Favorite Father Brown Stories

I picked up a copy of Favorite Father Brown Stories by G. K. Chesterton from a discount bin at Barnes & Noble. The back of the book indicated that Chesterton liked to probe topics of Christian theology through his writing, especially through the stories involving his priest/detective, Father Brown. It seemed like an intriguing combination and worth the cost of two dollars.

The stories proved to be fairly entertaining. I enjoyed the twist of having a Catholic priest solving mysteries in early 19th century England. As a fan of Victorian era crime fiction, I thought this would be intriguing. The stories were fairly interesting. The mystery did not always present themselves early in the story and Brown's methods were not always the most clear, but that added to the fun. The resolution often occurred in the concluding paragraph of the story. I can't say I favored these stories as much as I do the Sherlock Holmes canon, but I enjoyed them nonetheless.

Favorite Father Brown Stories

Ryan Adams: Losering, a Story of Whiskeytown

I was excited when I saw that there was going to be a new book about Ryan Adams. I have been a fan of Adams' music for about a decade. So, I immediately ordered David Menconi's Ryan Adams: Losering, a Story of Whiskeytown. I was excited to read a book about one of my favorite artists during a period of his life when he was playing with one of my favorite bands.

The book proved to be interesting, but not great. Menconi, a music critic for the Raleigh News and Observer, has been witness to Ryan and his music since the early 90's when Ryan first started playing in the area. However, Menconi never quite manages to remove himself from the narrative of the book. Obviously, since this is an unauthorized "biography," the author needed to rely on second-hand sources and  his interviews with Ryan during the time period of Whiskeytown. That is understandable. However, Menconi continues to find ways to insert himself into the story, as though he was an important part of Whiskeytown or Ryan's story. The downside is that his narrative doesn't truly provide deep insight into Ryan, the band, or the music. Instead, the book feels like an attempt for Menconi to make money off his limited interaction with Adams and Whiskeytown. He gets some facts wrong, crediting Ryan with songs he either co-wrote or didn't write at all. At times, the writing/research seems sloppy. He even goes so far as to provide critiques of albums and an example of his iTunes playlist. It's as though the book is unable to have a consistent voice throughout the narrative.

While not the strongest narrative, or most well-researched book, it will nonetheless be interesting for any fan of Ryan Adams or Whiskeytown.

Ryan Adams: Losering, a Story of Whiskeytown

The Poe Shadow

I picked up The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl in a discount bin sometime over the past year. It had an interesting looking cover and appeared to be a mystery, so I thought I'd grab it. It seemed like a decent investment for $3. I didn't realize that it was written by the same author as The Dante Club, another novel that I enjoyed quite a bit. That novel used historical figures to solve a fictional mystery, while this novel uses fictional characters to solve a historical mystery - the death of Edgar Allan Poe.

The protagonist of the novel is Quentin Clark and the novel is written in first person. It chronicles Clark as he tries to discover the truth of the mysterious death of author Edgar Allan Poe. They were only loose acquaintances, but Clark was a fan of Poe's work, so he feels compelled to look into what others fail to deem important. The pursuit of the truth leads to Clark's downfall as an attorney in Baltimore and he also loses his fiance in the process. To gain assistance, Clark travels to Paris to enlist the help of Duponte, the alleged inspiration for Poe's detective, Dupin.

The novel was a bit slow at times, but was ultimately a fun read. Pearl seemed to capture the speech of Poe's era. I enjoyed the overall plot and ultimately found myself disappointed when the novel ended. It's worth a read for anyone who is a fan of mysteries, Poe, or a combination of the two.

The Poe Shadow