At the moment I am reading three books. One is For the King by Catherine Delors which I teased from last week. One of the others is Mort by Terry Pratchett which I quoted from quite extensively over the weekend, and that leaves War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.
I thought I would quote from the book itself, but then I am going to also quote from the introductory notes as well, because I thought there was a very interesting passage there. So I am only about half way through Part 1 at the moment, and I wanted to quote from a section I have read already, so here is my quote from page 60:
Pierre arrived just before dinner and sat awkwardly in the middle of the drawing room, in the first armchair he happened upon, getting in everyone's way. The countess wanted to get him to talk, but he looked around naively through his spectacles, as if searching for someone, and gave monosyllabic answers to all the countess's questions. He was an inconvenience and was the only one not to notice it. The majority of the guests, knowing his story with the bear, looked curiously at this big, fat, and placid man, wondering how such a clumsy and shy fellow could perform such a stunt with a policeman.
The two sentences I wanted to share from the Introduction come from page xiii. It is part of an article that Tolstoy wrote that was originally published in the Russian Archive magazine in 1868 entitled A Few Words Apropos of the Book War and Peace, and is a response to the question "What is War and Peace?"
It is not a novel, still less an epic poem, still less a historical chronicle. War and Peace is what the author wanted and was able to express, in the form in which it is expressed.
I love that second sentence - War and Peace is what the author wanted and was able to express, in the form in which it is expressed. I wonder how many authors can say that these days.
There's every chance that you might see more teasers from this book over the next few weeks.
Teaser Tuesday is host by Miz B at Should Be Reading. Head on over to find out all about it, and how to join in!
A remote cottage on the wild coast of Cornwall sounded to Blythe Barton Stowe like the perfect escape from the pain and humiliation of events in far off Hollywood that had ended her marriage, her career, and all but destroyed her self-esteem. But soon she seems to be reliving a centuries-old tragedy, and the handsome owner of the shabby manor house on the hill appears vitally entwined in her destiny. As they unearth one shocking family secret after another, Blythe is forced to conclude that her intriguing neighbour is more than just an impecunious British gentleman bent on saving his ancestral home. And the impeccably honourable Lucas Teague begins to see Blythe as a lifeline in an otherwise bleak existence.
But is the unbridled attraction they're experiencing a dangerous distraction, or could it be strong enough to transcend the insurmountable complexities of time and place...?
I have been thinking a lot about time travel and time slip novels lately, mainly because there are some novels that I love that fall into this category. There are certain locations that seem to be prime settings for this kind of novel. I am not sure if it is due to a mystical reputation, the weather, or a rich historical setting, or what it is exactly but places like Ireland, Scotland and Cornwall seem to foster the kind of environment which is perfect for timeslip novels in particular.
In this case, the setting is Cornwall, although the story starts in Hollywood. Blythe Barton is one half of a successful Hollywood partnership. She was the production designer, her British husband Christopher was a seriously hot producer who has just won an Oscar and together they made critically and popularly successful movies. That is until he betrays her in one of the most callous ways possible.
When the book opens, Blythe and Christopher are finalising their divorce in a sea of paparazzi and publicity. All Blythe wants to do is escape. She could have gone back home to Wyoming but it no longer feels home to her after the death of her grandmother. Instead she rents an isolated cottage on cliff overlooking the sea in Cornwall. She had always intended to research the possibility that her own family originally came from the area, but hadn't seem to have been time before now.
Her landlord is handsome Lucas Teague, owner of the nearby stately home, Barton Hall. He is somewhat the impoverished landed gentry. Maybe impoverished is a little strong, but he is trying to come up with a way of saving his house as he is finding it difficult to keep up to date with taxes and with keeping the place maintained. He is therefore very pleased to have a paying tenant, especially when Blythe decides to extend the lease for the whole summer. When she comes up with a plan to turn the estate into a nursery business, the two of them go into partnership. Their attraction is mutual, but both of them carry a lot of emotional baggage with them, not to mention that there are the added complictions of Lucas's son and a very attractive godmother who seems to be more than just a friend.
Normally when I read a timeslip novel it is the historical story which keeps me most interested, but in this book I was more interested in the current story. The main reason for this is that I find the historical stuff a little too contrived... a little too try hard in some ways.
Whilst looking at the family tree in Lucas's home, she finds that there is an ancestor who bears her name who was also married to a Christopher. She is all the more surprised when she suddenly finds herself back in time seeing the events through the first Blythe's eyes. Where modern Blythe has been betrayed by those closest to her, historical Blythe is very much the betrayer. She is the betrothed of Christopher (known as Kit). It is a marriage that has been engineered by his father to ensure that the two land holdings that are adjacent to each other can be joined together both for future generations, but also because it will enable the much easier undertaking of smuggling operations. She is however in love (or at least lust) with Kit's much more charismatic and handsome younger brother.
I suspect the historical Blythe is meant to be seen as a spirited young woman who does whatever she can to get her own way, even if that means disgracing herself in the name of love, but in some ways she comes off instead as quite selfish. She certainly doesn't have the ability to be able to discern which of the people who surround her truly care for her. When the younger brother is sent into exile due to their terrible behaviour, Blythe thinks that she has the upper hand with her husband and that she will be able to keep her family home, but Kit has gone from a man who cherishes his wife to one who seeks the ultimate revenge.
I did like that through witnessing the events of the past, modern Blythe was able to get some perspective and healing from her own troubles, particularly when her ex husband turns up unexpectedly with a hidden agenda.
For the most part I enjoyed this read. Certainly I enjoyed the first few chapters enough to have requested the other book that my library has by this author before I had even finished the book. Normally I don't request the next book until I have finished the one that I was reading. By the time I got to the end, there were however a couple of things that didn't quite work for me.
The first thing I found a little odd was that the flashbacks weren't chronological. I guess there is no rule that says that they have to be, but if they weren't going to be then I wanted a reason why they weren't. Maybe I just didn't see that. The second actually related to the attempts at explanations that were given. As I mentioned before, places like Cornwall seem to me to have an aura of other worldliness so I didn't necessarily need to have the author work so hard at trying to bring a logical explanation of events. Some explanation was necessary for sure, but there were a few patches in the book where we were treated to long winded discussions which seemed to be a chance to regurgitate what the author had learned.
The final misstep for me was when the author was trying to make the connections between historical Blythe and modern Blythe's family, particularly in moving the action away from Cornwall which for me was so central to the success of the whole timeslip occurences.
This book was originally released in the late 1990s and so had been reviewed and updated, presumably with references to new technologies, and I thought that was pretty well done.
I really enjoyed all the references to Daphne du Maurier's books scattered throughout the pages, and I found myself wanting to pick up some of her books after I finished this one. It might still happen soon.
I guess to summarise, I enjoyed this one, but for different reasons than I would normally enjoy a time slip/time travel novel.
Thanks to Sourcebooks for sending me a review copy of this book.
One of the truths about being a book lover in Australia is that books here are expensive, so I thought it would be interesting to do a comparison of the price for a specific book. This post is also doubling up as a Currently Reading post, because I did actually start reading this book on Friday. Yes, I am 2% of the way through War and Peace by Tolstoy! I signed up for the Classics Circuit (White Nights on the Neva: Imperial Russian Literature tour)and my post is due on 15 July 2010, although I was very clear when signing up that it was more likely to be a progress post rather than a review as such.
Originally I borrowed the book from the library, but then I realised that there was no way I would be able to get through it and read other books as well, so I decided to buy it.
So my comparison basis for this exercise was that it was the same translator, and I was only looking at the paperback copy of the novel. All the sources are also the online stores, I haven't actually moved from my chair to do this comparison. The cover on the left is the US cover and the one on the right is the UK cover. All prices are in Australian dollars, and were based on the exchange rate the day that I did the comparisons (so may have changed a little since then).
Book Depository UK $17.01 (free postage)
Book Depository US $23.84 (free postage)
One other thing that probably needs to be taken into consideration is that fact that ordering online means that you can't have that instant gratification. There are still days when I will go to the book store and buy a book, but generally I will either get it from the library or I will order it from overseas.The shipping cost for Amazon was for Standard International Shipping (averages 18-32 days), but there are faster shipping options available but they cost more. In my experience I generally get orders from the UK Book Depository within a week or so of ordering.
The final factor is that often there are books that I see mentioned around blogs that I really want to read, that just never make it into the stores here, so by buying from overseas means that I get access to a lot of those books.
It seems ridiculous really that it costs me significantly more to buy from an Australian bookstore than it does to buy a book from the UK or the US, but that's the way it has consistently proven to be for this Australian book buyer. I would love to be supporting Aussie business, but when the prices are not really even competitive it is hard to do that.
Curtis Stone is a name that may be familiar to those of you who live outside Australia. He has done some cookery shows both in the UK and the US (currently on a show called Take Home Chef), has appeared on Oprah and he was also in the most recent series of Celebrity Apprentice. At one point he even made it onto a Sexiest Man Alive list. I appreciate a man who can cook as much as the next girl!
He originally comes from Melbourne, and got his start in TV on a show called Surfing the Menu. Most recently he has been involved with one of our major supermarket chains promoting easy and tasty meals for families. Some of them are supposed to be achievable on a budget of less than $10, which is always good too.
Last weekend I tried my second recipe from this series, so I thought I would share those two recipes from Curtis, just out of interest.
The first recipe we tried a few weeks ago was Fettucine Bolognese. Like many other people bolognese is a favourite in our house. If ever I can't get the boy to eat then cook bolognese and he will be coming back for seconds. However, I know that I have cooked it from scratch maybe 20 years ago, but most of the time I cheat and use a jar. The idea of cooking from scratch was a little intimidating, but in the end it was actually pretty easy, and very tasty. I do have to say though this is a recipe that doesn't reheat all that well.
1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan. Add the beef mince, season with salt and pepper and stir to break up the lumps. Cook for 5-7 mins over high heat until browned. Add the onion and cook for 2 mins then add the garlic, carrots and mushrooms, cook for 2 mins until just softened. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 30 mins.
2. Cook the fettuccine according to packet directions.
3. Toss fettuccine with sauce in fettuccine cooking pan. Mix in basil.
The second recipe we tried from the series was Chicken and Leek Pie, and I have to say that I really, really liked this one. Unfortunately the boy wasn't quite so keen. In fact, that is a recurring them in our cooking adventures at the moment. He loves to help cook whatever it is that we are making - the chopping, the stirring, reading the recipe and getting it all together - he just won't eat it! Very frustrating, especially as I would quite happily make this over and over. You could make this a mid week meal as well by buying pre cooked chicken and shredding that and therefore reducing the preparation time right down.I didn't use the sesame seeds, and if I do make it again I might throw in some mushrooms or sweet corn or something.
· 4 chicken thighs
· salt and freshly ground pepper
· 1 tsp olive oil
· 2 tbsp butter
· 1 onion, finely diced
· 1 leek, cut in half lengthwise and then into 1cm strips
· 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
· ¼ cup plain flour
· 1 cup chicken stock,
· ¼ cup thickened cream
· ½ tbsp tarragon
· 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
· 1 egg, beaten with tbsp milk to glaze pastry
· sesame seeds, garnish
1. Preheat oven to 200º. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Place on large baking tray and roast for 15 minutes. Turn and roast for a further 15 minutes until cooked and golden brown. Set aside to cool slightly and reduce oven temp to 180º. Reserve the pan juices. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken into large chunks and place in a bowl. Discard sinew, bones and skin.
3. To assemble the pie, spoon the chicken mixture into a baking dish. Drape thawed puff pastry over the baking dish and press firmly around the rim to seal. Cut slits into the top, brush with egg and milk wash and garnish with sesame seeds. Bake in oven for 50 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Set aside to cool slightly before serving.
I love reading Terry Pratchett books, but over the years I haven't done that regularly enough. That is one of the reasons why I felt the need to start the Terry Pratchett Challenge, which I have then managed to not do any updates on! I have every intention of doing so, I promise!
If this was a Teaser Tuesday post then I would struggle to choose just two lines because there are so many fun ideas that are clamouring to be shared. This is not only in the actual text, but also in the footnotes.
I thought for my Currently Reading post today, I would share just a few of the quotes that I have come across in the first 40 or so pages of this book.
Pratchett's descriptions can by funny, such as this example when he is describing the major town on Discworld:
So let's just say that Ankh-Morpork is as full of life as an old cheese on a hot day, as loud as a curse in a cathedral, as bright as on oil slick, as colourful as a bruise and as full of activity, industry, bustle and sheer exuberant busyness as a dead dog on a termite mound.
but sometimes his language use is poetic and beautiful as well:
Death nodded, and reined in the horse. It stood on the air, the great circular panorama of the Disc glittering below it. Here and there a city was an orange glow; in the warm seas nearer the Rim there was a hint of phosphorescence. In some of the deep valleys the trapped daylight of the Disc, which is slow and slightly heavy was evaporating like silver steam.
But it was outshone by the glow that rose towards the stars from the Rim itself. Vast streamers of light shimmered and glittered across the night. Great golden walls surrounded the world.
"It's beautiful", said Mort softly. "What is it?"
THE SUN IS UNDER THE DISC, said Death.
"Is it like this every night?"
EVERY NIGHT, said Death. NATURE'S LIKE THAT.
"Doesn't anyone know?"
ME. YOU. THE GODS. GOOD, IS IT?
"Gosh!"
Death leaned over the saddle and looked down at the kingdoms of the world.
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, he said, BUT I COULD MURDER A CURRY.
Of the Pratchett characters I have read so far, I have to say that Death is my favourite! This is a Death that gets upset when people kill kittens, who likes a good curry and always speaks in capitals. His endeavours to be somewhat human but never quite getting it right are entertaining, from creating his own personal garden:
Death's garden was big, neat and well-tended. It was also very, very black. The grass was black. The flowers were black. Black apples gleamed among the black leaves of a black apple tree. Even the air looked inky.
After a while Mort thought he could see - no, he couldn't possibly imagine he could see...different colours of black.
That's to say, not simply very dark tones of red and green and whatever, but real shades of black. A whole spectrum of colours, all different, and all - well, black.
to the fact he rides a real horse called Binky:
It is a fact that although the Death of the Discworld is, in his own words, an ANTHROPOMORPHIC PERSONIFICATION, he long ago gave up using the traditional skeletal horses, because of the bother of having to stop all the time to wire bits back on.
and even tries to wink:
Something like a small supernova flared for a moment in the depths of his eyesockets. It dawned on Mort that, with some embarrassment and complete lack of expertise, Death was trying to wink.
Some times this is just the kind of read that I need, so now I am going off to read some more!
I have recently finished a couple of challenges, and so wanted to do the wrap up posts for them.
The first challenge is the Once Upon a Time which I actually finished about nearly a month ago, but I don't think I have posted about yet. The books that I read for this challenge were:
The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
Tangled Webs by Anne Bishop
When Twilight Burns by Colleen Gleason
The Fury by L J Smith
The second challenge that I have completed a couple of days ago is the Pub 2010 Challenge. The aim of this challenge is to read 10 books that are being published in 2010. Actually, now that I am getting this post together, I realise that I actually finished the challenge a while ago now, but because I can't count, I have now read 12 books for this challenge! Oh well.
The other challenge that I finished today is the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. I was actually all ready to declare that I had finished this challenge about 6 weeks ago, when I realised that I had only read 12 of the required 20 books, so I am not sure what I was thinking there. The books I read for this challenge were:
The Night They Stormed Eureka by Jackie French Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford Leonardo's Swans by Karen Essex Roses by Leila Meacham
The Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig Mistress of the Sun by Sandra Gulland
The Champion by Elizabeth Chadwick The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark
The Stolen Crown by Susan Higginbotham
Fireworks Over Toccoa by Jeffrey Stepakoff
The King's Favorite by Susan Holloway Scott
The Endless Forest by Sara Donati
Within the Hollow Crown by Margaret Campbell Barnes
Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati To Defy a King by Elizabeth Chadwick Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
The Help by Kathryn Stockett The Winthrop Woman by Anya Seton
Emma Vol 3 by Kaoru Mori
The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey
Finally, I am going to make my participation in the Amy Einhorn perpetual challenge official. I don't usually follow specific imprints of books, but I have enjoyed the two that I have already read (The Postmistress and The Help) so I will give this challenge a go, which is being hosted over at Beth Fish Reads
I have been thinking about ways I can share reactions and thoughts about a book without necessarily writing a review, so I am thinking that I might start writing a few "Currently Reading" posts. They will mostly be commentary on things like book trailers, or covers, with the synopsis or random thoughts. Who knows really, could be anything. Don't worry, there still will be some reviews!
For my first post I wanted to share the cover for Catherine Delors upcoming release For the King (coming out on July 8). When I first saw the cover for this book online, I liked it, but it was when I saw the actually cover, that I realised just how gorgeous it is. This is because when you look at the whole cover you can see the clever way that the picture wraps around the spine on the dust jacket.
Catherine Delors just posted on her blog showing the whole dust jacket, so you can see the whole image, and also how the colour on the back of the book reflects the colour of the dress on the front. Click on the link above for a larger version of the picture below.
Kudos to the cover designer of this book!
For a taste of what this book is about, here is the book trailer:
Julian Harcourt, duc de Valere, is more than willing to marry the lovely young lady his mother has chosen. Little does he know, she's been sent to prove him a spy and a traitor.
And an even more dangerous secret...
Sarah Smith's mission is to find out whether the Duc's trips to the Continent are as innocent as he claims, but the way he looks at her is far from innocent...
Their risky game of cat and mouse propels them from the ballrooms of London to the prisons of Paris, and into a fragile love that may not survive their deceptions.
Have you ever read a book where the idea was just so much better than the actual experience of reading it? This is one of those books for me.
I really, really loved the set up of this book, and was completely blown away by the first chapter (which really was a prologue) which was involving, exciting and heart breaking. Our hero, Julien Harcourt, duc de Valere, lives in London. He is a French nobleman who has escaped from the French Revolution with his mother and started a new life in England. His family did not however escape unscathed from the Revolution. Not only was his family's wealth lost, but his father was killed, and it was thought that his two younger brothers were also. Whilst Julien is accepted by the ton, he is also somewhat outside the narrow rules that govern behaviour within the ton, and so he has worked very hard to build up the family wealth again, providing shelter for his English born mother. Julien has never however given up hope that perhaps some of his family has escaped their supposed, and so is in constant contact with France, and has on occasion travelled there.
It is this contact that brings Julien to the attention of the British government, and in turn brings Miss Sarah Smith into his life. Sarah is governess to the children of a high ranking government agent and at short notice she is given an ultimatum: accept the role of spying on the Duc by infiltrating his household or lose your position. Sarah has never known any family and spent all her formative years in an orphanage and so feels she has no choice but to accept the role or risk being on the streets, no matter how ill equipped she may be. She is to pretend to be Madamoiselle Serafina Artois, daughter of family friends of the Valere who supposedly escaped the troubles and is now coming to England to marry Julien as she is his mother's choice of bride for her handsome son.
While I loved the set up for Julien, and can only remember reading one other romance which had any hint of this type of character, I felt that the character of Sarah was less successful. Whilst I sort of liked Sarah, I was as unconvinced at her ability to be able to pull off this ruse as she was, and often thought that she was putting herself into unnecessary and unlikely situations to be able to drag the story forward.
There was certainly plenty of drama in the story. From a governess pretending to be a spy, to a Duc who may or may not have been a traitor, trips into some of the seedier parts of London that are often not mentioned in historical romances (or if they are it is in relation to a do-gooder doing charity work there), to a perilous trip to Paris where aristocrats were still very much in danger, to a daring rescue and unlikely revelation regarding identities and the bad guys at the end, there should have been enough to make this a captivating story. In the end I don't think I was captivated as such. Maybe interested is a better way of putting it.
It took me a few days of thinking of the right word to describe my reaction, and in the end I came up with the word skimming. It felt as though the action moved from one point to the next propelled by unlikely plot twists and scenarios with the reader just skimming along with them. I wanted more depth, and more emotion, and to be more invested with our main couple. If anything I preferred the sections where Julien was moving his cause forward despite Sarah's actions (for example in Paris) whereas generally a romance should be about the two halves that come together to make a whole.
The set up for the next two books in the Sons of the Revolution trilogy is started up in this novel, and they sound exactly like something I would enjoy reading, so while I didn't necessarily love this book, I haven't yet given up on Shana Galen.
Her next book, The Making of a Gentleman, sounds as though it features my favourite type of hero - those dark, tortured men whose scars are often more than just physical and is due out in October of this year
Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and myself that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!
The area I live in is one of the fastest growing areas in my city, and so along with that comes more infrastructure, including new libraries. There was a new library opened about 15 minutes away from me last year, and now there is news of another new one which will be open about 7 minutes away from my house. One of the awesome things about that is that they are stocking the library with all new items - more than $1 million worth of new books, DVDs, CDs etc. Depending on the opening hours I am definitely thinking that the new branch will become my home branch, rather than going to the one I currently go to.
Eva has Mr Linky this week. Here's the loot that I got!
The Ice Cream Girls by Dorothy Koomson - Reloot.
Saving CeeCeeHoneycutt by Beth Hoffman - Ended up taking this one back already as I won a copy from Savvy Verse and With and it arrived.
The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley - Read it, teased from it, loved it. Now need to borrow the next book that my library has access too. Of course, then I realised that I actually have owned it for more than six months so I could have read it ages ago!
La's Orchestra Saves the World by Alexander McCall Smith - Reloot. I actually had no intention of borrowing this book from the library tonight, but I ended up engaging in conversation with the librarian who recommended it. She was so enthusiastic that she was going to put it on hold for me there and then, but then she checked the catalogue so she went off to get it for me! Hope I like it.
Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith - Another reloot.
Burned by PC Cast and Kristin Cast - Next book in the House of Night series.
Gale Force by Rachel Caine - Reloot. This is the book that I thought I had lost, but then hadn't. Let's hope the same thing doesn't happen this time.
The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness- Follow up to The Knife of Never Letting Go which ended on a massive cliffhanger.
Be sure to head on over and share your library finds for this week.
This week I thought I would share two teasers. One is from a book that I just started, and the other is from a book that I just finished, and really enjoyed.
The first teaser comes from page 138 of For the King by Catherine Delors. This book centres around a failed assassination attempt against Napoleon Bonaparte in Paris in 1800. I have to say this cover looks good, but in real life it is absolutely gorgeous, with the woman in the dress wrapping around the spine of the book. So pretty!
It is about time, Madame Coudert, for you to realize that what you want, or don't want, doesn't matter in the least." His voice was down to a hiss now. "I am asking you to something for the cause, and I fully expect you to comply."
The second teaser comes from The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley which I finished earlier today. This is the third book I have read from this author, and they have all been excellent so far, including this one! I need to get hold of her entire back list so that I can have them here for whenever I need to fall into a book and lose myself in her world.
The teaser comes from page 242:
" Well you do choose your moments, don't you? I mean, we're practically standing on a drunken man, and my students are just round the corner, and Peter could be back at any minute..."
"Just experimenting."
Teaser Tuesday is host by Miz B at Should Be Reading. Head on over to find out all about it, and how to join in!
One of the Google Alerts I have set up is for the phrase Historical Fiction, mainly so I can collate the HT News posts I do over at Historical Tapestry.
Today, one of the links that came through was to a list of the 100 All Time Best Historical Fiction books. You know that I can't go past that without having to comment on it! What I don't know is how this list was collated, who were the judges etc, but it's still a fun exercise to look at! I have commented about the books that I have read in purple
Interesting that Philippa Gregory is apparently the only Tudor author worth reading!
How many of these have you read? Are there any must read HF books that aren't on the list? Are there any books on this list that you can't believe I haven't read yet? Let's talk the best historical fiction novels you have read.
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Ancient & Prehistoric Go way back in these books from prehistoric and ancient times.
The Penelopaid: The Penelopaid offers a rewriting of the Odyssey, Odysseus, Helen, and life in Hades.
The Clan of the Cave Bear: The Clan of the Cave Bear is about the interactions between Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons. (Can't wait to read the sixth book in the series which is out early next year! Have been reading these books since my late teens)
Centennial: Read Centennial to trace the history of northeast Colorado from prehistoric times to the 1970s.
The Secret Magdalene: The Secret Magdalene challenges views of historical events in the New Testament.
The Red Tent: In The Red Tent, you’ll find a retelling of the story of Dinah from the Bible. (This is the book that started me on my blogging journey. I just had to talk to someone, anyone about it when I read it!)
Earth’s Children: The Earth’s Children series is set in Europe during the Upper Paleolithic era, discussing the co-existence of Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals. (See comment on 3 above)
London: Edward Rutherfurd’s novel begins with the birth of the River Thames to present time.
Sarum: Sarum follows the story of England from prehistoric times to the creation of the country of England.
The Bull from the Sea: The Bull From the Sea follows the story of the mythological hero Theseus in Ancient Greece.
Pharaoh: See the stresses and threats that culminate in the fall of Egypt’s Twentieth Dynasty and the New Kingdom in this novel.
The Egyptian: This classic recreates Egypt in the 14th century.
Roman Empire
You can study the Roman empire in these novels.
I, Claudius: I, Claudius covers the life of Claudius and the Julio-Claudian Dynasty of the Roman Empire.
The First Man in Rome: Colleen McCullough’s novel shares the history of important figures in the late Roman republic.
Masters of Rome: Masters of Rome is set during the last days of the old Roman Republic.
Medieval & Middle Ages
In these books, you’ll learn about medieval times.
The Deryni Novels: Katherine Kurtz’s series is set in a medieval kingdom similar to the British Isles of the 10th and 12th centuries.
The Mists of Avalon: The Mists of Avalon follows the life of a priestess working to save her culture.
1000s to 1400s
These novels will take you all the way to the 15th century.
The Physician: Noah Gordon’s novel is about a Christian boy on a journey across Europe to study medicine with the Muslims in the 11th century.
Ivanhoe: Ivanhoe is responsible for an increase in interest in the Middle Ages during the Romanticism era.
Pope Joan: This novel follows the life of medieval legend Pope Joan, who dresses as a man and eventually becomes the pope. (I thought this was on okay read, but not spectacular)
The Pillars of the Earth: Ken Follet’s popular novel, The Pillars of the Earth, is about the building of a 12th century cathedral’s construction in Kingsbridge, England.
The Journeyer: Study the life of Marco Polo in this historical novel.
The Name of the Rose: Italian author Umberto Eco’s murder mystery combines learning in an Italian monastery in 1327.
Katherine: Anya Seton’s novel tells the story of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt. (Classic historical fiction if there is such a thing.)
The Sunne in Splendor: Follow King Richard III from his time as a young boy to his defeat at the Battle of Bosworth Field. (My first Richard III novel, and still the best)
The Agony and the Ecstasy: Irving Stone shares this biographical novel about the sculptor Michelangelo.
1500s and 1600s
Check out these novels to read about the 16th and 17th centuries.
The Last Light of the Sun: This fantasy novel draws heavily on the Viking invasions of Saxon England.
The Drawing of the Dark: A 16th century Irish mercenary soldier is the focus of Tim Powers’ book.
The Scarlet Letter: Nathaniel Hawthorne’s work tells the story of an adulteress who gives birth in 17th century Puritan Boston.
Forever Amber: In this novel, Amber St. Clare sleeps her way up through the ranks of 17th century English society. Another classic.
Year of Wonders: Year of Wonders is based on a small village in Derbyshire trying to survive the Plague. (Loved this book, except for the very strange ending!)
Shadows on the Rock: 17th century Quebec is discussed in this novel by American writer Willa Cather.
City of Dreams: City of Dreams tells the story of early Manhattan. (I really liked this one too. It covers a long period of time and a lot of action, but is a very interesting read)
The Three Musketeers: Alexander Dumas wrote this novel about inseparable friends in the 17th century.
American Frontier
These books offer the stories of the American frontier.
Mr. Tucket: Gary Paulsen’s novel is about Francis Tucket, who strays from his family’s wagon on the Oregon Trail.
My Antonia: See life from the perspective of an immigrant girl on the Nebraska plains in this novel.
Cenceit: Conceit shares the story of Peggy Donne, who is the daughter of poet John Donne.
Silence: Silence is a historical fiction novel about a Jesuit missionary in 17th century Japan.
Girl with a Pearl Earring: Girl with a Pearl Earring recreates the setting in which the famous Vermeer painting was created. (None of the Tracy Chevalier books I have read since have lived up to the enjoyment I got from this book!)
1700s and 1800s
In these novels, you’ll go from the 18th century to more modern times.
Rob Roy: Rob Roy takes place in the time of the Jacobite Rising in Scotland.
Roots: Study Kunta Kinte’s life and resulting family in Roots.
Outlander: Read this novel series that highlights Scottish clan life in the 18th century. (Jamie and Claire. Jamie in particular. Sigh.)
The Talisman Ring: The Talisman Ring is a historical romance novel set in the Georgian era.
Arthur & George: Read the stories of two very different men brought together in late 19th century Britain. (Really didn't enjoy this one all that much.)
Henry Paget Flashman: Flashman is a an antihero of the 19th century. (I've read one of the Flashman books. It's very politically incorrect, but a lot of fun.)
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: See the lives of women in 19th century China in Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. (I have enjoyed all of Lisa See's historical fiction novels.)
Wuthering Heights: Wuthering Heights is set in northern England’s Yorkshire moors in the 1800s.
Alias Grace: Alias Grace discusses the 1843 murders of Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper Nancy Montgomery in Canada.
Lonesome Dove: Follow retired Texas Rangers from Texas to Montana in Lonesome Dove. (It's nearly time for me to read this book again.)
Les Miserables: Victor Hugo’s novel depicts the lives of poor French characters in the early 19th century.
The Last Empress: Anchee Min’s novel shares an account of Empress Dowager Cixi’s life.
City of Glory: City of Glory discusses New York during the War of 1812. Another Beverly Swerling novel that I enjoyed immensely
Death Comes for the Archbishop: In this novel, Willa Cather writes about a Catholic bishop and priest establishing a diocese in New Mexico Territory.
One Thousand White Women: One Thousand White Women writes the story of May Dodd and other pioneer women who intermarried among the Cheyenne Indians.
The Alienist: Caleb Carr’s novel studies murder in 1896 New York City.
The Angel of Darkness: The Angel of Darkness is a sequel to The Alienist, sharing the mystery of Senora Linares’s missing child.
1900s and 2000s
Study more recent history in these novels.
Teito Monogatari: Read this book to see the history of Edo from an occultist perspective.
The Good Earth: Pearl S. Buck won the Pulitzer Prize for this book about the family life of a Chinese village before the 1949 Revolution. This was a very interesting read that I read with an online book club a number of years ago.
The Color Purple: The Color Purple shares female black life in the South during the 1930s.
Ragtime: Ragtime is a mix of American families and historical figures in important American events, set from 1900 until 1917.
Middlesex: Middlesex tells the story of Greek immigration to the United States. Fascinating book. Listened to it on audio years ago, and it is still one of the best listening experiences I have had.
A Thousand Splendid Suns: Learn about the lives of Afghan women in their lives from the 1960s to 2003. Excellent book. Historical fiction though?
Snow Falling on Cedars: Study a murder case on the Washington coast in 1954 on Snow Falling on Cedars.
The Grapes of Wrath: John Steinbeck’s award winning novel tells the story of sharecroppers in the Great Depression.
The Joy Luck Club: The Joy Luck Club looks into the lives of immigrant Chinese women in the United States. I read this book years ago.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn follows three generations of an American family beginning in 1912.
Water for Elephants: Water for Elephants focuses on a traveling circus in the time of the Great Depression. Another excellent read
The Thorn Birds: The Thorn Birds follows the Cleary family in the Australian outback from 1915 to 1969. Wow. What a book!I remember watching the mini series when I was a teenager and being shocked, and then reading the book. Need to revisit this one.
War
A popular subject, these novels are set in times of war.
Captain Alatriste: Arturo Perez-Reverte’s novel series follows the adventures of a Spanish soldier in the 17th century.
Gone with the Wind: This romantic novel is set in Civil War and Reconstruction Georgia. Another classic!
Slaughterhouse-Five: Slaughterhouse-Five is a World War II-era science fiction novel by Kurt Vonnegut.
Sharpe: Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe series is all about Sharpe in the Napoleonic Wars.
A Tale of Two Cities: Charles Dickens set this novel in London and Paris during the time of the French Revolution.
The Corps: WEB Griffin’s series wrote this series about the Marine Corps in the years surrounding World War II and the Korean Conflict.
Horatio Hornblower: Horatio Hornblower’s series follows a junior Royal Navy Captain on a mission in Central America during the Napoleonic Wars.
War and Peace: The epic novel War and Peace discusses the details of the events leading up to Napoleon’s invasion of Russia.
The Book Thief: The Book Thief explores Death in WWII Germany. Loved this book when I read it a couple of years ago.
Memoirs of a Geisha: Arthur Golden’s book tells the story of a Kyoto geisha during the time of World War II. Not so fussed about this one. It was good but I didn't think it was great. Maybe it had been overhyped to me by the time I got to it.
Tales of the Otori: Lian Hearn’s historical novel series is based on feudal Japan.
King Rat: King Rat is set in a Japanese POW camp in 1945.
Doctor Zhivago: See the story of a man torn between two women in the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the Russian Civil War.
The English Patient: You will learn about the histories of a series of men living out World War II in an Italian villa.
The Killer Angels: The Killer Angels is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel about the Battle of Gettysburg.
Number the Stars: Number the Stars is a historical fiction about the Holocaust in WWII.
Cold Mountain: Charles Frazier’s story discusses a wounded deserter from the Confederate army.
The Shadow of the Wind: Just after the Spanish Civil War in Barcelona, a young writer is mysteriously approached to write a book. One of my favourites!
The Fiery Cross: The Fiery Cross features the politics and turmoil of the American Revolution. Part of the Outlander series. Surprised to see this one make it into the list when others didn't!
Like Water for Chocolate: See love, longing, and magical realism in this Mexican Revolution novel.Another one that I read years ago that I would like to revisit.
World Without End: Check out Ken Follet’s novel with a plot incorporating the Hundred Years’ War and the Black Death.
Tales of the South Pacific: James A. Michener’s collection of short stories about World War II won a Pulitzer Prize.
Last week I announced the Australian Book Blogger Directory so this week's TSS is going to be a bit of an update on that project, but the main focus for today is going to be around definitions. Does your blog have to be all books all the time to be considered a book blog? How about author blogs? Their focus is on books, admittedly usually only their own books, but still?
First up though an update! After one week we have nearly 50 Aussie book blogs registered which is totally awesome, and a fantastic start! My plan is to spend tomorrow getting all the entries I currently have up on the blog.
Some of the most pleasing aspects of this first week is that after the first few days it was probably 50/50 in terms of the numbers of new to me blogs versus the Australian blogs I already knew about. My Google Reader isn't thanking me, but I am loving finding all these new blogs. Now I just have to carve out more blog hopping time to keep up with them.
The other pleasing thing was that I was able to see new connections being made between people who hadn't discovered each other's blogs before, finding other people with similar tastes in reading. That was one of the aims I had for the directory so I am very hopeful that this will continue.
Before I move onto definitions, I just wanted to say thank you to those of you who posted about the Australian Book Blogger Directory. I don't want to forget anyone so I am not going to name names, but thank you for your support! I really appreciate it, and also to Violet for making a button for the directory.
So this leads me to my questions for today.
When I announced the creation of the Book Blogger Directory I got a couple of emails in particular asking what kind of blogs can be included. Which really is what is a book blogger? Here's a quote from one of those emails:
I would love to spread the word but need to know what your criteria are for "book blog". I am on an Aussie writer list and am happy to tell them about it. Some review books so that's easy. Some review books and write about writing. Some review books occasionally. Some don't review books but they write books! Are you happy to let them decide if they belong to the book blogging fraternity and apply to join the directory? I do think of myself as a book blogger, but also an education and parenting blogger. I have several Australian followers who are mombloggers. If they review books sometimes, can they join?
For the purposes of ABBD, I am really interested in connecting people with similar interests and who will be keen to meet up with other book bloggers in future, so I suspect that my definition might be a bit looser than some other peoples might be. Personally, if someone wants to call themselves a book blogger (and there is some bookish content on their blogs) then I am happy for them to join up, but then again, I actually don't see ABBD as my blog, but rather a community project, so will be happy to discuss other blogger's ideas.
So, what do we all think? Is an author a book blogger, or do they need to at least be chatting about other people's books as well as their own to qualify? What about other types of bloggers who occasionally talk books? What about blogs that are attached to bookstores? Often there are reviews amongst their posts, but really the aim is to try to get people to buy from the store.
Is there a definition somewhere of what a book blogger is or isn't? Does anyone who has signed up for the ABBD have strong opinions as to who should and shouldn't be included?
So, my question to anyone who wants to respond is "How do you define the term book blogger?"
I haven't posted a Weekend Cooking post for a couple of weeks, mainly because I have been too busy enjoying foodie related events, rather than thinking about or reading them.
It all started a couple of weeks ago when a couple of friends and I got together on the Friday night for dinner and drinks. The major reason for this get together was to share a bottle of wine that my friend's dad had sent over to her. I think it is fair to say that it is the most expensive bottle of wine that I have ever partaken of!
She cooked us beautiful steak and vegetables, and we drank the wine with dinner (having already started with a different bottle before dinner!). I love eating steak, but I don't think I do a particularly good job of cooking it, so it is very enjoyable when other people cook it well for me!
I am not really a wine expert. I drink red wine, but generally prefer white, and so when we were discussing the wine as we were drinking it I was having to read the description off of the bottle - long, silky tannins, aged in new French oak etc. It was very nice, but I don't often have a spare $150 lying to spend on one bottle of wine.
It was a great night though, followed by a cafe breakfast the next morning. I could totally get used to other people cooking for me all the time!
My friend has photos and if I can get them off of her, then I will add them to this post later.
Last weekend, I was lucky enough to attend the Good Food and Wine show that was on here in Melbourne. I have actually been to a few of these shows. The first time I went was when I lived in Sheffield in the UK, and the show was being held in Birmingham. Once we got on a train going in the right direction, my friend and I had an excellent day. The second time I went from Sheffield to London with different friends.
Since living in Melbourne I think it is the third or maybe fourth time that I have been, but this is the first time that I didn't have my son with me, so it definitely felt like there was more good wine this time as opposed to good food! I was very careful to plan my day so I didn't have to drive at all, because you only get little tries of each type of wine, but you try so many so you really have no idea how much alcohol you really have had.
One of the highlights of going to these shows is that you get to see some celebrity chefs. In the past I have seen Donna Hay, who is probably one of Australia's best known cooks, and Ainsley Harriott who is an English chef who puts on such a great all round show rather than just a cooking demonstration. This year we got to see a French/Australian chef Manu Fieldel do a demo. He has risen to prominence this year in particular as he has been co-hosting one of the reality TV cooking shows, along side another chef, Pete Evans, both of whom are very easy on the eyes! Being French, there is the gorgeous accent, and lots of jokes about loving women, using just a little bit of cream (as he pours entire cartons in), and a fair bit of a naughtiness (oh Manu!). It was fun especially as he had a bit of a circus theme because he was in the circus for a couple of years as a youngster.
As his demonstration, he made two dishes. The first was a seafood sausage which I can not imagine eating but it is apparently one of his best selling dishes at the restaurant he runs in Sydney, called L'Etoile. It involved white fish, cream, herbs and scallops and then made into a skinless sausage (cue jokes about firm sausages, and appropriate french noises!).
The other dish he made was Apple Tarte Tatin (or as it is described on the menu for his restaurant Le Tarte de Tatin de Maman - Mum's caramelised apple tart with sour cream) , and I have to tell you that I have been craving this all week just to try. It looked fantastic, and it didn't look THAT difficult to make, so I have found a recipe online, and I am going to give that a try tomorrow I think. I did try another recipe tonight which I will probably post about next week.
I have decided though that you really need to go to this event twice. One day is a walking around and trying food and wine day and buying lots of things, and the other is a day where you go and attend some of the classes that are run (like the cheese experience, or cooking with herbs classes). The other thing I would like to do next year is eat in the restaurant that is there that some of the chefs cook for. Oh, and I would try and go on a Friday in the hope that there wouldn't be quite so many people around. It was busy!
I didn't think that you were allowed to take photos, so I didn't, but for a run down of someone else's day at the Good Food and Wine show including photos, check out this post from Kimba's World Kitchen. She lives in Melbourne, and does amazing looking food posts!
I picked up quite a new full sized cook book, and a couple of mini books, and a few bargains, which is another of the highlights of the show too, and tried a whole heap of different foods. It's a bit strange really. You walk around the show, and at one stall you might try divine fudge, and then next stall might be duck, and then some salsa, then some berries etc. You don't so much eat as graze intermittently.
Here's just a brief sample of Manu's gorgeous accent, and he is very cheeky as well!
As if that isn't enough foodie events, I also went out for dinner on Sunday night to one of the local restaurants for my birthday! I had stuffed Petto di Pollo which is Chicken breast, stuffed with sun dried tomatoes, bocconcini and pesto drizzled with a Napoli & cream sauce. Yum.
And then dessert was a tasting plate that consisted of banana crepes and brandy snap basket filled with mascarpone and fresh berries. I was a bit worried about them being on the same plate. They were both nice, but I would have been happy with the brandy snap basket dessert on it's own. Years ago I made a dessert which was poached pears with mascarpone which I loved. Will have to look through my magazines to see if I can find it again because I remember it being so good!
So there you have it, two weekends of foodie experiences, with more to come next week! I will try to get into the habit of taking photos of my food before I start eating it!
Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads and is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs.
I was talking to my boss yesterday and told him that I possibly should have mentioned when he hired me that I am going to be a bit of a zombie for the next month or so. I actually was exaggerating a little bit. If it wasn't for the time zones which mean that most of the games start either around midnight or at 4.30am, I would probably end up watching a lot more of the World Cup than I am going to. When you add in that Wimbledon is in a couple of week (on overnight) and Tour de France as well as the normal Australian winter sports, then there is a lot of spectating going one during the month of June!
My enjoyment of soccer is one of the few legacies left from the five years spent in the UK back in the late 90s, unless you count my son of course, and the occasional Thorntons toffee when I can get it.
One of the best things about the World Cup is getting to see Lucas Neill (Socceroo captain) on the news all the time! Yep, it doesn't take much to keep me happy!
