The Woman in White  by Wilkie Collins

I know this is one of those books that people really really love.  People in the lit blogosphere, characters in books, a lot of people real and fictional.  Sadly, I am not among them.  I really had to drag my way through this book.  the best character in the book is introduced in the most horrifying way!  Marian, the half sister of the perfect and lovely Laura Fairlie.  It's only Laura's love for Marian that keeps the poor girl from being homeless and destitute.  Oh, but I'm getting ahead of myself, here.

I guess this is considered an epistolary novel, although it's not so much letters as legal witness statements and journal entries.  The narrative goes through a variety of characters, so you see the story play out through the eyes of whoever is in the thick of the action at the time.  Was this book revolutionary at the time it was written?  It didn't hold any surprises for me and I found nothing to like about it. I was so disappointed.  Other than Marian, who is pretty great, none of the characters really had me rooting for them. I didn't find the suspenseful parts very suspenseful and I didn't' think the payoff of the big reveal made any of it worthwhile.  I may just be griping about a perfectly good book, but when they don't work for me, they really don't work for me. 

My own presuppositions probably ruined this book for me.  I was so excited to read it after I'd heard or read it mentioned so glowingly.  By making much of the narrative be what seemed like part of the police file, or more like part of court proceedings on the incident (which shouldn't have existed in this matter as per the narrative itself), it was awfully dry.  Only when William Hartright tells his part of the story, what with him being all lovesick and passionate, oh, and Marian's tortured diary entries, do you get any feeling at all.  You've got some nasty noblemen and rotten family members who throw some wrenches in the works and depending on their stake in the matter the wrenches just gum up the works or are pretty mercenary and malicious. The whole woman in white/Laura Fairlie mystery, which should have been a big deal, considering the title of the novel and all, wound up just being a MacGuffin. 

So, all in all, I'm glad I've put this book behind me.  My newest Daily Lit is The Count Of Monte Cristo, and I'm hoping it lives up to the hype.

  Airman  by Eoin Colfer

Colfer is the author of the Artemis Fowl series, but this book is definitely a departure from the Artemis books. Airman is darker and bleaker than any of Artemis' adventures. Conor Broekman lives in the Saltee Islands at the beginning of the islands renaissance.  His father is leader of the king's guard and his best friend is the princess.  He is also a friend of the king and treated very warmly by him. One day Conor witnesses the king's murder by the Marshall Bonvilian and is framed for the murder.  Conor is imprisoned and forced to work in the Saltee diamond mines. 

Conor has always dreamed of flying and spent much of his childhood making kites and gliders in an effort to understand flight. Once imprisoned, he keeps sane by planning his escape and inventing a way to fly.  He draws his plans on the walls of his cave/cell.  He's smart enough to make his imprisonment work for him.  He manages to work the system and make friends with the right people.

After Conor's escape he has to find a way to remove the diamonds he's hidden on the island. There are eight bags of diamonds and Conor can only remove one at a time. The only way to get back onto the island is to fly and he certainly doesn't want to be recaptured.  Conor sets up his lab and begins to build his flying machine.  He has big plans to save his name, his family and see Bonvilian brought to justice.

This was not an easy book to read. As I said before it's dark and grim.  Conor is just a kid and becomes the pawn of a hardened criminal looking for ultimate power. He's no match for all the tools in Bonvilian's arsenal.  He's a boy imprisoned in a savage and cruel environment.  If you can get through the first half, the second is worth it. Conor Broekhart is a fascinating character, smart and strong and brave.  The fulfillment of his dreams makes the first have of the book survivable.  But, this is not for the faint of heart.  I spent as much time horrified by what I was reading and wanting to throw it aside as I did rooting for Conor when things finally started to go his way.

  The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James

This book is based on the premise that letters and journals of Jane Austen and her family are found in an attic.   Piecing them together, along with what's known about Austen and many of the questions that remain unanswered about her life and her writing James tells a fascinating story.  What if Jane Austen fell in love? What if she had her own Mr. Darcy? What if she really did know about love and passion? 

I'm sure this will sound strange, but I put this book in a category with Christopher Moore's Lamb.  I'd like this to be Jane Austen's story. This is the way I want to think of her life.  Since no one knows for sure, why can't this be the version of her life that I believe in?  Lamb tells a fictionalized story of Jesus during those 20 or 30 years that are left out in the bible.  I want this to be what Jesus was like.  And, in the same vein, I'd like to think that Jane Austen met a man and fell in love and let her experiences color her work. 

Here is a combination of fact, fiction, conjecture, all leading to a really enjoyable story.  I didn't know what to expect from this one and I was very pleasantly surprised.

  Plum Lucky  by Janet Evanovich

Plum Lucky is another "between the numbers" holiday book featuring Stephanie Plum.  Although I love her ongoing struggle with love and the men in her life, I'm just as happy to read these books where Joe and Ranger are mostly absent and play no part in the plot.  They can never be replaced, of course, but that doesn't mean that I can't be distracted by Diesel, the otherworldly mystery man who recruits Stephanie to help him with some of his trickier cases.

This time out Grandma Mazur has found a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, in the form of a duffel bag filled with money. The money was liberated from a well known local mobster who wants it back.  The money, along with a retired racehorse were stolen by Snuggy O'Connor, former jockey and current con man, who believes himself to be a leprechaun and able to speak to horses.  Diesel enlists Stephanie's help to hunt down Snuggy.  Even Diesel with his strange "powers" may not be fully up to the task when Grandma Mazur is in the center of the chaos.  Stephanie chases Grandma to Atlantic City and so does everyone else.   Then the chase is on to see who winds up safe and sound, who gets the money and just what is the deal with Snuggy and the horse?

These books can be gobbled up in one sitting, are filled with silliness and adventure and make for a great way to spend an evening.  I'm a sucker for a Stephanie Plum story.  Now, I just need to wait to see what comes next.

  Sense and Sensibility  by Jane Austen

This was a combination of two things I like very much, Daily Lit and Jane Austen.  This was a reread for me.  Despite that I have beautiful copies of all of Austen's works, I rarely take the time to reread books, even when I really want to.  Dailylit.com provides me the opportunity to reread many of the classics without cutting into my normal reading time.  I get a snippet emailed each day.  I generally try to read a chapter at a time and I can usually find the time to squeeze a bit in each day.  It's wonderful that this is one story that I love as much on film as on the page. 

This is the story of Elinor and Marianne Dashwood.  The two grown sisters in the Dashwood family. Their father passed away, leaving them, along with their mother (Mr. Dashwood's second wife) and their younger sister Margaret to find living arrangements they can afford with their small inheritance.  Mr. Dashwood's property is entailed to his son, John.  John, in the movie is slightly more likable than the one in the book.  Austen's idea of John was that he was just as shallow and self-centered as his wife, Fannie. 

The Dashwood women find a home on the estate of Mrs. Dashwood's cousin, Sir John.  Once established in their new surroundings, Elinor and Marianne leave the delightful company of Edward Ferrars, but manage to make the acquaintance of one of the nicest and kindest characters in literature, Colonel Brandon, and, of course, the handsome, charming, morally bankrupt Willoughby. 

I can't do this book justice by discussing it here. All of Austen's work is delightful.  I enjoy every page, every time.   The characters are lovely, the stories so sweet.  It seems strange that such chaste romance can hold up so well today.  I'm imaginative enough to think what I'd like to happen after I turn the last page.  I'm a sucker for good people and certainly for a happy ending.  Austen gives us both, in spades.

  Ironside:  A Modern Faery's Tale  by Holly Black

This is a sequel to Tithe and was another really great tale by Holly Black.  Kaye sets out to make things right.  She is a changeling, a disguised faerie that replaces a real child in the real world.  Kaye had no idea who, or even what she was until it turned out that she was a sacrifice to end a faerie war.  She discovered the world of faerie, understood who she was and what it meant and she fell in love with the equivalent of a faerie prince, Roiben.

Now, Roiben's coronation is approaching. There is still some discord among the faerie factions and danger is ever present.  At the coronation, Kaye is tricked into believing that she should publicly declare her love for Roiben. When he responds by sending her on a seemingly impossible quest, to find a faerie who can lie, she's not sure if she's being rejected, but she's determined to end up victorious.  Despite the drama, trauma and turmoil of Tithe, Black finds a way to help her characters heal, or maybe repair and move on with their lives. 

I enjoyed this book.  I think that Black has a flair for the material. She writes modern faerie, a completely unorthodox concept, and she does it so well.   I'd be interested in reading more about modern faerie and it's colorful inhabitants.

  Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie  by Holly Black

Valerie is an unhappy girl who leaves home and heads into New York City.  There she befriends a group of kids living in an unused subway tunnel.  Lolli, Luis and Dave have been on their own and taking care of each other for some time.  It doesn't help that they have a horrible love triangle, filled completely with unrequited love.  Val helps to break some of that up for them, but the kids have had a pretty rough time of it.  They've seen a side of the city that most people very rarely see, if ever.  It's not just the seedy underbelly of a thriving metropolis, but another world entirely which overlaps in some sections of the city.

Exiles from Faerie are living in Central Park and the supplies they need are not readily available.  There is one person who the faerie people are dependent upon, a troll named Ravus.  Val winds up exposed to this world by making deliveries to the faerie people scattered around the city.  One of the supplies is something the Lolli refers to as Nevermore, a drug with magical and addictive qualities.  Val experiments with the drug and when looking for some answers she meets Ravus.  To save the lives of her new friends she makes a deal with the troll.  That changes her entire life.

I think I preferred this to the rest of Black's faerie novels.  I like Val and I like the commitment and the loyalty she shows for Ravus.  I also like that there is some intersection with the rest of Black's faerie characters.  I'm definitely on board for Black's next book.  Most stories of this kind take place in totally unplaceable time periods, which is generally a selling feature for this kind of tale.  But, here I am finding that a faerie tale which is clearly contemporary is just as fascinating and, in fact, is so compelling and interesting that I want to believe it could be true, not just pretend it could have been true centuries ago.

  Tin Lizard Tales: Reflections From a Train  by Schuyler T. Wallace

This was another of the numerous review copies that I have to make my way through.  Mr. Wallace would probably approve of the fact that I read a nice portion of this book while traveling on a train and even used a train ticket as a bookmark.  Not intentionally, but it worked out like that and I did note the coincidence.  Wallace has a real flare for words and this was the first of the books offered to me by this media company that wasn't filled with typos and glaring errors. I attribute this to the author and I must add, well done. 

Once again, there is the glaring evidence of no editing.  What Wallace wrote was more like two books, plenty of the material he included, didn't seem like it really belonged here.  The actual story that he intended to tell, he told well and was plenty for the book.  All the extra stuff would make an interesting book of his reflections, or essays on his thoughts about things. It was obvious that he put a great deal of thought into his essays and they were interesting to read, but too many of them felt like they were out of place in this book.  They were cumbersome and detracted from the story of the trip.

This book wasn't perfect, but I really only have little nitpicky problems with it, odd lingo and in need of some editing, but his story was fascinating and he tells it really well.  His narrative voice reminded me a lot of some of my uncles and it made it easy to catch onto his jokes.  He didn't shy away from when he was crabby and not behaving well, he told his tale showing all the good and not quite so good in him.  It took courage and he obviously had a lot of support and help from his family, which showed throughout the book.

  Liberal Hearts and Conservative Minds:  The Correlation between Age and Political Philosophy  by Ron Lipsman

This was the book that completely threw off my plan to alternate between review copies and library/personal books.  I was off to a good start, sort of. Then this book ruined everything for me.  I really did try to go in with an open mind, and I think I did have one, too.  Honestly, the concept of the book itself, taking into account the author and his intended arguments shouldn't have really been so hard to swallow. Then I started to read the book.

The concept is that young people start out liberal but become conservative as they age.  He claims a saying or commonly held opinion that if you are young and not liberal, you have no heart and if you are older and not conservative, you have no brain.  I find this offensive on a number of levels.  I can be expected to be bias, I would imagine, because I make no excuses for my very strong political opinions.  I also like to consider myself to be a fairly impartial thinker. I try to look at everyone's side of the story and understand other viewpoints whether or not I agree with them.  But, this was the most frustrating book I've ever read.

For one, it is a glorified term paper.  Are there no more editors?  My goodness, this guy needed one.  He goes on and on telling the reader how he is not qualified to make these arguments.  Then he proves it.  After every paragraph I wanted to throw the book.  I wound up with many adjunct college professors who spent the first class session explaining that they couldn't teach, and the rest of the semester proving it.  That's how I felt about this book.  Lipsman claims that this is the way it is, then explains that he is the only person like this in all of his assorted groups.  So, he lives a life where his concept is untrue, but he still is compelled to try to prove it. All the while contradicting himself as he back pedals.  It really was unnerving and annoying.

  The Story of King Arthur and His Knights  by Howard Pyle

I know this is totally a classic, but somehow I haven't read Pyle's version of the King Arthur saga.  King Arthur and Camelot is one of my most favorite subjects. I have an enormous copy of Mallory's definitive work, the one all the others I've read have been culled from, but it is so intimidating that it remains on the shelf unread.  Partially, it's the same problem I have with War and Peace, the book is so big that it can't really travel with me, it's meant to move from my nightstand to my lap and back again each night.  This makes things a little difficult since I like to read on the move, so to speak.  I spend most lunch hours with a book in my hand and I can't be dragging some 20 pound, 1000 plus page books around in my purse  or tote.  I would probably have excellent upper body strength if I did, though.  I miss that.  I did gymnastics for 12 years, so I never had a problem with the women and upper body strength issue.  My brother claims that I am freakishly strong, which I am determined to think of as a compliment, despite the work that requires, but I certainly do not have the strength I did as a gymnast.  Oh, but I've gotten miles away from the subject at hand again, haven't I?

I watch and read pretty much anything about King Arthur.  One of my all-time favorite books is The Once And Future King  by T.H. White.  I've read Steinbeck's thoughts on Arthur as well as Meg Cabot's, Mary Stewart's, etc.  I've watched Disney's The Sword in the Stone, where Wart reminds me a little of my college boyfriend, who was, I assure you, much older. I can't even begin to rattle off the list of movie names that I've seen with even a passing resemblance to the story and characters that I adore.  

Pyle's version, like all of them, differs slightly from its peers.  It has far less magic and far more fighting than I anticipated and, the language seemed a little silly and archaic at times, considering that it wasn't written all that long ago.  This is a true classic, though.  If you want to dip a toe into King Arthur and his world, this is a great place to start.  I think I got a better understanding of Morgan La Fay here.  She's one of the more variable characters in the books.  She's often treated as villain and, occasionally as victim.  It's interesting to see how she is portrayed by the various authors.