Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya is a novel of magic realism, set in New Mexico in the 1940's. It combines a wonderful story and beautiful prose in a coming of age story of a six year old boy named Antonio. Pulled in two different directions by the expectations of his parents, Antonio finds the guidance to become himself when an elderly traditional healer named Ultima comes to live with his family and becomes his teacher and mentor.
Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer is a Regency romance set in the city of Bath, England. A beautiful and very wealthy single woman named Annis Wychwood only wants to be as independent as restrictive Regency society will allow her to be. When she becomes entangled in the life of a young run away heiress, she finds Lucilla's guardian to be the most dangerous of men - someone who does not bore her to tears. Another charmer from Heyer!
Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer is a regency romance novel set in the English countryside. Sir Gareth Ludlow finds a dashing young girl who has run away from home, while he is on his way to propose marriage to a well born woman who has been his friend for many years. He feels that he must take the girl under his wing in order to keep her safe from the many dangers a young girl would face out on her own, but huge complications set in when he must bring her along to the house of his intended and her family. This book was very witty and a lot of fun.
The Geographer's Library by Jon Fasman is a novel of intrigue and suspense. A young reporter for a weekly paper in a small Connecticut town is assigned to write the obituary of a local professor who has mysteriously died. The more Paul digs, the more oddness he finds - and the more connections to eastern Europe, Russia, international conspiracies, and ancient treasures. A little low on action for a novel of its sort, and i could never really suspend my disbelief.
Bitsy's Bait and Barbecue by Pamela Morsi was a charming novel set in the Ozarks of Missouri. Katy Dodson uses the divorce settlement she receives from her spoiled and immature wealthy ex-husband to buy a B&B on eBay, thinking that the rural atmosphere and small town will be a wholesome place to raise her little son. Her sister Emma comes along to get Katy and little Josh settled in. The sisters are shocked when they learn that, in this case, B&B stands for Bait & BBQ rather than Bed & Breakfast. Katy decides to make a go of it, and an interesting summer with all sorts of additional surprises awaits the sisters.
For A Few Demons More by Kim Harrison is the fifth novel in her Rachel Morgan supernatural fantasy/horror series. Rachel Morgan is a witch who lives in the Kentucky suburbs of Cincinnati in a post-apolcalyptic world. In this novel, Rachel tries to find a serial killer, tries to prevent a war between werewolves and vampires, and tries to stay a few steps ahead of drug dealing elves and very dangerous demons.
A Charmed Death by Madelyn Alt is the second book in her Bewitching Mystery series. Maggie O'Neill works in a gift shop in a charming small town in Indiana. She is one of the last people to see a customer before the teen aged girl is found dead. Maggie feels that the girl was murdered and is determined to find out who killed her and why.
The Lion of Macedon by David Gemmell is a first rate historical fantasy set in ancient Greece in the decades leading up to the birth of Alexander the Great. A seeress sees that the future of Greece depends on the future of one little boy - a half-Spartan & half-Macedonian warrior-to-be named Parmenion. She does everything in her power to shape the boy for his future role - no matter how much pain she causes him. His suffering will make him strong - but will his strength serve good or evil?
The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton is a YA classic I had never read until now. A little boy leaves the racially segregated back hills of North Carolina with his family for a new life in Ohio, where his father will be a history professor at the local racially integrated college. The family will live in a house belonging to a famous abolitionist - and the house is said to be haunted. The little book shows how far we have some in scenes such as the amazement Thomas feels when he sees both black and white people sitting down to eat together in the same room.
The Lightstone: The Ninth Kingdom
The Lightstone: The Silver Sword
The Lord of Lies
The Black Jade
are the first three books of The Ea Cycle, an epic fantasy in its truest sense by David Zindell. I decided on a reread of the first three books (the first one was so long it was split into two volumes in mass market paperback) with the fourth and last book due to be released next month. What sets this series apart is the beauty and high quality of Zindell's writing - it is often more like reading poetry than prose, with its beauty and evocative descriptions.
The Mountain's Call by Caitlin Brennan (pen name for Judith Tarr) is the first book in the White Magic Trilogy. In the Empire there is a Mountain where gods of patterns and time live in the form of white stallions. Every year they send out a Call for youngsters to come to the school to try to become Riders. This year, for the first time in a thousand years, they have called a girl...but what the Gods have Called might not be accepted by their servants!
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