A Book Review: The Book of Speculation
While some may be obsessed with film and push to view and critique possibly 100 new film releases a year, my obsession rests with printed books. Just like that new car smell, a printed book, the public library or even the Barnes & Noble bookstore has that distinctive printed paper aroma that immediately pleases the senses. I may not hit the 100 per year mark, but I usually can read 50 or so a year. It’s interesting that while I enjoy seeing new films in the theater when they are released, very few of the books I read are brand new. Perhaps it’s that more serious book junkies grab them first from the public library, much like the opening night of a new film? It’s also interesting that while I will rewatch certain films on the cable service numerous times, I can only recall rereading two books by choice, both concerning paleontology.
How do I select my books? 99% are from the public library (it’s the only thing I don’t complain about paying taxes for!) First, locate the fiction aisle, mysteries, suspense, horror, thrillers, and then it’s usually something about the dust cover jacket or book title that catches my eye. The author doesn’t really matter. I have favorites, but never hesitate to try names I don’t recognize. It does make me wonder when I see only a single book by an author about why that is? Are they new, unsuccessful, or had to get a real job? No matter, I’ll try them. Next step is how many pages — got to be more than 300, otherwise I’m through it too quick. Note that I just finished “The Stand” by Stephen King, all 1100 pages. Finally, read the dust cover jacket on the side that describes the book. Does it sound interesting? Have I read it before? I always make sure that I check out where the author is from and lives. Not being creepy, but experience has taught me that writers from England tend to be obsessed with excruciating minor details that make me lose interest in the plot (i.e. What was eaten or being prepared for a meal, so if the author is English, it goes back on the shelf).
So now, it’s “The Book of Speculation” by Erika Swyler (2015). The cover illustration caught my attention and led me to enjoy this suspense plot about a twisted carnival family, with a touch of the occult, tracing the mysterious drowning deaths that began in the late 1700’s until the present day. The main character is Simon Watson, a mild-mannered, small-town librarian, without any real purpose in life, other than his obsession with a childhood home that is crumbling into the Atlantic from lack of repair. His dysfunctional family has led him to this point in life, when an unfamiliar bookseller sends him a very old 1700’s diary log from a traveling carnival. The fragile and water damaged book soon begins to reveal secrets that Simon becomes obsessed with to find out the real relationships within his odd and mysterious family. Can he uncover the deadly secrets of the Tarot cards in order to break the curse that seems to be following his family for hundreds of years? It’s a good read, and Erika Swyler does a solid job of working two separate plots into a single thread at the end.
