I'm Back!

Where have I been for the past 4 months? Here, there, everywhere. I have been reading, of course, but not as much as I would have liked. I'm currently reading a great book, and can't wait to tell you about it soon!

A Secret Kept

Sarah's Key author, Tatiana de Rosnay, takes us back to Paris to introduce us to another family who is keeping secrets.  A Secret Kept begins with an accident that leads brother and sister, Antoine and Melanie, down a long road into their past and the secrets that are hidden there.

What they find out is that sometimes things are better left hidden, and other times, things are just as they seem.  The book is filled with unexpected twists and turns that make it hard to put down.

Jane Goes Batty

Jane Goes Batty is the sequel to Michael Thomas Ford's hit book Jane Bites Back.  This book picks up shortly after the first book left off.  Jane Fairfax (a.k.a. Jane Austen) still owns a book store, but has let Lucy take over the managerial duties.
She is still dating Walter, and refuses to mention about Charlotte Bronte by name.

Since the release and success of Janes latest book, she has had to work even harder to keep a low profile, so she has agreed to embrace her vampirism, and is taking lessons from Lord Byron.

These lessons come in especially handy when the stars and crew from her book's movie come to town to film, and even more so when Walter's Jewish mother comes to town for a visit.

Between the trouble the movie's young starlet is causing, taking Jewish lessons (because Walter's mother wants him to marry a nice Jewish girl), and trying to find out Miriam's secret and whether or not she knows Jane's secret, the last thing Jane needs or wants is to run into her old friend, Charlotte again.

Once again, Mr. Ford has provided a fun, quick, and witty read, and I look forward to the next book in this series.

Beyond Band of Brothers

The recent death of Major Dick Winters inspired me to finally read his memoir, Beyond Band of Brothers.  I'd been considering this book for quite some time, but just wasn't sure if I wanted to read it.  I've seen the HBO miniseries a thousand times, and I was worried that this book would just be the written version, telling the same stories.

While BBOB does touch on the stories told in the miniseries, it is also so much more.  As his war memoir, the stories are all told from Major Winters' view, and we not only get a deeper look into his mind, but we also get to "hear" stories that didn't make it onto film.

I don't think it would be possible for me to do this book justice, so I'll just say this:  Read it.  If you're a history buff, you'll appreciate the historical significance.  If you're not a history buff, you'll take away a deeper appreciation for our veterans.  Despite whatever your interests may be, after reading this book written by an amazing and much admired man, you will want to live your life better.

Cranford

I first fell in love with Cranford when I saw the mini series and it's sequel (Return to Cranford) on PBS, and I have checked the DVD's out from my local library several times, so I decided it was probably time I read the book.

Elizabeth Gaskell introduces us to the ladies of Cranford, and what a group of ladies they are!  The story is told from the point of view of a young woman who is visiting the Jenkyns sisters, Miss Matty and Miss Deborah.  She tells us her opinions of all the goings-on with the Jenkyns sisters, their friends, and the rural town of Cranford that is filled with mostly middle-aged and older women who are afraid of change.

I don't want to give too much away, but I do recommend seeing both the movies and reading the book.  The two are quite different in many aspects (I understand that the movies are a combination of several different books written by Gaskell that take place in Cranford), but they have the same delightful tone.

There is just something about this group of ladies that I can't get enough of!

Matterhorn

The Vietnam War has long been a mystery to me. Nobody in my family served during that war - they were all too young or too old. My American History teacher in high school was a Vietnam vet who still had flashbacks, so we very briefly breezed over that time in history.

Matterhorn is a story told from Lieutenant Waino Mellas' point of view.  Along with Lieutenant Mellas, we are dropped into the middle of the jungle with Bravo Company.  Mellas is new to the company, and has no experience in the field, so he is forced to find a way to gain the respect of his men.

During Mellas' struggle to prove himself, we meet the other men of Bravo Company who become more than just characters in a book.  They become real people, people we know and love.  As they fight for their lives, and for the lives of their brothers, we are introduced to the comraderie and conflicts within the Company, and we feel their frustrations, joy, and sadness.

Matterhorn is a wonderful novel that will take you beyond whether the Vietnam War was right or wrong.  It will make you think long and hard about all the men who fought and died there, it takes you straight to the humanity.

The Magician's Nephew

I've been a fan of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe since I first saw it on tv when I was quite young, but it was many years later that I found out it was just one from a series of books. Sad to say, I never read any of the Chronicles of Narnia...until now.  I just finished The Magician's Nephew, and really enjoyed it. 

It took me a little while to really get into the story, but I think that was because I went into it thinking this book would be about Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy.  The Magician's Nephew is about Professor Digory Kirke when he was a boy, his uncle Andrew Ketterley (a magician), the neighbor girl Polly, and the Queen of Charn named Jadis.

This is the story of Digory's curiosity and braveness, Andrew's deception and cowardice, and Polly's perserverence and compassion.  We are introduced to Aslan and get to watch as Narnia is born.  There were also two very important questions (to me) that were answered; Why do only some of the animals speak, and How did the White Witch find Narnia?

Up Next: Matterhorn