It was one of the best decisions I made.  This book kept me glued from beginning to end.  It took me a while to read; this is one of those books that you have to savor slowly, and I have to admit, the epistolary style that is weaved in with the first person narrative is so seldom used in modern fiction that some may find it bothersome.

Regardless, for those that like character driven books and a bit of a brain teaser, this is the book for you.  There is Dr. Marlow, a middle aged psychiatrist with a rather sedate life style and a love for painting and fine art; into his life comes Robert Oliver, a talented painter that is sort of at the end of his rope.  Their lives collide when Robert Oliver tries to attack a painting depicting Leda and the Swan in the National Gallery.  From the on we are taken into a journey where we explore through Marlow’s eyes the motivations that lead a mentally unstable patient to obsession.  There is one problem for good Dr. Marlow, the patient is not talking and does absolutely nothing to help himself.  Marlow has to resort to learn about Robert’s life through his family and coworkers.  There, the reader is introduced to the other victims of mental illness, the families and loved ones of the ones affected by it.  Marlow is dismayed as he sees his patient’s life and relationships start to unravel as the time goes by.  Meanwhile, his quiet life gets sucked into a vortex of new experiences and emotions while he goes deeper and deeper into Oliver’s obsession

So, if you are interested in art, impressionism, psychiatry and a good mystery, give this book a try.  It is a great surprise for those unfamiliar with Kostova’s writer — as I was.  It took me about two or three nights to read it, but I consider those sleepless nights well spent.

]]> http://vivianmills.net/blog/2012/01/08/the-swan-thieves/feed/ 0 http://vivianmills.net/blog/2012/01/07/come-unto-these-yellow-sands/ http://vivianmills.net/blog/2012/01/07/come-unto-these-yellow-sands/#comments Sat, 07 Jan 2012 09:44:26 +0000 Vivian http://vivianmills.net/?p=463 There are many people that believe contemporary romance or romance erotica are trash.  Well, here is the book to prove them wrong.  Come Unto These Yellow Sands is one of the best romance books I have ever read, and that includes regular romance.  I should qualify, that it is one of the best books of romance I’ve read written by an author of contemporary times.   I was introduced to Josh Lanyon, the author of Come Unto These Yellow Sands by a friend writer of mine. This author writes GLBT fiction (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transexual fiction), although to be fair it is mainly gay romance and erotica.

I am going to admit, Mr. Lanyon’s books can be a bit formulaic, usually they have a hot cop or sort of law enforcement guy falling for a wounded, damaged  intellectual,  but the magic of his books rests on his character development and the exhilarating and enthralling plot lines he weaves.  In this particular book you have Swift, a former bad boy poet turned college professor and Max, his boyfriend who is also the town’s sheriff.  Swift knows that his relationship with Max is very fragile and when one of his students is accused of murder and comes to Swift for help, all his efforts to keep it together and maintain a handle on the vortex that is his past, and his fragile present, are put on the line.

What is so special about that you ask?  Well, first of all the narrative.  Mr. Lanyon makes use of second person and third person narratives.  It makes for a dreamy, hazy sort of storytelling where we enter the author’s mind for a second and are privy to his thoughts about the character, which is something I have seldom encountered in romance books.  The reader is able to hone in on the main character’s feelings and then is taken away to a more detached narrative,  this makes for a tantalizing sort of dance.  Reading this book was such a lovely experience and I was so taken with the characters that I think it is the only romance book that I have read more than once.

Also, as I pointed out before, his characters are very well fleshed-out.  There is more to Swift than just a tragic past and there is more to Max than the straight laced hot cop, and the plot is not about the hot cop rescuing the hot guy and then having his wicked way with him.  What caught my attention about this book is that Max and Swift are in an established relationship that is put in jeopardy by circumstances. The rest, you will have to read it and find out for yourself because I wouldn’t like to spoil the fun for you.  So, if you are seeking for a book to read and spend a few pleasurable hours dreaming, Come Unto These Yellow Sands is the book for you.

This is a half baked attempt at Dan Brown’s recipe of symbolism and great conspiracies.  I dislike Dan Brown’s writing, and I found out, through this book that I utterly despise Danielle Trussoni’s writing. I was so upset when I finished this book, had I been able to throw tomatoes at the author, I would have.   It was so bad. I muddled through endless pages of a half baked plot that involved great inserts from the book of Enoch, amateurish flashbacks, explanations about a race of angels that made no sense at all.

A young researcher is employed by a mysterious older man to work for him and find something, although what the something is, remains a mystery for most of the book.  The modern section of the book was set in ninety nine, but this version of New York city in the nineties lacked computers, the internet, mobiles.  A scholar without access to the internet?  A young, hip male free lance researcher with no cellphone?  Come on!   And there are more and more inconsistencies throughout the book.  I can go on more detail, but I promised that I wouldn’t give any spoilers in case someone wants to read the books I review.  Oh before I forget, this book is also slow moving and boring.  Really, it seemed I was reading an even worse version of the formulaic sort of thriller written by a few popular authors now a days.  And that, my friends, it is bad, as those thrillers are not really that great.

I didn’t understand the protagonists intentions or motivations.  You should save your money and skip this one.  I am usually not this virulent about any books, but I believe this harsh review was well earned.

Daughter of the Forest is not a typical romance book, far from it.  It is rather historical fantasy with a tiny bit of romance sprinkled throughout the pages.  The book centers around the lives of the offspring of Colum of Sevenwaters, a chieftain of the biggest Tuáth in Erin (Ireland).  Colum, a widower, had six sons, and one daughter, Sorcha the youngest and the only female.  Sorcha is the heart of the stronghold of Sevenwaters,  and from early age devotes herself to learning the arts of healing as well as preserving the old rituals and religion.  Colum, however, is deeply involved in regaining The Isles — a group of islands halfway between Erin and Britain, south of the Isle of Mann –  back for Erin from the Britons,  as they are the center of the spiritual life of the people of Erin and their guardianship had been trusted to his family many generations ago by the Tuatha Dé Dannan (the faeries).

Sorcha grows unheeded, wild,  raised by her brothers while her father is away fighting for Erin. In one of his briefs stays, Colum takes notice of his daughter and in an effort to make a lady out of her, and improve her marriage prospects, he marries Lady Oonagh.  From there things go a bit hairy for the family as Lady Oonagh is really a powerful sorceress.  She is ambitious and seeks to destroy all of Colum’s heirs and gain the stronghold of Sevenwaters for herself.  Lady Oonagh turns all of Sorcha’s brothers into swans and plans to kill Sorcha, but Sorcha flees.  Aided by the Lady of the Forest (Deirdre), Sorcha begins the painful task of saving her brothers; she must spin and weave six shirts from a spiky, poisonous plant that makes her hands swell and causes her skin to break out in painful blisters.  All of this must be done in complete silence, if she utters a word during the period when she is harvesting, drying, spinning, weaving or sewing, her brothers will forever remain as swans.  The painful task takes Sorcha many years and in her efforts to escape the clutches of the Lady Oonagh, she is constantly on the move, and she is confronted with many trials and hardships.

Those of you familiar with the story of the Six Swan know what happens next.  Those of you that are not familiar with it, and wish to read this book, should pick up a copy soon.  Marillier does a wonderful job with the story’s pace and she successfully draws the reader into the world of Sevenwaters, where the mundane and the fae mix and walk together under the shades of the ancient oaks and rowan trees.  Beware, do not wander away from the path, or you may fall pray to one of the Good Folk and their tricks!

The book is about Martin, a middle aged artist and college professor whose motivation and passion for painting is slowly withering away.  After losing an award to one of his students, Martin goes out for a drive.  It’s one of those dreary London nights, toppled with rain and while passing through one of Central London’s rather dodgy streets, a teenage girl appears out of nowhere and he runs her over with his car.  Wrecked with guilt and shame he follows the ambulance to the hospital where he learns the girl came through the ordeal unharmed.  The girl’s name is Ivory, a prostitute living with an elderly black gentleman called Ebony.

Martin is utterly captivated by the rather unearthly and haunting beauty of Ivory, and slowly gets sucked in to her world.    A world filled with pimps, prostitutes, danger, and decadence.  Martin becomes more and more detached from his family and obsesses over Ivory, and that obsession brings about the unraveling of his life.

Merrifield gives us London in two different lights, the sedated, saccharine London of Martin’s day, and the dark, edgy, dangerous London where Ivory lives.  The clash of those worlds serves as a representation of the conflict of emotions that are in turmoil within Martin.  Desire versus duty, passion versus love.  It is all very well done, and although sometimes I felt that Merrifield was in need of a good editor to keep the pace and not inundate the reader with minute details about his protagonist’s daily home life, it achieved its purpose.  It horrified me and made me lose a few hours of sleep.

Perhaps I am a bit unimaginative, but the ending caught me quite by surprise.  I suspected something was up, but the scenarios I came up for the ending where nowhere near it.  I usually deduce the ending of mystery or horror books, which is why I usually don’t read the mystery/horror genre.  Maybe it is the logical training that being an Economics major requires me to go through, either way, I was very pleased I could not deduce it, and a bit scared by it.

I highly recommend this book if you want to give a brave, new author a try.   Ivory was worth the few hours of sleep I lost.

I am into this historical fiction kick, and I wanted to read something related to the Borgias since Showtime is premiering a new original series about them.  I found this little book while browsing in my Nook Store (I love my Nook, haven’t I said that enough?).  It seemed interesting, decadent.  I mean, it is the Borgias, one of Catalonia’s naughtiest exports and they had Rome right under their thumb for the longest of time.  Who wouldn’t want to read about them?  Well… I do, and when I saw this title I hit “purchase” and just went on my merry way reading it.  I also noticed it has a lot of red in the cover… maybe this is a trend in publishing now a days?  Lure your readers using the colors associated with the things the story promises for your covers.  Red for blood, lust, love, passion, rage, qualities well associated with the Borgias.

This book centers about the life of Esther, a Sephardi Jew.  She left Spain during her childhood after Queen Isabella’s expulsion of the Jews from Spain.  She moves to Rome, a haven for Jews from the persecution from the Inquisition, then at her father’s behest she enters into the service of Lucrezia Borgia — this is after converting to Christianity.  Lucrezia becomes her godmother, gives her a new, Christian name and introduces her to her brother Cesare Borgia, the Duke of Valentinois.

Esther is then introduced to the pleasures and dangers of courtly life and is slowly woven into the web of intrigues, betrayals and passion that are the trademarks of the Borgia family.  She also falls head over heels in love with Cesare, but their affair is something rather odd, full of one sided mysteries, intrigue, unspoken truths.  It is really a great page turner, and the ending is rather unexpected.

Sarah Bower’s take on Lucrezia and Cesare was enthralling.  They were portrayed as self-centered, lustful, cynical and calculating people, but she also made them loyal, family oriented, fun, friendly, very passionate in their affairs, and contrary to what is expected from them, she did not make them great liars, but really great at keeping things concealed or telling veiled truths.  The book is written as a memoir, and it works out wonderfully this way.   Stylistically, I find that Bower’s first person point of view is much better handled here than what I have seen in the works of other, much more famous authors of historical fiction.  She also makes her character, Esther, very reachable, very human, and flawed. The tone of the story has a rather self-deprecating, honest, humbling quality to it I found very refreshing. I do not think you need to be really into fifteenth century Italian history in order to fully understand this book. She has followed the time line rather consistently, and she has not deviated too much from what is known about their lives and the event surrounding them. Of course, with the Borgias one always wonders what is true and what is malicious slander trickled down to us from those that were jealous of their power and influence.

I particularly loved how the Bower recreated the rather edgy, tense atmosphere that surrounded the Borgias and those associated with them. It made me feel as if people then lived on a knife’s edge, one wrong step and you could be the next person to be on the block (or to be given the cup).  This is a great book for those who are into fast paced books with a touch of feminine sensibilities (or a lot if you happen to be male).  I enjoyed it and I think someone who is looking to escape to fifteenth century Italy and be privy to the intrigues and workings of the most powerful family in Rome during those times should definitely give Sins of the House of Borgia a try.

This is The Red Queen, a historical fiction book written by Philippa Gregory.  The very famous Margaret Beaufort, the founder of the Tudor dynasty and the grandmother of the infamous Henry VIII.  The woman that gave birth at age twelve and had the grit and backbone to put her son on the throne (Henry VII) and become mother to a King of England.

I must confess that I do not much care for anything that has to do with Henry VIII.  Had I known from the beginning that it was a book about his grandmother,  I would have probably not read it, nor bought it.  I have an ingrained aversion toward him and anything related to the Tudors.  It is perhaps their penchant for beheading people, or how they used their power to indulge their whims.  I dislike self-indulgent people very much, especially all powerful self-indulgent people.  I got this book as an electronic version for my Nook, my newest, most beloved toy, while browsing the Best Sellers section on the Barnes and Noble website. I was new to Philippa Gregory’s writing and had not read any of her previous books — this book is part of a trilogy that starts with The White Queen — and immediately I was taken with her style.  She wove the stream of consciousness, journal style first person point of view with a more omniscient third person narrative and managed to slip a lot of historical facts into the narrative.  I did not read the synopsis of the book, I just bought it because I had a new toy and the title was flashy — and I like the color red.

As I said before, I do not care one iota for Henry VIII, and I do not go seeking for books either of historical facts or fiction that deal with that tumultuous era of England.  I do not dislike the English, but I am far more inclined to read about Queen Isabel de Castilla (Isabella of Castile), than I am to read about the Tudors and I dislike Isabel very much (institutionalized Inquisition, anyone?  Sephardi made to convert and then expelled if not cooked in the fires of the Inquisition…?).  However, this book held my attention and I finished it very fast (I think I read it in two nights).  It was not too slow, and it did not overwhelm the reader with minute details about life in the fifteenth century.  It had just enough to make you go through the motions (wince, squirm, giggle, roll your eyes).   It was rather interesting to swim through the thoughts of such an odd character.  Gregory did not make of  Margaret Beaufort a relatable character, nor likable, but she sure made her interesting.  I was fascinated by the calculating mind of this lady.  She had grit, sang-froid, a lot of determination and self-assurance; she was convinced that it was her destiny to be the mother of a king, to be made queen, and she got it.  At what expense, well… you should read the book and find out.    I had a very enjoyable time reading it and I urged my friends to read it.

As far as the accuracy of the book goes, well, it is historical fiction.  That being said, Mrs. Gregory does hold a Ph.D. in history from the  University of Edinburgh.  I am no historian, and most of my knowledge of the Tudors comes from reading Wikipedia entries (how shameful!), remembering my very fast sojourn through medieval literature and history back in the ninth grade (or was it tenth?), and little odd bits that I managed to learn while reading other books.  That being said, I think she does not deviate from the source material too much, nor does she take too many liberties with her characters.  I really loved her rather raw portrayal of Lady Beaufort.  In an era where women were treated like furniture, this little lady managed to make her dreams come true, no matter the costs (and believe me, she was rather ruthless).

This book is for those who do not mind doing a bit of research on their own to see what bits fall under fiction and what fall under fact.  Although, I really wonder if the information that managed to trickle down to us from five centuries ago can be counted as “fact.”  I do not think the Kings and Queens of England would have allowed for the founder of their dynasty to be described as a conniving little witch by historians.

The stream of consciousness style used is appealing. I usually dislike this mode of narration– most authors manage to give me a headache and become annoyed at the text, but J.D. Salinger managed it seamlessly. I remember telling one of my friends, “Reading this book feels as if I were having a conversation with my fifteen year old brother, aggravating and endearing at the same time.” There are so many instances where I identify with Salinger’s rebellious protagonist; I remember fantasizing these ridiculous scenarios about my own death, going into little theatrics about it and then realizing how stupid it was. That existential angst of not knowing what the next step would be and what the whole point of living was and feeling depressed, being aware of social divisions — like the scene with the suitcases — and their unfairness, and feeling sorry for those adults that seemed stuck in unfortunate situations. I still find myself questioning my own place in the world and I wonder if that makes me a silly twenty seven year old adolescent. Also, Salinger’s take on adolescent sexuality was excruciating to read, but it seemed fairly accurate; all those hormones and inexperience lead up to some awkward situations when one usually ends up biting off more than one can chew. I remember wanting to do a great deal but lacking the guts of getting anything accomplished. It was sort of a relief to find out that it wasn’t only me.

Finally, Salinger’s images were pretty impressive. He does not describe much, but what he does describe leaves a very indelible footprint in your mind; the carousel, the museum, the dead classmate, the field of rye and the cliff. Each one of them brings up the same recurring theme, the loss of innocence and how painful is to let go of one’s childhood where everything seemed simple and uncomplicated.

This book is definitely worth your time. Read it and recall those times long gone.

This story is a mixture of suspense and romance and has a very Gothic sort of feel to it. Du Maurier uses very flowery, very long winded prose and her descriptions of Cornwall are very accurate.  I have been to Cornwall before and this novel reminded me of those sunny days of summer I spent there.  The contrast of soft green slopes, dark, choppy blue waters, blooming flowers and old stone manors make a very strong visual statement; I was very pleased to find a novel that catches the mystic, dreamy Cornwall so well.  The pacing — although slow for modern standard — is very well suited for the time period and the character’s sensibilities.  This is not a sappy old romance novel, this is dark, stormy and it keeps you on the edge of your seat.  I could not put the book down and stayed up all night to read it, and boy I am glad I did!

You never know what’s coming next with this book and that’s what kept me turning the pages.  Some people will find it hard to sympathize with the characters,  and the style is definitely not what modern readers are used to getting from authors.  Regardless, Rebecca is definitely worth the time and the eye rolls for the slightly over the top language.  This book is the perfect choice for those stormy, rainy days when one wants to do nothing but curl up on the couch with a good book to read and a cup of nice strong tea in hand.  Just make sure the tea is a nice, posh Earl’s Grey, and no, you do not put any cream in Earl Grey — it ruins the taste!

Ridley starts out with pure science, the premise: Why do humans and most animals and bacteria have sex as a form of reproduction as opposed to other forms of reproduction? He argues that sex is an evolutionary tool employed by genes to keep up with the ever changing and ever mutating predators like parasites. He explains that evolution is not something that gets done for the whole purpose of just getting better, but as sort of a Red Queen Race to keep up with the rest of the environment. “This concept that all progress is relative, has come to be known in biology by the name of the Red Queen, after a chess piece that Alice meets in Through the Looking-Glass, who perpetually runs without getting very far because the landscape moves with her” (18).

The author then goes on to give some exciting and very compelling arguments as why we behave as we do, and yes people, apparently it all comes down to sex. From the size of our brains, development of language all the way to some very novel ideas about fashion and our concepts of beauty, it is all done in order for us to attract a mate and improve our chances of furthering our genes. The idea is that we are nothing but vessels that serve to carry genes to the next generation and that evolution is not a tool for the improvement of the species as a whole, but something done for the benefit of the individual. Furthermore, he tells us that contrary to what we believe, primates and humans are not the most successful products of nature in an a purely evolutionary concept. Quite the contrary, apparently we started out really defective and our genes had to mutate in order to keep with the environment. In contrast species like sharks and some forms of birds that have not evolved at all for hundreds of millions of years are the most successful products of evolution. The original product was so good that they did not have to change much in order to survive in the environment where they live. It all comes down to this novel Red Queen idea, “Life is a chess tournament in which if you win a game, you start the next game with the handicap of a missing pawn” (18).

This book is a must read for those interested in non fiction, science, anthropology and sociology. Ridley makes really dry topics like asexual reproduction, amoebae and protozoa wildly interesting and funny. He also boldly challenges certain views like those that state that the minds of women and men work alike and that culture is the only thing responsible of the shaping of human nature. The book is also filled with funny, eyebrow raising, interesting facts like the results of a study that show how unfaithful women are more likely to have offspring by their lovers than by their husband — and he explains the reasons behind them.

This books comes with my warmest recommendations. You don’t need to be a science geek or a biology major to understand it and you’ll come up with some witty, interesting topics for your next dinner party as a result of reading it. Give it a try!