Glad I gave in!

It's a story that is all too prevalent in society: the sudden and total disappearance of an individual. We hear, read and see stories in the news, of the missing person, the search parties, the neighborhood coming together in support, the person found, sometimes alive, sadly, more often not, and sometimes gone forever. Time passes, the story fades away, another is unfortunately always ready to takes its place, and people forget that those close to the missing person still must continue to exist without their loved one.

Because of these disturbing real life stories, I admit, for years I have been reluctant to read Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones. For the few people unfamiliar with this modern classic novel, the plot focuses on Suzie Salmon ("like the fish"), who is brutally murdered by a neighbor at the age of fourteen. However, unlike in the media, her personal story does not end there: the book is told in first person narrative by Suzie herself. She watches the members of her family (parents, younger siblings and grandmother) and her friends cope with her disappearance, through the initial shock, their suspicions, and their ability, or disability, to let go and move on. We see them break apart from one another, and within themselves, trying to heal in their own ways. Some reach out for help, while others find solitude easier, even if it means hurting other survivors.

What struck me about The Lovely Bones is how Sebold manages to write such a heartbreaking story and infuse it with hope, perseverance and, yes, even some levity. Suzie's grandmother Lynn, an impeccably dressed, alcohol dependent, tell-it-like-it-is woman, particularly adds lightness, despite her harsh manner and words, as does Ruth, the schoolmate who swears she saw Suzie's ghost near where she was murdered.

The film version of The Lovely Bones is due out early next year. I don't know how the book will transfer to film, how Suzie's version of heaven will be achieved, but hopefully it will do this wonderful book justice.

Past lives makes great present entertainment

I love books about past lives. I love the fact that if I can't make my mind up if I want to read something contemporary or historic, I can have both in one cover! Whether it's a book on reincarnation, or a modern character researching past events, a good author will bring you into and hold your interest in both worlds, frustrating you when you leave one storyline, but immediately hooking you back into the other.

Here are a few of my favourites:

Possession by A.S. Byatt.
Two contemporary historic scholars join forces through their respective research of two Victorian poets, whose various writings reveal their torrid extramarital affair.

Marianna by Susanna Kearsley
When Julia Beckett first saw Greywethers as a child, it was a poignant moment which would one day lead her to purchase it. Once in residence, she finds herself daydreaming about Mariana, a woman who lived in the house four hundred years earlier, and Richard de Mornay, the man Mariana loves. When and how did their love end?

Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine
Matilda de Braose was put to death by King John in the 12th century. Centuries later, journalist Jo Clifford undergoes hypnosis while researching Matilda's story, becoming increasingly obsessed as she realises that Matilda is in fact Jo herself in a previous existence.

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
Recovering from a horrific car crash that left him burnt beyond recognition, the book's narrator meets manic artist Marian Engel, who tries to get him to remember their former life together in medieval Germany.

The Haunted Ground by Erin Hart
The discovery of a well-preserved woman's head in a peat bog brings together Irish archaeologist Cormac and American pathologist Nora to determine how long ago she died. Concurrently, local authorities investigate the recent disappearance of the wife and child of a local landowner.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
Yes, fine, the ubiquitous Da Vinci Code, but it's a fun read about secret religious societies, ancient coverups and vengeance. When the Louvre's chief curator is murdered, his body is symbolically laid out before the Mona Lisa. When his granddaughter, Sophie Neveu, a police cryptologist, joins forces with Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, their investigation leads to the legendary Priory of Sion, a nearly 1,000-year-old secret society whose members have included Botticelli and Isaac Newton, and the conservative Catholic organization Opus Dei.

The Sinner's Tale by Will Davenport
When a tawdry scandal threatens to destroy Beth Battock's political career, she is forced to return to the provincial hometown and the relatives she’s kept secret. There, she discovers the tale of Sir Guy de Bryan, whose sweeping epic of the havoc wrought by war serves as an example for the present day.

The Drowning Tree by Carol Goodman
After the suspicious death of her oldest friend, stained glass restorer Juno Mackay delves into Christine's past and her obsession with Pre-Raphealite artist Arthur Penrose, his wife and sister-in-law, and the stained-glass portrait he commissioned a century ago.

She Walks These Hills by Sharon McCrumb
The ghost of 18 year old Katie Wyler, captured by the Shawnee in North Carolinain 1789, haunts the Appalachian wilderness. The story of her escape inspires ethno-historian Jeremy Cobb to retrace her return journey. Meanwhile, 63-year-old convicted murderer Hiram Sorley, who has no recent memory, escapes from a nearby prison.

The Mask of the Night by Mary Ryan
Okay, the beginning was a bit slow, and there were far too many exclamation marks, but once it got going, I zipped through it! A mysterious mask and signet ring, tied to an inquisitor from medieval Venice, and brought to early 20th century Ireland, curses the life of the recipient: Theo becomes 'possessed' by the original owner's spirit, and the desire to find his lady love, an independent woman accused of witchcraft. Theo believes he sees her in his wife's best friend, Jenny. Fifty years later, Dee finds these items in the ruins of Kilashane, Theo's now abandonned and decrepit manor house, and she becomes personally caught up in the intrigue of their past.

A new twist on an old history

In 1692, cunning woman Deliverance Dane was one of the victims of the Salem Witch Hunts, accused for the death of a young girl by her father. Years after Deliverance's death by hanging, her daughter Mercy attempts to clear Livvy's name, something which had been granted to the other condemned men and women. However, the presiding judge states that Deliverance was not and cannot be cleared as she actually was guilty of witchcraft.

Flash forward to 1991: Connie Goodwin is about to embark on the final stages of her graduate studies at Harvard. However, first she must deal with her deceased grandmother's old, decrepit house. Connie, for years submerged in academia, get distracted her discoveries in the house, including the mystery of an old key in a Bible, wrapped in a delicate paper with the name Deliverance Dane written on it. She uses her research skills to track down Dane's story, at the encouragement of her advisor, Manning Chilton, who may have alterior motives. During her investigation, Connie ends up not only learning about Deliverance's story, but her own.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is Katherine Howe's first fiction release, and mirrors aspects of the author's life: both have ancestors involved with the Salem Witch trials, both are dog lovers, both were/are graduate students at Harvard. But Howe's writing style is not bogged down in multisyllabic, academic, incomprehensible language. Rather, it is an intelligent but fluid text, its imagery often sublimely beautiful (Connie "was always puzzled that people say that darkness falls. To her it seemed instead to rise, massing under trees and shrubs, pouring out from under furniture, only reaching the sky when the spaces near the ground were full"). Howe successfully portrays Massachusetts in time periods separated by three centuries, with empathy, pathos, and humour (my favourite scenes being the comical portrayal of strict librarians, and of someone's shouting entering Connie's sleeping subconscious in Sans Serif script, not to mention Connie's new age mother). Without giving anything away, the unconventional ending may throw some readers off, but I found it to be a different, and who knows, perhaps plausible conclusion. And I look forward to more of Howe's work.

Fiction that goes beyond its target

As a teen, I devoured the classics, such as A Tale of Two Cities, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Phantom of the Opera, Wuthering Heights, and practically all of Agatha Christie's mysteries. I wasn't into 'teen' fiction.

Looking back, I'm not sure if this was due to a lack of books that caught my interest, or a lack of Young Adult authors at the time. During university, I found myself turning to YA fiction as a break from academia, because of my notion that it was fluffy, therefore easier and lighter to read than 'adult' fiction; it wouldn't distract me from my studies through its plots or writing styles (no more "just one more chapter"!).

During this time, I came across multiple YA titles that challenged and changed my thinking, and rank them to be 'as good' as those classics I once voraciously read.

O.R. Melling's The Chronicles of Faerie
A series of four books taking place in Canada and Ireland, of crossings between the worlds of faerie and humans.

An Acceptable Time by Madeleine L'Engle
During a summer spent with her maternal grandparents in Conneticut, Polly O'Keefe and her friend Zachary Grey become involved with ancient hieroglyphs which attract druids who lived some three thousand years ealier.

The Blue Castle by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Yes, a romantic story with a happy ending, but a bit of a different path getting there. 'Old maid' Valancy Stirling is diagnosed with a heart defect, and decides that it's time to get out of her mother's house. She proposes to local bachelor Barney Snaith, saying she will die soon, and just wants to live out her remaining days in peace and quiet. But of course, something changes, because it wouldn't be a happy ending if we left it there, would it?

Laura Whitcomb's A Certain Slant of Light
Helen Lamb spends her days with Mr. Brown, an English teacher in a public high school, and her nights in his house, with him and Mrs. Brown. But they don't know it, as Helen has been dead and lost for 130 years. One day, she gets a jolt as she sees one of the students watching her. When he speaks to her, he explains that he, too, is one of 'the Light' inhabiting the body of a lost boy. After finding her own host body, Helen and James start a most unusual and intense love affair, as they adjust to their new lives without their hosts' memories.

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
In 1895, 16-year-old Gemma Doyle is shipped off from India to Spence, a proper boarding school in England. Lonely and guilt-ridden after her mother's suicide, Gemma is prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true. To make things worse, she’s been followed by a mysterious young Indian man sent to watch her and warn Gemma and her friends about using their powers to enter spiritual realms.

A modern Gothic delight

I love overly romanticised, dark, sinister stories. These include Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, "Dragonwyck by Anya Seton, Louise May Alcott's A Long and Fatal Love Chase, anything by Mary Stewart and Barbara Michaels, and my frequently re-read favourites, Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights and Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. I would now add a new title to the list: Sleep, Pale Sister.

Sleep, Pale Sister was originally published in 1993 by Joanne Harris, and reissued in 2004. One of its main characters is painter Henry Chester, whose works are influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and whose reputation is growing. His subjects are mainly young girls in scenes from Shakespeare or classic tragedies, and feature his favourite model, pale, unearthly Effie. When Effie turns seventeen, Henry, twenty years her senior, marries her. However, his vision of Effie as pure and untouched changes when she welcomes his sexual advances early in the marriage, and disgust and hate replace love and adoration. Henry vows to destroy Effie.

But Henry is not the only one plotting; Moses Harper is not only a rival to Henry in painting, but for Effie's attention. With information and help from Fanny, a brothel owner who has her own vendetta against Henry, Effie and Mose join together to ruin him.

This novel is full of what you would expect in Gothic fiction: a mad wife, a secretive husband, drugs and liquor galore, not to mention prostitutes, nightmares, large spooky houses, and the inevitable graveyard and ghost. Harris uses the device of a different character's point of view for each chapter, which adds to the book's almost frenetic pace and tumultuousness. It's a wild and bumpy ride, perfect reading for dark, chilly, windy nights.

He wrote, she wrote

Several years ago, I completely enjoyed reading Ami McKay's first novel, The Birth House. Set in early 20th century rural Nova Scotia, the book centres around the young Dora Rare, the only female descendant in the Rare family. Through her friendship with the elderly Marie Babineau, Dora learns the trade of midwifery, eventually turning her own home into a 'birth house.' McKay balances stories of tragedy, not unexpected given the time and place, discontent, including Dora's own unhappy marriage to a handsome but scheming con artist, and riotously funny scenes, such as those featuring Dora's Swedish massager.

Contrast this with Christopher Ransom's debut, The Birthing House. Conrad and Joanna Harrison move from California to Black Earth, Wisconsin, to a four bedroom Victorian mansion. Conrad purchases it on a whim, although it turns out that unseen forces may have 'encouraged' his decision. While Jo is away in Chicago for several weeks, Conrad is given an old scrapbook of the house's history by its previous owner, where he sees his own wife's face eerily staring back at him from a hundred year old photograph. If that's not enough to give Conrad the creeps, walking dolls, bloody floors, disembodied newborns' wails, and unusual shadows and reflections will do it. This is not a story of camaraderie and female support as in McKay's book. Here, the act of giving birth is one of supernatural power, one that gives life to the house itself. In its desire to feel the life force of new births, the house, or a presence therein, makes sure that the trend continues.


The contrast between the two books is fascinating. Does it stem from gender issues? Childhood events? Being a parent? Or just simply different interests and imagination? How does the same premise, the story of a birth house, lay the foundations of two vastly different stories, one filled with both joy and not uncommon pain of having children, and one of complete horror and terror? The one similarity is the birth house itself, and the fact that both authors came to live in former birth houses.

Perhaps the answer lies in the spirit of the house itself! If so, don't accept any dinner invitations to the Ransom household.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun portrays a short, violent, but often uplifting period in African history: the struggle by Biafra to lay the foundations of its own independent republic, free from Nigerian rule, during the 1960s.

Adichie, a Nigerian native, whose grandfathers did not survive the Biafran-Nigerian war, focuses her story on five main characters from different classes and races: there is the university professor Odenigbo, a revolutionary, his mistress Olanna, a teacher who is rebellious to her parents' wealth and snobbishness, Olanna's twin sister, Kainene, who, because of her parents' lack of a son, is taking over the family business, her timid English lover, Richard, and Odenigbo's fifteen-year-old houseboy, Ugwu, whose interest in Biafran independence is born listening to his 'master's' dialogues with other intellectuals.

Half of a Yellow Sun is a disturbing story, one where former friends become enemies because of their tribal background, where wealth breeds comtempt for the poor, but also where lack of wealth does not mean an unhappy life. It is a story of clashing ideologies in a time and place which leads to ethnic and sexual violence, murder, hatred, disease, and poverty. But in all the turmoil, there is joy found in what we consider simple things, such as eating an orange, or a shared joke, that shows the rise of the human spirit despite tragedy. And it serves as an excellent reminder to appreciate what we have in life, while we have it.

Remarkable Russell

After an agonising four years, mystery author Laurie R. King brings Mary Russell and her husband, the great Sherlock Holmes, back in The Language of Bees. King's dynamic duo not only returns in print, but after seven harrowing months abroad, home to Sussex. Immediately, Holmes is immersed in a domestic mystery of the 'death' of one of his beehives. What the two don't realise is that soon, a bigger mystery will overtake their lives, tracking down Holmes' son Damian Adler. Adler is accused in a number of murders and disappearances, including that of his own wife and daughter. The violent episodes appear to centre around celestial events and ancient monuments such as Stonehenge.

The characteristic I enjoy most about King's Mary Russell series is its old-fashioned quality. In this day and age of fax machines, emails, digital cameras, television and mobile phones, it would be relatively easy to inform the public about the roaming of a dangerous predator. Not so for poor Russell; in order to try to apprehend her suspect, she hires the (supposedly) quickest form of transportation, a single engine airplane, which still takes her a matter of days and a great deal of frustration to travel eleven hundred kilometres. I also enjoy Holmes' classic keen sense of observation, and deduction of an item's appearance at a crime scene. Clever language and fine detail are key components; these are not fast paced books, but they offer suspense and intrigue, all the while encouraging readers to take their time and relish it all.

Ghosts and giggles

Sophie Kinsella's Twenties Girl Sadie Lancaster is spirited, courageous, slim, stylish, and beautiful. She's also dead. But she's not ready to let go of this world yet, even though she had 105 years in it. That's because she can't rest without her precious dragonfly necklace, a symbol of the happiest years of her life, those of her twenties. Sadie therefore enlists the aid of her great-niece, Lara Lington, who has failed in romance, business, and truthfulness with her family. Lara is the only one who can see and (creatively) communicate with Sadie, and together, they take on Lara's Uncle Bill to get the necklace back.

At first, Sadie and Lara clash. Sadie is a stiff upper lip, get on with it and have fun, personality type (she describes the Second World War as "cold and dreary and one's friends got killed, and I'd rather not think about it"), while Lara is one who likes to get in touch with one's feelings and over-analyse. Along the way, Sadie influences Lara to unwind, and even gets her to agree to asking Ed, an attractive stranger with whom Sadie wants to dance, on a date. However, while her mantra for living may be admirable, Sadie's taste in clothing and make-up are not quite in agreement with either Lara or Ed.

There were many instances in Twenties Girl that had me laughing out loud, and even a couple that got me teary. By the end, I was reluctant to let Sadie and Lara go; I had enjoyed hanging out with them. It's not often you find a feel-good ghost story, but this is one of them.

An untimely passing

A while ago, I listed a number of my favourite mysteries. Included on the list was the Lara McClintoch Archeaological Series by Lyn Hamilton. It was with regret that I read about Hamilton's death from cancer over the weekend.

Lara, a Toronto based antiques dealer, came to being late in Hamilton's life. After working in communications, and being responsible for archeological and heritage conservation projects as director of Ontario's Cultural Programs Branch, the author published The Xibalba Murders in 1997. The title earned her a nomination for the Arthur Ellis Award for best first crime novel in Canada. Her 2003 book, The Celtic Riddle, served as the basis for a Murder She Wrote television movie, with Jessica Fletcher taking over from Lara as sleuth. With eleven adventures under Lara's belt, Hamilton wrapped up the series in 2007 with The Chinese Alchemist, in order to focus on helping new writers, and with a vague promise that she may return to writing. A private person, she was likely already fighting her cancer.



The elements I enjoy about the Lara McClintoch series, in addition to Lara's unenviable talent to stumble upon a murder virtually everywhere she went, are Hamilton's interests in the archaeology and history of different geographical regions and cultures. I always felt like I was taking a mini-vacation, albeit a bloody and violent one, while learning bits and pieces of said regions and cultures. And Lara is a likable, feisty, and intelligent heroine. And a pretty good sport, considering her outings inevitably end up far from relaxing.

For anyone who has not indulged themselves in one of Lyn Hamilton's mystery, I think it would be a wonderful homage to the author to pick one up and feel some regret that her talent was lost too soon.


For a complete list of Hamilton's Lara McClintoch series and more information, visit her website at www.lynhamilton.com.

Genius or just lucky?

About twenty years ago, I wrote an undergrad essay on the great Dutch artist Jan Vermeer. During my research, I stumbled across a man named Han Van Meegeren, a somewhat talented but unoriginal painter who has the dubious reputation of fooling both the art world and Nazi leaders during the Second World War. After being ridiculed and dismissed by leading art critics, Van Meegeren became obsessed with showing them for the 'fools' they were by 'creating' a masterpiece by Vermeer, then announcing that it was in fact his own creation.

Since I first saw these works, my thoughts were "how could anyone with eyes, nevermind the most respected art historians in the world, have fallen for this tripe?" Well, author Edward Dolnick succeeds in telling readers just how. The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century" in part explains the collection of events that turned Van Meegeren's The Supper at Emmaus from overly-sentimental, insipid rubbish to a Masterpiece. While Dolnick's research is detail oriented, it is not bogged down with too much information, never to the point of inducing boredom. The author presents his information in short, catchy chapters, each a story in themselves. These include the politics of the era, input from past and contemporary art and forgery experts, mini-biographies of the persons involved, Van Meegeren's insightful forging techniques, his success and his fallout.

The Forger's Spell often feels more like fiction than fact, which makes it appealing to art- and history-lovers, as well as readers of fast-paced, psychological thrillers.

A great afternoon escape

Mags Grimsdale is a 40-something ex-Goth (okay, not entirely ex) married for over twenty years to Bill, a former Punk and the love of her life. Together, they have raised four straight laced children. Mags' boss, Julie Sultana, is her exact opposite, a cool blonde, play-the-field wedding planner who has little faith in happily-ever-after. While Julie juggles her time between her devoted fiance and her secret young lover, Mags must organise the upcoming wedding of a famous rock star, complete with bats, vampire attire, a haunted house wedding cake, and skull-patterned tuxedo. Plus take care of her depressed oldest son, his anorexia suffering girlfriend, her father's funeral (complete with bizarre relatives), her daughter's emigration to Australia, and potential financial disaster.

Sharon Owens' Revenge of the Wedding Planner is a light, entertaining story with fun and frustrating characters, quick moving scenes, lots of turmoil, and a woman trying to make keep her head amongst the chaos. It's a great read for one sitting, so try it for a late summer lollygag in the garden, or save it for a chilly autumn evening, or a snowy winter afternoon. It will lighten up your day regardless (mostly because you will be thankful you are not Mags Grimsdale!)

A rather charming read...

Penny Nichols (yes, she is aware of the absurdity of her name) is coasting through life: her research job for historical accuracy in made-for-TV films pays the bills, but it's not entirely fulfilling; she's had serious romantic relationships (with her boss, none the less!) but never been really in love; she's been to exciting international locales, but has been too busy working to really enjoy them. But that all changes with one phone call...

Penny's mum informs her that Penny must represent the family in London at the reading of the last will and testament of Great Aunt Penelope, who is represented by Penny's dashing cousin Jeremy. It is revealed that in addition to Aunt P's London apartment, Penny shares inheritance of a French Villa with Jeremy and their dastardly older cousin, Rollo. However, Rollo is not overly fond of the results, and intends to get all of Penelope's French property, by any means. Rollo's actions set into play a whirlwind of activity through three countries, as well as helps Penny makes personal discoveries of her great aunt, that turns Penelope from a lonely, drab old spinster to a woman who loved and lost, and then found a treasure greater than any material item.

C.A. Belmond's A Rather Lovely Inheritance is an entertaining combination of romance, laughs, history, exciting locations, and a mysterious twist. Most of the characters are light and enjoyable (I particularly enjoy Penny's fun-loving parents; what other kind of people would name their child Penny Nichols?), balanced by the greedy Rollo and his ancient mum. Yes, it's rather predictable, and has a happy ending, but it makes you feel warm and fuzzy and comfortable, like having your favourite cup of tea overlooking the Thames.

Intellectual Thrills

Okay, that heading sounds a bit snobby, but I believe in its accuracy.

The intellectual thrills I refer too are books written by Long Island resident Carol Goodman. Since her first book, written at the age of nine (the crayon-illustrated “Adventures of the Magical Herd” in which a girl named Carol lives with a herd of magical horses), Goodman knew she would be a writer.

Thank goodness for that! Goodman's books all revolve around the relationships between older women in roles of authority and younger girls, history, the arts, and, yes, death. Her first novel, The Lake of Dead Languages, focuses on a Latin teacher in an all girls' school; the next, The Seduction of Water, on literature; The Drowning Tree examines stained glass and The Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood of artists; five artists-in-residence reside in the Bosco estate in The Ghost Orchid; Shakespeare's poetry is key in The Sonnet Lover; and the ruins of Herculaneum, destroyed with Pompeii by Mount Vesuvius, is at the core of The Night Villa (which features a particularly thrilling scene involving underground tunnels!).

Goodman excels at both creating gripping, tantalizing plots that can have readers page-turning all night, and also provide good backgrounds to her books historic elements, without being bogged down in too many details to interrupt the flow of the scene. Her characters are real, and flawed (otherwise they wouldn't get themselves into these fixes!), vulnerable yet fearless when they need to be (and with some of the situations they find themselves in, they need to be!). They all flow with beauty and chills, culminating in the climax and satisfying, surprising conclusions.

If you're looking for something for a day at the beach, a long airplane ride, a rainy afternoon, grad some Goodman!

She's ba-a-a-ack!

There are certain things we can rely on every year: we will partake of some combination of birthdays, anniversaries, festive holidays, vacations, not to forget car insurance renewals, taxes, and dental appointments... and, for some of us, a new Stephanie Plum mystery! Lately, unfortunately, Stephanie hasn't been involved in quite as amusing predicaments as she used to be, thereby being more like, although not entirely, a literary annual physical with your doctor. Thank goodness, Janet Evanovich's Finger Lickin' Fifteen is like Halloween: fluffy yet entirely delicious and satisfying, something you want to devour in an afternoon, leaving your stomach aching, but this time from hearty belly laughs.

This time around, Stephanie, recently on a hiatus from all men, finds herself helping best friend Lula enter a barbeque competition for the best hot sauce, as well as protecting her from the killers of celebrity chef Stanley Chipotle, who's murder via meat cleaver Lula unfortunately witnessed. At the same time, Stephanie finds herself tracking down infiltrators to Rangeman Security, run by the mysterious and sexy Ranger, who's enjoying having Stephanie share his bed, although he wishes they were in it at the same time. Throw in the ever attractive Grandma Mazur, who's lending a helping hand to Lula's barbeque endeavor, a handful of shady characters who've jumped bail, and Mrs. Plum's idea of great blind dates for her unmarried daughter, not to mention the inevitable vehicular destruction, and you've got laugh out loud scenarios (including my favourite, Lula squeezing out of the car window).

This is summer reading at its best and most entertaining!

A powerful first novel

Towner Whitney is from a long line of women who can see the future in pieces of lace. Her first words in The Lace Reader are "never believe me. I lie all the time."

This premise makes for interesting reading in Brunonia Barry's first novel. It is set in Salem in the mid-1990s, where Towner has returned after the disappearance of her great-aunt Eva, who helped raise her after Towner's estrangement from her own mother, May (who now runs a women's shelter on the isolated Yellow Dog Island) and her twin sister Lyndley's suicide. With the help of police investigator John Rafferty, Towner attempts to discover Eva's fate while remembering and reliving her tumultuous youth.

The reader is taken on a journey which is part reality, part fantasy, part history, and part terror. But it's not until the last few pages that the reality versus fantasy is cleared. Always bear in mind Towner's opening words, and keep close attention to her following ones, or you may find yourself flipping back several chapters to re-read a scene. In fact, a re-reading of the whole book probably wouldn't hurt!

A delightful summer adventure

I recently took a trip to Kenya, where I learned a great deal about the local fauna, and a small bit about its politics, and I never had to leave my backyard. This feat was accomplished via Nicholas Drayson's A Guide to the Birds of East Africa.

The plot centres around mild-mannered widower Mr. Malik, who has a good old-fashioned 'crush' on the widow Rose Mbikwa, organiser of the local bird watching society. When the outgoing Harry Khan returns to Kenya for a visit, Mr. Malik finds an adversary for Rose's attentions. Unbeknownst to Rose, this rivalry starts a wager stating that whichever man can spot the most number of birds over the next week will have the honour of asking Rose to the Nairobi Hunt Club Ball. The novel follows the mainly comical trials and tribulations of the competitors with vivid and often beautiful descriptions.

Not only did I thoroughly enjoy this wonderful, humourous, gentle story, so did my visiting in-laws. We practically did battle ourselves over who got to have the book. So don't tell anyone how enjoyable it is until AFTER you've finished.

The Art of Literature

I have three great lifetime loves: music, books and art. It's always a great pleasure when I can combine two or three of these precious things. Here are a few of such titles:

The Portrait - Iain Pears
In addition to his irreverant Art History Mystery series, Pears penned this dark, dense story of a painter seeking revenge on his nemesis.

Loving Frank - Nancy Horan
Okay, it's architecture, not art, but still... the story of Frank Lloyd Wright and the woman said to have wrecked his first marriage, Mamah Borthwick Cheney.

Music and Silence - Rose Tremain
In the 17th centure, King Christian IV of Denmark struggles with his wife's infidelity, the fall of his country, and a fear for his life. His one consolation is listening to his Royal Orchestra. His wife, Kirsten, however, detests music.

The Songcatcher - Sharyn McCrumb
Folksinger Lark McCourry is haunted by the memory of a song she heard as a child in North Carolina. It comes from her ancestor, Malcolm MacQuarry, who was kidnapped from the Scottish island of Islay. The song was passed down through the generations, though now the memory dimmed; Lark's only hope of preserving her family legacy lies in Nora Bonesteel, who talks to both the living and the dead.

The Golden Tulip - Rosalind Laker
Francesca and Aletta, the two eldest daughter of the painter Hendrik Visser, are talented artists in their own rights, while the youngest, Sybella, is far more interested in marrying well. Hendrik is successful, but his drinking and gambling keep the family in penury. Once the girls' mother dies, Francesca has new responsibilities, which she must soon balance with an apprenticeship to a little-known Vermeer, and suitors Pieter van Doorne, a tulip grower, and wealthy ship owner Ludolf van Deventer.

Girl with a Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier
Griet, the young daughter of a tilemaker in seventeeth century Holland, obtains her first job, as a servant in Vermeer's household, and experiences the complicated family, the society of the small town of Delft, and life with an obsessive genius. Griet loves being drawn into his artistic life, and leaving her former drudgery, but the cost to her own survival may be high.

The Forest Lover - Susan Vreeland
Canadian painter Emily Carr travels through native villages and wilderness of British Columbia in the early 1900s, often alone, on a quest to paint totem poles and other artifacts before the indigenous traditions died out and the poles were destroyed or sold.

Bel Canto - Ann Patchett
Latin terrorists storm an international gathering hosted by an underprivileged country. Among the hostages are a world class opera singer and her biggest fan, a Japanese tycoon who has been persuaded to attend the party on the understanding that she will perform half a dozen arias after dinner.

The Girl with the Botticelli Eyes - Herbert H. Lieberman
In New York City, Mark Manship, curator at the Met, is staging the most exhaustive Botticelli exhibit in history, and hoping to convince Isobel Cattaneo, the only direct descendant of Botticelli's chief model, to help promote the show. In Italy, crazed nationalist Ludovico Borghini is terrorizing the art world, slashing priceless canvases and staging his own grotesque "exhibits"--using the human body parts of innocent victims as props. Now, as Borghini has Isobel in his clutches, Manship must summon every fiber of his being to stop a madman bent on destroying everything he holds dear.

The Forgery of Venus - Michael Gruber
Chaz Wilmot is a painter who possesses a virtuosic command of the techniques of the old masters, but his style of painting is no longer popular, and he refuses to shape his talent to fit the fashion of the day. A break comes when with a commission to restore a Venetian palace fresco by the eighteenth-century master Tiepolo, for a disreputable Italian businessman. Once there, Wilmot discovers that it is not a restoration but a re-creation, indeed a forgery.

I Am Madame X - Gioia Diliberto
A fictional memoir of the legendary American-born beauty Virginie Gautreau, the subject of John Singer Sargent's famous 1884 painting, Portrait of Madame X, Gioia Diliberto's I Am Madame X risks dashing cold water on one of the loveliest and most persistent mysteries in Western art history: what the model is thinking.

A parent's worst nightmare

Photographer Abby Mason has it all: a growing career, a loving fiance, Jake, and a wonderful relationship with six-year-old Emma, her future stepdaughter, all in beautiful San Fransisco. But a few seconds of inattention on a foggy beach causes her to lose it all. Emma disappears without a trace. Author Michelle Richmond follows Abby through a year of self torture for her mistake: is Emma alive or dead? Is she suffering? Does Abby still deserve Jake's love? How can she go back to work and try to live a normal life when no questions have been answered? How can she reach into her memory to find a clue to Emma's disappearance?

This is a heartbreaking story of a woman wracked with guilt, terror and regret for a simple act thousands of caregivers do every day: simply look away from a child for a short period of time. It echoes themes in titles such as Ian McEwan's The Child in Time, Red Leaves by Thomas Cook, Beth Gutcheon's Still Missing, and Angels Crest by Lesley Schwartz.

Not a happy subject, but worth the read.

Could you love this man?

The book Les Liaisons Dangereuses, originally written by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos in 1780s France, has been translated into numerous languages, as well as for stage, radio, television, and screen.

The story centers around the Marquise De Merteuil's request to her former lover, Valmont, to seduce Cecile, a young aristocrat who is set to marry another of her lovers. Valmont declines, stating it is too easy, and that he has set his sights on a real challenge: get the honourable Madame de Tourveil to break her marriage vows during her husband's absence. Merteuil bets a night with herself that he will fail. Things get more complicated when Valmont changes his mind regarding Cecile after her mother warns de Tourveil of his reputation, while Merteuil takes on the young girl's love interest as her own. Once Valmont manages to win their bet, Merteuil reneges on her promise, the two become enemies, and plot one another's downfall.

The late 1980s saw not one, but two English versions of Les Liaisons Dangereuses hit the big screen; the first, Dangerous Liaisons, was based on a theatre version by Chris Hampton, directed by Stephen Frears and starring John Malkovich, Glenn Close and Michelle Pfeiffer. The second was directed by Milos Forman and starred Colin Firth, Annette Bening and Meg Tilly. Interestingly, the two versions, while sharing the same plot line differ drastically.

Valmont is selfish and childish, but utterly charming, at least played by Firth; Malkovich's portrayal is much more sinister, cold and calculated, a man who only really smiles with the conquering of a human spirit. Likewise, Close, as the Marquise De Merteuil, is cunning, cruel, and takes great delight watching the distress of others. Bening's portrayal of the Marquise, while vengeful and vindictive, is also witty, high-spirited, and affable; she appears to ensure trust and friendship to her 'victims.' Tilly and Pfeiffer both play Madame de Tourveil; Tilly's characterisation is vulnerable, innocent, and naive, while Pfeiffer's is more articulate, astute and stronger-willed.

I admit to loving both versions, and have watched them repeatedly. Dangerous Liaisons comes across as more structured, with a clearer motive and plot, but the sets are darker and the characterisations are less multidimensional that Valmont. Valmont is lush, colourful, playful, and much more joyful; I understand why Madame de Tourveil ruins her marriage because of Valmont, and why Cecile takes the Marquise as her confidante. They are real people who are flawed, and weak. Does it mean I prefer Valmont? Not necessarily; the two films are equal, but different.

Next time a rainy day threatens to keep you inside, try one, or both, films, and make your own decisions!

Pat

Books that make you think

One of authours who's books I eagerly await is Jodi Picoult. Her books are thought provoking and often deal with weighty issues (ie: school shootings, mercy killings, rape, etc.). Picoult's books tend to stick in your mind, making you rethink issues and question your own ideals. Last night I sat down to read her latest book, Handle With Care. This book takes a look at wrongfull birth lawsuits and the lengths a mother would go to, to ensure the finacial security for a sick child. Of course. It was a rivoting story. My other favorite Jodi Picoult books are Nineteen Minutes, My Sister's Keeper and Second Glance.

If you like Jodi Picoult, you may like these books too:

1) Blue Diary - Alice Hoffman

2) The Memory Keepers Daughter - Kim Edwards

3) This Much I know is True - Wally Lamb

4) The Breakdown Lane - Jacquelyn Mitchard

5) Lost in the Forest - Sue Miller

6) The Girls - Lori Lansens

7) Crow Lake - Mary Lawson

Happy reading!!

Posted by Narelle

Urban Fantasy at it's best

Every once and a while an authour manages to create a character that is so belivable I find myself wanting to know them personally. One of my very favorite characters was created by Patricia Briggs. She has a wonderful urban fantasy series set in the tri-cities area of Washington state. The first book in the series Moon Called introduces us to Mercedes Thompson. Mercy is a wonderful heroine who not only is a strong, smart woman who makes her living as a VW mechanic, but also is a skin walker (coyote shape shifter). Mercy's world is mostly like the world we know but with some fae, vampires, and good looking werewolves mixed in. Mercy has friends to help, mysteries to solve and a love life to sort out. So far there are four books in the series: Moon Called, Blood Bound, Iron Kissed and Bone Crossed. I warn you though, these books are dangerous. It is extremely hard to put down one once you have started.

Posted by Narelle

To re-read or not to re-read

Too many books, too little time. It's a motto that pretty much all voracious readers live by. Working in the library is a kind of beautiful agony; surrounded by so much magnificent reading, I am aware that I will never, ever be able to read all the glorious titles that I see. I almost sigh with relief when a new book order arrives, and nothing tickles my fancy; I will not be distracted from the books I already have at home by some new hard-covered interloper.

Therefore, with so much literary temptation, I pose the question: should a book one truly loved and enjoyed be reread? Why take up something with which you're familiar? Well, I think good reads are like good friends; you get to know them, grow with them, find new significance with them; you don't just hang out with them once, you go back to them again, and again, and again...

Here's a list of some of the good friends I've made over the years:

Mists of Avalon - Marion Zimmer Bradley - The story of King Arthur from his half-sister Morgan Le Fay's point of view. And no, she's not an evil, conniving, power hungry you-know-what.

Marianna; Named of the Dragon; The Shadowy Horses - Susanna Kearsley - Kearsley combines past and present, either through reincarnation or ghostly visitors, in these eerie, romantic titles.

ANYTHING by Barbara Erskine - Like Kearsley, Erskine using themes of past lives, either those of the main characters, or through spirits possessing them, but is much, much, much more frightening!

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden - Two young girls are sold by their impoverished parents in 20th century Japan. Memoirs focuses on Sayuri, who becomes one of the most popular and sought after geishas of the time.

Morgan Llywelyn's Irish Century (1916, 1921, 1949, 1972, 1999) - The series follows the family and friends of Ned Halloran during Ireland's tumultuous struggle for political and religious freedom from Britain.

Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes - Three friends from Knockavoy, Ireland, lean on each other while trying to get through their (often hilarious) trials and tribulations.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - The enduring 'love' story of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff which is so bizarre it carries on into their children's lives.

The Drowning Tree by Carol Goodman - Art, history, murder, suicide, mystery, love, suspense all rolled into 300+ pages! The kind of book that makes you (wish you could) take a sick day from work.

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier - A retelling of an ancient Celtic tale: in order to free her older brothers from a curse which has turned them into swans, Sorcha must face years of silence as she knits them shirts made of nettles.

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding - Get into the head and emotions of London's Bridget Jones as she looks for true love, and an outfit that fits just right.

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult - What lengths would a mother go through to save one of her children from illness and death, and is it fair to expect others to go along with her?

Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund - Una, wife of Moby Dick's Captain Ahab, tells her story of unconventional life on the New England coast.

Possession by A.S. Byatt - Two modern day academics' lives become intertwined as they research two Victorian day poets and the truth about their past before it is discovered by rival colleagues.

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier - A young girl inspires the Dutch painter Vermeer with one of his most famous works.

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier - What happened to the first Mrs. DeWinter, the beautiful, vivacious Rebecca, and why does her memory continue to haunt her former friends and family, and particularly the new Mrs. DeWinter?

The Passion of Artemesia by Susan Vreeland - Based on the life of Artemisia Gentileschi, one of the few female painters of the Italian Baroque period.

Unputtdownable!!!

Twenty years ago, Adam Ryan and his two best friends walked In The Woods to play, but only Adam came out. Now known as Rob, he is a detective in Dublin with his partner, Cassie Maddox, who is one of the few people to know his secret. When the murder investigation of a young girl takes them to the same woods, Rob deals with disturbing memories, trying to see if it ties in with his horrible past.

The Likeness follows Cassie in an undercover investigation, trying to find out who murdered a young Trinity College grad student who not only looks exactly like Cassie, but whose name is Lexie Madison, the same name Cassie used years earlier while posing as a student to infiltrate a drug ring. Under the pretense that Lexie survived her attack, Cassie poses as the dead woman. While getting close to Lexie's small circle of friends and housemates in her search for the murderer, Cassie finds herself a bit too comfortable in her new living arrangements.

Tana French writes gripping and gritty psychological police dramas that had me ignoring my promise to myself to 'just read one more chapter.' Her use of language is superlative, her characters flawed and human, her situations frustrating and disturbing. Combined, these traits make some of the best reading I've experienced in several years.

The Island

I fully admit to choosing books by their cover. When I spotted the library's copy of Victoria Hislop's book, The Island, I was intrigued enough to give it a try. What a splendid suprise. I was hooked from the beginning.

The story begins with Alexis traveling to the small town of Plaka, on the Cretan coast, in hopes of finding out about her mother's secretive past. There she meets up with an old woman who tells her the story of her great grandmother, grandmother and mother. Alexis learns of her family's connection to Greece's leper colony on the small island of Spinalonga. This novel is a tale of friendship, family and secrets. I couldn't put it down and think that it would make a great book club book. The only bad thing about this book is that now I really think I need to go to Greece and eat crusty bread and drink wine sitting at a little table overlooking the ocean!

Happy reading - N

Posted by Narelle

My Favourite Mystery Series

Gunshots and blood spots
And mayhem abounded.
Who dunnit, I dunno, I am confounded.
Killers and victims, their sordid hist’ries…
These are a few of my fav’rite myst’ries.

Erin Hart Haunted Ground, Lake of Sorrows
Death and destiny, myth and mystery,forensics, history, archaeology, suspense, in Ireland past and present.


Laurie King Mary Russell series: The Beekeeper's Apprentice; A Monstrous Regiment of Women; A Letter of Mary; The Moor; O Jerusalem; Justice Hall; The Game; Locked Rooms
Young Mary Russell lost her family in a tragedy, but fate lends a hand when she meets and matches the brilliant Sherlock Holmes, who becomes a major player in her life.


Iain Pears Art History Mysteries: The Raphael Affair; The Titian Committee; The Bernini Bust; Giotto's Hand; Death and Restoration; The Immaculate Deception
The adventures of British art historian Jonathan Argyll and two members of the (fictitious) Art Squad of the Italian police: researcher Flavia di Stefano and the head of the squad, General Bottando.


Peter Tremayne Sister Fidelma Mysteries: Absolution by Murder; The Monk who Vanished; Badger's Moon; Act of Mercy; Suffer Little Children; Shroud for the Archbishop; The Subtle Serpent; Valley of the Shadow; The Spider's Web; The Haunted Abbot; Master of Souls; A Prayer for the Damned.
Sister Fidelma is not simply a 7th century Irish religieuse, a former member of the community of St Brigid of Kildare. She is also a qualified dalaigh, or advocate of the ancient law courts. With her companion, Brother Eadulf, Fidelma travels through Ireland, the British Isles, and as far as Rome using her knowledge to find the guilty party.


Sharyn McCrumb The Ballad Novels: If I Ever Return, My Pretty Peggy-O; The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter; She Walks These Hills; The Rosewood Casket; The Ballad of Frankie Silver; The Songcatcher; Ghost Riders.
In the mountains of Appalachia, seer Nora Bonesteel could tell Sheriff Spencer Arrowood and his small staff a thing or two in advance while they try to maintain their town's law and order.


Margaret Coel Wind River series: Eagle Catcher; Dream Stalker; Story Teller; Lost Bird; Spirit Woman; Thunder Keeper; Shadow Dancer; Killing Raven; Wife of Moon; Eye of the Wolf; Drowning Man
Father John O'Malley and attorney Vicki Holden work together to help the people of the Arapaho Wind River Reservation.


Lyn Hamilton Lara McClintoch Archeaological Series: Moche Warrior; Celtic Riddle; African Quest; Magyar Venus; Orkney Scroll.
Antique dealer Lara McClintoch just can't seem to avoid trouble, or involvement in murders (solving them, at least)!


Hailey Lind Art Lover's Mysteries: Feint of Art; Brush with Death; Shooting Gallery
After being discovered working with her grandfather, a master art forger, Annie Kincaid is relegated to opening a faux finishing design company. Unfortunately, the dead bodies that Annie keeps stumbling across are far from faux.

The Gargoyle : a novel

As a lover of medieval architecture, the title of this book caught my attention immediately. Unfortunately, upon reading the synopsis, it lost me; but only temporarily. It's the type of book where I really have to think, do I want to invest my time in this? Thankfully, I did. The Gargoyle, Winnipeg native Andrew Davidson's first novel, delivered on so many levels. And, surprisingly, given the brutal nature of certain parts of the story, presents some of the best examples of tender, true, unconditional love.

The narrator begins his life unwanted, unloved, and neglected after his mother died in childbirth. Handsome, intelligent, an avid gatherer of information, he enters the world of drugs and pornography, until an accident causes severe burns on his body and face. Enter Marianne Engel, sculptor of 'grotesques,' to his hospital bed; she comments on how this is the third time he's been burned, which gets the crux of the story going. Marianne takes the narrator into her home, where she cares for him while often feverishly working on her next grotesque, and tells him of their first meeting seven hundred years ago. Their history is interspersed with stories of 'friends' of hers from the past who personify exemplary love and unselfishness and play a role in the narrator's recovery.

The graphic details of the narrator's accident and physical rehabilitation early in the book does not (thankfully) set the tone for the remainder of the novel, although is it an important element in helping him on the road to redemption. The language and acts of caring and love between the characters are, I found, inspirational without feeling trite or exaggerated. The author does an excellent job of intertwining of medieval history with the present. His characters, although unusual, did not seem unreal or exaggerated.

Andrew Davidson put seven years of research into writing The Gargoyle. I hope he does not take that long to release his next work.

Pat