Wulf's Book Reviews

It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet: The Classic Memoir of a 1930s Vet by James Herriot My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is pure “comfort food” for me: James Herriot's memoirs are like a soothing, nurturing balm for the soul for me. Nestled within the pages of this book is not only the continuation of the endearing sagas I came to love from his previous work but also a wealth of humour, warmth, and genuine affection for both animals and humanity. » It was to a moribund horse, and Mr. Sidlow, describing the treatment to date, announced that he had been pushing raw onions up the horse’s rectum; he couldn’t understand why it was so uneasy on its legs. Siegfried had pointed out that if he were to insert a raw onion in Mr. Sidlow’s rectum, he, Mr. Sidlow, would undoubtedly be uneasy on his legs. « What strikes me most about Herriot's writing is the effortlessly vivid way he captures the life of a country vet in Yorkshire. His narrative weaves intricate tales that both amuse ...

Lichtspiel by Daniel Kehlmann My rating: 3 of 5 stars Ich habe mich schwer getan mit diesem Roman Kehlmanns: Über weite Strecken, über knapp 75% des Buches, habe ich mich “durchbeißen” müssen. Kehlmann erzählt episodisch mit Zeitsprüngen über seinen Protagonisten G. W. Pabst sowie dessen Familie und Umfeld. Gleich zu Beginn ließ mich der Auftritt Pabsts fiktiven Regieassistentens, Wilzek, ratlos zurück. Wofür sollte das gut sein? Es klärt sich im letzten Viertel des Romans, aber ich empfand diese Rahmenhandlung, die auch ganz am Ende noch einmal aufgegriffen wird, als wenig hilfreich. “Freudlos” nannte ich den Roman, und das bleibt er durchgängig: Natürlich - das Sujet lässt keinen Raum für Freude, aber das vollständige Fehlen von Lesefreude hat es mir erschwert, dabei zu bleiben. Zumal mich Pabst als historische Figur wenig interessiert: Als Hitler Reichskanzler 1933 wird, ist Pabst in Frankreich. Für die Nazis gilt er als "der rote Pabst" und doch kehrt er aus...

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin My rating: 5 of 5 stars Pixels and Passions: A Journey On The Road to Nowhere-In-Particular Through Three Decades Maybe I’ve grown complacent: I love a good, strong plot; a linear story, told in chronological order. Along comes a book, its plot basically consisting of “30 years in the life of Sadie, Sam and Marx”; told calmly, only partly linearly by an omniscient narrator who retroactively fills gaps. And: I am not a gamer and this is a novel about the creation of video games. On the other hand, just like the protagonists (and the author), I’m from generation X. I’ve played the games Sadie, Sam and Marx would have played. I may never have been a gamer but I’ve been a lifelong admirer of Richard “Lord British” Garriott (a legend of game design) whose immortal claim to fame is his involvement in the creation of the “ Ultima ” series of games and who founded “ Origin Systems, Inc. ”. Their slogan was “We Create Worlds...

The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf My rating: 4 of 5 stars Heather Gudenkauf's " The Overnight Guest " presented a complex and engaging narrative that captured my interest from the outset. The novel interlaces two timelines and a “separate” point of view with a deft hand, and while at times the shifts between past and present required a bit of effort to stay aligned with the storyline, the overall effect added a rich texture to the reading experience. Wylie Lark, the protagonist, is a true-crime writer who finds herself trapped in a farmhouse, the location of a brutal event she's researching, during a snowstorm. The farmhouse setting in itself is one of the book's strengths: The author does an admirable job of painting a picture of the stark, wintry, partly desolate landscape. The house itself, with its history of horror, is so well depicted that it felt almost like another character – silent yet expressive. The atmosphere was sometimes as chill...

The Wedding Night by Kati Wilde My rating: 4 of 5 stars » O day and night, but this is wondrous strange! « (Horatio in Shakespeare’s “ Hamlet ”, act 1, scene 5.) And so is this novel! Though it has some truly great ideas, they are often immediately overshadowed by banality and crudeness… Before I get ahead of myself, though, let me quickly state that this is it (for now) with Christmas romances but I came across the title - “ The Wedding Night Before Christmas ” - and couldn’t help myself but read it. Beyond its strangeness, this was a winner for me and this is mostly due to the extremely relatable Audrey “Motherfuckin’” Clarke - how could I not root for her?! » Two documents, exactly the same—except one was stapled on the diagonal, and the other stapled vertically. Who does that? Only a monster. « (Indeed, Audrey, and isn’t it almost as bad if the staple is not either precisely vertical, horizontal or - best of all! - on a precise 45° diagonal?!) Audrey, the female pr...

Snowed In by Catherine Walsh My rating: 3 of 5 stars So, my first review of 2024 which starts with one of the two Christmas romances I decided to squeeze in - and sadly, it was slightly disappointing. While I liked both Christian and Megan, the protagonists, who fake-date two weeks before Christmas in their hometown, they continuously threaten to get lost among all the characters and all that’s happening. Because we pretty much meet the entire cast from the first instalment, Holiday Romance , in this one as well - plus a few new characters, like Isaac - Megan’s ex-fiancé from whom she ran on the day of their wedding. The film “Runaway Bride” sends its regards… Due to the time we spend with them all, a lot of things are happening and Christian’s and Megan’s relationship can’t really develop. When they’re finally really snowed-in like the title promises, the setting of a cabin-in-the-woods is not really used. Yes, there are some cute scenes but it left me waiting for more w...

2023 has passed and I’ve read more during that year than usual. Sadly, though, reading-wise 2023 was a very mixed bag - 3.1 was my average rating, Goodreads helpfully informs me and it makes sense. There were some very good books, though, and on those I’m going to focus here: The most lasting reading impression of 2023 was made by something totally unexpected: Saga, a comic . It has magnificent, diverse, colourful characters that struggle in a universe that is so fantastically different from ours and yet so eerily familiar in some aspects. Saga’s wonderful art and, ultimately, its strong and unwavering support for being oneself and acting responsibly - it actually gives me hope. Gale Zoe Garnett’s “ Visible Amazement ” put me in a difficult spot: May I like a novel that has a 42 year old man have a sexual relationship with a 14 year old girl? Considering it’s up here with Saga, the answer I came up with after many discussions is obvious. The longer answer is in ...