ReadingAdventures

I was beginning to think that we were in a permanent ceasefire in the blog rumble that has been going on in romance land! Turns out that I just didn't know that Lisabea had taken matters into her own hands and created a poll for the best Kleypas hero on her blog! There isn't long left to vote, so you need to go over and show your love for Sebastian...err...or the other heroes on her poll soon!

One question though....where's Jack?

If his name was in the list it wouldn't exactly change my vote, but I would at least have to think about it a bit more!

Kailana from The Written World is running a fun competition featuring Colleen Gleason.

The details are below.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------






Running Dates: October 25th-November 15th, 2007

The Name of the Game is Fan Fiction, Art, or Photography

The Details: The object is to write fan fiction, draw a picture, or take a photograph relating to Colleen's two in print novels and her forth-coming one.

The idea is to rewrite a scene that you did not like, add a scene that you wish had been there, or write a scene that you wish will be included in The Bleeding Dusk. And, those are just three ideas, as long as you keep the three novels in mind, you can come up with your own ideas. If you are not up to writing, you can also do something photography or drawing related. The only thing I will be strict about is effort. I am not expecting perfection, and I won't give you word limits or anything like that, but I just want the work to clearly show that you have taken a bit of time for the activity. Any questions, just ask in the comments.

The Prize: A $25 dollar gift certificate to Amazon and a signed copy of The Bleeding Dusk. It will not be an Advanced Reading Copy, it will be an early copy in about January. Keep that in mind.

I hope that people join in! I plan to post all the submissions on my blog, not just the winner. Please don't post your entry in the comments, email it to me at twisted_kingdom_blog AT hotmail DOT com. The most important thing is to have fun and be creative!

This week's Booking Through Thursday question:

Today's suggestion is from Cereal Box Reader

I would enjoy reading a meme about people’s abandoned books. The books that you start but don’t finish say as much about you as the ones you actually read, sometimes because of the books themselves or because of the circumstances that prevent you from finishing. So . . . what books have you abandoned and why?

Well now...this would seem to be a timely question seeing as I have literally just posted about a book that I have given up on this week! As I said in that post, it is very, very rare for me to put a book down with no intention of picking it up again. The only other two books that I can think of where this happened over the last couple of years are The Well by Elizabeth Jolley and Music and Silence by Rose Tremain. Whilst I don't envisage ever picking up The Well again, every now and again I think that maybe the time just wasn't right for Music and Silence and maybe I should give it another go one day because it seems to have the right kind of setting and storyline that I should really love!

Now, if you want to talk about the books that I have started and put down with the intention of picking up again but having not done so yet, that is a whole other question. A couple of examples of those books are Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton, A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, Earthly Joys by Philippa Gregory...and lots of others!

Carpentaria is Alexis Wright's second novel, an epic set in the Gulf Country of north-western Queensland.

The novel's portrait of life in the precariously settled coastal town of Desperance, centres on the powerful Phantom family, leader of the Westend Pricklebush people, and its battles with old Joseph Midnight's renegade Eastend mob on the one hand and the white officials of Uptown, and on the neighbouring Gurfurrit mine on the other.

Wright's storytelling is operatic and surreal: a blend of myth and scripture, politics and farce. The novel teems with extraordinary characters - the outcast saviour Elias Smith, the religious zealot Mozzie Fishman, the murderous mayor Bruiser, the moth-ridden Captain Nicoli Finn, the activist Will Phantom, and above all, the rulers of the family, the queen of the rubbish dump and the fish embalming king of time, Angel Day and Normal Phantom - figures of such an intense imagining, they stand like giants in this storm-swept world.

I am torturing myself!

I have pretty much decided that I am going to stop reading this book that I am struggling with. I have been reading it for what feels like an eternity, but in reality is only 5 days. Normally I can read a 500 page book in 3 days - with this one I am only 200 pages in.

What I am struggling with is that I should just return the book, but I can't help but think that I should reborrow it and try again later? I can only think of 3 books that I have put down in the last couple of years with no intention of ever finishing....and each one was a dilemma for me!

It is an added dilemma that this was the winner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award which is one of the most illustrious literature award in Australia, so I should like it....right?

So for now, this is a DNF. There's no guarantee that I won't try again at another time.

In jazz 1920s Melbourne, the Green Mill is the hottest dance hall in town. But the glamourous Miss Phyrne Fisher finds there are hidden perils in dancing the night away. Like murder, blackmail, young me who vanish. And an overbearing mother whose motives for wanting her sons found looks decidedly suspicious.

Phyrne Fisher's fifth adventure leads to smoke-fill clubs, a dashingly handsome band leader, and some fancy flying indeed across the Australian Alps.

This is the fifth book in the Phryne Fisher series by Kerry Greenwood, and follows on from Death at Victoria Dock. Having read this many books in the series, there are a number of things that are a given. Phryne lives a very decadent lifestyle in many ways. There will be handsome young men, there will be some shocking (for the day) behaviour and she will of course find her man!

There were however some differences in this case. The story opens with Phryne dancing the night away at the Green Mill dance hall, at the end of a dance off. Things turn deadly however when one of the remaining dancers is murdered right in the middle of the dance floor it is a bit puzzling as to how it can possibly have been done. There were many witnesses, and no one saw anything. More puzzling is why Phryne's companion for the evening has done a runner!

Whilst solving the murder whilst undertaking a flirtation with one of the band members is on Phryne's agenda, it really is the search for her companion, Charles Freeman that is Phryne's paid assignment. What she find is that the seemingly upright family is full of secrets, and eventually leads her to search for Charles' brother Vic, who has chosen to live high in the Australian Alps as a virtual hermit.

What having Vic living in this location did allow is for Phryne to take her plane and fly up into the Alps, something that I found quite fascinating. The idea that to fly somewhere that takes five or six hours to drive to would have taken two refuels, whilst not surprising I guess, was quite eye opening because we take for granted that you can fly to Sydney in an hour from Melbourne!

This wasn't the strongest of the mysteries so far, but the book was still entertaining enough read. Onto the next one in the series!

Rating 4/5

Anatole lives on the steep crags of Cornwall, trapped in isolation by his legacy and powers. Surrounded by only a handful of servants and his dogs, he has never ventured far from the thick stone walls of his castle. Now, as part of timeless tradition, Anatole must turn to his former tutor and distant cousin, Septimus Fitzleger, also known as the Bride Finder, a man blessed with the power to find the one woman who is Anatole's destiny.

Madeline Breton is that chosen bride and has come to Cornwall to meet her new husband. I know you are all Anatole St. Leger could ever want, Septimus had told her. And sensible Madeline had begun to dream. But, now that she has reached her strange destination, the dream is diffusing quickly in the shadow of the dark and ominous Castle Leger. Her husband is hardly the gentleman she had envisioned. He looks more like a fierce Celtic warrior, one whose wild, ebony hair and brusque manner hint of stranger, mysterious gifts. What unknown forces are at work at Castle Leger? Why do the servants and the villagers both respect and fear her husband? Anatole knows only too well the legacies that to him have been more curse than gift. But as Madeline embarks on an odyssey both otherworldly and undeniably real, she and her husband fall hopelessly in love - until she also sees the haunting vision of murder in the crystal of the St. Leger sword and vows never to let this dire portent come to pass. Then, into this hypnotic world, a sudden, terrifying enemy emerges to threaten both their lives.

Once every so often a novel comes along that takes your breath away. From its mesmerizing first page to its unforgettable last, Susan Carroll spins a sweeping, spellbinding tale of magic, romance and legend - a beautifully written, utterly gripping epic that illuminates the undying power of love.

Ever since I read the Faire Isle trilogy by this author, I have been intending to read her backlist. So when it was my turn to choose author of the month in the Historical Romance Chat Yahoo group, I chose Susan Carroll, and decided to read the first book in the St Leger trilogy. The main reason for choosing this book was that The Huntress wasn't quite out yet (which I still haven't managed to read) and I wanted to get to her other books in due course anyway.

Straight off the bat, I want to say that I loved this setting - 1800's in a haunted castle in Cornwall - can it be anymore gothic? Add to the setting the fact that the hero is afflicted with a terrible curse, and I am totally there!

When Anatole sends his cousin and bride finder to London to find him a wife he gives him a very strict list of requirements. It's no wonder he didn't recognise his intended because Madeline Breton is pretty much everything he doesn't want in a bride! His dreams have foretold what is to happen and he now can't stop those events from coming to fruition, and it could mean the end of the line for his family!

With a cast of kooky and a little bit spooky characters, lots of paranormal activity (not werewolves and vampires - more ghosts and strange events) and a bit of suspense this was a cracking read.

Of the books that I have read by Susan Carroll so far, I am yet to read a dud. I will definitely be reading more of this trilogy.

Rating: 4.5/5

There is a down side to not buying books.

As a result of the blog war that I mentioned in my last post, I was thinking it would be really nice to skim through both books and just read some of my favourite passages. Only problem is that I borrowed both of those books from the library so I don't have them!

Darn it!

It's a blog war!


KristieJ's passion for Derek Craven from Dreaming of You is well known throughout blogland, but chances are that she's met her equal in Sybil who just lurves Sebastian St Vincent from Devil in Winter.

Now the battle lines have been drawn and you have to pick a side!

So....Derek or Sebastian?


I will keep it simple.....Sebastian all the way!

This week's Booking Through Thursday question:

You may or may not have seen my post at Punctuality Rules Tuesday, about a book I recently bought that had the actual TITLE misspelled on the spine of the book. A glaring typographical error that really (really!) should have been caught. So, using that as a springboard, today’s question: What’s the worst typographical error you’ve ever found in (or on) a book?

I do notice spelling mistakes in books, but not enough to be able to remember so that I can answer this question.

Instead, I thought I would mention one name that I think is spelt incorrectly every time I see it and that is the name of the main character in Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher series. On her website, it is very clearly stated that the name is pronounced Fry-knee (as in to rhyme with Briny) but every time I see it I want to pronounce it Fern, which I would think would be spelled Phyrne! One of these days the correct name will stick in my head.

I know...not exactly the intention of the question, but at least I managed to post on time this time. Last week's answer is still sitting in draft!

So the winner of the 2007 Man Booker prize was The Gathering by Anne Enright.

This book doesn't seem to be available here at all. Wonder how quickly it will get published here now that it has been declared the winner!

I will have to keep a look out next time I am in the bookstore!

This review cross posted at Historical Tapestry

IN THE SUMMER OF 1815, with Napolean Bonaparte marching down from the north, Brussels is a whirlwind of parties, balls and soirees. In the swirling social scene surrounding the Duke of Wellington and his noble aides de camp, no one attracts more attention than the beautiful, outrageous young widow Lady Barbara Childe. On their first meeting, dashing Colonel Charles Audley proposes to her, but even their betrothal doesn't calm her wild behavior. Finally, with the Battle of Waterloo raging just miles away, civilians fleeing and the wounded pouring back into the town, Lady Barbara discovers where her heart really lies, and like a true noblewoman, she rises to the occasion, and to the demands of love, life and war...

Just under a year ago I went to the local romance bookstore, and was talking to the girl who worked about authors she recommended. After going through a few different options, she asked me whether I had ever read Georgette Heyer? My response was no, but that I wasn't overly keen to try. After she gushed for about 10 minutes about how fabulous Heyer was, I ended up walking out of the store having bought Venetia. I still haven't read it.

It wasn't so much that I wasn't interested in reading Heyer's books really. It was more that there were so many that I wasn't really sure where to start, and there were so many other books that I KNEW that I wanted to read. Then I was offered An Infamous Army and I figured that it would be just the encouragement I needed to try this author, and then one way or the other I would know whether I wanted to read more or not!

Whatever it was that I was expecting when I started reading this book, it's not what I got! I will confess that I was expecting lots of bodice heaving, and purple prose, but instead what I got was a lovely romance which was set against the much larger portrayal of the Battle of Waterloo. The detail in the book about the movement of troops and the actual battles was impressive, but yet not so overdone that it became monotonous and boring. The colour and pageantry of the various parts of the army that was massing to face Napoleon was impressively depicted and the almost crazed atmosphere of the English in Brussels who seemed to be partying like there was no tomorrow was very finely tuned. The fact that there literally was no tomorrow for many of them only adds to the poignancy of the novel.

The action of the story moved from the ballroom, to the salon, to reviewing the troops and trips on picnics to the countryside adeptly, and yet with all the details about the looming battle and the actual battle, Heyer didn't forget to develop the blooming relationship between our hero and heroine.

I have to confess that at the very beginning of the book I was somewhat concerned at where the journey was going to lead. When Colonel Charles Audley, who works on the staff of the Duke of Wellington, enters into a crowded ballroom and sees the beautiful but somewhat notorious Lady Barbara Childe he instantly falls in love and before too long she is in love with him. Almost immediately, Charles proposes to Babs and she accepts, much to the shock of much of Brussels, including his sister, and to the delight of the gossip mongers, for whom Babs has long been a favourite talking point. Love at first sight....not really my cup of tea.

Babs give Charles a bit of a run around, but her true strength comes to the fore when it is needed as the battle rages. And in the end, it turns out that she is not the only one in her family who might have shocking secrets.

And yet, despite that initial reservation, gradually I found myself fascinated by all the characters, including our lovers. Many of the characters are actual historical figures who were involved in the Battle of Waterloo, and I found myself searching the web looking for websites related to the battle to try and figure out things like exactly how far out of Brussels is Waterloo. I think that if a historical novel that you are reading prompts you to go and find out more information about the events you are reading about, then it's a pretty good sign.

With lively characters, plenty of historical details and a good love story, this is one Heyer that I am definitely glad that I found time to read, and I will be reading more!

Rating 4/5


Thanks to Sourcebooks for the review copy of this book!


Other blogger's thoughts:

Chris @ Book-a-rama

It's been a long one today!

I left work half an hour earlier than I usually do so that I could get my son to basketball training on time, but the trains were terrible...so bad that I ended up getting to where I pick him up from 10 minutes later than normal! So frustrating, even though it did mean that I got a bit more read of my book!

In other news, I have posted a review of The Observations by Jane Harris over at Historical Tapestry

Slide further under the duvet, get yourself comfortable and let Marian take you places where you have never been before...

Places like the Irish air-guitar championships, a shopping trip to Bloomingdale's with a difference and Cannes with a chronic case of Villa-itis. Along the way you'll encounter knicker-politics, fake tans, sticky-out ears and passionate love affairs both with make-up and with Toblerones. And of course, agony aunt Mammy Walsh is on hand to solve all your problems.

Hilarious and poignant, Marian's long awaited second volume of journalism and previously unpublished writing, including several short stories, is the modern woman's perfect companion. So put the kettle on and grab that Kit Kat Chunky - everything else will wait.

One thing that you can almost be guaranteed when you read Marian Keyes is that you will be entertained. Whether she is talking about charity trips to remote locations, her love affair with make up, or her husband (affectionately known to the reader as Himself) or fighting her battle against alcholism, Keyes delivers laughs but without sacrificing depth.

Many of the articles in the book were actually originally published in various newspapers and magazines, but there were also some original articles, and some original short stories. The short stories are patchy in places but still readable.

The only bad thing with having now read this collection is that I have read almost everything I can find by this author. I think that my library has one of the anthologies that she contributed to, but that's it! The only other book is No Dress Rehearsal, which doesn't seem to be easy to track down, and doesn't seem to be a full size book either!

Now I guess I will just have to wait patiently for her next book!


Rating 4/5

Paige Winterbourne is a witch. Not that you'd notice - no warts, no green skin, no cute little wiggle of the nose whenever she casts a spell. No, most of the time she's just a normal 23-year- old girl; works too hard, worries about her weight, wonders if she'll ever find a boyfriend. Okay, so she does have an adopted teenage daughter, Savannah, who wants to raise her black witch of a mother from the dead. And who is being stalked by a telekinetic half-demon and an all-powerful cabal of sorcerers. But other than that, Paige has a really ordinary life. That is, until the neighbours find out who she is, and all hell breaks loose. Literally...

Whoops! Made a mistake! Normally I am pretty careful to ensure that I write a review for an earlier book in a series, before I read the next book, even if that means bumping the earlier book up the review queue, because that way I can be sure that no details from one book slip into my memory of the next book! For some reason though, I didn't realise that I hadn't written this up before I read Industrial Magic. We'll have to see how it goes!

Paige Winterbourne had previously appeared as a secondary character in a couple of the earlier books in this series, but in this book she comes to the fore! Paige is a young witch, who on the death of her mother, has become the coven leader. In addition to this responsibility, she is also bringing up Savannah, a teenage witch. The other witches aren't keen on Savannah because her mother was a black witch, and they are sure that Savannah has some of the same skills. Paige would love to get her teeth into some of the stronger spells that are no longer available to witches, but she knows that the coven will be very unhappy if they found that out!

When Paige is framed for devil worship, a young lawyer by the name of Lucas Cortez enters the picture. Actually, to call Lucas just a lawyer is probably a bit of an understatement. He is also a sorcerer and estranged son of one of the most powerful cabal bosses in the paranormal world. Now, in case you aren't up with your paranormal rules, witches and sorcerers are enemies, and so Paige is determined that Lucas isn't going be become her lawyer, but he has other ideas, and before long the three of them (Paige, Lucas and Savannah) have become a team.

This does cause more issues with the coven and, before long, Paige not only finds herself accused of demon worship, but the coven are not prepared to back her up in any way either. In fact, it seems that they are determined to get her out of town sooner rather than later. Somehow, though, there are others who are part of this whole strange series of events, and they are looking for Savannah. Paige and Lucas must fight to protect Savannah...any way they can.

I did really enjoy this book - the action was fast paced, and there was very definitely a romantic element between Paige and Lucas. I didn't feel the chemistry at first, but by the time I finished this book and then I read Industrial Magic I couldn't imagine the two of them not being together! This series is one that I am determined to keep reading!

Rating 4/5

Finally, today the Prime Minister has announced that the Federal election will be held on November 24. I would say let the games begin, but the games began months ago! We have been having a pretend Federal campaign for months, with promises being made, and general politicking, grandstanding etc.

Kamryn Matika has no responsibilities - one birthday card will change that for ever.... Best friends Kamryn Matika and Adele Brannon thought nothing could come between them - until Adele did the unthinkable and slept with Kamryn's fiance, Nate. Worse still, she got pregnant and had his child. When Kamryn discovered the truth about their betrayal she vowed never to see any of them again. Two years later, Kamryn receives a letter from Adele asking her to visit her in hospital. Adele is dying and begs Kamryn to adopt her daughter, Tegan. With a great job and a hectic social life, the last thing Kamryn needs is a five-year-old to disrupt things. Especially not one who reminds her of Nate. But with no one else to take care of Tegan and Adele fading fast, does she have any other choice? So begins a difficult journey that leads Kamryn towards forgiveness, love, responsibility and, ultimately, a better understanding of herself.

I first heard about this book over at Karen Scott's blog. The review that she wrote was one of those that made me go...I have to read this book now! Yes, it took me 3 months to do so (and a bit longer to get to write this review), but it was definitely worth getting this book out of the library.

The only problem I had was that I started reading it on the train on the way home from work one day, and given that I started crying on the second page that was probably a mistake! I went back to read Karen's review when I got home to see if there was sufficient warning that this was going to be one of those books that made me cry...and there really was! Once I kept reading, in the privacy of my own home, I cried and laughed throughout this book and thoroughly enjoyed my read!

Please don't think that this is a morose or depressing book because it really isn't! The story IS emotional, but there are sufficient moments of joy and humour (and love) to be able to balance out those emotional moments, without trying to undermine the backbone of the novel or resorting to cliches.

In closing, I would really encourage you to read Karen's review of this book by clicking on the link above! She has done an excellent job of dissecting the characters and the story - far better than I can possibly do!

This is the only Koomson book that my library has, which is a shame because I would love to read more by this author! Watch out Book Depository here I come!

Rating 4.5/5

When the Booker long list was announced, I somewhat recklessly declared that I was going to read the books on the list. When the shortlist was announced, I still hadn't read any of them.

So, now that the announcement of the winner is imminent, I have finally read one of the long list nominees! Go me! I do have two more out from the library, so I might get to them eventually.

Click on the link and you will end up over at Historical Tapestry where you can read my review of Winnie and Wolf by A N Wilson.

Lara's had been an arranged marriage to a man who was cold and mostly absent, so when word reached Lady Hawksworth that her husband was lost at sea, she happily gave up her title and position and proceeded to lead an exemplary life as a volunteer at the community orphanage. But suddenly - after over a year - Lara receives word that her husband is alive and on his way home. While Lara couldn't deny that the handsome man who appeared before her resembled her husband in many ways, and knew things that only he could know, the "new" Hunter was attentive and loving in ways he never had been before. Was it possible that her rake of a husband had reformed - or was Lara being seduced by a cunning stranger?

When Lara (who should have been called Saint Lara quite frankly) found out that she was a widow following the death of her husband Hunter in India, she wasn't devastated. Her marriage had been for convenience only with no love or passion. With the new titleholder in the family home and treating her quite shabbily, Lara now spends her time, and what little money she gets caring for the orphans and children in the local town.

On receiving the news that her husband is alive and well, Lara is overwhelmed. It quickly becomes clear that either her husband has had a complete change of heart, or that he is an impostor.

When Hunter's identity is challenged through the court system, Lara is forced to tell whether or not she believes he is who he say he is, or he could end up in jail or worse still...dead.

Unlike many of the novels by Lisa Kleypas, the characters in this novel are almost cartoon like (possibly with the exception of Hunter). Lara is a saint, and the bad guys wouldn't be out of place in one of those over the top kids movies.

+++++++SPOILER+++++++++

Of course, everything ends happily, but one thing I didn't get was why Hunter's mother would confirm that a stranger was her son really! Would the mother of an impostor willingly allow him to take her child's place?


All in all, not one of Kleypas' better efforts but still had some nice parts to it!

Rating 3.5/5