Literary Brooding

The Conjurers – Marilyn Harris The tiny English village of the Domehaven lies close to Stonehenge and there is a primal evil that lurks in the stones. A group of outsiders who are led by young American Tom Brude, who holds a special power over them as they try to harness the supernatural. It is Easter Mulraven, a maternal, middle-aged woman who cares for this group of youngsters. She finds herself caught between protecting the young people in her care and trying to keep the prejudice of the townspeople at bay. That is what I think happens because I really did find this book to be confusing. Easter just seems to be there as a link to the community and a place for the young people to live. She spends most of her time in denial about the actions of the youngsters and lamenting the death of her father. Tom talks to Madame Blavatsky and exerts mind control over the group and Easter. The other characters have no real purpose but to be a contrast with young people versus old people,...

Two Lives of Charlemagne  Einhard & Notker the Stammerer  This is an interesting read as you have two writers presenting their version of the life of Charlemagne. They could be called biographies but that does not seem to really characterise what that they write. The first is written by Einhard who was present in Charlemagne's reign and the second some years later by a monk named Notker the Stammerer. Charlemagne also known as Charles the Great or Charles I, was the King of the Franks from 768, the King of Italy from 774, and from 800 the first emperor in western Europe since the collapse of the Western Roman Empire three centuries earlier. The expanded Frankish state he founded is called the Carolingian Empire. Charlemagne was the oldest son of Pepin the Short and Bertrada of Laon and was initially co-ruler with his brother Carloman I. Carloman's sudden death in 771 under unexplained circumstances left Charlemagne as the undisputed ruler of the Frankish Kingdom. Charle...

Bitter Greens - Kate Forsyth This is the first time I have read a novel by Kate Forsyth and I was drawn to the book as it was re-imagination of the Rapunzel fairy tale. I love fairy tales and I love how authors are revisiting these wonderful tales. What Kate Forsyth has achieved in this novel is quite remarkable as she has blended history, fantasy, magic, religion and romance into an enthralling tale about three women.   From the first page you are drawn into this wonderful world that lifts off the page. The central character is Charlotte Rose de la Force who having been banished to a convent after a series of scandalous love affairs during the reign of the Sun King Louis XIV.   As Charlotte attempts to come to terms with her banishment she recounts her lovers, the trials and tribulations of court life and her own desires to be a free woman who can write and earn a living. Margherita’s tale is entwined with that of Selena as they make their living in Vienna during...

Monkey Business – Kathryn Ledson I decided to give this book a try as part of the Australian Women Writers Challenge. This is the second book in Ledson’s Erica Jewell series and if you have not read the first book (I have not) you can read this novel as a standalone without any problems.    Erica Jewell is a part-time vigilante and her on again/off again boyfriend Jack and his partner Joe have gone M.I.A on the island of Saint Sebastian. It is up to Erica to try and find them and bring them home but along the way she meets some colourful characters, a whole stack of danger and an international black market in Tupperware.    Ledson’s writing is sharp, with great pace and she creates an interesting world. The descriptions of places such as Darwin were on the whole accurate and gave a great feel to novel.   The book is easy to read because Ledson has a great way of making you feel the story is aimed directly at you. The writing keeps you going but ...

The Working Stiff – Rachel Caine I have not read any of Rachel Caine’s work before but a few people had been complimentary of her previous works and I thought why not give it a go. The story is about Bryn Davis, who recently discharged from the armed forces decides on a career in the mortuary business. Unfortunately for Bryn her new boss is running a racket where he brings the dearly beloved back to life and then charges a fortune for the ongoing need for daily medication. Not only does Bryn discover the secret, winds up as a living corpse, she becomes embroiled in a fight for her own survival between three other major players. The only people she can trust are the dog, Patrick McCallister and Joe Fideli. That is pretty much the nuts and bolts of the story and then you can throw in some mystery, adventure and romance. I liked the world that has been created and the twist the author has used it was something different. Yet what did not work was the lead character Bryn, she was ju...

The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt Wow what a novel! This will not be for everyone and I am sure it will split the reading community in two, those who love and those who hate and that is okay. I am in the love this book and for a number of reasons but there was some down sides to the story. We meet Theo Decker at 13 years of age and we follow him through every imaginable tragedy and triumph. It is Theo who guides us, his voice is strong and compelling. Yet Theo is so badly flawed that it is hard to have any real sympathy for him. It would be easy to say that the death of Theo's mother triggered his decline but there are hints of his behaviour before the incident. The novel is riddled with death, drugs, alcohol, gambling and the need for security. Every character in this book is looking to belong, to feel safe, to find their place in this world. I am not sure that anyone of them does achieve that as they all seem at the end still searching. For me Theo not only captured his own ...

The Tomb of Zwaab by Martin James I picked this book up at a second hand book store and the blurb sounded interesting. I figured why not give it a go, get outside your reading comfort zone. This book is ambitious in that it takes off at a furious pace and for 50 plus pages you really do not have a clue as to what is happening. The problem is that there is a book that precedes this one called the Night Train. It  really did feel like the author, Martin James presumed you had read it. So when you come to the Tomb of Zwaab there appears to be a massive presumption that you know who the characters of Muldoon and Rick Piranesi are. That you know Muldoon suffers schizophrenia and you know that he is great at making things up. The problem is you do not and it takes for ever to figure out who is who in this book. The book tries to be too clever with descriptions and sending up private detective stories and films. The result is that you are battered with...

There was a time when I used to be amazed at the guy who I would see every day walking to work and reading a book. I have no idea how he managed to concentrate and know where he was going. I knew I would be more than likely to trip over something and be a bloody mess. I just thought it was really good how he would have his head in a book. Now it is head in a smartphone, texting and walking at the same time. I am still amazed they can do both at the same time but how times change.

The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg As I picked this novel from the shelf, I looked at all the other books that had been co-authored and I really did begin to wonder if what I was buying was the brand name or a good tale? I also really did think about how much pen to paper, did Evanovich contribute 10% or 90%? Should I not know how much the headline author actually contributed? I do not make this a criticism of Evanovich but there is a proliferation of big name writers entering into co-authoring partnerships.   For me it makes it difficult to say if this an Evanovich novel or not, there are certain elements that ring of her style but there were elements lacking. The story is about Kate O’Hare and Nick Fox (I mean really the old fox chasing the hare was a tad obvious and not clever) she is a FBI agent and he is the con-man thief she has been chasing for some time. Well you know somehow they are going to be working together and the sexual tension is going ...

I have an e-reader and I do love the convenience of being able to carry around big hefty tomes without crippling my back. Yet the one thing an e-reader can not do is this: I do not know how many books I have come across where this has been a dedication of sorts added to the front of the book. I figured time to capture some of those dedications and post them up. I like how the t in heart has taken on decorative tones and there is an overview use of apostrophes. It would seem that Mum was not overly fond of the book as I picked it up at a bookfair. I am yet to read it and it might be on the list for this year.

S by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst Where to start? First of all the packaging of the book is just divine. It has been a long times since I have been so excited about the contents of a book.   When my copy arrived the novel was contained in a slip cover. What was cool was that I had to break the seal of the slip cover and let me tell you I agonised over that. I mean for any bookie it is the height of excitement, a teaser of what lies within. You are hooked and you have not even broken the seal.   I did think of ordering a second copy so I could have a pristine copy. When the novel is removed from the slip cover you really do have to contain your excitement. As a lover of books it is sensory overload as you crack open the pages and just wet your pants. Let me take a step back and give you the descriptions.   First of you have a library book and inside people have been writing in the margins!!! Oh my, this is just wonderful. Then you find contained in the folds of...

Welcome to 2014 and hopefully a bit more focus on the blog this year. So the aims for reading this year? Usually it is 50 books but this year it is tomes. I have gathering dust on the shelf some rather thick books that I ignore because they might slow down that 50 a year goal. I have about eight or nine 700 plus page books that need to be read. Here is a list that I would like to knock off: Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami God's War - a new history of the Crusades by Christopher Tyerman The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durell The Sword of Shannara Trilogy by Terry Brooks Freedom by Jonathan Franzen (its a big hard back) That is just sampling, there are others I need to add. I will also do the Australian Women Writers Challenge  which is certainly worthwhile and I would suggest that you check it out. Not sure what I will Australian Women Authors I will read this year so I have opted for the Stella option which is read 4 review...