Thursday, April 18, 2019

Another...Reading Round Up!

I'm feeling that it's time to do another reading round up! I've read several books over the past few months that I haven't blogged about. Perhaps because they're already established/well-known, I liked  them but didn't really feel like doing a blog on them, or I just was too busy.

Red Clocks by Leni Zumas

Visual Description: "Red Clocks" in a minimal white calligraphy font. Behind it is a flat, red diamond prism in various shades of red. It is a geometric symbol of the opening of a vagina. It reaches all the way up the top and bottom of the cover. Written in the same calligraphy font but in  yellow around the shape is :  "National Bestseller" across the top, Leni Zumas (Leni on one side of the top of the diamond, Zumas on the other). Bottom left 'A Novel' and on the other side a description "Strange and lovely and luminous. I loved RED CLOCKS with my whole heart - Kelly Link'. 
"Five women. One question. What is a woman for? In this ferociously imaginative novel, abortion is once again illegal in America, in-vitro fertilization is banned, and the Personhood Amendment grants rights of life, liberty, and property to every embryo. In a small Oregon fishing town, five very different women navigate these new barriers alongside age-old questions surrounding motherhood, identity, and freedom. Ro, a single high-school teacher, is trying to have a baby on her own, while also writing a biography of Eivør, a little-known 19th-century female polar explorer. Susan is a frustrated mother of two, trapped in a crumbling marriage. Mattie is the adopted daughter of doting parents and one of Ro's best students, who finds herself pregnant with nowhere to turn. And Gin is the gifted, forest-dwelling homeopath, or "mender," who brings all their fates together when she's arrested and put on trial in a frenzied modern-day witch hunt." - Nabbed from the Goodreads Blurb

I read this a few months ago - both reading it and listening to its audio-book. It was around the time that I was withdrawing from The Handmaid's Tale (the show) finale. It is a book that I would suggest to anyone who appreciates The Handmaid's Tale, for sure. But, unlike The Handmaid's Tale, the reality that is written in Red Clock's is far, far closer to our world. I find The Handmaid's Tale uncomfortable for it's closeness to our current political and social climate. Red Clock makes Handmaid's Tale feel more close to the world of The Hunger Games than ours. Scary. But, thought and feelings provoking. 

I refrained from blogging about it because I just didn't quite vibe with the writer's tone. I also had some problems with the characters. The Wife seemed extraneous to me. As for the writer's voice - I felt she was specifically taking on a masculine tone to prove something. I'm not sure. But, it didn't feel authentic. Mildly posing? I think this book would be great for a male reader and it's not surprising that The Punisher's Jon Bernthal tweeted his book love for 'Red Clocks'. It seems like JUST the book to reach through to the mind of a guy who inhabits Frank Castle so easily. 

The problems addressed in the plot are real and reaching. I thought the conclusion was satisfying and the decisions (from my fading memory of the plot) made by the characters were in-character and understandable. 

My personal opinions on writers tone and character placement wouldn't be everyone's reaction. That is why I'm starting this particular Reading Round up with it. It's a strong book and worthy of throwing out there as a book suggestion. 


A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness


Visual Description: A mystical, midnight cover. The background is in shades of midnight blue and darkness. The nighttime sky with light esoteric circle symbols with lines drawn to each other etches in front of it takes up 80% of the background. The lowest bottom part is a nighttime cityscape (probably London). The title is in large white slightly older feeling font in the center of the cover. Above, in simple straight font is "DEBORAH HARKNESS", below that in a smaller yellow font : "1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Shadow of Night and The Book Of Life"
"Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell." - Nabbed from the Goodreads Blurb.

A Discovery of Witches quickly falls into the category of "It's already so well known and has been for a long while, I felt redundant and late in the game in blogging about it". However, the love I have for this book and the two books that come after it in the All Soul's Trilogy is VERY real and I can't help but share it here. 

Vampire romance is not a ground-breaking genre. It's not even a genre that has ever really gone out of style. It's been around and will always be around. Even when you go through the inevitable post-Twilight detox and can't imagine ever reading another vampire fiction again - you still find yourself intrigued by the premise. But, alas, some (a lot) of vamp fics out there are...horrible, lazy, trope-ish, and wrought with mary-sues. A Discovery of Witches does not at all fall into that category. 

It is so intelligent, emotional, and refreshing. Marrying science and copious amounts of luxurious history and the metaphysical into a tale with it's own original lore that resides in our own normal, mundane world so easily that it's curious to imagine it's legitimate. Diana is a convincing, refreshing heroine and while I had some annoyances with the male lead - he was swoon worthy and original. Diana has a history, interests, passions, and personality traits. So does Matthew (male vampire lead). 

A Discovery of Witches reminds me a great deal of Outlander. Mostly because the author is a historian who actually found a long lost alchelmical manuscript in the Bodleian Library in Oxford - just like her main character. She draws on her vast education and experiences and passions to weave the tale. The story is mature, deeply intelligent, intense and sexual (but doesn't stray too far into Anne Rice territory). Very Gaboldon-esque of her, right? 

The next two novels in the trilogy hold up and I loved everything about it. Also - it was adapted into a TV show and can be found on Sundance or Shudder. Season 1 covered A Discovery of Witches, Season 2 looks like it will jump right into the second novel. While the show was great and I'm tempted to do a book-to-screen post about it, I must insist that you read the books first. 

Because they are awesome. Super, duper awesome. And I just typed 'super, duper'..and you know what? I'm going to leave it there. 

A Strange, Scottish Shore by Juliana Gray


Visual Description: This is a illustrated cover with the artwork heavily featured and explanatory of the premise. A dark haired woman in a gray, plain Victorian-esque travelling attire and a gray hat with a ribbon ta the back is standing on a grassy rise with her back turned to the viewer, two suitcases in her hand, and the wind pulling back her neat hairdo and hat ribbons. She is looking towards a castle on a cliff on the sea, the ocean shore calm in front of her, a small boat moored on the beach. Clouds build in the background but the day is clear and the sun is setting. The title in simple, old-tymey print features at the top "A Strange Scottish Shore'. At the bottom is the author's details in large and small white fonts "Juliana Gray", "Author of A Most Extraordinary Pursuit". And a small quote clip in black font where the shore is detailing "A heroine worth rooting for. - Deanna Raybourn, New York Times bestselling author." 
"Scotland, 1906. A mysterious object discovered inside an ancient castle calls Maximilian Haywood, the new Duke of Olympia, and his fellow researcher Emmeline Truelove, north to the remote Orkney Islands. No stranger to the study of anachronisms in archeological digs, Haywood is nevertheless puzzled by the artifact: a suit of clothing, which, according to family legend, once belonged to a selkie who rose from the sea in ancient times and married the castle’s first laird. But Haywood and Truelove soon discover they’re not the only ones interested in the selkie’s strange hide, and when their mutual friend Lord Silverton vanishes in the night from an Edinburgh street, the mystery takes a dangerous turn through time, which only Haywood’s skills and Truelove’s bravery can solve…" - Nabbed from the Goodreads Blurb

OK SO THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD I DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS THE SECOND IN A SERIES UNTIL I WAS HALF WAY THROUGH IT. And I have, alas, been unable to procure the first one without purchasing it and I have too many books on my TBR list to justify buying it. 

This came up for me when I looked up 'selkies' in my library's app search. I love selkies. I think they are a deeply under-rated fantasy/supernatural/magical creature. They deserve so much more than what they get. I love history (as I think I've made clear in this post and previous posts) and so I picked it up and started reading it. Within the first chapter I realize that this chick is literally talking to the ghost of THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND in a train car. Like, what?! I was hooked.

Emmeline Truelove is a lovely main character and her voice is realistic for the times but earthy and understandable. Sometimes, in the era that she lives in, the narration can be a bit pompous or distant. Like, the author is trying too hard to emulate the times or doing an impression of someone in that era? But, she's a prim and proper heroine that you root for! 

I can't reveal too much about the story without giving major spoilers away and I don't want to do that. But, I can say it was a great ride of a read and the surprises were amazing. I encourage you to read the first book in the series, though. It's always better. And I feel confident from my experience with A Strange and Scottish Shore that the first novel will be excellently written and worth recommendation. Furthermore, I am confident that there will be more books coming because there are some answers we need answering and that they too shall be excellently written. 

A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas


Visual Description: Another cover where the illustration is heavily featured and explanatory of the premise! A young woman with dark hair pinned up and in a elegant, scarlet gown with a large, hooped, ruched skirt is on a doorstep lit by two old fashioned gas lamps. The night is misty and it feels like she's in the city. She is in mid-action of entering the door. It is cracked and golden light glows from inside. Gold fillagree emblems are in each corner of the cover. The author's name and details are in mid-large and small font above the doorway at the top of the cover. "USA Times Bestselling Author of My Beautiful Enemy", "SHERRY THOMAS". Below, the title in white and large font "A Study in Scarlet Women" and in smaller golden letters describing "First in the Lady Sherlock Series" at the bottom of the cover. A small quote clip in white is placed to the left beside her scarlet skirt detailing "Sherry Thomas has done the impossible and crafted a fresh, exciting new version of Sherlock Holmes." Deanna Raybourn, New York Times bestselling author."
"With her inquisitive mind, Charlotte Holmes has never felt comfortable with the demureness expected of the fairer sex in upper class society. But even she never thought that she would become a social pariah, an outcast fending for herself on the mean streets of London. When the city is struck by a trio of unexpected deaths and suspicion falls on her sister and her father, Charlotte is desperate to find the true culprits and clear the family name. She’ll have help from friends new and old—a kind-hearted widow, a police inspector, and a man who has long loved her. But in the end, it will be up to Charlotte, under the assumed name Sherlock Holmes, to challenge society’s expectations and match wits against an unseen mastermind" - Nabbed from the Goodreads Blurb.

Gender-swapped Sherlock Holmes for the win. Much like A Discovery of Witches - the premise has been done before. It's been done in TV. It's been done in books. It's been done in the past. And it has been set in the present. So, when I picked this up (after finally doing so after my library app kept throwing it me in suggestions for eons) to try it out  I was very surprised how original it was. 

I recently read somewhere that Sherry Thomas has said she enjoys writing the type of books she enjoys reading and it totally clicked with me. Because, A Study In Scarlet Women, she effortlessly slides into the role of narrator of a intelligent, Victorian who-dun-it with little hiccup. The whole book sets up the whole series. The twist upon the twist? Charlotte Holmes is the scarlet woman and she does so by pure genius choice. She is exactly what you would think a female Holmes would be but also not at all what you think. She's better. And her supporting characters are better. And the world she lives in and solves mysteries is better. 

It's a slow burn read and mystery, alternates point of views deliciously, and does not stray from spending time on mundane day-to-day things and societal expectations and rules. While male Sherlock Holmes didn't have to worry about conventions or societal pressures - Charlotte Holmes is highly pressured to do so. Her dream is to find an occupation where she does not have to marry and one that gives her enough income to support her two unmarried sisters. One of them mentally challenged and hidden away by their lacking, disappointing parents and the other older and very much a wallflower with a great big heart but not much backbone. Oh, and! - MRS. Watson is a retired actress of means! A Victorian-era ACTRESS. While Thomas definitely resides within the realm of the original Sherlock Holmes series, she gender swaps where necessary and adds her characters (mostly of the female kind) to flesh out the feminine world that was often overlooked in the original source material. 

And it works. Big time. 

Again - like A Discovery of Witches...I have read the other books in the series and each get a thumbs up from me and the series is well known and so I felt redundant in blogging about them on their own. However they absolutely needed to be mentioned.

And that, dear reader, concludes this Reading Round Up. 

We went from Red Clocks, to A Discovery of Witches, to A Strange and Scottish Shore, and finally to A Study in Scarlet Women. I feel like I've run a blogging marathon with all the links and covers and typing I've been doing the past day! I'm going to go listen to my most recent audiobook library loan and chill. 

Happy reading!

Until next time, 

Jess











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