So Many Books...

In my search for my soul mate, I have an condition which says "HE MUST READ BOOKS." I could not partner with a man who didn't read. OK, maybe he could watch some sports and I certainly would join him if he watched the ponies run but he must read. I can share more than one type of passion in my bed!.

So what's new from the pile beside my bed:

I just finished "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova. What a read! I can't believe that this is her first novel. It is multilayered and multivoiced as the story is told both in the present and in the past. One spring evening, a scholar is working alone in his carrel at the University library, when he notices a book among his textbooks, which he has never seen before. He opens the aged pale leather end covers and the book falls open at it's very center. Across the two center pages is the woodcut of a great dragon, having spread wings, a looped tail and taloned claws holding a banner. A single word was printed on the banner in Gothic script: "DRAKULYA". Thus the reader is sucked into a complex tale, that swirls from the rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire through today, whatever today may be. It is history? fantasy? Or maybe even real? That is for you, dear reader, to determine. I give this book five stars. I read night and day until I reached the end and then I sat back and took a deep breath! Wow, I loved it.

So let us glide silently thru the night on lightly furred wings, guided by our trusty sonar beeps.For your consideration: "The Society of S" by Susan Hubbard. A young girl, Ariella, lives in an old Victorian home in Saratoga Springs, New York, with her father. Her mother disappeared shortly after her birth. She is home schooled by her father and mothered by the housekeeper, Mrs. McGarritt, who has a family of her own. Her dark and handsome father, Raphael Montero, has a biomedical research company housed in the basement where he worked with two assistants, Dennis, a former medical student and a mysterious Mrs. Root.

One day she is allowed to go home with Mrs. McGarrit. She has never been with a family before, never seen television or movies, never heard anything but classical music and it is another world for her.Slowly, she is allowed to see more and more of the world outside her home and her questions about her sheltered life and her father begin. She becomes best friends with Mrs. McGarrit's daughter, Kathleen, and they share small adventures during the long hot summer. One day Kathleen takes some photos of the house, Ari and her father. When the film is developed, the girls discover something strange. The photo's of Ari are blurred and the picture of her father sitting in his favorite chair, shows only the chair! 

Is Raphael Montero a vampire? And if he is, what is Ariella? Well, you will have to read the book for yourself. I enjoyed it as I also enjoyed the second book continuing the tale: "The Year of Disappearances". The author describes her books as "ethical Vampire novels" and they are worth a read.

Probably one of the most popular Vampire series is the Sookie Stackhouse (Southern Vampire) series by Charlaine Harris, which is up to nine books at present. I confess that I have only read a couple but they are like popcorn, you just lick the butter and salt off your lips and read one after another. They are light and amusing without being filling.  Sookie is sexy and kookie! Great for nights when you can't sleep and don't want anything serious.

Charlaine Harris may be familar to you as the author of the Aurora Teagarden mystery series. She has also produced two other character series: Lily Bard, a young woman living a normal happy life, when she is kidnapped, assaulted and disfigured. Now all she wants is to be left alone. She moved to the quiet little town of Shakespeare and begins a life cleaning other people's homes. Alas, trouble seems to seek Lily. There are five books in this series: "Shakespeare's Landlord, Shakespeare's Champion, Shakespeare's Christmas, Shakespeare's Trollop and Shakespeare's Counselor". I suggest you read these in order. Lily is an interesting character and I enjoyed watching her change thru the series. No garlic needed.

Harper Connelly can see the dead. As a 15 year old, living in a blended, dysfunctional family, she is struck by lightening, leaving her with this strange new talent. Most people think she is a fraud but there are those who seek her out when everything else has failed to answer questions about their late loved ones. Read these in sequence: "Grave Sight, Grave Surprise, An Ice Cold Grave and Grave Secret." I liked the lead characters and hope that Ms. Harris will continue to write more about them. However, I think Sookie is just too popular a series to leave. Vampires Rule!

Feel free to contact me with your favorite vampire tale. Yes, I know there are tons more books out there, just Google "Vampire Novels" and you will be amazed. I left out the Anne Rice series, I loved "Interview with a Vampire" but felt things went downhill after that. No, I haven't read the "Twilight" books, I really couldn't accept the level of writing. I have read more on the subject but this post is not intended to be a bibliography on Vampire books. Hummm, where there's smoke, is there really fire? Garlic anyone!

As a total change of subject, I offer up a series by Judy Clemens. All Stella Crown wants is to live her life as a dairy farmer in the quiet Mennonite countryside of Pennsylvania. The first book, "Til the Cows Come Home" opens with Stella and her veterinarian friend performing a C-section on a dairy cow. Right away you realize this mystery series will be different and it is. Losing her father as a child and her mother when she was 16, Stella, with the help of her hired man and family friends, has struggled to keep her farm out of the clutches of the ever encrouching land developers. She loves her farm, she loves her cows and, I might mention, she loves her Harley! Trouble comes in many forms, children are dying of an unknown virus, strange things are happening on the farm, her barn burns down and a handsome, blue eyed barn painter appears out of nowhere.  The next four books are: "Three Can Keep a Secret, To Thine Own Self Be True, The Day Will Come and Different Paths." Believe me this series is offbeat. You will learn more about dairy farming, bikes and tattoo artists than you ever dreamed. I highly recommend this series.

The last couple of day I have been chasing around Washington DC with Robert Langdon trying to find "The Lost Symbol". Yes, another thriller by Dan Brown. Sacred Masonic rites, symbols on dollar bills, the philosphies of our founding fathers, hidden places in our most hallowed public buildings and a grim, female CIA chief, complete with big black helicopters. What a trip! A little preachy at the end but a thumping good read. My favorite is still "Angels and Demons".

I have been a fan of Sharon McCone since "Edward Of The Iron Shoes". Marcia Muller has never disappointed me with this series and with "Locked In" she presents a unique method to tell Sharon's latest adventure. After dinner with an associate, Sharon heads back to her office to retrieve her cell phone when she runs out of gas. Walking the last few blocks along the dark waterfront is spooky; she arrives at the pier to find the night guard is off somewhere with his bottle of booze. As she turns the key to her locked office, someone rushes out of the dark, there is a loud noise, a flash of light, pain....and then nothing.

When Sharon becomes conscious, she slowly opens her eyes to see a beige ceiling. She tries to move, to turn her head, to speak; her body does not respond. It is as if she is frozen in place, only her eyes move. Can you say "traumatic brain injury"; Sharon is "locked in" her body unable to communicate. The story unfolds through the viewpoint of each of the participants as they unite to solve the "who done it and why". I won't spoil anything for you. If you are a fan, grab a copy. You will be in for a intense ride. I loved it.

So back to reading, will have more for you down the road.

Light and Love,

Granny B