Historical

A Knights Bridge Christmas by Carla Neggers

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Like most of the Carla Neggers Swift River Valley novels, A Knights Bridge Christmas has beautiful descriptions of setting and a range of characters Neggers magically makes real. Even Daisy, now deceased, enamored me. Neggers hugs the reader with ice rinks and hot cocoa, mittens and hats, decorating a historical home for the holidays, and falling in love. 

A bit of unnatural dialogue and a too-trusting heroine took me out of the magic here and there. Some conversations were stilted and felt thrown in as an afterthought. And Clare just blindly agreeing to Logan’s suggestions seemed totally unrealistic. 

I’m always willing to overlook a few things for a holiday love story. This one includes a little mystery, a little adventure, and a happily ever after. 

-Calliope

Buy A KNIGHTS BRIDGE CHRISTMAS

Review: A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

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23160039What can I say? I absolutely loved this book I adored it! Enjoyed every word of it. I hated for it to end. I hope this is a long series. Please! Pretty please. Let this be a long series!

Okay, the dirty bits out of the way first….I imagine there will be more than a few people who claim the heroine, Veronica Stillwater is annoying. That she’s too arrogant, or silly, or doesn’t know half of what she *thinks* she does. All of that is true. But dangnabbit, I loved her anyway! Besides, if everyone has different personalities, why can’t someone have one exactly like Miss Stillwater? Independent, promiscuous, and outspoken…all of that in a time where ladies were better known to be quiet and subservient. I find it refreshing for an author to show us a heroine that is strong and independent. At no time does Miss Stillwater give up her independence. At no time does she succumb to being a victim. At no time does she play coy. At no time is she anything other than what she proclaims to be…. #yougogirl

The other bit that readers might object to….the mystery bit solved. I realise that many people will say it’s unbelievable. That it just wasn’t feasible. All I can say is, HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!? Have you actually read any history books? Have you not seen what depths that people will go to for power? What lengths they will go to in order to obtain power? Sometimes the truth really is stranger than fiction…and although this is indeed fiction, the outrageousness of the entire scenario makes it very believable for me.

Now let’s get to the good bits….oh wait….those WERE good bits! hahahahaha…..seriously, those bits DID in fact bother me at the start….but then I realised that they were only bothering me because I KNEW people would find fault with them….then towards the end, I decided to say screw it…I LOVE THIS BOOK….if you don’t….well you’re the nutter…not me!

And finally…let’s discuss Stoker….OH MY GOSH….I think I’m in love. Thank you thank you thank you, Deanna Raybourn for not making Stoker into someone who just gives into his desires. Thank you for not making he take over and save the day. Thank you for building up such a strong attraction and tension between the two wonderful lead characters and for not spoiling it by having one or the other *change* who they are in an instant just to satisfy some lusty readers (no offense to any lusty readers out there).

I seriously wish I could pick up the next book right this second and start it. I already miss Veronica and Stoker. I am already suffering from withdraw.

Yep, you can bet your bottom dollar I shall be waiting for the next installment of this series….

PS Would you just look at this lush cover? Oh my my my….It’s stunning, innit?

Until next time…

Urania xx

ARC provided by Netgalley and Edelweiss for an honest review (and I HONESTLY LOVED this book)

Buy it now A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

Review: Below the Water Line: Getting Out, Going Back, and Moving Forward in the Decade After Hurricane Katrina by Lisa Karlin

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518K729yxgL._SX311_BO1,204,203,200_It’s been ten years since the unforgettable devastation known as Katrina came ashore. Ten years since families were displaced, homes were destroyed, lives were lost. Such a long time ago, but yet not so very long ago. And although I’ve read many different accounts of the tragedy, every new one that comes along immediately catches my eye.

In this newest telling, we are given an insider’s view of what one family encountered in the days leading up to the hurricane as well as their recovery process. This family is somewhat different from what most of us know from television accounts. They’re white, middle class (at least) and living comfortably. Mom is a nurse and dad is a surgeon. Kids one and two are enrolled in private school. They have a nice home in a nice neighborhood. And most importantly, they have the means to evacuate as Katrina bears down on the city.

I’ll admit, I had to sit on this one for a bit after finishing it. I knew that I wanted to write a review, but I wasn’t quite sure in which direction I wanted to go. The author does provide a very real, honest account of her family’s experiences. However, it’s hard to feel much sympathy for someone whose home escaped mostly intact while so many lost everything they owned. And how does a tree in a pool and rotten food compare with the loss of a loved one?

But the more I reflected on it, the more I appreciated this unique perspective on the Karlin family’s experience. Because who am I to determine what an authentic story is? And I give the author much credit for never minimizing the horror of what others went through. In fact, at several points throughout the story she makes a point of noting that so many others had it so much worse than her family did.

Mostly, I admire the hope and passion for New Orleans that is woven throughout this book. The author makes it clear that there’s no love lost for those who were in power ten years ago. Powerful people who, by the way, dropped the ball in a very big way. She also makes it very clear why she and her family made the decision to return to a city that many felt wasn’t deserving of rebuilding efforts. To quote a well-known phrase: “I’m not a native of New Orleans. Although I wasn’t born here, I got here as fast as I could.”

~Thalia

Buy It Now: Below the Water Line: Getting Out, Going Back, and Moving Forward in the Decade After Hurricane Katrina

Review – The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

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11250317Today, we’re going to be travelling back a few thousand years! Don’t worry, you won’t need your passport! Now, we all know, or at least have heard of, the classical Greek stories of Achilles, the Trojan War, Helen of Troy etc etc… However, as with any great myth or story, we rarely hear the precursor; what happened before the events to these people? Particularly, what force, passion, emotion, inspired Achilles to step up and continue fighting (readers of Homer’s Iliad will know that Achilles refused to fight after his slave was taken away)? I don’t want to spoil anything, as even if you already know the whole story of the Iliad, this is a fresh take, so the raw power of the story will take your breath away.
Miller takes us on an adventure (I purposely use that word because that’s exactly how this books reads, as an adventure) exploring the early years of Achilles and his friend, Patroclus. They are brought up together in the same house and received much of the same education and training. Over the years we experience their bond strengthening and later events make much more sense.
Again, I just want to make a point of mentioning that my lexical choice of “experience” and “adventure”, is really not an accident. Miller’s writing allows us to “be in the moment” and to really feel for these characters, because we have been on the same journey as them. We’ve essentially experienced what they’ve experienced. Now, I know that sounds incredibly corny, but it’s the only way I can describe it. Miller’s style of writing is sparse, complex, simple, detailed, lyrical, poignant and mythical. All this coming in a debut novel is extremely rare. I suppose it helps that Miller has both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Ancient Greek and Latin languages as well as Classical studies. That urge to know more, and be inspired by the texts in their original languages, and have the academic ability and opportunity to really research your subject, is a real credit to Miller, along with her seemingly innate ability to write a damn good story!
I really cannot recommend this novel enough. A solid read, and for those of you that dislike lengthy novels, one t that packs such a punch in just over 400 pages – got to be worth a read!

Pegasus (and no, I did not consult on this novel!)

The Song of Achilles: A Novel

Review: Ascension Trilogy by Gaelen Foley

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01 asc Lately I’ve been feeling kind of blah with my reading. I’ve read so much this summer and most of it is blurring all together, not making an impact on me whatsoever. I was ready to turn in the towel and just swim all day, even though I HATE swimming, I was that fed up. I wanted something new. I wanted something real. Basically I wanted something with emotion, and not all the angst and unrealistic emotions that my recent books have been giving me. I thought I was in the mood for something different, perhaps historical romance, or even pirates. Surely this will help. 01 asc3I could escape in a world of adventure and romance, without the crass language and over the top craziness. So I went to one of my book clubs and asked for some recommendations and someone mentioned Gaelen Foley’s Ascension trilogy. I grabbed my computer and checked my overdrive system and low and behold, they had a million of her books. Well, not a million, but a good chunk. The book gods were smiling on me, because they had most of them ready and waiting for me to check them out. No holds needed. So I grabbed the Ascension trilogy, downloaded them to my kindle and sat down, hoping to be wowed. Well…..I was.

01 asc2This trilogy was just what the doctor ordered. I was in heaven. It had all the action I wanted. Pirates, princesses, kidnappings and sword wielding warriors. And of course, romance. I gotta have my romance. I wanted the epicness of Outlander, but with a quarter of the pages. I love the fact that each book is about the same family. The first, The Pirate Prince, is about the parents. It’s the start of this entire family. It introduces us to one of the main characters in the next book, but we have no idea. The second book, Princess, is about the daughter(obviously) and about her fierce protector. I adored this one!! I love the friends to lovers books. They tend to have so much love already, this would be the next step in their relationship. Book 3, Prince Charming was just right. It takes place almost 10 years after Princess and we get to see how the son gets healed by someone he least expects. That book was perfect.

While I never cried in these books, my heart was still very happy. So if you’re looking for an epic romance, with swoon worthy men and women who know how to fight for what they want, you must try this series!! Now, I’m about to grab another series by Gaelen, and I have high hopes that this will keep the book blahs away from me.

~Melpomene

Buy The Pirate Prince (Ascension Trilogy Book 1)
Princess: (Ascension Trilogy Book 2)
Prince Charming (Ascension Trilogy Book 3)

Review – The Buried Giant, by Kazuo Ishiguro. 

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22522805I finished reading this book over a month ago, and honestly, I’m still not sure what to make of it. Is it a work of genius that layer upon layer of undiscovered insight? Or is it a bit of a failure? Well, after a month of letting it sink in, I think I can say it falls somewhere in the middle. Now, Ishiguro is one of my top 5 favourite authors – if I could ever write a novel even an 1/8 as good as The Remains of The Day, or Never Let Me Go, then my life would be complete – and so this review is hard for me to write as I really wanted to love this book.

I suppose I better tell you a bit about the plot. Set in the early years of the Saxons, we follow an elderly couple as they go on a journey to visit their son in a neighbouring village. There is however, a strange mist enveloping the land and this causes everyone to lose their long term memory, that the people believe is being caused by a dragon rumored to be living in a mountain. Throughout this journey, the couple are pitted against many obstacles, including a cantankerous old knight from the days of King Arthur, the above mentioned dragon, and various other people that wish to do them harm.

Hmm… this sounds like a fairy tale you may say? Well, it is certainly told in a similar fashion, except this one delves into much deeper issues. I don’t want to explain each metaphor or what I think the author is trying to say – that’s for you to decipher. However, what I will say is that I think Ishiguro had all of these themes and contemporary issues that he wanted to incorporate into his book, but yet he tended to over crowd it without offering context. Or maybe it was my mind making up these issues and themes?

Even though there were some weak points, two things that Ishiguro does really well are characters and depicting loss and acceptance. This is what ultimately drove up my rating of this novel. Ishiguro is a master at portraying long-term numbness, sorrow and pathetic hope, and this novel is full of that. If you’ve read any previous novels by Ishiguro, then I do recommend reading this one. Certainly not his best one, but a solid 4 stars nonetheless.

Pegasus.

The Buried Giant: A novel

Review: Time and Time Again by Ben Elton

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time and timeOkay, I have to say that this book isn’t perfect. Heck I guess no book is. However, I feel like I must give this one 5 stars….even though any book with time travel makes for a book that might have a few logical issues. I mean the whole butterfly effect thing can drive you mental if you dwell on it too long….If you dare to add historical factors in it…well, I’m sure there will be people who nitpick all the way through it and tell you why x, y and z just isn’t possible…..

But I say screw all that….This book was a fantastic read for me because I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I continue to think about it now that I have finished the last sentence. I looked for ways to mention this book and the concept in my everyday conversation.

Finally….well….truth be told…it boggles my mind. I don’t mean that it’s hard to follow. I simply mean that the more I think about this book and the possibilities…well, the more I get drawn deep into my imagination. I can’t stop thinking of the ramifications of the concepts this book brings forth.

I’ve read a few time travel books and have always enjoyed them. *Most* of the ones I have read are people trying to change to revisit history for their own gains….In this, Elton has giving us a story of a hero that is trying to revisit history for the greater good of the entire planet.

Let’s face it…this is hard book to review….why? Because my mind won’t shut down. Even now I am still scrolling through the endless possibilities that lie within this novel. Imagining past worlds and future worlds and all of the players that are on the stage of making history….both minor and major players all have their parts….

So really, are people made by history? Or do people make history? Is history just a matter of being in the right place at the right time? If something happens and a key player is no longer there….well, does history still right itself and just call in another key player to take the place of the one who doesn’t show?

I won’t say more than that….you don’t need to know all the details….but you do need to read this book. There are some really interesting stuff that’s going on. I will say that the entire book grabs you from the start and it’s a steady stream of happy reading….but at the last 20% there are lots of twists and turns that I did not see coming and if the book can be called “fast paced”…well the last 20% was turbo speed paced!

Finally this book has loads of great quotes so I wish to leave you with a few…

What fun those long, semi-drunken Sunday afternoons had been. The debates always degenerated into loud, name-calling battles between the Marxists, who contended that much of history was inevitable, the result of preordained economic and material forces, and the romantics, who believed that history was made by individuals and that a single stomach ache or an undelivered love letter could have changed everything

‘Proof? What proof can I give beyond the fact that logic requires it?’ he said, his voice rising. ‘Time is time. It ticks aways from the beginning until the end.’

‘but it doesn’t, you damned fool!’ Newton exclaimed ‘Am I really the only person on earth to have grasped this fact? Time is not linear. It does not go along on a steady course like a road from London to York. It does not have a beginning and it does not have an end, nor is it the same to one person as it is to another, nor to two planets or a million starts. It is different in all circumstances. Because it is relative.’

Such is the terrible irony of bereavement, turning every familiar joy to misery. Each smile a twisting knife. Each thing of beauty an added burden of pain.

‘I really hope you didn’t get me here to suggest I take comfort in religion,’ he growled.
‘Not in the slightest,’ McCluskey replied. ‘I don’t think religion should be comfortable. That’s where it all went wrong for the Anglicans, trying to be comfortable. Deep down people want fire and brimstone. They want a violent vengeful God who tells them what to do and smites them if they don’t do it. That’s why the Prophet Mohammed’s doing so well these days. I’ve occasionally thought about switching myself. At least Allah’s got a bit of fire in his belly. But you see I could never give up the turps.’

Until next time…

Urania xx

Review copy provided by Netgalley for an honest review

Buy it now Time and Time Again by Ben Elton

Review: The One I Was by Eliza Graham

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25059957I’m a sucker for epic stories, pieces of historical fiction that not only provide factual information but also spin a marvelous tale. Some of my very favorite books ever read fall under this category. This book by Eliza Graham did not disappoint.

The time is the late 1930s, the place is England. Young Benny has come to England to escape Nazi Germany. He’s part of a group of young boys taken in by a well-to-do family. They have a chance at a new beginning, a new life away from the horrors back at home.

Fast forward to modern times. Rosamund has taken on a nursing job with ulterior motives, a chance to return to her childhood home and confront her past. Benny is now on his deathbed and requires round the clock care. He doesn’t know Rosamund, and he doesn’t know anything about her past. But he did know her grandmother, for she was the one who took him in as a young child. As Benny and Rosamund become closer, they begin to confide in each other. Turns out, Rosamund isn’t the only one hiding secrets.

This is a very well told story. The author seamlessly transitions between past and present as she writes. The storyline is well-thought-out, and the characters are described fully. It’s historically accurate as far as the culture and attitudes of that time period. The mystery and suspense aspect is drawn-out enough to keep you guessing until almost the very end. As far as historical fiction goes, it’s one of the better books I’ve read from that genre.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: The One I Was

Review: The Nightingale (revisited) by Kristin Hannah

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21853621So are you a fan of Kristin Hannah? Read this book! Wait! You’re not a fan of Kristin Hannah? Oh well, read this book!!!! This is a book worth reading. From start to finish it had me completely captivated.

A few weeks ago I was talking to a customer about the War. I now live in England and of course the War still has a presence here. Sometimes you run into people who remember what it was like. Having to take in strangers that were forced from their homes…and their lives….This customer was one such lady…It was just a random conversation that comes up unexpectedly…but leaves you pondering the entirety of the conversation…voicing my thoughts about what people had to go through…well, it has left me to wonder about life for long hours after the conversation ended. See here’s the thing I pointed out to her….it’s not Hitler I wonder about….it’s the every day people….we are so quick to judge….so quick to say, “I would NEVER do that.”…however…..how can you ever know? If your child is near death and hasn’t a drop of milk and you only have to nod your head when a neighbor’s name is mentioned…what would you do? If you only had to pretend to not hear the knock at your door of a person in need of hiding to protect your family….would you turn a deaf ear? If you were starving and there were five bites of sawdust bread for your entire family, would you be tempted to eat two bits of the bread? How easy would it be to walk away and close your eyes to Jews being marched down the street to their deaths? How hard would it be to take a step forward and show your support knowing you might be forced to join them?

Here is that story that attempts to give you some insight to these hard questions. Here you have two sisters and a father…a father that has already come home from one war and now finds himself watching another….two sisters that each have different views of how to get through this war…Even though all three might have different ways of “living” during this time….who is to say which is the right way? As they perhaps judge one another for the choices they are making it is soon apparent to them all that there is no black and white in such circumstances.

The only clear truth one can surmise is that even though the three all take different courses of action to survive….that there isn’t a right or a wrong choice…

I don’t know what else to say….I love books like this…..because they make me realise how your life can change in an instance….it makes you realise just how bad and just how evil people can be….and just how pure people can be…it makes you realise that everyone has reasons why they make the choices that they do….it makes you realise that no matter how simple it is to judge someone by their actions that in reality you have no idea what is powering those choices…

Such a wonderful read…..not a comfortable read….but a wonderful one…

Until next time…
Urania xx

ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review

Buy it now The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Review: The Executioner’s Daughter by Jane Hardstaff

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9781405268288When I was a kid, I loved simple horror stories. Just enough to raise the goosebumps on your arm, maybe a bit more to keep you awake at night. And I still love those kinds of stories today. The problem is, especially for me as a teacher, most scary stories don’t fall within the acceptable range for younger readers. This one by Jane Hardstaff is an exception to that rule.

Meet Moss, a young girl who lives alone with her dad. Dear old Dad just happens to be the executioner of the Tower of London. And Moss is responsible for collecting the heads after each beheading, catching them as they drop and putting them in a basket. It’s the only life she’s every known, and her dad is the only parent she’s ever had since her mom died during childbirth.

But there’s more to that story than Moss has ever been told, and it’s the reason they can’t leave the Tower of London. When Moss finds a way out, she’s inexplicably drawn to the river. The river is slow and steady some days, fast and unpredictable on others. And there’s something lurking just under the surface, something that’s taking young children. Moss discovers that she’s tied to the river in a way she never dreamed possible, going all the way back to her mom’s death.

This book was a pleasant surprise. Not that I was expecting bad things, but you just never know. It’s historical, most definitely, but it has a healthy dose of paranormal/thriller thrown in. And I have to say, this is the first book I’ve read that’s set in Tudor times. This is a story that I’ll definitely be recommending to some young readers who I know. And the sequel, River Daughter, is high at the top of my TBR list.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: The Executioner’s Daughter