I hadn't intended to read this book at all even though I like the author's writing very much. My first thought was that the author was just piggy-backing on the current Twilight craze. How could you possibly turn Mr. Darcy into a vampire? Second thought: Maybe this was supposed to be comedic in the vein of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. In any case, there it was at the library begging to come home with me.
What a pleasant surprise! Grange has written a suspenseful Gothic romance that keeps you turning the pages. The book begins on the morning of Jane & Elizabeth's weddings to Bingley and Darcy. After the wedding, Lizzie and Darcy climb into their coach to set off on their wedding trip. Only instead of heading to the Lakes District, Lizzie finds out that Darcy is taking her to the Continent. Surprised by occasional looks of torment on Darcy's face, Lizzie is further confused by being left alone on her wedding night.
The action in the novel takes us from the salons of Paris to a suitably foreboding castle in the Alps, then on to the glittering decay of Venice and finally, Rome. Lizzie finds herself caught up in a world that is not as it seems, uncertain of Darcy's love for her and set upon by individuals who seem able to compel her against her wishes.
What secret is tormenting Darcy? Does Darcy really love her? Will love triumph over ancient evil? You'll have to read this one to find out!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Book Review: Colonel Brandon's Diary by Amanda Grange
This is another in the series of Jane Austen-related retellings of her novels through the viewpoint of the main male character. I enjoyed it just as much as I enjoyed reading the diaries of Mr. Darcy, Mr. Knightley, Edmund Bertram and Captain Wentworth.
One difference with this diary is the large amount of back story that is explored with Colonel Brandon. The diary starts in 1778 - 18 years before the main action of Sense and Sensibility. In fact, we don't even hear the mention of the Dashwoods until pg. 120 or meet them until several pages later. What we do get is the story of the colonel's ill-fated love affair as a young man, how he ended up in the army & in India and how he comes back to England again. I find that I need to go back to Austen's original story to see how much of this information was there and how much came from the current author.
In the other Austen novels, there was clearly one main female character and, correspondingly, one main male character. Jane Bennett (Pride and Prejudice), lovely as she is, is there to serve as a foil for Elizabeth. In Sense and Sensibility, we have the two elder sisters - sensible Elinor and emotional Marianne. I found it interesting that Grange chose to focus on the Colonel Brandon-Marianne story when, to my eyes, Elinor is the main character. I'm left to wonder if Grange will ever give us Edward Ferrars' Diary. I'd certainly be interested in finding out more about the Ferrars family and how Edward came to find himself entering into a secret engagement with Lucy Steele.
In summary, if you love Jane Austen novels, I recommend these books by Amanda Grange to extend your Austen horizons.
One difference with this diary is the large amount of back story that is explored with Colonel Brandon. The diary starts in 1778 - 18 years before the main action of Sense and Sensibility. In fact, we don't even hear the mention of the Dashwoods until pg. 120 or meet them until several pages later. What we do get is the story of the colonel's ill-fated love affair as a young man, how he ended up in the army & in India and how he comes back to England again. I find that I need to go back to Austen's original story to see how much of this information was there and how much came from the current author.
In the other Austen novels, there was clearly one main female character and, correspondingly, one main male character. Jane Bennett (Pride and Prejudice), lovely as she is, is there to serve as a foil for Elizabeth. In Sense and Sensibility, we have the two elder sisters - sensible Elinor and emotional Marianne. I found it interesting that Grange chose to focus on the Colonel Brandon-Marianne story when, to my eyes, Elinor is the main character. I'm left to wonder if Grange will ever give us Edward Ferrars' Diary. I'd certainly be interested in finding out more about the Ferrars family and how Edward came to find himself entering into a secret engagement with Lucy Steele.
In summary, if you love Jane Austen novels, I recommend these books by Amanda Grange to extend your Austen horizons.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Libraries - You can't leave with just one item!
I went to the library today to pick up a copy of Million Dollar Baby on dvd for my son for his ethics class. Libraries are just irresistible places to me - all those books, magazines, movies to choose from and they're all free!
Needless to say, I didn't walk out with just the movie. I checked out 2 more Nevada Barr books, The Art of Racing in the Rain, and Mr. Darcy, Vampyre.
It's a sickness, I say, a sickness. I have hundreds of books waiting to be read and now I just added four more. (Shakes head at self)
Needless to say, I didn't walk out with just the movie. I checked out 2 more Nevada Barr books, The Art of Racing in the Rain, and Mr. Darcy, Vampyre.
It's a sickness, I say, a sickness. I have hundreds of books waiting to be read and now I just added four more. (Shakes head at self)
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Book Review: Track of the Cat by Nevada Barr
This is the first book in Nevada Barr's National Park series of mysteries. The main character is Anna Pigeon - a 39-year-old Park Ranger. Each book is set in a different National Park. This debut novel is set in the Guadalupe Mountains of Southwest Texas.
Anna is not a character that I fell in love with immediately. She has some edginess to her and events in the past have left scars on her. I think, though, that makes her more interesting and I want to continue the series to get to know her better.
The mystery itself centers on the death of another park ranger. It was a very plausible puzzle and highlighted environmental issues that seemed realistic for the locality. Barr sprinkles the clues throughout the story for you to put together.
Barr's background was as a stage actress and in commercials, training films and radio voiceovers. An interest in the environmental movement led to her working summers for the National Park Service. Track of the Cat was written after her time at the Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Published in 1993, it won both Agatha and Anthony Awards for Best First Mystery.
I would recommend checking http://www.nps.gov for park information and a map of the park to orient yourself as to where the action occurs.
In summary, I enjoyed the book and look forward to continuing the series.
Anna is not a character that I fell in love with immediately. She has some edginess to her and events in the past have left scars on her. I think, though, that makes her more interesting and I want to continue the series to get to know her better.
The mystery itself centers on the death of another park ranger. It was a very plausible puzzle and highlighted environmental issues that seemed realistic for the locality. Barr sprinkles the clues throughout the story for you to put together.
Barr's background was as a stage actress and in commercials, training films and radio voiceovers. An interest in the environmental movement led to her working summers for the National Park Service. Track of the Cat was written after her time at the Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Published in 1993, it won both Agatha and Anthony Awards for Best First Mystery.
I would recommend checking http://www.nps.gov for park information and a map of the park to orient yourself as to where the action occurs.
In summary, I enjoyed the book and look forward to continuing the series.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Birthday Present!
My birthday present from my daughter was a book that I had just placed on my wish list - Colonel Brandon's Diary by Amanda Grange. (big smile) This author has written diaries for these other Austen heroes: Mr. Darcy, Edmund Bertram, Mr. Knightley and Captain Wentworth. I've enjoyed every one of the diaries because I find it interesting to get the male characters' backstory and viewpoint on the events happening in the original Austen stories.
This book has now jumped to third position in the reading queue - after the book I'm currently reading and the book club selection. Hmmm...maybe I'll just have to have two books in process at the same time instead.
This book has now jumped to third position in the reading queue - after the book I'm currently reading and the book club selection. Hmmm...maybe I'll just have to have two books in process at the same time instead.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
February Book Club Selections
Afternoon AAUW Book Group:
This month we're reading and discussing The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb (my February recommended reading). I selected this for my evening book club in January because I'm the discussion leader for the AAUW group and I wanted to see what kind of reaction the book got from the evening group.
Evening Book Club:
We're reading Cherries in Winter: My Family's Recipe For Hope in Hard Times by Suzan Colon. Info from the dust jacket: The author turns to home cooking as a cost-cutting measure after a job loss and discovers treasured family recipes and stories along with the gift to survive and thrive.
This month we're reading and discussing The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb (my February recommended reading). I selected this for my evening book club in January because I'm the discussion leader for the AAUW group and I wanted to see what kind of reaction the book got from the evening group.
Evening Book Club:
We're reading Cherries in Winter: My Family's Recipe For Hope in Hard Times by Suzan Colon. Info from the dust jacket: The author turns to home cooking as a cost-cutting measure after a job loss and discovers treasured family recipes and stories along with the gift to survive and thrive.
Upcoming Book Releases to Watch For
February 2010:
Aunt Dimity Down Under - Nancy Atherton
Fantasy in Death - J.D. Robb
March 2010:
House Rules - Jodi Picoult
The Silent Sea - Clive Cussler
Deception - Jonathan Kellerman
April 2010:
Deliver Us From Evil - David Baldacci
Burning Lamp - Amanda Quick
Summer 2010:
Whiplash - Catherine Coulter
The Search - Nora Roberts
Veil of Night - Linda Howard
Aunt Dimity Down Under - Nancy Atherton
Fantasy in Death - J.D. Robb
March 2010:
House Rules - Jodi Picoult
The Silent Sea - Clive Cussler
Deception - Jonathan Kellerman
April 2010:
Deliver Us From Evil - David Baldacci
Burning Lamp - Amanda Quick
Summer 2010:
Whiplash - Catherine Coulter
The Search - Nora Roberts
Veil of Night - Linda Howard
It's a mystery to me...
...why I like mysteries so much! I guess I got hooked on mysteries at a young age reading the Bobbsey Twins books. Then, of course, there was Nancy Drew. I inherited a huge box of books from some cousins including stacks of Nancy Drew stories. To me, Nancy will always be of 1930's/40's vintage driving around in her little blue roadster. After that, I graduated to reading Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories.
Since then, I've widened my mystery reading considerably. I enjoy the fact that there are so many sub-genres available: the "cozy" mystery, romantic suspense/thriller, historical, police procedural, private eye, comedy, hard-boiled.
Here are a few author recommendations for mystery reading:
Cozies:
Earlene Fowler - Benni Harper series - Start with Fool's Puzzle
Susan Wittig Albert - China Bayles series - Start with Thyme of Death
Nancy Atherton - Aunt Dimity series - Start with Aunt Dimity's Death
Romantic Suspense:
Nora Roberts, Jayne Ann Krentz, Kay Hooper, Linda Howard, Karen Robards & Catherine Coulter are some of my favorite authors in this category.
Historical:
Anne Perry - Thomas & Charlotte Pitt series - Start with The Cater Street Hangman
Anne Perry - William Monk series - Start with The Face of a Stranger
Since then, I've widened my mystery reading considerably. I enjoy the fact that there are so many sub-genres available: the "cozy" mystery, romantic suspense/thriller, historical, police procedural, private eye, comedy, hard-boiled.
Here are a few author recommendations for mystery reading:
Cozies:
Earlene Fowler - Benni Harper series - Start with Fool's Puzzle
Susan Wittig Albert - China Bayles series - Start with Thyme of Death
Nancy Atherton - Aunt Dimity series - Start with Aunt Dimity's Death
Romantic Suspense:
Nora Roberts, Jayne Ann Krentz, Kay Hooper, Linda Howard, Karen Robards & Catherine Coulter are some of my favorite authors in this category.
Historical:
Anne Perry - Thomas & Charlotte Pitt series - Start with The Cater Street Hangman
Anne Perry - William Monk series - Start with The Face of a Stranger
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Welcome to Bookanalia!
An online friend suggested that we become friends on the Goodreads website. I checked it out and started to browse through listings of thousands of books, rating them and adding them to my online bookshelves. What a walk down Memory Lane as I came across books that I'd read as a teenager and as a child! I pondered over so many...Is this just an "I liked it"? Or is it an "I really liked it"? After the first five hundred or so, it occurred to me that, if I was going to have a blog that I would update regularly, it would have to be one about books. And, just like that, the name Bookanalia came to mind.
A play on the word bacchanalia, Bookanalia is for those extreme book lovers - the ones who start a book at 8:00 p.m. and read until the wee hours of the morning because they just couldn't put it down. But it's also for those who fall asleep after a few paragraphs before bed. If you like reading, like to discover new authors, like to stretch into unexplored territory with a new genre or even like to settle back with a much-read favorite for another time through, then Bookanalia is for you!
A play on the word bacchanalia, Bookanalia is for those extreme book lovers - the ones who start a book at 8:00 p.m. and read until the wee hours of the morning because they just couldn't put it down. But it's also for those who fall asleep after a few paragraphs before bed. If you like reading, like to discover new authors, like to stretch into unexplored territory with a new genre or even like to settle back with a much-read favorite for another time through, then Bookanalia is for you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)