Too much delay!

I can't believe I've let posting be delayed this long - I have so much to add.

So I did finish Happy are the Meek and enjoyed it much. It's been so long, I don't have much memory of what all happened - which is actually rather sad. I do know that I enjoyed it - and I still really like Fr. Blackie (and would like to meet him). The story did end happily with two couples getting together and with no more deaths. I was surprised by who actually killed the husband (I've forgotten their names - and admittedly regret that) but it does make sense with the rest of the clues in the story. My heart went out to many of the characters - they've gone through quite a bit of trouble - so they're due some happiness! I look forward to reading the next book in the series (even if I don't remember which one is next for sure).

After I finished that I started Charles de Lint's newest book (in a way) Eyes Like Leaves. It was a fascinating story touching on lots of myths/legends/what-have-you from all over. Near the end of the book I was trying to figure out how/if it connected with Riddle of the Wren, which I read a long time ago. I would like to meet these characters again sometime - so hopefully there's more to come. My only real complaint with the story has more to do with the particular copy RPL has than with the story itself. The book is listed as having a Bonus Materials section for Part Four - the copy I read did not have this part, even though it was mentioned in the table of contents and in the author's note. However, the story itself was wonderful - and I'd recommend to everyone! I can understand why it didn't get published when it was written, and am glad that the "real world" (so to speak) stories CdL wrote exist, but I'm also quite glad that this got published too!

In the middle of reading this, another book by Angie Sage that I'd had on hold at the library came in for me, so I quick read it - it only took about an hour, at the most. It was Araminta Spookie 1: My Haunted House. Araminta lives with her aunt and uncle in their huge house, but one day she learns that her aunt has decided to sell it so they can move elsewhere - all after one more battle with the boiler. In Araminta's mind, this is the worst thing that could ever happen, so she does everything she can to sabotage the sale. Although an easier read than the other Angie Sage books I've read, it was still quite enjoyable and I will read more of the books soon.

Having finished both of those, I moved to a book I found while shelving. I'd actually been shelving a different book by Naomi Ragen but was intrigued by both of them (this one just a bit more than the other). The Ghost of Hannah Mendes tells the story of one Spanish Jewish woman who became one of the richest and most powerful people in the 16th century (might be 15th or 17th) and some of her descendants as well. We learn her story as they learn her story while they search for remnants of the document she wrote about herself, while finding true love, faith, and happiness along the way. I liked a couple of comments from one character a lot. First she was talking about interfaith marriage and compared it to mixing cuisines for the soul. When kids are raised as both Christian and Jewish, it's like asking their souls to survive/withstand the same thing as asking one's stomach to survive eating Hungarian, French, and (something else I can't recall) cuisine at the same time. It just doesn't work that way. She also, near the end of the book, commented that one's ancestors are with one and big family events because their DNA/cells are a part of one's own body/DNA.

Having finished that, I moved to her other book The Covenant which was about both the current conflict in the Holy Land and about the Shoah (Holocaust), especially what happened in Auschwitz. Although I'd expected the other book to be better, I actually preferred this one, I think. They're both pretty good, though. I was intrigued by all of the interconnectedness that showed up here, but it was almost a bit unbelievable.

After these two books I was able to move to the beginning books in a series I've been wanting to read for awhile now. I started with Ilona Andrews' books Magic Bites and Magic Burns. These stories are sort of a vampire hunting story, but with many twists and turns. I was somewhat reminded of the Twilight series though, because of the apparently typical animosity between vampires and werewolves (or as their called in the series shapechangers - because their not all wolves). The history of the stories is quite fascinating. Sometimes what we'd currently call normal technology works, but sometimes it doesn't - when their are magic shifts. I thoroughly enjoyed the books and look forward to learning more about Kate Daniels and her life and world.

Next I started a book by Julie Klassen (I've read another of her books - that's actually what drew me to this book initially - the cover reminded of the other book). The Silent Governess brings to life the role of governess in England at one point (I don't remember the exact time frame for the story - possibly at least almost victorian times - I think actually a bit later though). This was really rather similar to Jane Eyre in many ways, but not quite. Throughout the story I wanted to know more and more about each of the characters and the plot in general. It was hard to put the book down. I rather knew that the two main characters (again, it's still been rather too long since I read it, I've already forgotten their names) would get married by the end of the book - or at least I sincerely hoped they would.

Wait, I read two shorter books before I started that one; first I read Septimus Heap: The Magykal Papers by Angie Sage. This book rather gave general background for the world of the Septimus Heap series. It was a quick, enjoyable read. The other shorter book I read was Don't Hurt Laurie! by Willo Davis Roberts. this little story about domestic child abuse was quite touching - it had me in the all-out, headache-inducing tears that some books bring me. My heart ached for Laurie and all her doubts and troubles. I'm glad that she finally found the courage to share what was happening to her, and found people who she could trust about it.

Then, I read Andrew Greeley's first novel, The Magic Cup. This was a retelling of the Irish version of Arthurian legend. Even if it didn't have the connection to reality that most of Fr. Greeley's books have, I still quite enjoyed it. It didn't actually need as much reality - but it did have some - just with a much older period of reality than I usually find in his books. I suspected that Brigid was going to be Cormac's princess/future wife - but that's not too impressive a guess as Fr. Greeley hinted at it enough. Cormac was an interesting man who I could perhaps quite enjoy (he rather reminds me of Dermot Coyne from other Greeley novels as well as Jamie Fraser from Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series) meeting/knowing. Brigid reminded me of myself at times too - although, I suppose I find bits of me in many fictional characters.

In the middle of reading that book, while at work, I found a couple of cute kids books that I just had to read. They were A Girl and Her Gator and A Boy and His Bunny. These books were about two siblings that woke up to find they had animals one their head/in their hair, and discovered what they could do with these new additions to their appearance. There appears to be a third book in the series about a boy who finds himself atop a bear, but I didn't get to read that one.

After finishing these, I started Harry Kraus, M.D.'s book The Six-Liter Club. I also found this book quite interesting - there was a fair amount of action that occurred, but there was also lots of character development as well. Camille is now going through a difficult time. She thought she'd made it into the "boy's club," but is starting to discover what she's lost/had to deny to get there. At the same time, she begins to be haunted by events from her childhood in the Congo. As with Brigid from The Magic Cup, I found myself identifying with Camille in many ways. Often in the book I really wanted to slap her boyfriend, I think his name was Mark, but Camille and Tina learned what he was up to, and it all worked out.

I'm now reading The Doctor Digs a Grave by Robin Hathaway. This is another book I found by shelving a different book by the same author. So far the story is entertaining, but I'm really not that far into it. Mostly they've found a possible murder victim - at the very least her freshly deceased body was dumped in a shallow grave, but we don't yet know why. I look forward to finishing the story soon, but probably not before I next stop past the library - especially after spending so much time here working on the update. Soon, though.

The Punk is Back!

So I have finished The Way We Live Now - with a few hours to spare before the book club meeting tonight. I did enjoy it much more than I expected, but I suspect that I'll vote one read-through is plenty. I'm intrigued to see what everyone else thought of it. I'm not sure I believe Felix's final part of the story - his actions seem a bit out of character to me, but oh well.

Having finished that, I've started Happy Are the Meek, by Andrew M. Greeley. This is the first in the Fr. Blackie mysteries - more particularly the first one in the Beatitudes series. So far I'm enjoying getting to know the Punk (aka Fr. John Blackwood (Blackie) Ryan) better, especially through his own thoughts. In the previous books that he's part of, we mostly just get to hear what he tells someone - sometimes even with the "someone's" paraphrase of it. I'm not far enough in the book to say with any much accuracy what it's about, but it's going to be fun. You can't go wrong with the Punk and a broadsword in the same story! :)

Posting Delays

So, I know it's been a long time since I last posted - it's been a busy week or so.

I did finish Rite of Spring - and have to say I did enjoy it. The story did get a bit more normal, and the "other" characters did play a bit more of a role later in the story. It turns out that Ciara wasn't just a figment of Brendan's imagination - he was just supposed to think that - she had some powerful friends who'd gotten worried about her safety - unnecessarily, however. Brendan did eventually find her again - and also figured out who'd tried to kill him, and also found and eliminated the threat to Ciara. Happy ending after all - even if it was starting to look unlikely!

After I finished that I started another Andrew M. Greeley book - St. Valentine's Night. This was another very good book of his - one of my favorites so far (especially of his non-Nuala Anne McGrail mysteries). Neal Conner (Cornelius O'Connor) attends a 30-year grammar school (St. Praxide's) reunion and his life is changed forever - after a bit of struggle, of course. He's been so determined that he'll never go back to his old neighborhood, that he continually fights with himself and those around him when chance brings him there after all. The famous news-reporter falls under attack as well, from all over. He also gets to meet again Megan, the girl he first fell in love with in grammar school after he saved her by carrying her out her burning house - he was able to notice the fire while he was delivering the paper. Her father claimed Neal had set the fire, but everyone else knew differently and considered him a hero. I also like that Neal gave Fr. Blackie and his assorted crew of mystery solving/researching assistants their nickname - the North Wabash Avenue Irregulars (and then became a part of it too).

Afer finishing that I had a bit of a dilemma. I'd been planning on reading a couple of ILL books I'd had checked out - to finish them, and because they looked short, but the next book for the St. Francis Church book club arrived - and it's 800 pages long and the meeting was a little over a week away - I'd suspected this was going to be a bit more boring of a book, so I wanted as much time as possible to read it.

I decided that I'd quick read the ILL books first. I started with Ghosts of Albion: Astray by Amber Benson and Christopher Golden because it was due sooner. This was an interesting little clip into Tamara and William Swift's lives. We first meet Serena in this story - although she's not so friendly in this one - at least for the most part. The Swifts are still learning about their abilities and duties in this story but have mostly adjusted to being the Protectors of Albion.

The second book was Ghosts of Albion: Initiation, also by Amber Benson and Christopher Golden. This book was bit stranger than the other one at first. It has three stories in it - the first two of which were the scripts/screenplays for the first two episodes of the show Ghosts of Albion - and therefore we get the story of what happened to the Swift family - especially the two siblings at the beginning of their role as Protectors of Albion. It was quite clear that Tamara was much more willing to/interested in taking on this role - somewhat she believed more readily that what was happening was real; the other books I've read supported this idea, as well. The third story was an actual short story/novella that took place after Ghosts of Albion: Astray. I almost wish I'd read these four stories in chronological order, but I didn't know what that order was until I'd gotten through most of them already.

After finishing those I moved to the book club book: Anthony Trollope's The Way We Live Now. This is an interesting, but quite long book about the economy/economic folly in England in the late 1800s. There's also quite a bit of social commentary regarding marriage and promises - especially as regards engagements. I'm finding the book much more interesting than I'd expected to, but I've still got about half the book left to read with two and a half or so days left - my cousin's wedding this past weekend killed much of my reading time - but that's okay, it was nice to see everybody for a bit :).