The Sunday Salon

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My very first Sunday Salon! And, oddly, one of my lightest reading weeks in well, weeks. I finished Nefertiti by Michelle Moran and started Fallen by Lauren Kate. I hope to finish Fallen before the end of the day today.

Since I don’t have much to talk about, I thought I’d do two mini-reviews.

Nefertiti

Nefertiti — With this book, I’ve now read all of Michelle Moran’s books. She’s become one of my new favorite authors and I’m looking forward to her next book already. I read somewhere that it takes place in 16th or 17th Century France and I’m sure she’ll do it justice. As a small side note, that’s one of my favorite historical periods to read about. I don’t really know why, it just is. Anyway, in Nefertiti, she takes us to 1351 BCE Egypt. The Pharaoh Amunhotep IV, soon to be Akhenaten, takes power when his brother dies. His mother, Queen Tiye, wants him to marry a strong woman who will be able to control him. She picks Nefertiti. Nefertiti is cunning, cruel, sweet, loving, manipulative, and so ambitious that she drips with it. Of course she shows none of this to the Queen mother and when the marriage is arranged, her family becomes one of the most powerful in Egypt. Soon, Nefertiti and Akhenaten begin building their dream city, Amarna, in the desert and their empire, built on the backs of soldiers and gold from outlawed temples, begins to crumble around them. The story is told from Nefertiti’s sister’s point of view, Mutnodjmet, who is a wonderfully sweet loving person who just wants to be alone with her garden but, unfortunately, her sister won’t allow her that kind of peace. I enjoyed this book and do recommend it. Moran has a way of creating characters that are really engaging and she manages to pull you into the story before you even know it.

Fallen

Fallen — I still have about 75 pages to go so here’s the short re-cap. Luce is involved in the unexplained death of a classmate at her boarding school. She doesn’t remember what happened and can’t explain the fire that killed him and almost took her life. A judge orders her to reform school, the Sword & Cross, and the day she checks in she’s drawn to one student, Daniel. He isn’t nice to her, doesn’t want anything to do with her, and she can’t leave him alone or get him out of her head. And then there are the shadows. Medication and psychiatrists have not been able to rid her of these sightings and now they are coming even closer and becoming more daring, absolutely terrifying her. It started out really slow for me but around the middle of the book, it began to pick up and now I’m looking forward to the ending. This is the first in a series and I think I’ll probably read the others as well.

OK, now that I’ve written more than I’ve read all week, I’m calling that an end to my first Sunday Salon.

A Highlander’s Temptation

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A Highlander's Temptation

A Highlander’s Temptation

By Sue-Ellen Welfonder

Hachette Book Group

3.5 stars

Arabella MacKenzie is the beloved daughter of Duncan MacKenzie, the long ruling and well-feared leader of the MacKenzie Clan. Arabella wants nothing more than to be married but her father has refuted every attempt, finding something wrong with each suitor leaving her alone and craving a family and love of her own. She convinces him to let her travel to the Seal Islands, which are part of a marriage dowry she has yet to use, and he unwillingly relents realizing he will need to let his daughter go sometime.

During the voyage, the ship is attacked and wrecked upon the shores of the Hebrides Islands, home to Clan MacConacher. Arabella is spared and rescued by Darroc MacConacher, leader of the clan. He falls hopelessly in love with her not knowing who she is only that she is the love he has been waiting for. When Darroc finds out she is a MacKenzie, he realizes their love cannot be but Arabella has other plans. She spent her life waiting for a man like Darroc and refuses to give up now.

I don’t read many paperback romance novels; I can count the number on my left hand. I read a few reviews for this one several weeks back and, while browsing the bookstore, decided this would be a good distraction for a long plan ride. I have to admit that I enjoyed it. Darroc and Arabella have good chemistry, and while I did giggle out loud in a few places, found a few things here and there awkward, and sort of formulaic, overall it was a fun and very fast read.

Set in 14th Century Scotland, the setting is harsh, lovely, romantic, and really a very good setting for a love story. In the acknowledgments, Welfonder talks about her love of Scotland, and it does shine through in this story.

Booking Through Thursday

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Booking Through Thursday asks – Do you think any current author is of the same caliber as Dickens, Austen, Bronte, or any of the classic authors? If so, who, and why do you think so? If not, why not? What books from this era might be read 100 years from now?

This one today requires too much thinking for me this early in the morning. So here’s how I’m answering — I’m going to talk about a few of my favorites and if I think they’ll be around 100 years from now. Yes, I’m going to cheat and that’s twice this week with memes but at least I’m telling you up front.

Some of my favorite books:

(Not a complete list by any means but what I can come up with quickly and usually my go to books when I need a comfort read.)

Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen

Little Woman by Louisa May Alcott

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

The Lord of the Rings by JR Tolkien

Harry Potter by JK Rowling

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Do I think any of these books will still be read 100 years from now?

Some, yes. Others, no. JK Rowling maybe. The books are a phenomenon regardless of whether you like them or not and I think because of that they will be around for a while. I don’t know if Gabaldon and Niffenegger will be though. I love their books but who am I to say they will turn into classics.

Looking over my list, these books are about love, heartbreak, life, death, family, friends, understanding, and the challenges and torments of life. I think a unique take on everyday life is what makes a book a classic and the ones that do it best are the ones we find ourselves reading over and over. Maybe it shouldn’t be about who wrote the books but what they are about.

Any thoughts on this one?

Shiver

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Shiver

Shiver

By Maggie Stiefvater

Scholastic Press

ISBN: 978-0-545-12326-6

4.5 stars

Grace is a normal high school girl. Her parents, while loving, are lax in the parenting department and and she’s learned to raise herself. She’s a good student, has friends, and a thing for the wolves in the backyard — specifically the one with yellow eyes. As a child, she was attacked by a pack of wolves and she’s convinced the yellow-eyed one saved her. Now, she spends many nights in the backyard trying to befriend him. When a student from her class is attacked, the town sets out to destroy the wolves and Grace is determined to stop them fearing her wolf will be hurt or even killed.

After trying to stop the culling, she returns home to find a naked boy on her back porch bleeding. Oddly, he has the same yellow eyes as her wolf. Grace takes him to the hospital, and when he reveals his miraculous healing ability, she takes him home. Sam, her wolf, has been in love with her since the day he saved her and knowing this will be his last year to become human, wants to spend every waking moment with her. Grace, knowing she has finally found her wolf, refuses to let him go even when it might mean death.

Werewolves are now it for me. I don’t know why I haven’t been reading more all along. Or maybe I’ve just been reading the wrong werewolf books.

Either way, while the werewolves were fascinating, the relationship is was what really hooked me. Yes, the boy is a wolf, but somehow when Grace and Sam are together, you believe these two individuals belong together and the rest of the cold, cruel world fades away. You don’t want to see them part and when the inevitable happens, it’s heartbreaking and somehow very real.

I had to remind myself that I was reading a young adult book in a few places. The romance is pretty tempered, they are high school kids, but intimate in many ways I didn’t expect. After I finished the book, I felt I would have liked to know more about the wolves, how they came about, and a little bit more about why they changed. The ending felt a tad out of place for me but that’s really my only criticism here and it didn’t hit me until after I had finished. I was so into the book that at the time it seemed plausible. I plan to check out more of Stiefvater’s books. I really like her style and way with characters.

Teaser Tuesdays

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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.

Be careful not to include spoilers. You don’t want to ruin the book for others!

My teaser this week, with a short caveat — I’m cheating this week. Yes, I’m giving more than you ask for but while I was reading I thought this one small paragraph said so much about the character that I wanted to share it. It’s dripping with ambition and you know who and what Nefertiti is about. Enjoy.

“She stopped in the courtyard, where the chariots were waiting to take us to the building site of the new temple. The cobra on her crown, nestled in her dark hair, glinted in the sun. “I love him as much as any woman ever will. You don’t understand. You’re only fourteen. But love means lying.””

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran, pg. 167.

I was hoping to have finished Nefertiti by now but life has conspired against me the last few days. It’s turning out to be an all week read but it’s a fun read.

Nefertiti

Mailbox Monday and Yes, I Know It’s Tuesday

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Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page.

I’m so excited! This is the first time that I get to participate in Mailbox Monday. I get a few books here and there but not a lot on a regular basis. While I was away, I got 2! Okay, so that’s really not a lot but I also don’t ask for many either since I like to read what I want.

Here’s what I got:

Powers

Powers by John B. Olson. This a LibraryThing Early Reviewers copy and the first one I received since I started participating earlier this year. It takes place in the swamps of Louisiana and looks deliciously suspenseful.

The Taker and the Keeper

The Taker and the Keeper by Wim Coleman and Pat Perin. It’s a fantasy novel for young adults but it features King Arthur and since I can’t ever get enough of Arthur, I thought I’d try it out.

Anything interesting in your mailbox this week?

Of Books and Travels Part II

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cropped-book-stack-1a.jpgI returned from my week long work trip and after sleeping most of the weekend away to recover from the red-eye flight and several long conference days, I thought I would do a wrap-up of last week’s reading.

 

 

Here’s the list of books I took with me:

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

A Highlander’s Temptation by Sue-Ellen Welfonder

Covenant with the Vampire by Jeanne Kalogridis

Kristin Lavransdatter I: The Bridal Wreath by Sigrid Undset

Kristin Lavransdatter II: The Mistress of Husaby by Sigrid Undset

Here’s what I read:

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Covenant with the Vampire by Jeanne Kalogridis

A Highlander’s Temptation by Sue-Ellen Welfonder

Kristin Lavransdatter I: The Bridal Wreath by Sigrid Undset

I started Nefertiti on the plane home and I’ll probably finish it today since I’m really enjoying it. I waffled between Fallen and Nefertiti for the trip home and I’m glad I went with Nefertiti but Fallen is next. The more I think about it the more I want to read it.

Now, if only I can get those reviews written…

Booking Through Thursday…on Saturday

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Booking Through ThursdayBooking Through Thursday asks – “Life is too short to read bad books.” I’d always heard that, but I still read books through until the end no matter how bad they were because I had this sense of obligation.

That is, until this week when I tried (really tried) to read a book that is utterly boring and unrealistic. I had to stop reading. Do you read everything all the way through or do you feel life really is too short to read bad books?

I was out of town all last week and didn’t have a chance to read Booking Through Thursday’s question. I was having trouble with one of the books I took on my trip and kept wondering whether I should plod through it or just give it up so when I finally recovered from the red-eye flight, I was surprised to see how timely this week’s question was!

I have been trying for weeks to read The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. I got about 25 pages into it on the first attempt and then decided to renew it at the library because I thought it would be a good book for a long trip. It’s BIG, 973 pages big. On my second attempt, I got to page 40 and then picked up another book. I’m now on page 53 and haven’t opened it in a week. I think I may have to give it back to the library and try again next year. The few pages I read were fine but I wasn’t pulled in and with so many other books vying for me attention, I think it’s time to stop feeling guilty about not finishing it and move on.

Normally, I give a book a lot of leeway before I quit. Usually 250 pages is my threshold but I didn’t get anywhere near that on this one but I do plan to try again after the new year. Maybe 2010 will be my year to finally finish The Pillars of the Earth.