Darkborn ~ Alison Sinclair

I found this book on display at the library. I tried to walk past it, I really did, but the cover was just so gorgeous and purple I had to take it home. It has taken me forever to read, partly because I have been forced to put it down over and over because of work reading. Since I’ve a little time on my plate, I picked it back up and stormed my way through it before I had more obligation reading to do. Sinclair’s world is also such an interesting world, that I did have a little trouble wrapping my head around it. I don’t want you to think that is a bad thing, because it wasn’t so complicated that I couldn’t get through it. Quite the opposite, I was enthralled by it and wanted to make sure I was understanding it properly. The Darkborn are a race cursed to darkness and any light will burn their skin while their counterparts, the Lightborn, need light in order to live. The two races live side by side yet never see each other. The Darkborn are basically blind and have creative ways of getting about in a perpetually dark world. Balthasar Hearne, a physician who has married above his station, lives in a home that is split down the middle by a paper wall. A Lightborn assassin lives on the opposite side of the home and keeps the doctor informed of the doings in her world. Balthasar is such a good-hearted man that he takes in a woman who is in childbirth and hiding from her fiance because the children are not his. When she tries to kill the children, Bal saves them and sends them off to safety. Little does he know that that single act jeopardizes himself, his family and the lives of several others as well. It sets off a murderous chain of events that only magic, cleverness and bravery of the highest sort can stop. Telmaine, Balthasar’s wife is tested in ways she never thought possible. Alison Sinclair creates such wonderful characters, it’s hard to understand why people don’t like them.  Ishmael, Baron Strumheller, mage and former Shadowhunter, was a character I fell in love with from the start. I felt like I was always holding my breath when he was on the page. His life is constantly in danger and he seems to be forever on the verge of death, yet despite his reputation (the Darkborn world has some serious Victorian morals) he is always willing to give more of himself than one should expect to receive.  Loving his character was at times heartbreaking. The following passage regarding the baron was one of my favorites. If you are a strict stickler for spoilers do not read on, but it does not give much a way.

But when the baron – Ishmael  – kissed her, she had felt the pain of his injured shoulder, felt the anger he still harbored, felt his fear, felt the desire like a resinous brandy, felt the aching loneliness of the outcast. Then she had felt his emotions shift as he felt hers in turn, the anger mitigated, the fear falling away, the desire becoming mingled with the surprise, the loneliness become a yearning toward her. For a moment, pure revelation of reciprocity had held her, and then she broke away, and she knew that he knew how nearly she had not broken away. (114)

Darkborn, definitely has a mystery, adventure element to it that was a lot of fun. I’ll be looking forward to the sequel Lightborn that comes out in June. It has an equally attractive cover with what I assume is Floria White-Hand on the cover. I expect an even faster paced story in this next book as the danger looms larger in this already fragile world.

Demon Blood Teaser

So looking forward to Meljean Brook’s Demon Blood. After I read this excerpt, I was a little confused, because Rosalia didn’t seem to be quite as kick-ass as her last statement in Demon Forged made her out to be. Of course, it does seem like she is perhaps the one in control of the situation, not sure, mind games possibly?

And, I’m totally torn, because as much as I’m excited about her new series, that means we’ll have to wait longer for more Guardian books.

Bellweather Prize Winner

This one just came in the mail for me. It looks good and it’s getting a lot of great praise. Here’s the description from Heidi Durrow’s website:

A timely and moving bicultural coming-of-age tale about the daughter of a Danish immigrant and a black G.I. A beauty with light brown skin and blue eyes, she attracts much attention in her new home. The world wants to see her as either black or white, but that’s not how she sees herself.

Meanwhile, a mystery unfolds, revealing the terrible truth about Rachel’s last morning on a Chicago rooftop. Interwoven with her voice are those of Jamie, a neighborhood boy who witnessed the events, and Laronne, a friend of Rachel’s mother.

Inspired by a true story of a mother’s twisted love, The Girl Who Fell from the Sky reveals an unfathomable past and explores issues of identity at a time when many people are asking “Must race confine us and define us?”

ALA Midwinter Roundup

When I came home from ALA Midwinter I thought my husband was going to have a fit. He was going on about how we need to de-clutter the house and there I am with bags full of books. Oooops. So, after I distributed all the mother guilt picture books and posters and gadgets to my son and sorted out my books into nice neat piles, I packed them up into two neat boxes and put them on my sewing table on the back porch. Later I found out that my husband wasn’t upset about the new books, he just wanted to set the table and for me to get rid of some old books. Hmmm. Well, I’ve been sneaking peeks at those goodies in the boxes and I thought I’d share some of what I got with you. I thought my camera had gone kerplunk, but my husband managed to resurrect it from the dead for about the third or fourth time, so I did get to sneak in a few photos. A strange coincidence resulted in Chelle and I coming home with the exact same number of books.

Authors abound I went to a great presentation on books to movies featuring Eric Van Lustbader, Chuck Hogan, Tracy Chevalier and Julie Powell. I love to hear writers talk about the writing process and I wasn’t disappointed. There were plenty of other authors around in the exhibit halls, too. Remarkable Creatures – Tracy Chevalier: I have loved everything I’ve ever read by her. I can’t wait to read this one about the fossil hunter Mary Anning. I first heard of her in Chet Raymo’s book Walking Zero. Natural history and historical fiction combined! Last Snow – Eric Van Lustbader Prince of Thieves and Devils in Exile – Chuck Hogan American Widow – Alissa Torres: This looks like a well-done graphic novel about 9/11. I’m sure I’ll shed a tear or two reading this one. Smudge’s Mark – Claudia Osmond How I Nicky Flynn Finally Get a Life and a Dog – Art Corriveau

Other Adult Titles: Book of Fires – Jane Borodale Marrowbone Marble Company – M. Glenn Taylor: I’m really looking forward to this one. I love books with interesting occupations. The HarperCollins folks were raving about it, too. Beautiful Maria of My Soul – Oscar Hijuelos: Never mind I’ve forgotten all the details from Mambo Kings Making Toast – Roger Rosenblatt: Why did I take this one. I was crying when they should the snippet from the interview with the author. Solitude of Prime Numbers – Paolo Giordano This Book is Overdue – Marilyn Johnson: A little librarian love can never hurt. Claude and Camille: A Novel of Monet – Stephanie Cowell Wench – Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Some YA Books I’m looking forward to reading Okay, so I knew enough to snag Linger, but I’m totally indebted to Chelle for some of the other picks. She has yet to steer me wrong with a book recommendation. A few of these I got just because I happened to be standing next to her. I am so looking forward to Mistwood. When the HarperCollins marketing person was booktalking it, it was like she was recommending the book to me! Linger – Maggie Stiefvater Pale Assassin – Patricia Elliott Rules of Attraction – Simone Elkeles The Chosen One – Carol Lynch Williams Prince of Mist – Carlos Ruiz Zafon Suburb Beyond the Stars – MT Anderson Green Witch – Alice Hoffman Hearts at Stake – Alyxander Harvey Mistwood – Leah Cypess Ship Breaker – Paolo Bacigalupi Nightshade – Andrea Cremer No Man’s Land – Lesley Hauge Sisters Red – Jackson Pearce Conspiracy of Kings – Megan Whalen Turner Education of Bet – Lauren Baratz-Logsted Before I Fall – Lauren Olive Ninth Ward - Jewell Parker Rhodes Incarceron – Catherine Fisher Sir Charlie - Sid Fleischmen Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 – Tim Hamilton Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species a Graphic Adaptation – Michael Keller For the Younger Set Crunch – Leslie Connor Crispin – End of Time – Avi Cosmic – Frank Cottrell Boyce 13 Treasures – Michelle Harrison Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place – Maryrose Wood

Best of 2009

I love to read everyone’s best of lists, though I’m not very great at making my own. I started making a list with categories, but I just couldn’t make that work, so these are just some of my favorites for the year in no particular order. Notice any patterns here? I had strong reactions to most of them and they do tend to have strong, female protagonists.

A Mercy ~ Toni Morrison Everything typical of a Toni Morrison book but much more accessible than some of her others. After I finished it, I had to go back and read the first chapter all over again because it’s got that kind of ending.

Little Bee ~ Chris Cleave I had a physical reaction to this book. I was literally shaking at one point. It’s weird that a book that can make you feel so bad, can be so good. To say that this book is thought-provoking doesn’t do it justice.

Daughter of the Forest ~ Juliet Marillier It was a toss up between this one and Cybelle’s Secret. Juliet Marillier is an amazing writer. The world’s she creates are so rich and Daughter of the Forest was no exception. Sevenwaters felt so real to me. I fell hard for all of the characters and Marillier is such a cruel writer – what she does to them! I guess that’s part of what makes her such a great storyteller.

Halfway to the Grave ~ Jeaniene Frost I think this book changed my life. Okay, seriously, it put the fun back into reading for me. Did I say I like the strong, female protagonists. I also like totally kick-ass but still sensitive male protagonists, too, even if they are the real fantasy in the fantasy. Bones. Need I say more? One last thing, I used to only read books with vegetarian vampires, because I’m vegetarian I had no idea that a vampire could feed from you and not only not kill you, but also make you feel really good. Silly me. Now I know!

Demon Forged ~ Meljean Brook This could be almost any book in the Guardian series, but I picked this one because of the cover and because Irena totally kicks ass. It’s a little scary actually. I like this series so much, I can’t manage to write a review. I revert to a bumbling idiot whenever I try. I love the world and the characters. When I finished Demon Forged, my jaw had dropped about 10 feet and I needed the next book in the series right then! Still waiting.

Angel’s Blood ~ Nalini Singh Everyone seems to want to kill Elena. It made me sad. I spent a good deal of the book worrying about how she could possibly stay alive for her sequel. It has a little to do with her being really good at her job (Vampire Hunter) and a lot to do with the fact that she has an insanely strong will, a ton of pride and the amazing ability to blurt out whatever is on her mind. The latter seems to occur most often in front of Raphael, the Archangel of New York, who could snap her into two like a twig. You go girl! Can I just say that this book also had me fantasizing about beds. Not the people in them, but just the beds. Right now, we just have a mattress on a frame and no one here has been in grad school for about 8 years. Plus, we are all tired and 2 adults and one growing 3 year old just don’t fit in a full size bed, so when someone starts talking about a bed that is big enough to fit 10 people, it’s hard to keep track of the rest of the story.

Luck in the Shadows ~ Lynn Flewelling Can you say swashbuckling? Don’t be fooled by the cover, there are no mullets in this book!

Silent on the Moor ~ Deanna Raybourn What a sigh of relief this book was! But, work too, I almost burst into tears after one of the scenes.

Fire ~ Kristin Cashore I don’t care what you say, this book was written just for me! Seriously, I wish there were books like this when I was actually a YA.

Evolution of Calpurnia Tate ~ Jacqueline Kelly Lovely cover. I wish I was as cool as Calpurnia at her age or that my grandfather had a super cool library and did experiments in the shed. I’m not so sure I would want that many brothers, though.

The Photographer ~ Emmanuel Guibert I love it when other people do crazy, insane things that I would never do and then write about them so I can feel like I was adventurous without ever having to get out of bed. It helps if they include amazing photographs, too.

Stitches ~ David Stewart I still can’t believe that such a wonderful children’s book illustrator could have such a horrible childhood. It makes me think all of that must be behind his spot on expressions his characters make.

Air ~ G. Willow Wilson A flight-attendant superhero who’s afraid of heights? It sounds like it wouldn’t work, but somehow it works spectacularly. A little bit of magical realism and fantastic illustrations help, too.

Angels’ Blood ~ Nalini Singh

Yup. Another one I read for the cover. No, not this cover, the cover for the sequel – Archangel’s Kiss. I thought it was  the same artist who did the covers for Demon Forged and Demon Blood by Meljean Brook but it wasn’t. Still, you might want to check out her post on cover art here.  Nalini Singh has an  interesting interview with the actual cover artist, Tony Mauro, on her blog. Thank goodness, I have bad eye sight and an etch-a-sketch brain, because the cover on Archangel’s Kiss and the description are both total spoilers for Angels’ Blood. If you don’t want spoilers don’t look at it! When I first looked at it, I thought that a certain very large something on the cover behind Elena was a gargoyle. I’m not going to tell you what it really is, but, um, not a gargoyle!

Elena Deveraux is a born guild hunter. She’s one of the best at tracking wayward vampires and bringing them back to their masters – the angels. No, not the cherubic or guardian kind, but the bad-ass ones that rule the world. When Elena’s talent draws the attention of Raphael, the Archangel of New York, she wants to run. Archangel’s are cruel and dangerous and Raphael is no exception. Elena has no choice but to except the job, but she won’t let Raphael push her around -  something that infuriates and intrigues the archangel. While Elena is drawn to her client’s advances, she fears for her life if she gives in to them.

I loved this book. It was right up there with Meljean Brook and Jeaniene Frost for me. It was the kind of book that I wanted to devour, but was afraid to finish because I didn’t want it to end. If I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about reading it. I love the world Nalini Singh created where angels are not the nicest of creatures even though they are amazingly attractive and vampires are their play things. The image of Elena watching the angels take off from Archangel Tower was truly fascinating. Who doesn’t want to fly? Speaking of Elena, the characters in this book were great. Elena is unbelievably courageous and proud. Raphael is stunning. And, all of the secondary characters really add to the story. I was particulary taken with Raphael’s seven – his elite guard. The loyalty they show was almost hard to believe. My favorite of the seven was Illium, the showoff with blue wings who is fascinated with mortals. I must have forgotten the description of the sequel, because I didn’t see the ending coming at all and I’m grateful for that because it was good. Can’t wait for February.

Elfland ~ Freda Warrington

Okay, yet another book that I read because I loved the cover. But, come on, isn’t it pretty? Aesthetics aside, I really enjoyed the book. Warrington creates an interesting multi-layered world. Aetherials, elf or fairy type creatures, can pass as humans in this world but  need to re-enter their own world in order to rejuvenate themselves. Gatekeeper, Lawrence Wilder,  fears a growing danger to the Aetherials living on earth and closes the gates permanently. Earthbound Aetherials can retreat the Dusklands, a fairy-type, parallel world on earth. Dusk is one of my favorite times of day, so what a wonderful idea to be able change your perception slightly and enter a world of perpetual twilight. With the gates closed their powers begin to dwindle and younger Aetherials are deprived of the rites of passage necessary to understand their kind.

Warrington’s book seems like a condensed, single volume epic, there is so much going on in it. Warrington said that Elfland originated in part by her fascination with houses and the houses in the book (both physical and familial) are characters in themselves. It’s a tale of two intertwining families. Aetherials descend from one of five worlds based on the elements. So, there are the earthy Foxes of Oakholme, who live in a warm, tree-inspired home. The father Auberon reminds me of a king of the forest. And then there are the cold, etherial Wilders who live in Stonegate an old mansion that reeks of despair.

Rosie Fox first encounters the Wilder boys, Sam and Jonathan, when she ventures into the Dusklands near Stonegate. The Wilder boys, notorious troublemakers, catch them on their property. Sam steals Rosie’s precious necklace that was a recent birthday gift from Auberon and leaves her with a scar on her neck. Even as she is traumatized by Sam, she is drawn to Jonathan. When their paths cross much later, Sam is still getting into trouble and enjoys taunting Rosie who has become infatuated with Jonathan. When Sam is sent to prison for manslaughter and refuses visits from anyone but Rosie, she soon finds that the brothers aren’t quite as she imagined.

This was an engrossing family saga and I enjoyed getting to know the characters and their secrets. I was a little disappointed to find out that the next book in the series is going to be focusing on different characters. There are still things that I want to know about the Foxes and the Wilders. With such an interesting world, I’m sure it will be worth reading.

I just can’t help it…

Because I’m a librarian I don’t buy too many books, but lately I’ve been visiting the two bookstores in town and well I just seem to walk out with more than I intended. First, there’s the bookstore that I go to that used to be the only bookstore in town. It’s a crazy place with books stacked to the ceiling and you can’t possibly find anything in there. The books are all discounted and every year they discount even more. All books in stock are 50% off. I usually do special orders there, because they’re still 20% off, free shipping and they come quicker than Amazon. Of course, after his mother died, one of the owners just kind of wanders around the store and no longer pays much attention to personal hygiene. But, for some reason, I feel some loyalty to that store. Then there is the nice, atmospheric, browsable store. If I shop at one, I feel like I need to go over to the other and buy something there, too. Here are a few of the things I bought over the past week:

Move over Indiana Jones…

Our Reader’s Advisory Roundtable just finished our non-fiction genre. Our benchmark was The Devil in the White City. I was happy to read it, because I know so many people have really enjoyed this book. I am a little perplexed by that, though. It is a well-written and researched book and I loved learning about the Chicago World’s Fair. Larson had so many interesting facts about the fair and there were so many famous people who were connected to the fair in one way or another. But, that’s just it, there was a lot of detail and I would have thought that people would just find it too slow to enjoy. But, they may have been drawn in to the story of the serial killer, H.H. Holmes. Holmes is a particularly repulsive character that made my skin crawl and because of him, I would probably not have read this book on my own. That for me  illustrated one of the points that we covered regarding subject matter. With non-fiction subject matter can be very important. It doesn’t always have to be. Some readers just like an author’s writing style and will read whatever they write. This can be true for me, but there are certain subjects that are “deal-breakers” as we call them and true crime. I’m glad I did get a chance to encounter the World’s Fair, which was absolutely magnificent. If you’ve read this book or are interested in reading it, you might consider having this book on hand to get a better visual appreciation of the fair. I’m so disappointed that I will never be able to see it for myself.

The book that I read for my elective title, The Lost City of Z by David Grann was a whole lot of fun. Here’s the review that I did for our library’s book blog:

David Grann is a reporter for the New Yorker Magazine who likes to write about people who are obsessed with one thing or another, so writing about Percy Fawcett’s obsession with the Amazon rainforest and a lost civilization in that region was a perfect assignment for him. Grann gives the reader a wonderful look at Fawcett’s personality and career. He was one of the last “gentleman explorers” as exploration became more academic in nature. After Fawcett disappears on his last highly secretive journey to find his lost civilization that he referred to only as “Z”, the mystery of his disappearance sparked another obsession among a variety of people who were determined to find out what happened to Fawcett. As far as obsessions go, this is a dangerous one. As many as 100 people have died looking for Fawcett and his lost city. Ultimately Grann, who takes the elevator to his second floor apartment and has never gone camping in his life, is drawn to the Amazon. His experiences interspersed among those of Fawcett and his followers made this fast-paced adventure story more compelling. His characters are fully-developed and there are some interesting secondary characters. Grann really knows how to tell a story so that you can’t put it down. After reading the preface, I was in for the long-haul and the ending took me by surprise. I think this book would have a great deal of cross-over appeal for fiction reader’s who like adventure, history and armchair travel.

It looks like there is a video game based on the book and soon to be a movie with Brad Pitt playing Percy Fawcett.

Where does the time go?

Well reading of course. I can’t believe the holidays are almost upon us. With some family issues and everyone getting sick time just seems to disappear. Personally, I had the flu. I don’t think I’ve ever had the flu before, and I hope I don’t ever have it again! Somehow everyone in my family seemed to have a milder version of it than I did. The saddest part was that I was stuck in bed, I couldn’t sleep and yet I couldn’t read either. You know that’s evil. I tried to listen to a book on tape and that worked for a little bit. So, know I really have some catching up to do in the review area. It’s also the time of year, when I get the crafty bug. I’ve signed up for the Holiday Traditions Swap again this year. My partner has a neat blog. I spent some quality time at the craft store on Friday with my son, while my husband put up the Christmas tree. My son, spent the better part of our outing putting things in my basket that I didn’t want or need. But, I did get some supplies and after some serious bobbin woes, I”m ready to get a fun package together to send to Canada!