Review: Persona Non Grata

Persona Non Grata is the third book in Ruth Downie's Medicus series, after Medicus and Terra Incognita (links go to my reviews).

In this installment, Ruso, a medic in the Roman army, heads home to Gaul in response to a letter from his family, with his "barbarian" lover Tilla in tow. Once home, he finds out that no one really wants him there. Things go from bad to worse, as they always seem to do around Ruso, when the creditor he's trying to negotiate with is murdered in Ruso's home. Further complications arise: Tilla gets caught up with the wrong crowd (aka Christians), Ruso's half-sister falls in love with a gladiator, and his stepmother keeps trying to fix him up with their wealthy neighbor.

I loved the first one and liked the second one, but thought it had lost a bit of its luster. Now with the third book, I was a little bored. It took me a while to get through it, as I kept losing interest (partly due to my own lack of interest in reading in general, I'll admit). For starters, I felt more annoyed by Ruso and Tilla's exploits than intrigued. Ruso is so hapless, it was hard to root for him. And, out of her element, Tilla seemed a little shrewish, not the feisty heroine from the first two books. There were also many, many secondary characters to keep track of. In the midst of this, the mystery seemed to get lost.

Other readers, especially those in a better reading mood than I, may disagree. I still highly recommend the first book and think there was a lot to like in this one (the setting, in particular). I just expected something more.

Buy Persona Non Grata: A Novel of the Roman Empire by Ruth Downie on Amazon.

I did really like this slideshow on the author's website of some of the real places in this book.

Note: I received Persona Non Grata from LibraryThings' Early Reviewer program.

Teaser Tuesday 9/14

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
• Share the title & author, too, so that others can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!

This week's Teaser is from Persona Non Grata: A Novel of the Roman Empire by Ruth Downie.

The buildings were grander than anything she had seen before, but the streets smelled just as powerfully as every other town of fish sauce and fresh bread, frying, warm dung, sweaty bodies, and brash perfume.

"Come on, Tilla, or whatever your name is," urged Marcia over the clatter of a passing handcart.

This book is set in Roman Gaul, not Roman Britannia, like the first two books in the series (Medicus and Terra Incognita). I'm enjoying the change of scenery.

Review: Dissolution

Dissolution by C.J. Sansom is the first book in a new (rather, new to me, but published several years back) historical mystery series set during the reign of King Henry VIII.

The year is 1537 and England is divided between those faithful to the Catholic Church and those loyal to the king and the newly established Church of England. When a royal commissioner is murdered in the monastery of Scarnsea on the south coast of England, Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII's feared vicar general, summons fellow reformer Matthew Shardlake to lead the inquiry. Shardlake and his young protégé, Mark Poer, uncover evidence of sexual misconduct, embezzlement, and treason, but when two other murders are committed, they must move quickly to prevent the killer from striking again.

I really got a lot out of this book. There was an almost equal mix of politics and history in with the mystery and I think I learned a lot about the politics of the Anglican Reformation. This is not to say that I "liked" it the whole way through - the politics were dirty and it could be uncomfortable to read about attacks on the church that left the common people bloodied. But Dissolution is well-written and has an excellent story. I think it will appeal to mystery readers and those who like their historical fiction a little on the brainier side (brainier than, say, The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory).

Buy Dissolution on Amazon.

Thanks to Laura at The Infusion for bringing Dissolution by C.J. Sansom to my attention with her review.

Teaser Tuesday 8/17

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
• Share the title & author, too, so that others can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!

This week's Teaser is from Dissolution by C. J. Sansom. After reading a review on Laura's blog for this book (which she found via TT!), I knew I'd have to read it.

Pepper grinned.

'Well, 'tis true that the people in church respond to the priests' Latin mummings without understanding them.'

I shrugged. Such sentiments about the Latin Mass were not yet orthodox, and I was not going to be drawn into religious debate.

I am really enjoying it so far, but the cradle Catholic in me is having a very hard time with this one.

Review: A Corpse at St. Andrew's Chapel

I love medieval murder mysteries. That's not surprising - I've written about several in the past here, including the Dame Frevisse series, the Brother Cadfael series, and mysteries by Ariana Franklin and Sharon Kay Penman. So it is with much happiness and not much surprise that I really enjoyed this new one: A Corpse at St. Andrew's Chapel: The Second Chronicle of Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon by Mel Starr.


Publisher's Description:

Alan, the beadle of the manor of Bampton, had gone out at dusk to seek those who might violate curfew. When, the following morning, he had not returned home, his young wife Matilda seeks out Master Hugh de Singleton, surgeon and bailiff of the manor.

Two days later Alan’s corpse is discovered in the hedge, at the side of the track to St. Andrew’s Chapel. His throat has been torn out, his head half-severed from his body and his face, hands, and forearms lacerated with deep scratches.

Master Hugh, meeting Hubert the coroner at the scene, listens carefully to the coroner’s surmise that a wolf had caused the great wound. And yet ... if so, why is there so little blood?

From the title, you can see that this is the second book in a series. Don't let that put you off - I had no trouble diving into it. Master Hugh was a great character - sincere and intelligent but with a good sense of humor. I liked getting to know him and rooted him on in the hint of a love story that ran as a sub-plot in the book.

After reading this book, I found out that the books publisher is a Christian publisher. If I had know this beforehand, I am fairly certain it would have discouraged me from requesting it. I'm glad I had no idea. For faith-phobes, don't worry: there is no evangelism or overt preaching. Personally, I found that the small amount of religion present in A Corpse at St. Andrew's Chapel to be more of an acknowledgment of the prominent role the church played in people's lives during this era than anything else.

If you, like me, enjoy medieval mysteries, you will like A Corpse at St. Andrew's Chapel. I highly recommend it.

Buy A Corpse at St. Andrew's Chapel: The Second Chronicle of Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon on Amazon.

I received this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.

Teaser Tuesday 4/27

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
• Share the title & author, too, so that others can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!

Today's teaser is from A Corpse at St. Andrew's Chapel: The Second Chronicle of Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon by Mel Starr. I actually finished this book already, but I haven't started anything new yet.

What does a man need arrows for if he cannot discharge them at another? Some were needed for practice - which reminded me again that I needed to resume Sunday afternoon archery trials on the castle forecourt - but arrows loosed at targets may be retrieved and reused.

I really enjoyed the book, by the way. I'll write a review soon, I promise.

Review: Thunderhead

As I mentioned when I did Thunderhead for Teaser Tuesday, this book was recommended to me by a good friend. I'm not sure I would have picked it up otherwise, as it is pretty far outside my normal range for genres. As for what genre it is - its a thriller, with a hearty dash of new West western (meaning, archaeology and Native American lore, not shoot-em-up Wild West). There was an undercurrent of spookiness that could have gone into the supernatural but didn't quite.


Thunderhead is about an archaeologist who receives a long lost letter from her pot hunter (aka, amateur archaeologist) father giving her the clues to the location of a long lost Anasazi city. Soon, she is leading an expedition to find the city and uncover the riches presumably hidden there. No surprise, of course, that road blocks occur, some natural, some man made, and there's a doubt if anyone will make it out alive.

The plot felt a little like the authors were working from a checklist - feisty heroine? Check. Grizzled cowboy? Check. Racing against a clock? Check. Etc. Check. - but it moved at a quick pace. Also, and maybe this is because I don't normally read books like Thunderhead, I learned something new (mostly about archaeology and the Anasazi) which I always enjoy. Altogether, this was an enjoyable fun read, and one that I would recommend to anyone who likes a good thriller.

Buy Thunderhead on Amazon.

Series Review: The Dame Frevisse Mysteries

I just love the Dame Frevisse mystery series by Margaret Frazer. Set in the Medieval (circa 15th c.) England, these books center on an astute, cloistered nun. I am surprised these books haven't been made into a TV show yet - they seem ripe for the BBC's picking. FYI, Margaret Frazer is a pen name:

The first six Dame Frevisse books were written as a collaborative effort between Mary Monica Pulver Kuhfeld and Gail Frazer. The rest of the series has been written by Gail Frazer alone.

There's a strong religious component to these books, as Frevisse frequently ties her daily prayers and offices to the situation at hand.

Obviously, being mysteries, you as the reader know a crime is going to happen. But what I find most interesting about these books is, sometimes, how secondary to the story the crime itself is. In so many mysteries, you know a body will appear in the first chapter and the villain will be delivered to the police (or historical equivalent) by book's end. That's not necessarily the case here, and it keeps me as the reader on my toes.

From wikipedia, here is the current list of titles in the series: (I own the books with an *)

The Novice's Tale (1992)
The Servant's Tale (1993) (received an Edgar Award nomination)
The Outlaw's Tale (1994)
*The Bishop's Tale (1994) (received a Minnesota Book Award nomination)
*The Boy's Tale (1995)
The Murderer's Tale (1996)
*The Prioress' Tale (1997) (received an Edgar award nomination)
*The Maiden's Tale (1998)
*The Reeve's Tale (1999) (received a Minnesota Book Award nomination)
*The Squire's Tale (2000)
The Clerk's Tale (2002)
*The Bastard's Tale (2003)
The Hunter's Tale (2004)
*The Widow's Tale (2005)
*The Sempster's Tale (2006)
*The Traitor's Tale (2007)
*The Apostate's Tale (2008)

Visit the author's website or find (most of) these books listed at Amazon's Dame Frevisse Mysteries list.

Review: Nefertiti: the Book of the Dead.

Its Wednesday night, this post is supposed to be published tomorrow morning, I've got to study and yet, I'm still writing my review of Nefertiti by Nick Drake. Why? This review has been languishing in my draft folder since last Saturday, when I first sat down to try to put my thoughts about this book into words, and, so far, all I've come up with has been, "okay." I'm a regular poet, aren't I?

I'll try kicking this off with a description then:

She is Nefertiti—beautiful and revered. With her husband, Akhenaten, she rules over Egypt, the most affluent, formidable, sophisticated empire in the ancient world. But an epic power struggle is afoot, brought on by the royal couple's inauguration of an enlightened new religion and the construction of a magnificent new capital. The priests are stunned by the abrupt forfeiture of their traditional wealth and influence; the people resent the loss of their gods—and the army is enraged by the growing turbulence around them. Then, just days before the festival that will celebrate the new capital, Nefertiti vanishes.

Rahotep, the youngest chief detective in the Thebes division, has earned a reputation for his unorthodox yet effective methods. Entrusted by great Akhenaten himself with a most secret investigation, Rahotep has but ten days to find the missing Queen. If he succeeds, he will bask in the warmth of Akhenaten's favor. But if Rahotep fails, he and his entire family will die.

Doesn't that description make this book sound fascinating? Sadly, it wasn't. This wasn't a bad book - the story moved along and I connected well with the main character - it just failed to deliver on the promise of what it could have been.

Nefertiti is billed as a mystery. To me, "mystery" implies that there will be some revelation or big moment of unveiling. Instead, the story was very flat. The narrator is the main character, Rahotep, and the book is his diary, filled with his thoughts on the activities surrounding the capital and Queen. But what the author probably intended as introspection came off as filler. And, because he was the narrator, I never once thought that Rahotep and his family were in danger of dying, as the description above suggests. There just wasn't enough at stake to keep the energy level up to what it needed to be to propel the book forward.

The history behind this story really is fascinating, so Egyptophiles may want to check this one out. But for the rest of us, while this book was an okay read, this isn't a strong recommendation.

Check out Nefertiti: The Book of the Dead on Amazon.

If any of you have another recommendation for a good Egyptian historical novel or mystery, I'd love to hear about it.

Review: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

It is 1950 and Flavia de Luce, an 11-year-old aspiring chemist, has found a dead body on the lawn of her family’s estate. Deciding that it’s the most interesting thing that’s ever happened to her, the precocious Flavia decides to beat the police at their own game and solve the mystery herself, especially when suspicion falls on her reclusive father.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie reminded me of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events books, with its gothic mood and plot twists. With her sharp wit and eagerness to prove she was smarter than the adults, Flavia reminded me of Harriet the Spy (the character). Unlike the Lemony Snicket books or Harriet the Spy, Sweetness was written as an adult book. For me, this book would have been much stronger had it been aimed at teens, instead. While the subject matter (including murder, depression, and PTSD) was adult, I felt like the writing was too young, maybe because the story is told from Flavia's point of view.

I think this book is really a matter of taste. Harriet the Spy always annoyed me and Flavia was no different. But I think a lot of people will really like this book. I just wasn’t one of them.

Here are some other (favorable) opinions:
The Guardian
Entertainment Weekly
Lesa's Book Critiques
A Bookworm's World
Book-a-rama

In addition, in 2007, author Alan Bradley won the Debut Dagger Award of the Crimewriters’ Association for The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. I think I am in the minority opinion on this one.

Buy The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie on Amazon.

Visit Alan Bradley’s website.

Review: The Well of Lost Plots

The Well of Lost Plots is Jasper Fforde's third book in the Thursday Next series. In it, Thursday, who is pregnant with her missing husband's child, has moved into Book World to hide out and work as a member of the Jurisfiction police department, under the tutelage of Miss Havisham. None of this will make sense unless you have read the first two books in the series, The Eyre Affair and Lost in a Good Book (see my reviews here).

There's a lot going on in Well, it can be kind of disjointed, and not too much happens to drive the overall story arc of Thursday saving Landen (her husband), forward. (Lenore, of Presenting Lenore, commented on a recent post of mine that this is her least favorite of the Thurday Next books.) I still thought it was a lot of fun, though, and worth reading for any Jasper Fforde fans.

One of the things I liked about it (and this is a little bit of a spoiler, if you are cautious about these things) was that this book is a prequel of sorts for The Big Over Easy (see my review of it here). So for me, reading Well was a little like getting to see a "Making Of" or "Before They Were Stars" special for Over Easy.

Buy The Well of Lost Plots on Amazon

Review: Terra Incognita

It is spring in the year 118, and Gaius Petreius Ruso has been stationed in the Roman-occupied province of Britannia for nearly a year. After his long and reluctant investigation of the murders of a handful of local prostitutes, Ruso needs to get away. With that in mind, he has volunteered for a posting with the army in Britannia’s deepest recesses—a calmer place for a tired man.

But the edge of the Roman Empire is a volatile place; the independent tribes of the North dwell near its borders. These hinterlands are the homeland of Ruso’s slave, Tilla, who has scores of her own to settle there: Her tribespeople are fomenting a rebellion against Roman control, and her former lover is implicated in the grisly murder of a soldier. Ruso, filling in for the demented local doctor, is appalled to find that Tilla is still spending time with the prime suspect. Worse, he is honor-bound to try to prove the man innocent—and the army wrong—by finding another culprit. Soon both Ruso’s and Tilla’s lives are in jeopardy, as is the future of their burgeoning romance.

Terra Incognita shines light on a remote corner of the ancient world, where Ruso’s luck is running short—again.

The sequel to Medicus (see my review), Terra Incognita is quite well-written. Author Ruth Downie clearly put a lot of time and research into bringing Roman Britannia to life. The main characters were likable, though I preferred Tilla over Ruso, and the cast of supporting characters brought flavor and variety to the book. I thought that the story dragged, though, quite a bit, especially towards the end. By the time the final resolution came, I felt like we had spent more time than we needed to get there. Despite my complaints, Terra Incognita is still a worthwhile read.

Buy Terra Incognita on Amazon.

Terra Incognita was published in the UK as Ruso and the Demented Doctor.

Review: The Queen's Man

Epiphany, 1193. Eleanor of Aquitaine sits upon England's throne. Her beloved son Richard Lionheart is missing, presumed dead - and the court whispers that her younger son, John, is plotting to seize the crown. Meanwhile, on the snowy highroad from Winchester, a destitute young man falls heir to a blood stained letter, pressed into his hand by a dying man. The missive becomes Justin de Quincy's passport into the queen's confidence - and into the heart of danger, as he pursues a cunning murderer and jousts with secret traitors in Eleanor's court of intrigue and mystery . . .

I've wanted to read Sharon Kay Penman's historical fiction for a while (especially because I just love the idea of reading a book called Here Be Dragons). But I've always been a little too intimidated to dive in. When I found The Queen's Man at a used bookstore, I thought it would be a good entry into her writing and I was right. Unlike Penman's best known books, which are long (The Sunne In Splendour is 900+ pages) and cover a lot of ground, The Queen's Man is a lighter read and would be good for all medieval and mystery fans, including young adult readers. It is very well-written, filled with rich details and characters that bring the quickly-paced story to life. I will definitely be looking for the sequel, Cruel as the Grave, and will move Penman's other books up on my To Be Read list.

Buy The Queen's Man on Amazon.

Review: Medicus: A Novel of the Roman Empire

Like Mistress of the Art of Death, it was my husband who first picked Medicus up, before passing it to me to read.* From the publisher:

Divorced and down on his luck, Gaius Petreius Ruso has made the rash decision to seek his fortune in an inclement outpost of the Roman Empire, namely Britannia. In a moment of weakness, after a straight thirty-six-hour shift at the army hospital, he succumbs to compassion and rescues an injured slave girl, Tilla, from the hands of her abusive owner. Now he has a new problem: a slave who won't talk and can't cook, and drags trouble in her wake. Before he knows it, Ruso is caught in the middle of an investigation into the deaths of prostitutes working out of the local bar. Now Ruso must summon all his forensic knowledge to find a killer who may be after him next.

Even though I'm not normally interested in books about ancient Rome, I thought this was one of the better historical mystery novels I've read recently. I think that's because it was very character driven. Ruso was a really likable guy and, even though the book seems to me to be pretty historically accurate, I thought he was very relatable to the modern person. I certainly smiled at his constant plans to write a book, though maybe that's just me.

I've seen a bit of ink spilled lately lamenting that reading has become a woman's hobby and that fewer and fewer men are reading for pleasure.** This may be an odd compliment to give a book, but I think Medicus would be a prime candidate to give to a man who has stopped reading, to convince him to start reading again. Not that a woman wouldn't enjoyed this book, too, obviously, since I did. But I know a lot more men than women who are interested in the history of warfare and might like this fictional look into a Roman garrison.

Buy Medicus: A Novel of the Roman Empire at Amazon.

In the UK, this book was published as Ruso and the Disappearing Dancing Girls.

Visit author

Ruth Downie online.

* Also like Mistress, I read this a while back but am reviewing it now, as the sequel just came out in paperback. So, stay tuned for my review of the sequel, Terra Incognita: A Novel of the Roman Empire!

** See, for example, this article in the Guardian calling for the "re-masculinization" of books in order to interest men in reading. Then, of course, you need to see Book Ninja's tongue-in-cheek contest in response.

Review: The Big Over Easy

So, here’s a story that doesn’t really have anything to get the book, but I’ll tell it anyway. For whatever reason, growing up we didn’t refer to our eggs as being “over easy.” Instead, we referred to our eggs as being “once over lightly.” When I first moved in with my husband, I kept telling him I wanted my eggs "once over lightly" and he kept looking at me like I was a crazy person. It took me a while to get used to calling my eggs over easy instead.

Anyway...

Meet Inspector Jack Spratt, family man and head of the Nursery Crime Division. He’s investigating the murder of ovoid D-class nursery celebrity Humpty Dumpty, found shattered to death beneath a wall in a shabby area of town. Yes, the big egg is down, and all those brittle pieces sitting in the morgue point to foul play.

I wasn’t entirely sure you get much sillier than the Thursday Next books by Jasper Fforde, but he certainly done it with his Nursery Crime series. Someone on Librarything wrote that reading this book was a little bit like watching a Shrek movie and I have to say, I agree. References and allusions go by at a mile a minute. Some of them went right over my head but in general, I caught enough to be amused by the book. The story goes by very quickly which is good, because the plot takes so many twists and turns the book gets rather drawn out. Also, the characters are all very flat - maybe that befits a book based on nursery tales, but it certainly meant that I never really connected on a deeper level with the story. Ford, though, is a great writer and he really knows how to choose his words carefully, making The Big Over Easy very readable and enjoyable.

Buy The Big Over Easy on Amazon.

Review: The Serpent's Tale

The Serpent's Tale is Ariana Franklin's second novel about medieval medical examiner Adelia Aguilar. (Warning: this review contains a spoiler for Mistress of the Art of Death.)


After King Henry II's mistress Rosamund Clifford is poisoned and suspicion naturally falls on the queen, Eleanor of Aquitane, Adelia is called in to find out who really killed Rosamund. She is summoned, not by Henry*, but by Henry's loyal "fixer" Rowley Picot, the new Bishop of St. Albans, who also happens to be father to Adelia's daughter, Allie. After a macabre visit to Rosamund's isolated tower, Adelia and her entourage are kept trapped at Godstow convent with rebellious Queen Eleanor, and as the body count begins to rise, they quickly realize that the murderer must be there as well and that Adelia better figure out who it is before she and Allie are the next targets.

This is an engaging book - part thriller, murder mystery and historical fiction, the drama keeps the book moving at a quick pace and the well-rounded characters are all fascinating portraits. My only quibble with the book was that there was much less of the process and insight into Adelia's thinking that kept me riveted in Mistress of the Art of Death (see my review here). But Serpent's Tale stands on its own well and makes me look forward to the next book in the series, Grave Goods.

Buy The Serpent's Tale on Amazon.
Visit author Ariana Franklin online.

*Annoyingly, even the product description on the publisher's own website gets this wrong, even though it's a big plot point. Do copywriters actually read the books they are supposed to be summarizing? Yes, Henry wants Adelia on the case, but before that, it is Rowley's idea to bring her in, before he even tells the king that Rosamund is dead. *headdesk*

Review: Mistress of the Art of Death

I read Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin ages ago, so this may not be my best review, to be honest (though I did flip through my copy to refresh my memory). Since I read the sequel, The Serpent's Tale over the weekend, though, I thought I'd write about both of these really interesting mysteries.


Mistress of the Art of Death Description:

In medieval Cambridge, four children have been murdered. Wrongly accused of the crimes, a small community of Jews threatened by Catholic mobs is given sanctuary by Henry II. To assist i proving their innocence, he summons an expert in the science of deduction and the art of death. She is Adelia, a prodigy from the Medical School of Salerno, and an anomaly in a medical world, who is forced to conceal her identity and her purpose from England's grave superstitions and condemnation. One man willing to work with her is Sir Rowley Picot. His personal stake in the investigation makes him an invaluable ally - and in Adelia's eyes, a suspect as well. From navigating Cambridge's perilous river paths to penetrating the dark shadows of the Church, Adelia's investigations will not only reveal the secrets of the dead, but in time, the far more dangerous ones buried by the living.

It was my husband (who, as I believe I've mentioned before, is an anatomist) that first found this book. He was intrigued by the idea of a medieval medical examiner. When he read it in a few short days, which is a rarity, given his busy schedule, I knew that this was a winner. After reading it myself, I was not disappointed.

The story is pretty brutal - there's a lot of violence and the mystery is quite creepy to read about,so this book may not be for everyone. But the setting of the book is fascinating. Even though I'm not the anatomist in the family, I thought that reading about Adelia's work and process was one of the most interesting part of the book. I also thought that Adelia and the other characters were well developed, especially the dynamic between her and Rowley.

This book is an interesting mix of mystery and historical fiction - I recommend it to anyone who likes either genre.

Buy Mistress of the Art of Death on Amazon.
Visit the author's website www.arianafranklin.com.

Cadfael Update and Mini-Review

I read two more of the Brother Cadfael medieval mystery books on my trip this past weekend and have updated my list accordingly. The books were The Raven in the Foregate and The Rose Rent (the links will take you to Amazon). Both were engaging, though I thought the Rose Rent plotline was the most implausible of all the Cadfael books I've read so far. And while I'm still enjoying the books, I'm starting to see the same plot points and variations-on-a-theme characters, which is starting to get a bit old. Brother Cadfael, though, is still a comfortable character to be around, which makes this series worth reading.

Review: The Reincarnationist

The Reincarnationist by MJ Rose is a hard book to define. Its not quite a mystery, not quite historical fiction, not really a fantasy. Its a thriller, with bits of fantasy and history woven in.

Searching for answers about the ancient flashbacks photojournalist Josh Ryder keeps experiencing, he turns to the Phoenix Foundation, a secret organization that documents cases of past life experiences in children.

His findings there lead him to an archaeological dig and to Professor Gabriella Chase, who has discovered an ancient tomb -- a tomb with a powerful secret that threatens to merge the past with the present. Here, the dead call out to the living, and murders of the past become murders of the present.

It took me a while to get into this book. Moving back and forth between the past and present, the story was a little choppy and there were so many characters, it was hard to connect with any of them. But after sticking with it, I found myself engrossed and really wanting to know what would happen.

I especially recommend this book to anyone who is interested in past life research, as the topic is woven through the modern-day portions of the book, to good effect.

Buy The Reincarnationist on Amazon.

I'll be diving into the sequel The Memorist soon.

Review: The Eyre Affair and Lost in a Good Book

I read The Eyre Affair a few weeks ago and recently finished the sequel, Lost in a Good Book, so I thought it might be a good idea to review these together.



The Eyre Affair Amazon description:

Great Britain circa 1985: time travel is routine, cloning is a reality (dodos are the resurrected pet of choice), and literature is taken very, very seriously. … Amidst all this, Acheron Hades, Third Most Wanted Man In the World, steals the original manuscript of Martin Chuzzlewit [by Charles Dickens] and kills a minor character, who then disappears from every volume of the novel ever printed! But that's just a prelude . . .

Hades' real target is the beloved Jane Eyre, and it's not long before he plucks her from the pages of Bronte's novel. Enter Thursday Next. She's the Special Operative's renowned literary detective, and she drives a Porsche. With the help of her uncle Mycroft's Prose Portal, Thursday enters the novel to rescue Jane Eyre from this heinous act of literary homicide. It's tricky business, all these interlopers running about Thornfield, and deceptions run rampant as their paths cross with Jane, Rochester, and Miss Fairfax. Can Thursday save Jane Eyre and Bronte's masterpiece? And what of the Crimean War? Will it ever end? And what about those annoying black holes that pop up now and again, sucking things into time-space voids . . .

Lost in a Good Book Amazon description:

The inventive, exuberant, and totally original literary fun that began with The Eyre Affair continues with Jasper Fforde’s magnificent second adventure starring the resourceful, fearless literary sleuth Thursday Next. When Landen, the love of her life, is eradicated by the corrupt multinational Goliath Corporation, Thursday must moonlight as a Prose Resource Operative of Jurisfiction—the police force inside books. She is apprenticed to the man-hating Miss Havisham from Dickens’s Great Expectations, who grudgingly shows Thursday the ropes. And she gains just enough skill to get herself in a real mess entering the pages of Poe’s “The Raven.” What she really wants is to get Landen back. But this latest mission is not without further complications. Along with jumping into the works of Kafka and Austen, and even Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies, Thursday finds herself the target of a series of potentially lethal coincidences, the authenticator of a newly discovered play by the Bard himself, and the only one who can prevent an unidentifiable pink sludge from engulfing all life on Earth.

Reading the back of the book description for The Eyre Affair did not properly prepare me for reading this book. It is weird. In addition to the dodos, the Prose Portal and time travel, there are also random vampires, terrible (or terribly funny) puns everywhere and a crazy plot. It took me a while to decide what I thought about this book. But you know what? I really liked it. It’s a fun book to read – fast moving, lots of silliness, interesting main characters (though the secondary characters are pretty one dimensional), a satisfying ending. While I’m not sure it’s necessary in order to enjoy The Eyre Affair, I do love Jane Eyre, which added layer to my appreciation of The Eyre Affair.

Lost in a Good Book picks up where The Eyre Affair left off. It is very much a sequel in that I can’t really imagine someone reading Lost in a Good Book without having first read The Eyre Affair. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I do think this book doesn’t quite stand on its own as well as the first one did. It is also clearly setting up for the next in the series, which annoys me a little. That said, it’s a fun book to read. Miss Havisham (yes, that one, with the musty wedding dress) is a hoot and while I’d never want to spend time with her in person, she’s a fun character.

All in all, I’m thrilled to have discovered a new author to enjoy. Jasper Fforde is a very creative writer and I look forward to reading more from him.

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