Daisies, River Forks Park, Roseburg, Oregon 2011

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

December Book Reviews

I didn't read much this month, mainly because of Christmas, New Year's, etc. Still, I managed to wile away a bit of free time with some great books.

Alexander McCall Smith

I absolutely adore this Edinburgh writer. I have read nearly everything he's written, and enjoyed every book. My favorites are The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series; I eagerly await each new installment and usually read the books in one sitting.

La's Orchestra Saves the World

The story is about a woman leaving London on the brink of World War II, to settle into a small English village in the countryside. She forms an amateur orchestra of local musicians and men from a nearby air base to stage concerts while all around them their country is fighting for it's survival. Friendships are forged, loves lost and found, and through it all: the profound power of music.
It's a wonderful tale of the indomitable spirit of people, against the backdrop of war, to find meaning in their lives.

Nora Roberts


I don't normally read "romance" novels. I do, however, like Nora Roberts. She writes well, and if you overlook the steamy stuff (which in her newer books isn't so...well...steamy), they are quite worth the read.

The Sign of Seven Trilogy
Three boys, on their tenth birthday, accidentally unleash an evil at the Pagan Stone, a place in the forest near their small town of Hawkins Hollow. The history of the stone goes back to the early settlement of Hawkins Hollow, with witch trials, puritanical zealots, and the beginnings of the evil. Each book relates to one of the boys (now men), first with
Blood Brothers about Caleb Hawkins, followed by The Hollow about Fox O'Dell, and concluding with The Pagan Stone and Gage Turner. There are lots of scary bits, things that definitely go bump in the night, and three women (these are "romance" novels after all) who also have a part to play in dealing with the evil. The storyline reminded me of Stephen King sometimes, especially the parts when the guys were boys (Stand by Me comes to mind). Good stuff.


Phil Rickman

There are 10 books in this series about Merrily Watkins, parish priest and diocesan exorcist, which all take place in the Hertfordshire village of Ledwardine. Many of the stories involve people and events over the border in Wales, with lots of local folklore and history.

To Dream of the Dead
The books are continuous, so really, you must read from the first book. In this story, there is a killer December flood, the village is isolated from everything, and with the unearthing of a prehistoric pagan monument which flies in the face of some staunch religious villagers' beliefs, all hell is breaking loose in Ledwardine. Great atmospheric rendering of village life, the trials of being a woman priest, having a pagan teenage daughter, and balancing it all with the changes happening all over England with land development burying the past. Love this series.

Emily Barr

The Sisterhood
A creepy, dark, but gripping read. There's witty "life in London" dialogue, and a great finale that really makes you glad you know exactly who your own sister is. Elizabeth, living in London, has just broken up with her husband. She has a miserable one night stand, and natch, gets pregnant. Meanwhile, across the Channel, Helen, who lives in France, has found some hidden documents belonging to her mother and discovers she has an unknown sister. She decides to go to London to find her. And therein lies the plot. Elizabeth is enchanting as she struggles with her pregnancy and new life, while Helen is...well...something else.
I won't go into any further details, as telling too much would totally spoil the suspense. Well worth the read.