Month: April 2010

My Favorite Reads – Warrior Women: An Archaeologist’s Search for History’s Hidden Heroines

/ justbookreading / 2 Comments

Alyce from At Home With Books features one of her favorite reads each Thursday and this week my pick is about strong women.

Warrior Women: An Archaeologist’s Search for History’s Hidden Heroines by Jeannine Davis-Kimball, Ph.D. With Mona Behan.

Warrior Women

From the back cover: After raising six children and working as a nurse and a cattle rancher, Dr. Jeannine Davis-Kimball became fascinated with the ancient legend of the Amazons. Traveling to remote Kazakhstan, a region halfway between Moscow and Mongolia, she went in search of history’s most powerful women. Now she describes her exciting, dangerous odyssey and what she found on the trail of the real-life female warriors, heroines, and leaders left out of the history books…until now. Pursing the truth from Asia to Ireland, Dr. Davis-Kimball discovered:

  • A troop of riding, sword-wielding women who were real, not a myth
  • The origins of the Irish warrior queens whose sepulchers remain on the fields of Eire.
  • The real identity of the fabulous “Gold Man” of Saka
  • The secret of China’s mysterious, mummified, auburn-haired priestesses

I read this book many years ago but the memory is still very vivid. Let me tell you a tale of a plane ride home from Las Vegas. I was on my way home from a business trip to Las Vegas and this was my flight home read. I had saved it specifically for the trip home because I knew it was going to be good. I settled myself in for the long ride and began reading. Two college boys on the way home from Spring Break took up the seats next to me. The poor guy who lost the battle for the isle grudgingly took the middle seat and ordered a drink as soon as possible from the flight attendant. A short while later he took note of my book and we struck up a conversation about it. He was reading it for a class and thought that it was one of the best books he read in years. I was only a few chapters in but had to agree — it was fascinating. Not only are the artifacts and the ancient cultures she uncovers interesting but the stories about the women are just amazing. She also intersperses the book with short excerpts about her travels which makes it read like an adventure.

I just noticed something odd about my favorites reads posts — all three have been non-fiction picks. I don’t think that I read enough non-fiction but obviously I have in the past. Who would have thought…

Got a favorite read to share this week?

Disquiet

/ justbookreading / 1 Comment

Disquiet

Disquiet

By Julia Leigh

Penguin Books

ISBN: 978-0-14-311350-8

5 stars

Disquiet is a tiny book with an enormous footprint.

It starts with a reunion but there’s nothing happy about it. It starts with a birth that quickly turns into a funeral which keeps getting delayed. It’s about neglect, abuse, ambivalence, and sadness so deep it’s all consuming that it brings everything and everyone to a halt.

Olivia shows up at her mother’s house in rural France with her two children who have never met their grandmother. She’s running away from her abusive husband and has no place left to go. Upon answering the door, her mother informs her that her brother, Marcus, and his wife Sofie, will be moving in with their new baby. She expects the two to arrive with the child at any moment. Unfortunately, the homecoming of Marcus and Sofie is a tragic one — the baby is stillborn. Sofie treats the child as if it it were still alive and refuses to bury the baby causing everyone in the house great distress. Her behavior is disturbing and wrenchingly sad as the same time. You feel horrible for her and at the same time want her to say goodbye and let the child go.

In a short amount of time, several lives collide and no one knows what to do or is in any position to take control leaving you feeling just as disturbed, scared, sick, hurt, and as crazy as everyone in this book.

Disquiet is an amazing book. There are no frilly descriptions, no soft language to cover any of the harsh realities of life, and, at the end, you feel the need for a warm smile and possibly even a hug. Leigh is a fantastic writer. If you see her book, pick it up.

Teaser Tuesdays

/ justbookreading / 9 Comments

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. The idea is to give everyone a look inside the book you’re reading.

1.) Grab your current read

2.) Open to a random page

3.) Share two teaser sentences from that page

4.) Share the title and author so that other participants know what you’re reading.

I haven’t had much time to read the last few days but I’m hoping a few things will clear up by the end of the week that will open up a bit more time. My teaser this fine Tuesday morning comes from The Greenlanders by Jane Smiley. It’s a bit dense (most of the book reads pretty much the same of the teaser below) but I’m willing to give it a go and I’m hoping it picks up soon.

“The Monk Nicholas stayed with Ivar Bardarson during the winter and the next, and all of this time he was making measurements and notations with the instruments he had brought. The English sailors thought little of the Greenlanders at first, and especially disliked the meat and other foods they had to eat, for, they said, dried meat was no substitute for bread, and milk was no substitute for wine and beer, which the English sailors were much accustomed to.”

The Greenlanders by Jane Smiley, page 41 – 42.

The Greenlanders

What you are teasing us with this week?

The Thief

/ justbookreading / 4 Comments

The Thief

The Thief

By Megan Whalen Turner

Puffin Books

ISBN: 0-14-038834-6

3.75 stars

Gen is a thief and a good one, with the small exception of getting caught and landing in the King’s prison for stealing and, bragging about, the King’s official seal. When the Magus, the King’s scholar, brings him out of the dungeon to his office he does it with the intention of extracting a promise. Gen can leave the prison and not return as along as he agrees to steal a mythical stone for the King. With no choice, he sets out with the Magus and a small group of travelers who make their way through the neighboring country into Attolia to steal the ancient treasure protected by the gods.

This book moved a little slow for me at first, but then, for whatever reason, I couldn’t put it down. Gen — who is annoying, complains often, and is constantly surly — is hiding something and you want to know what his secret is. He’s over confident but somehow you know he’s more than capable of stealing the stone. One thing I did enjoy were the stories and tales of the gods that Gen and the Magus tell the other travelers along the way. They offer history and ground the story while providing a few hints as to what’s to come.

The Thief is a good quick read and once I got into the story, I kept going without putting the book down. This is the first in a series and luckily my library has the next two: The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia. A fourth book, A Conspiracy of Kings, comes out later this year. I can see myself reading the entire series.

The Sunday Salon – Jelly Bean Edition

/ justbookreading / 2 Comments

Well, today is Easter Sunday in our household so a jelly bean issue it is. 🙂 I bought the jelly beans for my husband but since he doesn’t like them (Yes, I knew that when I bought them. He he he…) I’m going to sit here and munch on them while I write.

The round up this week:

Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt

The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb

And the March monthly wrap-up:

The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman by Nancy Marie Brown

Isis: A Tale of the Supernatural by Douglas Clegg

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

The Kingmaking by Helen Hollick

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

The Creation of Eve by Lynn Cullen

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

Disquiet by Julia Leigh

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi – DNF

Oddly, March brought along my first DNF for 2010. Guess there had to be a first. Overall, I was pretty surprised by all I read in March considering a few of the books were chunksters.

I finished The Tale of Halcyon Crane this afternoon and, while I was a tad skeptical, (It’s categorized as a horror and it’s not usually the type of book I get in to.) it sucked me in and didn’t let me go until I got to the last page. Than again, I’ve been reading a TON of historical fiction lately and I think I needed something set in my own time frame to get back in my reading groove. I’ll do a review in a few weeks so I won’t say too much more about it today.

Earlier this week I piled up my TBRs and found I have a good bit of reading for April. A lot more historical fiction (I keep promising myself I will add something contemporary…) and of course one book I’m really looking forward to — The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien. The is the last month for the LOTR Read-Along and I’m so looking forward to the last book. Sometime this week I’ll put together my final thoughts for The Two Towers and my initial thoughts for The Return of the King.

Well, I’m calling it a wrap. The chocolate bunny ears are calling. Does anyone out there like the red jelly beans? I don’t eat them and I seem to have a lot of them left…

Happy Sunday. 🙂

The Girl with Glass Feet

/ justbookreading / Leave a comment

The Girl with Glass Feet

The Girl with Glass Feet

By Ali Shaw

Henry Holt & Company

ISBN: 978-0805091144

3.5 stars

Ida Maclaird went to St. Hauda’s Land looking for answers to a strange affliction — her feet are turning to glass. While exploring the island, she meets Midas Crook. He’s introverted, skittish, and mostly avoids people preferring to see the world through the lens of his camera. For Midas, it’s easier to photograph life than experience it.

Ida, outgoing and friendly to Midas’s lonely and shy state, stops by the flower shop where he works and asks him to coffee. She confesses that she is looking for a man named Henry Fuwa. Midas knows him but because of his own emotional and personal history with Henry, tells her nothing. Midas wants to help, but can’t bring himself to say the words or to actually do anything. It is Ida who pushes the relationship forward and once again invites Midas to spend time with her. When Ida invites Midas to the cottage she is staying at, he gets a look at her feet which entrance him enough to photograph them while Ida sleeps. Ida is hurt by his actions but somehow still wants him around for which Midas is grateful, although he’s unable to express it.

Midas becomes so captivated with Ida and her feet that he goes to see Henry Fuwa without telling her. Henry tells him what he doesn’t want to hear — there is no cure and the glass will eventually overtake her whole body. Midas doesn’t tell Ida about this visit or what he has learned but is determined to help her. Somehow Ida finds herself falling in love with Midas but she can’t help but wonder if it’s the affliction or Midas that is actually causing the feelings she’s having. While she is hoping for a cure, she can see the glass spreading and is all too aware of the fact that she hasn’t much time left.

Over the course of Ida looking for a cure, you’re introduced to a strange cast of island residents all disturbed and suffering some ailment of their own. It’s a sad story with death hanging over every page. It’s almost as if every one of the island residents is grieving in their own way, sadly looking for answers and emotions long passed or forgotten. They all seem to crave some light and happiness on a damp, foggy island. While the story is full of failures, romantic and otherwise, Ida and Midas do find each other and while the romance is far from romantic, it forces both Ida and Midas to focus on the present and enjoy what’s in front of them.

This a debut novel by Shaw and it’s a good show. While I thought some parts were slightly confusing and a few extra words of explanation could have helped in places, it’s a story I couldn’t put down in the end. While I don’t think each story needs a happy ending, I was slightly surprised and pleased by how this one turned out.

In addition to this blog, I also do reviews for The Book Reporter website. The above is a summary of my review, which can be read in full here. The book was provided to me by the publisher for The Book Reporter review.

My Favorite Reads – Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

/ justbookreading / 7 Comments

Alyce from At Home With Books features one of her favorite reads each Thursday and this week my pick is based on a recent trip.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

From the back cover: Genteel society ladies who compare notes on their husbands’ suicides. A hilariously foul-mouthed black drag queen. A voodoo priestess who works her roots in the graveyard at midnight. A morose inventor who owns a bottle of poison powerful enough to kill everyone in town. A prominent antiques dealer who hangs a Nazi flag from his window to disrupt the shooting of a movie. And a redneck gigolo whose conquests describe him as a walking “streak of sex.”

I spent last weekend in Savannah, GA. Let me re-phrase that — I spent about 48 hours in Savannah, GA last week. It was a work trip and because of other commitments, I didn’t get to spend more time but luckily this wasn’t my first trip. Let me tell you, the city is a charmer. It’s a beautiful place in the spring. This year the flowers are a few weeks behind and everyone seemed to be waiting — some patiently, some not — for the azaleas to bloom. I didn’t have my usual chance to wander the city, explore the squares, and take in the flowers in the gardens but there’s something about Savannah that always makes me happy.

Anyway, my short trip made me think about this book and that’s how I ended up deciding to feature it this week. It’s a non-fiction, true crime travelogue which may sound like a very odd way to describe a book but that’s what it is. The writer goes to Savannah to write about a murder but ends up meeting and getting involved with some of the city’s most peculiar residents. It’s perverse, funny, and addicting.

As a bonus, if you ever visit Savannah, you can tour all the sites where the movie was filmed. (It’s featured on a tour and I know this because the tour was going by while I was walking and this is how I learned this fact without having to take the tour.) I wish I could find my old photos to share but no luck this morning. You’ll just have to visit the city itself, read the book, or watch the movie.