Butterfly Swords by Jeannie Lin

Butterfly Swords by Jeannie Lin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hmmm...this book was okay. I was interested in the beginning when Ai Li escaped from her wedding procession and went on her way home to report her intended's nasty deeds to her father. And it was kind of exciting when she was rescued from her bodyguards by Ryam. It continued to be interesting as they made their way back to Changan, and then on to the mountains on the border. But after she gave herself to him, it became just another predictable love story. I would have appreciated more intrigue or culture and less sex. I hate to say it, but I skipped over some of the last pages just to get to the end.

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The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book took a little doing to get into, but in the end it felt as though I read a classic. It's the story of a couple of generations of a family living in an unnamed country in South America. Some of the characters are eccentric to put it mildly. To begin, Rosa has green hair. I have no idea how that could happen. She dies young - before her fiance can come and claim her. When he finally does come, he marries her younger sister, Clara, who communes with spirits and moves objects with her mind. She had been voluntarily mute since her sister Rosa's death until she proclaimed she would marry her fiance. That's only the beginning. Esteban Trueba, the fiance and later husband to Clara, was definitely a rake - albeit an ambitious one. He started several businesses and succeeded in many of them making him a wealthy man eventually. He is the central figure in this book even though it seems as though it is about the women. He ties them all together. It was interesting to read the historical part of the book. It dealt with the country's changing political views - Socialism and Communism - and how the people, peasants and patrons, handled the changes. There were things that happened that were brutal and disgusting, but they told the story of the wildness of Trueba and his political opponents. There were also ribbons of love woven in that showed support and how love lasted through all the tumultuous years. The ending was satisfying and poignant, but not necessarily happy. I really liked it contrary to what some people say I like to read. There was violence, sex, rape, torture and sadness, but it was still a good book. 



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Katherine by Anya Seton

Katherine by Anya Seton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this book as my selection for our book club's "biography" month. What a wonderful love story. I was very impressed with Katherine. Through everything she experienced, to me she seemed true to her self. Even though her love for the Duke was adulterous (what can you do about love?), she seemed in everything else to have a strong desire to do the right thing. She never fell into the courtly traps of plotting against other people, etc. She concerned herself with her children, her friends, and the people who served her - and the Duke, of course. I could feel God's love for her throughout her life, even if she couldn't. She started out so innocent and faithful and, after all her trials, ended up loving and faithful again. She was right to make atonement and realize that everything happened for a purpose. To me she seemed a beautiful, strong woman. I won't spoil the ending by recounting it here, just suffice to say that I was happy that things came around as they did. Now I have to go look her up and place her on the English royal timeline and write up what I will share with my book club.

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Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I thought I would like this book a lot more than I actually did. The Prison was a very scary place to be. At first when I read that the Prison was alive, I didn't believe it. I thought the characters were just imagining it. As the story goes on, you believe it. The inmates just seemed to go from one bad place to one that was worse. The Prison seemed to go on forever. And there were "eyes" everywhere...watching. On the flip side, the other world was beautiful on the surface, but it was all a game. The story was a bit confusing, but that's because the two world stories were interwoven. The end could have been the end, but I could see it leading to a sequel. There's enough questions there to warrant it. I guess I just didn't like the atmosphere I imagined as the Prison (of course, you aren't supposed to like it) and the darkness and the hanging chains and spiders. Creepy. It was like they were going through a big maze and, if you like that kind of thing, you will love this book.


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Wrap up Post for The 4-Month Challenge Part 8

Tomorrow is April 30th and the last day for the 4-Month Challenge Part 8 hosted by Book Drunkard. Here's how I did this time. I did okay, not great.

5 point category:
Author's name that starts with "J" - "Untraceable" by Shelli Johannes-Wells
A book by an author writing under another name - "India Was One" by An Indian
A book I've been meaning to read for ages - "A Wrinkle in time" by Madeleine L'Engle

Total - 15 points

10 point category:
Author's name that starts with "F" - "Wildflower Hill" by Kimberley Freeman
 A book with a flower in the title or on the cover - "Comfort and Joy" by Kristin Hannah

Total - 20 points; Grand Total so far - 35 points

20 point category:
Author's name that starts with "M" - "I Am The Messenger" by Marcus Zusak

Total - 20 points; Grand Total so far - 55 points

25 point category:
Author's name starts with "A" - "The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party" by Alexander McCall-Smith
A Dystopian novel - "Incarceron" by Catherine Fisher
Author's first and last name has 12 letters - "Watership Down" by Richard Adams
A book about a royal - "Clockwork Prince" by Cassandra Clare
A book with an animal in the title or on the cover - "Sisters of the Confederacy" by Lauraine Snelling

Total - 125 points; Grand Total - 180 points

When will the categories for the next one be up? Even when I don't do well, I really like these reading challenges!

The Orchid Affair by Lauren Willig

The Orchid Affair by Lauren Willig

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is another of Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation series. I loved it. I haven't read one of hers for a little while, so I was happy to return to the series. Her strong female characters are wonderful. This one is about Laura Gray, Governess, who is also the Silver Orchid - spying in France for the British government. She is 32 years old and has been on her own since her parents died when she was 16. She learned to be a governess to survive and she was quite good at it. And, of course she falls in love with the man she is supposed to watch - Andre Jaouoen - but you knew that would happen. Anyway, in the course of their adventures, Miss Gray pulls off these wonderful portrayals astounding Andre and the reader as well as the people she is trying to fool. It was GREAT! The best quote came near the end in her altercation with DeLarouche (the evil assistant Minister of Police) when he asks her, "Who ARE you?" and she says, "The Governess!" in a very BA tone (at least it was in my ears). Be afraid, be so afraid! Anyway, it's a great story based on some historical facts with lots of embellishment. Lauren Willig is so good at this.


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Untraceable by Shelli Johannes-Wells

Untraceable by S.R. Johannes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book was very exciting and fast-paced. It is the story of Grace whose father has recently gone missing in the mountains of North Carolina. He is a park ranger and Grace learned all he could teach her about survival in the forest. She goes out every day searching for clues to his whereabouts, but the law enforcement in her little town doesn't give her any credit for the things she finds. She is determined to find her father, dead or alive. She doesn't want to admit he may be dead. Her mother is barely holding on without her father and makes Grace go to a therapist to help her deal with her father's disappearance.

It's also the story of Grace's relationship with two boys: Wyn, who she has known since she was little, and Mo, who she met in the woods while searching for clues. I think the way the two relationships were handled was very realistic. Wyn really likes Grace and Grace really likes Mo -- yes, it's another book with a love triangle. Poor Wyn. I mean Mo has that great British accent, how can Grace not fall for him. Anyway, I liked the way their relationships developed and didn't go too far.

I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn't read this book, but the action is pretty constant and intense. I don't recall reading a "slow" part. It is a very, very good book. I recommend it highly. Oh, and by the way, it's part of a series and I can't wait to read the next one! 





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Patriote Peril by Thomas Thorpe

Patriote Peril by Thomas Thorpe

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"Patriote Peril" was sent to me by the author, Thomas Thorpe, to read and review for him. It is a relatively short book, 214 pages, but it is filled with exciting situations, mystery and the feel of treading through the wilderness of the early 1800's in Canada. In my youth, I used to make believe I was a pioneer, so this book was right up my alley. It is the story of an English family who spends the summer together at the home of one of the daughters, Victoria, married to a Canadian, Richard Hudson. The story begins when 5 members of the family go on an outing and are ambushed and kidnapped. The 6th member, Elizabeth, had stayed behind and, upon realizing the others' fate, sets out to find them. All sorts of twists happen in this story, but what I liked most about it was the way the author told part of the story from one character's perception, then retold the same events from a different charater's perception adding to what the reader already knew. In this way, the author leads the reader along. As I stated above, there are several twists within the story and especially a big one at the end. So, if you like historical fiction AND you like mysteries and figuring out the chain of events, this book is for you. I really enjoyed it.


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Crimson Mountain by Grace Livingston Hill

Crimson Mountain by Grace Livingston Hill

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Laurel overhears a plot to blow up the new munitions plant. Will Phil be able to save her from the web of deceit and danger that is slowly closing around her?
Grace Livingston Hill is the beloved author of more than 100 books. Read and enjoyed by millions, her wholesome stories contain adventure, romance, and the heartwarming triumphs of people faced with the problems of life and love.

This book was an unexpected joy! I found it at the library when I was looking for a book to read with a "red" word in the title. This one came up and it is a little unassuming green library book - no picture on the cover or anything. It is a lovely story or a young woman, Laurel Sheridan, who sets out on her own after he parents die. She stays with a cousin for a while, but that cousin is only interested in finding her a rich husband who is well-known in society. That isn't what this young woman wants. She goes back to her hometown and finds a job as a substitute school teacher. She also meets a young man, Phil Pilgrim, while she is driving around on Crimson Mountain reminiscing, and her car breaks down. He stops to help her and saves her from a stampeding herd of cattle. It sounds very predictable and common when I read what I just wrote, but it's such a sweet story and it isn't mushy. It's romantic and exciting things happen. Phil is on his way to report to camp as a soldier. Before he goes, the two of them go to visit a woman who befriended him when he was a child. They accompany her to her little church and eventually both declare their love for Jesus and begin to seriously live a Christian life. After he goes off to camp, things happen up on Crimson Mountain where the government is building a munitions plant. It doesn't sound as if all this would go together, but it does - beautifully. The book is written in a lovely, 1940's fashion and I just loved it. It just goes to show that you never know what you will find between the ordinary covers of a library book. What a treasure!


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The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When a white servant girl violates the order of plantation society, she unleashes a tragedy that exposes the worst and best in the people she has come to call her family.

Orphaned while onboard ship from Ireland, seven-year-old Lavinia arrives on the steps of a tobacco plantation where she is to live and work with the slaves of the kitchen house. Under the care of Belle, the master's illegitimate daughter, Lavinia becomes deeply bonded to her adopted family, though she is set apart from them by her white skin.

Eventually, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, where the master is absent and the mistress battles opium addiction. Lavinia finds herself perilously straddling two very different worlds. When she is forced to make a choice, loyalties are brought into question, dangerous truths are laid bare, and lives are put at risk.

The Kitchen House is a tragic story of page-turning suspense, exploring the meaning of family, where love and loyalty prevail.
This book was our book club selection for March. We all liked it very much. It inspired a great discussion of slavery and how a white girl could end up in such a situation. My ancestors are Irish and some of them could have been in a similar situation in Ireland during the potato famine. I know some of them came over on ships, but none than I know of ended up in the South. They arrived at New York or Boston. Many of them worked in the coal mines in West Virginia and others lived in Pittsburgh, PA and eastern Ohio. Some went as far as Chicago in the 20's. Anyway, my sister and I felt a connection to this Irish girl who was indentured to Captain Pyke. Our book club was interested in how the story actually got on paper as well. The author, Kathleen Grissom didn't want to write about slavery, but she felt compelled and the story, if she was true to her inspirations, came to her and demanded to be told. If she strayed from it, the inspiration was lost. Quite interesting to us. The actual story seemed quite sad to me. The reading of it moved along partly because the chapters alternated between Lavinia (the Irish girl) and Belle (a slave girl on the plantation and daughter to Captain Pyke), and because events kept happening that made you want to see the results. There were times when we just wanted to shout "No more secrets!" and "Just tell them!" I listened to the audiobook as I read which was very enjoyable to me. I like hearing the interpretations of the narrators. It makes the book come alive in a wonderful way. I recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction and those interested in what happened in the South before the Civil War.


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