Mine Till Midnight, Lisa Kleypas

Title: Mine Till Midnight
Author: Lisa Kleypas
Published: 2007, St. Martin's
Category: Historical Romance
Rating: 6.5/10

I have to quote Smart Bitch Sarah here because she nailed my feelings about Kleypas:

Anyway, as I was saying, Kleypas = candy. Not the Malaysian kind or the crapass grocery store chocolate kind, but the kind of candy that you stop and devote a good few minutes to enjoying, doing nothing else but savoring the calories that add nothing to your life nutritionally but make you feel happy and indulgent.

May the many thousands of Kleypas fans forgive me, but I've read and enjoyed several Kleypas books and they just don't stick with me for long. And Mine Till Midnight was the same way.

This is the start of what is to be a new series for her, I think. Amelia Hathaway is the oldest daughter of a slightly disreputable family. Since her parents are dead, Amelia is the one who takes care of everybody--no easy feat. Her older brother has recently inherited a title, which unfortunately comes with a crumbling estate and no money. He's also just lost his fiancee to scarlet fever and seems determined to completely self-destruct. The book opens with Amelia searching the gambling halls of London for him. She finally tracks him to one called Jenner's, where she meets Cam Rohan, the half-gypsy who manages it. Instant attraction as he helps her find and retrieve her brother. It seems like they will never see each other again, but of course they run into each other again when the Hathaways move to their new estate, which happens to lie right beside one of Cam's friends' (Lord Westerwhosit from one of the Wallflower books). Cam comes to the rescue as Amelia struggles more and more to keep her family together.

I think I was having mood swings while reading this book. The first scene (when Cam and Amelia meet) annoyed me, then as I got further into the book I was loving it, and then by the end I was irritated again. The scene in London just seemed so full of treacly romantic cliches: "A little shock ran through her as their gazes met." "A ripple of nervousness went through her, leaving an unfamiliar heat in its wake." "The countenance of an exotic angel..." "He wanted to unwrap her like a long-awaited gift." Blergh. The book almost got tossed. But then I started to be charmed by the quirkiness of the Hathaways. They are a really lovable family: gentle Win, cheerful Poppy, kleptomaniac Beatrix. Even the surly brother was well done -- their feelings of helplessness as he self-destructs seemed the perfect mixture of frustration and sadness.

My irritation at the end was caused by the fact that no-nonsense, take-charge Amelia becomes a complete pushover. SPOILER ALERT!! Cam just decides that they'll be married -- he doesn't even ask her. She resists a bit even though she loves him (and who could blame her -- in those days you would be a social outcast if you married a Gypsy), but he just seduces her and she goes along with it. He fixes everything: the house, Merripen's illness, Beatrix's little problem. Now I can understand that it's nice to have a man who can help out, but does he have to do everything?

And then he goes all possessive: "You are never to be alone with him, or any man, except your brother or Merripen. Unless I give my permission." She is upset by this, but she literally gets half a sentence out, and then he kisses her into submission. Argh! I just couldn't like the ending. It was nice to see Amelia loosen up and learn to share her burdens, but it went way too far out of character for her.

Okay, that was sort of a lot of complaining, though I did enjoy most of the book. And I'm sure I'll read Win's book when it comes out.

My AAR list

Here's my first-ever try at compiling a top 100 romances list for AAR's poll. I didn't quite come up with a 100 that I felt were worthy, but I did better than I thought I would. (I haven't been reading romance all that long, plus I'm kind of picky.) Putting together these lists isn't easy, is it?I kept wanting to put non-romance on there (and some of them that did make it on are debatable). And then ordering them was impossible. Is this my 37th favorite or 38th? Hmmm. So really, after a while I just stopped stressing about it. ;)

1 Blue Castle - L.M. Montgomery
2 This Rough Magic - Mary Stewart
3 Persuasion - Jane Austen
4 Bet Me - Jennifer Crusie
5 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
6 Venetia - Georgette Heyer
7 Nine Coaches Waiting - Mary Stewart
8 Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand - Carla Kelly
9 Busman's Honeymoon - Dorothy Sayers
10 Civil Campaign - Lois McMaster Bujold
11 Windflower - Laura London
12 Anne of the Island - L.M. Montgomery
13 Into the Wilderness - Sara Donati
14 Devil's Cub - Georgette Heyer
15 Faking It - Jennifer Crusie
16 Beguilement - Lois McMaster Bujold
17 Gaudy Night - Dorothy Sayers
18 Lord of Scoundrels - Loretta Chase
19 Moonspinners - Mary Stewart
20 Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
21 Reforming Lord Ragsdale - Carla Kelly
22 Touch Not the Cat - Mary Stewart
23 Madam, Will You Talk? - Mary Stewart
24 Welcome to Temptation - Jennifer Crusie
25 Kathryn in the Court of Six Queens - Anne Merton Abbey
26 Ivy Tree - Mary Stewart
27 Grand Sophy - Georgette Heyer
28 Desiree - Annemarie Selinko
29 Nonesuch - Georgette Heyer
30 Far Pavilions - M.M. Kaye
31 Born in Fire - Nora Roberts
32 Celia Garth - Gwen Bristow
33 Crazy for You - Jennifer Crusie
34 Shadowy Horses - Susanna Kearsley
35 Simply Love - Mary Balogh
36 Mystic and Rider - Sharon Shinn
37 Bitten - Kelley Armstrong
38 Ever After - Elswyth Thane
39 Match Me if You Can - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
40 Montana Sky - Nora Roberts
41 No Humans Involved - Kelley Armstrong
42 Sea Swept - Nora Roberts
43 To Sir Philip, With Love - Julia Quinn
44 My Brother Michael - Mary Stewart
45 Games of Command - Linnea Sinclair
46 Countess Below Stairs - Eva Ibbotson
47 Lord of Danger - Anne Stuart
48 Bridal Season - Connie Brockway
49 Demon Angel - Meljean Brook
50 Mr. Impossible - Loretta Chase
51 Mariana - Susanna Kearsley
52 Mistress Pat - L.M. Montgomery
53 Unacceptable Offer - Mary Balogh
54 Bride of the MacHugh - Jan Cox Speas
55 Dreaming of You - Lisa Kleypas
56 Morning Gift - Eva Ibbotson
57 Wild Pursuit - Eloisa James
58 Slave to Sensation - Nalini Singh
59 Ain't She Sweet - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
60 Finders Keepers - Linnea Sinclair
61 This Heart of Mine - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
62 By Possession - Madeline Hunter
63 Lord Perfect - Loretta Chase
64 Frederica - Georgette Heyer
65 Cordelia's Honor - Lois McMaster Bujold
66 Miss Grimley's Oxford Career - Carla Kelly
67 Slightly Dangerous - Mary Balogh
68 Demon Moon - Meljean Brook
69 My Lady Notorious - Jo Beverley
70 Summer to Remember - Mary Balogh
71 Duke and I - Julia Quinn
72 Manhunting - Jennifer Crusie
73 Rapture in Death - J.D. Robb
74 Talisman Ring - Georgette Heyer
75 Thornyhold - Mary Stewart
76 Heart of the Sea - Nora Roberts
77 Poison Study - Maria V. Snyder

I tried not to go too fangirl-ish and just add everything by my favorite authors, but it kind of happened anyway. Here are the big winners:
Mary Balogh 4
Lois McMaster Bujold 3
Loretta Chase 3
Jennifer Crusie 5
Georgette Heyer 6
Carla Kelly 3
L.M. Montgomery 3
Susan Elizabeth Phillips 3
Nora Roberts 4
Mary Stewart 8

Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle, Georgette Heyer

Title: Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle
Author: Georgette Heyer
Published: 1957, Putnam
Category: Historical Romance
Rating: 7.5/10

I got this from the library, thinking it was a new-to-me Heyer. Turns out, I'd read it before. But no matter, it was good the second time too.

Miss Phoebe Marlow had one disastrous Season in London; a rather plain girl clad in unbecoming dresses, her intelligence and wit suppressed by insults given her by her overbearing stepmother, she failed to make any sort of impression on Society. Phoebe was happy enough to return home to the country and then got the unpleasant experience out of her system by writing a novel ridiculing certain members of the ton who were unkind to her. One of these characters was based Sylvester, Duke of Salford, who had given her the cut direct at Almacks. Meanwhile, Sylvester has decided it's time to secure a wife and has to come look Phoebe over as a prospective bride because their mothers were friends. Phoebe thinks (rightly) that this is a stupid way to pick a wife and dislikes Sylvester's hoity-toity attitude, so, fearful of being forced into an unwanted marriage, she runs away to London. She unfortunately has a mishap on the way, and Sylvester ends up saving the day. So he turns out to be not all bad, but Phoebe's novel is about to be published, and she knows that he'll be made insanely mad by it.

There's very much a Pride & Prejudice sort of theme here: Sylvester thinks that his manners are the model of perfection, but in fact he's so used to being the powerful and petted duke that he is horribly conceited. Phoebe, in her straightforward, blunt way, takes him down a peg or two, which is just what he needed. She, on the other hand, realizes that her first impression of him was not exactly wrong, but definitely not the whole picture.

This is an excellent example of Heyer's comedic plotlines. The characters are running all over, from Phoebe's country home to London to France and back again. Slightly ridiculous, but mostly just funny. The romance is a little less successful, IMO. Sylvester's interest in Phoebe seems to stem from her being the only one who has ever rejected him, and I was never quite convinced that he gained a genuine respect for her good qualities -- at least, not enough to want to marry her.

But it's definitely worth a read just to meet Sir Nugent Fotherby, one of Heyer's funniest, most over-the-top dandies ever. And to hear little Edmund scream for his Button (I can't explain this joke, you'll just have to read the book). :)

Reading for a Zen life?

I've got a column up at Romancing the Blog.

And it's Saturday. Wheeeee!

Lime green. Wicked.

As someone who used to work in production for a book publisher, I get ridiculously excited when I see books that have some unusual design or printing element. I was in Borders tonight and saw that the newly released mass-market edition of Wicked has bright, bright fluorescent green page edges (you totally can't tell from this image of the book cover, sadly). You know how really old books sometimes have gilt or red ink around the edges? Classy, right? Imagine it in green.

It's fantastic, because the book really pops out at you if you see a stack of them sitting on a table. So, snaps to HarperCollins. (Though I wonder how much it cost. Probably a pretty penny.) I almost bought a copy, even though I already have a trade paperback -- which I haven't even read yet. ;)

Oh but I did buy some books too (of course): The Runaway Bride by Julie Anne Long, Sexiest Man Alive by Diana Holquist, and Crazy in Love by Lani Diane Rich. Even though they have plain old paper -- no green ink anywhere. LOL. Proving that though I love pretty books, it's the words that really matter. :)

The Secret to Seduction, Julie Anne Long

Title: The Secret to Seduction
Author: Julie Anne Long
Published: 2007, Warner
Category: Historical Romance
Rating: 7/10

I first bought this book months ago after Rosina Lippi (aka Sara Donati) mentioned Julie Anne Long on her blog. (God bless Google, here's the link.) Lippi seems to be quite picky about her romance, so when she endorses someone I'm interested to see why. Most of the post is actually devoted to Long's failings at representing dialect correctly -- this didn't bother me, though I wasn't reading the same title that Rosina was talking about (um yeah, plus I don't have a PhD in linguistics or whatever). What finally brought Secret to Seduction out of the TBR was Janine's great review at Dear Author (which is much longer and more complete than my own).

Sabrina Fairchild is in love (a very polite sort of love) with her village's curate. The curate goes to visit his wicked cousin, Rhys, Earl of Rawden, aka The Libertine, rake extraordinaire and author of scandalous poetry. Sabrina finds a way to get invited to the house party, hoping that she can see more of the curate away from the close watch of her father. Rhys is bored; Sabrina is so irritatingly proud of her "even temperament" and immunity to the evils of a passionate nature. Obviously, it's a challenge Rhys can't refuse and he sets about seducing her. They are caught at it in the library, and Rhys is forced to ask her to marry him. They seem to be falling for each other and on the way to HEA when Sabrina learns that Rhys is guilty of a crime -- one that ruined her family's happiness -- and she has to decide whether or not she can forgive him.

Yes, there are some seriously overdone elements here -- the experienced rake introducing the innocent girl to sexual desire, the compromising situation and forced marriage. And this is points against the book, but I was surprised by how fresh it felt here. Sabrina's innocence isn't irritating, as she is really intelligent and we see that she's not so much a prude as just repressed. The subplot of what happened to Anna's mother was my favorite part. Her matter-of-fact acceptance of her troubles and her ability to forgive and forget were great -- a very wise woman and maybe my favorite character in the book.

I also really liked Long's writing style -- I'll definitely be getting more of her books. Secret to Seduction is the last of a trilogy; Sabrina's sisters' stories are told in Beauty and the Spy and Ways to Be Wicked.

Desktop meme

Megan and Nath tagged me for this, so I'd better get on it.

Here's my desktop at work:


I'm not sure why I like this path-through-the-woods picture so much. Scope for the imagination?

At home Twin and I share a Mac, lovingly named MegaMac (as opposed to the ibook we had named MiniMac). My desktop at work is pretty neat, but poor MegaMac doesn't get the same treatment. He's so messy, I won't embarrass him by displaying his desktop. ;)

Named of the Dragon, Susanna Kearsley

Title: Named of the Dragon
Author: Susanna Kearsley
Published: 1999, Berkley
Category: General Fiction
Rating: 7.5/10

I've been having trouble getting into books lately! Boo. You can see I haven't been doing many reviews. I think it has to do with still being in the process of adjusting to all the newness of a new town and new job. I try to read but then feel too antsy to really settle down and get into it. Well, last Sunday I finally had a completely free day, so I curled up on the couch with Named of the Dragon, expecting the same trouble. But no! I spent the whole day completely sucked in and didn't do much of anything else (except eat, I always remember to eat) until I'd finished it. Yay! Thank God. I was worried my reading zen had gone.

Lyn Ravenshaw is a London literary agent who gets invited to spend Christmas with one of her authors in a little town in Wales. Lyn decides that this might be a good distraction, as her own life has been a bit bleak lately; she is recently divorced and, even more importantly, is still being tortured by nightmares following the death of her baby. In Wales, she meets a young woman named Elen, a young widow with a small child, who is convinced that her son is in horrible danger. She is seemingly off her rocker (she thinks a dragon is after him), but Lyn slowly comes to agree that there is something wrong. But where is the danger coming from? Dashing novelist James, the surly playwright Gareth, one of the other villagers -- or is it all in her imagination, a vestige of her guilt over not being able to save her own child?

I think what sucked me in so completely was the incredible mood that was set -- all of Kearsley's novels have a gothic flavor to them, which is done so well. The action itself is not really very fast or dramatic, but each scene builds the suspense slowly, adding to the mystery and setting you up to wonder. The climax was a little underwhelming, but I didn't even mind because I had such fun getting there. The setting too is wonderful; I've always wanted to visit Wales, and now I want to even more.

The other thing I loved were the very smart characters. All authors and agents, full of clever patter, but never snobby about it. And the romance is very subtle, but--the last scene! Ahhh. Lovely.

Book sale loot

Twin and I went to the Durham County Public Library's book sale last weekend. I wasn't expecting much (I'm still a big-city snob in some ways), but it was really decent. I got a great armload of books for $10. Here's most the haul:



Daring Masquerade, Balogh (never heard of this one, but hey, it's Balogh)
The Last Hellion, Loretta Chase
Marrying Stone, Pamela Morsi (I've been meaning to try this author)
Lady of Sin, Madeline Hunter
In the Midnight Rain, Ruth Wind (heard good things about this one)
Busman's Honeymoon, Sayers (okay, I already have a copy of this, but I love it and it was 50 cents!)
Wicked Day, Mary Stewart
Komarr, Lois McMaster Bujold
The Venetian Mask, Rosalind Laker
Possession, A.S. Byatt
Desiree, Annemarie Selinko (this was a great find, because it's one of my favorites and pretty hard to find and this is a beautiful copy with the dust jacket)

And what made me really, really happy were the four old Mary Stewarts I found. Really nice little British mass market editions from the early 70s. I'm completely in love with the illustration on Madam, Will You Talk?



And here's a picture of the Desiree jacket. Gorgeous!

I love widgets!

I've put a new widget on my sidebar -- scroll down to see it. It's a slideshow of some of my most favorite books.

Mesmerizing, isn't it?

If you would like a widget of your own (and you don't mind advertising a little for Amazon), go here.

An odd assortment of info...

News (some of it not so new) from around the web:

AAR is doing another Top 100 romances poll. I'm going to put my list together, but there's no way I'll be able to come up with 100. I'll shoot for 40. I'll post it here---anyone else who does one, please post it! I'm always interested to see people's favorites.

Loretta Chase wrote a little bit about her next book (Your Scandalous Ways--ooh!) on Word Wenches a couple weeks ago. It's set in Venice! Yippee. About a spy and a divorcee. :) Publication is scheduled for June '08.

The other day I got it into my head that I wanted to re-read "Beginnings," Kelley Armstrong's online short story where Elena and Clay meet, so I popped over to her website. Only to find that the story's been taken down because Armstrong has decided to publish the story (along with several others) in book format! The title will be Men of the Otherworld. I will buy.

You can read her explanation here. Basically, she feels bad about pulling content previously available for free online and selling it in a book, but she's giving all her profits from the book to a charity. So that's okay.

Also noticed on Amazon that the cover is up for her next Otherworld book, Personal Demon. Meh. It matches the others, but I'm not a fan. But I can't wait to read it. Out on March 25 (again in hardcover--I guess the switch from mmpb didn't hurt sales too much).

There's a book trailer for Nora Roberts's new trilogy, Sign of Seven here. The first book (Blood Brothers) is out 11/27 (yippee!). But I was disappointed to find that the other two aren't being published a month afterward, like they sometimes do. :(
The Hollow is out in May '08, The Pagan Stone in December '08. C'mon, Nora, you can't write 6 books in one year?! Sheesh. ;)

Agnes and the Hitman, Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer

Title: Agnes and the Hitman
Author: Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer
Published: 2007, St. Martin's
Category: Romantic Suspense
Rating: 8/10

I was not overly impressed with the first Mayer/Crusie book (though it wasn't bad), so I had planned to get this book from the library. But then I saw these good reviews everywhere. And then I found out that to reserve a book at my new library, you have to pay $1! OMGWTF? I know a buck's not much, but it's a PUBLIC LIBRARY. It's supposed to be free. I used to reserve about 5 books at once and just go pick them up when they had all been nicely set aside for me by those lovely Brooklyn librarians. (AHA! Something I miss about Brooklyn! Take note.)

Sorry for the tangent. Anyway, I ended up buying Agnes and the Hitman and I can't say I'm sorry. Because I had a great time reading it.

Agnes Crandall has just bought the house of her dreams with her fiance. The previous owner gave her a deal, saying that she'd waive the first three months' mortgage payments if Anges let her daughter (who also happens to be a very good friend of Agnes) have her wedding at the house. But then the problems come fast and furious -- people keep breaking in and trying to kidnap her dog; the first of these dog-nappers is accidentally killed by falling into a basement Agnes didn't know existed, which contains a vault that might or might not contain a twenty-years-dead mobster and $5 million; the bride and groom are having mutual cold feet; Agnes's fiance is a putz, and she has a temper that manifests itself in frying pan incidents. The "hitman" of the title is Shane, who is called in to help protect Agnes and ends up all tied up in the craziness.

This book was like Don't Look Down in many ways; any Crusie/Mayer collaboration is going to be a sort of odd combo of Crusie's screwball romantic comedy and Mayer's adventure/boys with toys (and really big guns) suspense. It took a while to get my head around it -- I started out reading happily in Crusie-mode and then . . . someone dies, and I'm all surprised. Twin actually tried to read this and the violence put her off within the first 20 pages. It's not actually very graphic at all, but there are a lot of deaths and those deaths are treated with a levity that is disturbing to me if I think too hard about it. But then the hero is a hit man, so what can you expect?

"We work for a very special organization," Shane said, trying to sound noble.
"That sounds so . . . UNICEF-ish." She looked back toward the kitchen [where a body is being removed]. "It's not UNICEF, is it?"

As screwball comedy it totally worked. Tons of crazy stuff going on, all of it wrapping up really nicely to a surprising ending. It takes place over a short period (4 days, I think), so the action is fast. And the romance worked so, so, so much better in this than in Don't Look Down. The problem in DLD was that you have this very cautious, sensible woman falling into bed and then into love with a man within 48 hours of meeting him. Agnes on the other hand is just the sort of volatile, headstrong woman who could SPOILER! bash her cheating fiance on the head with a frying pan and then be so angry that she has to get it out of her system by boinking her bodyguard. End of spoiler. I loved Cranky Agnes, and I bought in to the romance completely.

And there's really good food in the book. Agnes is a food columnist and there are many scenes that made me want to eat, eat, eat. Mmmphm. Yummy.

Lightning Reviews

The books I want to write about are piling up here, and the poor blog has been so neglected. Its feelings are hurt, I think. So here are a few quickies:

Title: A Wild Pursuit
Author: Eloisa James
Published: 2004, Avon
Category: Historical romance
Rating: 7.5/10

It is whispered behind the fans of London's dowagers and in the corners of fashionable ballrooms that scandal follows willfully wild Lady Beatrix Lennox wherever she goes. Three years before, the debutante created a sensation by being found in a distinctly compromising position. Now, the ton has branded her as unmarriageable, her family has called her a vixen, and Beatrix sees no reason not to go after what -- and who -- she wishes.

And she wants Stephen Fairfax-Lacy, the handsome Earl of Spade. Beatrix, with her brazen suggestions and irresistibly sensuous allure, couldn't be more different from the earl's ideal future bride. Yet Beatrix brings out a wildness in the earl he has tried to deny far too long. Still, he's not about to play love's game by Lady Beatrix's rules. She may be used to being on top in affairs of the heart, but that will soon change.

Eloisa James's characters are so much more flawed than you often find in romance novels. I always start out disliking her heroines a bit, but then they grow on me so much that by the end I'm rooting for them wholeheartedly. And this one was just really funny. It's the one with the goat, some of you may remember the scene. It is quite memorable. I ordered a few more James books right after reading this one. :)

Title: Kidnapped!
Author: Jo Leigh
Published: 2007, Harlequin Blaze
Category: Category romance
Rating: 5/10

Okay, it's certainly an unconventional way for Manhattan heiress Tate Baxter to conquer her fears. But when your whole life takes place behind the tinted windows of a limo and your household staff are all gun-toting ex-CIA, drastic measures have to be taken. Especially when one member of that staff has got her all hot and bothered.

Chauffeur Michael Caulfield has just one assignment—keeping Tate safe. But when she's kidnapped for real, the only way he can save her is to become a prisoner with her. He may be just "the help," but as her take-charge protector, he's the Michael of her sexual fantasies. Maybe a man she can trust and even dare to love? Except once out of his uniform, he isn't exactly laying bare all his secrets…to Tate.

I really am trying to get past my prejudice against categories. But this one didn't do much for me, even just as a quick, easy read. But it might be a INYIM, as Kristie says. The whole kidnapping fantasy is really not exciting to me. I was a bit bored.

Title: The Morning Gift
Author: Eva Ibbotson
Published: 1993, St. Martin's (Reissued 2007, Penguin)
Category: Romantic Fiction
Rating: 8/10

Twenty-year-old Ruth Berger is desperate. The daughter of a Jewish-Austrian professor, she was supposed to have escaped Vienna before the Nazis marched into the city. Yet the plan went completely wrong, and while her family and fiancé are waiting for her in safety, Ruth is stuck in Vienna with no way to escape. Then she encounters her father's young college professor, the dashing British paleontologist Quin Sommerville. Together, they strike a bargain: a marriage of convenience, to be annulled as soon as they return to safety. But dissolving the marriage proves to be more difficult than either of them thought—not the least because of the undeniable attraction Quin and Ruth share. To make matters worse, Ruth is enrolled in Quin's university, in his very classes. Can their secret survive, or will circumstances destroy their love?

I hereby officially deem Eva Ibbotson a Favorite Author! Hee! (Such an honor.) This is currently my second favorite Ibbotson, right after A Countess Below Stairs. The whole academic flavor of this book was very appealing to me--Ruth is a graduate student and Quin is an important professor and scholar. Nothing makes my little heart beat like a scholarly hero. ;) And though the book is set during a rather depressing time, there's a lot of humor in it too. I loved when Ruth loses the annulment papers and she gets mad at her friend who "dares to talk to [her] about Freud and what he said about losing things." ... "That we lose what we want to lose...and forget what we want to forget."

Bride of the MacHugh, Jan Cox Speas

Title: Bride of the MacHugh
Author: Jan Cox Speas
Published: 1954, Avon
Category: Historical Fiction
Rating: 8/10

Getting book recommendations from people can be really hit-or-miss -- a person's taste in books is so personal, that if you don't know the person very well, you can find yourself buying a book that may light their fire but does absolutely nothing for you. One of the places that I have found some of the best (and consistently good) recommendations is by finding out what books are some of my favorite authors' favorites. I love to find authors answering the question, "Who are your favorite authors?" Bride of the MacHugh is a favorite of author Susanna Kearsley, whose books I discovered recently and have really enjoyed.

I loved this book and I wanted to do a really good review of it, but then life intruded and now it's been about a month since I read it. *sigh* So I'm going to do a synopsis, but it's going to be a bit vague because some of the details have already floated away from me. But I refuse to post the cover blurb that's on the back of my edition because it is melodramatic idiocy. "Her love was rebellion against family and rank, and his was a sword made reckless by desire!" (In gold foil, too! Wow.) It gives you a completely wrong impression of the book. Anyway...

Elspeth Lamond is Scottish by birth but has been raised in London as a ward of King James. As her mother lies dying, she makes Elspeth promise to go to Scotland and meet her father, Robert Lamond. She travels there under the protection of her kinsman the Earl of Argyll, a powerful Scot who has strong ties to the king. But she is soon kidnapped by Alexander MacHugh, The MacHugh (chief of the MacHugh clan). Some complicated political scheming goes on (here's where I'm forgetting), but basically, Argyl has arranged a marriage for Elspeth with a rich Englishman, a marriage that will bring him the connections and gold he needs to amass even greater power in Scotland. Elspeth has no real power to object, but she has found in Alexander a man whose fiery temper matches her own. But what sort of dangers would they run if they defied Argyll and the English king?

This is great historical fiction -- it really captures the feeling of a different age and incorporates all the interesting historical details without feeling clunky. All the characters are fabulous; Alexander is the powerful and fiery Scot, whose domineering ways could have been irritating if Elspeth hadn't been perfectly able to stand up for herself. Her passion and intelligence matches his, so it's wonderful to see the two of them fight their way to love. :)

Why I don't have the brainpower to blog...

I'm in week two of my library job, and it's going really well. I'm slowly getting the hang of the intricacies of cataloging (okay, well, really I'm just learning the basics, but hey, you have to start somewhere).

So here's my excuse for my lack of posts lately--

Take a look at the online catalog page for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:


Fairly easy to read, very straightforward, right? Doesn't look like creating a catalog record and entering it into the online catalog would be so hard. But we don't get to use such a pretty, user-friendly interface. Oh, no. We get to do it in MARC (machine-readable cataloging):



Yeah, looks like a bunch of gobbeldy-gook. And that's for a simple book. Nonfiction can get even hairier, with extra authors, series information, many more subject headings. Then you get to do it for a book in German. Or Croatian. Or Bicol. (I'd never heard of Bicol until today. It's an area of the Philippines, don't you know.)

Okay, I'm complaining, but actually it's kind of fun. Like a puzzle to figure out (yes, I am a dork). If anyone else is a dork, you can learn about MARC here. Or if you really want a headache, check this out.

But after cramming this stuff into my head all day, writing a book review that manages in any way to be at all thoughtful has proved impossible. But I will get back to it soon. ;)

Hanging Rock, NC

It's been so long since I posted! I'm slowly adjusting to working full-time again. I have about 5 books to catch up on, but first I'll share a few pictures from our camping trip last weekend. (Credit for all the pics goes to Twin, who is a much better photographer than I am.) We stayed at Hanging Rock State Park, near Winston-Salem. It was a really nice park (and I've seen a lot of them), good hiking and beautiful scenery.




The CCC built the park in the 1930s, including a dam to create a nice little lake. There's boating and swimming---plenty of people were swimming, though they must be heartier than me. I was watching from the shore in jeans and a sweatshirt.


The CCC also built some really beautiful stone buildings---this is the bathhouse, right on the lake.


And here's me and my dad at the top of Hanging Rock. (BTW, french braid pigtails are really the only way to go when camping. LOL)

Meme, meme!

Devon tagged me for this one.

1. Total number of books I own: My collection's not really that big yet. I currently have 427 in my Librarything account--that's all fiction, books I've read and decided were keepers. I counted my TBR (EEK! Damn you, Devon! Cuz I didn't think it was this bad), and that total is 207. Plus I'm guessing around 100 books of nonfiction scattered around. So what's that, 725 or so?

2. Last book I bought: I was going to be very good and wait to get Agnes and the Hit Man from the library. But they're so slow, and it's been getting such good reviews. I was in Target tonight and I couldn't help myself. It was 30% off. I also bought Kidnapped! by Jo Leigh (even though I think that exclamation points in titles should be forbidden--SRSLY).

3. Last book I read: A Wild Pursuit, by Eloisa James. Review to come. :)

4. Five books that mean a lot to me:



Horton Hears a Who, Dr. Seuss - My parents read a lot to me as a kid. I can still remember a lot of those books, but like many, many other children, this is one that certainly made a big impression.

The Great Brain, John D. Fitzgerald - Another one read to me, but I think it's also one of the first chapter books I read multiple times on my own.

Desiree, Annemarie Selinko - IIRC, the first real "grown-up" book I read. Still love to re-read this one.

The Blue Castle, L.M. Montgomery - My ultimate comfort read. Sick, sad, whatever the problem, this is the remedy.

This Rough Magic, Mary Stewart - My favorite book by my favorite author.

I think most people have done this meme by now, but if you haven't, join in the fun! :)

Twin, Dad, and I are off tomorrow to the mountains for some camping. Woo hoo! I might have pictures to share when I get back. To all the Americans - happy long weekend!

A Summer to Remember, Mary Balogh

Title: A Summer to Remember
Author: Mary Balogh
Published: 2002, Dell
Category: Historical Romance
Rating: 7/10

This is a re-read. I always love Balogh, and I'd nearly forgotten what this one was about. And then I saw it in the bookstore---reissued for the low, low price of $4.99! How was I to resist such a deal?

Cover blurb (because I don't feel like writing a synopsis tonight!):

Kit Butler is cool, dangerous, one of London’s most infamous bachelors—marriage is the last thing on his mind. But Kit’s family has other plans. Desperate to thwart his father’s matchmaking, Kit needs a bride...fast. Enter Miss Lauren Edgeworth.

A year after being abandoned at the altar, Lauren has determined that marriage is not for her. When these two fiercely independent souls meet, sparks fly—and a deal is hatched. Lauren will masquerade as Kit’s intended if he agrees to provide a passionate, adventurous, unforgettable summer. When summer ends, she will break off the engagement, rendering herself unmarriageable and leaving them both free. Everything is going perfectly—until Kit does the unthinkable: He begins to fall in love. A summer to remember is not enough for him. But how can he convince Lauren to be his...for better, for worse, for the rest of their lives?

Ah, Balogh. You are so lovely. A fake rake who's just a really nice guy. An ice princess who needs to learn to loosen up and enjoy life. What's not to like? Actually Lauren annoyed me occasionally with her woe-is-me martyrdom, but Kit is a delight. I always call Balogh books "nice" because they just are. I always find them very comforting reads.

This is the book that also introduced the Bedwyns and sent Balogh writing the Slightly [insert adjective] and the Simply [insert romantic sentiment] series.

Okay, that wasn't much of a review. Can I blame the hot weather? It is affecting my attention span, I think. :)

Stardust, Neil Gaiman

Title: Stardust
Author: Neil Gaiman
Published: 2001, HarperCollins
Category: Fantasy
Rating: 8/10

I have been meaning to read this book ever since Smart Bitch Candy went squee-crazy over it a couple months ago. Then the movie came out, which I really wanted to see, but it's just wrong to watch a movie before reading the book it's based on, so I finally got my ass in gear.

Tristran Thorn is a slightly goofy young man living in the town of Wall, in Victorian England. He has a serious case of puppy love for the town beauty, Victoria Forrester. In an effort to convince her to marry him, Tristran promises to cross the wall (the mysterious border between our world and the world of Faerie) and bring Victoria back a fallen star. He sets out to do so and soon finds the fallen star, which he is surprised to discover is a young woman named Yvaine. Trouble is, Tristran isn't the only one after the star. A trio of witches, some princes, and assorted other magical beings are also after her for various, mostly nefarious, reasons.

When I start a fantasy novel I expect it to be three things: a bit dense, fairly complicated, and very, very long. I know that this doesn't apply to every book in the genre (and I don't read a ton of fantasy), but it is what I generally expect. Stardust is none of these things. It is airy and whimsical; not insubstantial---we see Tristran's quest change him from an awkward boy into a confident man---but there are none of the complicated rules of the alternate reality that fantasy books often have. I felt like I just floated through the book, the world created in seeming haphazard fashion, but coming together to magical perfection in the end. It is just charming and winsome, and really very funny.

In the acknowledgments Gaiman calls it a fairy story for adults. And I think that about sums it up. :)

Now about the movie. Because, yes, I did see it. And I really loved it. They added tons of action scenes, some of the subtlety is naturally lost, and the ending is slightly Disney-fied, but I think it still captured the tone of the book well.

And look at Charlie Cox. Ack! Adorable!

Yippee!

I am happy because:

1. I got a job! A full-time library job that I'm very excited about. Yay me. It's in the cataloging department of the UNC library (which is enormous, by the way).
Interviewer: "So what do you think your biggest challenge would be in this job?"
Me: "Um, well, I don't really know how to catalog."
Interviewer: "That's okay. We can teach you that."
Oh, good. :)

2. Twin made me an adorable dress. I even let her put pictures of me on her blog.

3. I bought a ton of books today. Someone needs to restrain me. Take away my plastic. Every time I finish a book, I pull out about 10 others from the TBR that I really want to read and hem and haw about what to start next. So do I need more books? Definitely not. But I cannot help myself. Here is today's haul:
The Bride, Garwood (OMG, what possessed me? I haven't read Garwood in years.)
Charity Girl and Powder and Patch, Heyer
Duchess in Love and Pleasure for Pleasure, Eloisa James (she may be a new favorite author)
The Gilded Web, Balogh
Haunted, Kelley Armstrong
Your Mouth Drives Me Crazy, HelenKay Dimon (not sure about this one, but it's set in Hawaii!)
Leopard Prince and Serpent Prince, Hoyt (Yes, both of them. Even though I didn't understand all the hoopla about Raven Prince. I couldn't help myself.)

I deserved a treat, right? :)

An Infamous Army, Georgette Heyer

Title: An Infamous Army
Author: Georgette Heyer
Published: 1937, Doubleday
Category: Historical Fiction
Rating: 7/10

On my first visit to my new public library I was happy to see that they have quite a selection of Georgette Heyers, including this fantastic 1937 edition of An Infamous Army. Look at that illustration! It's so great I took the trouble of scanning it for you all. It is a beautiful book and I don't really want to give it back. (Don't worry, I will. Really. I want to "lose" it, but I am resisting the temptation.) I especially love the tagline, "A Magnificent Novel of Waterloo." So grand!

An Infamous Army is an account of the weeks leading up to and including the Battle of Waterloo. It describes the mad social swirl of aristocrats and officers who gather in Brussles as Napoleon reorganizes his army for his last attempt to regain power. Wellington plays a role, as he manages to cobble together his "infamous army" from the mishmash of English, Belgian, Dutch, Prussian and French Royalist troops. Like all Heyers, we have a love story, of course. Barbara (Bab) Childe is a vivacious beauty, a young widow who delights in all sorts of outrageous and scandalous behavior. Colonel Charles Audley falls in love with her immediately, and though all his friends and relatives thinks he's much too nice a man for such a viper, he thinks he's the man to tame her. Bab agrees to marry Charles, but then chafes at the restriction and expectations put on her by her engagement. Soon, however, Bab's petty fears and uncertainties are put aside in the face of the seriousness of the battle that breaks out. She must wait in Brussles as Charles rides off to war.

This book surprised me---all the other Heyers I've read have been comedies of manners; if historical events are mentioned, they're just for flavor and tangential to the main plot. This book is really a detailed and (I believe) very accurate piece of historical fiction. It is leavened with a romantic thread, but a good portion of the book focuses on the battle. It is all well written, but I will admit to some boredom in a few places. It was all right when I was seeing a character I knew participating in the battle, but there was also a lot of General Whosit with his 3rd brigade doing whatever to the cavalry while the infantry formed lines ... yawn. I had to skim some sections. It did get very interesting at the end, and I think I did absorb a bit of history, which is always good thing. And Heyer does present engaging descriptions of some historical figures---Wellington and the Prince of Orange were my favorites.

The fictional characters are typical, wonderful Heyer. Bab is a bit of a Scarlet O'Hara--hard to like at first, but ultimately admirable. She is a spoiled beauty who we want to see accept, and be softened by, Charles's love. "The mischief of her upbringing, the hardening effect of a distasteful marriage, had vitiated a character of whose underlying worth [Charles] could still entertain no doubt. That the heart was unspoiled, he was sure..." Charles is fantastic; he manages Bab with wit and cunning, but he's also just a good and kind man who genuinely cares about her. And so very honorable! His loyalty and bravery during the battle make him quite a hero.

FYI, this is the third in what is sometimes called the Alastair trilogy---Bab is the grandchild of Mary and Dominic from Devil's Cub and the great-grandchild of the Leonie and Justin of These Old Shades.

Thornyhold, Mary Stewart

Title: Thornyhold
Author: Mary Stewart
Published: 1988, William Morrow
Category: Romantic Suspense
Rating: 9/10

I have not talked about Mary Stewart in ages! Did you all know she's my favoritest author of all time? Hee! She is a GODDESS.

I found a pretty hardcover copy of Thornyhold at a thrift store a couple weeks ago. I already had a copy, but it was only $1! I just can't see a used copy of a Mary Stewart book in a store without buying it. My crazed fandom is such that I would like to own a copy of every edition ever put out, with all the different cover art. (Even though my practical side thinks this would be a ridiculous waste of money.) Anyway, my pretty new copy of Thornyhold demanded a re-read.

Geillis Ramsey has led a quiet life---a rather subdued childhood under the thumb of her domineering mother and then taking care of her aging father until his death. Soon after her father dies, she finds out that she has inherited a house named Thornyhold from her godmother. When she arrives at Thornyhold, she finds it to be a charming house and happily starts making herself at home. Soon it becomes clear that her godmother was considered by many in the neighborhood to be a witch, not the scary, evil kind, but a wise woman with a great knowledge of herbs and healing. And Geillis starts feeling like she's being pushed into following in her godmother's footsteps. Shy Geillis starts to gain confidence and even begins to feel that romance has not passed her by.

This is my favorite of what I think of as Mary Stewart's "tame" books---those novels she wrote in the 1980s and '90s in which the suspense is just not terribly suspenseful. Though I love all her romantic suspense titles, my favorites were written in the 50s-70s when she was younger. But the tame books are still lovely and they make for very cozy reads, as long as you know what to expect from them. Thornyhold is the coziest of them all, imo. The idyllic English countryside, a quiet young woman setting up house for herself, then quietly falling in love with her neighbor. Nothing huge or dramatic happens, just a little love story. I love it.

A Song for Summer, Eva Ibbotson

Title: A Song for Summer
Author: Eva Ibbotson
Published: 1998, St. Martin's
Category: Romantic Fiction
Rating: 6.5/10

One more Ibbotson before I move on to other things. ;)

Ellen Carr has been raised by her suffragette mother and two aunts, all professional career women who take pride in the fact that they are leading the way for independent women everywhere. They are therefore taken aback when Ellen doesn't want to follow in their footsteps, but instead insists on attending the Lucy Hatton School of Cookery and Household Management. Degree in hand, Ellen takes her first job as housemother in an eccentric boarding school in Austria. She finds plenty to keep her busy at the school, taking care of the children (and staff too) and making everyone comfortable and at home. She meets the mysterious Marek, who says he's the groundskeeper but seems to be hiding out for reasons unknown. WWII is coming ever closer as Austria comes under the control of the Third Reich.

I enjoyed this book as well, but it was not as deliciously joyful as the other Ibbotsons I've read. Obviously understandable in a book set in WWII. There is a much more realistic feeling to it, more grown up, not at all a fairy tale. I did love that Ellen makes her own decision about what to do with her life, even though her family does not approve. And in the end, she shows everyone that she has a real gift for the domestic arts and that making a home comfortable and providing shelter and love can be as useful and rewarding as being a doctor or professor.

Carolina's suiting me just fiiiine.

You have to draw out the "i" sound here in North Carolina. It's mandatory.

Just letting you all know that I have settled in very nicely now in my new home. (I'm sure you were worried.) The apartment is all cozy and snug. I have to say that I am enjoying the change. I miss my friends and coworkers of course, but I do not miss the city much at all. I still revel every night when I get into bed in the blissful silence and nearly complete darkness. Two hobbies have been resurrected: Twin and I have resumed our tennis rivalry (public courts are few and far between in Brooklyn, and we have one here just around the corner), and I've been playing my flute. I played all through school and loved it, but I never felt comfortable subjecting my many neighbors in NYC to my practicing. I'm hoping to find an ensemble to play with, or maybe just take lessons and make my teacher play lots of duets with me.

The job hunt is going pretty well, I think (*knocking on wood*). I've been doing some editing from home, though I've decided that I could never do it full-time, as I would be the world's worst boss to myself. Plus a day seems really long with no one at all to talk to! Twin comes home at 5:30 and I'm all chatty and she just wants to be quiet and rest. Poor thing. :)

Twin finished arranging our craft room this weekend; I helped a bit, mainly by holding things steady while she drilled stuff into the wall. It was quite a project. She's got a post up about it with more pix if people would like to see. Didn't it turn out nice? (And how nice not to have all the crafting clutter in the living room!)


So besides exploring the area, and reading lots, I've started a new quilt. I used to have a plain blue duvet on my bed, but the feather thingie is all wonky now and needs to be retired. So I tore up the duvet and am using the fabric to make this blue-and-white pinwheel quilt. (Twin drafted it for me on Illustrator so I could see what it would look like.) The border is a striped fabric, the same material my curtains are made of.


Actually, it's not going to be quite like that. I was planning on 4-inch pinwheels, but then I did the math and realized that I would have to make 168 pinwheels (composed of over 1,300 pieces of fabric). Now, I like the meticulous, repetitive nature of quilting, but that's going overboard. So there will be fewer, larger pinwheels. I only had to cut out 576 triangles. Much better. I should be able to finish it before cool weather gets here.

Okay, back to the books for next post. I've been reading up a storm and been on quite a streak of good reads. I'm hoping it lasts.

Happy reading and summer fun to you all. ;)

A Company of Swans, Eva Ibbotson

Title: A Company of Swans
Author: Eva Ibbotson
Published: 1985, St. Martin's
Category: Romantic Fiction
Rating: 7.5/10

Reading A Countess Below Stairs last week sent me on a bit of an Ibbotson binge. I found a copy of A Company of Swans at the library. This book is currently out of print, but an edition (with this pretty cover) is being reissued in September.

Harriet Morton has led a repressed and dreary childhood, growing up in a lonely and cold house in Cambridge under the thumb of her narrow-minded professor father and meddlesome spinster aunt. The only thing that makes her really happy are her ballet lessons. In 1912 when she is 18, a Russian ballet master sees her dance and offers her a place in a touring ballet troupe that he is taking to South America. Of course, Harriet's father would never allow it. Dancing is low class and he's decided that Harriet will marry the pretentious entomologist Dr. Fitch-Dutton. But Harriet works up her courage and runs away and soon she is sailing for Brazil. She loves her new life; dancing before an appreciative audience, becoming friends with the other dancers and staff, and then falling in love with the mysterious Rom Verney.

Ibbotson has delivered again for me; I loved this book too (though not quite as much as Countess). Harriet is lovable in much the same way that Anna is: quietly appreciating life and living every experience to the fullest. And Rom was an even more interesting and complex character than Harriet. But while the two of them were great, the secondary characters in this felt a bit lacking. That was one of the things that I thought so amazing about A Countess Below Stairs---each person in the huge cast of secondary characters was so well drawn, no matter how little space was given to them. Whereas in this book, I had trouble remembering who everyone was. My other complaint is that the conflict, which starts out so promising, eventually diminishes into a simple Big Misunderstanding. Argh. A bit annoying, as always.

But I thought the setting was fascinating. Harriet's troupe sails up the Amazon river to the city of Manaus. I had never heard of Manaus (my knowledge of South American history is, well, a bit non-existent) and thought that maybe it was fictional. But no! A look at my atlas told me that much (have I ever mentioned how much I love my atlas?). And Wiki has a photo of the famous opera house where they performed. Isn't it great? Anyway, very unusual--exotic and interesting.

Twelve Houses series, Sharon Shinn

Titles: Mystic and Rider, The Thirteenth House, & Dark Moon Defender
Author: Sharon Shinn
Published: 2005-2006, Ace
Category: Fantasy
Rating: 8/10

So since the move from NY, I have been mostly unemployed. I had planned to take a few weeks off to just relax and laze about, something I haven't been able to do in years (that whole making a living deal really gets in the way sometimes). It has been reeeeaallly nice. And it got even nicer when I started Mystic and Rider and was able to spend about four days completely immersed in the world of Gillengaria, where Sharon Shinn's Twelve Houses series takes place. Whole days on my couch with a good book. Ack! Is there anything better?

I discovered Sharon Shinn through the lovely ladies at Dear Author. I read Archangel and was very impressed with her beautiful writing, though the world of Samaria somehow didn't do much for me. Thank goodness I gave her another shot, because this series I LOVE.

Mystic and Rider introduces us to Senneth, a mystic (a woman endowed with magic) who can create and control fire. Though mystics are often looked upon with fear by many people in Gillengaria, she is a trusted advisor to King Baryn. She is sent by the king on a trip through the southern provinces to investigate rumors of malcontent among the people there. Baryn sends two of his most trusted men, King's Riders named Tayse and Justin, along to protect her. Kirra Danalustrous, another mystic who has the power of shapeshifting, and her loyal friend Donnal also join them. Along the way they pick up a young man named Cammon, rescuing him from indentured servitude to a mystic-hater (Cammon is an extraordinarily talented empath). So the six of them ride throughout the land having all sorts of adventures, slowly going from strangers, to wary acquaintances, to the most loyal of friends.

I don't want to make this post tediously long, so these blurbs are going to be ridiculously short. In the second book, The Thirteenth House, Kirra comes to the fore. The six friends are reunited as they accompany the princess Amalie on a social tour of the land, protecting her from her many enemies. Kirra falls in love with Romar Brendyn, the handsome, though married, regent. He becomes a target for the members of the Thirteenth House, the class of lesser powerful lords. Kirra (and friends) must use all her power and cunning to keep him safe.



And the third in the series, Dark Moon Defender, focuses on Justin's adventure as he is sent to the city of Neft to spy on the Lumanen Convent. This is a religious order that is gaining power throughout the land, headed by the mysterious Coralinda Gisseltess. The fanatical teachings of Coralinda claim that all magic is evil and that all mystics must be killed. Justin meets a young novice in the convent named Ellynor, who soon shows that she has mystical abilities herself. As Justin falls in love with her, he must persuade her to leave the convent before her secret is revealed and she is put into terrible danger.

Those were horrible synopses, because there is a lot more to these stories than that. I'm not sure that it's particularly original fantasy, but the world-building is very cleverly done. Lots of great details so that right from the start I was firmly entrenched in the world, and by the end of the third I never wanted to leave. :)

And really, I don't know where to start listing the all the things I liked about these books. The writing is fantastic, lovely and lyrical without ever coming close to being melodramatic. The action is swift and fun. But I think my favorite part of this series is the way the six main characters form such a fantastic unit. They are a motley crew, each incredibly different from the others, but they make themselves into a family. I loved seeing them all come back in each book, picking up together and building more and more bonds of friendship.

The fourth (and I believe, last) book in the series is Reader and Raelynx, due out in November.

A Countess Below Stairs, Eva Ibbotson

Title: A Countess Below Stairs
Author: Eva Ibbotson
Published: 1997, Avon (Reissued 2007, Penguin Speak)
Category: Romantic fiction/ YA
Rating: 8/10

I was in the mood for something light and cheerful, so I picked this one up last week. I'd ordered it after Rosario chose it as one of her books for the Lesser Known Favorites Meme. She said it was light and funny and romantic. And she was right. As usual. ;)

Anna Grazinsky comes to England as a refugee after the Russian Revolution. Her family was high in the Russian aristocracy, her father a count and friend of the Tsar. They've lost all their money, and the only work that Anna is able to find is as a housemaid at the country estate of Rupert, the Earl of Westerholme. Though she knows nothing about being a servant and the staff is wary of her strangeness, she is so cheerful and hardworking that she soon becomes most beloved by both the family above stairs and the staff below.

Post-WWI England being rather difficult for many of the landed gentry, the cash-strapped Earl has been lucky enough to find an heiress to marry, and the household staff is busily preparing to receive his fiancee. When she arrives, however, she begins offending people right and left, and soon people are feeling very sorry for poor Rupert. And it doesn't help that Anna and Rupert have become rather more than just friendly.

This book made me so, so happy! The edition I have (reissued this year) was released by a YA imprint and it does feel a bit YA-ish, mostly because it is all very sweet and innocent, a Cinderella story retold. But it is a very intelligent book too, chock full of interesting allusions---everything from Dido's lament at Carthage and women giving out white feathers in WWI to the study of eugenics. The European setting and Anna's Russian heritage I found completely charming.

Anna is a delightful character. One of those perfect people who you might want to hate because they're so perfect, but can't because they are simply too nice. She's gone from being a pampered princess (who somehow manages to avoid becoming a spoiled brat) to working as a servant, and she still throws herself into life with a joy that makes her existence (and everyone's she comes into contact with) a brighter and happier place.

The romance was lovely too, though for once it wasn't what I loved most about the book. ;) Rupert is the sensitive, intelligent, thoughtful sort of hero, which I always like, though there were a couple of places where I thought he acted a bit stupid for such an intelligent guy. But whatever. The plot ties up with painstaking tidiness, making it completely unbelievable, but as it's a fairy tale, it didn't bother me at all! The huge cast of lovable characters is what makes this a great read.

Before I picked this up I was in a bit of a reading funk, and this book just catapulted me right out of it. It was one of those times when the book I picked up suited my mood perfectly and really made my day. So thanks to Rosario for the recommendation. ;)

I've been to the library and gotten two more Ibbotsons. I'm hoping they're as good.

The Sharing Knife: Legacy by Lois McMaster Bujold

Title: The Sharing Knife: Legacy
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Published: 2007, Eos
Category: Fantasy
Rating: 7.5/10

This is the continuation of the story started in The Sharing Knife: Beguilement. I read that book back in January and really loved it, so I was very impatient for this one to come out. They are very much one story--not book and sequel, but rather part 1 and 2. I believe that Bujold originally wrote them to be one long novel. Legacy starts off right where Beguilement left us. I normally don't say this, because any series book should stand alone, but this is a case where you really shouldn't read Legacy without reading Beguilement first. You'll just be lost.

Fawn (a farmer girl) and Dag (a prominent Lakewalker patroller) have married, despite local custom that prohibits marriage between the two groups. They've made their peace with Fawn's family, and now they head to Dag's home to see what the situation there will be. And it's not good. Dag's family (mother and brother, who he never got along with very well to begin with) will not accept Fawn at all. They think it's a disgrace to the family and the Lakewalkers in general, and not only are they hateful toward Fawn, but they actually bring the two of them before the village council in an effort to make Dag give Fawn up.

Dag has a real dilemma. He loves Fawn desperately; she has brought him peace and comfort and love when he thought he was beyond any of those things. But he also has a great responsibility as a Lakewalker patroller. The "Legacy" left to the Lakewalker people by their reckless ancestors are malices---life-sucking monsters that the Lakewalkers must seek out and destroy in order to keep the world safe. Dag is an excellent patroller, it's what he's spent his life doing. He cannot give it up, but if he is thrown out of his home, he will have no choice. How can he keep his people safe (and Fawn too) if he cannot patrol?

This book is lovely and beautiful and well written, as all of the Bujolds I've read have been. As usual, the themes of honor and responsibility are most important, and they are done so well. The Lakewalkers' "Legacy" reminds me all too much of the legacy that my own power-hungry, energy-mad country is inflicting on the world. The blight described as the aftermath of a malice coming to power and sucking all the life out of a region is all too imaginable. What sacrifices will our descendants have to make to right the wrongs that we are committing?

The best kind of fantasy, then---one that takes a magical story and makes you think about the real world in a new way. So, an excellent book and I hate myself a little for complaining. But, dude, it was a little too gloomy! Beguilement was filled with the same themes, but was also filled with a lovely feeling of hope. I could have used a bit more hope in this one.

But I am still very eager for the next installment in this world. I think I read somewhere that Bujold has two more books planned. Definitely will be picking them up as soon as they are pub'd.