April-June Theme Read: War & Regions in Conflict

Over at the LT group Reading Globally, a new theme read has commenced: War & Regions in Conflict. There are a lot of great recommendations in the thread, from regions all over the world and wars throughout history.

For this theme read, I have decided to return to a historical period that has always fascinated me: World War Two. We are encouraged to read from both sides of the conflict. However, there are more than two sides to this conflict. Therefore, I'm going to read the following from these perspectives:

1. Jews (I am specifically avoiding Holocaust stories, because for one, I know a lot about that already, and another, I don't think I could deal with it in my fiction reading.)

My Enemy's Cradle by Sara Young

2. Americans (involved in the war, but more distantly, since their country wasn't under direct attack)

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
Letters from Home by Kristina McMorris

3. The British (still free, but under direct attack)

The Eye of the Needle by Ken Follet
The Camomile Lawn by Mary Wesley

4. Occupied Territory (people living in occupied countries, but still resisting)

A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell

5. Germans

Officer Factory by Hans Hellmut Kirst
Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada

Wish List Book Wednesday

As much as I try to read from my TBR pile, somehow, new books always find their way there. This week was no different. Here are the new additions to my list:

Veil of Roses by Laura Fitzgerald

Veil of Roses drew my attention because it’s a book about an Iranian woman who comes to America and tries to make a life there. Besides highlighting the cultural differences, which I like to read about, it also sounds like a really gripping story. Swapna over at S. Krishna’s Books gave it a great review, so on my TBR list it goes!


Pickled, Potted, and Canned by Sue Sheppard

This was recommended to me on the LT Group Non-fiction Readers. It’s about food history. I love food and I love history, so on my TBR list it goes!


The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

This book was recommended by Rick Riordan, one of my favorite authors. He said: This is a must-read for fantasy fans. If Charles Dickens were alive in the 21st century writing epic fantasy, it would sound like this. Rothfuss is one of those writers who raises the bar and the reputation of an entire genre when he produces a book. Well, that can only mean one thing: on my TBR list it goes!


The Mistletoe and the Sword by Anya Seton

Elizabeth K. Mahon did a post over at Historical Tapestry about her favorite books. This was one of them and it immediately drew my attention. Romans in Britain, the clashing of two cultures, a love story, all elements I love in a book. So I added it to my TBR list.


The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander

I stumbled upon this book in Susanne’s reading list for the Spring Reading Thing 2011, over at Living to Tell the Story. It’s a fiction book about the Romanovs and they have always fascinated me. After reading the glowing review she linked to, I added it to my TBR list.


Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth

This was an automated recommendation on LibraryThing, and while I don’t usually add those to my TBR list, this one I couldn’t resist. I mean, a book about a vampire that’s spent 140 years working for the President of the United States, bound by a blood oath, as a special agent. Could you resist adding it to your TBR list?

Review: The Importance of Being Earnest

Author: Oscar Wilde
Play: comedy
Published: 1895
Personal rating: 3/5
Yearly count: 1


This three act comedy is said to be Oscar Wilde’s best work. I can’t judge if that is true, for I haven’t read any of Wilde’s work before, but I wasn’t very impressed. I’ve read several plays over the years, including comedies, and I found The Importance of Being Earnest rather dull in comparison.

There were a few moments that elicited a smile and some clever word-plays, but overall this play failed to engage me. After all the enthusiastic comments from others who have read this, I was a bit disappointed.

Now, having said that, The Importance of Being Earnest isn’t a bad play at all. The writing was good and some of the characters were nicely over-the-top, like in all comedies. Perhaps Oscar Wilde’s brand of humor just isn’t for me?

Meet the Author Monday: Susan Wittig Albert

In 1985, Susan left her career as a university English professor and administrator and began working fulltime as a novelist. She currently serves as an editor of StoryCircleBookReviews. She has three children, eight grandchildren, and three great-grandsons. She and Bill live in the Texas Hill Country, where she writes, gardens, and raises a varying assortment of barnyard creatures.



Susan’s books include the best-selling China Bayles mysteries, the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter, and The Darling Dahlias series. Her earlier nonfiction work are Work of Her Own, a study of women who left their careers, and Writing From Life: Telling Your Soul's Story, a guidebook for women memoirists. That book led to the founding of the Story Circle Network in 1997. She has edited two anthologies for the Story Circle Network: With Courage and Common Sense (2004) and What Wildness Is This: Women Write about the Southwest (2007). She is also the author of two memoirs: Together, Alone: A Memoir of Marriage and Place (2009) and An Extraordinary Year of Ordinary Days (2010), both published by the University of Texas Press. Currently (2011) she’s working on a collection of essays entitled Unfinished Places.

Under the name Robin Paige she had written Victorian/Edwardian mysteries with her husband, Bill Albert. Working together, the Alberts have also written over 60 young adult novels.

Susan can be followed on Twitter and Facebook. She also has her own website and blog. My reviews of her books can be found on this page.

Sunday Salon: Theme Read Journeys

The LT Reading Globally Group had a theme read about journeys during the first three months of this year. In honor of this, I picked up a classic I had on my shelves, but had never actually read: Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne.

It is the quintessential travel story, where the journey is the main element. Phileas Fogg bets he can travel around the world in 80 days, then sets out to prove it. It’s a story that almost everyone knows in one form or another, but I can say, without any reservation, that the original is the best version I’ve had the pleasure of seeing/reading/experiencing.

Jules Verne is a masterful storyteller and the quiet humor in the story, as well as the spot-on descriptions of both places and characters make this story truly great. His descriptions of the places, along with the other information he provides, are really detailed and great. As far as I know, they are also correct, at least at the time of writing.



Due to this theme read, I also discovered the joys of reading travel stories. I read Alle wegen naar Rome (All Roads To Rome) by Jan Blokker Jr. and Zijdezacht zand (Silky Sand) by Sandra Bakker. Both non-fiction travel stories, but about as different as day and night.

Alle wegen naar Rome tells the story of Jan Blokker who went from Amsterdam to Rome on foot. It’s not just a travel account, but also a history story. As Jan travels, he takes in as much history as he can along the way. In fact, he planned his route to go through several places with some historical significance (large or small). For those who like travel stories, I’d definitely recommend this book, if only for the feeling you’ve walked the route yourself. But don’t expect either a fascinating look into history or an in-depth look at the places the author passes.

In contrast, Zijdezacht zand is a book that details the landscape, culture, history, but most of all the people of the countries Sandra Bakker and her husband travel through. There’s always something going on as they travel through Ukraine, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and China. The things they experience are amazing, although sometimes I was very glad I could enjoy the ride safely at home in my comfortable chair. I don't think I'll ever have the guts to take the same journey! Through Sandra Bakker’s writing I felt like I got to know the countries and its people, something a good travel story is all about. I feel like I’ve been there myself and that’s the highest compliment I can give.

All in all, this theme read was very enjoyable. I discovered great joy in a new genre and read a classic that I enjoyed very much. Throughout it all, I was reminded that sometimes it really is all about the journey!

What book have you read that fits the theme journey? How did you like it?

Series Saturday: China Bayles Herbal Mysteries

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 of herbal mysteries that I fell in love with.

The China Bayles Herbal Mysteries feature herbalist China Bayles, who abandoned her career as a hot-shot Houston criminal attorney to buy an herb shop in a small town located half-way between Austin and San Antonio, Texas. China wants the things that many contemporary women seek: a quieter life, rewarding work, a close relationship, friends, and community. Each of her mysteries has a signature herb that is connected to a major theme, and each is liberally sprinkled with information on growing and using herbs.


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I love this series! China Bayles is a smart, independent, modern woman who loves herbs, like me. Besides great mysteries and wonderful characters, the herbal lore women throughout the stories are great. Throughout the currently 19 books the series is rich, China and her friends grow, change and evolve in a way I love. There’s also always a section of recipes and resources at the end, which is an added bonus.

All reviews for this series can be found here.

Bookreview: A Dilly of a Death

Author: Susan Wittig Albert
Genre: mystery, detective
Published: 2004
Personal rating: 5/5
Yearly count: 15
Series Reading Challenge: 4/3
Off The Shelf Challenge: 8/15
Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 1/13

China Bayles’ life is plenty busy in the twelfth book of the series. She’s on the planning committee for PickleFest, McQuaid takes up a new job, Ruby’s pregnant daughter moves in with China after refusing to name the baby’s father, and the Pickle Queen Phoebe Morgan goes missing – with only days to go before the tenth annual PickleFest. On top of that, a string of burglaries is hitting the richer inhabitants of Pecan Springs, and worse, they’ve led to one death already. None of these things seem very related, but with the clock ticking until the start of PickleFest, they turn out to be more related than anyone expected.

I loved this book, even though the mystery simmers slowly for a long while. There’s so much going on, so many small mysteries that add up and eventually tie into the big mystery, that the story is utterly captivating. And of course the herbal lore, this time about dill – with added information about pickling – adds something extra. Highly recommended, like the rest of the series!

Bookreview: Zijdezacht zand (Silky Sand)

Author: Sandra Bakker
Genre: non-fiction, travel story
Published: 2006
Personal rating: 5/5
Yearly count: 14
Theme read: Journeys
2011 Non-Fiction Challenge: 3/9


This book is about the journey of Sandra Bakker and her husband through Ukraine, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and China. They undertook this journey in 2002 and along the way see not only the far-reaching effects of the end of the Soviet Union, but also the effects of 9/11. Through the marvelous and often humorous writing, you get to know the landscape, culture, history, but most of all the people of the countries they travel through.

Although the Silk Road is their guide, it is not restricting their journey. The things they experience are amazing, although sometimes I was very glad I could enjoy the ride safely at home in my comfortable chair. I don't think I'll ever have the guts to take the same journey! Through Sandra Bakker’s writing I felt like I got to know the countries and its people, something a good travel story is all about. I feel like I’ve been there myself and that’s the highest compliment I can give. I highly recommend this book!

Wish List Books Wednesday

In January, February, and March I joined the LT Reading Globally Group in their theme read of Journeys. During this time, I read some interesting books and found even more books that fit the theme. There's still about a week to go on that, but there's far too many books on my TBR list for this theme, so the following books have been added to my TBR list to be read at a later date. They're all non-fiction travel stories, featuring women.

Bookreview: Alle wegen naar Rome (All Roads To Rome)

Author: Jan Blokker Jr.
Genre: non-fiction, travel story
Published: 2009
Personal rating: 3.5/5
Yearly count: 13
Theme read: Journeys
2011 Non-Fiction Challenge: 2/9


This book tells the story of Jan Blokker who went from Amsterdam to Rome on foot. It’s not just a travel account, but also a history story. As Jan travels, he takes in as much history as he can along the way. In fact, he planned his route to go through several places with some historical significance (large or small).

Each chapter is a piece of the journey. At the beginning of the chapters there is a small map of the route he took, so you can place him geographically. The beginning of the book has a larger map of the entire route. I found it to be a very nice feature. What can I say? I like maps.

The author describes the environment in such a way that I felt like I was walking the route as well. In fact, when I got to the end, I had the fanciful thought of walking to Rome myself. Just for a moment, mind you, but that’s the kind of book it is.

What I didn’t like was the fact the sometimes he names people that he meets up with, clearly familiar people, relatives or family perhaps. But aside from first names, there is no explanation for who they are. I was confused and couldn’t always figure out who they were to the author.

Over the course, the author talks about the scenery, people he meets, the history of where he stops, and memories. None of it in any particular order, except that his journey is written chronologically. The book felt more structured when he entered Italy and started walking along the via Francigena, a classical pilgrim’s route.

While the entire book was enjoyable, the latter part really was the best of the book. There were more things happening than just walking. For the first time, Jan Blokker really struggled, physically and mentally. He also had a bit more contact with people, although he tried his very best to avoid it.

For those who like travel stories, I’d definitely recommend this book, if only for the feeling you’ve walked the route yourself. But don’t expect either a fascinating look into history or an in-depth look at the places the author passes.

Spring Reading Thing 2011

Ah, Spring is in the air! And Spring Reading Thing is here as well! Lots of books I want to read, but I promised myself I wouldn't commit to specific books this year, so my goal-read list will read a little differently.

First, I plan to read off my shelf some more, specifically from series that I am (way) behind on. This will either be the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer, where I've not yet read the last two books, the Study trilogy by Maria V. Snyder, as I've had Magic Study on my shelf for quite a while now, or I might try to catch up with Diane Duane's So You Want To Be A Wizard series. Either way, I want some books off my shelves and catch up to those ongoing series!

Next, I'm continuing with reading globally and I'm starting to work my way through the cold North of Europe. Not sure which books I'll be reading, but Beowulf by Caitlin Kiernan, The Shadow of the River by Frode Grytten, and Far Afield by Susanna Kaysen are on the nominations list.

Last, but certainly not least, I'll be reading for the theme of War and Regions in Conflict, with an encouragement to read from both sides of the conflict. I've decided to go with my favorite non-peaceful historical period: World War Two. I've decided to read from the many different viewpoints during this war. I'm not sure yet which books I'll be reading, but I'll let everyone know come April, when this theme read starts.

UPDATE 1 April 2011: my theme read reading list is here.

There, that should keep me busy!

Series Saturday: Women of the Bible

A new weekly theme in which I discuss series that are either on my wish list or that I am currently reading. This week, an enigmatic set of books I nevertheless greatly enjoy.

The Women of the Bible series by Ann Burton currently consists of four books. In each book, a different biblical woman’s story is told, from her point of view. Ever wanted to know why Abigail managed to persuade David? Or exactly Rahab became a prostitute, yet was still so devout? Than this is the series for you.


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The four books highlight Abigail, Rahab, Deborah, and Jael. Two were written in 2005, the other two in 2006. But as far as who Ann Burton is, whether there will ever be more books (please, I hope so!), or any other information on the books or author, nothing is to be found. But despite this mystery, the books are very well written, with a great eye for historical detail that bring these women’s stories alive.

Reviews for the books can be found on this page.

Wish List Books Wednesday

Always when I find a new blog, I end up with a list of great new books to add to my TBR list. Since starting to read S. Krishna’s Books a little over a week ago, I’ve added these books to my TBR list because she talked about them. I really should stop reading back-posts when I find a new blog, it’s not like my TBR isn’t long enough already!


To A Mountain in Tibet by Colin Thubron

This non-fiction book tells of Thubron’s trip to Kailas, a sacred mountain in Tibet. I’m reading several travel stories right now, so that’s probably why the review caught my attention. It sounded like a good book, hence I put it on my TBR list.


The Tudor Secret by C.W. Gortner

I already have The Confessions of Catherine de Medici on my TBR list from this author, so should anyone be surprised that I added this book after the glowing review I read? It’s a historical novel and a spy novel, two of my favorite kind of novels, all wrapped in one package.


Suits: A Woman on Wallstreet by Nina Godiwalla

A non-fiction book about Godiwalla’s experiences working in the corporate financial world. I was very interested in this book from the moment I saw the title. I wanted to know why someone would pick this kind of life, what it does with you, especially a woman. The review of S. Krishna just made me want to read the book even more!


Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya-Gowda

This book promises to be an interesting tale of adoption, seen from both sides of the coin. I’ve always loved seeing both sides of the same situation and the review of this one was glowing.


The Courier’s Tale by Peter Walker

This is the one book that I didn’t find through S. Krishna’s Books this week. I actually came across this one while browsing in the library, but seeing as that I already had far too many books in my hands, I left it behind and just put it on my TBR list. It’s another historical, about Michael Throckmorton, who has the dubious honor of being Thomas Cromwell’s courier between Rome and England.

Bookreview: Around The World In Eighty Days

Author: Jules Verne
Genre: adventure
Published: around 1873
Personal rating: 5/5
Yearly count: 12
Off The Shelf Challenge: 7/15
What’s In A Name Challenge: 1/6
Theme read: Journeys

Almost everyone knows the basic story of Phileas Fogg and his trip around the world. There are numerous version of it. I’ve seen quite a few movies and even a (mini?) series, as well as a theater version. All of them change things somewhat, place the focus on different things. I’ve seen parodies, versions focused on the romance, or the theft, serious version and humorous versions. Yet I had never actually read the original, until now.

I can say, without any reservation, that it is the best version I’ve had the pleasure of seeing/reading/experiencing. Aouda’s rescue in India was the bit I was most familiar with, but even though most of the book was a feast of recognition, it was never boring. In fact, there were even instances I was surprised by the story, as those elements had been left out of the versions I knew, or perhaps were just forgotten by me.

Jules Verne is a masterful storyteller and the quiet humor in the story, as well as the spot-on descriptions of both places and characters make this story truly great. I loved the meticulous Phileas Fogg, he was by far my most favorite character. His unflappability was eccentric even for the usually unflappable Brits, and that made him all the more lovable to me.

All in all, the book is deserving of the title of classic. I highly recommend it to everyone, even if they think they know the story well enough. Go, read it, you won’t regret it, I promise!

Bookreview: Monte Carlo

Author: Stephen Sheppard
Genre: thriller
Published: around 1983
Personal rating: 4/5
Yearly count: 11
Book Around the World Challenge: Western Europe 11/31


Monaco – the glittering city-state, home to the European elite, summer retreat for the rich and famous – is officially neutral in World War Two. But beneath the veneer of glamour of the rich elite that gathers in Monte Carlo to escape the war a dangerous game is played. Covert Gestapo agents try to get their hands on the wealth that is so abundant in Monaco with any means possible, while British spies do everything in their power to prevent it. Against this backdrop, the book follows a group of people whose lives entwine as the war progresses.

This low-simmering thriller is very interesting, with an understated tension that creeps up on you. The threat is subtle and slumbering, hidden under the veneer of fun and games the rich inhabitants of Monte Carlo keep up, and all the more dangerous because of it. I found the story to be interesting and compelling, although I had a hard time getting a grip on the cast of characters at first.

The only thing I didn’t really like were several explicit sex scenes in the book. Normally I have nothing against explicit sex scenes, but they felt out of place in this book, not keeping in tune with the rest of the writing.

The ending, though, was absolutely brilliant and had me on the edge of my seat. Everything came together brilliantly and it was very satisfying. A great read and definitely recommended!

Sunday Salon: Reading the Classics

Classics, a term almost every book reader knows, but the definition is rather vague. Books from authors like Charles Dickens and Jane Austen are often defined as classics, as are books like Dracula and The Three Musketeers. Everybody has a different opinion on what books are ‘worthy’ of being called a classic.

For me, Around the World in Eighty Days is definitely on the classics list. Almost everyone knows the basic story of Phileas Fogg and his trip around the world. There are numerous version of it. I’ve seen quite a few movies and even a (mini?) series, as well as a theater version. All of them change things somewhat, place the focus on different things. I’ve seen parodies, versions focused on the romance, or the theft, serious version and humorous versions. Yet I’ve never actually read the original, until now.

I’m 2/3 of the way into the book and I can say, without any reservation, that it is the best version I’ve had the pleasure of seeing/reading/experiencing. Jules Verne is a masterful storyteller and the quiet humor in the story, as well as the spot-on descriptions of both places and characters are great. Truly, the book is deserving of the title of classic.

So, what about you? Which classic do you want to read? Which classic did you enjoy? What’s your definition of a classic?

Series Saturdays: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & The Heroes of Olympus

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

Rick Riordan has two series that deal with Ancient Greek mythology. It all started with Percy Jackson and the Olympians, a great, humorous series of five books. What I love most about these books is that Rick Riordan has managed to blend the old mythology with the modern world in an amazing way.

Percy Jackson discovers in this series that he's a half-blood, the son of a god and a mortal woman. He's thrust into a new life filled with adventure, monsters and prophecies. The situation and the books get steadily darker, but the humour remains.


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After the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series ended, I was pretty sad. Luckily, Rick Riordan did not abandon Percy's world completely. Instead, he started a new series: The Heroes of Olympus. The main characters are different, but the familiar characters from the Percy Jackson series still play a role. And thrown into the mix of modern world and Ancient Greek mythology is the closely related, but not completely similar, Ancient Roman mythology.

The tone of the new series is a bit different, but the humour and the amazing blend of mythology and adventure are the same. I'm greatly looking forward to where Rick Riordan takes us with this series!

All books in these series have been reviewed by me and the reviews can be found here.

Bookreview: Ferguut

Author: Anonymous
Genre: Arthurian novel, Dutch literature
Published: around 1250
Personal rating: 4/5
Yearly count: 10


Ferguut is the story about the young Ferguut, the son of a farmer who sets out to become a knight belonging to King Arthur’s court after spotting the king and his knightly entourage. His first try isn’t very successful, however, as in his ignorance he makes a fool out of himself, gets into a fight and accepts what amounts to a suicide mission.

While the story isn’t very realistic, it also didn’t drag anywhere and as such read like a present day adventure novel. Granted, while reading it I could clearly tell it was old, but never did the story feel dated. It has a fair amount of violence in it, but when taken down to the core, this was a story about a young man growing up and reaching his potential, while also falling in love. A story like that is timeless and it’s a shame Ferguut isn’t more well known, because I think it’s a great story to read.

My version of this story was a translation, in the sense that the old Dutch had been translated into modern Dutch. This was done very well, without compromising the story. The verse numbers were below each page, so it was easy to find a favorite piece in the old Dutch version I had as well and re-read it. The notes were also very nice, as frequently a little in-joke was explained, either because modern day readers wouldn’t understand something that was common knowledge in the Middle Ages, or because the Dutch translator hadn’t (or perhaps couldn’t) translate some jokes found in the original French version. This made reading it even more enjoyable.

Bookreview: Cleopatra

Author: Carlo Maria Franzero
Genre: non-fiction, history
Published: 1963
Personal rating: 2.5/5
Yearly count: 9
Off The Shelf Challenge: 6/15
2011 Non-Fiction Challenge: 1/9


C.M. Franzero’s Cleopatra is divided into five parts, which follow Cleopatra’s life more or less chronologically. In his introduction, the author states that he wanted to give a balanced view of Cleopatra, as she’s been either proclaimed to be the greatest woman of all times or a she-devil.

The book started out great, as the beginning was well documented with excellent footnotes. I really liked that the author only used contemporary sources, while still mentioning others. For instance, when talking about her looks he only used sources who were in or very near her lifetime, so actual eye witness accounts. This use of the only remotely reliable sources about Cleopatra is a very good thing in my opinion.

However, after that great beginning, the footnotes virtually disappear. There’s also no bibliography, which makes it difficult to ascertain when he’s taking liberties with Cleopatra’s story. Sometimes his descriptions are so flowery, I’m thinking he’s projecting, especially when talking about what Cleopatra or other characters are thinking, but maybe it’s just taken from writers like Plutarch or letters written by someone close to Cleopatra? I don’t know and have no way of finding out, which is a bad thing when reading a non-fiction book like this.

Another thing I missed were pictures in the book. I would have especially liked a map of Alexandria, because just the description, although done well, did not paint a very clear picture to me. This repeated itself later on when the author talked about other cities in detail, or military campaigns. Maps would’ve made it so much easier to picture what happened.

So, what started out as a great book with a wonderfully written first chapter steadily grew worse. At first the writing flowed nicely, but later on there were chunks of information dumped into the narrative that were only sideling relevant to whatever was being discussed at the time. And apart from the first chapter, there were almost no sources mentioned, yet the author makes more and more statements about what Cleopatra thought. That’s something that annoyed me greatly.

All in all, this was a terrible book, even though it was an enjoyable read. While the author did give a fairly balanced view of Cleopatra, as was his initial intention, the book is worthless as anything other than a story. Without sources, or even a bibliography, the reader has no idea what is fact and what is fiction. For a non-fiction historical book, this is the worst thing. I wouldn’t recommend the book, for surely there are better books out there.

Wish List Books Wednesday

Due to personal reasons, blogging wasn’t possible in February, not was reading. However, new books still found their way to my TBR pile. Here are the new additions to my list:

Something About You & A Lot Like Love by Julie James


Both of these books were recommended by ktleyed over at the LT Romance – from historical to contemporary group and I added them to my list for one reason and one reason alone: both of them feature FBI agents as the male protagonist. I can’t help it, I’ve got a weakness for cops/FBI agents/other agency agents in my contemporary romances.


Letters from Home by Kristina McMorris

Apart from the glowing review over at Caribousmom and the fact that the tale sounds very intruiging, this one also made it on my TBR list because it sounded perfect for an upcoming theme read I’m participating in.


The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

Apart from the glowing reviews all over the internet, including one by Caribousmom, this one too made it on my list because it sounded perfect for the upcoming theme read I’m participating in, just like Letters from Home.

Bookreview: Bone Crossed

Author: Patricia Briggs
Genre: mystery, fantasy
Published: 2009
Personal rating: 5/5
Yearly count: 8
Off The Shelf Challenge: 5/15
Series Reading Challenge: 3/3


Although I’d never recommend reading the Mercy Thompson series out of order, this counts double so for Bone Crossed, the fourth book in the series. It takes up Mercy’s stories exactly where Iron Kissed ended and the events in this book rely heavily on what happened in Blood Bound. So while the other three books could sort-of stand on their own, this one definitely can’t.

Mercy’s past dealings with the local vampire seethe come back to haunt her. Or rather, her friends. For while Mercy herself is protected from direct reprisals by her relationship with Adam, the local werewolf pack’s Alpha, it is open hunting season on her friends. Can Mercy protect her friends, before anyone is killed? And is this really about revenge, or is there more to it?

I loved this book. There was a lot going on, but that made the story all the more interesting. It feels like in the first three books we were just getting acquainted with Mercy’s world, although the books were really good. In this book, though, we know Mercy’s world and all the basics about the werewolves, vampires and fae. Therefore, the story dives right into it and more than one plot is in this book. It’s a thrilling ride that had me turning the pages almost faster than I could read them. Highly recommended!

Bookreview: Iron Kissed

Author: Patricia Briggs
Genre: mystery, fantasy
Published: 2008
Personal rating: 4.5/5
Yearly count: 7
Off The Shelf Challenge: 4/15
Series Reading Challenge: 2/3


First we had werewolves, then we had vampires. It doesn’t come as a surprise that the third book in the Mercy Thompson series involves the third major species that has been mentioned – the Fae. And they’re more like Grimm’s fairy tales than Disney’s.

Mercy owes her mentor and former boss Zee a favor, as a leftover from the previous book. He’s a fae and collects it by having her sniff out a murderer in her coyote form. This leads to Mercy coming under the scrutiny of far more powerful and dangerous fae, as well as having Zee arrested for murder. Mercy knows that if she doesn’t prove his innocence fast, the other fae will have him killed to prevent the case from going to trial. And if that isn’t enough, Mercy has to make a choice between the werewolves in her life – before they do it for her.

While I liked this book a lot, it wasn’t as good as the previous two in the series. I think it was because of Mercy’s inability to choose between Samuel and Adam, while for me it was so obvious which of the two was better for her! But I did like the look at the Fae a lot and hope Mercy will have more to do with them in future books. This book also dealt with a sensitive subject matter in a realistic and respectful way, something that’s unfortunately a rarity in books nowadays. Definitely recommended!

Bookreview: Blood Bound

Author: Patricia Briggs
Genre: mystery, fantasy
Published: 2007
Personal rating: 5/5
Yearly count: 6
Off The Shelf Challenge: 3/15
Series Reading Challenge: 1/3


While the last book was all about the werewolves that inhabit Mercy’s world, in this book vampires took the center stage. Mercy owes her vampire friend Stefan a favor and since she can shapeshift into a coyote, Stefan asks her to come with him in her coyote form when he goes to deliver a message to another vampire he doesn’t trust. The visit doesn’t go as planned at all and Mercy is soon embroiled in the vampire’s world, something that could have far reaching consequences. And if that’s not bad enough, along the way she’s discovering more about her own abilities as a shapeshifter – as well as why they were hunted to almost extinction by vampires. But don’t worry if you’re a werewolf fan, there are plenty of those around as well.

I love this second book in the Mercy Thompson series. The story is intriguing, full of excitement and tension. The vampire characters that stayed a little flat in the last book come to life in this one, as well as their society. The world Mercy inhabits is fleshed out more and it’s only getting better. I also loved the fact that we learn more about Mercy’s own abilities at the same time she does. I can’t wait to read the next one!