Novel Whore

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I’m not a big fan of Sci/Fi, and vampires have really never gotten my attention, especially scenes from Ann Rice and other “thrillers,” as they are mainly focused on violence. When my best friend handed me The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova it came with a warning that I might not like it.

The Historian takes a different view on vampirism as it retraces what happened to the remains of Vlad Tepes, a 15th century Byzantine ruler of Wallachia, through Istanbul, Bulgaria and Romania during the Cold War era. The search begins as several characters receive an antique book that contains nothing but a wood print of a dragon and the word: DRAKULYA. …continue to the book review of The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

You may find this odd, seeing as how I enjoy writing reviews of the books I read, but I hate reading reviews. I can’t even bring myself to read the little snippet that appears on the jackets of Netflix movies because I want a completely open mind when I view the movie. Yes, I probably read a portion of it when I choose the movie, but by the time I get around to watching it, I’ve long since forgotten the premise. Which is why I usually avoid forewords and introductions of books if they are written by another author, especially if the foreword has been added some time after publishing as the author is typically responding to thoughts others had on the book when it came out. Thus I stopped myself from reading the entire foreword by John Updike in Thornton Wilder’s The Eighth Day when I came upon the views of some that believed the characters were thin. I’m glad I did.

John Ashley, a gifted engineer, is accused of shooting his best friend, Breckenridge Lansing, during their weekly Sunday rifle practice in Coaltown, a small mining town in Illinois at the turn of the 20th century. Ashley is sentenced to death but is rescued by unknown assailants, unknown even to himself, on the eve of his execution. The surrounding mystery haunts his young family as they try to eke out a living in a time when women didn’t work. …continue to the book review of The Eighth Day by Thornton Wilder

I adore Michael Crichton, and I’m not ashamed to admit it, he’s hot. I especially adore how he combines technology and history in Timeline, well that and his laugh lines.

Timeline is set in the twenty-first century and focuses on a group of archeologists that are working on a historical site that includes Castelgard and La Roque, two ancient towns separated by the Dordogne River. Like many historical and sporting sites these days, the site is sponsored by a corporation which is rumored to be buying the surrounding land for what appears to be nefarious plans.

As the plot unfolds, it comes to light that the corporation has knowledge of the architecture of the site that seems impossible, unless they’ve actually seen the towns when they were occupied, in the 1300’s. …continue to the book review of Timeline by Michael Crichton

This is probably the most screwed up book I’ve read in awhile, which means I loved it. Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald follows the story of the Piper family through three generations that are plagued by incest, attempted murder, accidental death, suicide, and a host of other sad story lines.

James Piper is introduced as a young boy left orphaned after his father disappeared and his mother died. He sets out on his own to become a piano tuner in the large city to the south on Cape Breton Island. He soon falls in love with a young daughter of a client, a much too young daughter. They quickly elope and are exiled by his new wife, Materia’s family. Set in the early 1900’s the family grows through the first World War where James enlists to avoid the feelings he suddenly has for his oldest daughter Kathleen, prohibition where James becomes a bootlegger, and the Great Depression when all of Cape Breton is angry with the Piper’s and how they survive. …continue to the book review of Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald

There are few characters as powerful as Ingrid Magnussen, a striking blond, the kind we all want to be deep down, that floats through life moving wherever the wind, or a shy poet, leads her. She is at once connected to the World, but without any sentimental ties, she doesn’t believe in love. Until she meets “the goat man.” She breaks all of her rules, spends the night with him, and slowly succumbs to the kind of passion she abhors in other women. When the goat man tosses her aside, Ingrid can barely stand who she has become, so she decides to poison him with the White Oleander, by boiling it down and painting his door knob.

Janet Fitch creates an elaborate story built between Ingrid and her daughter Astrid who is sent to multiple foster homes after her mother is convicted of murder. Throughout White Oleander, Astrid struggles to separate herself from her mother, first by establishing a sexual relationship with her foster father, much to the dismay of her foster mother that decides to put an end to things by shooting Astrid. From there Astrid moves from one foster home to another, forming bonds with a high class prostitute, and her perfect fourth foster mother that commits suicide, brought on with a little help from Ingrid. …continue to the book review of White Oleander by Janet Fitch