This is the third book I've read off of my "Genre Novels That Should Be Classics" reading list in a quest to expand my book choices beyond my normal comfort zone. I'm not a big historical fiction reader. Sometimes it makes appearances in my Fantasy or Science Fiction picks, but I never avidly seek it out. That's why I chose to listen to the audio of Pure. Jonathan Aris came highly recommended as a narrator, and I hoped he'd help me immerse myself in Paris circa 1785.

Jean-Baptiste Baratte was an intriguing character. A young man, an engineer, with visions of grand projects flitting across his mind. Imagine his surprise when the first job that he is tasked with, is the destruction of Les Innocents cemetary and its church. I was pulled in by this thought. If this is the only job offered, and you need the work, does it matter that you'll be destroying a piece of history? Unearthing the loved ones of others? Watching Jean-Baptiste struggle with this, following along as he fought his own inner demons, fascinated me.

What was tough for me, were the layers this book contains. Pure is packed to the brim with metaphor and symbolism. It may have been easier for me to soak that all in if I had been reading printed words. Perhaps. Despite Jonathan Aris' excellent narration, I still lost myself at certain points. Jean-Baptiste's thoughts would reach a point where they were so dense, so scattered, that I'd find myself struggling to pay attention. There were high points, and low points, but the ending threw me completely off. I listened to it again, just to make sure I didn't miss something important. I'm still confused.

For a very vividly written Paris backdrop, and a character that I enjoyed, I'll give this a two-star rating. The extra star is for Jonathan Aris' wonderful narration. If you have the opportunity to listen to this on audio, I'd say go for it! My quest continues on! 

I am so darn mad that this series started when I was young enough to fall in love with it, and I totally missed out. The whole time I was reading Dealing With Dragons, all I could think about was how much I would have loved this as a kid. Well, that and the fact that I'd love to have my own little one to read this to before bed. It's the perfect princess story! A strong-minded princess, wizards, dragons, all the things that I've always loved escaping into. This book is pure fun to read.

Cimorene was intelligent, witty, and full of heart. The dragons were wonderfully done, and I loved the whole idea of a dragon council. Why do dragons always have to be the bad guys? The princes were stereotypical, but that was perfect for Cimorene's wild adventures. Ah, this was just so enjoyable. I know it would have gotten five stars from me as a younger reader, but current Jessica still loved the heck out of this.

On to the next one!

The audio on this was a bust. It sounds like it was once a cassette tape that was poorly translated to MP3. That, and I think this will be more fun as a physical book. So this is on hold until my copy comes to the library! 

Back to zombie thrillers. 

In my quest to escape from the safe little box the books I read normally fall within, I've challenged myself to pick up things that aren't usually me. Edward Bunker's No Beast So Fierce was my first attempt to do that. This is an autobiographical crime novel. It's written as the memoir of Max Dembo, a parolee from Folsom Prison who has just completed an eight-year term. Trust me when I say that this isn't the type of book I'd normally choose to read. Keep that in mind too, while you read this review. It's just the opinion of one reader who is exploring new territory.

Let's start with what I liked about this. Max Dembo is a pretty fascinating case. Imagine emerging from prison, only to find that you no longer fit in with the world as it is today. Max faces not only the issue of being a former convict, but also of being someone who hasn't been part of mainstream society for almost a decade. His clothes are wrong. His demeanor makes him stand out in a crowd. Even the way he talks isn't necessarily in style anymore. Here is a man who is finally free, and yet now has so much standing in the way of the new life he wants to build.

I can't tell you enough how riveting it was to watch Max face all this. Edward Bunker puts the life of a parolee in vivid black and white. It's no wonder that Max hates mainstream society. They treat him like a leper without even knowing him, simply because of where he's been. It took a lot for me to read through the parts of this where his simmering rage was directed at, well, people like me. People who don't know a thing about the system and how it creates people like him. If nothing else, this book opened my eyes to the huge divide between the former convicts and everyone else.

What I didn't like, and trust me I know it's just my own biases working against me, was that this was a really heavy book. It's obvious that it will be the instance you realize that Max isn't going to make it. Still, as he started the downhill slide, the thoughts and words that came onto the page were tough to swallow. Racism, sexism, it's all on the pages. I think what made it harder for me was that much of this book is very wordy. Bunker doesn't cut down Max's stream on consciousness for our benefit. It's all there, and sometimes it's a little overwhelming.

I'm not sure how much of this review actually makes sense, to be honest. I'm not even certain how I really feel about this book. I've given it three stars mainly because I liked it, but not enough to keep following Max. It's distinctly possible that it's because I never liked him in the least. The fact is, this is a well written book. It's true, and it's gritty. If that's for you? You'll probably enjoy it. 

I opened a window for air and looked out. The cabin, for all its ugliness, sat upon a high throne over the endlessly sprawling city. A breeze had cleared the usual haze and the air was crystalline, the sky powdered with recklessly spilled stars. For all its brilliance, the sky was merely a bland proscenium for the glory of the bowl below - a bowl of jewels sparkling to the horizon. From here the earth as lighted by man was more lovely the heavens. Streets that were dreary in day's harsh red light were now flowing rivers of diamonds and rubies from thousands of vehicles going one way or another. The panorama evoked mingled exultation and the bittersweet pain of loneliness. I was indeed God's lonely man.

This passage struck a chord with me. I show up in Downtown Los Angeles every morning before the sun is up, and many times I've looked out the window of our 15th floor office and noticed a lot of the same things that Max did here. DTLA is such a weird place. So many people, and so much disconnect. In the dark though? It's gorgeous.