Fall Into Reading–Book Haul

Summer has faded away. Fall has officially started here in Pennsylvania. The leaves have started to change color before they fall from the branches. Tis the season of sweater weather, pumpkin flavored everything and library book sales!

Last year I posted my findings at a local library book sale; a tiny stack of books for a small price. Two weeks ago I headed out to the old roller staking rink to spend a few hours walking through the labyrinth of used books. Armed with comfortable shoes and a reusable Target bag I combed through the hundreds of books to take home eight books for less than $10.

Listed below will be a picture of the books I found with the synopsis and the publishing date (does anyone else actively look for the publishing date just to see what year the novel was written? Or is it just a second nature for me since I had to cite so many books for essays in high school and college?). Enjoy my findings and happy reading!

The Little Book by Selden Edwards—2008

When Wheeler Burden—banking heir, rock idol, baseball hero, bestselling author—suddenly finds himself dislocated in time from 1988 San Francisco to Vienna in the year 1897, he’s arrived at a pivotal moment in history, philosophy, art, and culture. It is a time when the coming twentieth century looms before the world with great promise and peril, and when Vienna is enjoying its magnificent swan song as the epicenter of modern thought and the seat of European intellectual and political life.

But what’s most important to Wheeler from the earliest moments of his arrival are finding an appropriate set of clothes and discovering the identity of the luminous young woman he encounters early in his stay. These simple actions set in motion a series of events that will ultimately reveal the incredible truth at the heart of Wheeler’s adventure and will illuminate the eccentric Burden family’s unrivaled impact on the very course of human history.

The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl—2003

Boston 1865. A series of murders, all of them inspired by scenes in Dante’s Inferno. Only an elite group of America’s first Dante scholars—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell, and J.T. Fields—can solve the mystery. With the police baffled, more lives endangered, and Dante’s literary future at stake, the Dante Club must shed its sheltered literary existence and find the killer.

Spells by Aprilynne Pike—2010

“I can’t just storm in and proclaim my intentions. I can’t ‘steal’ you away. I just have to wait and hope that, someday, you’ll ask.” Tamani said.

“And if I don’t?” Laurel said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Then I guess I’ll be waiting forever.”

Although Laurel has come to accept her true identity as a faerie, she refuses to turn her back on her human like—and especially her boyfriend, David—to return to the faerie world.

But when she is summoned to Avalon, Laurel’s feelings for the charismatic faerie sentry Tamani are undeniable. She is forced to make a choice—a choice that could break her heart.

The Library of Shadows by Mikkel Birkegaard—2007

Imagine that some people have the power to affect your thoughts and feelings through reading. They can seduce you with amazing stories, conjure up vividly imagined worlds, but also manipulate you into thinking exactly what they want you to.

When Luca Campelli dies a sudden and violent death, his son Jon inherits his second-hand bookshop, Libri di Luca, in Copenhagen. Jon has not seen his father for twenty years, since the mysterious death of his mother.

After Luca’s death is followed by an arson attempt on the shop, Jon is forced to explore his family’s past. Unbeknown to Jon, the bookshop has for years been hiding a remarkable secret. It is the meeting place of a society of booklovers and readers, who have maintained the tradition of immense power passed down from the days of the great library of ancient Alexandria. Now someone is trying to destroy them, and Jon finds he must fight to save himself and his new friends.

La Cucina by Lily Prior—2000

Since childhood, Rosa Fiore—daughter of a sultry Sicilian matriarch and her hapless husband—found solace in her family’s kitchen. La Cucina, the heart of the family’s lush estate, was a place where generations of Fiore women prepared sumptuous feasts and where the drama of extended family life was played out around the age-old table.

When Rosa was a teenager, her own cooking become the stuff of legend in this small community that takes pride in the bounty of its landscape and the eccentricity of its inhabitants. Rosa’s infatuation with culinary arts was rivaled only by her passion for a young man, Barolomeo, who, unfortunately, belonged to another. After their love affair ended in tragedy, Rosa retreated first into her kitchen and then into solitude, as a librarian in Palermo. There she stayed for decades, growing corpulent on her succulent dishes, resigned to a loveless life.

Then, one day, she meets the mysterious chef, known only as l’Inglese, whose research on the heritage of Sicilian cuisine leads him to Rosa’s library and into her heart. They share one sublime summer of discovery, during which l’Inglese awakens the power of Rosa’s sensuality, and together they reach new heights of culinary passion. When l’Inglese suddenly vanishes, Rosa returns home to the farm to grieve for the loss of her second love. In the comfort of familiar surroundings, among her growing family, she discovers the truth about her loved ones and finds her life transformed once more by the magic of her cherished Cucina.

Leonardo’s Swans by Karen Essex—2006

Isabella d’Este, daughter of the Duke of Ferrara, born into privilege and the political and artistic turbulence of Renaissance Italy, is a stunning black eyed blonde and an art lover and collector. Worldly and ambitious, she has never envied her less attractive sister, the spirited but naïve Beatrice, until, by a quirk of fate, Beatrice is betrothed to the future Duke of Milan. Although he is more than twice their age, openly lives with his mistress, and is reputedly trying to eliminate the current duke by nefarious means, Ludovico Sforza is Isabella’s match in intellect and passion for all things of beauty Only he would allow her to fulfill her destiny; to reign over one of the world’s most powerful and enlightened realms and be immortalized in oil by the genius Leonardo da Vinci. Isabella vows that she will not rest until he wins her true fate, and the two sisters compete for supremacy in the illustrious courts of Europe.

The House of Velvet and Glass by Katherine Howe—2012

Katherine Howe, author of the phenomenal New York Times bestseller The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, returns with an entrancing historical novel set in Boston in 1915, where a young woman stands on the cusp of a new century, torn between loss and love, driven to seek answers in the depths of a crystal ball.

Still reeling from the deaths of her mother and sister on the Titanic, Sibyl Allston is living a life of quiet desperation with her taciturn father and scandal-plagued brother in a elegant town house in Boston’s Back Bay. Trapped in a world over which she has no control, Sibyl flees for solace to the parlor of a table-turning medium.

But when her brother is suddenly kicked out of Harvard under mysterious circumstances and falls under the sway of a strange young woman, Sibyl turns for help to psychology professor Benton Derby, despite the unspoken tensions of their shared past. As Benton and Sibyl work together to solve a harrowing mystery, their long simmering spark flares to life, and they realize that there may be something even more magical between them than a medium’s scrying glass.

The Mercy Falls Collection by Colleen Coble—2009, 2010, 2011

The Lightkeeper’s Daughter

A storm brings an injured stranger and a dark secret to Addie Sullivan’s California light house home. The man insists she is not who she thinks she is, but rather the child long lost and feared dead by the wealthy Eaton family.

Addie secures employment in the Eatons’ palatial home, keeping her identify a secret. As dusty rooms and secret compartments give up clues about her past, Addie finds faith and a forever love.

The Lightkeeper’s Bride

Working the phone lines one evening, Katie Russell overhears a chilling exchange between her friend Eliza and a familiar male voice. Katie soon learns that Eliza has disappeared, and the crime may be linked to another investigation headed by the handsome new lighthouse keeping, Will Jesperson. Katie and Will soon form and alliance—an alliance that blossoms into something more.

The Lightkeeper’s Ball

Olivia Stewart is heiress to an empire. Her family numbers among the Four Hundred-those considered the most distinguished in America. But their wealth has evaporated and now their security rests upon Olivia marrying well.

Using her family’s long-forgotten English title, Olivia travels to Mercy Falls, California, as Lady Devonworth. There she plans to marry Harrison Bennett, a wealthy bachelor. Harrison soon falls for her, but it turns out they’ve both been hiding something.

Review on The Virgin’s Lover by Phillippa Gregory

3/5

It’s the late 1500s and Queen Elizabeth has just taken the throne. She is young, she is impressionable, and she is in need of friendship. Her Royal Court consists of many people, but only two have the means to call themselves her true friends. Her advisor, William Cecil, helps her make the right decisions in order to keep the country of England prosperous. Although Elizabeth’s family have either died or deserted her, she looks to Cecil as a much needed father figure. The other friend comes from her not-too-distant childhood, Robert Dudley.

Robert Dudley comes from a family born to be on the throne. His father before him was considered to be the King of England in everything but name. The Dudleys were not much liked and were soon named traitors to the crown. Robert spent many years of his childhood locked away in the Tower where he watched one of his brothers succumb to sickness. It seemed almost impossible for the Dudley name to become clean again.

However, once young Elizabeth takes the throne, Robert sees this as an opportunity to reclaim the status for his family’s name. It doesn’t take him long to make himself the Queen’s favorite. For Robert, making women to exactly what he wants isn’t hard. With a handsome face, a seductive smile, and dark looks that have given him the nickname “Gypsy”, Elizabeth and all the women he comes in contact with obey his every word.

Soon rumors begin to floats around that Robert and Elizabeth have become lovers; a scandalous, treasonous rumor to spread since Robert is a married man. At age 16 he married Amy Robsart, a 21 year old soft spoken, loyal, and innocent woman. Neither Robert’s or Amy’s families wanted the two to marry, but young love prevailed. Understandably after hearing these rumors of Robert’s adultery Amy becomes upset. She seeks solace in the church, asking God for advice and to forgive her for her feelings of jealousy and anger. As much as she asks for forgiveness and the strength to stay a loyal wife, her husband’s lover begins to take over all aspects of Amy’s life. Elizabeth changes the entire church. As the newly appointed head of the church she takes away anything that she considers blasphemy including priests that don’t comply with her orders. Amy finds that her church must continue the old ways in private.

As Elizabeth’s and Robert’s affair become more and more serious it becomes clear to those closest to the Queen that something must be done to break these young lovers apart.

One feature that was quite despairing was the grammar mistakes throughout the novel. There were a few misspelled words and misused punctuation. This was very surprising because whoever proofread/edited the novel didn’t catch these hard to miss mistakes. Honestly, it was these mistakes that brought the overall rating low. Other than the grammar mistakes The Virgin’s Lover is another interesting addition to Gregory’s historical novels. Although it wasn’t as captivating as The Other Boleyn Girl, it is an indulgent read.

 

 

Book Review: The Lady of the Rivers by Phillippa Gregory

4/5

Overview:

Jacquetta, a descendant of the river goddess Melusina, has a special gift; a gift that has been passed down through generations. She possesses the ability of sight. With the help of tarot cards, a charm bracelet laden down with about two hundred charms, or by looking through a scryer’s mirror, she can see into the future. However strong her gift is the images she sees don’t always make sense, like the image of a Queen riding a horse with backwards horseshoes. Other images terrify her like a winter’s snow stained red with blood.

As a young girl, Jacquetta visited her uncle. There she met Joan of Arc who was imprisoned in her uncle’s castle. Jacquetta’s great aunt, Lady Jehanne, the Demoiselle of Luxemboury, horrified that Joan was taken prisoner with the accusation of performing witchcraft, convinces her son to release Joan into her responsibility. Taking Joan under her wing will ensure that Joan’s safety is assured. Jacquetta and Joan strike up a quick friendship, they are brought together by a common gift. However, Joan believes that the Almighty God speaks to her and guides her rather than Jacquetta’s family belief of the river goddess. Like her great aunt, Jacquetta tries to warn Joan against proclaiming her spiritual beliefs to a government ruled by men, but Joan is determined to see her journey through to the end, knowing that God has laid out a path for her. Jacquetta watches in horror as her friend is beaten down emotionally during her intense trails. The men convince her to admit that she is just a raving lunatic and a disgrace to her country. In a moment of weakness she gives in. She admits that everything she believes in is lies. The men are intensely satisfied that they have broken down a young girl. In their joy they burn Joan at the stake as a common witch. Jacquetta learns a very harsh lesson; a strong-willed woman cannot hope to succeed in a man’s world

A few years after Joan’s execution, Jacquetta is married to John the Duke of Bedford. Immediately after they are married the Duke reveals that he only pursued Jacquetta for her mystic abilities and that he can’t give her children. He exposes her to the mysteries of alchemy and astrology while strengthening her abilities to his advantage. Periodically the Duke sits her in front of a mirror and asks her to see into the future. Will he be successful and powerful? Will war tear apart England? Jacquetta tries her best to oblige the Duke, but is confused at what her visions mean.

Her marriage to the Duke is short lived. He passes away unrepentantly, leaving her alone in the royal court. Jacquetta finds solace in the arms of Richard, her late husband’s most trusted knight. The two leave the royal court in order to live a life full of love and happiness together. Following the birth of their first child, which they go on to have eleven throughout the novel; they are both summoned back to court to serve King Henry and his new, young wife Margaret. Serving the young King and Queen becomes a tumultuous road for Jacquetta and Richard. With the entire country on the verge of war, Richard is constantly sent to gather men, command soldiers, and keep the kingdom safe. On the other hand, Jacquetta becomes the Queen’s closest friend and advisor. She helps the young Queen in a sisterly compassion. The two women face endless troubles, the biggest occurs when the King suddenly falls into a deep sleep that lasts for over a year. No one knows quite what caused the mysterious sleep, but it causes a rift in the already quarrelling country. Again Jacquetta sees the difficulty that a powerful woman has in a world ruled by men.

In the end, Jacquetta and Richard discover where their loyalties truly lie. They leave the royal court to finally spend time with their children and grandchildren. The novel ends with Jacquetta returning to the river near her home to see what Melusina has in store for their oldest daughter, Elizabeth.