The Friends and Family
BOOK BLOG
Fifth page.
List starts with the most
recent at the top.
Page 1,
2,
3,
4, 5, 6,
7, 8,
9, 10,
11, 12,
13
Kay read: THE MISTED CLIFFS by Catherine Asaro
Kay read: 300 by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley
Joy read: TACONI AND CLAUDE: DOUBLE TROUBLE by M.E. Finke
Joy read: TWIST OF HONOR by Karen Welss
Joy read: TAKE ME TO A CIRCUS TENT: THE JEFFERSON
AIRPLANE FLIGHT MANUAL by Craig Fenton
Carla
read: THE BULL FROM THE SEA by Mary Renault
Joy read: TIME FOR ALEXANDER by Jennifer Macaire
Sequel to her
previous fantasy novel,
The Charmed Sphere.
Princess Melody Dawnfield, a mage in training and heir to the throne of Harsdown,
must marry Prince Cobalt, heir to the previous dynasty that ruled her country
and also heir to the neighboring land of Misty Cliffs, as decided by treaty to
preserve the peace between Misty Cliffs, Harsdown, and Aronsdale. Her husband-to-be descends from two royal houses known for violence and ambition, and he is
widely thought to be both brutal and insane. After the marriage she finds that
he has been abused throughout his life, and that he is insecure and terrified of
any sort of positive emotion, seeing them as a weakness. Can even a healing mage
help the victim of such horrific abuse?
A graphic novel
retelling of the thrilling stand of some 300 Spartan soldiers defending the Hot
Gates from the invading Persian King and army. The story always thrills; the
artwork is wonderful.
Delightful story about the adventures of an aborigine boy and his cockatoo
friend on an Outback cattle station. Taconi is approaching his ceremony of
manhood and his father is trying to win the job of Station cook.
Antonia, wealthy but low-born widow of the Earl of Cranbourne, is trying to
avoid marriage with any of the string of fortune hunters with which the king is
pressuring her. When she does choose a man, he is even more low-born than
herself, and less fortunate in the character of his relatives. This is a
better-than-average romance; the equivalent of a Regency romance, but set in a
different time. Restoration instead of Regency, Charles II instead of George III
& IV. The emphasis on the class of the nobility is there, the lavish wealth, the
social intrigue; but the court of Charles II was more dissolute and more
blatantly at the mercy of the successful intriguer. Karen Welss gives her story
freshness by placing it in a new setting, and by giving to her hero and heroine
a humanity which we feel instantly.
The closest thing I've ever
seen to an encyclopedia of a rock 'n' roll band. Just holding it for the first
time gave me a huge,
nostalgic smile.
Review.
Spellbinding retelling of the
Theseus legend, picking up Theseus' story on his triumphant return from Crete
after slaying the Minotaur. Sequel to THE KING MUST DIE, and as fresh and vivid
as on a first reading.
Review.
First of the
Kay read: HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR by Jim Squires
HORSE
OF A DIFFERENT COLOR by Jim Squires is the story of Kentucky Derby winner
Monarchos, by the man who bred him. Race horse breeding is both fascinating - in
that even a very small farm like Two Bucks can breed a champion - and heart
breaking with events like the death of a long awaited and prized foal or in the
forced sale of a cherished horse in order to keep the rest of the horses in feed
for another year.
Kay read: THE AMERICAN PLAGUE by Molly Caldwell Crosby
THE
AMERICAN PLAGUE by Molly Caldwell Crosby tells of Yellow Fever, and how it has
formed American history. The first section of the book tells of a great epidemic
in the Mississippi Valley in 1878 which made some 200,000 people sick and killed
so many people in Memphis alone that only that city's death toll was greater
than that of the San Francisco Earthquake, the Chicago Fire, and the Johnstown
Flood combined. The slow Federal response infuriated many, and caused confidence
in the government and its ability to handle a crisis to plunge. The epidemic was
the Katrina of its day - a natural horror compounded by bungling and slow
bureaucracy. The second section of the book tells of Walter Reed and the brave
medical crew he led in their efforts to find the source of transmission of the
dreaded disease, which is thought to have killed some 500,000 Americans alone
from the time the slave ships brought it from Africa to the year 1900.
Interesting, though very grim, stuff.
Kay read: BY SLANDEROUS TONGUES by Mercedes Lackey and
Roberta Gellis
BY
SLANDEROUS TONGUES by Mercedes Lackey and Roberta Gellis is the third book in a
fantasy series which began with
This Scepter'd Isle
and
Ill Met by
Moonlight. The elves of Britain have seen various futures following
the death of Henry VIII - most of them involving a time of absolute misery under
his daughter Mary and a time of great joy under his daughter Elizabeth. The dark
elves, who feed from hatred and pain and fear, cannot wait for Mary to rule, and
want to stop Elizabeth from ever ruling. The bright elves, who feed from love
and joy, wish to protect Elizabeth. Henry VIII has passed away now, and his
young son is on the throne. The visions of Mary and Elizabeth remain, as well as
a new vision - a flickering view of a sad and tragic young girl briefly taking
the throne. The dark Court, forbidden by King Oberon to harm Elizabeth directly,
decide to take a new path - killing her Bright Court protectors, and destroying
her with gossip and slander in the human world. But her protectors might not be
so easy to slay - and Elizabeth does not prove to be easy prey for the enspelled
ladies' man (and her stepfather) - Thomas Seymour.
Kay read: THE BOOKSELLER OF KABUL by Asne Seierstad
THE BOOKSELLER OF
KABUL by Asne Seierstad is a book written by a Norwegian journalist who was
allowed to live with a family in Afghanistan for some months and given
permission to write about the lives of the family members. As a woman, she
was allowed to see a side of life in that very war-torn country that not
many get a glimpse of - that of the daily lives of Afghani women. She both
accompanied the patriarch on business trips, and the women to the markets
(dressed in a burka). The result is a fascinating look at a family which has one
foot in the modern world - The patriarch values books more than anything in the
world and kept books available in Kabul, despite both the Communists and Taliban
burning his stock. But at the same time, it is a very traditional family, where
the women are held in little value, and where father's word is law. The plight
of the women is heartbreaking.
Kay read: THE CAT WHO HAD 60 WHISKERS by Lilian Jackson
Braun
THE CAT WHO HAD 60 WHISKERS by Lilian Jackson Braun
is the latest in her
Cat Who
mystery series, which has something like thirty books in it now. The author of
this series is now in her mid-nineties, and still producing a novel a year -
which is completely amazing! Her age does show a bit, in that the plot is not
quite as tightly woven as in books past, but still! I also give this author
credit in that she never minds eliminating an important character (as she does
in this book) or making a huge change (as she does in this book) in locale or
setting. A couple of big surprises will be in store for long time readers in
this installment.
Kay read: HORSE PASSAGES by Jennifer Macaire
HORSE PASSAGES by
Jennifer Macaire is a young adult science fiction novel. Travelers from Earth
long ago found a haven world in the galaxy, complete with herds of horses which
have the ability to open gates between worlds. A society grows up with
hereditary herders who tend to the herds of horses, who map the new worlds the
horses open up for mankind. But humans are not alone in this galaxy - there is a
species of pirate-like Raiders who carry off horses and herders alike, who are
never seen again. Twin herders Carl and Maegan Cadet travel with their herd of
gray horses through the worlds. They lost the rest of their family to Raiders
long ago, and both still carry emotional damage from that great loss. When
further tragedy strikes the Cadets, they will be sorely tested. Beautifully
written novel that I will pass on to my younger son - I think he will love it!
Kay read: THE TRUE KNIGHT by Susan Dexter
THE TRUE KNIGHT by
Susan Dexter is the third book in the
Warhorse of Esdragon Trilogy.
Titch has trained his entire life in hopes of being a knight like his late
father. In his first challenge, he meets a wondrous black stallion who he
immediately knows he cannot live without. Wren is a mage's apprentice, without
any memories of her life before the point where the mage pulled an otter out of
his fish trap - an otter who became a girl when she tumbled out on dry land. The
two young people are forced to go on a dangerous quest by a mad queen - to find
that queen's son, ensorcelled into the shape of a swan. But finding the
enchanted prince in the huge flocks of wild swans will prove to be the easiest
and least dangerous of their challenges...
Kay read: THE WIND WITCH by Susan Dexter
THE WIND WITCH by
Susan Dexter is the second book in The
Warhorse of Esdragon Trilogy.
It is two generations following Prince Leith and his mean wife, the Duchess Kess.
Their granddaughter, a younger daughter of a younger son, has spent her life
being a dutiful daughter and a dutiful wife (though her barrenness runs like an
open sore through her heart). The one joy of her life is the black stallion
Valadan, who bonded to her when she was a child. Now the widow of a landed
farmer, Druyan wishes only to free hold her late husband's farm for a year and a
day so that she can own it in her own name and not be forced to remarry by her
family. But the land of Esdragon is under attack from Viking-like raiders from
the sea, and in the lack of leadership from an incompetent and foolish Duke,
Esdragon
needs
a hero - even if that hero is a widowed and barren weather-working witch who
does not feel capable of being a hero!
Kay read: THE PRINCE OF ILL LUCK by Susan Dexter
THE PRINCE OF ILL
LUCK by Susan Dexter is the first book of
The Warhorse of Esdragon Trilogy.
The favorite mare of a horse crazy Duke will not allow any stallion to mate with
her. A wizard coaxes the winds to take on the form of a stallion and impregnate
the mare. The resulting foal is named Valadan - a coal black immortal stallion
with the speed and endurance of the wind, the intelligence of a human, and the
ability to mind speak with his bonded riders. The colt is stolen from the Duke,
and ends up running with the deer in the wilds. There he is found by a
shipwrecked young Prince of the Isles named Leith. Leith is famed for having the
worst luck in the world, and for bringing that luck with him to his companions
wherever he goes. The story tells of how Leith, with the help of Valadan, wins
the hand of a princess and tries to get the bad luck curse on his life lifted.
Unfortunately, the story, while fun, was sort of ruined for me with the
character of the princess - the worst example of the stereotyped headstrong and
bitchy fantasy princess I have ever run into. Yuck. I still liked Valadan and
Leith quite a bit, though!
Kay read: THE HORSE GODDESS by Morgan Llywelyn
THE HORSE GODDESS
by Morgan Llywelyn tells the story of a Celtic girl who lived in the Austrian
Alps at about the time of the rise of Athens. Epona is the daughter of a Chief
and can reach out to the tribe's ponies with her mind. But she hates and
fears the tribe's Druid, and does not wish to be trained as a Druid herself.
When she is about to be forced to begin the Druid training against her will, she
takes the opportunity to run away with some traders belonging to the Scythian
people, and is taken to the steppes of Asia. There, among the horse people, her
horse magic begins a legend that will result with her being identified as a
goddess of horses. Well written and interesting historical fantasy.
Kay read: THE CHARMED SPHERE by Catherine Asaro
THE CHARMED SPHERE
by Catherine Asaro is the first fantasy novel by this former rocket scientist
and current science fiction writer. Aronsdale is a little country without
particular wealth or renown, but where the people lead peaceful lives with
plenty to eat and comfortable places to live, as well as holding gainful
employment from agriculture and crafts. It is a quiet and very pleasant place to
live. But it is a land facing the greatest challenge in decades as a neighboring
country views it with conquest in mind following the death of its long time
king. Both royal princes feel truly unfit to rule - and they both have good
reason for their crippling self doubts. In the tradition of the land, the royal
family members marry the most powerful appropriate age/sex mages that can be
found - and both of the young princesses (though showing great promise) are
country girls, just learning their magecraft, and very inexperienced. They each
also feel unfit to be leaders! Even the army is inexperienced and in need of
training, not having seen a real battle in decades. But somehow the two young
royal couples and their advisors must find a way to defend this precious,
peaceful, and endangered place from an ambitious neighboring king who views
Aronsdale as a first step towards building an empire, and from his mad and very
powerful mage.
Carla
read: PENDRAGON by Stephen Lawhead
Uninvolving fantasy
retelling of the King Arthur story mixed with elements of the Atlantis legend.
Review.
Carla
read: THE SAMPLIST by Francis Ellen
Witty black comedy set in a
contemporary Glasgow music college, reminiscent of Tom Sharpe's PORTERHOUSE
BLUE. Alex Stone is a mediocre pianist on a mission to prove that electronically
sampled music can compare with the best performers in the world. But the slimy
vice-principal is out to get him, his musician friends are brilliant but
erratic, and to make matters worse his beautiful girlfriend has sent one of his
computer-generated tapes to a music publisher who now wants to meet and sign
this hitherto-unknown piano virtuoso...
Review.
Joy read: REBEL HEART by Christine Young
Page 24
was as far as I could get in this romance. I started it because of the futuristic setting, but I
don't enjoy bondage scenarios. Publication date is June 1, 2007.
Kay read: THE GRAND SOPHY by Georgette Heyer
THE GRAND SOPHY by
Georgette Heyer is a Regency romance and one of the funnest and most charming
books I have ever read. Sophy is bright, vibrant, and charming - and she knows
what is best for others and goes about getting that best for them in very
unorthodox ways. When she is sent to live with the stuffy family of her aunt in
England by her diplomat father when he is posted to Brazil, she cheerfully turns
their lives upside down and they do not know what hit them. Absolutely adorable
story!
Kay read: ROMA ETERNA by Robert Silverberg
ROMA ETERNA by
Robert Silverberg is a science fiction/fantasy novel set on an Earth where Rome
never fell. A set of short stories that tell of key moments of the history of
this Rome or tell of the lives of individual Romans, or gives a taste of what it
was like living there. The stories begin at about the year AD 450 (our time) and
end with the beginning of the space age (about AD 1970 our time) and deal with
such topics as the discovery of the New World, the competition between the
Western and Eastern Empires, and how Rome dealt with a certain very powerful and
charismatic religious leader in Mecca... right on up to the first manned space
flight.
Kay read: THE KITE RUNNER by Khaled Hosseini
THE KITE RUNNER by
Khaled Hosseini is a very powerful novel set in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and
America. Amir is the son of a rich merchant of Kabul, born in the last days of
the kingdom, a time of relative peace. He lives with his father, and his
father's lifelong servant, Ali, and that servant's son, Hassan - born not long
after Amir, and his milk brother, as both boys lost their mothers and shared a
wet nurse. The novel centers around the relationships between Amir and his
father and between Amir and Hassan. The themes of the book is dealing with
violence and tragedy, survivor's guilt and being too hard on yourself - and in
facing down your demons of memories and guilt and insecurity and fear. In
becoming good again and making restitution for crimes and sins and errors of the
past. Parts of the book are very painful - but the story ends with a huge note
of hope that things can change, that things can become better - that you can, in
fact, become good again.
Kay read: POEMS, PROTEST, AND A DREAM by Sor Juana Ines de
la Cruz
POEMS, PROTEST, AND A DREAM by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz is a
collection of writings from one of Mexico's first great poets and playwrights,
who lived way back in the 1600's. Hers are some of the first feminist writings
to come from the Western European tradition, as she passionately defends her
right to study, learn, teach, and write when attacked by upperlings in the
Church. Of particular interest was a short play where she compares the
indigenous Aztec religion with Catholicism.
Kay read: HARROWING THE DRAGON by Patricia A. McKillip
HARROWING THE DRAGON by
Patricia A. McKillip is an excellent short story collection by a fantasy Grand
Master. Some of the stories are serious, some humorous - none are quite what you
would expect. All are elegantly told and rich with meaning. I especially enjoyed
A Troll and Two Roses,
A Matter of Music,
and
The Fellowship of the Dragon.
Kay read: FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER: A DAUGHTER OF
CAMBODIA REMEMBERS by Loung Ung
FIRST THEY KILLED
MY FATHER: A DAUGHTER OF CAMBODIA REMEMBERS by Loung Ung is the memoir of a
woman who was once a victim of the Killing Fields of Cambodia. She was the five
year old daughter of a well-off family of a high government official when the
Khmer Rouge took over the country. The family did their best to hide in the
countryside as peasants, but eventually the truth of the father came out and the
members of the large family begin to die one by one. It is amazing that this
little girl managed to survive though horror, violence, and starvation - but she
did, and came to America as a refugee - still a child in years, but anything but
a child in experience. She has become a voice for the victims of genocide, and a
leader in the movement against land mines. The brutality she experienced is
horrifyingly painful to read about - but the fact that she has survived and has
turned her passion into a burning need to help others also is a sign of hope for
the human race.
Kay read: THE BONEHUNTERS by Steven Erikson
THE
BONEHUNTERS by Steven Erikson is the sixth huge novel in his fantasy series
Tales of the Malazan Book
of the Fallen. I thought this one was a big improvement over the
bloated fifth book. The action begins right after the end of the events of the
fourth book,
House of
Chains, and we are back in the lands of the Malazan Empire. The
Malaz Fourteenth Army is in pursuit of the last remnants of the rebel forces in
the desert subcontinent called the Seven Cities. Karsa Orlong, coolest badass in
the history of fantasy, has not only discovered that he has a good mind and
heart - but he also discovers a personal need to become a champion for the
underdog. The dread Chained God has been granted a place in the Pantheon, and
the gods are deciding to choose their sides in the upcoming war - and pity all
of the poor mortals who might get in the way! And the Malaz and Lethari empires
are beginning to clash along the edges of their spheres of control.
Joy read: A CHARM FOR A UNICORN by Jennifer Macaire
An
evil magician falls for the beautiful Leonie and steals her from the man
she loves. He thinks he is in control, but he discounts the magic this
helpless-seeming girl can wield. An
utterly charming YA which mixes delight with a look at human issues. Leonie's
alternate persona as a unicorn is as magical for us as the story is.
**Tied for my most enjoyable YA read this year
Joy read: THE LOST PEOPLE OF MALPLAQUET by Andrew Dalton
2nd in the
Malplaquet
trilogy. Young adult fantasy about a colony of Lilliputians trying to survive on
a modern English estate. T.H. White with a touch of Monty Python as written by
an ethics teacher.
Review.
Kay read: THE ROMANOV PROPHECY by Steve Berry
The Russian
people, fed up with government corruption and the power of the Russian Mob, has
voted for a return to the Czars. An American lawyer, an expert in Russian
language and history, has been chosen as one of the people to work on checking
out the backgrounds of living members of the Romanov family, and to see if there
is anything to keep any of them from becoming the new monarch. When digging
through the top secret archives, he finds a prophecy of Rasputin, written down
by the last Csarina, Alexandra, which indicates that someday heirs of herself
and her husband might one day regain the Russian throne, even though the family
is doomed to die within two years if nobles kill the mystic. He also finds
evidence that both Lenin and Stalin were afraid that one or more of the children
might have escaped the slaughter of the royal family in Ekaterinburg. It is soon
obvious, as Miles Lord escapes one assassination attempt after another, that
someone in power does not like these findings. Will Miles survive long enough to
find the truth? Who is trying to kill him and hide that truth? How did a royal
child escape the slaughter, and how have they been hidden away in the
near-century since? Quite a nice little suspenseful historical whodunit.
Kay read: THE PILLOW BOOK OF LADY WISTERIA by Laura Joh Rowland
In Japan in the
year 1693, under the shoguns. ~ Sano Ichiro serves the shogun as a special
investigator and prosecutor. He receives the most dangerous case of his life
when the shogun's cousin and heir is murdered when having a liaison with a high
priced courtesan named Lady Wisteria. The woman has vanished, and an
over-zealous judge has condemned all of the possible witnesses to death in an
effort to increase his standing with the shogun. Evidence turns up implicating
Sano himself, and he must solve the case quickly and prove who committed the
murder - or he, his family, and all of his retainers will be put to death.
Kay read: THE BLACK LOTUS by Laura Joh Rowland
A mystery novel set in the 1690's in Japan under
the Shogun. Samurai Sano Ichiro serves the Shogun as his
sosakan-sama, a sort of special
prosecutor/investigator (to try to find the nearest current day American
equivalent). In this novel, Sano is sent forth to investigate the nefarious
events surrounding a multiple murder and arson at the grounds of the temple of
the Black Lotus sect of Buddhism. Sano has his hands full, as the investigation
turns extremely difficult. He is aided by his wife, daughter of a top level
judge, and trained (as some true life women of the samurai cast were) in both
education and weapons as a man of that class was trained. The difficult
investigation, and the pressure coming down from the court to solve the case
quickly, put strains on themselves, their top retainers, and their marriage.
Kay read: THE HOUND AND THE FALCON by Judith Tarr
An omnibus of three fantasy novels which make up a trilogy:
The
Isle of Glass
The Golden Horn
The Hounds of God
Brother
Alfred, taken in by the monks of a quiet English monastery as an orphaned
baby and foundling, has come to believe that he is elven rather than human. In
the sixty years since he was found, he has not aged beyond looking like a
teenager. He can read other people's minds, and has a magical talent for
healing. Yet, though he does nothing but good with his life, he comes to have
horrible, near-suicidal doubts of his worth, as the Church teaches that his kind
is soulless and evil. Alf is sent forth from the monastery on an all important
mission of diplomacy to Richard the Lion Heart, then is swept into a life of
adventure - always, always doubting his own value. Sometimes you want to scold
him for his stubbornness and his failure to see his great worth, but Tarr makes
you care deeply about him and about his friends.
Kay read: THE ANALECTS by Confucius
THE ANALECTS by Confucius is a classic Chinese philosophy textbook, which
praises family loyalty, learning, and hard work. Some of the thoughts are
completely foreign to Western morality (such as family loyalty being more
important than turning in a criminal) but interesting all the same.
Kay read: THE TERROR by Dan Simmons
A
mixture of adventure, survival, and horror, this is a well crafted and
suspenseful novel that grips you from cover to cover. Two British ships have
been looking for the fabled Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic in the
1840's. They become trapped in the ice for three winters - two in the same
desolate place - and are not able to escape in the intervening short summer.
Food and fuel are running low, and there is
something out
there, picking off the men one or two at a time. Inspired loosely by an
historical mystery, of a lost British exploratory expedition.
Carla read: THE DAWN STAG by Jules Watson
Sequel to
THE WHITE MARE,
this epic saga of love, war and spiritual fulfilment concludes the story of
Rhiann and Eremon and their fight against the Roman invasion of Scotland,
culminating in the battle of Mons Graupius in AD 83.
Review.
Joy read: A FINE AND BITTER SNOW by Dana Stabenow
The Bush government has decided to drill and mine in the inviolable Denali
National Park. Its first step will be to replace the Park's Ranger, whose
decades of experience in the Park make him irreplaceable to the Natives and
wildlife who live there. Kate and her community rise up to defend their way of
life.
Kay read: THE TURRET by Margery Sharp
THE TURRET by Margery Sharp is the sequel to Miss Bianca. The mice
discover that a horrible man - a servant to the evil duchess in Miss Bianca
- has been imprisoned by that wicked womann. They dither between setting him free
(and giving him the chance to reform his ways) and feeling that he deserves what
he is getting. Compassion from Miss Bianca and a great race horse named Sir
Hector win the day. But have they freed a new man - or an old criminal?
Kay read: MISS BIANCA by Margery Sharp
MISS BIANCA by Margery Sharp is the sequel to The Rescuers. The little
mice who like to rescue prisoners are at work again. In this case, they decided
to free a young servant girl from bondage to a cruel and murderous duchess.
Kay read: THE RESCUERS by Margery Sharp
THE
RESCUERS by Margery Sharp tells the story of three very brave little mice who
manage to spring a young Norwegian poet out of a notorious prison. The mice are
charming, as is the story. Much better than the films Disney came up with - and
set in Europe rather than Louisiana or Australia.
Kay read: THE INCORRIGIBLE LADY CATHERINE by Elena Greene
THE INCORRIGIBLE LADY CATHERINE by Elena Greene is a Regency romance about the
relationship between two good natured music lovers from different stations of
life. Lady Catherine is the beautiful and musically talented daughter of a Duke.
She is also both physically and emotionally abused, and decides to run away with
a man she does not love to get away from her awful family. Caught by her father,
she is banished to the cottage of some distant relatives in the Lake district
and placed under guard. Nonetheless, she still manages to meet the handsome and
sensitive Phillip Woodmere, a gentleman farmer with a heart as big as a
mountain. They bond over his younger (orphaned) siblings and her musical genius.
Misunderstandings (often brought about by the emotional wounds and insecurity of
Catherine's past - she honestly does not feel that she is good enough for the
kind Phillip) and differences in their social stations threaten their
relationship, but all is well by the end.
Kay read: REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM by Kate Douglas
Wiggin
REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM by Kate Douglas Wiggin tells the story of a girl sent
by her widowed mother (who is impoverished and has too many children) to her
spinster aunts to be brought up right and to get an education. It reminded me in
many ways of Anne of Green Gables, but lacking the greater depth of that
story. (Though in justice, this book might have been meant for younger readers
than Anne.) Rebecca is a charmer - intelligent, dreamy, wildly creative.
You cannot help but root her to have a good life.
Kay read: FIVE LITTLE PEPPERS AND HOW THEY GREW by
Margaret Sidney
FIVE LITTLE PEPPERS AND HOW THEY GREW by Margaret Sidney is an old children's
classic about a widowed mother who can never make ends meet, trying to raise
five children with little food or money. The two eldest help as much as they
can. Despite the poverty and hard work, the children are inevitably happy and
cheerful. A pretty fairy tale where the entire family takes on the role of
Cinderella.
Kay read: THE YACOUBIAN BUILDING by Alaa Al Aswany
THE YACOUBIAN BUILDING by Alaa Al Aswany is a gripping novel that tells of the
lives of the residents of a down at the heels apartment building in Cairo during
the time of the first Gulf War. Life in Egypt is not pretty or easy - the
government and the police are corrupt beyond measure. Class discrimination
against the poor runs rampant. Fundamentalism calls like a siren to angry young
men with no opportunities and whose dreams have been shattered by the corruption
and brutality they have encountered in their lives. Yet - the author embraces
compassion, love, and life.
Kay read: GRAVE SURPRISE by Charlaine Harris
GRAVE
SURPRISE by Charlaine Harris is the sequel to Grave Sight. Harper was
struck by lightning when she was fourteen. ever since, she has been able to
locate nearby corpses, and know what killed them. A professor at a small college
near Memphis teaching a class on the supernatural has hired Harper to come to a
very old cemetery on the grounds of the college and tell him (and his class)
what killed the various people buried there (the priests in the old days kept
very careful records, and Harper has had no access to those records). But she
finds a surprise - one of the graves contains a second body - that of a young
girl who was kidnapped from Nashville two years before. Harper had been hired at
the time the girl vanished to see if she could find her, but could not. It soons
becomes clear that the murderer had wanted the girl's body found, and in the
most suspicious of circumstances for Harper and her brother/helper Tolliver. But
who would have killed a little girl, who would have set them up, and why???
Carla read:
Joy read: THE SINGING OF THE DEAD by Dana Stabenow
A candidate for state Senate is receiving death
threats. Her manager reluctantly hires Kate in spite of the bad blood between
them. The hundred-year-old story of a high glamour Alaskan prostitute runs
parallel to the campaign intrigue. I do love Kate, her life
and her friends.
Joy read: MIDNIGHT COME AGAIN by Dana Stabenow
Kate's friends are looking for her, but she doesn't want to be found. All they
know is that she took off after a devastating personal tragedy. Life comes
crashing back into Kate when her course intersects with an investigation of the
Russian Mafia.
Kay read: MIDNIGHT TIDES by Steven Erikson
I
finished it. Finally. Thanks be to God! Midnight Tides is over. You know,
there is a magnificent story hiding in that 900+ page novel - crying and
pleading for a good editor to release it! But for now, I feel as if I have just
completed a 10k road race over hilly terrain. This book was a marathon. And
nearly every time I picked it up, I ended up nodding off. And for a book of over
900 pages, nearly all of the good scenes and good action was in the last third.
Though it is the fifth book in his fantasy series Malazan Book of the Fallen,
it inexplicably takes place years before the other books, in a completely
different (and distant) place in the world, and with a completely different
batch of characters. I cannot recall at this moment when I have been so relieved
to finish a book - which is a shame, as there was some very good writing and
some great story elements hiding under all of that padding and under all of
those unneeded subplots.
Joy read: HUNTER'S MOON by Dana Stabenow
It's delicious to be back in the Alaska of award winning mystery writer Dana
Stabenow. Her detective Kate Shugak is a Native American who quit the police
force after having her throat slashed. Kate is downright, vigorous, sneaky,
sexy, clever, uninhibited -- a bundle of contradictions all wrapped up in a
determined sense of justice. In this case, Kate is part of a team of hunting
guides, hired by a very rich and untrustworthy German industrialist and his
executives.
It's a good thing I have the next
Joy read: THE PERSIAN BOY by Mary Renault
After the small but poisonous description of Bagoas in A TASTE OF ASHES, I wanted to revive
my memory of the sweet boy
who was Alexander's lover and servant in Mary Renault's classic THE PERSIAN BOY.
The book is just as moving and beautiful in still another reread.
**Tied for my most enjoyable historical novel of the year
Kay read: GRAVE SIGHT by Charlaine Harris
GRAVE SIGHT by Charlaine Harris is the first book in a new supernatural mystery
series. Harper got struck by lightning as a young teen. It not only has left her
physically scarred, but it has given her the ability to find nearby dead bodies,
and to know what killed the person/s. With the company and support of her
stepbrother, Tolliver, Harper does her best to make a living of this strange
ability. People hire her to find dead bodies, then quite often look at her in
horror when she finds them. In this story, Harper is called to a little town in
the Arkansas Ozarks to see if she can find the body of a missing teenaged girl.
She finds the body, but it stirs up a hornet's nest worth of trouble.
Kay read: DEATH A L'ORANGE by Nancy Fairbanks
DEATH A L'ORANGE by Nancy Fairbanks is the third book in her Culinary
Mysteries series. Carolyn Blue loves food, and is a nationally syndicated
food writer. Her husband is a chemistry professor and she travels with him when
he goes to conventions and consultations - and while he works - she eats! At all
of the finest restaurants in town, especially ones that feature regional
specialties. And she solves mysteries while she is going around eating, as well.
In this outing, Carolyn and her husband and their son are touring France. The
descriptions of the food, especially in Normandy, make you drool! And the
mystery is also pretty good! The author somehow makes you feel sorry for the
culprit and despise the target. And you really want to eat a Norman apple
pastry!
Kay read:
VENETIA by Georgette Heyer
VENETIA by Georgette Heyer is a Regency era romance. Beautiful Venetia Lanyon
has put aside any hopes for herself, in caring for her lame younger brother and
for the family's estate after the death of her father and her older brother's
service in the army. Then one day she meets her neighbor, Lord Damerel, a
notorious rake shunned by most of Polite Society. Needless to say, sparks soon
fly as the two opposites attract. A sweet story with quite a few twists and
surprises.
Joy read: A TASTE OF ASHES by Jennifer Macaire
4th book in the
Kay read: A TASTE OF MAGIC by Andre Norton & Jean Rabe
A
TASTE OF MAGIC by Andre Norton and Jean Rabe is the Grand Master Norton's last
story. Near the end of her life she requested Rabe, an author she had worked
with before, to finish it. She provided Rabe with piles of notes and many
conversations about how she wanted the story to go. The final effort is quite
seamless - you cannot tell where Norton stopped writing and Rabe started. It is
a little fantasy novel that starts with a cliché - a person is out hunting when
nearly her entire village is wiped out and swears revenge when she returns home
and finds the slaughter. But it quickly transcends that cliché and has lots of
nice twists. Wisteria, the main character, has an interesting form of magic -
one that primarily enhances her senses of smell and taste. A very pleasant
little novel.
Kay read: DARTH BANE PATH OF
DESTRUCTION by Drew Karpyshyn
DARTH BANE PATH OF DESTRUCTION by Drew Karpyshyn tells the story of how an angry
miner from a dirt ball world becomes the most terrible and badass Sith Lord in
the history of the Star Wars universe. Set hundreds (if not thousands) of years
before the Star Wars movies, this helps set the stage for what we see on film.
Well written for a Star Wars novel, too!
Joy read: SUNSET PROMISE by Irene Estep
A couple who burst into flames at the sight of each other is thrown into turmoil
by an interminable series of misunderstandings and clumsiness. It doesn't help
that he is an urban developer and she is part of a threatened historic
neighborhood. After repeated cases of complete stupidity on both sides, it
wasn't until the end of the book that the characters began to make sense. Better
late than never.
Review.
Joy read: SHATTERED DANCE by Caitlin Brennan
The culmination of the
Kay read:
PARADISE OF THE BLIND by Duong Thu Huong
PARADISE OF THE BLIND by Duong
Thu Huong is a beautifully written novel filled with a gentle and hopeful spirit
despite its disturbing subject matter. A young girl from Vietnam travels to
Russia to work in a factory in the 1980's. Through current events in her life
and through her flashbacks, we see how the country of Vietnam has been torn
apart in decades of violence and turmoil. We see how venal and corrupt and
ridiculous the Communist government was. We see how the ravages of the wars can
affect one life, one family, one village. Yet despite everything, the author
ends the book on a note of grace and hope that things will someday be a lot
better in that beautiful country. Also - the constant descriptions of delicious
sounding food gave me cravings!
Kay read:
FREDERICA by Georgette Heyer
FREDERICA by Georgette Heyer is
a regency romance about a bored nobleman who falls in love not only with his
distant cousin, but also with her rowdy and funny little brothers. A very
charming story about how a spoiled and jaded man finds his heart - and finds
that it is much larger than he ever thought possible.
Kay read:
THE ROYAL GHOSTS by Samrat Upadhyay
THE ROYAL GHOSTS
by Samrat Upadhyay is a collection of short stories set in Nepal and written by
a writer from Nepal. The stories are set in the recent past and current day. The
stories tell of the lives of normal everyday people in Nepal and some of the
challenges they face - whether the threat of Maoist insurgents or the breakdown
of traditional castes or simply trying to find a spouse. Many of the stories end
as a character faces a huge decision, which is haunting and makes you think for
a long time, wondering what the person will choose to do. This is a beautiful
collection of stories.
Kay read:
ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT by Mercedes Lackey & Roberta Gellis
ILL MET BY
MOONLIGHT by Mercedes Lackey and Roberta Gellis is the sequel to This
Scepter'd Isle. The elves have received visions of the fate of England after
the death of Henry VIII. They see his daughter Mary ushering in a period of
death and horror. They see his daughter Elizabeth ushering in a golden age. The
Dark Elves, who feed on fear and pain, will do anything to bring Mary to the
throne someday. The Bright Elves, who feed from joy and love, wish to bring
Elizabeth to the throne. This novel tells of Elizabeth's girlhood - protected by
the Bright Elves, threatened by the Dark.
Kay read:
SMOKE IN THE WIND by Peter Tremayne
SMOKE IN THE WIND
by Peter Tremayne is a mystery book set in Wales in the seventh century AD. In
those days, women in Ireland were legally the equals of men. They could be
rulers, judges, lawyers, or Christian priests. This story tells of an Irish
woman lawyer who is traveling through Wales with a friend (a male Saxon lawyer)
and is asked by the king of Dyfed to solve a mystery involving a suddenly
abandoned monastery, with all of the monks vanishing into seemingly thin air.
Near the monastery, a young girl has been raped and murdered. Sister Fidelma
comes to believe that the two mysteries are linked, and she and her friend risk
life and limb to find the answers.
Joy read:
CHILDREN IN THE MORNING by Jennifer Macaire
Since I just got the last 4 books of the
Iskander
series,
I
thought I had better refresh my memory on this one, the third one. Alexander the
Great and his wife Ashley of the Sacred Sandals go to India, complete with army, where
they brave rajahs, cobras, monsoons, and Alexander's wife Roxanne. The
Iskander
series has an unusual viewpoint. Ashley traveled by time machine, from a time
after ours to Alexander's time, and now the series is
slanting
more and more toward fantasy. It's lively fun, not least because another of the
genres that Macaire writes in is erotica.
Review.
Kay read:
THINGS FALL APART by Chinua Achebe
First book read in the year 2007! This short novel tells the story of one of the
leaders of a Nigerian tribe, named Okonkwo. When the British colonizers and
missionaries come to Nigeria, his life, and the lives of his people, are forever
changed.
Joy read: SONG OF UNMAKING by Caitlin Brennan
Sequel to THE MOUNTAIN'S CALL. I'm in a horse
fantasy mood, so I went back to pick up Caitlin Brennan/Judith Tarr's
White Magic
trilogy about the horse gods.
I had a delightful
time with it. It is wonderfully written, with beauty to the point of tears. It
is also definitely challenging, with the destruction of the world in the
balance. Some of the dark-worshippers are just as human and almost as likeable
as those who serve the horse-gods. I hope there will turn out to be a way, in
the next book, for the two cultures to work together to protect the world; but
for now, one of the cultures worships oblivion, and they have a traitor mage who
is winning.
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