Series Saturday: McLeod Family

A new weekly theme in which I discuss series that are either on my wish list or that I am currently reading. This week, a series on my wish list.

The McLeod Family series by Lynn Kurland can be characterized as a historical fantasy romance series. It includes timetravel to the past and of course, romance. It’s set-up reminds me a bit of the Outlander series, but a lot more light-hearted and easier to read, which is why it’s on my TBR wish list.

The series currently has ten stories, four of which appeared in anthologies. The last book was published in 2008 and no other books in the series are currently scheduled, as far as I know.

Sunday Salon: December Madness

It's December and the madness of the holiday season is reaching its peak. Somehow, I always find more time to read in December than in most other months. I still haven't found a rational explanation for that...

December is also the month in which I - totally going against what I said before, yet again - enter far too many reading challenges. The difference this year? I'm not going to pick my books based on the challenges. I picked the challenges I think I can complete looking at my TBR stack. In 2011, I'm just going to read and see how far I get with the challenges.

So, what reading challenges have you signed up for?

Series Saturday: Immortals After Dark

A new weekly theme in which I discuss series that are either on my wish list or that I am currently reading. This week, a series on my wish list.

Mythical creatures exist secretly alongside humans and enjoy the gift of immortality. There are hundreds of different kinds: from Vampires to Lykae, from Furies to Shifters, from the Fey to Valkyries. These immortals call their world The Lore.
They walk among us, but they war among themselves. Each faction has its strengths, weaknesses, and age old prejudices against the others. Every five hundred years, the Accession, a battle for supremacy, rages. That time is now. . . .

This paranormal romance series by Kresley Cole contains ten parts, two of which are short stories in anthologies, with a new book in the series scheduled for 2011. The first introduction to the Immortals After Dark world comes in the form of a short story in the anthology Playing Easy to Get, where a Vampire and a Valkyrie are the main characters.

I really like paranormal romances (or mysteries for that matter) with supernatural creatures that live among humans, whether the humans are aware of them or not. My love for the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs and the Works Like Magic series by Annette Blair have led me to wanting to read this series.

Bookreview: The Elements of Mystery Fiction

Author: William Tapply
Genre: Non-fiction
Published: 1995
Personal rating: 3/5
Yearly count: 24
Non-fiction count: 1


The Elements of Mystery Fiction: Writing the Modern Whodunit by William G. Tapply is a book in two parts. The first part is written by the author, discussing several different elements of mystery fiction and how to write a good mystery. The second part consists of essays by several different authors on diverse topics that have to do with writing and publishing mysteries.

In the first part, Mr. Tapply discusses the elements that make up a mystery book. He talks about the pros and cons and the potential pitfalls of the different elements, and sometimes gives directions on how to approach them. There are no exercises to do, like a lot of the books in this genre offer, so these chapters would be more difficult to follow if you don’t have a basic understanding of the mechanics of story writing already, like building plot, character, etc.

Some of the elements discussed in the first part were general, like plot and point of view, but with a nod to their specific use in mystery fiction. These chapters were good, but a lot of it is repetition if you’ve read general writing books before. The most interesting sections were about specific, mystery-only elements, like sleuths, or the one on villains, suspects, victims and other characters. Unfortunately, these chapters were a lot less fleshed out than the more general ones. I would have liked it if the author had expanded these chapters, but what was there was really good.

The second part had some very interesting essays dealing with standalone novels versus series and about series writing in general. Some essays, like the one about collaboration, were less interesting to me personally, but still brought up very good points. The only real problem I had was the essays about getting published and the whole process of publishing a book had a decidedly American slant to it. This is of course understandable, but makes about one third of the essays virtually useless for non-Americans. Granted, there were some universal points in there, but the topic is so country specific the few usable points were lost amidst the rest of the information.

All in all, this book is definitely not a how-to book. It is however a thought-provoking book that can help you better understand what it is that makes a mystery a good story and what areas you need to pay attention to (and decide a course on) before you start writing your story. Not for the novice writer, at least not as a stand-alone. However, it’s a good book for those that want to write mysteries, as it makes you think about what you need to work on to write a good mystery.

Bookreview: Ludmilla

Author: Paul Gallico
Genre: Short Story
Published: 1955
Personal rating: 5/5
Short story count: 2
Book Around the World Challenge, Western Europe 8/31


Ludmilla, a novella by Paul Gallico, is a heartwarming tale of a miracle. Saint Ludmilla helps Weakling, a little, unproductive cow, to achieve the greatest honor a milk cow can achieve. The tale gives a nice balance between the human participants, Weakling herself, and the underlying moral of the story. Although it is sweet, it never gets sugary or overdone. And it even has a nice little twist at the end.

Besides the appealing tale, the descriptions of Liechtenstein are beautiful without being overwhelming. The edition I have has drawings by Franz Deak in it, which compliment this story really well. Sincerely recommended for all ages.

Wish List Books Wednesday

As much as I try to read from my TBR pile, somehow, new books always find their way there. Here are some of the recent additions to my never ending TBR wish list:

Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray



This book will appear in January of 2011. I got the recommendation from Historical Tapestry, where the author wrote a guest post title ‘Why I love Cleopatra’s Daughter’. I do too, but I was a bit disappointed with Cleopatra’s Daughter from Michelle Moran, which wasn’t quite what I was expecting. This book is actually the first in a trilogy of books about Selene and perhaps in this trilogy I will find what I was missing from Cleopatra’s Daughter.

Zachary’s Virgin by Catherine Spencer



This book was talked about on the Romance Reading group over at LT. It wasn’t very highly recommended, but I liked the storyline enough to put it on my reading list. What can I say, I’m just a sucker for Christmas stories with a dash of misunderstanding.

Looking Forward to Next Year

If you're following my blog through a reader or feed, you might not have seen it, but I've changed my template. I thought it was time, since I hadn't done it since starting this blog.

Also, the observant reader might have noticed some 2011 challenges pages appearing at the top of my blog. Even though I've said not too long ago that I wouldn't sign up for any challenges, I have quite a list already.

But, I've decided not to read according to my challenges, like I did in previous years. Instead, I'll just read what I want and check at the end of the year which of the challenges I've completed.

So, what are your reading plans for 2011?

Bookreview: Dancing at Midnight

Author: Julia Quinn
Genre: Historical Romance
Published: 1995
Personal rating: 5/5
Yearly count: 23

Lady Arabella Blydon has beauty and a brain, and she's tired of men who can see only one without the other.

When a suitor tells Arabella he's willing to overlook her appalling bluestocking tendencies on account of her looks and fortune, she decides to take a break from the Marriage Mart. During an extended stay in the country, she never expects to meet Lord John Blackwood, a wounded war hero who intrigues her like no other man.

Lord John has lived through the worst horrors of war... but nothing could have been as terrifying to his tormented heart as Lady Arabella. She is intoxicating, infuriating... and she makes him want to live again. Suddenly he's writing bad poetry and climbing trees in the pitch-dark night... just so he can dance with her as the clock strikes midnight. And even though he knows he can never be the sort of man she deserves, he can't help wanting her. But when the harsh light of day replaces the magic of midnight, can this tormented soul learn to love again?

I very much enjoyed this book. The chemistry between the main characters was great, which is one of the main elements that needs to be good in a romance. I loved Lord John Blackwood and his antics in trying to win Arabella’s heart, while at the same time not wanting to fall in love and being appalled at his own stunts. The misunderstanding and subsequent rift in their relationship felt real and painful for both of them. It’s a great book and I recommend it.

Bookreview: The Runaway Quilt

Author: Jennifer Chiaverini
Genre: General
Published: 2002
Personal rating: 4,5/5
Yearly count: 22

The Runaway Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini is the fourth book in the Elm Creek Quilts series and with it, the series focus returns to Silvia Bergstrom and her family, and the roots they have in Pennsylvania.

Alerted to the possibility that her family had ties to the slaveholding South, Sylvia scours her attic and finds three quilts and a memoir written by Gerda, the spinster sister of clan patriarch Hans Bergstrom. The memoir describes the founding of Elm Creek Manor and how, using quilts as markers, Hans, his wife Anneke, and Gerda came to beckon fugitive slaves to safety within its walls. When a runaway named Joanna arrives from a South Carolina plantation pregnant with her master's child, the Bergstroms shelter her through a long, dangerous winter – neither imagining the impact of her presence nor the betrayal that awaits them.

The memoir raises new questions for every one it answers, leading Sylvia ever deeper into the tangle of the Bergstrom legacy. Aided by the Elm Creek Quilters, as well as by descendants of others named in Gerda's tale, Sylvia dares to face the demons of her family's past and at the same time reaffirm her own moral center.

Family secrets yet to be uncovered, and also the warm flow of words that make up the Runaway Quilt make it a pleasure to read. It combines history, a good story and quilting, what more can I want?

I cared just as much about the new characters of Hans, Anneke and Gerda, as I did about Sylvia, who is of course very familiar from the previous books. The story switched from the present to the past through the diary of Gerda and never does going from one time period to another feel jarring. Both stories are woven together with beauty and precision and the ending of the books brings both timelines together in a believable and satisfying way.

The only detraction is the fact that the biggest mystery is not solved! Realistic though this was, it’s frustrating for me as a reader not to know. Still, the book is a very good read and highly recommended!

Bookreview: Sword of Hades

Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Short Story
Published: 2009
Personal rating: 4/5
Short story count: 1

The goddess Persephone has summoned Percy, Thalia and Nico to the Underworld in order to retrieve Hades' powerful sword before it falls into the wrong hands. Easier said than done in a world full of evil daimons, ghosts and ghouls. Not to mention Iapetos - brother of the powerful Titan lord, Kronos. This time the young demigods are really up against it - will Percy manage to return the sword before it's too late?

This was a fun short story set in the Percy Jackson series. As long as you read it after the third book, there's no spoilers for any of the series plot.

Bookreview: Cleopatra's Daughter

Author: Michelle Moran
Genre: Historical Fiction
Published: 2009
Personal rating: 4/5
Yearly count: 21

The marriage of Marc Antony and Cleopatra is one of the greatest love stories of all time, a tale of unbridled passion with earth-shaking political consequences. Feared and hunted by the powers in Rome, the lovers choose to die by their own hands as the triumphant armies of Antony’s vengeful rival, Octavian, sweep into Egypt. Their three orphaned children are taken in chains to Rome, but only two— the ten-year-old twins Selene and Alexander— survive the journey. Delivered to the household of Octavian’s sister, the siblings cling to each other and to the hope that they will return one day to their rightful place on the throne of Egypt. As they come of age, they are buffeted by the personal ambitions of Octavian’s family and court, by the ever-present threat of slave rebellion, and by the longings and desires deep within their own hearts.

Cleopatra’s Daughter was a good book. Selene’s pity for herself and anger at the Romans was at times a bit annoying, but then again, it was also understandable. It still made for slow reading. In the final third of the book, the plot thickens and it Selene finally started using her brains. The pace picked up and the ending made up for a whole lot of the frustration I had earlier.


While the book was not as good as I had hoped, it was still a good book. Not my favorite of Michelle Moran, but I liked the story of Selene and the little mystery plot thrown in with the whole Red Eagle plot.

Mailbox Monday: Three New Books

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. (Library books don’t count, but eBooks & audiobooks do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists! It's hosted by Lady Q at Let Them Read Books this month.



Very excited about this book. I read the first book ages ago, but am planning on catching up with the series in 2011. This book is the first one on my TBR list for Januari.



Just read The Tale of Holly How and decided that I definitely need to catch up on this series. The last part will be out in 2011, so it's also a series I plan to catch up on, starting in Januari.



Luxembourg & the Jenisch Connection is a book that has long been on my TBR list, part of my perpetual Book Around the World challenge. You won't have to guess for which country ;)

Sunday Salon: Discussion: Animals as Characters?

I recently read The Tale of Holly How (review here), which is a mystery series about Beatrix Potter. But most importantly, it’s about the animals, both the pets of Beatrix, the village animals, the farm animals and the wood animals. The animals talk, although the ‘Big Folk’ can’t understand them and it is often the animals who solve the mystery, or at least help.

This series isn’t the only one in which animals are featured as characters, I’m sure many of you can name others. I don’t always like it and although I love this series, I do have trouble getting used to the animal voices. I know of others, though, that don’t like animals as characters at all. What’s your opinion?

Bookreview: The Tale of Holly How

Author: Susan Wittig Albert
Genre: Historical Detective
Published: 2005
Personal rating: 4/5
Yearly count: 20


Miss Potter has returned to Hill Top Farm to oversee the renovation of the old farmhouse and buy some sheep from Ben Hornby, whose Herdwicks are known as the best in the county. But when Old Ben dies in a fall from a clifftop, Miss Potter (and her animal friends: Tabitha Twitchet, Crumpet, and Rascal) need to know what happened to Ben, and to his missing Herdwicks and their lambs.


And if that's not enough to keep Miss Potter busy, there's the sad plight of a young girl who has come to live with her grandmother at Tidmarsh Manor. And at the top of Holly How, there is Bosworth Badger, who is worried about the disappearance of a badger mother and her two cubs, kidnapped by a ruthless badger-hunter and destined to be the victims of the vicious sport of badger-baiting. Who could guess that all of these mysteries might be related? Why, Miss Potter, of course!


The books in this series are more about the animals than Beatrix Potter, although Beatrix plays an important role as well. I absolutely adore Crumpet the cat as a character and it’s always a feast of recognition if you are familiar with Beatrix Potter’s books.


The main mystery is the dead of Ben, but there are several simultaneous other story-lines running through the book, which keep things interesting. Everything is resolved at the end, but I loved the fact that one particular situation was resolved way before the end! Very realistic, that not everything falls into place at the end, but sometimes in the middle.

The only detraction from this series is the fact that I always have a great deal of trouble getting used to the animal voices. Not so much in chapters which are just animals, but the ones where their voices are written alongside those of ‘Big Folk’. But you do get used to it and for the rest it’s a very enjoyable book. Recommended, especially for lovers of Beatrix Potter stories!

Bookreview: The Last Olympian

Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Young adult
Published: 2009
Personal rating: 5/5
Yearly count: 19

All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of victory are grim. Kronos’s army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan’s power only grows.

While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it’s up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time. In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy’s sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.

The fifth and last book of the Percy Jackson series is really, really good. There’s not as much humor in it as in the other books, but what can you expect when it’s about a battle that might end the world as we know it? It’s in some ways a rather dark book, in comparison to the others, as the final battle arrives. I was seriously wondering if all of the main characters were going to survive. I won’t spoil it for you, so I’m not going to tell you if they did or not.

Basically, this was the great ending I had hoped for. It’s probably the strongest book in the series, which wraps things up in a satisfying way with a few surprise twists in the end. What was really great is that those twists felt natural, like you could have seen it coming, instead of contrived just to have a twist.

In the final chapter, a teaser of some sort is given for Rick Riordan’s next series set in this world, but it’s not done in such a way that you have to read that series.

Bookreview: The Battle of the Labyrinth

Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Young adult
Published: 2008
Personal rating: 5/5
Yearly count: 18


Percy Jackson isn’t expecting freshman orientation to be any fun, but when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears, pursued by demon cheerleaders, things quickly go from bad to worse.

Time is running out for Percy. War between the gods and the Titans is drawing near. Even Camp Half-Blood isn’t safe, as Kronos’ army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop them, Percy and his friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth — a sprawling underground world with surprises and danger at every turn.

Along the way Percy will confront powerful enemies, find out the truth about the lost god Pan, and face the Titan lord Kronos’ most terrible secret. The final war begins . . . with the Battle of the Labyrinth.

This is the fourth book of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. It is once again masterfully crafted, with Ancient Greek mythology woven seamless into the modern world.

It’s very, very exciting and the build up to the last book, where all of it comes together. Yet the story does in no way feel unfinished or slow because of this. In fact, it’s a classic adventure that takes us on a rollercoaster of action and humor. But through it all is the thread of fear, of Percy’s sixteenth birthday that is creeping closer as the years have gone by. Not to mention their main nemesis is targeting Camp Half-Blood directly this time.