Two Days after the Wedding

Two Days after Wedding is the fourth or fifth book in the Ladies of Covington series by Joan Medlicott. This is a wonderful series about about 3 ladies who have rediscovered life (and love) in their 70's. I recommend starting this series from the beginning. The novel is really a collection of stories woven together about the lives of Hannah, Grace & Amelia as they celebrate life and love together in the small North Carolina town of Covington.

P is for Peril

"I followed them out onto the deck. We sat in the dark, just the three of us, sipping wine and chatting, listening to the surf rumble on the beach until Jonah came." Huh? That was the last line of my latest read P is for Peril by Sue Grafton. This is clearly the best Kinsey Millhone novel yet. Not only did she keep me guessing until the very end but also after the end. As in, I never really figured it out. Oh, I have an idea but Kinsey was not kind enough to confirm it. She just left me hanging there. And what was with that alternate story line about the twin homicidal brothers? Was that just to distract me from the who done it? And the Medicare fraud? Am I just to guess that the perpetrators will be brought to justice? Other than the dangling ending it was a delightfully good read. Grafton just keeps getting better. I can hardly wait to read the next one.

Blood Brothers

Blood Brothers is the first novel in a new series by Nora Roberts called the Sign of Seven Trilogy. I've read a lot of novels over the years by Nora Roberts and I have to admit that this one is a little out of the range of my taste. As suggested by the title of the series this novel involves demons and a battle of good and evil, white and black magic, etc. Blood Brothers introduces you to the central characters of the series. The series seems to follow a typical pattern for trilogies by Roberts in there is a central romance in each book. The first book only dabbles in the evil which is most definitely to come as the series escalates to book 3. As a Christian, I typically avoid this type of subject matter although I'm not opposed to a little magic now and then. The series seems to promise evil incarnate or the devil himself and may be a little too much for me. I enjoyed two other trilogies by Roberts involving some mysticism and the supernatural (Irish Trilogy and Three Sisters Island Trilogy). Having said all this the first novel does leave you hanging and wondering what will happen next (even as you are certain love and goodness will prevail) and I may after all read the next two in the series.

2008 Year in Review

It looks like I read 57 books in 2008 about 15 less than 2007 but still better than a book a week. Looking back at the request of finding my favorite of the year I can't narrow it down that far. But I'm going to list a few (in no particular order) of my favorites and the reason.

1. Valley of the Horses by Jean M Auel is one of those novels that truly engrosses the reader. This is the sequel to Clan of the Cave Bear. The book tracks two separate characters until they eventually meet 2/3 the way through the novel. It is a beautiful love story but also a story of the survival of the human spirit. This is my favorite book in this series.

2. What Came Before He She Hot Her by Elizabeth George is a kind of explanation of the events that led to the death of a beloved character from George's Thomas Lynley series. But the book is also a startling look at the lives of underprivledged youth in suburn London and the choices that are made in desperation and necessity. It is a story of struggle and coming of age and loyalty.

3. The Magician's Assistant. Read my entry about this book.

4. The Smoke Jumper. This book is written by Nicholas Evans who is also the author of The Horse Whisperer, The Loop, and The Divide. This novel is a wonderfully written, emotion evoking story of love and loss.

5. The Book Thief. This book was recommended to me from some fellow bloggers. It is unlike any story I've read before. For starters, the narrator is Death, himself. He tells the tragic story of lives affected in Germany during WWII from a perspective I've never considered. The main characters are children from poor families just trying to survive and go unnoticed in a Nazi-crazed country. The writing style is unusual but the story is well told.