My Meaty Read

I just finished The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, it was the book I chose to read on my holiday at camp. I loved the intertwined characters and the medieval setting. It is such a grandiose undertaking to build a cathedral and this book captures the span of time required to finish erecting such an edifice. It reminded me of Sarum, because of the setting and topic. I would recommend it to those who love writings of medieval England.

To Die For

This morning I finished "The Garden of Shadows," so I started reading Linda Howard's "To Die For." I've seen this paperback going through the Circulation Desk many times, so I decided to try it. The first line didn't really catch my interest, but by the end of chapter one I was hooked! "To Die For" tells the story of Blair Mallory, and how she was the witness to a murder. There is already so much intrigue going on, and so many questions that need answering! Plus there is the beginnings of a romance (which is very typical of her books). I am hoping it will remain interesting, and that it won't be too over the top in the romance department.

The Garden of Shadows

I started reading "The Garden of Shadows" by V. C. Andrews yesterday. And I haven't wanted to put it down! This is the first book that I have ever read by Andrews and I am very impressed with her writing style! The book is the prequel to "Flowers in the Attic," Andrews' first book. It tells the story of Olivia, a young girl who is too tall by society's standards and deemed ugly. She meets, falls in love with and quickly marries Malcolm Foxworth, heading to live with him at Foxworth Manor. Once there, she slowly discovers just the sort of man that she married, and learns to become the Mistress of Foxworth Manor that she needs to be. A great read that I strongly recommend! I can't wait to see how it ends!!!!

A Few More Graphic Novels

Over the last few days I have read two graphic novels. The first one was the Halo Graphic Novel (which, surprisingly, the library does not have). I am a big Halo fan, so I was excited to read the graphic novel. There were four stories and a lot of art. The stories themselves weren't very impressive; the first story I had trouble following what was going on. But the artwork was amazing! Two of the four stories had incredible art. I didn't really like the artwork in the other two. But then at the back of the book, there was a gallery of artwork, which had all sorts of neat images. So for the art alone, this book is a treat.

The second graphic novel that I read was Aeon Flux (and this one is from the library). I liked the movie, but the cover made it sound like it was a graphic novel adaptation of the movie, so I wasn't sure if I would want to read it. Thankfully, it turned out to be a prequel story. I found it entertaining, although I doubt I would have understood what was going on if I hadn't seen the movie. But I wasn't very impressed with the artwork - I didn't like the way the people looked.

Three Day Road

Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden is definitely a novel in my top three for the year (Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy being the first and Duma Key by Stephen King being the second). This portrait of two Oji-Cree young men leaving Northern Ontario to enter World War One is inspired in part by the true story of war hero Francis Pegahmagabow.

The story begins with only one soldier returning from the war, falling into the arms of his aunt, who can instantly tell how tramatized he is by the war. As the tale continues, readers are offered both the life story of Xavier Bird's aunt Niska, as well as the harrowing saga of what occurred in the battlefields of France and Belguim to create such a devastated and broken man.

With amazing detail and a beautifully flowing story that flashes between the present and glimpses of the past, this award winning novel is a must read for everyone.

Lamb

Yes, I know, I was going to read this back in June. But I didn't have time then, and so I am reading it now. "Lamb: the Gospel According to Biff, Christ's childhood Pal" by Christopher Moore has been a bit hard to get into. Don't get me wrong - it is totally worth reading, but it is not the non-stop laugh fest I was expecting when it was recommended to me. Part of the problem is that there are two stories going on right now: the story of Christ's growing up, and the story of Biff stuck in a modern day hotel room with an angel writing said story. And the latter story I don't really care about. I'm hoping that something will happen to tie them together (or at least to make me care about the second story).

The Hen House

Last week I read The Hen House by Sharon Sala. It's the third book in a trilogy. I haven't read the first two. In this one Letty is living the life she dreamed of. No longer a prostitute she's married to Eulis. They're doing well with the gold rush and are building a big home overlooking Denver. Life is harsh and Letty is opening her home to abused women and an orphan. Eulis dubs their home The Hen House. When she thinks she has everything she's ever wanted, life takes a sad turn when an angry husband changes her life. I enjoyed reading it. I guess The Hen House is classified as Chick Lit. Then again...maybe it's Hen Lit. Happy reading.