place. Its ending provides much needed closure but opens up new opportunities and, thus, I’m definitely looking very much forward to reading whatever else Genevieve Cogman is coming up with.I rarely know how to actually rate a book in terms of stars before I write its review but after having finished this book late last night in an almost desperate attempt to know how it ends (and in a race against sleep!), there was no doubt about it (and writing this review only reinforced it):Five out of five stars.»‘There are no limits to self-sacrifice when we’re doing our jobs,’ Irene said wearily.«View all my reviews [Less]

The Drowning Girls by Lisa ReganMy rating: 4 of 5 starsPhew… After the disappointing book 12 I was afraid I might have had a fatal overdose of Josie Quinn.This thirteenth book in the series was firmly on-track again, though, and mostly free of ... [More] the overbearing ghost of you-know-who.In fact, despite the fact this is a mass-produced series, the premise is interesting enough (notoriously good girl vanishes, her and her family’s dirty laundry comes to light, piece by piece…), the plot keeps thickening and while I did see the twist at the end coming, I enjoyed how it was handled.All in all, a very Josie Quinn’ish book and a worthy instalment in the series.Four out of five stars.View all my reviews [Less]

Her Deadly Touch by Lisa ReganMy rating: 2 of 5 starsJosie whines about her dead granny.Josie finds a body.Josie whines again about her dead granny.People vanish. Joise: “My poor dead granny!”Josie is in the morgue, sees a body and, yes, you ... [More] guessed it…And so forth till the very end.(Don’t get me wrong: Practically everyone from previous generations of my extended family are dead. Four during the last three years alone. I know grief but I’ve never wallowed in it like Josie does.)This book is a mess… Murder by carbon monoxide poisoning which occured in about 3 ‰ (per mille!) of homicides during the 20th century according to a quick research. (I couldn’t find data for the 21st century that did NOT include murder-suicides…) A bus driver who might or might not have been tricked Organised crime killing small-town fences for not coughing up money An abundance of hardly-believable characters Even harder-to-believe what-ifs – and not only hinted at but constantly repeated literal “if only, if only”s Drugs, sex – just no rock’n’roll Lots of plot holes and loose ends A Josie Quinn who basically permeates between bemoaning the death of her granny and somewhat accurately working on the actual case Two stars out of five because despite all that I finished this turd. View all my reviews [Less]

2021 on Goodreads by VariousMy rating: 4 of 5 starsAs I look back on reading in 2021 I find another mixed bag: Just like in 2020, my average rating was a mere 3.5 Goodreads tells me and that feels about right.The year started on a high and hopeful ... [More] note when Amanda Gorman recited her poem “The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country” at Biden’s inauguration. If Gorman’s ideas took hold, we’d really “raise this wounded world into a wondrous one.”The older I get the more difficult I find it to adapt to change. At the same time I realise a lack of adaption inevitably leads to obsolescence – in this case, my own.Thus, I was both challenged and delighted when my personal book of the year 2021, the unforgettable “Girl, Woman, Other” by Bernardine Evaristo, stormed against my own perceptions and prejudices and while not blowing them away, changing them. Helping me change.Also highly emotionally moving and absolutely brilliant was the revised and updated collection of the “New York Times” column collection by Daniel Jones: “Modern Love, Revised and Updated: True Stories of Love, Loss, and Redemption”Next to Evaristo’s novel, this is one of the few books I cannot recommend highly enough.Another highlight was “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett: Two black twin sisters, one passing and living as white, the other as black, Bennett tells a story about family and relationships that still resonates with me…“Junge Frau, am Fenster stehend, Abendlicht, blaues Kleid” by Alena Schröder – Schröder’s fiction debut – and, as of now, translated from its (and my) native German to Dutch only, was a riveting tale of a family from the 1920s till the present day. Very impressive!With autumn came “The Four Winds” by Kristin Hannah which is, to me, a must-read and immediate entry to my favourite books of all time!Last but most definitely not least: “Blaue Frau” by Antje Rávik Strubel, winner of the German Book Prize 2021, which took me on a tour de force about a personal as well as European history. Sadly, this masterpiece has not yet been translated to other languages.All in all, a year with some extraordinary books! Happy new year 2022!View all my reviews [Less]

Hush Little Girl by Lisa ReganMy rating: 4 of 5 starsAn isolated, hidden house in the woods, half a family murdered, a cancelled wedding, lots of suspense, a major personal loss…“Hush Little Girl” is one more mystery/thriller from Regan’s ... [More] production line – she writes three to four books in this series per year. Thus, it cannot really surprise anyone that while these books are fairly entertaining, they’re all derived from the same formula.If, by now, you like Josie Quinn and her team you won’t be disappointed by this instalment either. Apart from one rather disruptive (and overly drawn-out) change in Josie’s personal life nothing ever really changes in this series either, though.For the entertaining but utterly forgettable book it is: Four out of five stars.View all my reviews [Less]