National Book Festival
Saturday, September 26, 2009
National Mall
Washington, DC
I’ve gone in the past and enjoyed it. Right now, I don’t see any authors on the list that I’m really looking forward to seeing/hearing but if I have the time, I plan on stopping by.
If you want more information, you can find it on the Library of Congress’s website.
Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters
Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters
By Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters
Quirk Books
ISBN: 978-1-59474-442-6
4.5 stars
I was so very excited when this book went on sale on Tuesday. I ran to the store, got my copy, and started reading as soon as I got home. Sense & Sensibility is one of my favorite books and I wondered if the addition of sea monsters would alter my view.
I’m happy to report it didn’t. I’m not rating this book as high as the original but that’s just because I don’t really think of this as the same book and I will admit to being extremely partial to the original. It’s fresh and fun but the original it’s not, which is a good thing in this case.
The story is much the same. Mr. Dashwood dies; Mrs. Dashwood, Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret move to the Devonshire coast; Marianne falls for Willoughby; Willoughby leaves Marianne; Elinor and Marianne go to London; a meeting with Willoughby goes bad; Marianne is heartbroken; Elinor suffers heartbreak silently; Marianne get sick and recovers; Elinor reunites with her love; Marianne finds love and a life she never imagined for herself. Oh, yes, don’t forget the letter writing — there’s a lot of it.
Sea monsters, yep, there’s a lot of them too in the new version. Mr. Dashwood is eaten by a shark; Mrs. Dashwood kills a sea monster on the way to the Devonshire coast; Willoughby, the treasure hunter, saves Marianne from a huge octopus; Elinor escapes the fang beast; Elinor and Marianne visit Sub-Marine Station Beta (AKA London); Sub-Marine Station Beta is attacked by sea monsters; Colonel Brandon is part sea monster thanks to a curse by a sea witch (descriptions are amusing and somewhat disgusting); a lot of talk about underwater gear and, of course, fish stories. Also, there is an interesting explanation for the sea monsters — the Alteration which no one knows the cause of.
After reading it, I have to say that I truly enjoyed it. I also think this can be a love it or hate it book. If you’re not willing for liberties to be taken with the original text then you might want to skip it. Me, I like parodies and found the characters and situations with the addition of sea monsters to be entertaining. Enjoy it for what it is.
And for those interested in the other Austen re-imaging this year, my review of Pride & Prejudice & Zombies can be found here.
I started off my 2009 reading list with the Twilight series. A friend loaned me the books and I read them more out of curiosity than anything else. They were OK. If I hadn’t come upon them as I did, I don’t think I would have read them and, I’ll admit, I’m really flummoxed by the attention they get. But, hey, we each love what we love…
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against vampire stories. In fact, I’ve always loved Dracula by Bram Stoker, which I’ve just re-read, and I think The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova is a fabulous book. I have to admit that I’m also looking forward to Dracula The Undead by Dacra Stoker and Ian Holt. While I like vampire books (I’ve reviewed a few here and here), I think I like them in a more pure form — I want Dracula to be there!
The reason I mention this is a co-worker who loves vampire books asked me for one. I recommend The Historian which she is loving (how could anyone not) but it got me thinking. Right now, vampires are HUGE! True Blood series, the Sookie Stackhouse books which I see on every bestseller list, Twlight, Twlight, Twlight, even Mr. Darcy took a turn at being a vampire. You get my point.
SO, the reason for this post, tell me what some of your favorite vampire books are. While it’s not something I read often, I think I might feel a craving coming on.
The Graveyard Book
The Graveyard Book
By Neil Gaiman
HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN: 978-0-06-053092-1
4 stars
Nobody Owens lives in the cemetery. He plays with his neighbors, attends classes, and lives just as any other boy — except that he is being raised by ghosts.
Nobody, known affectionately as Bod, came to the cemetery the night his parents and sister were murdered. The only member of his family to escape death that evening, he was saved because of his precocious behavior and penchant for climbing out of his crib. He made his way to the cemetery and, fortunately, the residents were willing to take him in. Mr. and Mrs. Owens offer to raise him as their own and his guardian, Silas, takes on the task of maintaining his safety. Over the years, Bod does his best to test boundaries, as any child will do, with the exception that all his experiences take place in the world of the dead so small scrapes end up being life and death decisions.
As Bod grows, he learns about life outside of the cemetery gates and wishes to become part of the living world once again. Silas agrees and lets him attend school but it doesn’t work out as well as Bod would have liked. He blends in, almost to the point of becoming invisible, which suits Silas, but not Bod. After an incident lands him in trouble, Bod agrees to come back to the safety of the graveyard but he is becoming even more curious about the people who are trying to harm him. Unknown to Bod, Silas is doing his best to make sure he will be able to live a safe, happy life once he leaves the cemetery.
Gaiman creates a fantastic world inside the gates of the cemetery. Bod’s experiences are extraordinary and make you want to explore your local cemetery. Bod’s lessons and the little excursions he takes, in and out of the graves, are wonderful and full of curiosity.
I’ve read a few Gaiman books and always marvel at the way he creates worlds within worlds that you want to explore. You’ll appreciate the depths with which he creates his world in this book.
Yes, in fact there is. I’d offer up that I was psychic but, nope, not the case. Tomorrow a long awaited book goes on sale and I’ll be stopping by the store to buy it. So, what is it? Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters! Sense & Sensibility is one of my favorite books and I have to admit that when I found out there was going to be a re-imaging of this Austen favorite, I knew I would be buying it. No waiting at the library for this one. 🙂
Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters
Ohh, and before I forget, An Echo in the Bone! I’m feeling that September 22 may be my lucky day. Needless to say, whatever I’m reading will probably be dropped cold so I can read about Jamie & Claire Fraser.
An Echo in the Bone
Anything you’re looking forward to?
The Winter King
The Winter King
By Bernard Cornwell
St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 0-312-14447-4
5 stars
Quick disclosure — I adore Arthurian legend and will read almost anything that promises a story with Arthur and the knights of the round table. I have to admit, this book did not disappoint.
The Winter King is narrated by Derfel, a Saxon born ward of Merlin and a warrior in Arthur’s army. He tells the tale for Igraine, Queen of Powys, who is his patron. He begins the long tale at the Tor, Merlin’s home, when Mordred is born, the grandson of Uther Pendragon and the eventual leader of Dumnonia. Years of invasion, fighting, and suffering follow which he describes in detail.
As a child, Derfel yearns to become a warrior and, years later, is granted his wish by Arthur. After proving his worth and loyalty, Derfel finds himself serving directly under Arthur. He travels across Britain fighting for the peace Arthur believes he can bring to the land. He eventually finds himself titled Lord Derfel and disagreeing with many of Arthur’s ideas, yet, he fights anyway in the hope that the much wished for peace will come. It is also his friendship and admiration for Arthur that keeps him fighting, if for nothing else.
Cornwell brings to life the dramatic fights, the grisly life, and spoils and indecency of war. He does not shirk from the brutality and blood and, if you happen to be squeamish, he may not be the author for you. I mean that in a very good way. He brings you into the fight, you hear the clanging of swords, smell the men, and feel the pain. He holds nothing back from the way he describes the lifestyles of the individuals, the rituals of the numerous religions, and the fighting itself. It is brutal, disgusting, and above all, fantastic.
What I truly enjoyed about this book was the fact that it was told from an observer’s point of view. I know Arthur and his tale, but to hear it from Derfel makes it fresh and interesting. I feel sometimes that I have read the same story over and over and this one felt very different. In fact, it made me want to read books two and three in the series. I want to listen to Derfel finish his tale and I want to know more about these brutal people.
One drawback, there is an incredibly long list of characters in this book. Sometimes it can be hard to keep them straight but that didn’t take much away from the story for me. Although, at times, it can be confusing since many of the spellings are similar. After you get into the story, the traits make each character unique, plus there is a list in the front of the book that is useful when you need to remember who someone is.
The Devlin Diary
The Devlin Diary
By Christi Phillips
Pocket Books
ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-2739-8
4 stars
In addition to this blog, I also do reviews for The Book Reporter website. Below is a short summary of my review of The Devlin Diary which can be found on their website in full here.
London, 1672, Hannah Devlin is ministering to the sick when she is summoned by an official of the king, to care for King Charles’s mistress. Over 300 years later, historian Claire Donovan, uncovers a decades old diary belonging to Hannah that chronicles a fascinating tale of murder and deceit at court.
Following the lives of two women, one is 1672 London and another in Cambridge in 2008, the reader is taken on a journey of murder, mystery, and English court intrigue in The Devlin Diary.
Phillips takes the reader on a wild chase through London streets, court conspiracies, and the stacks at Trinity College. Her talent lies in the details. She pulls together a rich tale set in 1672 London. One can clearly picture this London, smell the rank Fleet river, and feel sympathy for Hannah and all she has lost. Her descriptions of the inventions of the time and the characters she has assembled are marvelous.
In the end, Phillips delivers a story full of historical suspense. In fact, you’ll wish there were more of her take on the time period which she describes wonderfully.
The Mage's Daughter
The Mage’s Daughter
By Lynn Kurland
The Berkeley Publishing Group
ISBN: 9780425219164
3.5 stars
Miach is attending his brother’s wedding when he realizes he can no longer magically sense the ailing Morgan, the woman he loves. After interrupting the marriage ceremony, much to the unhappiness of his brother, he leaves for the Kingdom of Lismor to find her.
Once there, he meets with Nicholas, the lord of Lismor, and is told he is too late — Morgan has already left for Gobhann, a place run by a cruel man named Weger who trained Morgan to be a mercenary. Gobhann is not subject to magic and Morgan hopes to find respite and recover from being poisoned inside the safety of its walls.
Miach follows her and gains passage into Gobhann by battling past the guards and showing his sword fighting talent — what little he has without the help of magic. He is admitted and endures Weger’s harsh training that made Morgan one of the most feared fighters in the Nine Kingdoms.
The relationship between Miach and Morgan is strained and he hopes once again to win her love and prove his worth to her by showing he is capable of great heroics without magic. While at Gobhann, Morgan slowly warms to him but is still weary of his intentions and won’t let herself fully trust him.
Unfortunately, Miach, the youngest Arch Mage of Neroch, is also trying to protect his kingdom from an unknown evil he cannot trace. His worry and great fear is that the evil is after Morgan but he cannot tell her. Morgan, the fierce and talented swords woman she is, would likely attempt to fight even in her weakened state. He fears this reality because he knows it will mean losing her forever.
The story is good fantasy with a lot of romance thrown in. The characters are intriguing and you do come to care for them by the end. The use of magic is novel but I do wish there was an explanation of the power and where it comes from. However, this is book two in the trilogy and I have not read book one which I’m guessing contained more background than is found in this book. I usually don’t like to read books out of order for this reason but I picked this one up without realizing it was part of a series. While there are enough clues and explanations to help the reader along, reading the first in the trilogy probably would have explained more about the main characters’ relationship and how they came to be in the predicament they find themselves in.
This book is a good quick read. If you happen to like magic, elves, and swordplay, it’s entertaining. After finishing the second in the series, I think I might seek out one and three, after all, I would like to see what happens between Morgan and Miach.
Just Book Reading 