The Girl Who Fell From the Sky

This is one of those books that, you look at the description and think, "that sounds interesting, but I'm not sure I'm up for that." But I picked it up anyway (on my Nook, on Sunday morning, online!) and I am glad I did.

Set in 1980's Chicago and Portland (OR), this is the story of Rachel, a young girl of mixed race who is the sole survivor of a horrible tragedy. Rachel's mother is Danish and her father is African-American, and after the accident she goes to live with her father's family in Portland, where she experiences the black community for the first time. There she learns that, to other people, she is not just a girl - she is a black girl who isn't "black" enough.

The novel is written from varying first-person perspectives - Rachel's mostly, but also her father's, her mother's, and most touchingly, the young boy who saw the accident happen and was deeply affected by it. If you like Toni Morrison I think you will find Durrow's work to be similar, and equally provocative. I am glad I didn't pass this one by.

Heidi W. Durrow'sThe Girl Who Fell from the Sky [Hardcover](2010)

The Personal History of Rachel DuPree

I picked up this novel because it was the first library book I saw that was available for my Nook. Yes, I have a Nook now - it was a gift. It's really sweet, and I no longer have to shlep all the way across the street to the library - I can find books online and download them. Cool, huh?

Anyway, this book was quite good. It isn't the happiest of novels, being that it is the story of Rachel and her family trying to make a life for themselves in the Badlands, just after the turn of the 20th century. There's drought and death and no end of hard work, all with no running water or electricity - not my idea of fun. But Rachel is a really well-written character, and I finished the novel with a great deal of respect for her strength.

Now I'm going to go check out the library web site to see what I want to read next.

The Personal History of Rachel DuPree: A Novel

Last Night at Chateau Marmont

Lauren Weisberger (of The Devil Wears Prada fame) does this sort of "fish out of water" genre better than just about anybody, and her newest novel does not disappoint. Brook and Julian Alter are a happy New York couple - he's a singer/songwriter, she's a nutritionist. She works 2 jobs to support his musical career, but she loves him and doesn't begrudge him a thing. Then Sony gives him a record deal, his first album debuts at number 4 on the charts, and they are instantly thrown into a life for which they are utterly unprepared.

What I love about this novel is that I feel like Weisberger is giving me the inside scoop on "celebrity" and all that goes with it. The preparation instructions for Brook just to attend the Grammies are priceless, as is the hours long primping and dressing just to walk down the red carpet. And the supporting character - the managers and PR people - all have a believable sliminess and hardness. And I love that Brook tells her friend that all of the celebrities look, "thinner, and invariably older" in person.

This novel is an entertaining peek into a world I will never be part of, and that's what makes it enjoyable. And I can totally see a movie being made, with Amy Adams playing Brook... not sure who would play Julian though.

Last Night at Chateau Marmont: A Novel

The Outer Banks House

This novel, about a young lady coming of age in post-Civil War North Carolina, is much deeper than it appears on the surface. Abigail Sinclair is the oldest daughter of a wealthy plantation owner, but things haven't been going to great since the war ended three years ago. Abby's daddy has built a house right on the beach in Nags Head, one of the first, and the family heads there for the summer to relax.

While in Nags Head, Abby begins to tutor local boy Ben, and soon develops feelings for him. But Ben and Abby really are from two entirely different worlds, and both have a lot still to learn about the world. When they get mixed up with the local freedman's community, and Abby's father's Klan activities, the tragedy that strikes could rip them apart.

I was expecting a sweet little novel about a girl falling in love with an unsuitable boy while on summer vacation - let's face it, who hasn't that happened to? But what I got was a much deeper story about figuring out what's really important in life, and learning to stand up for the things that really matter. It was a really good book.

The Outer Banks House: A Novel

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

This is a really sweet and touching novel about Rose, a girl who can taste people's emotions in the food they make. It's a little reminiscent of Like Water for Chocolate, but not quite as mystical.

Rose is a really great character - interesting, warm, funny, touching. She starts tasting her mother's emotions in food - baked goods are the most intense - when she is 8 years old. Over time she can identify where the oranges and eggs and chickens come from, and whether the farmer who provides them is happy in his work or would rather be doing something else. Initially she is not sure about sharing her extra sense with others, but she eventually learns to accept it and to live with it, and even to use it when it suits her.

Her brother is much less social than she is, and his extra sense is much stranger. I actually found Rose's sense to be much more believable than her brother's, whose sense didn't really seem to be related to hers. I'm not going to say what it is because that would give away a big part of the book.

If you are a fan of mystical realism this is a great book. If you aren't, then this probably isn't a book you would care to read. But I thought it was a lovely story.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake: A Novel

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Okay, so this actually more of a movie review. On Friday morning I went to see the move (Part 1), and then I read the entire book over the weekend, finishing last night. Normally I would have reread the book prior to seeing the movie, but this time I just wanted to experience the movie, and then read the book again to see what might have been different.

I have to say, the movie held very true to the book. They changed some things from narrative to action, and the kids didn't spend nearly as much time in Grimmauld Place in the movie as they did in the book, but for the most part they kept almost everything. I guess that's why the movie was 140 minutes long or so. But it was definitely not too long, and they ended it at a good place.

Based on my reading the whole novel, I think most of Part 2 will be the final battle at Hogwarts. And that will make for a very exciting and action-packed movie.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)

The Society of S

This is the first in the series of Susan Hubbard's ethical Vampire novels, and I did not like it as much as I liked The Season of Risks. I think that is because in this one, Ari is just learning that she is a Vampire, and all that goes with it, so it's kind of... young, I guess. Plus Ari is younger in overall experience than she is in the later novel, so her adventures are more childish, at least to me.

That's not to say that this isn't a good book - it is. There's some interesting ideas about Vampires, and some good humor, and Ari's father is a much more important character in this novel than in the third one. I particularly like that subject matter he feels it's important to educate her about and the things he doesn't - at 13 she can recite Poe poems but she can't ride a bike. I also like that he goes to Baltimore for Poe's birthday every year - after all, Poe was "one of us."

I would probably have liked the novel more if I had read it before I read The Season of Risks, but I still liked it. It's definitely a good Vampire novel.

Society of S, The

The Swan Thieves

This was a beautifully written novel that I did not fully understand until the very end - all 560 or so pages of it. Elizabeth Kostova writes deep, rich, intriguing characters, as anyone who has read The Historian knows. But she also writes with a great deal of mystery - I honestly had no idea that things would turn out as they did.

Robert is a troubled artist, seemingly obsessed with a woman long dead. Marlow is the doctor at the sanitarium who will seemingly do almost anything to help him. I didn't particularly like Robert, although he is certainly an intriguing character. He's just almost too... everything - self-absorbed, moody, unpredictable, and often dishonest. Marlow on the other hand is more my style - smart, quietly humorous, solicitous. Not that the novel is entirely about these two men, but it's impossible not to compare them.

But at the heart of the novel is the story of Beatrice de Clerval, one of the greatest woman Impressionist painters, who mysteriously stopped painting at the tender age of 29. What is the connection between Robert and Beatrice, and why is he obsessed with her? I had all sorts of ideas about, but came nowhere near figuring out the truth. And that is Kostova's gift.

I highly recommend this book, whether you liked The Historian or not. It's just a fabulous (if hard to carry) story.

Kostova's The Swan Thieves A Novel (The Swan Thieves: A Novel by Elizabeth Kostova)

The Season of Risks

Yes, this novel is part of a vampire series - "ethical vampires" - but it's really quite different from the other Vampire series I have read, and I very much enjoyed this book.

These vampires live among humans - though they may or may not make themselves known. They mostly subsist on synthetic blood and food - oysters are an excellent nutritional source. They lives fairly normal daily lives, and don't explode in the sun (though they are highly susceptible to sunburn). They can also read people's thoughts and turn invisible, which is pretty cool.

Ariella is actually a hybrid - half vampire, half human - so she often feels like she doesn't fit in. In order to have a real relationship with Neil Cameron, the man she is in love with, she decides she wants to take the artificial aging drug Septimal, which will age her 7 years, taking her from 15 to 22. What happens after that is strange, confusing, confounding, and highly entertaining.

I really enjoyed this book. Author Susan Hubbard writes wonderful characters - we really like the ones we're supposed to like, and we really dislike the ones we ought to. She also writes believable "vampireness," without the sticky Southern sweetness of the Sookie Stackhouse books. I'm definitely going to go back to the beginning and read The Society of S, the first novel in the series.

The Season of Risks: An Ethical Vampire Novel

Gourmet Rhapsody

I loved Muriel Barbery's first novel, The Elegance of the Hedgehog. At least I thought that was her first novel... turns out she wrote this one first, but Hedgehog was the first one translated for an English-speaking audience.

This novel is about the great French food critic Pierre Arthens, who is on his deathbed and searching for that elusive "flavor" that gave his life meaning. Through brief chapters we are taken back through Arthens' memories, as well as the thoughts and memories of family-members and friends. I had difficulty getting into the novel - the story and characters just didn't grab me the way those in Hedgehog did, and I found the back-and-forth between Arthens and others a bit tedious at first. But I stuck with it, and I wound up really enjoying the story.

I think what I liked best was the marvelous descriptions of food, and the way food can be experienced. None of the characters ever wound up grabbing my sympathy - we don't really spend enough time with any of them, except Arthens, and he is a pompous, nasty old man. But the food - and drink - are almost their own characters, and well worth the read.

Gourmet Rhapsody

Savor the Moment

I like Nora Roberts - I'm a fan. I liked this book, I did. And I read the first two books in this series, and I liked them. They are great beach reads, or time-passers for the Metro or the dentist's office. But deep and meaningful, great literature? Absolutely not.

It's a really nice story about great friends, falling in love, and being happy. But it's just SO FAR REMOVED FROM REALITY. I mean, seriously, there is a group of four women friends who all work and basically live together, and they never seem to argue? And they are all beautiful (though in different ways of course) and sexy and love their jobs and are fabulous at what they do? And the men in their lives are all gorgeous and well-employed (some even wealthy), and they all have deep feelings that they SHARE? I'm sorry, but please tell me what planet that is, because it isn't like anything I have ever experienced on Earth.

As I said, it's a nice escape, a good read, but it's just too... unreal. If I were an 18-year-old girl reading these novels I would fall into a serious depression, wondering what the hell was wrong with me and my life. C'mon, Nora, let's write something that normal people can identify with, OKAY?

Savor the Moment (The Bride Quartet, Book 3)

Becoming Jane Eyre

I am about 80 pages into this novel by Sheila Kohler and I think I have pretty much had it. It's not that it's a bad book - it's just not my style. The novel seems to be a well-researched fictionalization of Charlotte Bronte's life, but there's the thing - I was never a huge fan of any of the Brontes. I don't believe I've ever read an entire novel any of them wrote, although I know I've read some of their poetry. I know, I know, that makes me a bad woman-English major, but all their stuff was just so... melodramatic, and dreamy, and... girly.

To Kohler's credit, this novel reads like a Bronte novel, and I assume that was her intention. As I read I often felt like I was seeing the action through a mist, moving from vignette to vignette as wading through a fog... it just isn't my style of writing. But those of you who loved Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights will probably love this novel, so I would recommend it to you. It just isn't for me.

Becoming Jane Eyre: A Novel (Penguin Original)

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

I really enjoyed this debut novel by Mark Haddon. Christopher Boone is an autistic boy who discovers his neighbor’s dog, Wellington, killed with a garden fork. He decides to investigate the murder, despite protests from Mrs. Shears (Wellington’s owner) and his own father. Along the way the story becomes much less about the dead dog, and much more about Christopher’s journey as a person.

I don’t know any people with autism, but from what I do know, I think Haddon does a remarkable job of illustrating the workings of an autistic mind, while still making Christopher a sympathetic human being. Although new places, people, and experiences overwhelm Christopher, he copes by doing math problems. He likes animals better than people (he keeps a pet rat), because animals can’t lie to you. I actually liked Christopher better than I liked his father or his mother, who both seemed selfish and not really interested in making the sacrifices necessary to parent a special-needs child.

This is a quirky, funny, touching, sad, and entertaining novel. I have to thank my friend Shari for suggesting I read it. I’ll definitely look for more work from this really engaging author.


The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

My Name is Memory

WOW! For all you mystical realism fans out there, this is a wonderful novel! If you don't already believe in reincarnation, after reading this novel you just might.

Daniel is a very old soul, who has been reincarnated for hundreds and hundreds of years. However, unlike most souls, he remembers every single one of his lives. He also remembers the other souls he meets - both those he loves, and those he doesn't. Lucy is the current reincarnation of Daniel's great love, but she doesn't have his memory, and so she is scared by her experience and feelings with him. Thus begins an intriguing story of romance, mystery and drama that kept me turning the pages all weekend long.

I love how Brashares gets Daniel, and Lucy, from A to B, and I love her explanations of birthmarks, karma, and children's internal worlds. I am enough of a believer that it all makes sense to me. And I love the way she leaves it kind of open in the end... I sense a sequel! Definitely a great read, I highly recommend it - best novel I've read in awhile.

My Name Is Memory

A Matter of Class

This was a cute little novel. I read it in about 2 days. It's a typical period romance (not a bodice ripper) but with a bit of a twist. I have to admit, I didn't see the twist until almost the very end, and I kind of liked it. The characters are likeable if a bit trite and broadly written.

I would recommend this novel if you are looking for something entertaining but not at all heavy or challenging, and it's a really easy read.

A Matter of Class

The Red Queen

Philippa Gregory continues to amaze me with her detailed historical knowledge. This novel, which sort of parallels her novel The White Queen, tells the story of Margaret Beaufort Tudor Stafford Stanley, mother of Henry VII and matriarch of the Tudor dynasty.

Like The White Queen, there is a lot of intrigue and machinations and changes of loyalty. But unlike that novel, the subject of The Red Queen is NEVER queen. Yes, Margaret has ambitions, but they are almost entirely for her son. And she does work tirelessly to achieve them.

My only real complaint about the novel is that once the end came, it came quickly. It was almost anticlimatic. But history already told us what it was going to be, so I suppose Gregory couldn't have done much more. At least she didn't make King Richard say, "my kingdom for a horse." That would have been just too trite.

The Red Queen: A Novel (The Cousins' War)

Alice I Have Been

First, I have to confess, I never loved Alice in Wonderland the way some people do. I just never got into it. And this novel by Melanie Benjamin did not make me want to read Alice in Wonderland. But it's a great novel about the woman who supposedly was the inspiration for Alice.

Benjamin does a nice job taking the bones of history and fact, and creating a story and characters that are compelling and multidimensional. And there's the mystery: what REALLY happened between young Alice and Charles Dodgson that ended his relationship with the family? And why did a 30-year-old man enjoy spending time with a 10-year-old girl? And what was it with those photographs he took?

Despite the mystery -- and it does inform most of the story -- I really liked Alice the person. In Benjamin's hands she comes across as funny, smart, and irreverent, and someone I would enjoy having a cup of tea with. Definitely a worthwhile read.

Alice I Have Been: A Novel

Paradise Lane

I initially had difficulty getting into this novel by Elizabeth Gill, but I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did. It's a really nice story about learning what's really important in life, and also about forgiveness and starting over.

The story is kind of old fashioned, and it's set in turn-of-the-century England - that's 1900's, not this century. Annabel learns that her parents are not who she thought they were and goes off in search of her real family. Along the way she learns to look out for herself - though not without some help, particularly from the kindly Mrs. Hatty and the adorably un-gentlemanly Ned.

I really like the contrast between newspaper-owner Ned and "gentleman" Tom. There is a great line about Tom's white hands and how he's not really fit to be in "regular" society - but of course he looks down his patrician nose at "regular" society so he couldn't care less.

Both Annabel and her sister Millie grow up over the course of the novel, and learn about the true meaning of "quality" when it comes to people. It was a very enjoyable read.

Paradise Lane

Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void

I really enjoyed this book about the space program. Mary Roach writes in a super-accessible style about all of the techy stuff that goes into space flight. I am not a science fiction or outer space person at all, but Roach brings a very human perspective to the subject matter, and that made for a great read.

This is one of those books that, as I read, I kept finding passages I wanted to read aloud to whoever was around me. I also spent most of a one-hour car ride telling Mike about the logistics of going to the bathroom in zero-gravity - pretty exciting stuff. That's what made the book so great for me: it isn't ultimately about the technology, it's about how to ensure that people can survive and function in an atmosphere that is completely different from the one we are designed for.

I highly recommend this book, both to science geeks and non-geeks alike. It's just a really good read.

Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void

Secrets of the Tudor Court: Between Two Queens

I really enjoyed this second book in Kate Emerson's Tudor series. The main character is Anne (Nan) Bassett, a beautiful and intelligent Maid of Honor to Jane Seymour. When Jane dies from childbirth a month into Nan's tenure, Nan has to do what's necessary to maintain her place in court - and gain influence to advance herself and her family.

Like Emerson's previous novel, this one is more historical than romantic, and it gives a lot of detail about the intriques of the court. But unlike the previous novel, King Henry VIII is definitely on the down-slide into obesity and old age, and that made the novel kind of sad for me. He was such a vibrant and exciting young man, and Emerson's portrait of him as a manipulative and whiny old man made him rather pitiable.

But the character of Nan is wonderful, though from Emerson's endnotes it seems she is mostly imagined. Emerson based her novel on the correspondence of Nan's mother, Lady Lisle, so she obviously takes a lot of literary liberties. But I enjoyed the story, and will definitely look for the next in the series.

Having said that, I am taking a break from Tudor fiction. Just started a nonfiction book about the space program that has really grabbed me...

Secrets of the Tudor Court: Between Two Queens

A Murderous Procession

This is the next book in the "Mistress of the Art of Death" series, and I enjoyed it immensely. Adelia is still a wonderfully likeable character and her new adventures are as exciting as ever.

In this novel Franklin takes Adelia and her group (except for Allie and Gyltha) on the voyage of Princess Joanna from England to Palermo to marry the prince of Sicily. Of course there are many adventures along the way, and of course someone wants Adelia dead. I have to admit, I figured out who that was pretty early on, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the novel.

I liked the descriptions of the various parts of England and the European continent, and the people Adelia meets. And the story definitely held my interest. I continue to enjoy this series and will certainly look for next book in the future.

A Murderous Procession (Mistress of the Art of Death)

A Creed for the Third Millennium

I am currently reading - or should I say trying to read - this Colleen McCullough novel for the second time (the first time had to have been 10 years ago). I'm not digging it. I don't know if it's because I've been reading historically for the last little while, and this book is set many years in the future, or if it's because McCullough's 1985 style of writing isn't doing it for me... I'm just finding it to be a bit of a slog.

There's definitely a lot of creativity at work, and I'm happy that McCullough sees the future as colder (as in impending ice age - take that all you global warming wackos!). And I think it's almost prescient that she has the Pope named Benedict. But I'm just not finding it the page-turner I remembered it being.

So, I don't think I'm going to finish this one. It's 350 pages long, I'm on page 40, it's due back at the library on Saturday, and I leave for vacation on Monday. It just isn't a vacation book. Maybe I'll try again during the winter...

A Creed for the Third Millennium

The White Queen

I am a big fan of Philippa Gregory's historical novels, and this one did not disappoint. In The White Queen Gregory tells the story of Elizabeth Woodville, a commoner who became Queen of England when she married Edward Plantagenet. Elizabeth is an intriguing character - smart, strong-willed, ambitious, and possibly a witch.

This is Gregory's first book in a series about the Wars of the Roses, the period that pre-dates the Tudors. There is plenty of intrigue and excitement to spare, with courtiers switching sides as often as they take a bath (smile). Elizabeth plays a central role in many of these intrigues, as Edward is seemingly always leading an army somewhere.

Gregory notes at the end of the novel that she fictionalized very little of it, though obviously records were not as readily available for events in the 15th century, and because winners could (and did) quickly become losers, many records were likely lost. But she does include one of the greatest British mysteries of all time, that of the princes in the Tower. The boys were Edward's and Elizabeth's legitimate heirs to the throne, who mysteriously disappeared but whose bodies were never recovered. Whether one of those boys was a changeling is entirely Gregory's imagination, but she presents a compelling argument for it.

This was a really good book, and I'm looking forward to reading more of the series. But I'm thinking I'm going to leave ancient history for a bit and come into the present (or possibly future) for at least one book. I just need a little palate cleanser.

The White Queen: A Novel (Hardcover)

Secrets of the Tudor Court: The Pleasure Palace

This was a great historical romance, and I liked that it was more historical than romantic. I'm a fan of the Tudor period and enjoy reading about Henry VIII when he was young, handsome, and vibrant. In this novel Kate Emerson gives us the fictionalized story of Jane Popyncourt, a real person who was basically raised in the courts of Henry VII and VIII, and who was a close friend to Henry's sister Mary.

What makes this novel a bit different from other historical romances is that the plot doesn't center on romance - it centers on mystery and intrigue. Some of the intrigue is part of the regular goings-on in a royal court, but much of it comes from Jane's lack of knowledge about her family background. When she grows to adulthood and tries to unravel that mystery, what she learns is very interesting!

Emerson provides charts at the beginning of the novel, and a note at the end of the novel about what's history and what's fiction. Even without those helpful markers, this was just a really good read. I'll definitely look for the next book in the series.

Secrets of the Tudor Court: The Pleasure Palace

The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet

This is not your mother's Colleen McCullough novel, though it is a far cry from The First Man in Rome. But I just ate up the very clever novel that takes us 20 years into the future after the end of Pride and Prejudice. Darcy, proud as ever, is a Member of Parliament, Elizabeth is his unhappy wife, Lydia is a drunken sleeze, Kitty is a wealthy widow, and Jane is a baby factory. Mary, a spinster, is an independent woman now that her mother has died, and she wants to do something "useful."

Yes, there are parts that stretch the imagination - Father Dominus and his Children of Jesus were hard for me to believe - but I think McCullough does an excellent job of capturing the personalities of Austen's very interesting characters.

The title belies the action of most of the book - let's just say that Mary isn't entirely "independent" for a large section of the novel - but that doesn't detract from this being a really great story. And McCullough is nothing if not a great storyteller.

Now I'm either going to reread some of my Austen favorites, or I'm going to reread some of my McCullough favorites... or both.

The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet: A Novel

Days of Gold

This was a great summer read - I read it in two days. The author, Jude Deveraux, has been around a long time, so I was glad to see this new book of hers in the library. I would have enjoyed it more only if I had been at the beach while reading it.

No, it's not a deep book, and it doesn't require a lot of concentration. But it's a great historical romance with very likable characters. Edilean and Angus, the main protagonists, have great chemistry and have the sort of typical historical romance relationship (love/hate/misunderstanding/passion/etc.), and they seem to be thwarted by circumstances at every turn. I found the supporting characters to be more interesting, particularly Harriet and Malcolm. Sure, it was a little predictable, but I still enjoyed the story.

I have to admit, I like Deveraux's time-travel stuff better (A Knight in Shining Armor is a favorite) but this is a nice, light, read.

Days of Gold: A Novel (Edilean)

The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson

I'll preface this post by saying that I am not a poetry fan, nor am I a fan of Emily Dickinson. But, I loved this novel. Jerome Charyn amazingly inhabits the character of Emily, writing in her voice, and realistically imagining her reactions to the events of her life.

Charyn admits to taking some liberties with her biography -- mainly by adding a few fictional characters -- but those characters serve to add depth and spice to the story, and serve as a foil to showcase Miss Dickinson's inner life. And what a rich inner life she has. For a 19th-century never-married lady, she is portrayed as having an active sexuality (which is possibly entirely imagined by the author).

Yes, she was quirky and eccentric, but she was also smart as a whip and had a wonderful sense of humor. I like that Charyn doesn't include any poems in the novel, because it seems that Emily was rather private about her "scribblings". And now I may pick up a volume of her poems to see if I find a hint of what Charyn imagined in Emily.

The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson: A Novel

The Weaver and the Factory Maid

First, a shout out to my friend Shari for letting me know about this series by Deborah Grabien. I wisely decided to start with the first book, which was published a few years ago. In the series Grabien uses folk ballads as a basis for mysteries, and in this story we have the ghosts of the title song to deal with.

I have to admit, I had a hard time getting into the story at first. The characters are so VERY British, with their, "Ta, love, ever so much," that I didn't really like them at first. But Ringan and Penny grew on me. And you know I like fantasy, so I really enjoyed the ghost story, and looked forward to how it would resolve.

Grabien kept my interest to the end, and resolved the story very nicely. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series, and hope that she involves the secondary characters of Liam, Matty, and Albert more - they seem like fun.

The Weaver and the Factory Maid (The Haunted Ballad Series)

Medium Raw

Hello all you No Reservations fans, Tony is back. This is an awesome follow-on to Kitchen Confidential, better even I think than The Nasty Bits. Yes, Tony has gone a little soft - he's happily married and has a daughter now - but he is still foul-mouthed and still brutally honest about how he feels about people and things (and the Food Network).

Tony is still SO very quotable. It seemed like almost every page I wanted to read something out loud to Mike (or whomever was near by) but had to stop myself. For instance, I will from now on call every mediocre, mass-production, unhealthy, "family" restaurant, "TGI McF*#&wad's". And I love "the 'Grandma rule' for travelers. You may not like Grandma's Thanksgiving turkey... But it's Grandma's turkey. And you are in Grandma's house. So shut the f*#& up and eat it."

A definite must read for fans and foodies alike. And I will never look at Sandra Lee the same way again.

Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook

The Hour Between

This is a really nice coming of age novel about a bunch of rich kids at a wacky boarding school in Connecticut. The author, Sebastian Stuart, writes very likeable characters who are imperfect, quirky, funny, and interesting. It's set during the late sixties, and he does a good job incorporating the free love drug culture. And even though the kids come from backgrounds I could never imagine, they still struggle with the same issues all kids struggle with as they enter into adulthood.

My only disappointment with the novel was the ending. I wanted more. Stuart ended his story without giving me the information I wanted, but I think he did that on purpose. He gave me everything I really need to know.

The Hour Between: A Novel

The Serpent's Tale

Okay, so this is book two in the Mistress of the Art of Death series. I read it quickly - in about 5 days - but it's probably my least favorite of the three. I'm not sure exactly why. The characters are all great, and I had basically NO clue who the murderer was until Adelia revealed it, and then I said, "Oh, of course, how did I miss that?" I think probably I just read all three books in too close succession, and burned myself out on Adelia and her Old English adventures.

To be clear, I didn't NOT like the book, I just didn't like it as much as the other two. But there are always weak links in series, aren't there?

Happy 4th everyone!

Mistress of the Art of Death

This book was delicious! I gobbled it up in about 4 days, and it's not a short book. This is the first book in the series by Ariana Franklin, where we meet Adelia (the title Mistress) when she comes to England to find out who is killing the children of Cambridge - and why the town's Jewish citizens have been framed for the murders.

Again, the characters are all beautifully drawn, particularly Adelia; the boy Ulf; Adelia's companion Master Simon; and Sir Rowan Picot, King Henry II's "fixer". Plus there's a whole cast of interesting townspeople who seem very Shakespearean to me - they are minor characters who are finely wrought. Plus the mystery just pulls you along - I had some ideas of who the murderer was, but I wasn't sure until he was revealed.

There is also some serious commentary on the treatment of Jews throughout time. For instance (and I have no idea how true this is), it seemed that prior to Henry II, there was only ONE Jewish cemetery in England, and that was in London. That meant that any Jew who died in England had to get to London pronto in order to be buried within the proper time frame. Burial was not permitted in a Christian cemetery. King Henry changed that (or so the author would have us believe).

Historically true or not, this was another great story from a gifted author. And I started the second book in the series on this morning on the train...

Grave Goods

I have found a new historical fiction series! This book is actually the third in a series by Ariana Franklin (who is really Diana Norman). I liked it so much that I picked up books one and two at the library yesterday.

Set in 12th century England under King Henry II, these books tell of the adventures of Dr. Ariana Aguilar. Trained in Salerno, Ariana is one of the very few female doctors of the time, and she is also one of the few trained in the "art of death" - she's the Quincy of her time. The research that went into the story is awesome, but it never feels cumbersome. And I like that the author uses relatively modern language (I imagine the language of 12th century England would have been like Greek to the modern English-language reader).

But aside from that, these are great characters with great adventures. In addition to Ariana we have her companions Mansur (an Arab eunuch, who pretends to be the doctor to avoid accusations of witchcraft), Gyltha (her servant/friend/nanny), and Allie (her daughter). In this book Ariana and Mansur are asked to identify two very old corpses at Glastonberry Abbey, to determine if they are the remains of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. Henry II REALLY wants them to be, but Ariana is all about finding the truth. Along the way to finding the truth she has all sorts of interesting adventures.

I highly recommend the book, but I would have started with the first one (Mistress of the Art of Death) if I had known it was a series. But I'm already about 100 pages into that, so I'll be posting again soon.

Tell Me Something True

The descriptor on the front of this novel by Leila Cobo says, "What if everything you believed about your family was a lie?" But the novel didn't really live up to that for me. The main character, Gabriella, does find out something about her mother that she didn't know, and that changes her perception of her mother (who died when she was 5 years old), and about what real love means, but it doesn't change EVERYTHING.

Aside from that, I LOVED this novel. I just couldn't put it down. The characters of Gabriella, Angel, and even the deceased Helena, are so beautifully written, and so multi-faceted, that I could really see them. And the love story between Gabriella and Angel is both the kind of romance that one can only dream of, and a real relationship fraught with misunderstandings and trepidation.

The end of the novel made me sad, but only added to the non-romance feeling of Gabriella's and Angel's relationship, and Gabriella's growth through her experiences in Cali. I will definitely be looking for Cobo's next novel.

BTW, I STARTED reading The Scarlet Letter, but the language is so old-fashioned, I put it down after a chapter or two. I may try again later...

Hester: The Missing Years of the Scarlet Letter

First, an admission: I never read The Scarlet Letter. Shameful, I know, but my excuse is that I went to an all girls Catholic school, and they probably felt that assigning that novel would be overkill. At any rate, I think I will be picking it up at the library this weekend, because I want to see what I missed.

Hester, as written by Paula Reed, is a really likable character. She has intelligence, spirit, and spunk, at a time when women were obedient and subservient to their Puritanical male betters. And Pearl is a lovely young lady, wise beyond her years, who I think learns the opposite lesson from Hester's situation than what Hester would probably like, but that just adds interest to the story.

Is is the best novel ever? No, but it's not bad. I found the story a bit contrived - it's not a stretch to believe that Hester and Pearl go to England thanks to Pearl's inheritance from Hester's elderly husband, but it is a stretch to believe that Hester gets so involved in the politics of the day. But I do love the intrigues of historical fiction, and 17th century England is a favorite, so I allowed myself to be swept up in the story.

However, for as strong as Reed's writing and story were, I was disappointed by the ending. I felt like she just sort of wrapped everything up with a nice little ribbon in order to get Hester back to New England to jibe with The Scarlet Letter, and it felt a little forced. But aside from that quibble, it was a thoroughly enjoyable novel that I would definitely recommend. And I really am going to read The Scarlet Letter.

The Piano Teacher

I'm not sure I particularly liked this first novel by Janice Y.K. Lee. I initially found it a bit hard to get into - the narrative switches back and forth between 1952/53 and 1941/42, but with most of the same characters. Once I got into the rhythm of the story I found it gripping, but I wouldn't call it enjoyable.

The Piano Teacher of the title is Claire, newly arrived with her civil-servant husband in Hong Kong in 1952. The 1940's part of the story involves British ex-pat Will and his Eurasian girlfriend Trudy, just before and during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during WWII. In 1952, Claire becomes the piano teacher for Locket Chen, daughter of Victor and Melody Chen, who are Will's employers, and Trudy's distant cousins. That is how Claire comes to meet Will, and to become involved in all that has gone on with him, Trudy, the Chens, and others who have been in Hong Kong since before the war.

It's a complicated story, full of intriguing twists and turns. But it's also full of questions: In a time of war, what is courage? What is honor? Is it cowardice to do what you can to keep yourself and others alive, or is it heroism? Is patriotism a valid excuse for treacherous actions? There is rich fodder for discussion here, but I'm still not sure I would call it an enjoyable read.

Day After Night

I really enjoyed this novel by Anita Diamant, which tells the story of four Jewish refugees in an internment camp in Israel just after WWII. These four women, Shayndel, Leonie, Tedi, and Zorah, all survived the Holocaust in different ways, but all are dealing with similar feelings of loss and guilt.

The characters are very real, and very likeable, and I enjoy how they relate with one another and, through their relationship, help each other deal with their feelings in order to start the healing process. Although these are four very different women, they all have their share of courage, and vulnerability, and humor - none of them is one-dimensional. The fact that they are multifaceted makes them real, and makes it that much easier for the reader to become involved in their story.

Aside from being the story of how four women help each other through a difficult time, Day After Night is also the story of the rescue of 200 detainees from the Atlit prison camp. I have to admit my ignorance, I had no idea the Brits detained Jews who immigrated to the newly-created Jewish state as “illegal,” unless they had papers or could prove they had family there. The Brits even tried to prevent non-European Jews from entering Israel: when a group of Iraqi Jews enters the state across the northern border, they are imprisoned separately from the others, with the assumption they will be sent back to Iraq.

This is a beautifully told story, well-written, and hard to put down. I highly recommend it.

The Widow's Season

I really enjoyed this first novel by Laura Brodie. It's the story of Sarah, a 39-year-old woman whose husband, David, is lost in a storm and presumed dead. It seems that David is haunting Sarah... or is he actually alive?

Brodie really takes the reader inside Sarah's head, and I think does a very good job describing the feelings that a widow goes through, coping with the loss of her husband - particularly when no body has been found. The fact that I went back and forth a few times about whether David was actually dead or alive is an indication of how well-written this novel is. She had me going right up until the very end.

This was a quick read, because I wanted to get to the end, and the truth. It was also a good story about interesting characters, and the movement of the action through the seasons of the Shenandoah Valley drew me along as well. I would definitely recommend this novel.

A Catch of Consequence

I love historical novels, and A Catch of Consequence is one of the best I've read in a long time. Diana Norman tells a page-turner of a story about the adventures of Makepeace Burke, a Boston tavern keeper who catches herself a new life when she fishes English nobleman Philip Dapifer out of Boston Harbor.

Makepeace is a very likable character, and her entourage of younger brother Aaron, former slave Betty, and Indian Tantaquidgeon are an interesting group. Philip Dapifer is really a secondary character, whose main role seems to be getting Makepeace from Boston to England, where she learns some very hard lessons about what's really important in life.

This book is not an historical romance. Yes, there is some romance, but mostly we follow Makepeace as she makes her way through the events of Boston and then England in the latter part of the 18th century. It's really a very good novel.

Nothing very exciting...

I guess they all can't be great books. I just finished reading The Diary by Eileen Goudge. It was okay, but pretty formulaic and trite. Definitely chick lit, and the characters weren't all that appealing; I just didn't care very much who Elizabeth decided to marry and why.

I also read part of The New ME Diet by Jade and Keoni Teta. Turns out I'm a muscle burner - who knew? Anyway, it's stuff I know - don't eat a lot of starches, fill up on vegetables and fruits, eat healthy protein every day, avoid alcohol. Their workout plan is that you do hybrid moves that work more than one muscle, and you work without stopping for 20 minutes. I guess it's sort of like Curves. Anyway, I will probably try the eating plan, but I like my Body Pump classes at Gold's.

The Thirteenth Tale

For anyone who has ever had any aspiration to be a novelist, THIS is the book that will make you say, “That’s the kind of novel I want to write.” Mystery, romance, crazy relatives, windswept moors, creepy old houses – this book has everything and then some. And the fact that it’s a novel about a biographer/bookstore employee/avid reader invited to write the biography of a best-selling author makes it that much more appealing to booklovers like me.

I think the aspects of the book I like best are the ambiguities. The narrator, Margaret Lea, is an unmarried adult woman who works for her father in his bookstore, but I am not quite sure how old she is. Is she 25? 30? A 40-year-old spinster? It’s never clear to me. And the era is unclear as well. There are telephones and trains, but not a computer or cell phone in sight, and the author, Diane Setterfield, gives us no historical markers like wars to judge by. Margaret could be writing Miss Winter’s biography anytime between 1960 and 2010.

But those ambiguities serve to enhance the eternal nature of Miss Winter’s story of the Angelfield family, and I believe that is the point. It doesn’t matter when it happened, what matters is that this is a timeless mystery of family secrets and half-told tales, one I found almost impossible to put down.

Women, Work & the Art of Savoir Faire

I am admittedly not much of a nonfiction reader, but the title of this book by Mireille Giuliano caught my eye, and it has been a while since school ended, so I thought I would give it a read. It's a nice book. No, there is nothing really new here, but Giuliano has an easy writing style and she tells some good stories. I would recommend this book to new college graduates, both women and men, for an accessible and not-so-dry introduction to what the business world expects from them. And when is the last time you read a how-to-succeed book that had recipes in it? It's worth reading for that reason alone.

The Wild Things

This book was interesting; I can't really say that I loved it or would even recommend it, but it was interesting. I picked it up because I enjoyed the only other book of Dave Eggers' that I have read, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. I admit to having never read Maurice Sendak, and to not having seen the movie version of Where the Wild Things Are.

I didn't really like the main character, Max, who has a very vivid imagination and who doesn't seem capable of thinking before he acts (granted, he is about 8 years old, but would an 8-year-old REALLY dump 7 buckets of water all over his sister's room without even thinking about it before - or during?). When he winds up on the island of the wild things he finds a bunch of big hairy animals who have a similar problem of acting before thinking, along with other problems like fear of "the void." And none of the animals were that likeable either - they all seemed to be one-note adult problems.

I understand that the story is about Max dealing with his parents' divorce and his sister's entry into adolescence; I would have to be an idiot NOT to. There is nothing subtle about Eggers' writing, and that's what kept me from liking this book. If he had not bopped me over the head with who/what everything represented, I would have enjoyed the book a lot more.

Commencement

It rained all weekend, so I finished this book in less than 48 hours. Definitely chick lit, definitely light reading, but a satisfying way to spend a rainy weekend just the same. J. Courtney Sullivan tells the story of four housemates from Smith College, as they start their adult lives and deal with all the stuff that entails.

The women are likable enough - though I didn't really care for April. But I don't think I was necessarily supposed to, and that may speak to the quality of Sullivan's writing. I enjoyed Sullivan's descriptions of the lifestyle and traditions at Smith. I went to an all-girls high school, so I have some idea of the weirdness of an all-female environment, but what she described at Smith was beyond any of my experiences (you may infer from that whatever you like).

She tosses in a mystery near the end, and I admit that I figured it out pretty easily, but it was still a nice plot twist. Overall, I thought it was a nice book. Perfect for the beach, or a plane, or a rainy weekend in March.

Infinity in the Palm of Her Hand

This was a really cool novel in which Gioconda Belli imagines the real story of Adam and Eve. I think she does a wonderful job of describing the Garden of Eden, the TREES, their experiences with the serpent, and all the other stuff in the Bible. However, she also describes what Adam and Eve (mostly Eve) think and feel about what is happening to them and around them.

Aside from the Bible story, this was a good read about people who are trying to figure out their world. I mean, think about it: they had no one to tell them anything. They had to figure out that when the sky went dark at night it wasn't going to stay that way forever; they had to figure out that when the temperature dropped and the plants died that they better have enough food to last awhile. Sure, God (called Elokim) gave them fire, but they had to figure out how to control it. And Belli does a nice job of describing all of that.

I think what I like best is that Belli gives Adam and Eve sons AND daughters. Because, you know, you need both to populate the whole world... yes, a little icky with brothers and sisters, but she figures out a way to make it work in the end.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

I wasn't sure I would like this novel - the title is just a little too cute, and I've never been a big fan of epistolary novels. I am glad to say I was wrong. What a charming story! The characters are all likable, warm, and accessible, especially the main character, Juliet, a celebrated author. And all of the personal stories are believable and interesting.

I had no idea that Guernsey Island - supposedly so close to France that you can see the cars on a clear day - was occupied by the Germans during WWII. This novel takes place just after WWII, when the Germans have left and the evacuated children have returned. One of the members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society finds Juliet's name in a used book, and impulsively sends her a letter. She is so charmed by him that she responds, and soon develops a correspondence with all of the members of the Society (and some of the other Islanders). Deciding this is wonderful material for an article, or even a book, Juliet moves temporarily to Guernsey to get to know everyone a little better.

This book spoke to me on a number of levels. First, the experiences during the occupation are touching and sometimes sad. Second, the relationships between the Society members, and those Juliet develops with them, feel genuine and loving. And last, the relationship of everyone to the books they read are so personal and deep, just like the relationships many of us have to the books we love the most. And the surprise appearance of one Oscar Wilde make this a not-to-be-missed novel for all lovers of great British literature.

South of Broad

What an amazing book. I have to say, I think Pat Conroy is one of the greatest writers of our time. He writes with emotion, wit, grace, style, and charm. In his latest book, South of Broad, he introduces us to an unlikely group of friends brought together by the narrator, Leopold Bloom King (how's that for a great literary name?). The novel covers their lives over the course of 20+ years, from high school in 1969 through Hurrican Hugo in 1990. And through it all is Charleston, obviously a city Conroy loves and knows well.

This book touched me in so many ways. I was by turns amused, enchanted, disgusted, and shocked. I often felt like I was right there with Leo, Sheba, Trevor, Ike, Betty, Niles, Starla, Molly, Fraser, and Chad, and like I knew them. I think one of Conroy's greatest gifts as a writer is his ability to write about damaged people, in some cases seriously damaged people, who survive, and even thrive. That is what I take away from South of Broad - that you can have a lot of horrible things happen in your life, but they don't have to make you into a horrible person. You CAN rise above what life does to you. And that is a pretty powerful lesson.

Snow Days...

So, in case you've missed the news, the DC area is under 2 feet of snow, with another foot or so headed our way tonight. The library has been closed since Friday. The books that I've checked out were due Sunday, but that's not a big deal, they are forgiving all fines until Feb. 16th. What's a problem is that I have NO NEW BOOKS to read!! I had two reserve books that had come in, but I was supposed to pick them up over the weekend. Will they still be there when the library reopens? Will the library ever reopen?

Luckily during this Snowmageddon I've had a cross stitch project to work on, but that's almost finished (and there is only so much time you can spend stitching before your eyes protest). I'm trying not to bake because I don't want to eat what I bake, and I can't take what I bake to work since the office isn't open.

You know what, I think I am going to visit an old friend. Will it be Hemingway or Fitzgerald? Stay tuned....

Delilah

Okay, so I admit to knowing nothing about Delilah except that she betrayed Samson by cutting off his hair. Boy, I didn't know the half of it! This fictionalized account by India Edghill takes us inside the world of ancient Canaan and makes Samson and Delilah into real, imperfect, passionate people.

I really didn't even know the Bible story of Samson - didn't know that he was a Hebrew who was chosen to lead his people against the Philistines (who are actually very well-mannered and rich people, not like today's definition). I didn't know that Delilah was a priestess in a Philistine temple (okay, the author may have made that up). Anyway, I think Edghill does a nice job of weaving the Biblical with the made-up and giving us a really interesting story of love, betrayal, power, violence -- all the best features of a story.

It's a great read, although my guess is that it strays VERY widely from what Biblical and Torah scholars have learned. But don't let that stop you from reading a really good novel.

The French Mistress

If you like historical fiction, you won’t want to pass this book up. It’s the story of Louise de Keroualle, beloved mistress of King Charles II of England. The author, Susan Holloway Scott, has written books about others of Charles’ mistresses (apparently he really loved the ladies), but this is the first of her books that I have read.

Louise and Charles are both very likeable characters, with charm and wit to spare. We meet many other interesting historical figures, too, including King Louis XIV of France, Charles’ beloved sister Henriette (wife of Louis’ nasty brother), and Charles’ one-time favorite paramour Nell Gwyn. The story is sweeping in its nature, taking us from Louise’s country home, to the court of Louis XIV of France, to the decidedly anti-French and anti-Catholic London of Charles’ reign.

I think what I like best about the novel is how Louise uses the lot she’s been given in life. She starts out as a lady-in-waiting to Henriette, and through that position catches the eye of King Charles. Once she is sent to Charles’ court, she uses her wits and her charm to create a position for herself, despite the hatred of many of the people around her. She is a strong woman, stronger than most of the men she deals with, including King Charles.

The Lovely Bones

I just finished reading The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold again, because it has been a couple of years since I read it and the movie is coming out soon. This is such a beautiful story dealing with a very difficult topic. I had forgotten a lot of it - there is some activity with Ray and Ruth near the end that I had totally blanked on.


I am looking forward to the movie. Susie is played by the girl who played the 13-year-old Briony in Atonement, who I think is a fabulous young actress. And I am looking forward to see how they create Susie's heaven.

I think that is my favorite part of the story - Sebold's idea of what heaven is like. That it's different for everyone, but that your heaven will intersect at some point with that of your loved ones. For anyone who has had a loved one die too young, it gives you a kind of hopefulness about where they are, what they're doing, and when you will see them again. At least that's what it did for me.

Homeland

I really enjoyed this novel by Barbara Hambly, which tells the stories of Cora and Susanna through their letters to each other during the American Civil War. Cora is a Northerner married to a Southerner who is fighting for the Confederacy, and Susanna is his young Southern neighbor who Cora has befriended. Cora spends the war with her family on a remote Maine island, and Susanna spends the war with her sister and other family members in various parts of the South. Their letters to each other, both send and unsent, tell how each survives the war, and the vagaries of daily life.

The characters are really well-rounded, despite existing only in letters to each other. And Hambly does not romanticize the war - her novel is a lot like Cold Mountain in that regard. It was a compelling read, with a great ending. I highly recommend it for Civil War buffs and anyone - male or female - who enjoys a good novel.