Effective world-building? Check. Well-rounded, entertaining characters? Check. Entertaining space opera elements? Hot romance? Fast-paced adventure? Check, check, and check! If you love stories told in first person by a mouthy, tough, and bold heroine who rebels...
It is a truth universally acknowledged that there can never be too many retellings of Jane Austen's most popular novel, Pride and Prejudice (Yes, I had to do that. I apologize as humbly as Mr. Collins does.). Different settings, different viewpoints, different...
Ah, the long dark evenings of December. Whenever I wish for a journey to a sunnier time and place, I check out a Georgette Heyer novel from the library, bring it home, and read it and read it and read it. I think it's safe to say that I'm having somewhat of a love...
What I think about Fiona Davis' latest historical fiction novel, The Masterpiece, is that she chose her timelines well. This is one of those books that has two timelines in it; and this choice is more effective than most because of the way they contrast throughout the...
This past week I read not one, but two, sequels which were both so terrific I can't wait to tell you about them. Here's further proof that the second installment in a series really can be just as mesmerizing as the first, with the added pleasure of meeting up with...
Searching. Searching. Searching for the right, the perfect adjectives to describe Rebecca Makkai's third and latest novel, The Great Believers. I'm leaning toward monumental, but that makes it sound as though the book is six inches thick and could easily be used as a...
The book is Jane Seymour, The Haunted Queen. The series is Six Tudor Queens, and if you are up on your English history, you will know that this is the third in the series. The period is the reign of King Henry the VIII. The author is Alison Weir, who writes history...
Shadow and sunshine: here are two (two!!) new historical mystery series launches, both taking place around the turn of the twentieth century. One is on the darker side and deals with larger social questions beyond the actual mystery; the other is about as light and...
Here we go, an exercise in randomness. Because I seriously don't know who (besides me) would read all three of these books. Different genres, different moods... it's possible that somebody I've known for fifteen years will pipe up with "Hey! Whoa! I've read all three...
If you are in the mood to delve into a classic Mystery series, Heights Libraries is here to help! I myself have decided that it's finally time to read all of Agatha Christie's mystery novels. Yes, all of them! It's my own personal Christie Project! And I am off to a...