Review: Parnassus on Wheels

October 7, 20122 Comments

Christopher Morley, Parnassus on Wheels

Set in the early 20th century, this short novel tells the story of Helen McGill, a 39-year-old spinster who has spent the last several years living on her brother’s farm and keeping house for him. One day a traveling book salesman named Roger Mifflin shows up at Helen’s door and persuades her to take over the business. She purchases his van, called “the traveling Parnassus,” and sets off with Mifflin to have an adventure. Along the way, she meets several interesting people, discovers the joy of literature, and even finds true love.

I think this novel is a must-read for any book lover. Roger Mifflin’s love of literature is contagious, and he is very eloquent in praise of the written word:

“Lord!” he said, “when you sell a man a book you don’t sell him just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue — you sell him a whole new life. Love and friendship and humour and ships at sea by night — there’s all heaven and earth in a book, a real book I mean.”

The book isn’t particularly complex or thought-provoking, but it’s sweet and cheerful and a real pleasure to read. I definitely recommend it, and I hope to read the sequel, The Haunted Bookshop, soon.

Review: Mariana

October 3, 2012October 3, 20122 Comments

Susanna Kearsley, Mariana

When Julia Beckett was five years old, she saw a house while traveling with her family and instantly felt drawn to it. Years later, she sees the house again and impulsively decides to buy it. As she settles down in the country village of Exbury, she is fascinated by the history of her house and the surrounding area. She also begins to experience “flashbacks” from the perspective of Mariana Farr, an inhabitant of the house in the 17th century. The more time Julia spends as Mariana, the more she is captivated by the events of the past — especially when the handsome Richard de Mornay, lord of the neighboring manor, shows an interest in Mariana. However, Julia must eventually discover why she shares Mariana’s experiences and what the consequences will be for her own life.

I had heard a lot of wonderful things about Susanna Kearsley, but I ended up being a bit underwhelmed by my first Kearsley novel, The Winter Sea. I enjoyed this book more, probably because I had more moderate expectations going in. Julia is a likable character, and I really enjoyed her relationships with the other present-day characters, especially her brother Tom. I was actually much less interested in the historical plot line, which is unusual for me. I felt like Kearsley wanted me to care more about Mariana’s story, but I honestly cared more about Julia’s. I wasn’t totally satisfied with the present-day romance either, but I can’t explain why without spoiling the book. Overall, I found this book a pleasant read, but unfortunately it didn’t grab me the way I wanted it to.

Top Ten Tuesday: “Older” books I don’t want people to forget about

October 2, 20126 Comments

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is a fun one for me. The topic is older books you want people to remember, with “older” basically meaning anything that’s not a new release. My list is composed of books that either blew me away when they first came out or that I’ve loved and treasured since childhood. So, in no particular order…

1. Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society — First published in 2008. Remember how popular this book was when it came out? I read it a few years ago and absolutely LOVED it! It’s a charming epistolary novel about the inhabitants of Guernsey during World War II, and I count it among my all-time favorite books.

2.Diane Setterfield, The Thirteenth Tale — First published in 2006. This is a delightfully gothic novel with plenty of creepy atmosphere and surprising plot twists. I also remember being impressed by the lovely writing style.

3. Robin McKinley, The Outlaws of Sherwood — First published in 1988. This is one of my childhood favorites, and having just reread it recently, I can tell you that it definitely holds up! This is the story of Robin Hood as it should be told. I’ve read a few other Robin Hood retellings, but all of them fell far short of this book. If you’re at all interested in the Robin Hood legend, the Middle Ages, or fantasy books in general, I HIGHLY recommend this book!

4.Winifred Watson, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day — First published in 1937, but some interest was recently generated by the 2008 movie starring Frances McDormand and Amy Adams. The book is a sweet, uplifting 1930s Cinderella story, and it’s a wonderful comfort read.

5. L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables — First published in 1908. This book may not really belong on the list, as I don’t think it’s in any danger of being forgotten. But this story of the talkative red-haired orphan who erupts into Avonlea and changes the lives of everyone around her is one of my childhood favorites. For years my ideal place to live was Prince Edward Island! I hope young girls are still reading the Anne books; I know I’ll definitely be giving them to my daughters if and when I have any!

6. Stephanie Perkins, Anna and the French Kiss — First published in 2010. This is one of my favorite YA contemporary romances, and I hope it doesn’t get overshadowed by the gajillions of new YA books that are coming down the pike.

7. Megan Whalen Turner, The Thief — First published in 1996. Seriously, how good is this series? It’s epic fantasy with a unique setting (pseudo ancient Greece), and it’s surprisingly dark and complex for a children’s series. The King of Attolia, book #3, is actually my favorite installment, but this is a series you should really start from the beginning.

8. Elizabeth C. Bunce, A Curse Dark as Gold — First published in 2008. I love a good fairy tale retelling, and this is definitely the best twist on “Rumpelstiltskin” I’ve ever read (though, granted, I haven’t read that many).

9. Connie Willis, Bellwether — First published in 1996. This is a funny, romantic, slightly screwball look at scientists in academia. I really like it, even as a person who doesn’t read a ton of sci fi.

10. Elizabeth Marie Pope, The Perilous Gard — First published in 1983. I really wish I had discovered this book as a kid, but there’s still a lot to enjoy. It’s based on the Tam Lin legend, with a relentlessly practical heroine and a rather grumpy hero. I like that the heroine actually saves the hero in this one!

Library sale, part two

September 30, 2012November 11, 2012Leave a comment

Day 2 of the library sale was a little less exciting than day 1. I went with a friend, which was fun but also limiting because she wanted to look at different things (and is also not quite as book-obsessed as I am). But I did manage to pick up two more books:

Empire State by Adam Christopher Winter in June by Kathryn Miller Haines

Adam Christopher, Empire State — I’ve heard good things about this one, and it sounds like nothing I’ve read before: a kind of sci fi/alternate history/noir hybrid.

Kathryn Miller Haines, Winter in June — I really liked the first book in the Rosie Winter series, The War Against Miss Winter, so I’ve been on the lookout for the rest of the series. I believe this is book #3.

Library sale!

September 29, 2012November 11, 2012Leave a comment

My local public library is having its semi-annual book sale this weekend! Naturally I headed over there this morning, and I came back with the following:

The Hunter by Richard Stark Portuguese Irregular Verbs by Alexander… The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony…

Richard Stark, The Hunter — A friend recommended this series to me. I haven’t read much noir, but it’s a genre I’m interested in exploring.

Alexander McCall Smith, Portuguese Irregular Verbs — I couldn’t resist the title/cover combo on this one. Also, the plot looks zany and fun.

Anthony Berkeley, The Poisoned Chocolates Case — I’m a sucker for Golden Age mysteries, and this one looks really good!

A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury by Edith… The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey My One and Only by Kristan Higgins

Edith Pargeter, A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury — I love Edith Pargeter, a.k.a. Ellis Peters. Her Cadfael mysteries are wonderful, so I’m excited to read another of her historical novels set in the Middle Ages.

Josephine Tey, The Daughter of Time — I’ve read this before, and honestly, I didn’t love it the first time. I was expecting more of a traditional mystery, which this book definitely is not. But so many people love it that I decided to give it another chance. It was only 50 cents, so why not?

Kristan Higgins, My One and Only — I’m slowly accumulating Higgins’ romances. What can I say? They’re light, fun, enjoyable reads.

I’m going back tomorrow afternoon with a friend, so maybe I’ll have more to add to this list later!

Review: The Unfinished Clue

September 26, 20125 Comments

Georgette Heyer, The Unfinished Clue

This novel begins, as so many British cozy mysteries do, with an awkward weekend at an English country house. Sir Arthur Billington-Smith is a tyrannical husband and father with a terrible temper; therefore, he is less than thrilled when several unexpected guests arrive for the weekend. All the guests dislike Sir Arthur, but since he also happens to be quite wealthy, they are hoping to manipulate him into giving them money. Naturally, Sir Arthur is murdered during the course of the house party, and Inspector Harding of Scotland Yard is called in to investigate. He soon finds that nearly everyone has a motive, but there is a dismaying lack of evidence that any one suspect committed the crime.

I absolutely love Georgette Heyer! I’ve read all her Regency-era romances and am now making my way through her mysteries. As a mystery, I have to say that this book is fairly average. Many of the characters seem two-dimensional and could be found in any number of mysteries from this period: the long-suffering wife, the lively young sister-in-law, the disappointing son, the unworldly vicar, and the sharp-tongued vicar’s wife. Still, Georgette Heyer’s snappy dialogue and characteristic hint of romance made this a fun read for me. I even appreciated the meticulous nature of Inspector Harding’s investigation; I never found myself thinking that the police were jumping to conclusions or overlooking evidence, they way they so often seem to do in mystery novels. All in all, if you’re a fan of Golden Age mysteries, I definitely recommend Heyer’s books.

Review: The Ladies of Grace Adieu

September 26, 2012September 26, 20125 Comments

Susanna Clarke, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories

When I read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell last year, it pretty much knocked my socks off, so I was excited to find Clarke’s collection of short stories (all of which were, I think, previously published elsewhere). Here are my thoughts on the individual stories:

“The Ladies of Grace Adieu” — Jonathan Strange visits his brother-in-law in Gloucestershire and is surprised to discover three young ladies with magical talents; however, they don’t always use these talents for benevolent purposes. A suitably creepy and atmospheric story, but I didn’t quite follow the plot.

“On Lickerish Hill” — In the 15th or 16th century, a young peasant girl marries the local squire and is forced to spin a large quantity of wool in an impossibly short period of time. My least favorite story in the bunch; the period language got on my nerves, and in general the story didn’t feel like it had very much substance to it.

“Mrs. Mabb” — In Regency England, a girl’s lover jilts her for the mysterious Mrs. Mabb, and the girl decides to fight back. I liked this story, especially the descriptions of the girl’s experiences in fairyland, which are darker and more painful than the word “fairyland” suggests.

“The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse” — The title of this one is pretty self-explanatory. 🙂 This is one of the shortest, most amusing stories in the bunch, and the setting (the village of Wall) is borrowed from Neil Gaiman’s Stardust. Definitely one of my favorites in the bunch.

“Mr. Simonelli or The Fairy Widower” — Simonelli keeps a journal about his new job as the vicar of a country village and his encounters with a fairy lord who is looking for a new human bride. I liked this story because it was longer and more fleshed out than most of the others; it also conveys a subtly disturbing atmosphere.

“Tom Brightwind or How the Fairy Bridge Was Built at Thoresby” — A Jew and a fairy visit the decaying town of Thoresby and make a plan to help its inhabitants. I wasn’t terribly interested in this story as such, but it does shed some light on Clarke’s fairies and their family relationships.

“Antickes and Frets” — Mary, Queen of Scots, plots to destroy Elizabeth by using magic. I enjoyed the incorporation of actual historical figures into this story.

“John Uskglass and the Cumbrian Charcoal Burner” — John Uskglass, the Raven King, inadvertently injures a lowly charcoal burner, who turns to various Christian saints for retribution. This was my favorite story in the bunch; the saints were hilarious, and I just really liked the whole idea of this story.

Sorry that took so long! I never know how to review short story collections. Should I talk about each story individually or just give my impressions on the collection as a whole? As you can see, I’ve chosen the former approach because I think it’s more helpful to people who are deciding whether the collection is worth their time or not. Anyway, I wouldn’t recommend this book to someone who hasn’t read Jonathan Strange, but for those who have read it, these stories shed an interesting light on Clarke’s world and her vision of the realm of fairy.

Top Ten Tuesday: Unfinished series

September 25, 2012September 25, 20128 Comments

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is about series that, for one reason or another, you haven’t finished yet. This is an excellent topic for me because I’m in the middle of about a gajillion series at the moment. My only problem will be narrowing the list down to 10! So here, in no particular order, are 10 series that I haven’t finished yet but would like to keep reading someday:

1. Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs — I read #1, Moon Called, several years ago and remember really liking it. I’ve collected the next four or five books via Paperback Swap, but for some reason I haven’t gotten around to reading them yet.

2. Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon — I’ve read the first two books of this series and enjoyed them both. The problem is, they’re just so long. I really have to motivate myself to pick up one of these books, and usually I don’t feel like making that big of a commitment. I do plan to track down the rest of the series eventually, though.

3. Sevenwaters series by Juliet Marillier — I just recently finished reading book #2 in this series, Son of the Shadows. It was lovely, and I really don’t know why I haven’t continued with Child of the Prophecy yet. It’s on my shelves, though!

4. Sirantha Jax series by Ann Aguirre — I’m not normally a big reader of sci fi, but I really liked Grimspace. I’ve collected the next few books, but they’re still gathering dust on my shelves for now.

5. Bridge of D’Arnath series by Carol Berg — Carol Berg is an author who has really impressed me thus far, so I acquired the entire Bridge of D’Arnath series sight unseen. I’ve read the first book, Son of Avonar, which was a solid fantasy novel. I own the rest of the books (four in all) and will get to them one of these days.

6. Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley — The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie was such a fun read! I have #2 on my shelves already, but I know there are at least two additional books out there.

7. Julian Kestrel series by Kate Moss — This series is a bit different from the others on the list, because I am highly motivated to read it; I’m just trying to savor the books to make them last longer! I only have two more to go, sadly — Whom the Gods Love and The Devil in Music.

8. Chronicles of Cadfael by Ellis Peters — I love the Cadfael books. 🙂 So far I’ve read the first 10, which means I still have 10 to go! I plan to read #11, An Excellent Mystery, this year.

9. Marcus Didius Falco series by Lindsey Davis — Mysteries set in Ancient Rome? Yes, please! So far I’ve only read The Silver Pigs, which was good, but for some reason I didn’t feel compelled to pick up the next book right away. I do look forward to reading about more of Falco’s adventures soon, though.

10. Chronicles of Barsetshire by Anthony Trollope — That’s right, I can’t even stay current with a series that was written in the 19th century! I quite enjoyed The Warden and Barchester Towers, but I haven’t gotten around to the rest of the series. Despite the fact that I like Victorian novels, I have to give myself an extra push to start them.

Review: Second Chance Summer

September 23, 2012Leave a comment

Morgan Matson, Second Chance Summer

Seventeen-year-old Taylor is used to running away from her problems; after all, she’s been doing it for as long as she can remember, storming out of the house whenever she got into an argument with a parent or sibling. But when she learns that her father is dying of pancreatic cancer, she knows that this is a problem she can’t escape by running away. Instead, she and her family decide to spend one last summer at their lake house in the Poconos, where they used to spend every summer vacation when Taylor was little. At first Taylor dreads the trip, but eventually she begins to come to terms with her father’s illness. She also mends fences with her ex-best friend, her first love (who’s all grown up and cuter than ever), and her parents and siblings, learning that it’s still not too late to give or receive a second chance.

I really liked Matson’s previous novel, Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour, so I was happy to find a copy of this one at the public library. While this book is just as well-written as Amy & Roger, it deals with the tough subject of a parent’s death in a much more direct way; while Amy’s father was already dead at the beginning of Amy & Roger, in this novel we experience Taylor’s dad’s illness right alongside the characters. For this reason, the romance, while it does exist, is not really central to the book. Rather, the main focus is Taylor’s relationship with her parents and her brother and sister, which I personally loved. Taylor’s family is reasonably close — at least, they all get along most of the time — but the tragedy of her father’s sickness makes them realize how much they’ve been taking each other for granted. They grow closer to each other as a result of their shared fear and grief. This is a very sad book in some places — I cried copiously, as per usual — but ultimately it has an uplifting message. I’d definitely recommend this book to fans of YA.