The Raven's Bride

I thoroughly enjoyed this fictionalized story of Edgar Allan Poe and his child bride, Virginia "Sissy" Clemm. You don't really have to be a Poe fan to enjoy this novel, which is told by Virginia from her perspective. It is a beautifully written, a haunting tribute to Poe's writing, and a sad story of a great love.

Virginia is half Poe's age when they marry - 14 to his 28 - and his cousin. Their families are impoverished but mannerly and educated, and Virginia is a strong-willed young lady. Eddy, as she calls him (which I initially found a little jarring but soon got over it) is a troubled genius, with a dark imagination and deep sensitivity. The story follows them from Baltimore to Richmond, to New York, to Philly, and then back to New York. Eddy is always looking for the next great opportunity, and he seems to ruin every good opportunity he gets. When he does find literary success, there seems to be very little monetary success to accompany it.

I enjoyed reading about the reactions to Poe's writing during his lifetime, and seeing him as a real person, not the character that he has become in the century-and-a-half since his death. The author, Lenore Hart, was named for a Poe poem (she says in the afterword) so she obviously has some affinity and affection for her subject. I like the way she portrays Poe as, not an alcoholic opium-addict, but as a troubled soul who has troubled times. And I like that young Virginia, his child bride, is the one person who can keep him from going too deep inside of himself.

Lenore Hart made Edgar Allan Poe human for me, not just a name on a book jacket, and I very much enjoyed meeting him.


http://www.amazon.com/Ravens-Bride-Novel-Lenore-Hart/dp/0312567235/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318943923&sr=1-1

Stories I Only Tell My Friends

I really, really enjoyed this memoir of Rob Lowe's - thanks Rhonda for recommending it. Lowe comes across as funny, smart, self-deprecating, and generally interesting. He accepts blame and doesn't point fingers (okay, maybe just a little). This is just a really well-written and enjoyable book.

If you are a person of a certain age (like me) who grew up watching Brat Pack movies, then you will really get a kick out of a lot of what Lowe writes about. If you are a film lover, then you will really get a kick out of the behind-the-scenes movie making stuff, especially Lowe's description of working on The Outsiders with Coppola. And if you are just into Hollywood celebrity insider info, then you will enjoy all the cameos and walk-on appearances.

With this book, I think, Rob Lowe proves that he is more like Sam Seaborne than he is like Billy Hicks - though he's definitely lived like both characters at one point in time, and that's what makes him who he is today.

Stories I Only Tell my Friends

Turn Right at Machu Picchu

I saw the author of this book, Mark Adams, on The Daily Show, and he made me want to read his book. I am not one of those people who has always wanted to visit Machu Picchu, for adventuring or mystical reasons or whatever.  It always seemed like an interesting place that would be very difficult to get to (and without things I enjoy, like showers and air conditioning). And it still seems like one of those places to me, and I have no greater desire to visit. But this was a really good book.

Adams basically tells the story of following the footsteps of the explorer who is credited with discovering Machu Picchu, Hiram Bingham. Along the way he learns about the history of the site (and other Inca sites), of the Inca empire, and of Peru. Adams is a really good writer, humorous, warm, and conversational. He is very good at bringing the landscape to life and, more importantly, bringing the people he meets to life. Because although this book is about Machu Picchu, I think it's equally about the people he spends time with, particularly John Leivers, his primary guide.

I highly recommend this book for travel buffs, history buffs, and anyone who has been or wants to go to Machu Picchu. It's just a really good read.

http://www.amazon.com/Turn-Right-Machu-Picchu-Rediscovering/dp/0525952241/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317647352&sr=1-1

Pillars of the Earth

I've never read anything by Ken Follett before, but this book was recommended to me (by someone I don't know well). I tried to like it, I tried for about 100 pages, but I just couldn't get into it. The story is set during the 12th century in England, right around the time William the Conqueror dies. It focuses on a few different people - Tom the builder, Ellen (who might be a seeress), Monk Phillip, and some others. Everyone seems to be hungry and miserable, and there are a lot of mean people who want to hurt and/or kill other people. I wanted to like it, but it's just depressing. I'm usually a big fan of historical fiction, but I think this was just too... real for my tastes. Oh well, someone else out there might like it.

A Discovery of Witches

This is a really neat (and deeply researched) novel about witches and vampires (and demons) living among us, and also about history, evolution, and love. Diana Bishop is a direct descendant of a Salem witch, but ever since her parents' death when she was a child she's tried to turn her back on her magical powers. She's made her life with her intellect, and is a now a well-respected historian. But her discovery of an ancient manuscript - long considered lost - awakens the magic all around her, and what's inside her as well.

Enter Matthew Claremont, a 1,500-year-old vampire. Diana and Matthew find themselves drawn to each other, despite the fact that witches and vampires are historically enemies. The action that develops is fantastic, intriguing, and exciting and makes for a book that's hard to put down. The characters are well-developed and interesting too, and likeable in their humanity (well, except most of them aren't humans, they're witches and vampires and demons). Anyway.

The author, Deborah Harkness, is a historian, so she brings a lot of detail to the story. I found it interesting that she tossed out some or our usual assumptions about vampires: they won't burn in the sunlight, and they don't have fangs. I found it a little bit of a stretch that Matthew interacted with so many noted historical figures, but it didn't make me enjoy the novel less. I can't wait for the sequel!

A Discovery of Witches: A Novel

Talking to Girls About Duran Duran

If you are an 80's music lover - or just someone who came of age in the 1980's - then you'll really enjoy this book. The author, Rob Sheffield, is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone and a guy who was born around the same time I was, so much of what he wrote about really resonated with me, and was downright funny too.

Each chapter is named for an 80's tune, but that's really just a jumping-off point to talk about a topic that's semi-related. For instance, his chapter named after Haysi Fantayzee is mostly about the concept of the one-hit wonder (and has this great line: "The gods of pop music are fickle bastards.").

Sheffield has a lot of great stories and I found myself, again, reading whole sections to Mike, and also almost laughing out loud on the Metro. He's way more into music than I ever was - obviously, it's his life work - but because of the era he's talking about that's never an issue. This is just a really enjoyable book about growing up.

Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man's Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut

Broken Promises: A Novel of the Civil War

I really enjoyed this novel about the Civil War, which was told from a much different perspective than what I'm used to. And it was the perfect hurricane reading.

The novel is fiction but it revolves around some actual historical figures: Charles Francis Adams (son of John Quincy), who was the US Minister to Great Britain during the war, his son Henry, and various other British and American government types. The main fictional characters are Miss Julia Birch, a wealthy young lady who's father is helping the Confederates, and Baxter Sams, a Harvard classmate of Henry's and a Virginian.

Yes there is a love story, but it's really secondary. The main focus of the novel is the relations between America and Britain during the war.

Broken Promises: A Novel of the Civil War