Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

I didn't remember anything about this one. I'm just trying to weed out shorter titles in my lengthy list of books waiting to be read. I was immediately getting Apocalypse Now vibes, and then I realized how the book ended up on my list. This was the novella that inspired the movie. It's not quite the same, though. Instead of the Vietnam War, this story deals with the ivory trade.

Marlow is telling the tale of sailing upriver in the jungle. It's harsh, and Mr. Kurtz is waiting for him at the end. He's more legend than man, and Marlow is interested in just hearing him speak.

The writing is what I dread in older books. This was published in 1899, and I think the writing shows it. The racial language hasn't aged well and appears fairly often. The complex language used for descriptions doesn't make it easy to read without paying close attention. Even though I was trying to pay attention, I still had to go back a few times and reread sections.

I will say the inspiration translated well to the movie. It didn't take me long to make the connection, and of the two, I would rather watch the movie again. I wasn't super fond of the it (I was on the fence on whether I liked it or not), but I didn't really enjoy this story. The writing made it an uphill battle, and I needed more interaction with Mr. Kurtz to understand how he impacted Marlow.

Don's Great Escape - Donald E. Phillips, Theresa M. Ripley

Side note: I just updated my lists (fiction and nonfiction) of what I've got waiting for me to read. Faced with the number of books waiting, I've decided to blast through some of the shorter ones to give myself a sense of progress.

Donald was captured in 1943 and spent time in Stalag Luft III. The book has a brief overview in the author's words of his time. After that, his letters home are published with details added by the editor.

There isn't much to say. The book is 98 pages, but I don't feel like I know Donald any better. I definitely don't know much about what he went through while he was a POW. The letters from the camp were understandably vague and didn't add much to my knowledge of his character. The weird unanswered questions added by the editor didn't help, either. "What did he feel at this time?" I don't know and neither did she.

The "great escape" mentioned is a bit deceiving. Donald doesn't try to escape the camp. I'm guessing the title is meant to connect the movie The Great Escape (the prisoners escaped from Stalag Luft III) to Donald making it out of the war alive. Not sure about that, but it's my theory.

I mention both the author and editor in this case because it feels like the author does more writing than Donald. She adds a lot of random thoughts and repeats tidbits from the previous letter/section. She also repeats information from earlier in the book later on. I think the best part was probably the Further Reading section at the end. If you want to learn more about what men went through in that camp, I think one of those books would be your best bet. This seems like one of those books that would be best appreciated by a member of the family.

The Monk - Matthew Gregory Lewis

I became interested in reading this when I saw it listed on a collection of early horror books. I'm glancing over titles like Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray when I saw The Monk: A Romance. And it was in the number 1 position! I was instantly intrigued.

Ambrosio is seen by many as a sort of walking saint. He stays in the abbey and never leaves. He has no pity for the faults and weaknesses in others. One of the other members becomes very dear to him, and when they reveal their secret, Ambrosio begins his descent to the sinful side. And he goes all in. His "guilt" is fleeting and easily forgotten as he moves on to the next offense.

Other than Ambrosio, there are other characters important to the book. Lorenzo, Agnes, Raymond and Antonia are the main four, and they are the romance side of the book. I'm not going to get too far into the plot - I'll be writing all day. I will mention there are elements of the supernatural. Devils and magic are intertwined in the book, and they mesh well with the story.

I think one of the most interesting things about this book is that it was published in 1796. I think we should all pause and appreciate how amazingly coherent and enthralling something published that long ago can be. I'm not saying it's perfect. When Raymond was telling his history, I wondered why he chose to go back so far, but I'm not complaining. Also, the Spanish Inquisition was no joke. I had to look up what an auto-da-fe was (where they burned heretics), and that wasn't even the worst thing that happened in the book.

I'm also going to confess I learned something about myself reading this book. Ambrosio is a human who it's hard to find words for. Monster seems too tame. But when there was any hint of him having a chance at redemption, I resisted the idea. I wanted him to pay for what he'd done. He was a selfish, narcissistic man, and no punishment seemed like it would be enough. I'm not very forgiving...

This book is good. I think if you go into it realizing it isn't a romance (I mean there are romance subplots in there, but I don't see it as the main theme), you can appreciate it for what it is. It's a gothic story for sure, not outright horror, but I'm a sensitive soul. Some of the scenes had me on the edge of my seat, and I was startled by someone who came and asked me a question. Honestly, that happens most of the time, but I was so hyped up from the tension in the book, I was nervous. Recommended for sure! Great Book!

Suddenly a Widow - George Harmon Coxe

My final treasure from our trip to Adventures Underground. I was really excited to read this one. It has to have one of the strangest covers I've ever seen. When you decide to plaster a review on the cover that includes the word "neat," I can't resist (it actually said "NEAT...EXCITING" - thank you New York Times for that thorough review). Also, I'm not sure why the woman doesn't appear to have any arms. And finally, why is there a gun in the picture when there is mention of a heart attack!? All of this made me so excited to read this book.

Ann has a paranoid and grouchy invalid husband. When she goes to give him breakfast, she discovers a strange note on the door. It suggests that when Ann opens the door, she's going to find a dead man. When the body is found, things start getting sticky. Lies, blackmail, suicide and murder are all included. An affair is suggested between Ann and the doctor, and while that isn't true, Alan wants to clear her name.

What I found interesting was the detective in this case. It's a doctor! He was by far my favorite character in the book. Ann was okay but a bit daft overall. I liked the writing style, and I had issues putting it down. The print was a bit small, but it was only 159 pages. Was it "neat...exciting"? Sure was! Good Book!

The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt - Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt was an interesting woman who lived in an interesting time. She lived through two world wars, the Great Depression and various other things.

I liked her writing style, but I can tell this is three books together. When I got to the last section, it didn't mesh with the rest of it as well. The first part of the book went through her life as a young person and her life in the White House. After that, the tone changed, but I was still invested.

Then the writing became more political than autobiographical. The whole rest of the book seemed to be comparisons and ranting about Communism and democracy, Russia and the United States. She was involved with some campaigns, and she talked about how those weren't as democratic as they could be.

Some of this resonates today, but I picked up the book to read about her life. I was okay with it for a while, but then it got somewhat repetitive and dry. Overall, it's a tale of two (three) books. The interesting part and the overly political part. She still seems like an interesting woman, and it would have been interesting to visit Hyde Park for tea and lunch. I'll give it 3.5 stars.

Monk's Hood (Brother Cadfael #3) - Ellis Peters

Paperback #2 from the Adventures Underground spree! This one was picked out by Mom, and I was excited to check it out.

A man is poisoned, and suspicion falls on his stepson. A brother at the nearby abbey is something of a sleuth and vows to discover the truth. The evidence is stacked against the young man, but Cadfael doesn't back down from the challenge.

Very early on, I felt a sense of familiarity. The medieval aspect with Brother Cadfael and his personality sparked my memory. Looking back, I found that I'd read A Morbid Taste for Bones, the first book in this series.

I was a bit nervous reading this one. There wasn't a clear villain, and I was afraid one of the characters I liked was going to be the killer. And then what would happen? I was right about the killer being someone I liked, but everything was settled in a way that was acceptable. I liked the first book, and I liked this one as well. Also, I loved Brother Mark! Good Book!

The Witcher Omnibus (Volume 2) - various

After reading the first omnibus, I was anxious to read the second. There are three "real" stories and a one-shot.

Of the three full stories, I liked Of Flesh and Flame the best. It has Dandelion in it, and the end had a cute twist to it. After that, Fading Memories was next. The story was pretty interesting, but the end was a bit confusing. And last comes Witch's Lament. The art style in that one didn't appeal to me, and the story didn't draw me in as much as the others. The short one-shot at the end, Once Upon a Time in the Woods, was apparently made for Comic Book Day. I thought it was strange.

Compared to the first omnibus, there is no comparison for me. The first one had better stories, was longer, and I enjoyed the art more overall. If I had to choose one or the other, I'd get the first one. Even though it wasn't as enjoyable as the first one, I still liked it well enough to give it a Good Book! review.