Triple Review: Time to Do a Little Catch Up!

*Tap, tap, tap*  Hello.  Are we still up and running here?  *Clears throat*  Okay, so I've been off the radar a bit.  I've hardly had a chance to read or review as of late, so it kind of feels good to see some open space out ahead to do a few things I've been wanting to do.  In an effort to play catch up a little, I thought I'd do a bunch of min-reviews to get through some of the books I've read so far this year, but haven't yet reviewed.  Here's a few:

Open Heart by Elie Wiesel  is an interesting read about Wiesel's quadruple bipass heart surgery in 2012, but beautiful and poignant.  In this short novella, Wiesel reflects on life and death, his career, his family, and his own stamina to continue.  Throughout much of the book he considers whether he has done enough to share the message of peace, to honor the memory of all those who were killed in the Holocaust.  Although the reviews were mixed, mainly because many felt he spent too much time discussing the painful surgery, I felt moved by his words.  Maybe it is because I have faced my own life-threatening surgery that made his words feel so eloquent and familiar, but on the whole, I'm not sure that there is much that Wiesel can not put words to that can speak from one heart to another.  In short, I thought it was eloquent and beautiful and well worth a quick read.

Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris is a real departure from the previous review in that Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series is a funny, drama-filled, vampire series.  As the 11th in the series, we're pulled into a new drama that surrounds Merlotte's and a possible prejudice-fueled crime against Sam and his two-natured kind.  At the same time, Eric Northman began a plot to take down his vampire master.  All of this drama, once again, pulls in Sookie whether she wants to be pulled in or not.  With the knowledge of her own faerie lineage, Sookie is in way deeper than she ever wanted to be.  Although I will finish out the Sookie series, as I've been a dedicated fan for awhile now, I do feel that this was a bit of a transition novel.  Okay, I get that there was a huge plot point tackled in this novel, but in some way, I just felt that it was setting up novels to come perhaps?  Still, it's a series that I've enjoyed and will finish with.

The Garden Intrigue by Lauren Willig is another long series and 9th in the Pink Carnation series.  In a series of female spies and Victorian age history and antics, The Garden Intrigue continues with secret agent Augustus Whitleby and the American Emma Morris Delagardie.  Although this is more of a male spy, the series itself still centers on the research of Eloise in the modern day, who is uncovering these stories.  Admittedly, I wasn't as into this particular Victorian story and have grown much more interested in the the modern day story of Eloise and Collin.  At this point in the story, Eloise now has to decide if she will return to the States to teach or stay--for what purpose--to continue her relationship with Collin.  As a long time reader, I want to see Eloise and Collin succeed, but it's realistic to say that the relationship is too new and too much is at stake for Eloise to just give everything up to stay in England.  Sadly, the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger with our modern couple and I'm eager to get my hands on the next book!  I really like this series and will probably be rereading these at some point.  Also, it's nice to note that these are great audio books!

Well, these three reviews scratch the surface.  I might be back to do another triple review!  Now I'm off to get some summer things done so I can go back to my reading.  What are you all up to today?

Review: Days of Splendor by Juliet Grey

Seriously.  I think I keep reading books about France, Paris, etc. because I'm dying to go back!  I thought I was going to get to go over to Paris next month, but that fell through, so I just keep reading books that can take me on a journey.  As for a literary journey, Days of Splendor is the second in the Marie Antoinette series, so I would recommend you check out my previous review of Becoming Marie Antoinette if you're interested in reading about Marie Antoinette or that time period in history.

Synopsis:  From Goodreads, "Paris, 1774. At the tender age of eighteen, Marie Antoinette ascends to the French throne alongside her husband, Louis XVI. But behind the extravagance of the young queen’s elaborate silk gowns and dizzyingly high coiffures, she harbors deeper fears for her future and that of the Bourbon dynasty.

From the early growing pains of marriage to the joy of conceiving a child, from her passion for Swedish military attaché Axel von Fersen to the devastating Affair of the Diamond Necklace, Marie Antoinette tries to rise above the gossip and rivalries that encircle her. But as revolution blossoms in America, a much larger threat looms beyond the gilded gates of Versailles—one that could sweep away the French monarchy forever."

Review:  Picking up where the first book left off, we find Marie Antoinette learning about her role on the throne and how to deal with her lack of a child.  Even more troubling is her entire lack of intimacy with her husband, which would give her that child.  Repeatedly, Antoinette faced the ridicule of the court and the citizens of France.  Why couldn't she produce and heir?  Was she just there in Versailles to spend money and drive the people of France further into poverty?

I'm pretty intrigued by the story of Marie Antoinette and have been for a long time.  The first book really made me feel for this young girl, who was thrown into a world of responsibility, yet sheltered away from the world that swirled around her.  In this installment, her biggest worry is her lack of a child with Louis.  Yes, he has stress to deal with in his position, but he continually runs off hunting and then cannot be intimate with his own wife.   Since we view the story from Antoinette's viewpoint, it's difficult not to want her to just have a child and get some of the stress of the nation off of her shoulders.  

Thankfully, as history tells us, she did eventually go on to have children with Louis.  There is some research that says or believes that Louis had a condition known as phimosis, which once circumcised, made him then able to reproduce and have children with Antoinette.  Whether this is true or not, historians still seem to debate.  However, this was part of the story and really added to the drama surrounding Antoinette's crazy life at court.

Beyond the story with Louis, I really liked hearing about Antoinette's time acting and spending time on the grounds of Versailles.  To a full-time working gal, the kind of luxuries she enjoyed sounded pretty heavenly, even though she often described them as tedious.  

Laden with history, intrigue, and romance, Days of Splendor is a great historical read for those interested in France, Versailles, or Marie Antoinette.  The story does not end with this book, and because of that, I'm anxious about the one to follow.  We know from history what happened at Versailles, so I'm a bit nervous to read the next installment.  The writing, descriptions, and details are sometimes a bit slower in this second novel, but I still found the story captivating and interesting to consider.  Although I like to wonder and dream about parts of Marie Antoinette's life at Versailles, there are definitely many things I can see that I would never want to experience!

*FTC Disclosure:  This review was based on a library copy of the novel.

Review: To Dance With Kings by Rosalind Laker

I really loved reading this book and hated to say goodbye to it.  Now I need another epic read to grab my attention again!

Synopsis:  Spanning 1664 and the court of King Louis XIV to the fall of Marie Antoinette and the entire royal court at Versailles, To Dance With Kings is an epic story of a family of mothers and daughters that cross the generations.  From the depths of poverty to the heights of court intrigue, we follow the lives of these women through the ups and downs of love and family to the tragic end of Versailles and the grandeur they once knew.

Review:  As far as epic stories go, this story of Versailles at its height of glory was such a great read.  Starting with Versailles as nothing more than a hunting lodge, being built and expanded, we come to be attached with the first daughter, Marguerite.  Her life unfolds with love and tragedy, followed by her child and so forth.  Each generation has its own challenges, loves, and back stories, so each new story just adds more to an already engaged storyline. 

I really loved the long, epic sweep of this story.  With Versailles and the royal court playing out in the background, the story has this amazing historical element to it that is its own character.  If escaping to another time period is one reason we read books like this, then this story really allows you to escape into the glory days of one of the richest royal courts in history.  We get to enter the Hall of Mirrors, traipse through the gardens, and visit Paris.  What's not to love?  In the meantime, there are love stories and families and tragedy.  Honestly, this epic tale has a little bit of it all. 

Rosalind Laker's writing has a slightly old fashioned feel to it, but captures generations of characters in a way that you genuinely care about each one of them.  These main characters are not sugar coated and do have their  flaws, which makes their ups and downs feel real and even more engaging.  By the end, I hoped for their happiness and well being into the future--which is why I wish we had a follow up to this novel! 

*FTC Disclosure:  This review was based on a personal copy of the novel.

Review: Becoming Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey

Admittedly, I've gone through a huge I-want-to-read-everything-I-can-get-my-hands-on-about-Paris phase.  This was just one of the many I found that dig into France's history and give me that fix that I'm looking for.  Before I started Becoming Marie Antoinette, I didn't know this was just the first in what would be a series, so I wondered why it didn't cover more time, but I still really enjoyed it and can't wait for the next to come out in May.

Synopsis:  From Goodreads, "Raised alongside her numerous brothers and sisters by the formidable empress of Austria, ten-year-old Maria Antonia knew that her idyllic existence would one day be sacrificed to her mother’s political ambitions. What she never anticipated was that the day in question would come so soon.

Before she can journey from sunlit picnics with her sisters in Vienna to the glitter, glamour, and gossip of Versailles, Antonia must change everything about herself in order to be accepted as dauphin of France and the wife of the awkward teenage boy who will one day be Louis XVI. Yet nothing can prepare her for the ingenuity and influence it will take to become queen."

Review:  Marie Antoinette and Versailles are two things that people continue to be intrigued about.  How would it be to be that wealthy and to have that much recognition?  What was she really like and what must Versailles have been like in its day?  In Juliet Grey's novel, we get a bit of an idea in this piece of historical fiction. 

Much of the novel surrounds Marie Antoinette's childhood and teen years, wherein she was groomed and prepared for an eventual marriage to Louis XVI of France.  Although Austrian, Marie was forced to change things about herself to become more of what her French husband might like.  There is an especially traumatic scene with a doctor/dentist, where she is given a pretty barbaric set of braces to change her teeth.  Having had braces as a teenager, I couldn't even fathom the pain she went through--without numbing medication--to get those braces.  Excruciating is all I have to say about that scene!

Throughout the novel we are privy to Marie's preparations and emotional upheaval about her own future.  It had to be frightening to need to model yourself so much after the desires of someone you didn't even know, not to mention the fear that must have come from knowing you would be giving up your entire world for another.  However, Marie does just that and moves into her marriage with Louis XVI, which becomes an even newer and different trial of loneliness and confusion.  

The book paints a blossoming friendship between Marie and Louis, as they had little by way of passion or desire in their marriage.  It does seem pretty weird that the two didn't have a physical relationship for so long.  Historians have come up with a few medical reasons why Louis XVI might not have been able to consummate the marriage, but no one knows for sure, because it obviously did eventually happen. Much of the final section of the book surrounds Marie's frustration and confusion over her lack of a sexual relationship with her husband.  Had it not really been based in history, I would have also found it all a bit exhausting to keep dwelling on it, but I think I would be pretty confused if I had to wait years to finally have a real marriage. 
 
As mentioned above, there are some really interesting scenes that jumped out at me and had me look at Marie Antoinette's story in a different way.  I've always thought it must be lonely and somehow difficult to be a monarch--as strange as that sounds--but never in quite the way I did after reading Grey's novel.  There is a lot of detail to the novel, and a lot of back story of her childhood that are pretty interesting to consider.  In a sense, the novel helped to humanize Marie Antoinette for me as she maybe had not been before.  Overall, I enjoyed the novel, and with the open ending of this first book, I'm eager to see Marie grow into a woman and to see her story find some resolution.  I'll definitely be reaching for the next book when it comes out in May!   


*FTC Disclosure:  This review was based on a library copy of the book.

Review: Before Versailles by Karleen Koen

Ever since I had a chance to  visit Paris back in June, I've been a bit obsessed about books set in Paris or Versailles, to be specific.  It took a little searching, but there really are a number of great books set in France, so I've been very lucky.  One new book published just last June was Before Versailles: A Novel of Louis XIV by Karleen Koen.  I really loved the historical bent of this novel and how it gave the reader a view of how it was, not long before Versailles was built.  This has gone along perfectly with my current reading of To Dance With Kings, which is basically picking up where Before Versailles left off.  It has been quite an education, through fiction!

Synopsis:  From Goodreads, "After the death of his prime minister, Cardinal Mazarin, twenty-two-year-old Louis steps into governing France. He’s still a young man, but one who, as king, willfully takes everything he can get—including his brother’s wife. As the love affair between Louis and Princess Henriette burns, it sets the kingdom on the road toward unmistakable scandal and conflict with the Vatican. Every woman wants him. He must face what he is willing to sacrifice for love.

But there are other problems lurking outside the chateau of Fontainebleau: a boy in an iron mask has been seen in the woods, and the king’s finance minister, Nicolas Fouquet, has proven to be more powerful than Louis ever thought—a man who could make a great ally or become a dangerous foe . . ."


Review:  I really loved reading Koen's tale of King Louis XIV and his court.  Filled with intrigue and so many characters that I could hardly keep them straight, there are a number of character-driven stories going on at once.  I've always wondered if the promiscuity of these monarchs was completely just due to their own personalities and appetites, or also driven by marriages that were made without their involvement at such a young age.  When two young people are forced to marry, as a way of uniting two countries, who is to say that they know anything about love, romance, or the heart?  It does seem like they are seemingly coached into romantic intrigue.  It's just something I found interesting to consider, especially as we watch young Louis really only driven by relationships with women he met in the court around him.  In other words, like we see today, he had a group of people he "hung out with" and then clicked with some of the women, who later became his courtesans.  It's all very, very interesting. 

There were many different characters to follow in this story, and I first had to establish who was supposedly "good" and who was "bad."  That list was a bit static, but once I kind of knew the cast of characters, the story fell into place a bit more.  Although the novel could have delved into even more about political and social issues facing France during his reign, this was a novel about relationships, conspiracy, and intrigue, all surrounding a need for power, attention, and control.  Not really told from one point of view, we get a nice look at both men and women in this story, to get a truly interesting tale of King Louis XIV.  I really enjoyed it.


*FTC Disclosure:  This review was based on a library copy of the novel.

Review: Beautiful Days by Anna Godbersen

Synopsis:  From Goodreads, "After a month in New York, Cordelia Grey and Letty Larkspur are small-town girls no longer. They spend their afternoons with Astrid Donal at the Greys' lush Long Island estate and their nights in Manhattan's bustling metropolis. But Letty's not content to be a mere socialite. She is ready at last to chase her Broadway dreams - no matter the cost.

Cordelia is still reeling from the death of her father at the hands of Thom Hale, the man she thought she loved. Now she is set to honor Darius Grey's legacy... and take her revenge.

Promised to Cordelia's half brother, Astrid is caught up in a world of dazzling jewels and glittering nights - and the sparkle is blinding. Charlie Grey is a gangster playing a dangerous game; and for Astrid, Cordelia, and Letty, the stakes could be deadly."
  
Review:  At a time when I feel as though a good historical read has fallen by the wayside, Anna Godbersen's novels always seem to deliver.  As the follow up to Bright Young Things, we pick back up with Cordelia and Letty trying to make a life for themselves in busy New York City during the days of the prohibition.  In the case of a second novel, there is a lot to remember about the first book that I couldn't always piece together.  Having said that, I did, slowly pull the story back into one whole so I could enjoy the rest of the story. 

 In what reminds me of a Gossip Girls type of a story, the drama is high and the action is even higher.  There's a little bit of everything here, with its showgirls, prohibition, gangsters, wealth, and prestige.  However, the glitz and glamour are offset by moments of poverty and crime.  There were moments of girls languishing by the pool, in sorrow over whatever male interest wasn't paying them enough attention.  That was annoying, but I would suppose, pretty important in the development of a relationship?  I can't say that this was my favorite of Godbersen's novels, as the lead female characters feel a bit unreachable and  not relatable to me (while her Luxe series characters felt much more real in my estimation), this was still agood YA historical read.  I plan on grabbing whatever follow-up comes out next so I can find out what happens to these characters. 

*This review was based on a library copy of the novel.

Sunday Blatherings: Back from Holiday

Hampton Court, the famous home of Henry VIII.

Bonjour and Happy Father's Day for all here in the U.S.!  I arrived back late, late Friday night from my trip to London and Paris and am now trying to quickly readjust before work meetings all this next week.  The trip was great, although so tiring at the same time.   I suppose that's what happens when you do everything in a whirlwind eight days.  It was a great eight days though and I have come home with a lot of great memories!

First off, can I say that in eight days I lost 7 pounds.  Does that say anything about the amount of walking we did?  On average, we walked, climbed stairs, stood in lines, rode metros, and meandered through sites for 8-9 hours a day.  Every night, I rubbed my poor sore feet in the hopes that they would still be attached to my body by the end of the trip!  Even the teens that traveled with us complained that their feet hurt, so I know it wasn't just me.  Who knew that I could go on vacation, and still eat croissants, pastries, and nutella and not gain an ounce!  (Oh, and did you know France has these cool Chicken & Thyme flavored Lays potato chips?  Some in our group didn't like them, but I thought they were delish!)  I suppose I should schedule more vacations if this is the case?  The travel diet sounds pretty darn good to me!

I'll admit that our trip got off to a rocky start and I'm not much of an American Airlines fan at this point.  Our flight was late getting into Chicago when we left, and although the plane was still in the gate, they wouldn't let us on.  It didn't make sense to me though, since there were eleven people on the incoming flight that needed to catch that plane and it sat at the gate for almost 30 minutes after we ran to get there.  In hindsight, we're all pretty sure they sold our seats and just bumped us.  We ended up sleeping a pretty miserable night in the airport and catching a flight that next night at around 6:30pm that put us into London early Saturday morning.  Lucky us though, they also lost our luggage in the switch, which we then didn't get until Sunday evening.  That means that we not only had literally slept in our clothes in the airport one night and again on the overnight flight into London, but then had to wear them for two more days!  Yes, talk about a lovely sight that we all just had to laugh at and keep moving.

Regardless of the rocky start to our trip, we made up for it all by really hitting the pavement and seeing as much as possible.  We did all the normal in London, which I have to say that I absolutely loved.  I'm even now looking into courses that I could take that would put me back into London for a couple of months.  I loved it all.  The city is great, full of history, and teeming with activity.  We got rained on a good bit last Sunday, but we had a great time while we were there. 

Canterbury Cathedral

On our way out of London to France, we spent a day in Canterbury.  Talk about an amazing cathedral!  I teach some of the tales in The Canterbury Tales, so I took a lot of pictures to hopefully create some nice teaching materials.  We'll see if I'm smart enough to create something with iVideo, or at least on PowerPoint.  I'm also going to have to go back and reread Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot and Jean Anouih's Becket, which I've never actually read.  This should all really add to my Middle Ages unit and some of the materials (a book and an audio CD) will make for nice background information.

Paris was our next stop after crossing the English Channel and driving down from the coast.  What can I say about Paris that a million other people and artists haven't said, sung, drawn, or performed?  It's an amazing city full of life and energy from the get go.  Before we left on the trip I  had purchased To Dance With Kings by Rosalind Laker, which is a book that centers on Versailles and the history of the time that the kings lived there.  I started it on the plane, but was so distracted, prone to motion sickness, and busy once we got there, that I only really read about 40 pages into it.  Now, I'm kind of glad I didn't get far, as the history behind it now makes more sense to me.  Knowing that they moved from the Louvre, out to what was originally a "hunting lodge" that turned into what is now this enormous palace, has helped the story come together even more.  Now I'm really looking forward to finishing the novel!

This is just a short blip on the radar of all that happened on my trip, but I couldn't move smoothly on to reviews and other reading-related posts without giving my trip a nod.  On a personal level, travel is what I live for.  If I could afford to travel out of the country every year I would do it, but it's not really a possibility at this point, so I enjoy every moment of the time I do get to spend abroad, about every four years.  It definitely takes some planning, and skimping and saving on my part to make it happen, but it's so worth it.  Besides, on a professional level, I think that connecting the literature that I've read and loved with the locations and history behind them is invaluable.  Although I try not to share history and places like big travelogues with my students, I always hope that some of what I bring back helps them to get excited to also connect to the writings of great authors.  My hope is always that they see the value and importance of reading and studying literature, because as a great teacher and mentor of mine said to me, "Business and other lucrative fields might control the world, but the humanities CHANGE the world."  I've hung onto that thought and can see more than ever the impact of art, history, music, and literature on the standard of one's life.  Without these beauties, where would our lives be?

Enough waxing poetic for one day.  Today I'm going to go for a nice, long walk to keep up with what we did on our trip, and then will settle down with a stack of good books.  Since I really haven't read in over a week, I'm behind on books I need to read and review by the end of the month, so that's what I'll be doing.  I hope you're having a great weekend!  To close, I'll include a short video clip of the Eiffel Tower doing its hourly sparkle at night.  We had such fun sitting back on the grass, avoiding the salespeople with their champagne and lit-up Eiffel Tower statues for sale.  It was all an experience to remember.  It's slightly cheesy to get so excited about it, but the Eiffel Tower really was a real highlight.  Au revoir!

Review: The Orchid Affair by Lauren Willig

Life has slowed down significantly, at least after work hours, and I have been trying to work through as many books on my TBR pile as possible.  Having said that though, I couldn't resist reading Lauren Willig's newest that came out in January, The Orchid Affair.  I missed the Christmas story that was released, so I'll hold off and get that one later in the year, but I had to pick this up to find out what's up with Colin and Eloise, our modern couple, and whoever popped up as her newest female spy!

Synopsis:  From Goodreads, "Laura Grey, a veteran governess, joins the Selwick Spy School expecting to find elaborate disguises and thrilling exploits in service to the spy known as the Pink Carnation. She hardly expects her first assignment to be serving as governess for the children of Andre Jaouen, right-hand man to Bonaparte's minister of police. Jaouen and his arch rival, Gaston Delaroche, are investigating a suspected Royalist plot to unseat Bonaparte, and Laura's mission is to report any suspicious findings.

At first the job is as lively as Latin textbooks and knitting, but Laura begins to notice strange behavior from Jaouen-secret meetings and odd comings and goings. As Laura edges herself closer to her employer, she makes a shocking discovery and is surprised to learn that she has far more in common with Jaouen than she originally thought...

As their plots begin to unravel, Laura and Jaouen are forced on the run with the children, and with the help of the Pink Carnation they escape to the countryside, traveling as husband and wife. But Delaroche will stop at nothing to take down his nemesis. With his men hot on their trail, can Laura and Jaouen seal the fate of Europe before it's too late?"

Review:  All of Willig's female spies have a strength about them that is fun to read.  We expect spies to be gutsy and brave, and these characters definitely have a variety of skills and strengths that allow them to spy for the British against the French.  Interestingly, Laura is the first character that felt the most cunning.  Throughout this installment, we find that Laura can blend into her life as a governess with ease, and can stoically put her own interests aside in this role.  As readers it almost feels like we know nothing about how Laura really feels.

There is a lot of great action in The Orchid Affair, with lots of different action sequences.  In one scene, Laura plays a seductress to literally save her boss, Jaouen's life.  In that moment, he not only recognizes that she might not just be his mousy governess, but that she is a capable actress and possible spy (not to mention a complete babe).  The action in this novel is exciting and had me flipping pages.  Because Laura is such a strong, stoic character, you constantly feel like you want her to just reveal more about what she's thinking and feeling!  That stoicism leads to some pretty intense chemistry between Laura and her boss, all couched in unsaid thoughts and repressed emotions. 

This installment was tense, exciting, and downright delicious.  The modern day story that is woven in with Eloise, the scholar who is unearthing these female spies for her dissertation, and her new boyfriend Colin, the modern relation to one of these spies, is a true back story in this novel.  I've enjoyed their story a lot in past installments, but thought that their role in this one was not as fluid or even necessary.  For once, I didn't want them to interrupt what was going on with Laura! 

Although you probably could read this as a stand alone, I wouldn't recommend it.  There is enough back story about other spies, reappearance of past characters, and the modern day twist that is still going on, that it might be best to start from the beginning.  This is a great series of books, however, and ones that I'm always excited to dive into!  For me, The Orchid Affair didn't disappoint!


*FTC Disclosure:  Review was based on a library copy of the book.

Film Review: Agora (2009)

It feels like it's been awhile since I've posted about a film, mainly because I haven't watched anything new!  Seriously, I've been watching TV on DVD and rewatching period dramas I love.  I did check out the film Agora several weeks ago, mainly because I was curious about the subject matter and love anything that has captured this time period well.

Synopsis:  The film is set in Ancient Egypt under Roman rule at the time of great religious upheaval with Christianity taking a stronger hold in these ancient kingdoms.  As part of this tension, Christianity questioned any old ways of thinking and learning.  Seeing the earth as the center of the universe, they came in direct conflict with the teachings of philosophy professor and atheist Hypatia of Alexandria, who labored to understand the universe and the way it worked, not from religious perspective, but from reasoning and science.

With the conflict in Egypt, Hypatia's life and learning is put in danger except from the love of a Christian student who seems to feel torn between his new religion and the powerful learning experiences he has had with his teacher.  Regardless, Hypatia's passion for knowledge seems to clash with all that has been introduced into their world with religion.

Review:  Before picking up the film, I actually knew a little about Hypatia from history.  She was considered one of the first female mathematicians and scholars, who was an inventor, mathematician, philosopher, and teacher.  From what we know of her, she even refused to dress as the women of her day, preferring to dress in the standards for teachers and other scholars. Her behavior often put her up for criticism and historians believe that she was dragged from her own chariot and dismembered for her beliefs and disregard for social politics.  Sounds like a brave woman, doesn't she?  (You can read a bit more about  her at Encyclopedia Britanica, along with many other great sources on the net.)

Having said that, I think that the film did capture a lot of the passion that this early scholar must have had.  The conflict in the city was gruesome, and really built up the tension that must have existed between the "pagans" of Egypt and the ancient world, and the changing face of Christianity.  I loved some of the open, panoramic scenes of the city, and many of the scenes where Hypatia was teaching her pupils.  From there, it was a bit scattered and lost me a time or two.  The fighting felt a bit much, maybe trying to draw on the crowds who like Gladiator-type film violence?  Yes, it showed the conflict between the Christians and the other religions and philosophers, but it really played out for quite awhile, and I wasn't sure where it was headed.  On the flip side, I loved the scenes that depicted Hypatia singlemindedly searching for an understanding of the universe.  The process that was shown for her reasoning and philosophy were really amazing and inspiring at times.

On the whole, I can't say this was a great film.  Interesting, yes.  For the sake of catching a snippet of history, and considering what it might have been like to be this early female scholar, it was a nice historical drama.

If you're interested, see the trailer below:

Upcoming Book Release: Final Book in the Children of the Earth Series

Back in November of this last year, it was announced to the public that Jean Auel would be publishing the final book in her Children of the Earth Series, The Land of Painted Caves.  This last book has been long anticipated, as many of her novels have taken over a decade to publish.  Honestly, I didn't think we would ever get this last novel.  (Who could ever tackle this series and finish it as a ghost writer?)  The story is mainly about  a beautiful young woman who was raised by a group of Neanderthals, who later goes in search of "others" like herself.  Through her story, we trace the movements of human activity across Europe and how cultures and practices came to be.  In short, Auel's novels are an intriguing idea of what it might have been like for earth's earliest people.

Filled with archaeological information about land, animals, and people who lived over 25,000 years ago, we get to see a time that I can't say many other authors have tackled.  Although there is a lot of great information in her novels (enough so that Auel was awarded four honorary degrees), each book is driven by a solid storyline, with characters that stick with you and feel like people you know.  For reserved readers, I would point out that there is a good deal of graphic content, which although is understandable for a time and culture outside our own (limited in inhibitions), is often very detailed.  This is my simple disclaimer and warning to some of my readers.

Introduced to me by a co-worker back in the early 90's, I have often thought about these characters and what happened to them.  Currently, I'm re-reading them and am still intrigued by the culture of prehistoric peoples.  Listen, I know I wouldn't survive if I'd lived then, but I love the information about survival and the tools they learned to make that made for easier living.  If you enjoy historical fiction, this is a unique and intriguing series to read.  Coming in at 700+ pages per book, these take a real commitment to read, but so worth it!

The Land of the Painted Caves comes out on March 29, 2011.

I know I'm not alone in my fascination with Jean Auel's work.  If you've read this series, what are your thoughts? 

Review: The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig

As mentioned in previous posts, I like audio books.  Have I ever REALLY explained why?  I'll admit it.  I have terrible road rage.  Any swearing that ushers forth from my lips comes from a selfish driver cutting me off at 75+ miles an hour to and from work, the idiot who just has to merge into what is to be one lane at the last possible second, or the certified lunatic who tails you in the hopes that they can drive right up over top of you.  Yes, I hate drivers in my state like no other.  Out of all the places I've lived, Utah has to be the top of my list of most selfish, diabolical drivers on the planet.

To save my sanity and help me forget that I want to shake my fist at every car I meet on the road, I figured out that audio books helped soothe my anguish every time I hop behind the wheel.  Now I make sure to ALWAYS have an audio book waiting, for fear I have a mini stroke while driving.  This past month or so, I have been listening to The Temptation of the Night Jasmine, and since I kept getting lost and had to rewind about a million times, this might have just been a good one to settle me down!

Synopsis:  From Goodreads, "After 12 years in India, Robert, Duke of Dovedale, returns to his estates in England with a mission in mind-- to infiltrate the infamous Hellfire club to unmask the man who murdered his mentor at the Battle of Assaye. Intent on revenge, Robert never anticipates that an even more difficult challenge awaits him, in the person of one Lady Charlotte Lansdowne.

Throughout her secluded youth, Robert was Lady Charlotte’s favorite knight in shining armor, the focus of all her adolescent daydreams. The intervening years have only served to render him more dashing. But, unbeknownst to Charlotte, Robert has an ulterior motive of his own for returning to England, a motive that has nothing to do with taking up the ducal mantle. As Charlotte returns to London to take up her post as Maid of Honor to Queen Charlotte, echoes from Robert’s past endanger not only their relationship but the very throne itself."

Review:  Let me be up front in saying that I honestly grabbed this audio book, not just because I had already listened to the previous four that came before, but because I was so invested in the "modern-day" story that is embedded in these spy novels.  While the spy stories are being told, we as readers understand that it is through our modern storyteller, Eloise Keller, that we are getting anything at all.  It is her story, and her romance with modern day descendant to the Pink Carnation, Colin Selwick, that I was so involved in this installment.  The two have finally gotten together romantically, but there is still  much that American, Eloise, is uncertain about her dashing new boyfriend.  She finds information about him that might stake him to some spy activity of his own  And, how can this swashbuckler of his own rights be interested in an academic who has her nose in old journals and diaries all the time?

I really enjoyed the more modern side to the story this time around, especially since I found myself lost in the story of Robert and Lady Charlotte so often.  For one, Robert and Charlotte were often at cross purposes and didn't understand where the other was coming from throughout most of the story.  The miscommunication, jealousies, and misdirected frustration was enough to drive me batty.  To top it off, the story included the mad King George, so I was often thinking about history and where that placed things, rather than truly following the story.  My bad, I'll admit, but I was a bit distracted by the real history that went behind the story.

As always, the story was highly entertaining.  That is high praise from a reader, such as myself, who doesn't like mysteries hardly at all.  I like the romantic and historical twists to be found in this series, and find the author's writing style engaging.  Although this particular story lost me at times, and I found myself wanting more out of the modern story, I can still say that the series is great fun and a nice, historical diversion.

*FTC Disclosure:  This review is based on a library copy of the novel.

Review: Love's First Light by Jamie Carie

One of the books I rotated into my reading was a book I won about a year ago from Allison's Attic of Books, called Love's First Light by Jamie Carie.  I hadn't even really heard much about the book, so I had few expectations and was pleasantly surprised by the nice read that it turned out to be!  Thank you to Allison for providing me with this book.

Synopsis:  Set in the time of the French Revolution, Christophe St. Laurent has just lost his entire aristocratic family to the revolutionary Robespierre.  Years after their annihilation, Robespierre still vows to have the head of any remaining aristocrats or their children, as he feels they have taken from the poor for much too long.  This forced Christophe into hiding, avoiding any possibility of running into Robespierre or his revolutionary followers.  One night as Christophe is out alone, he sees a beautiful young woman at a local cemetery, and after paying attention, notices her returning their night after night.  One day, the two lock eyes and feel a spark of interest.  The young woman was the widow Scarlett, pregnant and widowed by none other than Robespierre's younger brother.  The two fall in love, but the past lives and interests of them both could shatter their hope for a future together.

Review:  From the beginning, I really liked the easy manner in which Carie pulls the story together.  I found her sentence construction and story telling to be straight forward, yet engaging.  Honestly, it was an easy read that had me caring about the characters in such a way that I had to keep reading to know what was going to happen next. 

Although I know some of the history of the French Revolution, it was interesting to have a story that approached it, sympathetically, from the aristocrat's side.  This direction in story telling made me feel much more sympathy for those who lost their lives as children, who had nothing more than their family lineage to blame for their deaths.  I thought that Christophe's story, and the painful loss of his family made it all the more important for us as readers to see him happy again.  Having him fall in love with the equally saddened Scarlett seemed perfect, although the gap in their backgrounds definitely complicated the story and kept it moving.

Altogether, I found the novel to be a fun, engaging read.  Some of the "instant" falling in love sequences, when characters simply looked at someone and fell in love had skeptical me scoffing a little, but it was sweet.  I can't say that I know how that whole eyes locking from across the way and knowing you're in love thing would actually work, or if that exists, but it did seem to pull characters together that you genuinely cared about and wanted to see happy.  Who am I to drag my jaded views of love into the formula, right?  In the end, I would say it was a good, fast read, and an engaging story that I can recommend to anyone who enjoys a little historical fiction, and a clean, sweet romantic story.

*FTC Disclosure:  This book was won from another book blogger.  No monies were exchanged or earned for this review.

This book also counts as my 3rd and final book for the "Books I've Won Challenge."  That means I can officially say I've completed two book challenges for 2010!  I am pretty modest in the number of challenges and books I will commit to when I enter a challenge, so I can't say this is amazing, but nice to complete another challenge.  Thanks to Allison again for providing me with this copy of the novel to read!

Review: The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig

Yet another eventful school year has come to a close, and I'm reminded once again of the amount of "decompressing" that I have to go through to feel normal again! Thankfully we have this lovely Memorial Day weekend, which is perfect for just that...relaxing. Yes, I have a few things to finish up before I leave for Hawaii, but really things are going quite well.

One series I've been trying to finish before I leave is the Pink Carnation series, by Lauren Willig. I've reviewed the first three in the series, and recently listened to book four on audio book, The Seduction of the Crimson Rose. While not my favorite, it still was quite a fun story.

Synopsis: Picking up where book three left off, with Letty Alsworthy marrying her sister Mary's intended, Mary Alsworthy is now outside of "society" as she knew it. Feeling jilted, yet not particularly upset (as she didn't really even love her intended, but wanted his status), Mary is forced to politely circulate in society knowing she might not find a husband. To this bleak, soured picture enters the dastardly Lord Vaughn, from previous installments. As with the previous novels, we are unsure about whether Vaughn is working as a spy for the French or not, and he always seems to be hitting on whatever lovely lady is in his vicinity. Although he is flirtatious, his desires are not towards remarrying (since he is a widower), but to play, which makes him nervous around Mary. Not only must the two fight what is an apparent attraction, but they must also work to uncover the identity of the elusive Black Tulip.

Review: While I appreciated the witty banter and thrilling action of book four, I had a real difficult time getting into this particular story. It seemed to me that the previous installments had helped to create this character in Lord Vaughn who was quite unpopular to the reader. Throughout the stories, he seemed like this swine who flirted with the women, and who could or could not be spying for the French and playing both sides. In all honesty, I viewed Lord Vaughn as a great villain, and I just couldn't let that go to see him as a possible love interest for Mary, nor as someone that I should feel the least bit of sympathy for.

Lest I demonize the lead male character without giving the lead female character her just dues, I have to say that Mary came across as a spoiled brat as well. In some ways I was supposed to feel bad for Mary, as she had lost her "love interest" to her sister, but she didn't even really love him! Instead, Mary was more interested in looking for status, and I wasn't completely convinced that she had completely changed as she fell in love with Lord Vaughn. Could I say the two fell in love? I suppose you can say the two were a good couple, and deserved one another, but I really struggled to connect to these two characters. It's not that the story in itself is bad, as the thriller theme is carried forward and you learn more about the espionage and action of the story, but I wasn't as into the main characters.

On the flip side, I couldn't get enough of our modern narrator's story. Eloise, as the graduate student researching the Pink Carnation, has developed a relationship with the rich owner of these sensitive historical document, Colin. He was so reluctant and snooty about allowing Eloise access to the documents in the beginning, that it created this delicious tension between the two, that has left them pretty much falling for one another by this point. The problem is, you only get the rarest snippets of the modern day story!!! Honestly, I've switched gears a bit, and really just want to know what's going to happen between Eloise and Colin!

Altogether, as with the previous books, I have enjoyed this series. There wasn't any extended love scenes in this particular installment, but there was the characteristic sexual tension present as in the others. I can't say this was my favorite of the first four, but I really am loving the story of our modern narrator that has been building up. Because of the modern element of the story, I can't wait to read the next installment!

*FTC Disclosure: The review is based off of a library copy of the novel.

This counts as my 6th in the 2010 Audio Book Challenge over at Queen of Happy Endings. Technically this is the last one I signed up to do, so I have successfully completed one of my challenges!

Review: The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

Summer is coming, and aren't we all excited! I'm so excited to wear shorts, walk around in flip flops, sit in the warm sun, and to SLEEP. Summer becomes that time of year synonymous with rest, and I can't wait. The one downside that I've noticed is that I don't read any more than during my busy season. That, I can't figure out. You really would think that I'd spend massive amounts of time reading, but that's just not so. I tend to read a lot more during the school year. We'll see if I can change things around this summer, but...we'll see.

As I prepare for the summer, I've been thinking about the books that I want to take, and I've determined that I really MUST catch up on books I've either won, been given (ARCs), or TBRs that have been hanging around forever. I recently came up with a system for reviewing books, with a calendar and a number system for books I need to read. Thanks to that system, I recently finished a really interesting book that I won from Book Nut, The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff. This was a lovely signed copy, and one that I was delighted to take a little time to read.

Synopsis: Centered on the hot topic of polygamy, Ebershoff's novel takes on two narrative threads, weaving together the story of Brigham Young's "19th" wife Eliza Ann, with that of a modern day polygamist family in Southern Utah. The story begins with the murder of a modern day polygamist husband, supposedly shot by one of his several wives. The son of this wife, driven out by the prophet and community years earlier, returns to Utah to try to unravel the mystery behind his father's murder, only to determine that it couldn't have been his own mother. As this story unfolds, we learn more about polygamy in Utah as it must have been in the 1800's under Brigham Young. Using some of the story of written by one of Brigham's wives who "divorced" (if that's what it was in a marriage not recognized by the government) him and left the state, we learn more about the women who entered into polygamist marriages, and the women who married the prophet, Brigham Young. In both stories, action and mystery unfold to reveal unbelievable drama, whether occurring 200 years ago or today.

Review: Polygamy is not an easy subject to wrap one's mind around, and I can't say that I feel any better about it now than I did before. In Ebershoff's novel, you get the sense that he is trying to not necessarily explain polygamy, but to demonstrate some of the effects of the institution on those involved or around it. Although I had read several autobiographies in college of women who had lived through polygamy, and that each of their experiences had been negative, that I knew very little about how modern-day polygamy played out. Transposed with the older version of polygamy, the modern institution seemed pretty evil. By the mere fact that young boys had been cast out of the community because they were seen as a threat to the other men, felt really destructive to families and society as a whole. With this in mind, the human stories of the novel felt dramatic, and sucked me in fairly quickly.

Although the novel feels like dense reading, I got pulled into the lives of these two families and I often found myself flipping ahead in the novel to see what was going to come up next...and I never do that! Jordan is part of the modern story, and was the son of the father that was killed, and mother that they believed killed him. As he returned to St. George and Southern Utah to find out more about the murder, I felt a lot of anxiety for him. Without too much information, you get the sense that Jordan is 100% not welcome. People in the community know who he is, and he is seen as a threat to the community at large. It's an interesting idea to consider a young man (who incidentally is gay) as a threat to the adults in the community, by the mere fact of being a male. It really stands to question on what religious standpoint does one's gender seem like an okay reason to ostracize? I know that this wanders more into the arena of social engineering, and not religion, but it seems that modern-day polygamist families have built an entire belief system around the concept of family as part of an eternal salvation. Doesn't it seem backward then to "cast out" the sons you had in that very family, for whatever reason? It just had me feeling a lot of empathy for Jordan from the very beginning.

Regardless of one's feeling towards polygamy, early or modern, Ebershoff's novel felt to me like it wasn't trying to deliver a verdict, but a dramatic story. I can't say I loved The 19th Wife, because there is a discomfort factor that had me on edge a bit, but I was thoroughly engaged in this dramatic story and mystery. The novel is, however, a really good story, definitely well written and researched, and one that I would recommend to readers who want a pretty involved novel about polygamy and the myriads it has affected.

This novel counts as my 2nd in the Books I've Won Challenge at So Many Precious Books, So Little Time. Thanks again to Melissa at Book Nut for this great book-reading opportunity!

*FTC Disclosure: Book review was based off of a book won from another book blogger. No monetary rewards are coming from this review.

Review: "Sunrise in the West": The Brothers of Gwynedd by Edith Pargetter

As part of a re-release of Edith Pargetter's historical novel, The Brothers of Gwynedd, Sourcebooks is running a Summer Reading Program that will cover each of the four different sections of this 800 page book. Since I've only covered the first section, I thought I'd do a basic introduction of the book, and dive into some of the characters and premise that the story is built on.

Set in the British Isles, The Brothers of Gwynedd is a large-scale history and narrative of the struggle between the ruling families of Wales, against England's King Henry II. The story starts off around 1229 AD, and begins instantly with Lord David of Wales imprisoned in England. His wife and young family chose to join him, and are brought to King Henry's court. While they believed their family would be reunited, they are virtually imprisoned as well, with a story that ends in the tragic death of Lord David, and the family returning to Wales. Llewelyn became the new Prince of Wales, but is not only threatened by the English court's interest in his lands, but also in his younger brothers, who feel disconnected from their brother, and have their own ideals for their homeland.

Told from a male perspective, I soon noticed that this story was thick with history, heavy plot lines, and difficult character names. I have a real interest in history (and was literally two classes away from a double major in college), but can honestly say I knew very little about the history of Wales, nor its struggles against England. Since the novel is full of what feels like historical details, I soon realized that this was not a book for casual storytelling, and I quickly had to change my approach to reading. The reading, itself, went pretty slowly for me, and I had to get out a pen to keep track of the characters that made up this story of medieval Wales. In this opening section, it felt very important to get down the basic connection between the characters, and I have high hopes that there is much to come as the brothers fight one another and to save the very land they love.

As mentioned, there are three more sections of the story to come, so I am going to wait to see how the story rolls out to give it my full review. If you'd like to learn more about The Brothers of Gwynedd, there are a wide variety of great reviewers who have responded to this opening section. See one of the following reviewers for more information:

May 17 Reviews
The Burton Review http://www.theburtonreview.com/
The Bibliophilic Book Blog http://www.bibliophilicbookblog.com/
Rundpinne http://www.rundpinne.com/
A Reader's Respite http://readersrespite.blogspot.com/
History Undressed http://www.historyundressed.blogspot.com/
Linda Banche Romance Author http://lindabanche.blogspot.com/
A Hoyden's Look at Literature http://caramellunacy.blogspot.com/
Royal Reviews http://theroyalreviews.blogspot.com/

May 18 Reviews
Between the Pages http://www.betweenthelinesandmore.blogspot.com/
The Broken Teepee http://www.brokenteepee.blogspot.com/
Books and Coffee http://bookswithcoffee.wordpress.com/
Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell http://books-forlife.blogspot.com/
Tanzanite's Shelf and Stuff http://shelfandstuff.blogspot.com/
Passages to the Past http://www.passagestothepast.com/
The Book Faery http://tbfreviews.net/
A Girl Walks Into a Bookstore http://agirlwalksintoabookstore.blogspot.com/
Martha's Bookshelf http://marthasbookshelf.blogspot.com/

May 19 Reviews
Beth Fish http://bfishreads.blogspot.com/
Deb's Book Bag http://debsbookbag.blogspot.com/
Book Tumbling http://booktumbling.com/
A Work in Progress http://danitorres.typepad.com/workinprogress/
Stiletto Storytime http://www.stilettostorytime.wordpress.com/
Queen of Happy Endings http://alainereading.blogspot.com/

May 20 Reviews
The Literate Housewife http://literatehousewife.com/
Reading Adventures http://readingadventures.blogspot.com/
Books Like Breathing http://bibliophile23.wordpress.com/
Kailana's Written World http://myreadingbooks.blogspot.com/
Confessions of a Muse in the Fog http://muse-in-the-fog.blogspot.com/
Wendy's Minding Spot http://mindingspot.blogspot.com/
Mrs. Q Book Addict http://web.me.com/quirion
The Life and Lies of a Flying Inanimate Object http://www.haleymathiot.blogspot.com/
Starting Fresh http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/

May 21 Reviews
Loving Heart Mommy http://www.lovingheartmommy.com/
Peeking Between the Pages http://peekingbetweenthepages.blogspot.com/
Celtic Lady's Ramblings http://celticladysreviews.blogspot.com/
Bookfoolery http://bookfoolery.blogspot.com/
The Book Tree http://thebooktree.blogspot.com/
My Reading Room http://myreadingroom-crystal.blogspot.com/

May 23 Reviews
Carla Nayland's Blog http://www.carlanayland.org/index.shtml

I'll be posting my review of the second section, "The Dragon at Noonday" on June 23rd. Watch for this, and other reviews by my fellow Summer Reading members.