So I recently started reading two books and didn't finish them. First was Arcadia, which was on The Washington Post list of best books of the year. I just didn't like it. It's about hippies on a commune in the early 1970's, and it just didn't draw me in.
The second was Voyager, the third book of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander time-travel series. I did like this book, I love the characters and the story really draws you in. It goes back and forth between 1968 and 1748ish Scotland, where Claire and Jamie are living their separate lives. But it's almost 900 pages long, and my library checkout expired before I could finish it and there is, of course, a wait list. So at some point in the future I'll put a hold on it so I can finish it.
For now I'm trying to decide between 3 books - two library books that look interesting, and The Hobbit, borrowed from my friend Shari. You'll find out soon which one I picked!
Arcadia
Voyager
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Friday, December 14, 2012
The Third Angel
Okay, I am a huge Alice Hoffman fan, but I have to say I had a really hard time getting into this novel. Having said that, by the time I got to the end I couldn't put it down. So... take from that what you will.
The Third Angel is three inter-connecting stories about three women in long with the wrong guy, in three different eras. The connecting thread is The Lion Park Hotel and Lucy Green. The story moves back in time, from present day to the 60's hippie era to the prim 1950's. I have to say, I didn't like the present-day characters as much as I liked the other characters, and I found the older stories slightly more in keeping with the mystical realism that I love so much from Ms. Hoffman.
I also liked the way the stories are connected, it's not an obvious connection, and there are some lovely little surprises... like a certain young man from Liverpool. At any rate, a hard-to-get-into but ultimately enjoyable read.
The Third Angel
The Third Angel is three inter-connecting stories about three women in long with the wrong guy, in three different eras. The connecting thread is The Lion Park Hotel and Lucy Green. The story moves back in time, from present day to the 60's hippie era to the prim 1950's. I have to say, I didn't like the present-day characters as much as I liked the other characters, and I found the older stories slightly more in keeping with the mystical realism that I love so much from Ms. Hoffman.
I also liked the way the stories are connected, it's not an obvious connection, and there are some lovely little surprises... like a certain young man from Liverpool. At any rate, a hard-to-get-into but ultimately enjoyable read.
The Third Angel
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
I really enjoyed this debut novel from Helen Simonson. I recently saw The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and this novel reminded me of that movie in a few ways.
Major Pettigrew is a very proper English gentlemen living in a small village in Sussex, where he's lived all his life. When his brother dies, the Major goes through a rough patch and develops a friendship with Mrs. Ali, the widow who owns the village shop, who is of Pakistani descent. The novel explores the ideas of Englishness and otherness, and of what it really means to be "proper." It's also a really enjoyable read.
The Major is a really likeable character, proper but not uptight, with a biting sense of humor and a great deal of humanity. The townspeople are straight out of central casting, and I have some great ideas for who might play them in the movie. But maybe most importantly the story is a warmhearted and humorous love story about people of a "certain age," of a type that we don't see very much of these days.
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
Major Pettigrew is a very proper English gentlemen living in a small village in Sussex, where he's lived all his life. When his brother dies, the Major goes through a rough patch and develops a friendship with Mrs. Ali, the widow who owns the village shop, who is of Pakistani descent. The novel explores the ideas of Englishness and otherness, and of what it really means to be "proper." It's also a really enjoyable read.
The Major is a really likeable character, proper but not uptight, with a biting sense of humor and a great deal of humanity. The townspeople are straight out of central casting, and I have some great ideas for who might play them in the movie. But maybe most importantly the story is a warmhearted and humorous love story about people of a "certain age," of a type that we don't see very much of these days.
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
This Beautiful Life
This novel is the story of the Bergamot family, who've just moved from small-town Ithaca to big bad NYC for dad Richard's new job at a university. Apparently it's a great job at a wealthy school, because mom Liz gets to stay home and the kids - Jake and Coco - go to a chi-chi private school. But then 15-year-old Jake gets an emailed video from an eighth-grade girl - which he then forwards to his best friend - and their world starts to collapse.
That's where I stopped reading. When I read the book description I thought the story would appeal to me, but after reading that much it just didn't. It's just not something I care to read about. So, I don't recommend this book, although it might appeal to some people. It's just not my kind of story.
This Beautiful Life
That's where I stopped reading. When I read the book description I thought the story would appeal to me, but after reading that much it just didn't. It's just not something I care to read about. So, I don't recommend this book, although it might appeal to some people. It's just not my kind of story.
This Beautiful Life
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
I have to admit, I liked the beginning and the ending of this novel better than I liked the balance of it. The novel opens with a lot of potential - David and Norah Henry, so very much in love, are about to have a baby. When the baby comes in the middle of a blizzard, it's not just one baby but two - a perfect boy, and a girl with Down's Syndrome. But it's 1964, and Dr. David wants to spare Norah the heartbreak of a less-than-perfect child, so he gives the girl to his nurse to take to a home for the mentally ill, and he tells Norah that the baby has died.
The rest of the novel is about how David, Norah, their son Paul, and the nurse Caroline, deal with what happened. David has his guilt, Norah has her grief, Paul has a sense of something missing, and Caroline has her own issues to deal with. I have to say I didn't find David or Norah particularly sympathetic, but I thought Caroline was a very strong character. I also found the story to be a bit trite, and found myself skimming a lot of it.
The novel ends 25 years after it began, in 1989, and I definitely enjoyed the ending. The characters had all grown through their experiences and were more sympathetic. It was a nice read, but not an amazing read.
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
The rest of the novel is about how David, Norah, their son Paul, and the nurse Caroline, deal with what happened. David has his guilt, Norah has her grief, Paul has a sense of something missing, and Caroline has her own issues to deal with. I have to say I didn't find David or Norah particularly sympathetic, but I thought Caroline was a very strong character. I also found the story to be a bit trite, and found myself skimming a lot of it.
The novel ends 25 years after it began, in 1989, and I definitely enjoyed the ending. The characters had all grown through their experiences and were more sympathetic. It was a nice read, but not an amazing read.
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Monday, November 5, 2012
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
What a sweet, lovely, uplifting novel! Playwright Rachel Joyce gives us Harold Fry, a retired salesman in a small town in England whose life is just the same day over and over. He and his wife, Maureen, barely speak, and in fact Harold rarely leaves the house - or even his chair it seems. Then one day a letter arrives - his old friend Queenie Hennessey, whom he hasn't seen in 20 years, is dying of cancer. So Harold decides to write Queenie a note.
But then something happens to Harold. Walking from the house to the post box, he keeps going, and he even goes past the post office... he just keeps walking. At some point he decides he is going to walk across England to see Queenie in person, and he adds a line to the note asking her to wait. He doesn't have the right shoes or equipment, in fact he hasn't walked further than the driveway in years, but he's walking across England for someone he hasn't seen in 20 years.
Along the way Harold meets some interesting people, but he also meets the man he used to be, as well as the man he would like to be. And he comes to terms with the parts of his life that have made him who he is, and shaped the relationship he has shared with Maureen for much of their married life.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
But then something happens to Harold. Walking from the house to the post box, he keeps going, and he even goes past the post office... he just keeps walking. At some point he decides he is going to walk across England to see Queenie in person, and he adds a line to the note asking her to wait. He doesn't have the right shoes or equipment, in fact he hasn't walked further than the driveway in years, but he's walking across England for someone he hasn't seen in 20 years.
Along the way Harold meets some interesting people, but he also meets the man he used to be, as well as the man he would like to be. And he comes to terms with the parts of his life that have made him who he is, and shaped the relationship he has shared with Maureen for much of their married life.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Gone Girl
I'm not usually into suspense or psychological thrillers, but I just could not put this book down! Thanks to Rita for the recommendation - and it's been on the best seller list for awhile, too.
On the morning of Amy and Nick Dunne's five-year wedding anniversary, Amy disappears. Nick's called home from work to find the front door open, and signs of a struggle in the living room. The first section of the novel - told by turns from Nick's point-of-view and from pages in Amy's journal - gradually points everyone - including the cops - toward thinking that Nick killed his wife and dumped her body somewhere. But there's no body.... and then we get to the second part of the novel.
I don't want to give anything away, so I won't say anymore about the plot. The story is very cunning - usually I'm good at figuring stories like this out, but the author, Gillian Flynn, really had me going. And her characters are so clever - imperfect yet likeable, charismatic, quirky, and unsettling. And this is a psychological thriller in the truest sense, a real study in what makes people who they are and how their minds work.
My only disappointment was the ending. I wanted vengeance, and I didn't get it. But I still highly recommend this book, it's just fabulous.
Gone Girl
On the morning of Amy and Nick Dunne's five-year wedding anniversary, Amy disappears. Nick's called home from work to find the front door open, and signs of a struggle in the living room. The first section of the novel - told by turns from Nick's point-of-view and from pages in Amy's journal - gradually points everyone - including the cops - toward thinking that Nick killed his wife and dumped her body somewhere. But there's no body.... and then we get to the second part of the novel.
I don't want to give anything away, so I won't say anymore about the plot. The story is very cunning - usually I'm good at figuring stories like this out, but the author, Gillian Flynn, really had me going. And her characters are so clever - imperfect yet likeable, charismatic, quirky, and unsettling. And this is a psychological thriller in the truest sense, a real study in what makes people who they are and how their minds work.
My only disappointment was the ending. I wanted vengeance, and I didn't get it. But I still highly recommend this book, it's just fabulous.
Gone Girl
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Dragonfly in Amber
This is the second book in the Outlander series (Outlander being the first), and IT ROCKED!! In the first book, Claire Randall went back in time from 1948 to 1745ish, and ran into Scotsman Jamie Fraser and all sorts of fun Highland adventures with Jacobites, Bonny Prince Charlie, and those folks. This novel starts in 1968, when Claire has returned to Scotland for the first time in 20 years with her 19-year-old daughter Brianna.
Claire has decided she needs to tell Brianna who her biological father is, and how she came into being, so the biggest chunk of this very long novel is Claire telling the further story of her adventures with Jamie in Scotland and France from 1745 to 1748 or so. The other story line is in present day (1968) Scotland, with Roger Wakefield helping Claire find out what happened to the folks she knew back in the 18th century, and showing Brianna all the local sights.
Diana Gabaldon has obviously done a lot of studying of her British history, so there is a ton of great historical detail. And the story just runs away - I couldn't put the book down, and though it's a long one I got through it fairly quickly. And the characters are great, and there are some neat little twists too. I just put the third book on hold at the library - can't wait!
Dragonfly in Amber
Claire has decided she needs to tell Brianna who her biological father is, and how she came into being, so the biggest chunk of this very long novel is Claire telling the further story of her adventures with Jamie in Scotland and France from 1745 to 1748 or so. The other story line is in present day (1968) Scotland, with Roger Wakefield helping Claire find out what happened to the folks she knew back in the 18th century, and showing Brianna all the local sights.
Diana Gabaldon has obviously done a lot of studying of her British history, so there is a ton of great historical detail. And the story just runs away - I couldn't put the book down, and though it's a long one I got through it fairly quickly. And the characters are great, and there are some neat little twists too. I just put the third book on hold at the library - can't wait!
Dragonfly in Amber
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Dreams of Joy
WOW! I could not put this book down. I read Lisa See's Shanghai Girls a couple of years ago, and this novel starts where that one left off - when 19-year-old Joy learns that Pearl is not her birth mother, but Auntie May is, and that May gave her to her sister to raise after they fled China twenty years before.
It's now 1957, and Joy is an idealistic college student who thinks socialism sounds just great, and that Chairman Mao is a wonderful guy. So she leaves her family in Los Angele's Chinatown and runs off to Shanghai, in search of her birth father and a "better" life. When Pearl learns where she's gone, she heads to China after her, in hopes of bringing her home before it's too late. Soon both Joy and Pearl are caught up in Mao's Great Leap Forward, and not in a good way.
This isn't a pretty story, and See doesn't shy from the nastier details of life in the PRC. But it is a beautifully told story, and both Joy and Pearl grow and learn through their experiences. It's a really great read.
Dreams of Joy
It's now 1957, and Joy is an idealistic college student who thinks socialism sounds just great, and that Chairman Mao is a wonderful guy. So she leaves her family in Los Angele's Chinatown and runs off to Shanghai, in search of her birth father and a "better" life. When Pearl learns where she's gone, she heads to China after her, in hopes of bringing her home before it's too late. Soon both Joy and Pearl are caught up in Mao's Great Leap Forward, and not in a good way.
This isn't a pretty story, and See doesn't shy from the nastier details of life in the PRC. But it is a beautifully told story, and both Joy and Pearl grow and learn through their experiences. It's a really great read.
Dreams of Joy
Sunday, September 23, 2012
The Dressmaker
This is a wonderful novel whose main character is Tess Collins, a young British woman who survives the sinking of the Titanic and finds herself having to learn a whole new life in a whole new world. Tess is a wonderful character, and she's surrounded by an interesting group of both historical and fictional personages.
Tess is working as a maid, but her true love and skill lie in dressmaking, and she siezes an opportunity to sail to America with the renowned British designer Lucille Duff Gordon. While on the ship she meets and takes a liking to two very different men: crew member Jim Bonney, and American millionaire Jack Bremerton. Although separated in the sinking, Jim and Tess find each other on the rescue ship, though she fears Jack went town on Titanic.
Worse though, is that Lady Duff Gordon and her husband were on what's being called the "millionaire's lifeboat," and one of the crew on that boat says they were bribed by the Gordons to ignore the screams of people in the water and leave them behind - or worse. New York Times reporter Pinky Wade is all over the story, and Tess is unsure if she's found a friend or if Pinky just views her as a source.
Through it all, Tess learns that she is strong, and that she can make something of herself. And we get a really great story. I honestly couldn't put it down.
The Dressmaker
Tess is working as a maid, but her true love and skill lie in dressmaking, and she siezes an opportunity to sail to America with the renowned British designer Lucille Duff Gordon. While on the ship she meets and takes a liking to two very different men: crew member Jim Bonney, and American millionaire Jack Bremerton. Although separated in the sinking, Jim and Tess find each other on the rescue ship, though she fears Jack went town on Titanic.
Worse though, is that Lady Duff Gordon and her husband were on what's being called the "millionaire's lifeboat," and one of the crew on that boat says they were bribed by the Gordons to ignore the screams of people in the water and leave them behind - or worse. New York Times reporter Pinky Wade is all over the story, and Tess is unsure if she's found a friend or if Pinky just views her as a source.
Through it all, Tess learns that she is strong, and that she can make something of herself. And we get a really great story. I honestly couldn't put it down.
The Dressmaker
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Non-Recommendations
I've started and put down a couple of books recently, and I think it's only fair that I blather about them a little bit.
First is Agaat, a novel set in South Africa that got a ton of great reviews. I just couldn't get into it. It's a translation, and something seems to be lost in the language, or maybe it's just the style - it sort of dumps you into this stream-of-conscious thing and I couldn't figure out who/what/where/when. Not my style at all.
Second is Clara and Mr. Tiffany, an historical novel about the real-life Clara Driscoll, who worked with the great Louis Tiffany and actually designed many of his lamps. I just found the writing a little old-fashioned and kind of tedious, and I couldn't connect with any of the characters.
Third is The Eat-Clean Diet Stripped, which is obviously a diet book. I did read most of it, and there is some good advice, and I already do a lot of what it says. Tosca Reno (who I've never heard of, but she's apparently some sort of fitness celebrity) stresses the importance of "eating clean," which means eating natural foods, to lose weight, particulary that last stubborn 10 pounds. But she cuts out entire categories of food - no dairy, no sugar - and I just can't see myself giving up yogurt and wine (yes, your body sees alcohol as a sugar). I do see the value of eating frequent small meals, and I will make sure I include protein in my meals and not just eat carbs, but that's as far as I'm willing to go.
First is Agaat, a novel set in South Africa that got a ton of great reviews. I just couldn't get into it. It's a translation, and something seems to be lost in the language, or maybe it's just the style - it sort of dumps you into this stream-of-conscious thing and I couldn't figure out who/what/where/when. Not my style at all.
Second is Clara and Mr. Tiffany, an historical novel about the real-life Clara Driscoll, who worked with the great Louis Tiffany and actually designed many of his lamps. I just found the writing a little old-fashioned and kind of tedious, and I couldn't connect with any of the characters.
Third is The Eat-Clean Diet Stripped, which is obviously a diet book. I did read most of it, and there is some good advice, and I already do a lot of what it says. Tosca Reno (who I've never heard of, but she's apparently some sort of fitness celebrity) stresses the importance of "eating clean," which means eating natural foods, to lose weight, particulary that last stubborn 10 pounds. But she cuts out entire categories of food - no dairy, no sugar - and I just can't see myself giving up yogurt and wine (yes, your body sees alcohol as a sugar). I do see the value of eating frequent small meals, and I will make sure I include protein in my meals and not just eat carbs, but that's as far as I'm willing to go.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Caleb's Crossing
I really enjoyed this novel by Geraldine Brooks, which is a fictionalized account of a real person, Caleb, the first Native American to matriculate from Harvard. But the book is really more about Bethia Mayfield, the young English girl who befriends him on 17th-century Martha's Vineyard, and the surprising life she leads.
Bethia is the daughter of the island's Calvinist minister, and is an educated young woman, a rarity for the time. That she gets her education clandestinely, listening in on her brother's lessons and soon outpacing him, tells us something of her spunk and wit. Bethia lives a long and interesting life, moving from the Vineyard to Cambridge, to Padua and back. The book is her memoir, written in bits and pieces over the course of her life, from minister's daughter to indentured servant to doctor's wife.
Bethia's best friend on the island is Caleb, son of the Wampanoag chief who also has a thirst for books and learning. It is left to Bethia to tell Caleb's story, and she does so beautifully and with great feeling.
Brooks does a wonderful job of bringing Caleb and Bethia to life. This was a really lovely book.
Caleb's Crossing
Bethia is the daughter of the island's Calvinist minister, and is an educated young woman, a rarity for the time. That she gets her education clandestinely, listening in on her brother's lessons and soon outpacing him, tells us something of her spunk and wit. Bethia lives a long and interesting life, moving from the Vineyard to Cambridge, to Padua and back. The book is her memoir, written in bits and pieces over the course of her life, from minister's daughter to indentured servant to doctor's wife.
Bethia's best friend on the island is Caleb, son of the Wampanoag chief who also has a thirst for books and learning. It is left to Bethia to tell Caleb's story, and she does so beautifully and with great feeling.
Brooks does a wonderful job of bringing Caleb and Bethia to life. This was a really lovely book.
Caleb's Crossing
Saturday, September 1, 2012
The Last Boyfriend
This is Book 2 of the Inn Boonsboro Trilogy, and I enjoyed it as much as I did Book 1. This one hooks up Owen Montgomery with Avery MacTavish, two people who have been friends their entire lives but are starting to see each other in a different light. We also keep up with Beckett and Clare from Book 1, who are getting married.
Yes, it's simple, easy reading. I read the whole thing pretty much on a plane - half going to Tampa, half coming back from Tampa, so that's an idea of how quick of a read it is. And the characters are very likeable, and we also still have a ghost and an inn in a quaint small town. Is it predictable? Sure it is, but that doesn't mean it isn't entertaining. And it's a nice palate cleanser after some of the deeper stuff I've been reading.
Book 3 is due out in November (yes, Nora really cranks them out), and I'm betting that one is about Ryder and Hope, and they find out who the ghost's boyfriend is, and Hope's a-hole ex-boyfriend comes to town. I guess I'll have to read it to find out.
The Last Boyfriend
Yes, it's simple, easy reading. I read the whole thing pretty much on a plane - half going to Tampa, half coming back from Tampa, so that's an idea of how quick of a read it is. And the characters are very likeable, and we also still have a ghost and an inn in a quaint small town. Is it predictable? Sure it is, but that doesn't mean it isn't entertaining. And it's a nice palate cleanser after some of the deeper stuff I've been reading.
Book 3 is due out in November (yes, Nora really cranks them out), and I'm betting that one is about Ryder and Hope, and they find out who the ghost's boyfriend is, and Hope's a-hole ex-boyfriend comes to town. I guess I'll have to read it to find out.
The Last Boyfriend
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Secret Daughter
Lately I seem to be reading books that really focus on women... not sure why, that just seems to be the way things are going. Secret Daughter is no exception. It's the story of three strong women - Somer, Kavita, and Asha - whose lives are linked in many sad and happy ways.
Somer is a California doctor, married to Krishnan, an Indian man she met in med school. When she learns she can never have children she is devastated, but then Kris' mother suggests they adopt a baby from India, seemingly an answer to their prayers.
Kavita is a poor Indian woman who has already had one daughter ripped from her arms moments after birth. When she gives birth to a second daughter, she makes the long journey to an orphanage in Mumbai to give her a chance at life, rather than hand her over to certain death.
Asha is Kavita's and Somer's child. She has her own journey to make, from being unsure of her heritage and her place in the world, to coming to an understanding of the reasons things happen, and how both of her mothers loved her in their own way.
Secret Daughter is a beautiful story, sad at times, but ultimately uplifting and enlightening. As an adopted person I may have appreciated it in a special way, but I think any reader will thoroughly enjoy it.
Secret Daughter
Somer is a California doctor, married to Krishnan, an Indian man she met in med school. When she learns she can never have children she is devastated, but then Kris' mother suggests they adopt a baby from India, seemingly an answer to their prayers.
Kavita is a poor Indian woman who has already had one daughter ripped from her arms moments after birth. When she gives birth to a second daughter, she makes the long journey to an orphanage in Mumbai to give her a chance at life, rather than hand her over to certain death.
Asha is Kavita's and Somer's child. She has her own journey to make, from being unsure of her heritage and her place in the world, to coming to an understanding of the reasons things happen, and how both of her mothers loved her in their own way.
Secret Daughter is a beautiful story, sad at times, but ultimately uplifting and enlightening. As an adopted person I may have appreciated it in a special way, but I think any reader will thoroughly enjoy it.
Secret Daughter
Friday, August 10, 2012
Accidents of Providence
This is the story of Rachel Lockyer, a glovemaker's apprentice in 17th century England. It's not a cool time to be living in England - Cromwell and his crazy Puritans are in power, and they've pretty much banned everything fun - even Christmas! Being a woman during this time is even worse, since anything you do can be construed as "lewd."
So what does Rachel do? She falls in love with a married older man and gets pregnant. Then when the baby dies in childbirth, she secretly buries her. But of course someone sees what happens, digs up the baby, and Rachel is made to stand trial for murdering her bastard child.
I found the book hard to get into - the language is a bit stilted. But once I got into it I really enjoyed it. The males characters are sort of accessories - and they are actual historical people - but the author, Stacia Brown, really develops the female characters, mostly Rachel of course. And I'm glad I stuck with it, because the ending of the book was a real surprise, and a really cool surprise at that. Definitely an intriguing read.
Accidents of Providence
So what does Rachel do? She falls in love with a married older man and gets pregnant. Then when the baby dies in childbirth, she secretly buries her. But of course someone sees what happens, digs up the baby, and Rachel is made to stand trial for murdering her bastard child.
I found the book hard to get into - the language is a bit stilted. But once I got into it I really enjoyed it. The males characters are sort of accessories - and they are actual historical people - but the author, Stacia Brown, really develops the female characters, mostly Rachel of course. And I'm glad I stuck with it, because the ending of the book was a real surprise, and a really cool surprise at that. Definitely an intriguing read.
Accidents of Providence
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Shadow of Night
This is book two of Deborah Harkness' All Souls Trilogy, the first book being A Discovery of Witches. Having just finished it I now can't wait for the final book! This book started just where the first book ended, with Diana and Matthew jumping back in time, and I was drawn in from the very beginning and loved every bit of it.
In case you've forgotten, Diana is a reluctant witch and Matthew is the vampire who loves her. They aren't supposed to be together, and there are creatures who want to tear them apart, so they go back in time to see if they can figure out what to do. That they go back to Elizabethan England, and that Matthew turns out to be Matthew Roydon, an actual historical personage, is awfully cool in my opinion. And since Matthew was an historical figure, it made sense that he hung out with other historical figures, right? So we also meet Christopher Marlowe (a daemon, by the way), Walter Raleigh, and others, collectively known as the School of Night. We also meet Queen Elizabeth herself.
I love that the people of the 16th century know that creatures exist, and while they don't love that they're around, they acknowledge their existence and for the most part tolerate them (although persecution of witches is heating up). But really, what's NOT to like about a novel about witches, vampires, daemons, time travel, Elizabethan England, mysteries, and love??? Absolutely nothing.
Shadow of Night
In case you've forgotten, Diana is a reluctant witch and Matthew is the vampire who loves her. They aren't supposed to be together, and there are creatures who want to tear them apart, so they go back in time to see if they can figure out what to do. That they go back to Elizabethan England, and that Matthew turns out to be Matthew Roydon, an actual historical personage, is awfully cool in my opinion. And since Matthew was an historical figure, it made sense that he hung out with other historical figures, right? So we also meet Christopher Marlowe (a daemon, by the way), Walter Raleigh, and others, collectively known as the School of Night. We also meet Queen Elizabeth herself.
I love that the people of the 16th century know that creatures exist, and while they don't love that they're around, they acknowledge their existence and for the most part tolerate them (although persecution of witches is heating up). But really, what's NOT to like about a novel about witches, vampires, daemons, time travel, Elizabethan England, mysteries, and love??? Absolutely nothing.
Shadow of Night
Thursday, July 12, 2012
The Gilly Salt Sisters
Oh my gosh... what a wonderful book! Tiffany Baker has written an entertaining, engaging, and intriguing story of small-town life on Cape Cod, mixing reality, mysticism, and religion to create a novel that I just couldn't put down.
Jo and Claire Gilly live on the salt farm in Prospect, a sad little coastal New England town. The other townspeople aren't quite sure what to make of the sisters, and question whether or not they're witches and if the salt itself might be magical. Jo is at home on the farm, one with the salt, but Claire yearns to escape to something better. A horrible fire, and rich-boy Whit Turner, make that escape possible, and the sisters don't speak for years. Then Dee moves to town with her father who opens a diner, Claire's high-school sweetheart returns, and all of their lives are changed.
I loved the way this book was written, told in turn from all three of the women's perspectives, and dipping back-and-forth in time, which only added to the magical quality. And the characters are strong, distinct, and interesting - there are no cookie-cutters here. I also liked that the story is set in the era before cellphones and laptops became ubiquitous - that's something else, I think, that adds to the magical feeling.
It's not a particularly happy story, but it's super entertaining. I highly recommend it, and I'll be looking for other books by Baker.
The Gilly Salt Sisters
Jo and Claire Gilly live on the salt farm in Prospect, a sad little coastal New England town. The other townspeople aren't quite sure what to make of the sisters, and question whether or not they're witches and if the salt itself might be magical. Jo is at home on the farm, one with the salt, but Claire yearns to escape to something better. A horrible fire, and rich-boy Whit Turner, make that escape possible, and the sisters don't speak for years. Then Dee moves to town with her father who opens a diner, Claire's high-school sweetheart returns, and all of their lives are changed.
I loved the way this book was written, told in turn from all three of the women's perspectives, and dipping back-and-forth in time, which only added to the magical quality. And the characters are strong, distinct, and interesting - there are no cookie-cutters here. I also liked that the story is set in the era before cellphones and laptops became ubiquitous - that's something else, I think, that adds to the magical feeling.
It's not a particularly happy story, but it's super entertaining. I highly recommend it, and I'll be looking for other books by Baker.
The Gilly Salt Sisters
Monday, July 9, 2012
Killing Lincoln
I loved this history by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard about the assassination of President Lincoln. The authors do a wonderful job of driving the story, so it reads more like a novel. We all know the story of John Wilkes Booth assassinating Abe Lincoln, but I learned a great deal about how many others were involved, and also learned more about the players involved. I love the way the authors bring these very real characters to life.
I love historical fiction but I don't read a lot of historical non-fiction, but I thought the way O'Reilly and Dugard wrote this book made it feel like fiction. It's packed with information but it's never dry. If you're a fan of American history, and the Civil War era in particular, you do not want to pass on this book.
Thanks to Shari for the tip!
Killing Lincoln
I love historical fiction but I don't read a lot of historical non-fiction, but I thought the way O'Reilly and Dugard wrote this book made it feel like fiction. It's packed with information but it's never dry. If you're a fan of American history, and the Civil War era in particular, you do not want to pass on this book.
Thanks to Shari for the tip!
Killing Lincoln
Thursday, July 5, 2012
The Birth of Venus
I really enjoyed this novel by Sarah Dunant about pampered teenager Alessandra Cecchi in 15th century Florence. The story and the characters are beautiful, intriguing, and I felt a real sense of the history of the period.
Alessandra is the daughter of a wealthy merchant, and she is beautiful, brilliant, and artistically talented. She's also rather naive. But when her parents marry her off to the much older Cristoforo, her eyes are opened to the wider world. Along the way she also finds herself drawn to the painter her parents hired to paint their chapel.
Meantime things in Florence are changing, from the lush life of the Medicis to the extreme piety of Savonarola. Alessandra and Cristoforo must do what they can to survive, and to be able to live life the way they want to live it.
The Birth of Venus
Alessandra is the daughter of a wealthy merchant, and she is beautiful, brilliant, and artistically talented. She's also rather naive. But when her parents marry her off to the much older Cristoforo, her eyes are opened to the wider world. Along the way she also finds herself drawn to the painter her parents hired to paint their chapel.
Meantime things in Florence are changing, from the lush life of the Medicis to the extreme piety of Savonarola. Alessandra and Cristoforo must do what they can to survive, and to be able to live life the way they want to live it.
The Birth of Venus
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Outlander
Okay, so I realize this book is 20 years old, but I must have missed it back then because I don't remember reading it. And I think I would have remembered this 700-page, lose-yourself-in-it page-turner.
It's 1945, and English nurse Claire Beauchamp Randall is on a trip to Scotland with her husband following their separation during WWII. While there she walks through a standing stone and finds herself back in the Scotland of 1743 - a very different time. There she meets her husband's nasty ancestor Jonathan Randall, a likeable but suspicious bunch of MacKenzie's who take her under their collective wing, and a handsome young man named Jamie who offers a little something more.
I am a sucker for time-travel novels, particularly when the traveler goes back to some particularly interesting era of British history, and author Diana Gabaldon does it particularly well. The characters are really complex and likeable, and pretty realistic from my assessment. And the story just sweeps you up - it's really a page turner.
If you like British history with a little romance and fish-out-of-water thrown in, this is the novel for you. And apparently the first in a series... I just put the second one on hold at the library. That's a testament to how good these are - they're 20 years old and still on reserve!
Outlander
It's 1945, and English nurse Claire Beauchamp Randall is on a trip to Scotland with her husband following their separation during WWII. While there she walks through a standing stone and finds herself back in the Scotland of 1743 - a very different time. There she meets her husband's nasty ancestor Jonathan Randall, a likeable but suspicious bunch of MacKenzie's who take her under their collective wing, and a handsome young man named Jamie who offers a little something more.
I am a sucker for time-travel novels, particularly when the traveler goes back to some particularly interesting era of British history, and author Diana Gabaldon does it particularly well. The characters are really complex and likeable, and pretty realistic from my assessment. And the story just sweeps you up - it's really a page turner.
If you like British history with a little romance and fish-out-of-water thrown in, this is the novel for you. And apparently the first in a series... I just put the second one on hold at the library. That's a testament to how good these are - they're 20 years old and still on reserve!
Outlander
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
The Space Between Us
This is a really lovely, moving novel by Thrity Umrigar, about two women in modern-day India. Sera is a wealthy Parsi woman, and Bhima is her illiterate long-time servant. Umrigar tells the story from the perspective of both women, and in doing so shows how people's lives can be both very different and eerily similar at the same time.
Bhima has been Sera's servant forever, and they have seen each other through the hardships of each other's lives. Bhima has endured more than many women could - the betrayal of her husband, the death of her child, and the descent from the lower class into the life of the slum. But Sera has helped along the way, and has even paid to send Bhima's granddaughter to college, so that Maya will have a better life than her grandmother. Sera's life hasn't been easy, either, with a crazy, evil mother-in-law and an abusive husband, but Bhima has been there to nurse her through the pain, and Sera's daughter, Dinaz, views Bhima as almost a second mother.
But when something happens to come between the two families, we see who really is stronger, and we see who is more deserving of respect. It was a really great read - I couldn't put it down.
The Space Between Us
Bhima has been Sera's servant forever, and they have seen each other through the hardships of each other's lives. Bhima has endured more than many women could - the betrayal of her husband, the death of her child, and the descent from the lower class into the life of the slum. But Sera has helped along the way, and has even paid to send Bhima's granddaughter to college, so that Maya will have a better life than her grandmother. Sera's life hasn't been easy, either, with a crazy, evil mother-in-law and an abusive husband, but Bhima has been there to nurse her through the pain, and Sera's daughter, Dinaz, views Bhima as almost a second mother.
But when something happens to come between the two families, we see who really is stronger, and we see who is more deserving of respect. It was a really great read - I couldn't put it down.
The Space Between Us
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder
This is a really sweet book from Rebecca Wells, the author who brought the YaYa sisters to life. She does southern really well, and she's done it again with Calla Lily and her family and friends.
Calla Lily grows up in La Luna, Louisiana, in a loving family who are a little more free spirited than most people of the time, and who are the dancing and hair-styling center of their small community. Calla is born in 1953, and Wells really captures the next 30 or so years. When tragedy strikes, Calla uses the lessons her parents taught her, moving to New Orleans and beginning her adult life there.
As with the YaYa sisters, the characters are beautifully drawn and wonderfully charming. There isn't quite the story arc that there was for the YaYa's (and maybe that's why no one made a movie of this book yet), but I enjoyed moving through Calla's life with her, and meeting all of the interesting and engaging people she makes friends with. This is a really enjoyable, easy read.
I have to thank Rita again for the recommendation... great book!
The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder
Calla Lily grows up in La Luna, Louisiana, in a loving family who are a little more free spirited than most people of the time, and who are the dancing and hair-styling center of their small community. Calla is born in 1953, and Wells really captures the next 30 or so years. When tragedy strikes, Calla uses the lessons her parents taught her, moving to New Orleans and beginning her adult life there.
As with the YaYa sisters, the characters are beautifully drawn and wonderfully charming. There isn't quite the story arc that there was for the YaYa's (and maybe that's why no one made a movie of this book yet), but I enjoyed moving through Calla's life with her, and meeting all of the interesting and engaging people she makes friends with. This is a really enjoyable, easy read.
I have to thank Rita again for the recommendation... great book!
The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Chasing Fire
Okay, I know I have my issues with Nora Roberts, but I really enjoyed this latest of her suspense novels. This is a book that even non-fans would probably enjoy.
Rowan Tripp - that's a chick - is a veteran Montana smoke-jumper, the daughter of legendary jumper Iron Man Tripp and a tough broad. Gulliver (Gull) Curry is a rookie jumper who catches Rowan's attention with his looks, ability, and charm. The fire season finds them dealing with not only fires, but a couple of murders, possible sabotage, and their burgeoning romance.
The murder mystery was okay - but I had a pretty good bead on who the murderer was pretty early on. The romance is great - these are two very likeable characters who aren't really like Roberts' other protagonists, particularly Rowan. And although some of the reviews thought Roberts went too deep into the fire-jumping stuff, I actually found that most enjoyable. Roberts obviously did a lot of research - and it would have been nice if she'd acknowledged who helped her (there wasn't anything in the Nook version) - and she really seemed to capture the experience of being a member of the elite "Zulie" smoke-jumpers.
This was a really enjoyable read - best Nora Roberts in a while.
Chasing Fire
Rowan Tripp - that's a chick - is a veteran Montana smoke-jumper, the daughter of legendary jumper Iron Man Tripp and a tough broad. Gulliver (Gull) Curry is a rookie jumper who catches Rowan's attention with his looks, ability, and charm. The fire season finds them dealing with not only fires, but a couple of murders, possible sabotage, and their burgeoning romance.
The murder mystery was okay - but I had a pretty good bead on who the murderer was pretty early on. The romance is great - these are two very likeable characters who aren't really like Roberts' other protagonists, particularly Rowan. And although some of the reviews thought Roberts went too deep into the fire-jumping stuff, I actually found that most enjoyable. Roberts obviously did a lot of research - and it would have been nice if she'd acknowledged who helped her (there wasn't anything in the Nook version) - and she really seemed to capture the experience of being a member of the elite "Zulie" smoke-jumpers.
This was a really enjoyable read - best Nora Roberts in a while.
Chasing Fire
Monday, May 14, 2012
The Cat's Table
I have to again thank Rita for a great book recommendation. This novel is by Michael Ondaatje, who wrote The English Patient. I never read that book, didn't see the movie either, but I may read it now since I enjoyed this novel so much.
Michael is an 11-year-old boy in the 1950's, traveling on a ship from Colombo, Sri Lanka to Great Britain. The story is about the experiences of Michael and his companions at the "cat's table" - the least important table on the ship. While there is some plot and story development, I would call this more of a "slice of time" novel, just telling what happens during those 3 weeks on board ship, and describing Michael's encounters with other shipmates and the friends he makes.
Towards the end there is some deeper explication of some of the things that happened on the ship, but what I enjoyed about the novel was the author's eloquence in capturing the boy's experiences, and his richly drawn characters. It really felt almost autobiographical, although Ondaatje makes it clear that it is not. But either way, it's just a really lovely book.
The Cat's Table
Michael is an 11-year-old boy in the 1950's, traveling on a ship from Colombo, Sri Lanka to Great Britain. The story is about the experiences of Michael and his companions at the "cat's table" - the least important table on the ship. While there is some plot and story development, I would call this more of a "slice of time" novel, just telling what happens during those 3 weeks on board ship, and describing Michael's encounters with other shipmates and the friends he makes.
Towards the end there is some deeper explication of some of the things that happened on the ship, but what I enjoyed about the novel was the author's eloquence in capturing the boy's experiences, and his richly drawn characters. It really felt almost autobiographical, although Ondaatje makes it clear that it is not. But either way, it's just a really lovely book.
The Cat's Table
Monday, April 30, 2012
Ape House: A Novel
When I saw this novel from Water for Elephants author Sara Gruen, I had to get it. I was not disappointed. This is the story of great ape researcher Isabel Duncan, who reporter John Thigpen meets the day before her lab is blown up - seriously injuring her - and the apes are spirited away. The novel is the story of how Isabel, John, and others work to find the apes, get to the bottom of the story, and find justice for everyone (human and ape) involved.
One of the things I like best about the novel is that Gruen's characters are real. Nobody's perfect - in fact Isabel seems more comfortable with apes than with humans - but all have a certain charm and humor, particularly John. I also liked Isabel's intern, Celia. I also enjoyed John's interaction with people from all walks of life - including his encounter with what's obviously a meth lab. That's just one of several humorous moments in the novel.
I also really liked the characters of the apes - bonobos to be exact. Gruen does a lovely job of giving them personalities and humanity, and of making them truly important characters in the story.
Ape House: A Novel
One of the things I like best about the novel is that Gruen's characters are real. Nobody's perfect - in fact Isabel seems more comfortable with apes than with humans - but all have a certain charm and humor, particularly John. I also liked Isabel's intern, Celia. I also enjoyed John's interaction with people from all walks of life - including his encounter with what's obviously a meth lab. That's just one of several humorous moments in the novel.
I also really liked the characters of the apes - bonobos to be exact. Gruen does a lovely job of giving them personalities and humanity, and of making them truly important characters in the story.
Ape House: A Novel
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Fifty Shade of Grey
Okay, I know everyone has heard about this erotic trilogy by E.L. James - this is the first book. Because it's had so much publicity I had to read it. I have to say, it was just okay for me, and I doubt I'll read the other two books.
In case you haven't heard about it, the book is about graduating college student Ana Steele, and insanely wealthy businessman Christian Grey, who meet and develop a relationship when she interviews him for the student newspaper. Christian is "fifty shades of fu--ed up," hence the title. He's also into BDSM as the Dominant (look it up if you don't know what that means). The story is told from Ana's point of view, so the only glimpse we get of Christian's inner self is from what he tells Ana.
The characters aren't bad - James does a very good job of making a screwed-up control freak into a likeable character, and Christian is definitely hot. But Ana, while interesting, is a little unbelievable. I'm not sure which part I found more unbelievable: that she's a beautiful 21-year-old virgin who's never masturbated, or that she's a college student who doesn't own a computer. Anyway, she has spunk and courage, which I like, but she also has an "inner goddess," which I found annoying.
Okay, the sex. I haven't read erotic fiction in years, and to be honest, after the first couple of sex scenes I found myself skimming over them and reading ahead to the actual story. Some of them were obviously necessary to show the nature of the BDSM world, but some of them just felt gratuitous to me.
The book ended rather abruptly in my opinion, but I guess that's supposed to make me run out to get the next one. I doubt I will, simply because I don't want to spend the money, and I don't particularly care how things work out for Ana and Christian.
Fifty Shades of Grey
In case you haven't heard about it, the book is about graduating college student Ana Steele, and insanely wealthy businessman Christian Grey, who meet and develop a relationship when she interviews him for the student newspaper. Christian is "fifty shades of fu--ed up," hence the title. He's also into BDSM as the Dominant (look it up if you don't know what that means). The story is told from Ana's point of view, so the only glimpse we get of Christian's inner self is from what he tells Ana.
The characters aren't bad - James does a very good job of making a screwed-up control freak into a likeable character, and Christian is definitely hot. But Ana, while interesting, is a little unbelievable. I'm not sure which part I found more unbelievable: that she's a beautiful 21-year-old virgin who's never masturbated, or that she's a college student who doesn't own a computer. Anyway, she has spunk and courage, which I like, but she also has an "inner goddess," which I found annoying.
Okay, the sex. I haven't read erotic fiction in years, and to be honest, after the first couple of sex scenes I found myself skimming over them and reading ahead to the actual story. Some of them were obviously necessary to show the nature of the BDSM world, but some of them just felt gratuitous to me.
The book ended rather abruptly in my opinion, but I guess that's supposed to make me run out to get the next one. I doubt I will, simply because I don't want to spend the money, and I don't particularly care how things work out for Ana and Christian.
Fifty Shades of Grey
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The Baker's Daughter
So I started reading this book but had to return it to the library, but I really wanted to finish it, so I had to reserve it again. I got it back and finished the last few chapters the other night.
The baker's daughter of the title is Elsie Schmidt, who was a 16-year-old in Germany in 1944. Her family were good Nazis - her sister was a member of the Lebensborn program (look it up) - and Elsie was all but engaged to a high-ranking SS officer. Then she meets a young Jewish boy who changes her life forever.
Fast forward to 2007 El Paso, Texas, where Reba Adams is a reporter working on a feature story about Elsie's German Bakery - yep, that Elsie. Reba is "sort of" engaged to Riki but is uncertain about what she wants in life and where she's headed, and she finds herself drawn to Elsie and her daughter, Jane.
The novel goes back and forth between the past and the present, and between Elsie's story and Reba's. The author, Sarah McCoy (a Hokie!) does a nice job of juxtaposing Elsie's and Reba's journeys and maturation. And the characters are beautifully drawn, particularly Elsie, Reba, Jane, and Riki.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel about finding one's way out of a difficult situation, and figuring out what's important in life. I'm glad I was finally able to finish it.
The Baker's Daughter
The baker's daughter of the title is Elsie Schmidt, who was a 16-year-old in Germany in 1944. Her family were good Nazis - her sister was a member of the Lebensborn program (look it up) - and Elsie was all but engaged to a high-ranking SS officer. Then she meets a young Jewish boy who changes her life forever.
Fast forward to 2007 El Paso, Texas, where Reba Adams is a reporter working on a feature story about Elsie's German Bakery - yep, that Elsie. Reba is "sort of" engaged to Riki but is uncertain about what she wants in life and where she's headed, and she finds herself drawn to Elsie and her daughter, Jane.
The novel goes back and forth between the past and the present, and between Elsie's story and Reba's. The author, Sarah McCoy (a Hokie!) does a nice job of juxtaposing Elsie's and Reba's journeys and maturation. And the characters are beautifully drawn, particularly Elsie, Reba, Jane, and Riki.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel about finding one's way out of a difficult situation, and figuring out what's important in life. I'm glad I was finally able to finish it.
The Baker's Daughter
Monday, April 16, 2012
Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World!
I don't read a lot of political books, and I'm not the most conservative person around, but a friend recommended this Andrew Breitbart book so I picked it up. I have to say I'm glad I did because I really enjoyed it.
For those of you who don't know, Breitbart was the new media activist who coined the term "Democrat-Media-Complex." He broke the Anthony Weiner sexting story. He brought down ACORN. Even if you don't share his political views, he tells an entertaining - and believable - story of how the media controls the news and only tells us the story that they want us to hear. He also gives a really nice history lesson about how and why the Democrat party has moved further to the left.
Do I believe everything in the book? Mostly. All books of this type are certainly influenced and, ahem, slanted by the author. But as a person who has first-hand experience of unions, higher education, and politics, I think he's mostly telling it like it is. I may be one of a handful of people who had actually read Saul Alinsky before reading this book, let alone ever heard of Alinsky.
Sadly, Breitbart died unexpectedly earlier this year, at the young age of 43. It's a shame, but hopefully there are others out there who will continue his work. Because what he was doing, to me, isn't about which side of the aisle you're on. It's about your right to get the real news, not the news that one side wants you to have.
Righteous Indignation
For those of you who don't know, Breitbart was the new media activist who coined the term "Democrat-Media-Complex." He broke the Anthony Weiner sexting story. He brought down ACORN. Even if you don't share his political views, he tells an entertaining - and believable - story of how the media controls the news and only tells us the story that they want us to hear. He also gives a really nice history lesson about how and why the Democrat party has moved further to the left.
Do I believe everything in the book? Mostly. All books of this type are certainly influenced and, ahem, slanted by the author. But as a person who has first-hand experience of unions, higher education, and politics, I think he's mostly telling it like it is. I may be one of a handful of people who had actually read Saul Alinsky before reading this book, let alone ever heard of Alinsky.
Sadly, Breitbart died unexpectedly earlier this year, at the young age of 43. It's a shame, but hopefully there are others out there who will continue his work. Because what he was doing, to me, isn't about which side of the aisle you're on. It's about your right to get the real news, not the news that one side wants you to have.
Righteous Indignation
Sunday, April 8, 2012
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House
I'm still reading this really interesting biography of Andrew Jackson, but I realized it's been awhile since I posted so I thought I would write about it. Jackson was elected president in 1828 and served two terms, and this book concentrates pretty much entirely on those years, paying little attention to the rest of Jackson's life.
Jackson was our first "of the people" president. He was an orphan who grew up poor and he was a war hero. You could argue that he was the first really Republican president after Jefferson, one who believed in the sanctity of the union above all things. He was a strong-willed and strong-minded person with a deep love for his country and for God. It's an interesting story, particulary if you're into politics.
I had started reading The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, but I just couldn't get into it. I found the language very old-fashioned and just thought it was tiresome.
American Lion
The Age of Innocence
Jackson was our first "of the people" president. He was an orphan who grew up poor and he was a war hero. You could argue that he was the first really Republican president after Jefferson, one who believed in the sanctity of the union above all things. He was a strong-willed and strong-minded person with a deep love for his country and for God. It's an interesting story, particulary if you're into politics.
I had started reading The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, but I just couldn't get into it. I found the language very old-fashioned and just thought it was tiresome.
American Lion
The Age of Innocence
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Away
Away is the story of Lillian Leyb, a young Jewish woman who flees to America in 1924 after her husband and parents are killed in a Russian pogrom. Once in America Lillian learns that the daughter she thought she lost may be alive, and she embarks on any number of adventures, including involvement with one of the most powerful men in the Yiddish theater and an African American prostitute in Seattle.
This is one of those books that I can't really say I loved, but I really wanted to see what happened to Lillian next, and how she survived it. It's not a pretty novel, and it doesn't make you feel very good about the human experience. That Lillian survives her adventures is truly a miracle. I would compare it to Winter's Bone for its stark and brutal portrayal of people and their lives.
Amy Bloom is an interesting writer, and I enjoyed her style once I got used to it. She uses language beautifully, and I enjoyed her humor and lack of sentimentality. And Lillian is a very interesting character, both strong and vulnerable; you really hope that everything works out for her in the end.
Away
This is one of those books that I can't really say I loved, but I really wanted to see what happened to Lillian next, and how she survived it. It's not a pretty novel, and it doesn't make you feel very good about the human experience. That Lillian survives her adventures is truly a miracle. I would compare it to Winter's Bone for its stark and brutal portrayal of people and their lives.
Amy Bloom is an interesting writer, and I enjoyed her style once I got used to it. She uses language beautifully, and I enjoyed her humor and lack of sentimentality. And Lillian is a very interesting character, both strong and vulnerable; you really hope that everything works out for her in the end.
Away
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Alias Grace
Sometimes (usually) with the Nook, library books that I want aren't readily available, I have to put holds on them because they only have 1 or 2 electronic copies. So I will search for ebooks that are available. That's how I came upon this Margaret Atwood novel that I never read, and I am really glad I did.
Atwood bases her novel on the very real Grace Marks, a 16-year-old servant girl convicted of murder in Canada in 1843 and sentenced to life in prison. It was a sensational story at the time, and Grace served nearly 30 years before being released from prison. Atwood turns Grace from a picture in an old newspaper to a living person, with all the complications most of us have (and some that are just strange enough that they could be true). She uses her formidable talent to create a character who is both sympathetic and untrustworthy, and altogether likeable.
Atwood also uses the novel as a commentary on the plight of women in the 19th century, and on the penal/asylum/service establishments they were often victimized by.
This was a really great read - as always, Atwood drew me in and kept me turning pages until the very end.
Alias Grace
Atwood bases her novel on the very real Grace Marks, a 16-year-old servant girl convicted of murder in Canada in 1843 and sentenced to life in prison. It was a sensational story at the time, and Grace served nearly 30 years before being released from prison. Atwood turns Grace from a picture in an old newspaper to a living person, with all the complications most of us have (and some that are just strange enough that they could be true). She uses her formidable talent to create a character who is both sympathetic and untrustworthy, and altogether likeable.
Atwood also uses the novel as a commentary on the plight of women in the 19th century, and on the penal/asylum/service establishments they were often victimized by.
This was a really great read - as always, Atwood drew me in and kept me turning pages until the very end.
Alias Grace
Friday, March 2, 2012
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
I probably would not have picked up this novel if it hadn't been recommended by my friend Rita. I've never read anything by Tom Franklin, and I tend to read novels by women. But this story of the lives of two men in small-town Mississippi drew me in, and I just couldn't put it down until I learned what happened.
In 1982 Larry Ott and Silas "32" Jones were boyhood friends, despite their differences: Larry a poor, shy, outcast white boy; and Silas, a very poor, baseball star, black boy. But they had a connection, and enjoyed spending time together, until their parents found them out. Then Larry takes a girl out on a date and she never comes home, and he's branded a rapist and murderer, despite there being no evidence and him never serving any time. Silas, meanwhile, leaves to play baseball at Ole Miss.
Fast-forward 25 years, and Larry is the town outcast, labeled "Scary Larry" and living a life with no friends and very little human interaction. Silas has returned as the town constable. They both pretty much keep to themselves, until a local rich girl goes missing, a drug dealer is murdered, and Larry's past makes him once more a suspect.
Yes, the book is a murder mystery, but it's much more than that. It's about coming to terms with your past, and about being honest with yourself about who you are. It's about forgiveness, and redemption. And it's just a really good story about some really interesting characters. I definitely recommend it.
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
In 1982 Larry Ott and Silas "32" Jones were boyhood friends, despite their differences: Larry a poor, shy, outcast white boy; and Silas, a very poor, baseball star, black boy. But they had a connection, and enjoyed spending time together, until their parents found them out. Then Larry takes a girl out on a date and she never comes home, and he's branded a rapist and murderer, despite there being no evidence and him never serving any time. Silas, meanwhile, leaves to play baseball at Ole Miss.
Fast-forward 25 years, and Larry is the town outcast, labeled "Scary Larry" and living a life with no friends and very little human interaction. Silas has returned as the town constable. They both pretty much keep to themselves, until a local rich girl goes missing, a drug dealer is murdered, and Larry's past makes him once more a suspect.
Yes, the book is a murder mystery, but it's much more than that. It's about coming to terms with your past, and about being honest with yourself about who you are. It's about forgiveness, and redemption. And it's just a really good story about some really interesting characters. I definitely recommend it.
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
Monday, February 27, 2012
The Kitchen House
I really enjoyed this novel by Kathleen Grissom, about a young Irish girl brought as an indentured servant to a Virginia plantation in the late 1700's, who is sent to work in the kitchen house with the plantation's slaves. It's a thoughtful, beautifully written, and at times disturbing story of an all-too-real era of our country's history.
Lavinia is only 7-years-old when she arrives at Tall Oaks plantation in southern Virginia, an orphan after both her parents die on the crossing from Ireland. Because her parents were to be indentured to Captain Pyke, he takes her home and sends her to work in the kitchen house with his illegitimate half-white daughter Belle. There, over time, Lavinia comes to view Belle, Mama Mae, Beattie, and Fanny as her family. Soon, however, Lavinia develops a relationship with Ms. Martha, the Captain's wife, and her life is altered dramatically.
By telling the story from both Lavinia's and Belle's perspectives, Grissom deftly shows us how two people can see the same events in different ways. I did find some of the events and action trite - several times I knew what was going to happen before it did. But this novel is really about the characters, and they really do drive the story forward. I wanted to know what was going to happen to them, and I couldn't put the book down until I found out.
The Kitchen House
Lavinia is only 7-years-old when she arrives at Tall Oaks plantation in southern Virginia, an orphan after both her parents die on the crossing from Ireland. Because her parents were to be indentured to Captain Pyke, he takes her home and sends her to work in the kitchen house with his illegitimate half-white daughter Belle. There, over time, Lavinia comes to view Belle, Mama Mae, Beattie, and Fanny as her family. Soon, however, Lavinia develops a relationship with Ms. Martha, the Captain's wife, and her life is altered dramatically.
By telling the story from both Lavinia's and Belle's perspectives, Grissom deftly shows us how two people can see the same events in different ways. I did find some of the events and action trite - several times I knew what was going to happen before it did. But this novel is really about the characters, and they really do drive the story forward. I wanted to know what was going to happen to them, and I couldn't put the book down until I found out.
The Kitchen House
Monday, February 20, 2012
Mockingjay
I have now completed the Hunger Games trilogy and I have to say, I'm glad it's over. This third book in the series takes us away from the arena of the games into a world at war. But the people making the war are the same people who made the games, so who better to know how to fight it than Katniss and the other remaining tributes?
After her dramatic rescue from the arena at the end of book two (and you definitely need to read the first two books to make sense of this one), Katniss finds herself in District 13, the district that supposedly was destroyed by the Capitol. There she finds an active group of rebels, including Haymitch and Gale, who need her as the symbol of the rebellion. But Katniss is so emotionally destroyed by her experiences in the games that she's not much interested in anything, let alone fighting a war, until something happens that changes her mind.
I don't want to give too much away. I will say that this book is hard - it's about war, and it's not pretty. Katniss learns the hard way that not all of the "good guys" are totally good, and that war makes good people do bad things.
Mockingjay
After her dramatic rescue from the arena at the end of book two (and you definitely need to read the first two books to make sense of this one), Katniss finds herself in District 13, the district that supposedly was destroyed by the Capitol. There she finds an active group of rebels, including Haymitch and Gale, who need her as the symbol of the rebellion. But Katniss is so emotionally destroyed by her experiences in the games that she's not much interested in anything, let alone fighting a war, until something happens that changes her mind.
I don't want to give too much away. I will say that this book is hard - it's about war, and it's not pretty. Katniss learns the hard way that not all of the "good guys" are totally good, and that war makes good people do bad things.
Mockingjay
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Death Comes to Pemberly
Okay all you Janites.... erm, Austenians? This book is a MUST read! PD James takes us six years into the future after Elizabeth Bennet marries Fitzwilliam Darcy, and they are now living happily at Pemberly with their two young sons. Then on the eve of their annual ball, a carriage carrying Lydia Wickham comes careering up the lane, with Lydia screaming that Mr. Wickham has been murdered, and the trouble begins.
I don't want to give anything away. I'll say that there is a dead body, and there is a trial. I had some ideas of who was involved but wasn't really sure, and I had no idea about the reasons, so as a murder mystery the book doesn't disappoint.
But as a tribute to Jane Austen - and to her best-loved characters - the novel is a true masterpiece. James must be a true fan, and has obviously read most of Austen's work, because she really captures the Austen voice. She also does a wonderful job of giving histories and back stories to the important characters of Pride and Prejudice. And, she weaves in the mention of a few characters from other Austen novels as well (I won't name names and ruin the smile those will bring).
I have to say it again - a MUST read for any Jane Austen fan. I loved it!
Death Comes to Pemberly
I don't want to give anything away. I'll say that there is a dead body, and there is a trial. I had some ideas of who was involved but wasn't really sure, and I had no idea about the reasons, so as a murder mystery the book doesn't disappoint.
But as a tribute to Jane Austen - and to her best-loved characters - the novel is a true masterpiece. James must be a true fan, and has obviously read most of Austen's work, because she really captures the Austen voice. She also does a wonderful job of giving histories and back stories to the important characters of Pride and Prejudice. And, she weaves in the mention of a few characters from other Austen novels as well (I won't name names and ruin the smile those will bring).
I have to say it again - a MUST read for any Jane Austen fan. I loved it!
Death Comes to Pemberly
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman
I have long been a fan of Catherine the Great - as an adopted kid I used to fantasize that I was a Romanov (go ahead, laugh - I always thought I looked more Russian than Irish). Of course Catherine herself wasn't a Romanov, but she was a smart, strong, and charming woman who became one of Russia's greatest rulers through intelligence and force of personality.
Catherine starts her life as a minor German princess named Sophia, who is brought to Russia by Empress Elizabeth as a wife for her nephew and heir, Peter III (who's also German). We all know this story, right? Peter's loony-tunes, possibly unable to have sex (certainly unwilling to have it with his wife), and he hates all things Russian and loves all things Prussian. Catherine, on the other hand, embraces Russia and it's people, and uses her natural charm and intelligence to create alliances with important and powerful people. When Elizabeth dies, Peter is not on the throne for long.
I admit that I stopped reading the book a little over half-way through. It's a long book, nearly 600 pages, and once Catherine became empress it got a little tedious for me. I enjoyed much more the intrigues prior to her becoming empress, and how she actually came to be ruler in a country where she had no legitimate claim to the throne.
Robert Massie is a really great writer, he tells the story like he knows Catherine very well (and I daresay the amount of research he's done makes him more knowledgeable than almost anyone). It may have been just a little too detailed for me, but I would still recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the little German princess who brought the Enlightenment to Russia.
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman
Catherine starts her life as a minor German princess named Sophia, who is brought to Russia by Empress Elizabeth as a wife for her nephew and heir, Peter III (who's also German). We all know this story, right? Peter's loony-tunes, possibly unable to have sex (certainly unwilling to have it with his wife), and he hates all things Russian and loves all things Prussian. Catherine, on the other hand, embraces Russia and it's people, and uses her natural charm and intelligence to create alliances with important and powerful people. When Elizabeth dies, Peter is not on the throne for long.
I admit that I stopped reading the book a little over half-way through. It's a long book, nearly 600 pages, and once Catherine became empress it got a little tedious for me. I enjoyed much more the intrigues prior to her becoming empress, and how she actually came to be ruler in a country where she had no legitimate claim to the throne.
Robert Massie is a really great writer, he tells the story like he knows Catherine very well (and I daresay the amount of research he's done makes him more knowledgeable than almost anyone). It may have been just a little too detailed for me, but I would still recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the little German princess who brought the Enlightenment to Russia.
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman
Monday, January 30, 2012
Captive Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitane
Once I got into it, I very much enjoyed this novel by Alison Weir about Eleanor of Aquitane. I did have a hard time warming to the characters - they initially seemed a bit too bodice-ripper and not enough historical fiction, but that was remedied after the first few chapters.
Eleanor was a pretty powerful woman for the 12th century. She was married to King Louis of France (Louis VII I think), but when they didn't produce any male heirs the marriage was annulled and she married Henry of Anjou, who would go on to become King Henry II of England. With Henry she had a slew of children, including two future kings of England. But this novel focuses most on the passionate and volatile relationship between Eleanor and Henry.
There's a lot going on in this novel, and we meet some historical heavyweights like Thomas Beckett and Richard the Lionheart. And it's a long novel - 500 pages or so. But I felt like I learned a lot about historical figures that I'm not really familiar with - I tend to focus more on British history a couple hundred years after this. And Weir writes a great afterword that nicely wraps up the novel. I'll definitely look for more of her work.
Captive Queen
Eleanor was a pretty powerful woman for the 12th century. She was married to King Louis of France (Louis VII I think), but when they didn't produce any male heirs the marriage was annulled and she married Henry of Anjou, who would go on to become King Henry II of England. With Henry she had a slew of children, including two future kings of England. But this novel focuses most on the passionate and volatile relationship between Eleanor and Henry.
There's a lot going on in this novel, and we meet some historical heavyweights like Thomas Beckett and Richard the Lionheart. And it's a long novel - 500 pages or so. But I felt like I learned a lot about historical figures that I'm not really familiar with - I tend to focus more on British history a couple hundred years after this. And Weir writes a great afterword that nicely wraps up the novel. I'll definitely look for more of her work.
Captive Queen
Monday, January 16, 2012
Catching Fire
This is the second book in the Hunger Games series, and I honestly think it's better than the first. I plowed through it in two days or so, I just had to know what happened next.
Katniss and Peeta won the Hunger Games in the first book, so now they're supposed to be happy and well-fed and never have to work again. But on their victory tour they see signs of unrest in some of the districts - and signs of the Capitol clamping down on that unrest. Most disturbing to Katniss is that it seems that she (and her mockingjay symbol) has been the spark that ignited the unrest.
The next Hunger Games is the Quarter Quell, a special version that happens every 25 years. When the announcement is made that this year the tributes from each district will be picked from the previous winners, Katniss knows that she and Peeta will be headed back to the arena. What happens then had me riveted.
I just put book three on reserve - can't wait to see how everything works out.
Catching Fire
Katniss and Peeta won the Hunger Games in the first book, so now they're supposed to be happy and well-fed and never have to work again. But on their victory tour they see signs of unrest in some of the districts - and signs of the Capitol clamping down on that unrest. Most disturbing to Katniss is that it seems that she (and her mockingjay symbol) has been the spark that ignited the unrest.
The next Hunger Games is the Quarter Quell, a special version that happens every 25 years. When the announcement is made that this year the tributes from each district will be picked from the previous winners, Katniss knows that she and Peeta will be headed back to the arena. What happens then had me riveted.
I just put book three on reserve - can't wait to see how everything works out.
Catching Fire
Sunday, January 8, 2012
A Fierce Radiance
Sorry I have been off the grid. With the holidays and all, and I started reading The Art of Choosing but just couldn't get into it - though I think the author is one of the most amazing people ever - and I had a little family thing, but anyway. I loved, loved, loved this book! I admit it took me a bit to get into it - maybe a chapter or so - but once I did I couldn't stop pressing the button... er, turning the pages (sorry, read it on my nook). I had initially thought it was a non-fiction account of the development of penicillin but was pleased to find it was a novel centering on penicillin, and with a bit of romance and intrigue thrown in to keep the story moving
Claire Shipley is a photographer with Life magazine who is sent to do a story on a new medicine being tested at the Rockefeller Institute at the beginning of the American involvement in WWII. She meets the handsome doctor James Stanton and her life is never the same again. Both Claire and Jamie become intimately involved with the development of penicillin as they become more intimate with each other.
This isn't just a romance novel. There is murder, science, war, really a little something for everyone. The characters (fictional) are believable and likeable. And the non-fictional characters - Henry Luce, Clare Booth Luce, and New York City - are beautifully drawn, deeply detailed, and just wonderfully rendered. This is a great book, and I'm thinking it will make a great movie....maybe with Claire Danes as Claire Shipley???
A Fierce Radiance
Claire Shipley is a photographer with Life magazine who is sent to do a story on a new medicine being tested at the Rockefeller Institute at the beginning of the American involvement in WWII. She meets the handsome doctor James Stanton and her life is never the same again. Both Claire and Jamie become intimately involved with the development of penicillin as they become more intimate with each other.
This isn't just a romance novel. There is murder, science, war, really a little something for everyone. The characters (fictional) are believable and likeable. And the non-fictional characters - Henry Luce, Clare Booth Luce, and New York City - are beautifully drawn, deeply detailed, and just wonderfully rendered. This is a great book, and I'm thinking it will make a great movie....maybe with Claire Danes as Claire Shipley???
A Fierce Radiance
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
