To the Center of the Earth

In 1485, Arkady Saknussov, a Russian alchemist and explorer, supposedly found his way down to the hollow center of the earth. In 1972, a group of Russian cavers decided to follow in his footsteps, venturing into Krubera Cave, one of the deepest caves on earth. Only one, Katya, made it back out alive. After spending almost a year underground. And her talk of a strange world with a red sky and a multitude of monstrous creatures landed her in a mental asylum.

But Mike Monroe believes her story. Of course, he's always believed in the possibility of a hollow center deep inside the earth. And now he's got Katya's own diary as his guide. He and his friend Jane Baxter along with four other cavers head into Krubera Cave on an expedition reminiscent of Jules Verne. Only what they encounter living in Krubera's depths just might kill them. Especially when their way out gets caved in. 

Greig Beck's To the Center of the Earth is a fast-paced, entertaining ride. There's suspense, adventure, large carnivorous plants, and gigantic insectoid monsters. I've always loved expedition stories that take place in deep, unexplored caverns and caves. That cave environment is so foreign and primordial, and the world Beck creates deep beneath Krubera Cave is evolutionarily freakish and inventive. And also very deadly. Though there were things that happened to some of the characters that made me cringe and want to close my eyes, I really enjoyed this one. Beck's books are always a lot of fun. I can't wait to check out the sequel. 

Happy Reading!

Similar reads:

Beneath the Dark Ice by Greig Beck

The Anomaly by Michael Rutger

Blind Descent and Beyond the Deep (Two awesome nonfiction reads.)

Next up:

Top Ten Tuesday...

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's theme is supposed to be Favorite Places to Read. But I have to admit, I wasn't really feeling that, because I mostly read on the couch, or outside on my patio. Not very exciting places to post about. So I changed it up. Here's my top ten list for this week:

Favorite settings/places in books I love to read about:

1. Mars 

(Space is good, too, but there's something about the red planet that I especially love.)

2. Deep caves and mysterious caverns.

3. Remote islands 

4. The Alaskan Wilderness

5. Scotland, Cornwall, Paris or Venice.

6. Antarctica

(Though books set in the Arctic are always good, too.)

7. Old houses that might be haunted.

(Because I love a good ghost story!)

8. A boarding school or elite private college.

9. Any ancient ruins

(Especially ones with a supernatural vibe.)

10. Amazon rainforest

(Although any jungle setting will do.)

11. Quirky towns

(Especially if they're near a beach.)

Happy Reading!

American Predator by Maureen Callahan

 

Eighteen-year-old Samantha Koenig went missing from her job working as a barista at a coffee kiosk in Anchorage, Alaska on February 1, 2012. Was she kidnapped? Or did she just run away? The Anchorage Police Department and the local FBI agents had differing opinions, but their joint investigation eventually led to a man named Israel Keyes...and the chilling realization that Samantha was not his first victim.

Maureen Callahan has written a fascinating and unputdownable book about the investigation that uncovered a serial killer "likely responsible for the greatest string of unsolved disappearances and murders in modern American history." So why have we never heard of Israel Keyes? Probably because most of his crimes have never been connected or proven, his victims never found. But what he does so matter-of-factly confess to the FBI after he's caught is downright disturbing.

"The Bureau's top criminal profilers were at a loss. The only thing they could tell the team was that Keyes was one of the most terrifying subjects they had ever encountered. There was no precedent for a serial killer with this MO: no victim type, no fixed location for hunting, killing, and burying, putting thousands of miles between himself and his victims; caches (of killing kits) buried all over the United States. He avoided detection through travel. Travel!"

Are you supposed to rave about a book written about a serial killer? Because this true crime narrative is amazing. It's so well-written, and so compelling; I could not put it down. Keyes is one scary psychopath. It's too bad so much of his life and heinous acts remain unknown and untold.  I feel bad for the families of all his victims who may never know the truth about what happened to their loved ones. That's the heartbreaking part of this book. His victims. But what a story Callahan has written! American Predator is definitely one of the best nonfiction books I've read this year. 

Happy Reading!

From the C Shelf...

 Author:  Paul Cleave

Title:  The Laughterhouse

As I was scanning the C shelf at my library for new authors to try, I spotted this book by Paul Cleave, and another one by Steve Cavanagh called Thirteen, that both looked good. In the end, I went with this one. And it's a very solid read. Set in Christchurch, New Zealand, it centers around Theodore Tate, a former Detective Inspector who'd really like his job back. Only he just spent four months in jail, and he killed someone once. It makes his boss hesitant to hire him back. But when a spree killer murders four people in one night, it's all hands on deck, and Theo gets his badge back. Temporarily. As long as he doesn't screw up again.

The other major player in this book is the killer himself. Caleb Cole has spent the last fifteen years in prison. But he's out now and intent on getting revenge on all those he deems responsible for his daughter's death. He's got a list, and he's working fast. He hopes to finish his murderous plan before the police have time to figure out how all his victims are connected.

Apparently, this is the third book Cleave has written about Theo Tate. And while I wish I'd started with the first book in this series, you don't need to have read the previous two books in order to enjoy this one. It's well-written, and I immediately liked Theo, despite all his flaws. Or maybe because of them. 

I have to admit, I didn't love the chapters written from Caleb's POV, mostly because I don't love obsessive characters intent on revenge, even when I can kind of understand why they feel the way they do, but also because I felt like Caleb's chapters slowed down the narrative and overall pacing of the book.

I did appreciate that Cleave's writing never gets too intense or graphic. And I thought all the chapters with Theo and the other detectives working to solve this case were very compelling. Things certainly get messy and complicated. I found myself racing through the last chapters. And that ending! I'm going to have to hurry to the library and check out the fourth book in this series just to find out what happens to Theo next. All in all, I enjoyed this library find.

Happy Reading!

August's Bookish Art...

 

Shirataki Ikounosuke -- Woman Reading

"I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a book."

--J.K. Rowling

An Agatha Christie Mystery...

"I am the best!" said Hercule Poirot. "I do not need to bend and measure the footprints and pick up the cigarette ends and examine the bent blades of grass. It is enough for me to sit back in my chair and think. It is this" -- he tapped his egg-shaped head -- "this that functions!"

 

Carla Lemarchant will need Poirot's best if she hopes to prove that her mother did not poison her father, the well-known artist Amyas Crale, sixteen years ago. Even though her mother is now dead, Carla still wants Poirot to find the real murderer. There are five other suspects for him to consider:  Philip Blake, Crale's best friend, Meredith Blake, an amateur herbalist and Crale's neighbor, Elsa Greer, the lovely young girl who was having an affair with Crale, Cecilia Williams, the governess, and Angela Warren, Caroline Crale's tempestuous younger sister. As Poirot gets each of their stories, he hopes to find the truth lying somewhere between the lies. It won't be easy, but Poirot is nothing if not persistent. 

Five Little Pigs is an entertaining mystery. There's a lot of questioning by Poirot, both of the police and of the five suspects, and each account of the murder he hears paints a little more of the total picture. But questions always linger. I had fun trying to figure out the who, how and why. Although Poirot did it much better than me, I did guess one of the twists at the end before he revealed it. But I couldn't figure out the real murderer. Still, I had a lot of fun trying. I really enjoy the way Agatha Christie writes; she's one of my favorite authors. And I love Hercule Poirot. Which makes this the perfect book to fill the New-to-you Classic by a Favorite Author category in this year's Back to the Classics Challenge hosted by Karen over at Books and Chocolate.

Happy Reading!

A few other Christie novels I've reviewed over the years:

The Seven Dials Mystery (a favorite!)

Murder on the Orient Express

Peril at End House

Hickory Dickory Dock

And Then There Were None

Two Recent Reads...

 Here are two more books I read and enjoyed, but that I'm not going to review. Mostly because so many people are already familiar with these books.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.  I've read several excellent reviews of this book from several different bloggers, and all I can say is that I agree. It's a great read. My favorite part? Rocky!!! I absolutely loved that little alien sidekick. He's definitely the best part of this book. If you like science fiction and you haven't already read this book, I recommend you give it a try.

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer.  I really like the way Krakauer writes, and I thought his recounting of Chris McCandless's nomadic life and subsequent death was very interesting. It's a tragic story, but one that has fascinated many people over the years. It reminded me a lot of  The Cold Vanish by Jon Billman, which is one of my favorite nonfiction reads this year. Both books are worth reading. 

Happy Reading!