Lauren Willig - "The Masque of the Black Tulip"

     Hello one, hello all!  It seems like it's been an eternity since I've had a chance to blog.  Of course my blogging involves me having the time to FINISH a book so I have something interesting (or not, depending on the book in question) to blog about.

     I've just finished the second novel in Lauren Willig's "Pink Carnation" series.  This is a series of books set in the late 1700's - early 1800's (during the Napoleonic war) in various European countries (namely England and France).  There are actually two distinct story lines throughout the book; one is in the aforementioned era, and the second is current day.  The more modern story's star heroine is Eloise Kelly, an American grad student who is in England doing research for her dissertation on espionage during the Napoleonic wars.  She's primarily interested in the Pink Carnation (and discovers that the Pink Carnation was actually a woman!) and comes in contact with an elderly woman who is a descendant of the Purple Gentian (yet another flowery-named spy).  Mrs. Aderly allows Eloise access to personal documents regarding her family history and Eloise's topic of interest.  It's also very convenient that Mrs. Aderly's grandson who is in charge of these historical documents happens to be a good-looking intelligent guy named Colin.  Never a bad thing, right?!
    
     As Eloise is pouring over the old correspondence and journals of Colin's ancestors, she becomes totally immersed in the story of Miles Dorrington and Henrietta Selwick.  Henrietta is the younger sister of Richard Selwick, otherwise known as the Purple Gentian, and Miles is Richard's best friend since their childhood.  In the last book, "The Secret History of the Pink Carnation," Richard and Amy (his now wife) were the main subjects of the story, but this one picks up where the last book left off, and shifts it's focus from them to Miles and Henrietta. 

     We learn in this book, that the Black Tulip, a notorious and dangerous French operative is in London!  With Richard and Amy out of the picture (read the previous book) the English War Office recruits Miles to help discover the identity of the renown spy and capture him.  Henrietta is an adventurous and precocious (not to mention verbose) seventeen-year-old debutante who is dead set on being a spy and contributing to the war effort.  All this while Jane Wooliston, the Pink Carnation and Henrietta's cousin, is in France attempting to sabotage the French operations and asks Hen to act as her eyes and ears on the English front.  The two women write copious amounts of letters to one another in a specific code designed to bore anyone who might happen upon it to tears whilst still imparting important information.  They use terms like "Coffee, the taking of" which REALLY means "a situation of extreme peril, frequently requiring urgent assistance."  Pretty clever if you ask me.  On a more personal note, Richard asks Miles to keep an eye out for Hen as he is no longer available to play the protective big brother.  As you can guess, just as in the last book, the two main characters end up falling in love.  Didn't see that one coming, right? 

     Overall this book is a fun, very entertaining, and adventurous read.  Ms. Willig does a great job of researching the time period and goes so far as to correct any inaccuracies she made in the name of artistic license in the back of the book.  I love how easy it is to really picture yourself in the time period that the story takes place.  The author has created a colorful cast of characters who are easy to relate to along with an espionage story line that keeps you guessing.  She transitions nicely between the modern and historical story lines and does a great job of creating necessary tensions without causing the reader stress.  It was a good, quick read for me with AWESOME vocab.  (If you hadn't noticed by now, I'm a HUGE fan of parenthetical phrases and authors with impressive and creative vocabularies.)

     I do have to say that this is MOSTLY a chick-lit, historical fiction novel, but it can easily be construed as a historical romance as well.  Yes, most bubblegum reading has a strong love story contained between the covers, I do realize that, but not all of them have a fairly detailed "bodice-ripping scene" or two among the pages.  Definitely a PG-13+ scene or two in here.  In defense of the scene-in-question, (and keep in mind that this was characteristic of the time period) **mild spoiler alert** the lovers didn't love until after their wedding.**end of possible spoiler**  However, there might have been a "flash of brief nudity" nestled in the "dating" stage of the relationship.  Yes, I may be old fashioned, I may use too many "quotes," and I may like some romantic elements in my "pink" books, but I'm really not a big fan of detailed love scenes.  There, you've been warned.....

     Happy reading!

                   The Masque of the Black Tulip (Pink Carnation)

Janet Evanovich - "Lean Mean Thirteen"

     Crappy cars, chocolate cake, crazy grandmother, good looking guys, poison green spandex mini-skirts, murder scenes, disappearing awful ex-husband, and exploding rodents are just a few things that our heroine encounters this go-round.  Wonder Woman?  Bat Girl?  Joan of Arc?  NOPE, you guessed it... the one and only Stephanie Plum!  She's back again with yet another Jersey-style adventure in "Lean Mean Thirteen."

     Just as in all of her other exploits, Stephanie finds herself surrounded by junk food and mayhem.  The story opens with the disappearance of her terrible ex-husband, Dickie Orr and what seems to be a murder scene.   Steph's main concern in this situation is that she is the prime suspect!  Talk about being motivated to solve the mystery.  As she and Ranger delve a little deeper into Dickie's case, she finds herself in the middle of something big and something terrible.


Lean Mean Thirteen [LEAN MEAN 13] [Mass Market Paperback]

     Whilst attempting to get to the bottom of the Dickie disappearance, Stephanie is also juggling a few FTA cases (big, bad bounty hunter stuff).  With the help of some of her trusty amigos (Lula and even Grandma Mazur) Stephanie traipses after a grave digger with a twelve-foot python, a taxidermist with a penchant for exploding stuffed animals, and is being hunted by a bad guy who seems to think that she has the "key" to his missing $40 million (EEK!!).

     While this is an easy-reading, entertaining tale, it's not the best of Mrs. Evanovich's work.  I usually find myself laughing-out-loud, but not so much in this book.  The plot was full of the eccentricities that are common and expected of a Stephanie Plum novel, but it just didn't quite make the "hysterical mark" I was expecting.  While it was good  book, there was something missing... I can't quite put my finger on it, but it fell a little shy of the "awesome" that this series usually inspires.  I'm not going to complain about a book that I consumed in three days, but you should read it for yourself and let me know what you think!

     I hope everyone had a healthy, prosperous, and enjoyable New Year!

J.K. Rowling - "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"

     Well, here we are on the dawn of a new year, the year 2011.  I hope you have had the opportunity to read some wonderful books, as well as to enjoy some of the finer things in life, such as loved ones, good food, and of course, coffee! 

     Mr. Potter has done it again, he's managed to break almost every rule in the book, and not get expelled from Hogwarts for yet another year!  Harry, Hermione, Ron, the usual cast of characters, as well as some new characters appear in book three to grace us with the latest enthralling episode of the life of Harry Potter. 

     Once again, we see poor Harry's miserable life with the Dursleys while he waits for the next term at Hogwarts to begin.  Harry accidentally causes his awful aunt Marge to blow up like a balloon after she continually taunts him throughout her visit.  Needless to say, this does not go over very well with Harry's guardians!  Harry decides that anywhere is better than staying there, so he grabs his trunk and heads off on foot.  As Harry is angrily running away, he senses that he's being watched, and he is...  Harry finds himself being observed by a very large black dog; as he backs away and stumbles; suddenly the Knight Bus appears just in the nick of time to whisk him away to the Leaky Cauldron. 

     Once Harry finds himself back among wizarding folk, he discovers that Sirius Black, the man apparently responsible for the death of his parents, has escaped from azkaban and is now after Harry to kill him too.  Because Siriuis is on the loose, azkaban prison has sent Dementors (scary, azkaban guards that literally suck the happiness out of you) to stand watch over Hogwarts.  It is discovered that these terrible creatures have a unique effect on little Harry.  Also, new to the Hogwarts scene is professor Remus Lupin, the newest Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor.  He proves to be a wonderful ally to Harry throughout the tale. 

     As the year progresses full of homework, classes, Quiddich matches, and all sorts of mischief, Harry finds himself haunted by the Dementors, the Grim (an omen of death that appears as a large black canine),  as well as the threat of Mr. Black's dark desire to kill him.  Throw in a magical Marauder's Map that shows all of the secret passages in and out of Hogwarts as well as where everyone is in the castle, and I would hazard to say that you have a fairly exciting and entertaining premise for a story!  Once again, Ms. Rowling whisks her readers away to a universe where the "norm" is far from normal and where natural laws only apply sometimes.

 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) (Hardcover) 
      As was true of the previous Harry Potter book, this one too is a little darker than its predecessor.  It really is true that this series "grows along with it's readers."  I think Ms. Rowling has done a great job of weaving a tale that always has you on your toes or the edge of your seat, depending on whether you are standing or sitting...  There is always a way around a situation, a possibility to make things happen that isn't possible in the muggle world, an animal that is completely unknown to the natural world, and so many "otherworldly" objects and actions.  I can see why she's a bestseller!

I hope you have a healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year!

Jeffrey Eugenides - "Middlesex"

     I hope the Holidays are treating everyone well!  I know that some of the time off has afforded me some time to plow through a few extra books :)  Always a bonus!

     I have been working on "Middlesex" now for a couple of weeks.  Overall I generally have mixed feelings about the book, but I did enjoy reading it once I was about a third of the way through.  I was kind of on the fence both about the style of writing as well as the content, though, as I neared the end, I think I can admit that both had grown on me over the course of the 500+ pages.  I'm not a HUGE fan of the book, but it definitely met my criteria of, "I need something 'different' to read right now...hmmm?"

     Although this is the story about Calliope Stephanides, a Greek-American girl born in Detroit in 1960, it is also the story of the two generations before her and their unique journeys.  The book is a narrative by Cal, a forty-one-year-old man living in Europe and working for the US government as an ambassador.  He wants to tell his story and decides to start beond the beginning.  After he introduces himself, he launches into his entangled family history opening with his grandparents Lefty and Desdimonda Stephanides and their tiny little town in Greece at the turn of the century.  It tells of their hardship there, and their harried and necessary emigration to Detroit in the early 1920's.

     Upon arriving in Detroit, Lefty and Desdemona live with cousin Sourmalina and her bootlegging husband.  Through many twists, turns, and various other situations, they raise two children Zoe and Milton.  Milton grows up to serve in the US military through WWII, start a family (including Callie), fall in love with Cadillac cars, and start a restaurant empire (Hercules Hot Dog stands).

           by Jeffrey Eugenides (Author)Middlesex: A Novel (Paperback)

     Now we finally arrive at Calliope's turn to be the star.  She grows up as a normal girl who loves her family, has excellent grades, is annoyed by her older brother, and is just trying to survive junior high.  Aside from being a bit of a "late bloomer" everything seems to be normal.  After realizing that she may be a little different than the other girls, she becomes a bit of a loner, but is unwilling to believe that anything is wrong.  Only after an accident that lands her in the hospital is her secret revealed.  Although at birth she appeared to be a normal little girl, puberty launched a few changes that revealed another truth entirely.

     The last few chapters detail how Cal (formerly Callie) began to cope with this new reality.  As he details his first few tragic months of learning to live as a male, you get a glimpse of the darker side of San Francisco in the 1970's as well.  All throughout the book, there are brief interjections that update you of his current life as he tells you of his past.

     Again, all in all, I think it was an ok book, but it took a little "try" to get through the first third or so of the story.  From the get-go, I had a hard time with the vast amount of detail in which Mr. Eugenides described every bit of the story; towards the end, I had accepted this fact of his particular writing style.  He has a truly unique way of using words to bring images to the readers' minds; it's quite poetic.  You also have to give him kudos for writing an entire epic novel from the perspective of a hermaphrodite.  That had to be quite an undertaking! 

     I did really enjoy "experiencing" what it was like to live through a lot of the different historical happenings that these characters went through.  I know it's a work of fiction, but the author did an outstanding job of really making you feel like you were right there in the story.  (I guess all of those details did indeed serve a purpose???)  There were certainly some very tragic elements to the story, as well as some parts that were hard to read due to the nature of the unusual content, but Mr. Eugenides handles a lot of these issues with a measure of poetic vernacular (as opposed to solely literal and graphic terminology).

     This work sated my need for something, "off the beaten path" for sure, but I'm not certain if it's something that I would wholeheartedly push someone to read.  I leave you to decide...

     Happy Holidays to one and all!

J.K. Rowling - "Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets"

               Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2)

   What to do, what to do, It's my first day off in 11 days????  Laundry, ironing, exercise, organize the recipe drawer, continue to unpack from the move, make the bed, or read Harry Potter for 4 1/2 hours.  I'll let you guess.  I read the last 2/3 of the book curled up on my couch on my day off with the gingerbread latte that was a sweet surprise from Hubby.  Is there anything more perfect, I ask?  Not in my world...

     I usually try to avoid reading two books from the same series too close together in order to avoid what I call, "Runover."  You know it, where the end of the previous book "runs over" the beginning of the next book, and you can't recall what happened in which book.  I experienced this throughout the Twilight series, and have tried to space my series books out a little since then.  Maybe what I should be doing instead is to work on my reading comprehension / retention instead?

     So, this book picks up with poor Harry right back at the dreadful Dursley's house, basically a prisoner, he's mighty discouraged as he's not heard a peep out of his friends from Hogwarts.  The next thing you know, Dobby the pitiful house elf appears in his room and warns Harry not to return to Hogwarts because danger awaits him.  After an eventful evening with Dobby, Harry finds himself in a flying car accompanied by the infamous Weasley twins and his best friend Ron who've come to rescue him from the Dursleys.  Through a fascinating series of events, Harry, Ron, and Hermione return to Hogwarts, and yet again find themselves smack-dab in the middle of yet another mysterious scenario.  People (and animals) are becoming petrified by a dark magic that is very powerful.  Once people find out that Harry is a Parselmouth (has the ability to speak "snake") they naturally suspect him of these mysterious happenings.

     Another year at Hogwarts unfolds as Ron, Harry, Hermione, and the usual cast of characters try to discover who is behind the petrification epidemic, as well as clear Harry's name in the process.  After a few twists, turns, and other plot line happenings, the case is solved, and the trio of amigos is headed home to enjoy their summer break before returning as third year students.

     I've only read the first two in the series, and I'm already catching a glimpse of the "grows with it's readers" phenomenon.  This episode was written to a slightly older audience than was the previous.  What I mean to say is that the vocabulary was a little more broad, the plot was a little "twistier" and the experiences that the characters go through would appeal to someone on the cusp of "junior high" and still not be too far above a ten-year-old kiddo.   (For example, Hermione and the other Hogwarts girlies hint at a crush on Gilderoy Lockheart, the "celebrity heartthrob" of the wizard community.) This book was ever so slightly "darker" than the last, I think mainly due to the broaching of the subject of "possession" of a person's actions by Voldemort.  There was some of it displayed in "The Sorcerer's Stone," but this story seems to exemplify it in a more concrete way.

     I must say that Ms. Rowling certainly knows what she's doing to sell 325 million books!  Just as in the last book, the plot is full of mystery, adventure, and the unusual.  Her characters are both eccentric and quaint, and the "universe" that she has imagined and set her story in, is enthralling to say the least.  I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!

     Cheers to you, and yours! 

Willingham, Medina, Leialoha, Hamilton - "Fables: Legends in Exile"

     I was telling one of the guys that I work with about me reading my very first comic (Artemis Fowl) a few weeks ago, and he immediately told me about the  "Fables"comic series.  The whole series is based upon all of the fairy tale characters that we grew up with, but with the twist that their adventures are set in a modern day urban setting rather than the typical, "far far away" or "long long ago" scenario.

     I thought it was so clever that when each of the fabled characters was introduced, they had their own unique (and usually corresponding) character in the "mundane" world.  For instance, Old King Cole was the mayor of "fable town" and Bigby Wolf was the investigating detective throughout the mystery that serves as the center of this story.  Overall it's just terribly witty and clever!

                              Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile
  
     The story opens with a murder scene, presumably the murder of Princess Rose Red, sister of Snow White.  Jack, of beanstalk fame, rushes in to alert Bigby of the terrific tragedy.  Detective Wolf begins his investigation of the crime, and in the process of, encounters many of our favorite story-book characters such as: Blackbeard, Cinderella, The Frog Prince, and Prince Charming.  Quite a few other legendary characters make brief cameos throughout the story as well.  Not only are Bigby and Snow (the Director of Operations of Fabletown) investigating suspects to solve the murder, but Princess White is trying at the last minute to pull together the annual "Rememberance Day" celebration.  As in most fairy tales, modern or not, everything finds itself working out to a "Happily ever after"... almost.  "Why almost?" you ask, well you'll just have to read it for yourself to discover the answer to that one. 

     That was a nice little break from real life, now, back to reality.... *sigh*

J.K. Rowling - "Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone"

.     I've finally succumbed to the Harry Potter craze.  Yes, I DO realize I'm like a whole decade behind, but I like to take my time about things.  You know, let other people test out the waters first, and it seems that this is a series I'll be working my way through as well!

     I've obviously not read the whole series, but I've been told that it's a series designed to "grow with it's readers."  The tale begins with ten-year-old Harry living a miserable life with his aunt, uncle, and awful cousin believing that his parents had been killed in a car crash when he was a tiny baby.  This same crash is where his lightning bolt shaped scar is supposed to have originated as well.  On the eve of his eleventh birthday he receives a letter in the mail addressed to him.  This has never happened before!  His aunt and uncle destroy it because they know it contains things that point to Harry's past, and they are of the belief that the past is best left in the past.  It's through this that Harry's true nature as well as pieces of his past are revealed to him.                                                                               Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1)


     Harry is in fact the son of a witch and a wizard and is, in fact, a wizard himself!  The letter that he receives in the beginning of the story is his acceptance letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where his parents met and where, unbeknownst to young Mr. Potter, his name is famous as being the first person to survive an attempted murder by Voldemort.  Through a long, eventful, and magical adventure, Harry finds himself at Hogwarts with his newfound friends Ron and Hermoine.

     Throughout the course of the story Harry, Ron, and Hermione find themselves entangled in a plot to prevent the heist of the very powerful sorcerer's stone by one of the Hogwart's professors.  As the trio works towards their end, they discover that it takes the skills and strengths that each of the three possesses in order to protect the precious stone from falling into the wrong hands.
                                                                      
     The story is cleverly written and highly entertaining to readers of all ages (I'm rapidly nearing the big three-oh...It doesn't look so scary when it's spelled out in letters rather than numbers).  I love how Ms. Rowling has truly created an entire world of her own down to the smallest detail.  She writes in a way that is easily understandable to her "intended audience," but is not so easy that it's beneath it's older readers.  Every time I opened the book, I was (as cliche' as it is...) whisked off to a land far, far away.  I highly recommend it to readers of all ages!

      Now I just need a few weeks of undisturbed reading to get through the rest of the series.