Fabulous Friday - August 31st

Yes Ma'am!

There are SO many reasons that this Friday is so fabulous. Not only do Americans have a three-day weekend, tomorrow starts the beginning of college football season, AND the RIP VII event starts tomorrow too. Woot woot! I know I will be dancing in my seat all day today for all of these reasons. 

How about you? What makes this a fabulous Friday for you?

Audiobook Review - The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty

Title: The Chaperone
Author: Laura Moriarty
Narrator: Elizabeth McGovern
ISBN: B0088UTDMU
Audiobook Length: 13 hours, 14 minutes
Genre: Historical Fiction
Synopsis:

“Only a few years before becoming a famous actress and an icon for her generation, a 15-year-old Louise Brooks leaves Wichita to make it big in New York. Much to her annoyance, she is accompanied by a thirty-six-year-old chaperone who is neither mother nor friend. Cora Carlisle is a complicated but traditional woman with her own reasons for making the trip. She has no idea what she's in for: Young Louise, already stunningly beautiful and sporting her famous blunt bangs and black bob, is known for her arrogance and her lack of respect for convention. Ultimately, the five weeks they spend together will change their lives forever.

For Cora, New York holds the promise of discovery that might prove an answer to the question at the center of her being, and even as she does her best to watch over Louise in a strange and bustling city, she embarks on her own mission. And while what she finds isn't what she anticipated, it liberates her in a way she could not have imagined. Over the course of the summer, Cora's eyes are opened to the promise of the 20th century and a new understanding of the possibilities for being fully alive.”

Thoughts: Laura Moriarty’s The Chaperone provides a fascinating look at the shifting attitudes in social mores from the 1920s through the 1950s. Looking past Cora’s very old-fashioned, Victorian views on proper social decorum, especially in the beginning, can be extremely difficult for readers, especially because they are so foreign to today’s etiquette. It is particularly interesting that Cora is so prim and proper in the beginning given Cora’s history as a suffragette, which would indicate a more progressive mode of thought than others in her social set. Her attitudes towards anything that does not fit her idea of proper decorum can be especially bothersome because they are so vehement and mostly socially abhorrent today. Cora’s growing disgust at her own ideas and that of society are a welcome change and help lift a reader from becoming bogged down in the differences between the past and today to allow one to focus on the story itself.

As for the story itself, The Chaperone follows Cora’s life from that first fateful summer in New York as Louise Brooks’ chaperone to her end days many decades later. Her beginnings are told through flashbacks as the story progresses, helping fill in the blanks and provide some explanations for the behavior one sees at the beginning of the novel. Her struggles to watch over the willful and bold Louise, as well as her search for her true beginnings, provide some of the more fascinating elements of the story, and it is with pleasure that a reader watches Cora grow from a horrible snob to someone willing to take tremendous chances to achieve her own personal happiness.

Another thoroughly enjoyable outcome of the novel, especially for history buffs, is Ms. Moriarty’s close and careful attention to historical details. Told over the course of decades, a reader will get an especially vivid picture of Wichita life during the Roaring 20s, through the Depression, and during World War II. Ms. Moriarty captures the confusion, the shock, and the almost visible push-and-pull between flappers and those born and raised in the more conservative Victorian era. The Depression years are particularly interesting because they are so different from the more typical stories of drought, bread lines, and abject poverty. The changes that occurred in the United States in the twentieth century were both massive and exciting, and The Chaperone encapsulates the overwhelming sense of wonder that describes the century so well.

While others might enjoy Elizabeth McGovern as narrator for The Chaperone, I struggled to appreciate her performance. Her normal voice contains a pseudo-English accent that works well on Downton Abbey but is too uptight and snobby for the story she is narrating. It creates an unnatural barrier between the story and the listener and at the same time between Cora and the listener. At the same time, her nasally Kansas twang is a sharp contrast to her natural accent and seems a bit too demeaning for the character and for the story. One never gets the impression that Ms. McGovern is wholly absorbed in the novel itself. Throughout the entire audiobook, it is very apparent that she is reading words on a page. This may not seem like a huge deal, but if one has ever experienced audiobooks in which a listener forgets that the narrator is someone standing in a dark booth, the difference between the two experiences is hugely important. Because of these performance flaws, The Chaperone is one novel enjoyed more via print.

The Chaperone is a novel that is first and foremost about self-discovery. Through Louise Brooks’ irreverent and shocking (for the times) behavior and attitudes, Cora learns that living does not mean following society’s directions but living according to one’s own need for happiness. Truly, Cora learns that coming-of-age can occur at any age, even the ”ripe old” age of 36. The historical details are an added bonus to this enjoyable novel and are what set The Chaperone apart from other coming-of-age stories. It is unfortunate that my personal reaction to Ms. McGovern as narrator was so negative because The Chaperone truly is a delightful story that has captivated so many readers with its luscious attention to detail and mesmerizing characters.

Acknowledgments: Thank you to Penguin Audio for my review copy!

Review - Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

Title: Monstrous Beauty
Author: Elizabeth Fama
ISBN: 9780374373665
No. of Pages: 296
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Synopsis:

”Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences. Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago.”

Thoughts: Elizabeth Fama uses the backdrop of Plymouth, Massachusetts and its rich history as the setting for her mermaid tale, Monstrous Beauty. Syrenka is a mermaid who leaves her life in the oceans deep for life with her beloved Ezra. Hester, with her love of history, has resigned herself to life without love rather than face an early and tragic death, as every other woman in her family. Through Hester’s historical research and interactions with the mysterious Ezra, the connection between the two women quickly unfolds. Secrets unravel, tragedy blossoms, and suddenly Hester is forced to choose between the life she expected versus the life she now wants.

Monstrous Beauty successfully flips back and forth between Syrenka and Ezra’s story and Hester’s, while the setting does so much to link the stories. It is a lot easier to imagine the possibility of mythical sea creatures in one of the first towns ever settled in America than it would be in something more modern and less connected to its historical roots. Each switch in time and character point of view is well-executed and clearly documented, so that there is no confusion by the reader. Confusion occurs elsewhere in the story but is never a result of the change in setting. Rather, the associated points between the two time periods, especially the physical locations, create a continuity to the story that does much to build that sense of antiquity and longevity that is essential to the overall story.

One of the story’s main flaws is the fact that Monstrous Beauty follows the same template as other popular fantasy young adult novels with very little variation. The girl falls inexplicably and instantly in love with a mysterious stranger. The parents are on the fringes of the story. The girl is extremely pragmatic and level-headed as compared to others her age. There is a best friend who complicates the perceived love triangle. Mystical things happen that make no sense until she opens her mind to the possibilities of magic around her. It is a successful template, which is why authors continue to use it. However, after years of the same, one wishes for something a bit more drastically different.

Another flaw is just how long it takes Hester to unravel the truth. For someone so intelligent and quick to solve historical puzzles, which is mentioned and shown by her actions several times throughout the story, she remains particularly dense when it comes to her own personal historical puzzle. It is frustrating for a reader to know the full mystery but have to continue to read as the heroine fumbles her way to the solution for many more pages. That sense of being in on the secret that works well in other mysteries is decidedly absent in Monstrous Beauty, and after a while, the entire plot becomes exasperating to the point of absurdity.

Yet, even when a reader is at one’s most aggravated, one cannot help but sympathize with Hester and marvel at her ability to continue to keep her head when a situation is at its craziest. Some young adult heroines all but lose their minds, or at least become act completely different, once the love interest enters the picture. Hester does this to some extent but not only does she recognize this, she actually takes pains to try to stop doing so. She feels guilty that she is not acting like herself and understands that her actions are somehow wrong. It is the one refreshing breath of change in an otherwise well-trodden plot path.

One cannot discuss Monstrous Beauty without discussing the mermaids. Syrenka and her sisters are more reminiscent of the mermaid depiction in the Harry Potter series than of The Little Mermaid. For some reason, or maybe because of their more feral, more animalistic portrayals, they are more realistic. Unfortunately, Ms. Hama does not spend a lot of time discussing their origins or history, and the story is the loser for this omission. A reader wants to know more about how their hierarchy, their magical abilities, the structure of their society. While a reader can understand that one’s lack of knowledge mirrors Hester’s own, some of the dangers and other scenarios in which Syrenka and then Hester find themselves would appear more dangerous and stressful to the reader if one had full knowledge of the mermaids and their rules.

Monstrous Beauty is a fast-paced revamp of the traditional mermaid myth. Even while it remains a beautiful story about sacrifice and love, the novel has decidedly darker, rather horrific undertones that remind readers that these mermaids are not the Disney version. These are creatures that are more similar to sharks and other sea-going predators than they are to humans. Therein lies their attraction though too. While much of the story follows a similar pattern as other fantasy YA novels in recent years, the few differences that exist make Monstrous Beauty enjoyable even as it remains somewhat forgettable.

Acknowledgments: Thank you to NetGalley and to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for my e-galley!

Review - Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

Title: Beautiful Ruins
Author: Jess Walter
ISBN: 9780061928123
No. of Pages: 372
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis:

"The story begins in 1962. On a rocky patch of the sun-drenched Italian coastline, a young innkeeper, chest-deep in daydreams, looks out over the incandescent waters of the Ligurian Sea and spies an apparition: a tall, thin woman, a vision in white, approaching him on a boat. She is an actress, he soon learns, an American starlet, and she is dying.

And the story begins again today, half a world away, when an elderly Italian man shows up on a movie studio's back lot—searching for the mysterious woman he last saw at his hotel decades earlier.

What unfolds is a dazzling, yet deeply human, roller coaster of a novel, spanning fifty years and nearly as many lives. From the lavish set of Cleopatra to the shabby revelry of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Walter introduces us to the tangled lives of a dozen unforgettable characters: the starstruck Italian innkeeper and his long-lost love; the heroically preserved producer who once brought them together and his idealistic young assistant; the army veteran turned fledgling novelist and the rakish Richard Burton himself, whose appetites set the whole story in motion—along with the husbands and wives, lovers and dreamers, superstars and losers, who populate their world in the decades that follow."

Thoughts: Beautiful Ruins, by Jess Walter, is a unique look at the paths one’s life will take throughout its course, resolving itself in ways never imagined. Pasquale is a young man forced to take up the family business of running a small hotel in an even smaller, dying coastal village. Dee is a young actress facing a mortal illness. Claire is a Hollywood assistant looking to reconcile her dream job with reality. Pat is a human tornado, bent on completely destroying his life even while others provide him ample opportunity to improve himself. Individually, their stories are interesting, but together, their stories highlight how complex this life really is, and how nothing ever ends up as one may hope.

The remarkable thing about Beautiful Ruins is the lack of a main character. While the story weaves itself around multiple characters, no one person can be labeled the hero or the heroine. For some, this is due to a lack of page time; a reader does not get the chance to really know the character as their story is but a brief aside to the larger story. For others, they appear in many scenes but their story is not more or less important than anyone else’s. If anything, these characters highlight how interwoven life really is and how much influence even the briefest of acquaintances can bestow upon another. Beautiful Ruins is not about Pasquale any more than it is about Dee or Michael or even Pat. Their lives intersect and were influenced by all of the others in such a way that to remove even one would bring the entire structure of the novel to a screeching halt. It is the very best type of an ensemble of characters who can only exist because of the others.

To this end, Mr. Walter highlights the importance of his ensemble cast through the multiple jumps in time and location. Even as he is forcing the reader to pay close attention to and get involved in one person’s story, he abruptly shifts focus to another decade and another character. While it keeps a reader’s interest, it can also become a frustrating plot device for those who just want to see how it all ends. Eventually, a reader will get there and see the story threads combine into one, but it takes a meandering route and patience before that occurs. Along the way, he pulls enough of the various strings to keep the story moving forward while weaving them into and out of each other as the story dictates. As a reader begins a new section and a new jump in the story, one is never quite certain which of the characters will appear at any given moment.

Along with the multiple characters is the idea of multiple themes. One cannot rightly say that Beautiful Ruins is about redemption or forgiveness or satisfaction or closure or even love. It is about all of those things, and yet it is not. Just as life is a journey, one that is unique to the individual, the lessons learned throughout the story are just as unique to the characters. Beautiful Ruins provides the momentum for readers to take a quiet moment for reflection, as each reader will draw from the story his or her own lessons to apply in real life.

Beautiful Ruins is a quiet novel without a major swell in drama or tension. Its stories unfold carefully and slowly, and while there are various surprise twists of the plot, the placidity of the novel remains. There is a dream-like quality to the story that allows a reader, nay almost forces a reader, to remain a remote and distant observer of the action. The characters are enjoyable, and the story itself is tremendously interesting. However, the lack of emotional involvement on the part of a reader makes it a pleasant read rather than an outstanding one. Unfortunately, this is a double-edged sword as a reader cannot help but feel that there should be more emotional connection, that the story should linger foremost in readers’ minds, and that to be called a pleasant story is not quite what Mr. Walter was hoping to achieve. One can see the potential and sadly acknowledge that the entire story did not quite make it. It is not a novel that will haunt a reader for days or even for weeks but is a perfect summer novel – enjoyable but non-involving, an easy read that moves quickly.

Acknowledgments: Thank you to HarperCollins for my review copy!

It's Monday, August 27th! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by Sheila from Book Journey, this is a weekly event to share what we've read in the past week and what we hope to read, plus whatever else comes to mind.

Finished Last Week:



Witches, vampires, killers, dysfunctional relationships - it looks like just a regular week of reading for me!

Currently Reading:



Currently Listening:



Up Next:



Can you tell I'm gearing up for autumn and Halloween?

What are you reading this week?

The Sunday Salon - August 26th Edition

Good morning!

This week we experienced school registration. I know the district in which the kids are enrolled is small, but people, it was seriously the most ate-up thing I’ve ever experienced. They held school registration for the entire district on one day and in one building. The lines to pay all of the fees stretched across the entire auditorium and out the doors. Volunteers were giving wrong information, and in general it was just a huge mess. For a school district that prides itself on being so technologically advanced – with its iPads for all students and use of up-to-date technology for all grades and classes – I am still baffled why they have such antiquated methods of registration. It filled me with enough horror to absolutely dread having to do it again next year.

One of the interesting things about changing school districts is finding out the differences in curriculum and rules. Even though we took the time to guarantee that the kids’ entire school records were copied and transferred to their new district, including all of their standardized test scores, Connor still has no class schedule because “they didn’t know what classes to put him in.” Seriously? What’s worse is the fact that even though he was in pre-algebra last year and his reading lexile scores are through the roof for his age, he still has to take at least two tests to be placed into algebra and advanced biology. This poor kid has to remember pre-algebra after an entire summer of not having to do any math or else faces having to take the same math class he took last year? Wasn’t Bush’s No Child Left Behind crapola designed to make sure that all students were obtaining a more similar education to avoid such differences when switching from one district to another? I just don’t get why, if they have all of his test scores, grades, and student file, why there would be so great a difference as to require yet more testing…less than a week before the start of school no less. I am not happy but am keeping my mouth shut until his test results are returned. If he is not placed in either class, I am going to raise holy terror. Never underestimate the wrath of a momma fighting for her children’s well-being.

Since this week was also dance class registration, our fall schedule is quickly becoming clear. All I can say is “By the power of Greyskull, what the hell have I done to myself?” I thought last fall was bad, but I honestly think this year is worse. Three dance classes per week, one piano class, cheerleading practice, cheerleading for football games, marching band practices, marching at football games and at parades throughout the fall. That is not even counting the fact that we have our season tickets for Wisconsin football, which will be all-day affairs when factoring in Fifth Quarter, travel times, and traffic into and out of Madison. Add to this mess the fact that Jim will be traveling at least two weeks out of every month, and there is a cold ball of dread in my stomach at the thought of having absolutely no free evenings at least through October if not longer. I’m trying to remind myself that all these practices means lots of reading time, but I confess that right now, all I can see is the fact that I will have to get to work an hour earlier than I already do at least twice a week in order to be able to leave work in time to get the kids to their appropriate practices on time. For those who have done this before and survived, I will take all helpful hints and suggestions. I’m also taking offers of financial support, since a full-time job does not dovetail nicely into being a full-time chauffeur to the kids, and volunteers to be said chauffeur. Positions of chef, housemaid, personal shopper, dog walker, laundress, and personal secretary are also open.

Friday night, my brother and his wife as well as Jim and I headed to Tinley Park, IL to see Incubus and Linkin Park in concert. It was my first concert for this year, and I was surprised by how much I missed the energy of such live events. Even with not being crazy fans of either band’s songs, it is difficult not to get into the spirit of things when surrounded by so many other screaming fans. It was a great opportunity to do something with my brother and his wife now that we live closer. Both bands were amazing, especially Linkin Park. Their new music has definitely evolved from their earlier songs, and I really, really like it. Now, Muse needs to get off their butt and start planning another US tour…

Reviewed:

• White Night by Jim Butcher
• Poison by Sara Poole
• 12.21 by Dustin Thomason

We have a bit of a reprieve today thanks to a cancelled cheerleading practice. With the rainy, gloomy weather today, I feel a desire to bake and just relax around the house today. I hope you all have just as relaxing a Sunday as we are having. Happy reading!

Fabulous Friday - August 24th

Jim and I, along with my brother and his wife, are headed to Tinley Park, IL tonight to see Linkin Park and Incubus. Grandma and Papa are taking the kids for this adults-only night out. We cannot wait!

What makes this a Fabulous Friday for you?

Review - 12.21 by Dustin Thomason

Title: 12.21
Author: Dustin Thomason
ISBN: 9780385341400
No. of Pages: 273
Genre: Thriller, Science Fiction
Synopsis:

"For decades, December 21, 2012, has been a touchstone for doomsayers worldwide. It is the date, they claim, when the ancient Maya calendar predicts the world will end.

In Los Angeles, two weeks before, all is calm. Dr. Gabriel Stanton takes his usual morning bike ride, drops off the dog with his ex-wife, and heads to the lab where he studies incurable prion diseases for the CDC. His first phone call is from a hospital resident who has an urgent case she thinks he needs to see. Meanwhile, Chel Manu, a Guatemalan American researcher at the Getty Museum, is interrupted by a desperate, unwelcome visitor from the black market antiquities trade who thrusts a duffel bag into her hands.

By the end of the day, Stanton, the foremost expert on some of the rarest infections in the world, is grappling with a patient whose every symptom confounds and terrifies him. And Chel, the brightest young star in the field of Maya studies, has possession of an illegal artifact that has miraculously survived the centuries intact: a priceless codex from a lost city of her ancestors. This extraordinary record, written in secret by a royal scribe, seems to hold the answer to her life’s work and to one of history’s great riddles: why the Maya kingdoms vanished overnight. Suddenly it seems that our own civilization might suffer this same fate.

With only days remaining until December 21, 2012, Stanton and Chel must join forces before time runs out."

Thoughts: Fears about December 12, 2012 are almost as long-standing as fears about Y2K were. In 12.21  Dustin Thomason uses these fears to create a medical thriller that does much to highlight just how much is unknown about the Mayan civilization and draw attention to a familiar but relatively unknown series of diseases. Dr. Stanton and Chel Manu, as the foremost experts in their respective fields, must combine their wits and their knowledge to defeat this unknown and extremely dangerous illness and to save the world.

All novels heavily based in science have some aspect of a scientific lecture among their pages. It is the nature of the beast as the author attempts to explain the science while keeping it appropriate to the story. The successful authors blend science with fiction seamlessly, allowing readers to understand the mechanics and basic tenets at the same time the story continues to unfold. Unfortunately, Mr. Thomason is not successful. Many a scene in the novel reads like classroom lecture notes as Stanton or Chel take the time to expound upon their respective fields to the other. Even though a reader understands the need to learn the subject matter for the viability of the story, every time this occurs the story grinds to a halt and only moves forward again once either character is finished with their knowledge discourse. It makes for a very jagged story, as the plot swings from moving too quickly to be believable to not moving forward at all.

Chel and Stanton are both the archetypal experts without the added benefit of a sense of individualism to set them apart from the myriad other scientists in the genre. Both are workaholics who sacrifice individual relationships for the purpose of knowledge. Both are abrupt, passionate, and determined to protect their corners of the world, or the lab. Both come with some hefty luggage that comes into play as the story unfolds. Both are willing to move heaven and earth and even sacrifice themselves to solve the puzzle. They are reminiscent of Jasper Fforde’s clones, easily replaceable and not very memorable, which is an unfortunate trait in main characters.

Inopportunely, the announcement by scholars that the Mayan calendar really does continue after December 21, 2012 does much to lessen the tension and mystery of the novel. It is difficult to take a story seriously when one knows that an ancient culture really did not predict the end of the world. That being said, Mr. Thomason does much to argue the idea of vegetarianism, as a reader might not look at meat in quite the same way after reading about prion diseases in such detail. Unfortunately, none of the fascinating medical science can prevent 12.21 from being utterly predictable. The hints about the mysterious disease are heavy-handed and frequent, providing a proverbial flashing neon sign as to the answers to the mystery. The story itself resolves too perfectly with none of the messiness that would make the story even remotely realistic. Without compelling main characters, better pacing, and less predictability, 12.21 is merely an adequate medical thriller that tries to capitalize on what was one of the hottest theories/suppositions/fears out there these days but is doomed before its release date to be little more than a joke among the majority of the population.

Acknowledgments: Thank you to NetGalley and to Random House for my e-galley!

Review - Poison by Sara Poole

Title: Poison: A Novel of the Renaissance
Author: Sara Poole
ISBN: 9780312609832
No. of Pages: 392
Genre: Historical Fiction
Synopsis:

"In the simmering hot summer of 1492, a monstrous evil is stirring within the Eternal City of Rome. The brutal murder of an alchemist sets off a desperate race to uncover the plot that threatens to extinguish the light of the Renaissance and plunge Europe back into medieval darkness.

Determined to avenge the killing of her father, Francesca Giordano defies all convention to claim for herself the position of poisoner serving Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, head of the most notorious and dangerous family in Italy. She becomes the confidante of Lucrezia Borgia and the lover of Cesare Borgia. At the same time, she is drawn to the young renegade monk who yearns to save her life and her soul.

Navigating a web of treachery and deceit, Francesca pursues her father’s killer from the depths of Rome’s Jewish ghetto to the heights of the Vatican itself. In so doing, she sets the stage for the ultimate confrontation with ancient forces that will seek to use her darkest desires to achieve their own catastrophic ends."

Thoughts: In recent years, the Borgias have become the next great historical fiction fad, with good reason. They represent everything that was corrupt within the Catholic Church while simultaneously supporting those subjects that helped make Rome one of the most powerful cities in Europe for so long. Their history reads like a soap opera, albeit one with a much deadlier demise for its villains. In Poison, Sara Poole’s entry into this intrigue-filled, dangerous world capitalizes on its fascinating subject matter while presenting a heroine that can more than hold her own among one of the most intriguing families in Italy.

Francesca Giordano is something of an enigma. On the one hand, she is extremely well-versed in the matter of plant toxicology and proves herself more than capable of following in her father’s footsteps as poisoner to the Borgia household. On the other hand, for someone with such advanced knowledge, she is extremely naïve, sheltered, and unworldly, still taking refuge in the protective world her father created for her. This becomes extremely apparent as she fumbles her way towards avenging her father’s death. Her missteps are costly, but Francesca can only be described as someone with pluck. She does not give up, and nor is she afraid to own up to her mistakes. Her youth and relative innocence make it easy for readers to all but fall in love with her as they root her on towards her ultimate goal. The fact that she is not afraid to take chances and is as pragmatic as she is ruthless only endears her more to the reading audience.

In Poison, Ms. Poole creates a bygone era with the most vivid of details. Readers will appreciate her attention to historical accuracy, even if the historical elements do read more like fiction than fact. She does not try to beautify what was one of the most corrupt periods in modern history but benefits from it by showing the dangers of power and hatred, especially when money is plentiful. Her ability to weave together fact and fiction creates a vibrant story that brings the entire Borgia clan back to life and, more impressively, makes them sympathetic characters against the madness of the Inquisition.

Poison is an intriguing, fast-paced piece of historical fiction that engages the reader from the very beginning. The introduction of Francesca is a brilliant piece of fiction, showcasing her heroine’s desires, skills, bravado, and unworldliness and charming readers into following her search for her father’s killer. The dying art of poisoning others comes back to life with a vengeance through Francesca’s knowledge and ministrations. Combined with the ruthlessness of the Borgia clan and the corruption within the Church, the world in which Francesca is suddenly thrust is as exciting as it is dangerous. Poison is an admirable entry within the world of historical fiction, and the fact that it is the first novel of a new series makes it that much better, for a reader will not get tired of reading about Francesca, her chosen profession, or her employer.

Acknowledgments: Thank you to Eileen Rothschild at St. Martin's Press for my review copy!

Audiobook Review - White Night by Jim Butcher

Title: White Night (Dresden Files #09)
Author: Jim Butcher
Narrator: James Marsters
ISBN: 9780143144731
Audiobook Length: 14 hours, 14 minutes, 14 seconds
Genre: Science Fiction, Paranormal
Synopsis:

"Professional wizard Harry Dresden is investigating a series of deaths in Chicago. Someone is killing practitioners of magic, those incapable of becoming full-fledged wizards. Shockingly, all the evidence points to Harry's half-brother, Thomas, as the murderer. Determined to clear his sibling's name, Harry uncovers a conspiracy within the White Council of Wizards that threatens not only him, but his nearest and dearest, too..."

Thoughts: Among a series that is always enjoyable, White Night feels like a filler episode. These are those episodes before sweeps weeks in which minor storylines end in an effort to clean up the plot before the main storyline can kick back into action full throttle. With Harry’s search for the mysterious serial killer, many subplots connect. Readers finally get resolution on certain plot points that could have been problematic if they had progressed any further. This is not a bad thing, as certain questions are finally answered. There is also more humor and more humanity in this ninth novel. While the action is as dramatic as can be, Harry’s labors to reconcile the horrors with which he battles on a daily basis with his need to protect the innocent are what drive White Night. In fact, his emotional struggles provide the reader with some of the most memorable scenes in the entire series - although the dinosaur scene from the seventh book will always be the best action scene in a novel ever.

This is not to say that the increasingly apparent Big Bad is not still lurking on Harry’s periphery. The main threat is still there and garners several mentions throughout the novel as Harry jockeys to position himself in a favorable manner that will allow him to defeat whatever the Big Bad is. The more hints and mentions of the Big Bad there are, the more anticipation builds, as well as overall concern that Harry may have finally met his match should he ever uncover the full truth.

What makes the Harry Dresden series so successful is Mr. Butcher’s ability to balance the lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek moments with the more emotional drama. Even while he is acknowledging the silliness of the storyline, he throws in elements of true suffering that adds gravity to the more sardonic elements. In other words, Mr. Butcher is able to explore humanity in a series that focuses on the supernatural. It is a balance that is difficult to accomplish successfully for one book, let alone nine or more.

After nine books, I really have nothing more to say on my feelings of James Marsters as narrator of this series. James Marsters is Harry Dresden. Enough said.

White Night is a perfect breather among all the action from the previous novels. It allows readers to discover just how much Harry has changed since his first introduction. While he still faces mortal peril, it takes a backseat to his more mental and emotional battles. The end result is a story that is just as intense as the more action-heavy novels in the series and more satisfying for the greater number of answers given. At the same time, it continues to build anticipation and tension at the possibility of a coming battle with the unknown Black Court. In fact, it is getting quite difficult to avoid immediately reading, or listening, to the next story in the series. Mr. Butcher better start writing faster before I catch up on all of the novels; I don’t think I am going to be able to wait!

Acknowledgments: Mine. All mine.

It's Monday, August 20th! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by Sheila from Book Journey, this is a weekly event to share what we've read in the past week and what we hope to read, plus whatever else comes to mind.

Finished Last Week:



Currently Reading:



Currently Listening:



Up Next:



What are you reading this week?

The Sunday Salon - August 19th Edition

Hello, my lovelies! It has been quite a week. I, for one, am exhausted and looking forward to spending the afternoon quietly, paying bills, writing, and reading. Two different dance studio interviews, a baseball game, one eight-mile bike ride, one 18-mile bike ride, mowing the lawn, running errands, laundry - it is all a sign that school is all-too-quickly approaching. This week, we have school registration, dance school registration, a concert, more cheerleading practice, and who knows what else will pop up during the week. See? A quiet afternoon is just what the doctor ordered.

Hello, gentle creature!

This morning, I awoke early to the sounds of glorious songbirds. Not quite able to go back to sleep but not able to keep my eyes open, it was probably one of the nicest ways to wake up. I did get out of bed to see if I could find any of my winged serenaders. Instead, I saw a doe step out from the woods and onto the lawn. This has been happening with relative frequency since the weather cooled off, and it is something of which I will never get tired. Once I get through my stack o'bills this afternoon, my plan is to sit out on the porch and read/daydream/listen to the birds and hope that more deer decide to forage in my yard. It is just too cool to be that close to nature, as long as nature stays outside.

Yesterday, I officially announced my insanity intention to participate in the It-along hosted by Jill and Christina. At 44 hours, it is quite the formidable audiobook, but I am not certain it is a book I would ever want to read. My goal is to listen to it at work and hope that by the time I get home in the evening, I won't be terrified to crawl into bed.

Reviewed this week:

• No Safe Haven by Kayla and Kimberley Woodhouse
• The Age of Desire by Jennie Fields
• Tempest by Julie Cross

As much as I would love to stay and chat, my stack o'bills is staring at me, making me feel guilty for ignoring it for so long. I suppose I should pretend to be responsible and get to it. I hope everyone has a lovely Sunday and a wonderful week. Happy reading!

In which I declare my intentions to become even more scared of clowns...

Earlier this year, I dove into my very first Stephen King novel with the audiobook of THE STAND. I absolutely loved it and knew I had to read more. Next up came 11/22/63. Again, it became an instant favorite. After a week of reading Jill’s hilariously wacky (and slightly scary) pleas to join Christina and her in reading Stephen King’s IT, I thought, “Sure! Why not?”

Actually, my entire thought process was more along the lines of this, “Even though clowns creep me out completely, and the idea of killer clowns just seems redundant because aren’t all clowns really killers of some sort, what is there not to like about the idea of a group of bloggers getting together to read this iconic King classic? So what if I really don’t read horror books, let alone enjoy them? So what if I have nightmares forever? I’m sure I won’t always run away crying and screaming from every clown I see after finishing the book. I already know I would rather listen to it than read it, which means another audiobook to distract me while working. Besides, work is too boring. I need the crap scared out of me while I stare at spreadsheets all day long.”

See my completely rational thought process? Somehow, through all of that, I decided that the It-Along is a good thing, and that yes, I am going to participate in this crazy event. After all, what do I have to lose other than a few nights’ of sleep?

Won't you join us?

Fabulous Friday - August 17th

"What is this crazy thing?" you say. This is where I will be tonight. Miller Park, eating brats, drinking beer, watching crazy people run in sausage costumes and cheering on the Brewers. I can't think of a better way to end the work week.

What makes this a Fabulous Friday for you?

Audiobook Review - Tempest by Julie Cross

Title: Tempest Trilogy #01: Tempest
Author: Julie Cross
Narrator: Matthew Brown
ISBN: B00711JKPM
Audiobook Length: 10 hours, 51 minutes
Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Synopsis:

"The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy: he's in college, has a girlfriend... and he can travel back through time. But it's not like the movies - nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there's no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors - it's just harmless fun. That is... until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot.

In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he's stuck in 2007 and can't get back to the future. Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities. But it's not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these "Enemies of Time" will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit... or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he's willing to go to save Holly... and possibly the entire world."

Thoughts: In Julie Cross’ debut novel, Tempest, Jackson Meyer has a gift. He can travel through time. Even better, he can travel through time without any no catastrophic changes of history or other lasting consequences. To say that this power makes him cocky would be an understatement, until his girlfriend is shot and he jumps back to 2007, that is. Suddenly, he realizes that what he knew about his powers was just the tip of the iceberg. Not only that, but his jumps do have repercussions, and there is more to his story than he ever really considered. What follows is a thrilling ride back and forth through time as Jackson searches for answers.

Jackson’s adventures are exciting and fun even though they may not be completely engrossing. Jackson himself is what can only be termed as a decent guy. His character development is quite remarkable for being the first book in a series, which helps convince readers to cheer for him as the stakes get higher. His confusion is the reader’s confusion, and the connection between reader and hero is fairly strong. Helping this is the fact that his relationship and memories of his twin sister are particularly poignant, and one can easily envision crowds of teen girls swooning over his sensitivity and emotional capacity.

Where Tempest struggles is with the issue of time travel, which is essential to complete enjoyment and engagement in the story. What actually happens when Jackson jumps is never truly explained, and the reasons why he can travel through time is only briefly mentioned. The discussions of timelines, half jumps, full jumps, and other time-related activities quickly become overwhelming to readers or listeners not paying close attention to the dialogue. There are many unanswered questions about this ability, and one gets the distinct impression that future books will not be able to provide all of the answers. Ms. Cross is clearly relying on the action to engage a reader without worrying overmuch about the science behind said action.

On the whole, Matthew Brown is an adequate narrator for this convoluted story. His voice is age-appropriate, and he does a decent job evoking Jackson’s swirling emotions. He is less successful with other character voices, however, especially those of the female persuasion. They end up sounding a bit too much like a stereotypical Valley girl to be remotely enjoyable. In addition, his vocalization of Jackson’s friend, Adam, is also bothersome. Mr. Brown’s Adam sounds like the congested science guy from The Simpsons, which would be okay if it weren’t for the fact that Adam is the brainy sidekick to Jackson’s action hero moves. The stereotypical articulations of minor characters prevents the story from being completely absorbing. Still, Mr. Brown’s performance is sufficient, as TEMPEST is one story in which a narrator’s performance neither adds nor subtracts from the overall story.

Tempest is an unexpectedly complicated novel that never allows a reader to get too comfortable with the characters or the story. The science behind the story is improbable and not even well-explained but easily overlooked by this fascinating look at the issues that could occur with time travel. Jackson is a likable hero, maturing quite a bit through his discoveries and travels through time. The lack of graphic language or overt sex is a bit astonishing, given that the main character is a teenage male, but makes for a pleasant read that allows one to focus on the story and not on the mundane details. With at least two more books to follow in the series, Tempest is a satisfying introduction to Jackson’s fluid world in which black and white, and time, are never clearly defined.

Acknowledgments: Thank you to Esther Bochner from Macmillan Audio for my review copy!

Review - The Age of Desire by Jennie Fields

Title: The Age of Desire
Author: Jennie Fields
ISBN: 9780670023684
No. of Pages: 368
Genre: Historical Fiction
Synopsis:

"They say behind every great man is a woman. Behind Edith Wharton, there was Anna Bahlmann—her governess turned literary secretary, and her mothering, nurturing friend.

When at the age of forty-five, Edith falls passionately in love with a dashing younger journalist, Morton Fullerton, and is at last opened to the world of the sensual, it threatens everything certain in her life but especially her abiding friendship with Anna. As Edith’s marriage crumbles and Anna’s disapproval threatens to shatter their lifelong bond, the women must face the fragility at the heart of all friendships."

Thoughts: Edith Wharton is renowned for her works depicting life among the privileged, drawing on her own experiences in this most exclusive of clubs. Much like her characters, Ms. Wharton’s own life was not all parties and luxury. Using Ms. Wharton’s existing letters and diary entries as a foundation, Jennie Fields’ The Age of Desire highlights the tests Ms. Wharton faced just as the critical and popular acclaim for her novels was on the rise. From her increasingly strained relationship with her husband to the taking of a lover to an intense and long-standing relationship/friendship with her personal secretary, Ms. Fields presents Edith as a woman torn between duty and a search for happiness and allows readers to understand just how Ms. Wharton could create such complex and fully-realized characters.

The inclusion of Ms. Wharton’s and Ms. Bahlmann’s letters throughout the novel adds an air of authenticity to the entire novel while simultaneously, and unexpectedly, creating confusion too. There is no doubt that Ms. Wharton wished for the destruction of her personal correspondence upon her death as this request is actually documented by more than one of her friends. Because she hoped/wished/expected the destruction of her letters, one knows that what she wrote in those letters was incredibly personal. This means that her letters are as close to understanding her innermost thoughts and feelings as one could hope to achieve with any historical figure.

At the same it, the line between fact and fiction is fairly indistinguishable. Whereas this is an excellent trait in other historical novels, for some reason this same characteristic does not work quite as well in The Age of Desire. A reader wants to know which scenes are figments of Ms. Fields’ imagination and which actually occurred for neither Edith, Anna, Morton, or Teddy Wharton are completely sympathetic and a reader hopes this is due more to Ms. Field’s imagination than any of their real-life faults. As surprising as it may be, the truth is unclear, and the narrative suffers for it.

Further confusing matters is Ms. Field’s portrayal of Edith and Anna, not to mention almost every other male in Ms. Wharton’s social circle. Edith fluctuates between strong and independent to spoiled and child-like. In fact, during the novel, it is difficult to imagine her as a forty-something women with worldly experience given some of her tantrums about Anna, Morton, and Teddy. The self-pitying introspection becomes too much for a reader to bear at times, especially when Anna is indulging in the same behavior. Anna too is just as much of a conundrum as Edith. For someone as learned, as experienced, and as independent as Anna Bahlmann, she comes across as needy and weak. Her inability to walk away from Edith’s harsh treatment of her does not endear her to readers, and her longing to be reunited with someone who does tend to treat her as little more than a favored servant at times is disturbingly sycophantic. Both characterizations are surprising in that they just do not fit the public images of each woman.

As for the men throughout the novel, Ms. Fields all but showcases how Edith would have been better off without them. One can forgive Teddy and his fairly abrupt downward spiral, as Edith was young and extremely naïve when she married. Her loyalty to someone with whom she has nothing in common is endearing, even if it is a foreign concept today, and the reader breathes a sigh of relief every time she decides to send him away, although her agonizing before and after the decision does get old very quickly. As for Morton, to call him a roué is a great understatement. His treatment of Edith throughout the novel is repellent, driving Edith to some of the more upsetting and annoying aspects of her behavior. That being said, her letters prove that she did love him, no matter how unworthy he was of that love, which only goes to show that in affairs of the heart, even the wisest can fall prey to bad decisions.

Taking a real-life historical figure and building a fictional story around true events of that person’s life takes a delicate hand and as well as a decent amount of circumspection and respect. While there is no doubt that Ms. Fields did not intend for her novel to be so, there is something decidedly prurient about reading Ms. Wharton’s love letters as they are woven into the narrative. Because they are her actual words, they are more personal and intimate than even the spiciest of bedroom scenes between Edith and Morton or Edith’s own frank inner dialogue. Even though her life experiences do read like a soap opera, one cannot help but feel that to so boldly portray some of its more salacious details tarnishes Ms. Wharton’s image, despite the fact that a reader implicitly knows that Ms. Fields wrote The Age of Desire with the utmost respect for this lauded author.

In spite of some of its questionable issues, The Age of Desire creates a vivid picture of a golden age in Parisian history, when it was alive with American authors-turned-expatriates. Ms. Fields captures perfectly what it must have felt like to have been a successful author at such an interesting epoch in time as well as the effort it took to get to that point. A reader will find the details of this lifestyle fascinating, from the idea of someone as wealthy as a Vanderbilt renting out his apartments to those who can afford to pick up and move an entire household to a different continent several times throughout a year. It is a long-gone era about which Ms. Fields manages to hold a reader’s interest through attentive details and the use of Edith’s own words.

Acknowledgments: Thank you to NetGalley and to Penguin Group for my review copy!