#1 - I started out 2011 with a book that I had already read but love. Ransom by Julie Garwood. Julie Garwood is one of my favourite authors for how she weaves a story. In Ransom, we are transported to the medieval ages. It's a romantic yet dramatic story about a woman who has to endure heartache and pain as the story moves from England to the Scottish highlands. I won't give away the ending, but the story does have a wonderful beginning, middle and end. I'll read it again and again I'm sure.
#2 - The White Queen by Philipa Gregory. The author of The Other Boleyn Girl has become hot hot hot since the book was made into a movie. And although I did like that b
ook, I was actually more intrigued by the stories that were woven into Philipa Gregory stories. The first of her novels I read was the Constant Princess. That lit a fire under me that had me thirsting to find out more and more about the Tudor dynasty. My husband realized this last year when I started talking about it frequently, watching the tudors and just generally having a one-track mind. the library didn't have any copies of any books by Philipa Gregory as they were in constant demand (I can completely understand). So this Christmas when my hubby was wandering around a store, he just looked over and found this little gem. the story is based on the War of the Roses, a famous time in English history when the country is split into two different factions to determine who should be the king of England. What I love about the stories of Philipa Gregory is that they are always based on truth. Yes she puts thoughts into the minds of those that there is absolutely no way of knowing what they really felt, but she's researched so much about the
period and the people that she's writing about that you feel you are right there with her. She truly is a gem of a writer. As a writer myself I truly can admit that I really admire how she uses her craft. This is a fantastic book. Read it. I know it will make you clamor for more.
#3 - The Book of Lies played on another of my favourite reading passions - religious mystery. This is an action packed adventure based in current day but with a little bit of history mixed in. The story goes on the search for the tool that Cain used to kill Abel. Again, based a little on fact, but a lot on speculation, I found that I couldn't put this down. It was action packed. Good read if you feel like getting caught up i
n the story.
#4 - Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher was actually my 3rd book, but I had to put it down and read The Book of Lies. I found the story was really hard to get into. It was really heavy and reading it in the winter made it difficult. So I took a break, got lost in an action adventure book - and then picked this back up again later. Lucky for me, I was in the right mind. The protagonist in this book is not your typical 30-something going on an adventure, it's about a 60-something woman trying to get her life back together after going through heartbreak and loss. Her positive outlook and her will to keep on going was wonderful. If anything, it helped me get through this winter in a good way. I'm glad I finished what I started.
#5 - Julie Garwood again with Shadow Music. Based again in the Highlands during medieval times. It was an easy read, but so good. Every time I read a Julie Garwood novel I want to be the heroine in the story, being caught up in passion. ah. good story.
#6 - Found Wanting by Robert Goddard took me back to action adventure and puzzles. Every adventure book has to have a treasure, and this one is no exception - Anastasia from Russia, Nazi Germany and some crazy business with Russia and Norway. It's another book that was difficult to put down -even brought it to work to read during my lunch hour. I had to know how it ends. The title was very fitting as even at the end of the book you felt like there were still questions. With that said, it's a good book. Great way to get lost for awhile.
#7 - Bitch Posse by Martha O'Connor. From what I read, she's a new author but she's a writer of my generation and her story was based in my times. Honestly - I w
as a few bad choices away from
being a member of the Bitch Posse in real life. I really felt that I related to the characters - all of them. The story used a technique that I enjoy, flipping back and forth through time to help the story move along but at the same time explaining the depth and reasoning behind current day decisions. It was a great book. Maybe men won't get it, but any girl from my generation should get it and if she doesn't - she doesn't deserve to read it. :)
Honestly, the books this year have been good. I think all of them are worth reading. Can't wait to read the other 19. Yikes! 19 more to go. I better get reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment