Here you will find the latest in book reviews, book news, critical essays, and most importantly- book giveaways.

Wishful Wednesday February 10, 2010

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:15:05 -0500

Hello everyone! Welcome to Wishful Wednesday.
1. Answer the question, “What books have you been wishing for/wanting to get lately?”
2. Grab the button to the right
3. Post a permalink to your answer in the comments.
4. Visit around.
5. Have fun!
HTML TAGS WILL NOT WORK. So just post the link. If you want it to be neat, post your link in the URL box next to your name.

The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent

Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and willful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live. Often at odds with one another, mother and daughter are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria of the trials and the superstitious tyranny that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft. This is the story of Martha's courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived. Kathleen Kent is a tenth generation descendent of Martha Carrier. She is also a natural-born storyteller, and in her first novel, she paints a haunting portrait, not just of Puritan New England, but also of one family's deep and abiding love in the face of fear and persecution

Today’s Belles-Lettres essay is It’s All About M.E. part 1

APPLE HAS MESSED UP THE SERVER ONCE AGAIN. SO COMMENTS DON’T WORK. PLEASE USE THE FORUM TO ADD YOUR LINK. YOU DO NOT NEED TO CREATE AN ACCOUNT.

Edited to Add:
It appears that MobileMe has fixed the comment problem.

The Last Surgeon

Tue, 9 Feb 2010 19:40:24 -0500

I know you can’t believe this is happening, Ms. Coates, but I assure you it is. I have been paid, and paid very well, to kill you.

If you are friends with me on Facebook, then you will remember that the second sentence was my status update. My sister was a little bit worried. Belle Coates appears to have committed suicide, but her sister Gillian does not believe it. Meanwhile, Dr. Nick Garrity’s best friend Lt. Umberto Vasquez simply disappeared. The two things do not appear related. But Gillian find comic books in her sister’s belonging with the name Dr. Nick Fury. Dr. Fury was Garrity’s knick name.

The pair meet and start trying to uncover what happened to their loved ones. As it turns out there is a connection between them and a number of random people who have been dying in “accidents.” In the end, it is all about how far some in the government will go to win the war on terror.

Please be advised that the killer in this book is particularly twisted and derives a lot of “gratification” if you take my meaning in killing. There is also a scene with some prostitutes which is very short. It is not graphic because sex is really not the “thing” for this murdered. But just so you are aware.

I gotta give the author kudos for his portrayal of Junie, who is an African American nurse in this story. She takes care of one of the bad guys in true Black woman fashion. She dumps boiling water on him then beats him unconscious with the pot. It is truly worthy of Tyler Perry’s character Madea Simmons.

As soon as she got one of the henchman to boil some water for tea, I was saying, “Uh-oh.” He did not know his danger. There was only one way that that particular scenario was going to end. Never mess with a Black mamma!

ATTENTION ATTENTION, I’m please to announce that the author is giving away a copy of this book to one of you readers. If you would like to be entered into the drawing, please fill out the form below. The raffle will close on in one week.

Tuesday Teaser 75

Tue, 9 Feb 2010 19:36:41 -0500

This is from Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare

He lent me counsel, and I lent him eyes.
I am not pilot; yet, wert thou as far as that vast shore wash’d with the farthest sea, I would adventure for such merchandise.

Don’t forget, tomorrow is Wishful Wednesday! So join if you already haven’t!

Belles-Lettres
The Better Part of Valor
Book Reviews
Jane Bites Back
The Last Surgeon (a giveaway is available)

Edited to add: There is a problem with my server. So comments are working. Feel free to email me. Or leave me a comment on my forum.

Edited to Add:
It appears that MobileMe has fixed the comment problem.

Jane Bites Back

Sun, 7 Feb 2010 13:03:42 -0500

I saw this book reviewed on Austenprose. I couldn’t wait to get my hand on this book. In case you’ve been missing in action Jane Austen monster mashups have been all the rage in the past year. Can we forget Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters Last but not least can we forget all the Mr.-Darcy-is-a-vampire books. I know some of us wondered, what would Jane Austen say about all of this. Well this is the question that Michael Ford considers in this book.
Spoiler Alert
Jane is not dead. She’s undead and kicking as a vampire. She was turned by none other than literary bad boy Lord Byron. She owns a little bookstore. She’s annoyed as heck at all the Jane Austen rip-offs like Jane Austen dolls, cookbooks, and fitness guides. What is worse is that her last novel, Constance, has been rejected 116 times over the past 200 years.

When the story opens, Jane hosts a book signing for an author who has written a Pride and Prejudiced themed dating manual. The author doesn’t believe a word of it. She just knows that women love everything Mr. Darcy. Jane bites her. I thought it was pretty funny myself. Oh, yes! Jane is a real vampire none of this Cullen vegatarianism. She eats chocolate and drinks wine.

While Jane is considering her life, two things happen. Her book gets accepted by a publisher and Lord Byron turns up. Once she gets past the excitement of the book, she gets a little scared. After all, authors usually include their biographies. Lord Byron is a different matter altogether. He’s been carrying the torch for Jane for hundreds of years. This time, he really doesn’t want to take no for an answer. He says it’s love, personally I think he just wants what he can’t have.

The best part of this book is that Charlotte Bronte is a vampire too! Why is this great. If you weren’t aware, Ms. Bronte didn’t like Austen’s work at all. She considered it to be fluffy. Well in this story Bronte is well aware of the fact that Austen’s work is still a lot more popular than her books will ever be. So there is a smack down. But I won’t tell you more.

This book was absolutely hysterical. Jane being pissed. Charlotte wanting revenge. Lord Byron being a dutiful bodyguard. What the authors would think? Anyway, unless I’m very much mistaken, Michael Ford left the story line in such a way that there could be a sequel. Apparently the vampire hunters are getting close. Byron is sticking around to protect Jane as she never learned how to fight. Good fun! Purely entertaining.

Friday Firsts 16

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 20:06:19 -0500

The first line can make or break a reader’s interest. Just how well did the author pull you in to the story with their first sentence? To participate in this weekly book meme is extremely easy.
1 Grab the book you are currently reading and open to the first page.
2 Write down the first sentence in the first paragraph.
3 Create a blog post with this information. (Make sure to include the title & author of the book you are using. Even an ISBN helps!)
4 Did this first sentence help draw you into the story? Why or why not?
5 Grab an image code:

This is from GoneAway Into the Land by Jeffrey Allen
My father’s body was a mass of pure muscle, topped by a rock-like, curly-haired head that hung forward from his rounded shoulders.
This father is either a warrior or an abuser based upon this sentence. The next few sentences reveal that he is an abuser.

What was the first line of the book that you chose?

This week’s Belles-Lettres essay is The Better Part of Valor a discussion of discretion in Sense and Sensibility.

David Copperfield

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 20:03:45 -0500

To begin my life with the beginning of my life, I record that I was born (as I have been informed and believe) on a Friday, at twelve o'clock at night. It was remarked that the clock began to strike, and I began to cry, simultaneously.

This book is considered to be the most autobiographical of Dickens work. It seems a fair number of people consider it to be a Bildungsroman. The story is told by David Copperfield at a much older age. His mother's name was Clara. David was born a few months after his father's death. The night that he was born his Aunt Betsey Trotwood came. She left in high dudgeon once she realized that the baby was a boy.

David's mother eventually re-marries an Edward Murdstone who is a fairly nasty man who mistreats David and dominates Clara who is a rather tractable woman. Murstone brings his unpleasant sister to live with them. David is sent off to school after he bites Murdstone on the hand during a beating. British schools during this time, don't seem to be pleasant places or perhaps it is just this school.
Anyway, David's mother dies along with his baby brother. The Murdstones of course neglect him. David works in Murdstone's business and lives with the Micawber family. They are nice people, but Mr. Micawber does not know how to manage finances. As a result, the family end up fleeing the city to avoid creditors. As a result, David goes looking for his Aunt Betsey and does find her. She agrees to take him in and educate him. David goes to school away from home and boards with Mr. Wickfield and his daughter Agnes. While there, David meets Uriah Heep, who is a very unpleasant man who has the very nasty habit of finding out all sorts of things that he shouldn't.

Anyway, David eventually decides to take up a career in law. He is apprenticed to the firm Spenlow and Jorkins. David eventually meets Mr. Spenlow's daughter Dora and falls madly in love with her. Of course Spenlow forbids it. But during this time, his Aunt has become destitute. She invested her money with Mr. Wickfield; but now Wickfield has gone into business with Uriah Heep and the money is gone. David works very hard to take care of his aunt.
David and Dora end up marrying. Dora is a terrible housekeeper. David pretty much has to teach her to do everything. But he loves his little wife. David makes money by writing. Less I forget, Dora dies. She tells David on her deathbed that they probably shouldn't have gotten married, and that it is best that she dies while he is still fond of her. David disagrees of course. Anyway, as typical with most Dickens' plots, there are side stories and mysteries to be discovered. Eventually Mr. Micawber reveals the Uriah Heep had been defrauding Mr. Wickfield. So Aunt Betsey regains her independence. The Micawber's move to Austrlia, and end up doing quite well for themselves. I believe Micawber ends up being Mayor. David marries Agnes and they have a few children together.

I liked the story, but it was so long. But of course, like many of Dickens' stories, it was told in serial format. I'm sure people reading it back then couldn't wait to see what happened from week to week. Gone with the Wind inspired me to read this book. If you recall, when Scarlett goes riding through the woods and is attacked by a group of men (Big Sam saves her), her husband Franklin Kennedy with a group of men go to take care of the problem. While the women wait, Melanie reads from David Copperfield. So when Barnes & Noble came out with their infinitely affordable edition, I bought it. I though Mr. Micawber had some great quotes, especially that the secret of happiness was staying inside one's budget. How many people today need to hear that one.

Wishful Wednesday February 3, 2010

Wed, 3 Feb 2010 19:34:36 -0500

Hello everyone! Welcome to Wishful Wednesday.
1. Answer the question, “What books have you been wishing for/wanting to get lately?”
2. Grab the button to the right
3. Post a permalink to your answer in the comments.
4. Visit around.
5. Have fun!
HTML TAGS WILL NOT WORK. So just post the link. If you want it to be neat, post your link in the URL box next to your name.

Murder on the Eiffel Tower by Claude Izner. .
The brand-new, shiny Eiffel Tower is the pride and glory of the 1889 World Exposition. But one sunny afternoon, as visitors are crowding the viewing platforms, a woman collapses and dies on this great Paris landmark. Can a bee sting really be the cause of death? Or is there a more sinister explanation? Enter young bookseller Victor Legris. Present on the tower at the time of the incident, and appalled by the media coverage of the occurrence, he is determined to find out what actually happened. In this dazzling evocation of late nineteenth-century Paris, we follow Victor as his investigation takes him all over the city and he suspects an ever-changing list of possible perpetrators. Could mysterious Kenji Mori, his surrogate father and business partner at the bookstore Legris operates, be involved in the crime? Why are beautiful Russian illustrator Tasha and her colleagues at the newly launched sensationalist newspaper Passepartout always up-to-date in their reporting? And what will Legris do when the deaths begin to multiply and he is caught in a race against time?
Murder on the Eiffel Tower is painstakingly researched, an effortless evocation of the glorious City of Light, and an exciting opening to a promising series of eight books featuring Victor Legris.

Today’s Belles-Lettres essay is The Better Part of Valor a discussion of discretion in Sense and Sensibility.

The Kingmaking

Tue, 2 Feb 2010 19:42:40 -0500

I saw this book reviewed on Swapna’s site.

This is the first book in the Pendragon’s Banner series. This trilogy chronicles the story of Arthur Pendragon from teen to the King of Britain. For those of you not familiar with Arthurian legend, Uthr had a son with Lady Ygrainne. At the time the pair were not married. But after the death of Ygrainne’s first husband, he married her in order to have a legitimate heir.

Uthr Pendragon is a man in semi-exile. He has been trying to over throw the current monarch Vortigern. In order for Uthr to overthrow Vortigern, he will need the help of his old friend Cunedda, the Lion Lord of Gwynedd. Cunedda is a widower with 10 children- 9 sons and 1 daughter, Gwenhwyfar. Gwenhwyfar was being raised in the Celtic fashion. In other words she was taught sword fighting. She was unlike her sister in law Branwen who was raised according to the dictates of the Roman Catholic church. Uthr brings along Arthur who is a serving boy in his household. Arthur is hated by Morgause, his current mistress.

I wish I could tell you that it was love at first sight between the pair. It wasn’t. In fact Arthur irritated Gwenhwyfar to the point that she threw a bucket of water from a pail in the barn on him. Despite the fact that she had a temper, Gwenhwyfar had captured Arthur even then.

Eventually, Uthr and Cunedda make war on Vortigern, and Uthr ends up dying. The dream of Britain returning to the “rightful” king seems like it must die. But then Cunedda makes a startling announcement- Arthur was the son of Uthr and Ygrainne. All the men swear fealty to Arthur. At that point, Arthur asks Gwenhwyfar to marry him at some point.

But the road to become king turns out to be a long one. Arthur needs military experience before he can challenge Vortigern. Cunedda comes up with a plan; he tells Arthur to join Vortigern’s army. Surprisingly Vortigern agrees thinking that it would be best to keep his enemy close. The road for the pair to end up together is even longer. Cunedda does have to pay for his allegiance to Uthr. He has to promise Gwenhwyfar in marriage to Vortigern’s nephew, Melwas. Vortigern has Arthur agree to marry his daughter, Winifred. Arthur agrees for a couple of reason. First because Winifred’s dowry will pay for his future war, and second he finds out that Gwenhwyfar is promised to someone else.

As it turns out, Gwenhwyfar’s father decides that he loves his little girl too much to give her away to a man like Melwas. So he sends her to Ygrainne. Eventually, Arthur ends up visiting his mother and the pair meet again. By this point, Arthur hates his wife Winifred and has decided to divorce her.

By the end of the book, Vortigern is dead and Hengest, the father-in-law is trying to take over Britian with the Saxons. As a result, Arthur begins making war in order to take the throne. He and Gwenhwyfar have married and have an heir. Unfortunately, Arthur has a son by Winifred who considers herself his wife even though she has been divorced.

This book is a lot different from the typical book, because it is put into historical context. Also what is different is that there isn’t any magical elements. There isn’t Merlin or the Lady of the Lake. It was interesting that the author does give some historical set up for the magical elements. I don’t think I really stopped to think how long it would have taken Arthur to conquer all of Britain. It’s very interesting that in this book, you can see how Arthur was setting up his fall even from the beginning. The book is quite bawdy. No courtly love for this group. Arthur like his father Uthr loved the women; every night it seemed like a different woman.. Anyway, there was a certain term that they used to refer to women- ya know the expletive that begins with a “b.”

The book is told from the point of view of Arthur and Gwenhwyfar. I’m thinking that Gwenhwyfar is in for a rude awakening. I don’t doubt that Arthur loves her, but Arthur loves women too much. Not to mention, he doesn’t have enough self-discipline to restrain himself from partaking in the forbidden. I can see how she will be ripe for Lancelot.

Belles-Lettres
The Things That Seem: Appearances in S & S.

Book Reviews
The Invisible City

Tuesday Teaser 74

Tue, 2 Feb 2010 19:36:41 -0500

This is from Gone Away into the Land by Jeffrey Allen

I stepped to the tope of the staircase and stared into what seemed an endless shaft.

I started down.

Don’t forget, tomorrow is Wishful Wednesday! So join if you already haven’t!

Belles-Lettres
The Things That Seem: Appearances in S & S.

Book Reviews
The Invisible City
Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

The Invisible City

Mon, 1 Feb 2010 16:31:38 -0500

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Alma Books.

This was a very interesting read. This book is a lot different than what I typically read. The narrator works in an art gallery. His childhood was.... it’s hard to describe. His mother and father weren’t married. In fact, he didn’t know who his father was, and his mother never told him. As a child, he and his friends had an obsession, The Invisible City. This was the brainchild of Charles III of Spain that never came to fruition. This was one of those childhood fascinations that the narrator outgrew.

But then one day he received in the mail a journal of an 18th century architect named Andrea Roselli. It was titled: Memoirs of the Invisible City. The narrator loses himself in the history. The story goes from Moscow to Venice. We see the political landscape of that day in both places, the intrigues, the adultery. Most importantly, we discover that Tiepolo, the man who designed the Invisible City, has a painting that has been lost to the annals of time.

While the narrator is learning more about the past, his life in the present is becoming undone. An old friend is arrested as a drug dealer. One friend has been manipulating him to find the Tiepolo to cover her debts. Then there is the old girlfriend who is semi paralyzed from a motorcycle accident; the narrator was driving and feels responsible.

In the end, the Tiepolo is found. The narrator discovers who he is; he finds out who his biological father is. In addition, he finds out that he has a startling connection to the author of the memoir.

This was a very difficult book for me to review. It took me a little bit to get into it. But once I did, I couldn’t put the book down. Most of the plot was the history of the Invisible City. The history of Moscow was particularly fascinating to me. I am not quite as hip with Russian history. I can tell you that Catherine the Great was certainly not someone you wanted to cross. She was all about political alliances and apparently went through lovers like Kleenex. I did find it transitions between present day and the past difficult. But that’s my own fault really as I didn’t bother to read the chapter title which pretty much told you where you were. It was an excellent read. So if you are in the mood for something literary, pick this one up!