Don't Send The Zamboni Out Just Yet

Every once in a while we stumble across something that allows us to wrap ourselves in the warm comfort of our own lived histories. While the title of Sean Kelly's book Metal On Ice: Tales From Canada's Hard Rock And Heavy Metal Heroes seems to contradict the notions of warmth and comfort, the content, at least for me, was a time-machine back to the body-heat filled bars and taverns of the 80s and the comfort of music that assuaged my daily struggles as a teen. For various reasons my experiences differed (and still differ) from Mr. Kelly's but I noticed a commonality in our approach to the music scene of the day; and in the Canadian scene more specifically.

Despite the brevity of the book, it accomplishes two things: telling the story and explaining the experience of being a fan of metal music in Canada; and recounting the complexities of being a Canadian musician and the additional struggles of Canadian 'Metal' bands. Through interviews with many of the musicians of the day (many still playing in one form or another), Kelly paints a picture of the inception of the Metal scene to its demise with the onset of the Seattle grunge movement. But he does more than that. He details the complications of travelling from one venue to another in a lightly populated, yet enormous landmass filled with mountains, water features, and for all intents and purposes, highways that amount to not much more than glorified horse trails and goat paths. He explores the bizarre phenomenon where many Canadian bands were, sadly, appreciated more in Europe than on their home soil, and the difficulty in 'making it' by gaining the illusive (and decidedly ruinous) record contracts, especially in the United States.

What struck me most though was that despite the distance of time and the effects of the overall experiences these musicians had, every single one of them where laughing when telling their stories. This is evidenced by Kelly's meticulous us of '[laughing]' throughout the text. It occurred to me, that if a non-Canadian were to pick this book up, this is what they'd walk away knowing that - Canadians quintessentially like to laugh about their experiences, and they love to laugh when they tell stories, no matter the hardships involved.

When I first was told that I'd won a copy of the book on Twitter (Thanks Dundurn Press) I knew instinctively this was about metal bands playing in hockey arenas. However, now I'm thinking Kelly was quite clever in his choice of words by evoking a secondary meaning, that not only do Metal bands play on ice, but that while other music fads come and go, the Metal scene is biding it's time, and is 'on ice'. In other words, simply in a holding pattern, and with a little time, we'll be hearing it all fresh again, in our arenas and bars.

As always for the rating enthusiasts: I give this 4.5 rock horns of out 5.

Sacré bleu! J'en ai deux

While I'm not generally overly picky about subject matter or genre, there are times when I do have certain expectations, particularly with historical fictions. One of those expectations is that whatever historical information is known to us should not be altered much. I understand that in a fiction there are things that would simply drag a story, or make it less readable. I know that the compression of time is often necessary and I can accept that and other minor changes provided the author explains why. I guess it's my little test as to the credibility of an author? Or perhaps I simply dislike lies and mistruths? Who knows. The point is, that there are some authors who are known to play a little fast and loose with history and I've been hesitant to lay down hard earned cash. I am told that one such author is Conn Iggulden.

In my case, what Mr. Iggulden is also up against is that his two first big series are of eras I'm probably the least interested in, so I never felt all that bad about not exploring his books, they were never a subject I had to worry that friends and family would buy for me. However, his newest series is approaching an era that I'm familiar with, or that I'm at least somewhat knowledgeable in. The Wars of the Roses is not in itself a history I know a great deal about, but I do have some knowledge of the political and social challenges and issues of the medieval period. I may get a little confused about this John or that Richard, but am aware of the jostling for power by different royal houses in England and the Continent. As a result I thought that I'd give both Stormbird, the first of a series about the Wars of the Roses and Mr. Iggulden a try, to which occurred a rare event.

Despite having won nothing in over a year at Goodreads, I still tried my luck whenever a book of interest presented itself and I was fortunate enough to be selected. I received the advanced readers copy, read it and set it aside while I mulled over a review. About a week or so later, another copy of the same advanced readers copy (from the very same publisher) arrived at my door - a gift from Chapters/Indigo because of my longstanding membership as a loyalty card holder. I wasn't even aware that the Chapters/Indigo did that sort of thing. Either way, the message was clear; I was ready for Conn Iggulden and the Wars of the Roses and apparently they were ready for me.

The novel begins with how the two houses are related and carries on with why the Lancastrians and the Yorks became divided and out-maneuvered each other for power. The added conflicts with the French and the peasants was, in my opinion, rather well done. There was one small anachronism near the beginning that made me wonder at the author's intent for historical accuracy, something he did not address in his notes, and that was the use of the expression 'Bloody hell'. For all intents, this term was not in use for another two hundred years when it became synonymous with Mary Tudor's reign and her brutal reaction to Protestantism. I then felt that Mr. Iggulden was secretly just trying to find a way to fit in 'Sacré bleu!' and could only do so through the whole bloody hell bit. Neither reappears after that wee scene.

All in all, I quite liked the book. The size is large, as is the font and the language is uncomplicated but not simple. While it seems like a massive book the stories flow nicely and kept me intrigued. I also found myself wanting to know more about many of the characters, while others I came to dislike very much. I do admit to not understanding the inclusion of the Jew's story, unless there is some deeper meaning later, but within this story I found it superfluous at best. Having said that, I will definitely read the next installment.

For the ratings buffs: I give this 3.5 rose coquettes out of 5.

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Consolidation Completed(ish), Or Back In The Game

I have finally gotten around to consolidating the reviews that I could locate. One might ask themselves why there is a huge gab between mid-July and relatively recently. The answer is manifold, but essentially it comes down to not having been inspired to write reviews for the books I'd read. I still intend to write them, but I was in a bit of a writing funk. Not to mention that I was conflicted in some cases as to which blog to put them in. Add to that my disenchantment with Goodreads where I had at some point intended to be the only place I would add reviews. All of that aside, this blog will be where I house all my reviews, regardless of genre, method of acquisition and the rest.

The other reason there is such a huge gap is that I felt a little pressured to meet reading deadlines and the more deadlines I missed the less I felt like reading. Thus when I made the decision to start this blog, I also decided that I would no longer allow myself to be pressured into reading a book. I'll read whatever I feel like (yup, I'm one of those - emotional readers), when I feel like it. So, you won't be seeing an 'on the deck' type feature, because I failed every time I set one of those up. I'd read something like five books before I ever got to that one I'd promised. Then I'd have to hold off on the other reviews...meh, you probably really don't care about the process, so I'll drop it.

Needless to say, the reviews will appear when they appear, which may not be the order they were read and hopefully I won't go months between each. I can state that in the next week or so, I plan on hitting the backlog and hope to have some interesting opinions to share. Likely there will also be an interesting story or two about how I came to possess certain novels.

Planting Science

Living in an urban area with virtually no useable green-space to speak of, I'm always looking for ways to incorporate Nature's bounty in my life, whether as a medicinal aid or in the kitchen. So, I was delighted when fortune smiled down and Goodreads selected me as a Firstread winner for a copy of The Sweetness Of A Simple Life: Tips For Healthier, Happier And Kinder Living Gleaned From The Science And Wisdom Of Nature by Dianna Beresford-Kroeger.

Coming from a family whose livelihood was sustained through heavy industry and auto manufacturing, there was little time to teach us kids how to cultivate anything from nature. My paternal grandfather had a small patch of garden for he and my gran, and one summer my parents did attempt to grow some food for the winter. We were blessed with an over-abundance of string beans and a handful of tomatoes but the rest just didn't materialise. When my grandfather died some thirty years ago, there was no one left to teach us how to grow our own food.

Beresford-Kroeger doesn't teach anyone how to grow a garden. What she does is explain the importance of reaching out to Nature for the things we need and she backs it up with science. She offers information about how some plants can help prevent or combat the ailments brought on by industrial and urban pollutants. There are tips and advice on the types of plants that improve our state of mind just by their scent, or that give one's pets an opportunity to play and relax. These tips do; however, make one believe that anyone can develop a green-thumb.

The best thing about this diminutive book is that it's written in easy to understand language. There are no pie-charts or graphs, no unpronounceable words, no awkwardly formulated theories and conclusions. None of the chapters, with the exception of perhaps one, exceeds five pages, and the explanations include everyday uses. While not all of the suggestions are possible for everyone, the author clearly points out the few things that can be achieved on an apartment balcony or a window sill, and also recommends tree and plant combinations for larger green-spaces (though this is only realised as one progresses through the book).

I truly think that this very easy to read book should be in all homes, even if for no other reason than to be able to understand how many chemicals with fewer benefits we have that replace the things that Nature offers to us if we bother to work for it. I do offer one small caveat - Beresford-Kroeger is not afraid of tossing in some bits of sarcasm about our consumption and dependence of unnecessarily manufactured goods.

I give this book 4.5 root cellars out of 5.

A Hill, A Hill; My Country For A Hill

Reading Westerns is something I have enjoyed since I've been able to read in English. I can't really pin down the whys and whatfors, but I reckon it has a lot do with a forthrightness in the human interaction. With animals too. Over the past year or so I've been immersed in historical fiction primarily set in Europe with the exception of one Western that I had to read to fulfill a challenge. That book reminded me of my love for stories where there were big skies, open plains and honest living, even if that living was violent.

Upon lamenting about the lack of good new Westerns, it was recommended that I read about the American Civil War (ACW). That perhaps I'd find a similar texture and may satiate my need for a purging of modern conveniences. I didn't know where to begin, so I picked up a book by Bernard Cornwell, which I will review at a later date, since I'm familiar with the author. I was told, while good, one needed to read the pre-eminent of all ACW fiction, The Killer Angels by the late Michael Shaara.

I wasn't certain what to expect from this Pulitzer Prize winning novel that's nearly as old as I. First, I've never read a Pulitzer winning novel before. Second, prior to the aforementioned Cornwell novel, I'd never read about a modern battle set prior to WWII. Third, those books about modern battles were all non-fiction. I understand now that I'd set the bar awfully low for Shaara's book, but now it's set the standard - apologies to all other ACW authors.

I had thought George R.R. Martin brilliant regarding how he named chapters depending on which character's point of view (POV) he intended for that particular part of the tale. I now know that this was a device used by Shaara long before Martin's epic series. I am told that Jeff Shaara (Michael's son) continues in this vein with the flanking prequel and sequel - someone please correct me if this is an erroneous statement.

Being able to see the battle and stories unfold from each individual's perspective, which are based on journals, notes and historical documents, is perhaps the most interesting way of truly understanding a soldier's motives. The push and pull of personal opinion, training, beliefs systems and having to follow orders deftly details the complex nature of war and why one chooses not only to fight, but how they decide on a side.

It is a fallacy to assume that all Southerners fought for the Confederacy and the right to own slaves whilst the Northerners were all abolitionist Unionists. War, particularly Civil War is never that simple. Shaara writes a balanced and beautifully nuanced tale of men who must knowingly lead others to their deaths for a 'cause'. That there are differing opinions on what the cause is matters not in the end. They are all both hero and rebel.

While I admit my own grammar to be questionable, even I was able to find a crapload or grammatical issues in this novel. A small criticism really because I didn't actually notice until I was nearly three hundred pages in. This is the sort of thing that decides for me if a book is brilliant. When punctuation and sentence structures that should make me want to pull my hair out don't. This book deserves all the accolades it gets, because even language fails to get in its way.

As a lover of maps, I applaud the author's inclusion of the multitude of maps to aid the reader in understanding troop movement and landscape. This is a gift, one that many other authors may want to consider when writing a fiction that includes battles. The author can see a field in his mind's eye, perhaps some readers with the luxury of being able to visit a field can do so as well, but the rest of us are left bereft. Shaara knew how to bring that final element to his readers and it is greatly appreciated.

I hate ratings, but am told they are important, thus I capitulate: 4.5 rebel yells out of 5

The Great Consolidation

I had this idea that I would compartmentalise my book blogging and created a few blogs for different things. Books that I won I would write about on Blog W and historical fictions on Blog H, Mysteries on Blog M, and Contemporary ones on Blog C. Until I won some books that fit more than one.

Why not post them all up on one place you ask. Initially I did, on Goodreads; however, with a changing of the guard there I am no longer pre-disposed to publish anything that might be used without my knowledge, so I've been slowly deleting them from there. Hence this blog.

Then while doing something requiring little cerebral power - the dishes - I realised that I could simply pool all my previous blog posts onto one blog. One that uses none of the blog 'characters' that I'd used before. A blog where I feel a sense of freedom and no pressure from anyone. So, this one won out.

Any blog posts or reviews that date prior to 22 September 2013, and this post, are from other blogs that I'm either in the process of shutting down, or have already done so. I may also include reviews I did for University, but I've not completely decided on that since some are quite long and are written anthropologically. We'll see.

Insurrection - Robyn Young

Scotland. A land where until the 19th century discussions about conflict were more likely to begin with the word 'when' than 'if'. I am always astonished by the discovery of more medieval documents that surface revealing links to the Scottish Wars of Independence. Generally, they do not come out of Scotland, but occasionally they do. It is with those rare archival finds that personages like William Wallace were re-discovered and interest in others such Robert the Bruce came about. As a king, Bruce was not completely lost to the bogs of memory, but we really know very little. On the other hand, when there is little information, the landscape becomes fallow, and fallow fields eventually yield better crops.

Insurrection is the first instalment in the trilogy about Robert the Bruce, and begins elsewhere, in France and the fertile fantasising of the future English King Edward (Longshanks). He identifies with the mythical Arthur through Monmouth's prophecies and sets a course for the domination of the English Isles. Then we meet Robert who accidentally encounters a healer/witch who weaves fortunes onto an oak tree. Two men, two prophecies, two kingdoms and Young weaves a tale that incorporates of all of this along with the known histories. There is no secret as to how the basic story plays out. It is in the way the story is told that matters here.

I am not generally opposed to the invention of a secret society of knights to make a story move along, but I really didn't see the inclusion of one in this novel as helpful. I understand why it was done, to establish friendships which lead to the inevitable catalyst that will define a sense of betrayal; however, I felt it tenuous here. Never will I believe that someone's desire for a throne will be superseded by peer pressure. I'm usually pretty flexible when it comes to understanding human motivations, but not on this point. Few get more than one opportunity to be king, assisting in reducing the possibility of that ever happening just is not something I will every buy. I was, though grudgingly, willing to accept the idea of the Knights of the Dragon, until Robert's complicity in the destruction of his own future rule. To me, the story was so implausible as to be nearly farcical that it dropped me completely out of the book. It's a credit to the author's superb writing up to then that I continued reading.

With the exception of the inclusion of the Knights of the Dragon and related storyline I was quite taken by the story. I enjoy how the tale of the spider was turned into something fare more intriguing with the inclusion of Affraig. I also quite liked the portrayal of the Bruce family's animosity toward the Comyns, the tension is palpable and the distrust deep seeded. Young Robert's tumultuous relationship with his father truly helps to understand his character as does the relationship with his grand-father. Though that one far warmer and understanding.

There is no question here that Robyn Young can write, and well. Some might say a bit wordy at times, but I like that sort of thing, so I didn't get that feeling too often or for very long. Her vivid battle descriptions are wonderful, though I like my warriors a little more gritty, but hers fit the style of her writing. Again, it's this staying true to her tale that makes someone very familiar with this period accept, or not even notice the little things. I am set to read the next instalment soon, and am looking forward to it as I really do want to there to be another good story about this period and these people.

Review originally appeared on the now defunct Paternoster Row Legacy blog.