“To know what a person has done, and to know who a person is, are very different things.” I have had a bit of luck with first time authors of late, and Hannah Kent is no exception. Her debut work, Burial Rites, is a gripping novel- all mood and emotion. It’s a story gaining speed like a stone rolling downhill, for there is only one way to go. Ms. Kent writes in Burial Rites about the last instance of capital punishment in Iceland. But I […]
A superb layperson’s guide to DNA and genetics, told with a smile and charm.
It starts with a papercut. The book that is, not the origin of life. Rutherford starts by breaking down exactly what happens when you cut your finger in a jaw-dropping three-page extravaganza of cells, electrical signals and scintillating prose that puts you in a state of awe. Awesome is a word that is regularly overused, but one that really does apply here when we are talking about such astounding ideas and realisations, with this minute level of detail illustrating just how finely tuned every little aspect of […]
A historical romance with a lot of stealing and scheming
3.5 stars Philip Astonley, youngest son of the Viscount Felkoner, also known as the Falcon to a select few (which is surprising to me as it’s not exactly a secret identity very different from his family name), is hired by the wealthy and powerful Marquess of Hedgrave to steal a sandalwood statue and bring it from India to England. He can barely believe his luck when he discovers that the statue is given as a gift to Miss Amanda Davencourt as a farewell gift from […]
A historical romance with a blessedly non-annoying child as a supporting character
Tobias “Thorn” Daultry is the eldest of the Duke of Villiers‘ seven illegitimate children. He spent the first part of his life, before he was rescued and taken in by his powerful father, as a mudlark in the Thames, risking his miserable life on a daily basis to dive for trinkets in the dangerous river currents. As an adult, he has made his own fortune, completely independent of his father, and is looking to settle down. He’s decided that Letitia “Lala” Rainsford is the perfect bride […]
Wait, This Was a Mystery? The Case of the Overloaded Historical Fiction Novel
I don’t remember where I first saw this mentioned, but I’m pretty sure it was a book blog, and I liked the cover as well as the premise so I thought it would work well to fill my historical mystery fix. While the novel was entertaining enough, the mystery was rather beside the point (it isn’t until page 250 of a 400 page novel that someone even thinks a body looks a bit odd, even though there are journal entries from the killer throughout so […]
A Tragic Time in History Used as the Backdrop for a Bad Love Story
Oddly enough, this is the second novel I’ve read this year about Cambodia, and neither one were recent purchases. Unfortunately, I didn’t find either one completely satisfying, and think I might need to move on to some non-fiction to get a better picture. Having said that, In the Shadow of the Banyan was the better of the two novels, but I think sometimes it used art too much to escape. I can see that as a valid coping method, but it is also kept me […]
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