The final installment of Deborah Harkness' All Souls trilogy, the Book of Life concludes Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont's quest for the mysterious Book of Life, which is said to contain the secrets of the existence of creatures - witches, vampires and daemons. It's safe to say at this point there will be spoilers for at least the first two books. I strongly recommend therefore, that if you aren't familiar with the All Souls trilogy you should acquaint yourself with it. It really is rather good.
The Book of Life picks up after the devastating events at the end of Shadow of Night. Matthew and Diana have returned from the 16th century, expectant with twins, and must face up to the Congregation's continued threat. However, their threat is not the only one. Matthew's disowned son is on the loose, ravaged with blood rage and creating a trail of devastation across Europe, and has his sights set on Diana and her unborn children as his next target. All the while, Diana must continue her search for the irretrievable Book of Life and its missing pages before anyone else can get to it.
Much as the two books before it, the Book of Life is very complicated with different plot lines that weave together almost as confusingly as Diana's spells. It is therefore difficult to sum up briefly, but without giving too much away I can say that some characters make return appearances that surprise and delight you. The characters are really what tie this story together and make it such a captivating read. Having grown with them over three books and experienced all their highs and lows, by the concluding chapter you really feel a part of the de Clermont family, or rather the Bishop-Clairmont family.
One thing I would have loved more of is to see how different characters' storylines progress, both in the period between Elizabethan England and modern day, and from different perspectives throughout the events of Book of Life. In terms of the plot, I was a little disappointed. After such a long search for the Book and many unanswered questions, it felt like it was a secondary plotline whose resolution posed more questions than it answered. The trilogy works well as it is and I wouldn't want to ruin it by adding another sequel, but I wouldn't say no to a shorter book, perhaps between the second and third novels, that filled some of the missing gaps.
This is another book I rescued from the hotel's 'library' and like many of my recent reads also falls under the category of chicklit. All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins is Callie's tale (Calliope when she's in trouble) of her lifelong crush on her boss, who seemingly loves her too, until it is revealed that he's in another relationship. Trying to get over her heartbreak, Callie searches for another man, but nobody can quite take her mind away from Mark. That is until the new vet in town arrives.
It may just be that I've read far too many chicklit books lately and need to go for something different, but it took me longer to warm to the characters in this novel than I have done in the past. Callie in particular got on my nerves in the way she constantly went on about her crush on Mark and their relationship, which to be honest I wouldn't consider a proper relationship in the first place. It all felt rather overdone.
That said, as the book progressed I did grow fonder of some of the supporting characters, especially Callie's brother Freddie. I also enjoyed the arc of her parent's rollercoaster of a relationship, perhaps more so than Callie's own. Despite myself, I even began to involve myself emotionally in the story to the point where I did spill a couple of tears.
All in all I would say that this is like any other classic tale of girl loves boy, boy doesn't love girl, girl tries to get over boy, girl falls in love with someone unexpected. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't already read a few similar books recently, but it didn't quite live up to the standards I now expect.
I can't believe I'm already a tenth of the way through this challenge and still on target. Just about. This next book I found raiding the "library" at the hotel. It was barely a cupboard, but nevertheless I came out with a couple of good finds, including The Waitress by Melissa Nathan.
Even though I was interested in this book anyway - it looked like promising chicklit - mum assured me I would enjoy it because the author had also written the Nanny, which she really liked. Having never read the Nanny myself, this didn't really mean much to me, but if it is anything like the Waitress, which I'm sure it will be, then it'll have to join my reading list.
Anyway, I digress. The Waitress is classic chicklit in that it tells the story of Katie Simmonds, as useless at relationships as she is at deciding on a career, and as such is making a living as a waitress in the inventively named 'The Café', serving London's commuters. As if Katie's life isn't depressing enough, The Café is taken over by new owners, one of whom she happened to run out on half way through a date and is the last person on Earth she wants to see again, let alone work with.
After all the praise for the Nanny, I can see why people love to read Melissa Nathan's work. She writes with a sharp wit and creates big characters who you can sometimes hate to love. I also loved that
while this is primarily Katie's story, we got the chance to explore the lives of the other characters, and more importantly, their perspectives of the same situations. It added extra depth and understanding to the novel and I often found myself taking sides in arguments.
If anyone has read Nathan's works before, you will love this book. If you haven't, you should, and you should start with this book.
My Latest Grievance by Elinor Lipman is another of the books I swapped with mum. Well, I say swapped - she hasn't actually read any of mine yet. Anyway, we both really enjoyed this one.
Frederica Hatch is the daughter of college professors. Psychology and sociology professors to be precise. They are also houseparents at the college halls, which is where they have lived and raised their daughter amongst the freshmen residents her whole life. Having gained somewhat of a celebrity status since birth, Frederica has had a perfect, if unique, childhood. However, she soon discovers that her father, the charming Professor David Hatch, has a secret in the form of a previous marriage to one Laura Lee French. The Laura Lee French who will now reenter the scene as another houseparent on Dewing campus and change everything.
Lipman has strong observation skills and a sharp wit that really bring the 16 year old Frederica to life. With such a unique upbringing she has a rather quirky and astute character that the 16 year old me can admire, if not quite relate to. The characters really draw you into the book and then the plot takes over as shenanigans aplenty arise on Dewing campus, and by the end of the book I felt that I had grown along with the characters.
This was a thoroughly good read and I am now looking forward to looking for more of Lipman's books when I get home.
I've been a fan of Sandi Toksvig since watching her on Call My Bluff as a child, but I never knew that she wrote novels. When I realised then that mum had bought Melted Into Air on holiday, it was my first choice of her books to swap.
Melted into Aschool, a self-proclaimed 'Comedy of Errors in the Umbrian hills' and follows Frances, a theatre producer, as she returns to her birth town of Montecastello in rural Italy both to overcome heartbreak and uncover the mystery surrounding her parents' deaths and her flee from the town when she was only 5. While there she joins an art school with an eclectic mix of students who must put on a play to save the little village where Frances grew up.
I was a little surprised at the direction that this book took. It went deeply into exploring perceptions and the way we see life, both through art and the main character's circumstances. I'm not sure what I expected from Sandi but it wasn't this, although at times you could really hear her voice as a writer come through. It was a tale that whisked you away into the Umbrian hills and made you want to be a part of the little family built at the art school, where everyone's distinct personalities shone through, even if some were rather based on stereotypes.
For any fans of comedy, mystery or anyone who wants to be transported to this little Italian village this is a definite must-read.
I bought Crossroads by Belva Plain at the same time as the last one. They were both on sale and both stories of friendships, jealousy and betrayal. I'm not sure why I thought this was a good theme for summer reading but they were both reasonably light so I guess that helped with luggage weight limits. However, although they share similarities on the surface, these two books could not be more different.
Where If I Were You was light chick lit based around London's social elite and their steamy affairs, Crossroads was set in New England and had a more sombre tone when dealing with jealousy built not out of friendship, but a social divide. This comes between two girls at opposite ends of the social hierarchy: Gwen Wright, adopted daughter of Cassie Wright, CEO of Wright Glassworks whose legacy built the town in which they live, aptly named Wrightstown; and Jewel Fairchild, a secretary at the Glassworks who has had to work hard to maintain a job that will cover the rent of her small apartment.
The blurb of Crossroads tells that this will be a tale of how the girls' lives, different on every level, will intertwinethroughhey marry and Gwen's hard working husband Stan, who works for Jewel's shrewd businessman husband Jeff, makes a shocking discovery within the business. As plots go this was fairly average, but I was disappointed to find that the drama that this entertains didn't come about until the end of the book. The first half of the book seemed to be setting up the relationship between Gwen and Jewel, and we weren't even introduced to their partners until two thirds of the way through. While I understand that the crux of the story has to come at the end, I did feel that the book was too drawn out at the start and the entire plot happened within the last two chapters.
As far as the characters go, I felt that they were well developed but not particularly relatable. Even Gwen's 'odd duck' character, which I should have connected to, felt a little off kilter. In the novel Stan describes her as 'quaint' and that's how I feel about this book. It is well written but feels rather rustic and out of its time in the setting of a small american town and in the sense that the characters never felt their age.
Despite appearances, this book has not taken me 2 weeks to read, but rather 2 days. I knew that my obsession with daytime tv would take over from this challenge and it did so in the form of many episodes of Masterchef and Cake Boss. However, there's no need to worry. I may be 4 books behind schedule but now that I'm spending 10 days in sunny Corfu, I should make it up fairly quickly. My relaxation here primarily involves sleeping, eating and reading around the poolside with the occasional dip when I get too hot.
This then seems the opportune moment for some light summer reads and this first book was a good choice. If I Were You by Julia Llewellyn is classic chick lit. It follows best friends since childhood, Sophie and Natasha, as they struggle with the complicated worlds of both work and relationships. Neither is aware of their best friend's jealousy of their seemingly perfect lives, but nothing is ever as it seems and many things can go wrong within relationships. Even their best friend Mark's new marriage isn't necessarily all it's cracked up to be.
I wasn't sure that I was going to enjoy this book initially - I've never really gone for chick lit - but I was pleasantly surprised. Even though the ending was obvious from the beginning, it didn't detract from the rollercoaster ride that was the journey amongst the twists and turns of Sophie and Natasha's lives. If anyone is looking for a lighthearted novel I'd definitely recommend this.
Beginning this challenge I told myself that any books I've read before don't count, but to be honest I can't remember if I have read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland before or not. If I have it would have been as part of a summer reading list for school over 10 years ago, so I'm going to say that this is my first time reading it. Okay, that feels like cheating, especially since it's such a short book. For this entry then, I'll read Through The Looking Glass too.
Regardless of what I have read, this is my first time reading of Alice's adventures as an adult. I remember Carroll's magic with words capturing me at school when we studied the Jabberwocky. I still remember it today, the only poem my brain has ever been able to retain. Carroll has such a vivid imagination and a way with words that I was really looking forward to immersing myself in his wonderful (see what I did there?) world again.
Despite their many interpretations and portrayals, the novels of Alice in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass will always be the original and the best as you can fully immerse yourself in Carroll's bizarre and beautiful world.
I'm on a roll today. This morning I finished Treasure Island and I've just finished another - In Between by Jenny B. Jones.
The first of the Katie Parker Productions series, this novel follows Katie, a 16 year old moving out of her care home to join a foster family in the town of In Between, Texas. Naturally, she is faced with the difficulties of moving to a new home - new family, new school, and trying to fit in. However, once she discovers who her real friends are Katie begins a journey of not just self-discovery, but also discovery of what her new family is hiding.
In Between is a brilliantly written novel that combines teenage sass, a spiritual journey and a hilarious 62 (ssh!) year old to produce a story that gets you giggling with the characters and by the end makes you feel that you were the one the family adopted. While there are some aspects of the story that I would have liked to go into more deeply, I know that this is only book 1 of a 4-part series, and I'm sure they will pop up again. The character of Katie is well developed and I really felt an attachment to her that is probably due in part to an understanding of not really knowing where or how to fit in in certain aspects of life, which I'm sure everyone's come across at some point (I know I did as a 16 year old). Needless to say I have now formed a bond with these characters that I'm sure will lead me on to the rest of this series.
It is a tale that created its own genre, shaping the image we have of pirates today and influencing many interpretations, yet until now I had not read Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.
To be honest, I've never been that much of a fan of pirates stories. Well, not as much as some. I mean, I loved the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy (yes I consider it a trilogy, the subsequent films do not count) and I believe that Disney's Treasure Planet is a seriously underrated film, but now I understand the love of the thrill of the adventure. Perhaps if I'd read this book when I was younger it would have had much more of an influence on me, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
A thrilling tale of hidden treasure, pirate mutiny and discovery of the unknown, what's not to love? Grab some rum, sit out in the sun and experience the pirate's life.
And so it begins!
For my first book I decided to read The Bookshop on the Corner by Rebecca Raisin. A book about a bibliophile who owns a book shop? It seemed like a fitting place to start.
The book started out promisingly enough. The author really captured what it is like to live through books, acknowledging the complete lie that is "one more chapter", something I know all too well. Sarah, the protagonist, loves her romance books and only ever has relationships with fictional characters (sounds familiar) when a roving reporter in the form of the handsome Ridge turns up and professes his love for her.
Even though I knew this was a short book and that it would be predictable, I hoped for a good plot twist or something a bit deeper, but I was sadly disappointed. It was a very superficial story with a romance that, as the main character kept saying, was like one of her fictional heroes but in reality didn't quite fit right. Even the comedic moments between friends fell short as I read about them having fits of giggles yet I barely cracked a smile.
Ultimately I was disappointed and can't say I'll be reading the rest of the series, but if you like fluff and you're looking for some light romance you might like to give it a go.
I've decided to set myself a reading challenge. I need to read more, and that doesn't count reading the same books over and over again (I'm looking at you Harry Potter and John Green). From what I've read around the web (mainly Goodreads to be honest) 100 books in a year seems to be a solid challenge so I'll go with that.
It seems like a lot at the moment but a book every 3 days should be doable, right? Right? I would go for a shorter challenge but my book collection seems to keep expanding. I end up buying at least one new book any time I go anywhere and my eBook collection seems to be infinite, what with so many websites telling me how to get free books. I'm slightly dubious about the quality of some of them to be honest, but free is free and books is books.
Right then, let's see where to begin.
