A Girl Walks Into a Bookstore...

Favel Farrington, the daughter of an artist, is literally swept off her feet by Roc Pendorric, who takes her to his family’s ancient estate in Cornwall. The family are all eager to welcome her—but there’s something sinister going on at Pendorric. For many years ago, a Bride of Pendorric died tragically at a young age, as did Roc’s mother, Barbarina. Local legend has it that Barbarina’s ghost is waiting for another Bride to come and take her place—in death. Bride of Pendorric is obviously a twist on the Rebecca story—except instead of the dead former wife, it’s a dead former mother-in-law that’s the ghost! Victoria Holt’s novels are characterized by a wonderful sense of foreboding, starting with the very first page, and I’m glad to say that it’s not lacking here. Holt’s descriptions of Cornwall, characterized by its eerie fogs and local superstition, makes me want to visit Cornwall myself (after all, there’s got to be a reason why do many authors of novels in this the Gothic suspense ...

Teaser Tuesdays asks you to: --Grab your current read --Let the book open to a random page. Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. --You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from… that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given! “Clearly these are the rules that are not to be unmade, and I imagine with good reason. The very air in here could probably explode without a moment’s notice.” --From The Book of Fires , by Jane Borodale

This novel opens with a murder. In its aftermath, feted soprano Sabine Conrad flees her life in New York in the late 1870s to start a new one in Seattle, as Marguerite Olson, a few years later. She takes a job at a boxhouse, first as a cleaner and later as the theater’s joint manager. Her partner, Johnny, dreams of turning the boxhouse into a real theatre, but Marguerite always fears that her past life and actions will come back to haunt her—as indeed it does. The novel is told through diary entries made by Sabine, and also later, when she is Marguerite. Right from the very first sentence of this novel, I was hooked on this book. I’ve read three of Megan Chances novels, and they’ve all been enjoyable, fast-paced reads. Prima Donna , like The Spiritualist and An Inconvenient Wife , is well-researched, and draws you in to the Victorian era like few other novels can. It’s an extremely absorbing novel that I never really wanted to put down. Her previous books have a bit more suspense to t...

A Pride of Kings is the first in a series of six books featuring the Plantagenet kings and queens. As the back of this book says, this is ”a series of historical novels which tell the story of the Plantagenet monarchs through the eyes of the men and women who served them, loved them, or betrayed them, and in so doing, helped shape the events of English history.” This book focuses on the story of William Marshal, the man who served Henry II and his sons, in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. The novel is a short one, but it follows William Marshal from 1168 up nearly until his death, jumping a lot in time (for example, one minute William’s marrying Isabel; the next minute their daughter—and third child—is being born). Comparisons will inevitably be drawn between this book and Elizabeth Chadwick’s The Greatest Knight ; and by extension, Sharon Kay Penman’s novels on Henry II and his family. Chadwick’s book is much more meatier than A Pride of Kings, but this novel is enjoyable non...

I’m back! I had a great holiday. I didn’t receive all that many books, but I did receive a year-long subscription to Persephone (where they send you one book a month), a one-cup coffee maker, several giftcards (one of which I’ve already used up, to buy the full-volume version of Kristin Lavransdatter and Pauline Gedge’s The Eagle and the Raven ). Sigh. I have no self-control! I also got a Snuggie from my sister; and since it’s beige in color, it rather makes me looks a bit like a Poor Claire! But it’s very warm and comfortable, and I’m wearing it right now. I know it’s the last Sunday in December, but I’m saving my yearly wrap-up for next Sunday. I know, though, that I don’t have much reading left to do (I’m probably only going to get around to reading one more book before the end of the year). Read this past week, however, were Prima Donna , by Megan Chance (review will be up on Tuesday); Nanny Returns , by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus; and I’ve spent yesterday and much of today r...

...I'll be busy with work and such today and tomorrow, and then I just want to enjoy the holiday over the weekend. I definitely plan on doing a bit of reading during my "time off." I may post something on Sunday, and reviews will definitely be up on Monday and Tuesday. In the meantime, happy holidays! --Katherine

Teaser Tuesdays asks you to: --Grab your current read --Let the book open to a random page. Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. --You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from… that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given! “Johnny was impatient and short waiting for Blakely Davis’s decision about investing. I was not.” --From Prima Donna , by Megan Chance