The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri

The Inspector Montalbo mystery series seems to pop up when Fred Vargas is mentioned - it's another sequence by a European author that was popular in the EU before taking off here. I thought I would give it a try. The Shape of Water is the first book.

I have to say, this one didn't really do it for me. The Inspector exploits a woman who's romantically interested in him for casework and never apologizes to her. He likes to call people by slurs (which I think is supposed to make him edgy). He solves the case, at the end of the book, but doesn't tell anyone what happened. I didn't find him likeable, or much of anyone else in the book, either. I won't be following this series. Two stars.

Changing Planes by Ursula K. LeGuin

I read some promising reviews of this book, and thought it would be fun to take on the plane with me. It concerns a bored and frustrated woman in an airport who learns to travel between dimensions, and the places she visits. Each chapter describes a different planet and its inhabitants.

( A quote from the book's entertaining beginning. )

My verdict? Bleak, bleak, and more bleak. Oh so bleak. You start to get into one story, and think "this is really interesting," and then there's genocide. Or people destroying their planet through war. Or oppressing each other horribly. Unless "bleak" is your thing I don't recommend this book.

Frindle by Andrew Clements

(I know, I know, so many book posts today! I am behind and trying to catch up. Thanks for your patience.)

This children's book came strongly recommended by trouble4hire. Mrs. Granger, the fifth grade language arts teacher, is a dictionary-wielding terror. (In other words, a big meanie.) But from doing an oral report for her, Nick Allen gets a dangerous idea. If people created all the words in the dictionary, then can he create a word all by himself?

This book is really fun and sweet. It shows up the way that we take even the smallest things for granted. What would happen if we stopped? What would happen if we did just one small thing differently? Three stars.

Hello, Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks, & Other Outlaws by Kate Bornstein

(I promise, this is the last book review I'm posting today. Really. Would I lie to you?)

This was an interesting book for me to read. It is geared towards teens who are having suicidal feelings, so I'm out of the demographic in two ways. It does not try to talk you out of suicide - Ms. Bornstein writes "No matter how many (reasons) I could come up with, you'll come up with more reasons to go through with it. This is a book about things to do instead." (p 17) The premise is not that anything you might want to do is okay. The premise is that most things you can do with your life, even if they're not good choices, are better options than killing yourself. The guiding principle? "Don't be mean."

I think this is an amazing book. It is not a palliative - "things will get better for you" - or technical manual - "the urge to die will only last five minutes, just hold out for fifteen." It talkes about the traditional solutions first - calling a suicide hotline, talking to someone you trust, getting therapy. But that only goes on for a few pages. Bornstein acknowledges that the traditional answers may not be available to everyone or comfortable for everyone, plus, for some people they may just plain not work. Her 101 Alternatives are other possibilities that might work for anyone. And although the book is written for people who want to die, it would be great for anyone who is just stuck in a rut or doesn't like their life or can't figure out how to start changing things around them. The ideas are rated on the basis of difficulty, effectiveness, how self-loving they are, and age group. Safety tips and warnings are included.

If you, or someone you know, is having a hard time surviving, you need this book. Five stars. Another grand slam from the fabulous Ms. Bornstein.