Book Review Club: Divergent Trilogy

Divergent 

by Veronica Roth

YA Dystopian Fiction

A friend recommended the first book to me, and it happened to be on sale one day, so I grabbed a copy from Amazon.

The setting is a rigid and obviously dysfunctional society on the brink of disintegration, though that's not obvious at first. I was drawn in by her world-building. The story is set in a future city-state--the former Chicago--some years after a cataclysmic war. The city is ruled by five factions:

The Erudite - the intellectuals, scientists and engineers who teach, keep the city running and deliver medical care. They are smart but not particularly compassionate. Their color is blue. (I've taken the Faction Quiz on Facebook and I would be in this faction, assuming I could pass the IQ test.)

The Candor - a group of people who are scrupulously honest, pretty much unable to tell a lie. They administer the laws. What a concept! As I recall they wear black and white, because that is how they see the world.

The Amity - basically New Age hippies who grow and distribute food and keep peace among the other factions. They have no leaders and everything is done by consensus or nothing gets done. They are cheerful people and dress in bright red and yellow.

The Abnegation - these are the selfless ones, kind of like the old time Quakers. They live simply and dress only in shades of gray and are the only faction to help the factionless--society's downtrodden, the ones that have fallen through the cracks in the system. Interestingly, the Abnegation are in charge of running the government, the theory being that you only give power to those who do not want it. Another mind-blowing concept!

The Dauntless - the warriors and protectors of the world. Members of this faction wear black and have tattoos and piercings. They are noisy and reckless, and I suspect many have ADHD. The Dauntless are known as the cruelest faction, in large part because their initiation is so daunting. I know I'd have never made it into Dauntless.

Formal schooling ends at the age of 16, at which time the teens are given a test (a drug-induced simulation) to determine which faction they are suited to, and then there is a Choosing ceremony, where they young people can decide whether to stay in the faction they were born to or transfer to another faction.

The main character is Beatrice Prior, who narrates the first two books in first person. Born into Abnegation, she knows she doesn't quite belong. She finds Abnegation's selflessness a little stifling. She'd like to be able to run and jump and go wherever she wants without worrying about everyone else's needs first.

Things start to go wrong when there is a hitch in her test. Her results are inconclusive as she has shown affinity for three factions--Abnegation, Dauntless and Erudit. In short, she is Divergent, a very dangerous thing to be. The woman administering the test manually fixes the results to show affinity for Abnegation, but at the ceremony she chooses Dauntless and a new nickname, Tris. The rest of the book shows her growth as she goes through the initiation process and learns what it is to truly be dauntless.

I really enjoyed the first book, as it gives you a lot to think about re human nature and where we fit in society, wrapped in an exciting adventure story. Much more Hunger Games than Twilight. Also written in first person, single POV, teenage female protagonist. Well-written and hard to put down; I just wanted to keep reading. So I bought the next book.

 Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Things have really fallen apart by the end of Divergent and the sequel opens with Tris and some other characters on the run from the city. In this book, we get to know more about the Factionless, as the city descends into civil war. I won't say much because I don't like to drop a lot spoilers in a review.

In this book we get to know more about Tris's love interest, the boy known as Four in Divergent, whose real name is Tobias. Good character growth for both teens, still first person, single (Tris) POV. I enjoyed Insurgent almost as much as Divergent, so I bought the third book.

Allegiant by Veroncia Roth

The third books is different in several ways. From a literary point of view, it differs in that it offers two first person points of view, that of Tris and Tobias, her boyfriend and fellow dauntless insurgent. Here the action moves outside the city and we learn what has really been going on and what came before.

I don't want to say much about what happens, but I will say that I stayed engrossed in the book until the climax when something so totally unexpected happened that I was horrified. I had invested a lot of time and emotion in these two characters and I'd expected them to have a happier ending than they got.

Yes, I'm a romance reader and therefore addicted to happy endings. I guess the author saw her story as literary fiction rather than genre fiction. Or maybe it was her way of empatically saying THE END, don't expect any more books about this character. Who knows? It doesn't matter since I probably won't be reading her again, though I imagine I'm in the minority. She has a legion of loyal teenage fans.

If any of you have read the trilogy, I"d be interested in hearing what you think in the comments section.

Linda

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Amped by Douglas E. Richards (Book Review Club)

Amped (The Wired Sequel)
by Douglas E. Richards
Paragon Press, 2013
Adult Science Fiction / Thriller

Dr. Kira Miller is a brilliant scientist who has found a way to increase both human longevity and intelligence. But there are downsides. Intellectual arrogance and a sociopathic disregard for lesser people come with enhanced intelligence and could lead to disastrous consequences. The government considers her dangerous and will do whatever it takes to catch her.

In Wired, she convinced David Desh, the operative sent to find her, that her intentions are not evil and that she was set up. After faking their deaths, she and David are secretly married and building a network of brilliant scientists to aid them. She guards her supply of gelcaps to make sure they are only used to enhance intelligence under controlled conditions or extreme duress.

In the prologue of the sequel, Amped, their enemies find them and attack their laboratory. Kira and David escape, but their colleague Ross Metzger isn't so lucky. Kira and David soldier on, until one of their scientists is abducted. This time the government's man is Colonel Morris "Jake" Jacobson who is convinced Kira is the most dangerous human on earth. A cat and mouse game ensues between the two sides.

At first, I found the beginning of the book a little slow and seemingly more of the same. The surprise in this sequel came in the form of a surprising and intriguing subplot involving a space probe approaching earth, apparently sent by an advanced alien society. It will take all of earth's scientists and leaders working together to solve this problem.

Amped is more high powered action combined with cutting edge science and philosophical discussion. Another great read from Douglas E. Richards that entertains while asking questions about the nature of humanity, the limits of intelligence, and the ability of humans to survive their own worst impulses. Enjoyable thriller.

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Linda

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Wrapped In The Flag (Book Review Club)

Wrapped in the Flag: A Personal History of America's Radical Right

by Claire Conner
Adult Biography
Beacon Press

Claire Conner was raised by parents who were in the inner circles of the John Birch Society. This is the story of her lifelong acquaintance with the psychology of the radical right. She wrote the book after seeing the rise of the Tea Party movement in 2010, which sounded all too familiar to her.

Though her parents tried hard to indoctrinate her, she had a mind of her own and was open to new ideas. Her parents were conservative Catholics who insisted their children attend only Catholic schools, which were often too liberal for the parents's comfort. Claire was mortified by her mother's numerous trips to the school office to complain about the curriculum. A sympathetic lay teacher gave Claire "plain wrap" books to read. (She literally had a shelf of books with plain brown wrappers on them, so Claire never knew what the book was until she opened it.) One was Black Like Me, which opened her eyes to the way racism operated in the Deep South. In the end, Claire went from devout Catholic to liberal Unitarian. (The pedophile priest scandal was the final straw.) I don't think her parents ever forgave her for abandoning the Church.

The  book is well-written, informative and I had a lot of sympathy for Claire and her siblings. It can't have been easy to be raised by narrow-minded, paranoid conspiracy theorists, esp. since they were also controlling as well as emotionally and physically abusive.

I remember the Birch Society being derided as nutty extremists, and nothing she said here made it seem otherwise. The founder and long-time leader, Robert Welch, had some very strange ideas, as well as a lot of the common prejudices of the early 20th c. He was both bigoted and anti-semitic (as were Claire's parents) and saw a Communist behind every bush. A Southerner by birth, Welch was also a racist. Some of his wilder theories made me laugh, since they defy all internal logic and show an astonishing ignorance of history and economics. Welch thought Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy & LBJ were all pro-Communist. Huh? His other big bugaboo was the much-feared New World Order, which was somehow being fomented by Communists and Jewish bankers! Because we all know how well those two groups have gotten along, historically speaking. The only thing that ever seemed to throw them was Reagan winning the presidency (to their delight) then turning out not to be quite as conservative as expected.

Overall, Wrapped in the Flag is a fascinating yet disturbing look at the radical right and their commitment, dedication and relentlessness. And now, thanks to the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, they are allowed to spend more money than ever before on candidates and political activism.  I admire the author's courage and honesty in exposing her life to public scrutiny, but I was a little discouraged when I finished it, though I think the book well worth reading.

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Linda

Book Review Club: At Any Price

AT ANY PRICE (GAMING THE SYSTEM)
Brenna Aubrey
Genre: New Adult (for mature readers)
Self-published, 2013

Brenna Aubrey is a local author I know from my RWA chapter. Her book was the subject of a literary auction and a six-figure publication offer. She thought long and hard before deciding to self publish, a very brave and sometimes controversial move, but one that has paid off. You can read her first month of publication report at her blog.

Now for my review:

At Any Price is narrated in first person by Emilia "Mia" Strong, a 22-year-old college student with aspirations (but no money) to go to medical school. In desperation she writes "A Virgin's Manifesto" on her blog to auction off her virginity.

The winner of the auction is Adam Drake, software prodigy and CEO of a large gaming company. Mia is a video gamer, too, and despite a rocky first meeting, the two find they have much in common. The attraction between them is powerful, which bothers Mia. This was supposed to be a one night stand. But for some reason, Adam keeps putting off the moment of consummation. When they do get together, the love scenes are hot!

While it's clear to the reader that these two are made for each other, both come with so much personal baggage, it takes a while to get to a tentative happy ending. But it turns out this is the first in a trilogy, so readers will see more of Mia and Adam's journey.

Aubrey is a terrific author. She draws the reader into the world of her characters. We sympathize with Mia's situation, juggling her studies, a part-time job as an orderly, and her blogging schedule, barely getting by, but too proud to ask for help.

Adam is used to being in charge and at times comes across as a bit arrogant, esp. in their first meeting. As we get to know him, we see that he's really a nice guy at heart. There were times when I wished I could get into his head, but ultimately his motivation was revealed.

This is the first book I've read in the "New Adult" genre, books with characters from 18 to twenty-something. According to NA Alley New Adult books encompass "the transition between adolescence (a life stage often depicted in Young Adult fiction) and true adulthood." So the characters are of legal age and sexually active, but emotionally immature. What could go possibly wrong? I've also heard recently that the genre seems to be evolving/devolving into "first love erotica" but don't ask me. I know very little about the genre, but I would call this book at least borderline erotic, esp. since the plot revolves around the loss of Mia's virginity.

Brenna Aubrey has made an impressive debut and I think she has a brilliant career ahead of her. Though I enjoyed this book a lot, I can't say it has made a "new adult" fan out of me, though I will happily read Aubrey again.

I give At Any Price five Celestial Orbs and a Get Out of Dungeon Free card.

Thanks for dropping by. Don't forget to check out of the other wonderful reviews by clicking on the graphic below.

Linda

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Review Disclaimer:

All books reviewed on this blog are either in the private collection of the blogger or were checked out of the library. None were provided free of charge for the purpose of soliciting an endorsement.

Book Review Club: Steampunk and Mysteries

Barrie Summy's Book Review Club is coming to you a week late this month, thanks to New Year's Day falling on a Wednesday. Hope you had a good holiday and are now ready for the serious work of book reviewing. (Who am I kidding, this is fun!)

I read a lot this last month, so I opted for quantity over depth of review. Here are three books that I enjoyed. 

A Lady of Resources
by Shelley Adina

The fifth in the Magnificent Devices series focuses on Lizzie de Maupassant, one of the sisters formerly known as The Mopsies. Lizzie and her sister Maggie were found wandering the streets of London at the age of five and taken in by a street gang where they learned to pick pockets and engage in other acts of crime/survival. In Lady of Devices, Lady Claire Trevelyan teamed up with the gang to form a new "flock" as she put it. Claire became Lizzie and Maggie's guardian and de facto big sister.

Now 16, Lizzie has finished her studies at the Lycee des Jeune Filles in Munich. She has learned to behave like a lady, but the guttersnipe in her surfaces from time to time, as when, at a party, she picks the pocket of a gentleman on a dare, and finds more than she bargained for. In this book, Lizzie meets her real father and finds out what happened to her and Maggie eleven years ago. In the process of uncovering the truth, she must use all the resources at her disposal to survive.

In the earlier books, Lizzie and Maggie were as close as two sisters can be, all but inseparable and often seeming two parts of one whole. Now grown up, they are beginning to emerge as fully fleshed out characters. It will be fun to watch them mature. This is an adventurous, funny and delightful story. I recommend reading the entire series. The first four books are now available as an e-book bundle.

Great opening line: "Of all the infernal instruments man ever made, the corset is the worst."

Two to Mango
by Jill Marie Landis

TWO TO MANGO takes us into the world of competitive hula dancing, with hilarious and disastrous results. Em Johnson, who manages her Uncle Louis bar, the Tiki Goddess, gets drawn back into detecting after two members of the same Kauai dance troop end up dead. Both deaths appear to be from natural causes, but local detective Roland Sharpe thinks otherwise. Could they have been poisoned? He asks Em to take the bar's resident dance troop, the Hula Maidens undercover by entering the the Kukui Nut Festival's hula competition. Problem is, the Maidens came in dead last the last time they entered, so they're not eager to compete again, esp. after Lillian's recent wardrobe malfunction.

The insider look at competitive hula (no, Jill did not make that up) has the ring of authenticity. (I happen to know the author has danced the hula for many years now.) I often get a little melancholy during the holidays, so a good time to read more Tiki Goddess books to lighten the mood.

Opening line: "Thanks to you and your nipple, Lillian, we'll never dance in this town again."

Very enjoyable and funny mystery.

Three to Get Lei'd
by Jill Marie Landis


In this episode, the Tiki Goddess has been taken over by a camera crew from the reality TV show, Trouble in Paradise. Thanks to the popularity of the pilot, the Hula Maidens are more rambunctious than ever, obsessed with accumulating fans and Facebook likes. They are practicing less and their dancing is worse than ever. Em is at her wit's end, though the money from the show has come in handy. Then one of the cameramen is murdered in the kitchen, and everything changes.

This installment opens up with big, big laughs, then takes a turn to the more serious in the middle, but ends with more hilarity. I thought the mystery was somewhat transparent, but still enjoyed the book because of the characters. If you're looking for an amusing cozy mystery series with a lot of local color, you can't do much better than this one.

Opening line: "Life is full of ups and downs, honey. We have to celebrate every minute before we drain our last tiki mug." - Uncle Louie

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Disclaimer: I am a personal friend of the author of Jill Marie Landis, but would not be reviewing her books if I hadn't truly enjoyed them. All books were purchased from Amazon and read on my Kindle.

As always, click on the graphic below to read more reviews from Barrie Summy's Book Review Club. Happy reading!

Linda McLaughlin

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December Book Review Club

Mai Tai One On

by Jill Marie Landis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first in the Tiki Goddess mystery series is set (mostly) in a seedy but vintage seaside bar where the protagonist, Emily, works for her Uncle Louie. Rumors reached her in So. Calif. that her uncle was becoming a little dotty, so Em pulled up stakes and moved to Kauai to manage the bar and save her uncle's business. One of her cost-cutting measures was to hire a local dance troupe, the Hula Maidens, in place of professional entertainment. The Maidens, a group of eccentric women of varying ages and dancing abilities, provide assistance, conflict and lots of comic relief.

The mystery starts when their neighbor, Harold Okamato, is found murdered in the luau pit. The police detective sent to investigate is Roland Sharpe, a handsome local who sometimes moonlights as a Samoan fire dancer. Em is attracted to him, but annoyed when he homes in on the Tiki Goddess's bartender Sophie as primary suspect. Convinced Sophie is innocent, Em and the Hula Maidens naturally set out to find the real culprit.

Mai Tai One On is an enjoyable and amusing cozy mystery filled with lots of local color and eccentric characters. I'm looking forward to reading the next one, Two To Mango.

Disclaimer: Jill is a long-time personal friend, but that in no way influenced my review. If I hadn't liked it, I wouldn't have posted a review.I bought her book on sale from the Amazon Kindle store.

The Christmas Cuckoo

by Mary Jo Putney

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A charming Regency holiday story that revolves around a mistaken identity by a mistress of her craft.

Newly minted earl, Major Jack Howard has just sold out of the Army and returned to London only to find his aunt, the dowager countess, determined to control his every move. In a moment of rebelliousness, he boards a stagecoach bound for Bristol. Too much whiskey to stave off the cold leaves him in a drunken stupor at an inn in Chippenham.

Meg Lambert arrives at the inn looking for her brother's friend Captain Jack Howard, and find the major instead. Not realizing he's the wrong man, she takes him home for the holidays. Once he sobers up, Jack realizes he's been mistaken for someone else, but the Lambert home is so warm and welcoming, he puts off confessing his true identity. He knows he's a cuckoo in another bird's nest, but has no wish to leave, especially since he's falling in love with Meg.

Silent Night: A Lady Julia Christmas Novella

by Deanna Raybourn


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Julia and Brisbane spend another Christmas at Bellmont Abbey, her family's home (originally visited in Silent in the Sanctuary. Once again, ghosts are at play, only this time less murderous. The mystery is pretty thin, but Julia's family is as wonderfully eccentric as before, making for a delightful read. A fun choice for the holidays.

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 Linda

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October Book Review Club

The House of Velvet and Glass
Katherine Howe
Hyperion Books, 2012

This book caught my notice when it came out last year for the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, but I just now got around to reading it.

Two members of the Allston family of Boston went down with the Titanic, and the book focuses on the eldest daughter's struggles to come to terms with the loss of her mother Helen and younger sister Eulah. Every year on the anniversary of the disaster, Sibyl Allston goes to the house of Mrs. Dee, her mother's favorite medium, to see if she can contact her mother's spirit. Sibyl had resented Helen's decision to take only her younger daughter on tour in Europe, in hopes she would make a brilliant match. Now Sibyl, who badly wanted to join them, struggles with grief at their loss and guilt that she is glad to be alive. She manages the household and tries to mediate in the war between her father, Lan, and young brother Harlan, the scapegrace of the family. The return to Boston of old family friend, now widowed psychiatrist Benton Darby, brings more mixed feelings and conflict into her life.

The main story is interspersed with "Interludes" showing scenes of either Helen and Eulah on board the Titanic or Sybil's father Lan, who traveled to Shanghai as a young seaman, where he was introduced to opium, which plays a bigger part in the story than I had anticipated at the beginning.

I enjoyed this book a lot and became completely engrossed in it. Sybil is a sympathetic character, as is Benton, and the twists of the plot took unexpected turns. It's a mix of historical novel, character study and paranormal exploration, asking questions about destiny and whether and how much we should try to intervene. The spiritualist aspect is very interesting, and at first I thought the "House of Velvet and Glass" referred to the medium's home, but I was wrong. I don't want to say too more because it's best to peel the layers while reading the book. Excellent read.

Linda McLaughlin

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Book Review Club: After the Fog

After the Fog 
by Kathleen Shoop

Historical Fiction
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Set in Donora, PA during the killer fog of 1948. For those not familiar with this sidelight of history, here's a little background. Donora is a borough in Washington County, PA., not far from Pittsburgh. The town was built along a curve in the Monongahela River, and is surrounded by hills. At the time of the story, there were three mills along the river, manufacturing steel, wire and zinc. Because of the hills, the air in Donora was rarely clear, and we now know, unhealthy at best. In late October, 1948, a weather inversion trapped the air, creating a toxic stew that sickened many residents and initially killed twenty. Fifty more died afterwards, including the father of Stan Musial. The disaster caught the attention of Washington which launched an investigation. What happened there contributed to the passage of the first Air Pollution Control Act in 1955.

My review:

The main character, Rose Pavlesic, is a nurse who grew up in an orphanage where she was regularly abused. Now a community nurse, Rose struggles to hold her dysfunctional family together while taking care of the needy citizens of her mining town. When the killer fog descends, everyone is stressed, and truths emerge that threaten to destroy her carefully constructed world and tear her family apart.

This frank and stark depiction of life in the mining towns of western Pennsylvania struck a chord with me. I grew up in Pittsburgh and heard people talk about Donora. The town is almost a character, as is the evil, creeping fog that blankets the town and causes so much misery. The language and culture shown in the book are authentic, including words like yunz and nebby and redd-up the room. I also remember the chipped ham at Isaly's, which was quite a treat. On that level, this book was a trip down memory lane for me.

It's easy to forget how polluted our air once was, but I remember the smog and how bad it could make you feel, even simulating an asthma attack in people who don't have asthma. My parents used to tell stories of life in Pittsburgh in the 1930s when the air was so thick, you couldn't see across the street at high noon. We should all be grateful for clean air wherever we find it.

Linda 

Smog photo from http://toxipedia.org/display/toxipedia/Donora+smog 

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Book Review Club: Seduction #MJRose

Seduction: A Novel of Suspense (The Reincarnationist #5)
by M.J. Rose
Paranormal Fiction
Published May 7th 2013 by Atria Books
Read on my Kindle

From the author of The Book of Lost Fragrances comes a haunting novel about a grieving woman who discovers the lost letters of novelist Victor Hugo, awakening a mystery that spans centuries.

Opening lines:

"Every story begins with a tremble of anticipation. At the start we may have an idea of our point of arrival, but what lies before us and makes us shudder is the journey, for that is all discovery."

Review:

I have loved this series from the beginning, so had to grab this book as soon as it became available! 

Jacinthe (Jac) L'Etoile returns in this sequel to The Book of Lost Fragrances. This time she is drawn to the Isle of Jersey by Theo Gaspard, an old friend from her days at the Blixer-Rath Institute where the two teens were treated for psychological problems. (Jac had psychotic episodes that may or may not have been past life flashbacks while Theo was suicidally depressed.) Malachi Samuels, Jac's therapist from Blixer-Rath, warns her not to go. She's vulnerable after losing her chance to be with the man she loves (in Book of Lost Fragrances). Malachai fears that Theo is dangerous to Jac. But as usual, there is a lot Malachai is not telling Jac. 

Theo claims to have knowledge of a lost manuscript by Victor Hugo, one that involves his explorations into the spiritual realm after the loss of his daughter Leopoldine. Jac can never resist a puzzle or a chance to explore ancient ruins, of which Jersey has an abundance. Against Malachi's advice, she travels to the isolated island where she learns more about Theo and that confusing time at the clinic and also has visions of another time on the island when it was inhabited by Druids.

The book alternates between the contemporary story and excerpts from an imaginary journal by Victor Hugo about his experiences with the spirit world: seances and mysterious visits from The Spirit of the Sepulchre, aka Lucifer.

Seduction is quite different from the other books in the series, which alternate between fast-paced thrillers and past life memories. Seduction is more Gothic mystery than thriller-- atmospheric, slower paced, rich in sensory detail and psychological angst. MJ Rose seduces her reader into the inner lives of her characters in all their psychological and spiritual complexity. In the afterword, she explains that she wrote the book in longhand, with an old-fashioned fountain pen, but doesn't remember writing it. Perhaps she was channeling the spirit of Daphne du Maurier?

I recommend the book for lovers of Gothic or paranormal fiction. While it's not necessary to read the entire series to enjoy Seduction, I do think it would be helpful to first read The Book of Lost Fragrances, just to understand Jac and her world a bit better. 

And as always, click on the graph below to read more great reviews!

Linda

Book Review Club: Steampunk Fun

Soulless
by Gail Carriger
Adult Steampunk
Hatchette, 2009

Soulless is the first in the popular Parasol Protectorate series featuring Miss Alexia Tarabotti, a half-Italian, half-English spinster in Victorian London. But Alexia is no ordinary spinster; she is a preternatural, a being without a soul. She is the paranormal opposite of the supernatural creatures who inhabit this world, the vampires, werewolves and ghosts. One touch from her and the vampire or werewolf is rendered fangless. She keeps her soullessness quiet for propriety's sake. Even her mother has no idea what she inherited from her Italian father, other than his Roman nose and dark complexion.

The story starts when Alexia sits down to tea in the library during a ball. She is rudely interrupted by a newly-created vampire who has the bad manners to attempt to bit her. Alexia fights him off with her brass parasol, accidentally killing him in the process. To make matters worse, the incident brings Lord Conall Maccon, alpha werewolf, into her life. Sparks fly between them immediately, with sexual tension thick enough to bite, though it takes Alexia a while to realize what Maccon knows almost immediately: the are meant to be mated.

The story follows Alexia and Maccon's attempts to discover who is creating rogue vampires and stop them before things spiral hopelessly out of control. While the mystery plot is quite exciting, the story is amusingly told and had me laughing throughout. I'll be reading more of this clever, engaging series that combines fantasy, science fiction, mystery and romance into one satisfying mix.

Lady of Devices: A Steampunk Adventure Novel 
by Shelly Adina
Young Adult Steampunk
First in the Magnificent Devices series
Self-published, 2011

At seventeen Lady Claire Trevelyan is both the daughter of a viscount and a brainy tomboy. While she should be thinking about making her debut and finding a husband, she instead aspires to attend college to earn an engineering degree. She would rather help the chauffeur with her father's steam landau than shop for new clothes or flirt with elegible young gentleman. However, her life becomes even more complicated when her father commits suicide after his unwise investments bankrupt the country. Her mother decamps to the Cornwall estate, leaving Claire to close up the London home, but before that happens, the house is destroyed in a riot, leaving Claire homeless in a restive London. How she goes from a pampered innocent to the Lady of Devices, head of a South Bank gang, makes for an exciting and enjoyable odyssey.

In Adina's steampunk version of Victorian England, Prince Albert is still alive and the Crystal Palace is still going strong into the 1880's. Society is divided between two rival groups, Bloods (aristocrats) and Wits (scientists and other intellectuals). Though born to the Blood clan, Claire's sympathies are clearly with the Wits.

I liked this book so much, the second I finished it, I went online (at about 3:30AM on a sleepless night) and bought Her Own Devices, the next installment in the series. I love Claire's spunk and resourcefulness and sympathize with her plight. The secondary characters are good, too. We have the obligatory love triangle here: should Claire choose Lord James Selwyn, a man of her own class, or brilliant inventor Andrew Malvern, despite his middle class origins? I know who I'm rooting for. (I'm Team Andrew, all the way.) The homeless youngsters she takes on are as delightful as their names: Snouts, Tigg and the Mopsies, twin ten-year-old girls who are streetwise beyond their years. I just love the Mopsies, and little Willie who is unable to talk about his tragic past.

Recommended to all fans of steampunk or offbeat, quirky historical stories.

Have you tried steampunk? And if so, how did you like it?

Linda

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Book Review Club: A Visit to Scotland

Both of this month's books are set in Scotland, a country that has long fascinated me.


The Shadowy Horses 
by Susanna Kearsley
Audiobook narrated by Sally Armstrong
Oakhill Publishing 2011 (Originally published by Orion, 1997)


Setting: Eyemouth, Scotland
Inspired by Rosemary Sutcliffe's The Eagle of the Ninth, about the Roman Lost Legion.

Verity Gray is an English archeologist who is lured to a dig in Scotland by Adrian, an old boyfriend/colleague. There she learns that eccentric Irishman Peter Quinnell is financing the project. Rumored to be mad, Peter is obsessed with finding the Lost Legion, the Roman Ninth, which marched north into Scotland and disappeared early in the 2nd century AD. She's especially shocked to learn that Peter picked Rose Hills because a local boy reputed to have second sight had seen a Roman legionaire in the area. Can Robbie's Sentinel be real? Peter is hard to say no to, and Verity is intrigued by the job  as well as attracted to handsome Scotsman David Fortune. And then there is Robbie, a charming and precocious eight-year-old whose predictions are rarely wrong. I especially love the way the animals react to The Sentinel. The cats hiss and arch their backs while Robbie's collie gambols by the ghost's side, jumping up occasionally for a pat.

Last year I read Susanna Kearsley's The Rose Garden, and fell in love with her writing style. Her prose is lush and unhurried, as she draws you into the world of her characters. The Shadowy Horses is part archeological mystery, part ghost story combined with a lovely romance. It all makes for a very satisfying mix, on that fans of Mary Stewart will enjoy.

I'm so glad I chose the audio version. Armstrong is a marvelous narrator who does a wonderful job, especially with the Scottish accents, which sounded spot on to my American ear. I can still hear her musical cadences even though the audiobook is finished and returned to the library.

* The Shadowy Horses page at Kearsley's website includes  location photos and insight into what inspired her to write the story.

The Winter Sea
by Susanna Kearsley
Allison & Busby, 2010

Kearsley returns to Scotland for this story within a story set on the rugged coast north of Aberdeen. In the modern story, novelist Carrie McClelland arrives in Cruden Bay, a village near ruined Slains Castle, and knows this is where she has to live to write her book about the abortive 1708 Jacobite invasion.

Carrie's story is interspersed with scenes from her novel, featuring one of her ancestors, young Sophia Paterson, who comes to Slains in 1708 to live with a kinswoman. There she meets the love of her life, an outlawed Jacobite who serves James III and finds herself thrust into a world of intrigue and danger.

The whole thing becomes eerie when Carrie researches the events of 1708 and discovers that the scenes she has already written are oddly accurate, even down to names of characters she thought she'd made up, but who really existed. Her father suggests it might be a case of genetic memory. Carrie isn't sure; she just knows this is a story that must be told.

I enjoyed this book, too, though not quite as much as The Shadowy Horses. I liked the fact that it was set in 1708 rather than the more popular 1745 uprising, and the history of Slains Castle is quite interesting. You can check out Kearsley's location photos at her website.

What country fascinates you?

And as always, click on the graphic below for more fabulous book reviews!

Linda

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Book Review Club: Culture Clashes

In January, my library readers group chose Different Cultures as our topic of the month. In January, I reviewed American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America by Colin Woodard. This month, I'm reviewing two more books that reflect the clash between different cultures.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
by Helen Simonson
Random House, 2010

... is that rare bird, a mature romance, in this case between retired Major Ernest Pettigrew and an English-born Pakistani woman, Mrs. Jasmin Ali, both widowed. The two are drawn together when she learns of the death of Major Pettigrew's younger brother, which hits him hard. Mrs. Ali is sympathetic and helpful and the major discovers she is an intelligent, thoughtful, well-read woman of sense. Their relationship raises eyebrows among the Anglo villagers as well as Mrs. Ali's extended family. There are numerous subplots involving family and friends and the golf club, and a pair of antique hunting guns inherited from the major's father who was a hero during the turmoil of the India-Pakistan partition. A reenactment of his heroic defense of an Indian princess on a train at the golf club annual gala ends in a hilarious melee.

I quite fell in love with Major Pettigrew. He's conservative and likes everything done in proper fashion, but has a droll sense of humor that had me chuckling throughout. I especially enjoyed some of his pointed comments about Americans.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for an intelligent and emotionally satisfying read.

Indian Maidens Bust Loose
by Vidya Samson
Amazon exclusive, self-published

A friend told me about this book, so I picked up a copy for my Kindle. It is Indian chick lit and is absolutely hilarious. The main character is Nisha Desai, a young college-educated Indian woman, with a degree in Communications. She loves romance novels and want to visit the U.S., so is ecstatic when she learns that her aunt and two American-born cousins will be coming to visit. Her younger sister, the acid-tongued Vinita, is less thrilled, since the girls have to give up their room to the cousins and move to the basement. Life is complicated by their traditional father's attempts at matchmaking, especially since he has such awful taste in prospective suitors. The American cousins arrive and cause a stir wherever they go, with comic results. The funniest subplot involves a "sacred" cow their father installs in the backyard. But all's well that ends well, and I laughed out loud through the whole book.

As always, click on the graphic below for more great book reviews from the members of Barrie Summy's Book Review Club!

Linda

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American Nations (Book Review Club)

American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America

by Colin Woodard
Viking, 2011

Why is the United States of America such a fractious and divided nation? Woodard claims it is because we are not one nation, one culture, but a federation of ten different regional cultures. (The eleventh nation is the relatively new First Nation in Canada. While he occasional references Canada, the book is primarily about the US. )

The problem goes back to the early European settlements in North America, which were begun by several different countries - Spain, France, Holland and Britain  - in widely separated areas and at different times in history. He bases his sociological ideas on the doctrine of "first viable settlement" which posits that the culture of a region takes on the characteristics of the first group to establish a self-perpetuating society, no matter how small the original group had been.

His regional American cultures are, in order of settlement:

• El Norte (on both sides of the present American-Mexican border)
• New France (Quebec & Southern Louisiana)
• Tidewater (Virginia, Maryland & part of Delaware)
• Yankeedom (New England plus areas later settled by Yankees)
• New Netherland (NYC & northern New Jersey
• The Deep South (North Carolina to east Texas)
• The Midlands (Pennsylvania and parts of the Midwest)
• Greater Appalachia (the "Borderlanders" from the Blue Ridge on westward into Texas)
• The Left Coast (Washington, Oregon & Northern California)
• The Far West

On his map* Canada is also shown having regional cultures from The Left Coast of BC to the Yankee-influenced Maritimes, though Woodard talks most about Quebec (New France) and First Nation.

There is a lot of information in this book, more than I can explain in a review, but it's quite readable and I found it interesting and persuasive. For one thing, his regional culture theory explains why parts of the country are what they are and why they cause so much amusement and/or consternation in the rest of us. Most important, he goes into what each culture values in terms of the balance of freedom and order, individual rights versus communal needs. And it explains why it is so hard for us to find a compromise position on much of anything. If there is one overriding theme, it is the historical struggle between Yankeedom and the Deep South, both aided by shifting alliances with the other regions, for control of the nation, which culminated in the Civil War but still goes on today.

Some of this was familiar territory, as Woodard builds on earlier works like David Fischer's Albion's Seed, which I read and enjoyed years ago. But I learned some new things as well, for instance, the reasons for the (to me) odd combination of Libertarianism and Corporatism found in the Far West. (Basically, the climate and geography of the region were too rugged for individuals to truly succeed on their own. Corporate and government intervention was required to make the land livable.)

As a history nut, I found the book both fascinating and insightful. The one time the nation really came together as one was during World War II, but even there, reasons for supporting the war varied. I think this passage is very telling:

Borderlanders fought for the traditional Scots-Irish reason: to avenge an attack by defeating their enemies on the field of battle. The Tidewater and Deep Southern elite... wished to uphold U.S. "national" honor and to defend their Anglo-Norman brethren acrosee the sea. Pacifist Midlanders backed the war as a struggle against military despotism, while Yankees, New Netherlanders, and Left Coasters emphasized the antiauthoritarian aspect of the struggle. Residents of El Norte and the Far West embraced a war that showered their long-neglected regions with federal largesse.

What a war, something for everyone!

I had wondered if our present culture wars were mostly a generational problem that would go away once the Baby Boomers died off. After all, we are a generation of Happy Warriors. But it appears the problem is of much longer standing. Woodard offers no solution to the problem, for there is no easy answer here, even acknowledging that the breakup of the country is not unthinkable. A greater understanding of our differences could help, especially if we can recognize that those who don't agree with us are not necessarily idiots or scoundrels, only people with differing values and beliefs. The trick is finding ways to compromise on policy without compromising principles.

In any case, Woodard urges an open and honest political debate, concluding with: "The United States needs its central government to function cleanly, openly, and efficiently because it's one of the few things binding us together." Unfortunately, that is not working optimally, as we've seen in the last few days. Our federal government is currently as dysfunctional as I've ever seen it, and I've been around for a while!

Happy New Year!

Linda

* Map Photo by Sean Wilkinson, Sean Wilkinson Design, can be better viewed on the Washington Monthly website where Woodard wrote an article or at the author's website.

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Book of Lost Fragrances (Book Review Club)

The Book of Lost Fragrances
by M.J. Rose
Paranormal Thriller

The intriguing notion at the heart of this book is that an ancient Egyptian fragrance could be the key to unlocking the mysteries of past life.

For generations, the House of L'Etoile in Paris has created exclusive fragrances, but now the business is in trouble. The family patriarch is suffering from Alzheimer's disease, and children Robbie and Jac (Jacinth) must find a way to save the company. Jac wants to sell two of their premiere fragrances, but Robbie is certain that if Jac, who has a superior nose, will help him, they can find the lost elusive fragrance of memory. Jac, a skeptic, dismisses his ideas. Robbie has an ulterior motive. A converted Buddhist, he hopes to find the lost frangrance and give it to the Dalai Lama to help the beleaguered Tibetan people. He enlists the help of Griffin North, Jac's former love.

As a child, Jac suffered from schizophrenic episodes made worse by the scents in her father's workroom. (Or were they memories of past lives that the young Jac had no way to process?) Since finding psychological help from Dr. Malachai Samuels, a familiar figure in previous books in this series, she has kept her distance from the family business. Then Robbie disappears from the House of L'Etoile, leaving a dead body behind, and Jac and Griffin must work together to find out what happened.

I really enjoyed this book. The main plot about the lost fragrance is quite fascinating and takes from present day to Ancient Egypt and Revolutionary Paris. The subplot about Chinese attempts to prevent the fragrance from reaching the Dalai Lama complicates matters, as does Malachai Samuels's attempts to obtain the lost memory tool. In previous books, Malachai has been a suspected villain, even coming under FBI surveillance, but he now seems determined to clear his name.

I found the book fascinating, both for plot and the ambience. MJ Rose was clearly inspired by her research into the history of perfume. The book doesn't have the happy ending I wanted but it was satisfying nevertheless. I have read the entire series and this is one of the best, along with The Memorist. I'm hoping there will be more.

As always, click on the graphic below for more great reviews!

Linda McLaughlin
aka Lyndi Lamont

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Book Review Club: Proof of Heaven

Proof of Heaven 
by Eben Alexander, M.D.
Simon & Schuster, 2012

When I heard about this book, I pre-ordered it for my Kindle. Apparently I wasn't the only one. His website says the book debuted at #1 in e-book sales!

I've been interested in NDE (near-death experience) literature since reading Raymond Moody's Life After Life in the mid-1970s. So I didn't approach the book as a skeptic but a believer, and one who is familiar with the genre.

Dr. Alexander's experience is unique in several ways.

1. As a neurosurgeon, he was very much a scientist and a skeptic, so when he went into a protracted coma, he had no preconceived ideas about what to expect. No one was more surprised than he when he had a revelatory spiritual experience.

2. His coma was caused by an unusual condition in adults: gram-negative bacterial meningitis, which shut down the neocortex of his brain, the part that medical scientists say makes us human. That part of his brain was completely inactive during his coma. After he recovered, Dr. Alexander tried, and failed, to find a rational, scientific explanation for what happened to him. In addition, his survival of the meningitis without any brain damage is quite remarkable.

3. His NDE differed somewhat from those reported by other survivors. For one thing, while in coma, he had no idea who he was/had been on earth. Most patients who suffer NDEs have all or some part of their neocortex still functioning. As a result, he felt no compulsion to return to his previous life. Nevertheless, his family gathered around and prayed for him and he was ultimately drawn back to his life on earth.

During the coma, he initially spent a lot of time in a murky, undistinguished state he called the Realm of the Worm's Eye View. In time, a light appeared to him and he rose into a bright and beautiful spiritual realm where a lovely young woman acted as his guide. He traveled through areas of "heaven" he dubbed the Gateway and the Core. The message he brought back is simple:

You are loved and cherished.
You have nothing to fear.
There is nothing you can do wrong.

Before his coma, he would have said that all consciousness comes from the brain. Now he believes we are spiritual beings inhabiting mortal brains and bodies.

If you have any interest in this subject, I recommend the book. I found it quite fascinating and Dr. Alexander does a good job of explaining medical and scientific concepts in ways a non-scientist can understand. You can read more online at http://www.lifebeyonddeath.net/.

Linda

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Book Review Club: Twilight of the Elites

Twilight of the Elites
by Christopher Hayes
Crown Publishing, 2012
Adult Non-fiction

Hayes examines why "America feels broken" and comes to the conclusion that our meritocracy has failed us. We are in a new "crisis of authority".

The last such crisis occurred in the 1960's when the whiz kids of the WASP elite led us into disaster in Vietnam. The Civil Rights struggle triumphed at the same time, which led to the formation of a new meritocratic elite, chosen from the "best and brightest" of the nation, including women and minorities. This led to the election of Barack Obama, the country's first African-American president. But by then we were nearing the end of a decade of elite failure. Hayes writes:

The central tragic irony of the presidency of Barack Obama is that his election marked the crowning achievement of the post-1960s meritocracy, just at the moment that the system was imploding on itself.

Hayes walks us through each elite failure of the "Fail Decade" from the intelligence debacles that led the Iraq War, the engineering failures that led to the busting of the levees around New Orleans, and finally to the banking crisis that created the worst financial slump since the 1930s. He includes the pedophile priest scandal that rocked the Catholic Church in some detail. None of it makes for a pretty picture.

But why has so little changed? For instance, why are there so few bankers in jail? The problem is that at some point elites become self-perpetuating and self-protective, dysfunctional and corrupt. They become so sure of their own merit, they cannot accept responsibility for their own failures.

The rise of the meritocracy, and the rise in compensation to those at the top, has led to an astounding gap of inequality between the "best" and the rest. This is the big downside of the system. Equality of opportunity isn't enough, esp. when it doesn't really exist in some areas of the country. That isn't to say we necessarily want equality of outcome, but the more prosperity is shared by everyone, the better we do as a nation and as a society. Education alone cannot solve the problems, esp. since schools are not funded equally.

So how to fix the mess we're in?

There are two approaches, according to Hayes:

- the institutionalists, like President Obama, want to fix the system - a tweak here, a tweak there

- the insurrectionists, like economist Paul Krugman and the Occupy Movement, think the system is irrevocably broken and needs to be changed radically.

I lean more to the insurrectionist point of view myself. (I am still royally pissed that the banks got away with massive mortgage fraud.) In any case I agree with Hayes's conclusion that "the answer lies in a newly radicalized middle class" that insists on finding ways to level the playing field.

Whether, or when, that will happen remains to be seen. Either way, it's going to be a bumpy ride for most of us.

Twilight of the Elites is a thoughtful and thought-provoking book, and I recommend it highly.

About the author:
Christopher Hayes is Editor at Large of The Nation and host of Up w/ Chris Hayes on MSNBC (Sat 7-9am and Sun 8-10am.)

As always, click on the graphic below for more book reviews. My thanks to Barrie Summi for organizing our monthly book club.

Linda


P.S. Dear FCC, I bought the ebook from Amazon and read it on my iPad.

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Book Review Club: Drawn/London Eye Mystery

DRAWN by Marie Lamba
Young Adult Time Travel, 2012

Michelle DeFreccio, an American teenager just moved to England, is a talented and sensitive artist. Her father has started teaching at an upscale English academy, which Michelle now attends. She hopes to start over without the baggage of her past, namely her "psychic" mother and schizophrenic brother and the label De-Freak-O.

But life in England has its own challenges. As an American, she's not always sure how to navigate the social divide within her school. More troubling are the pictures she finds herself sketching of a young man in Medieval garb, a young man named Christopher who refuses to stay on the page. Before Michelle knows it, she is drawn into the past where her presence changes things, not always for the better. Worse, she's in love with a man who died long ago and there's nothing she can do to save him. Or is there? She tries to figure out what happened in the past in order to change things, sometimes with terrible consequences.

I am so impressed by this book. I was utterly "drawn" into it by the great story and wonderful writing. One of the best YA novels I've read in recent years. Five stars.

THE LONDON EYE MYSTERY
by Siobahn Dowd
Middle Grade mystery, Random House, 2007

Ted Sparks is budding meterologist who sees the world through the language of the weather. A 12-year-old genius, Ted also suffers with high-functioning Asperger's Syndrome. His brain is wired differently than most people's which allows him to see connections between things and people that others miss.

This comes in handy when his 13-year-old cousin, Salim, disappears while riding the London Eye. Salim and his mother, Aunt Gloria, come to town to visit with Ted, his parents and his older sister Kat, often referred to by Ted as Katastrophe. Salim and Aunt Gloria are on their way to live in New York, but Salim doesn't want to go. Is his disappearance from the Eye a crime or the ill-fated prank of a disgruntled teenager?

Ted and Kat work together (somewhat reluctantly at times) to solve the mystery of Salim's disappearance and are surprised to find that they make a good team. Ted may be the genius, but Kat is pretty smart, too, in a more practical way.

Ted's narration is a delight. I love his voice and the interesting and strange connections he makes in his brilliant mind. Though he doesn't have good social skills, he tries to learn appropriate responses, and his quirks become endearing to the reader. Very enjoyable read.

Barry Summie's Book Review Club is back after a summer break  As always, click on the graphic below to read more great reviews.

Hope everyone had a great summer!

Linda

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A Night To Remember (Book Review Club)

Like a lot of people, I got caught up in the Titanic 100-year anniversary enthusiasm, so I was glad when my library book club decided to read Walter Lord's book about that fateful night in April of 1911.

A Night To Remember
by Walter Lord
Henry Holt, 2005 edition
Trade Paperback (from library)

It has been one hundred years since the Titanic disaster, and people are still fascinated by the ship and her fate. Lord's classic account of the sinking is still noteworthy for the painstaking detail, much of it based on eyewitness accounts by survivors still alive in 1955. Step by step, he takes us through the events of that night, starting with the lookouts who didn't see the iceberg in time because the binoculars they were supposed to be using were locked in a chest and the key was in London. (The result of a last-minute change in the officers assigned to the ship.)

We hear from people from all three passenger classes - the very wealthy, the middle class, and the lowly immigrants - and crew members from the officers to humble stewards. Though at times the book reads like fiction, it is not. He did an impressive amount of research which is detailed in the Acknowledgements section at the end. From the retrospective of the 21st century, the book represents an impressive undertaking in a world of print-only resources.

I also rented the film, produced in 1958, but it wasn't the movie I remembered from my childhood. That one was Titanic, starring Clifton Webb, which came out two years before Lord's book. The film version of A Night To Remember is a British production starring Kenneth More as Second Officer Lightoller and a young David McCallum as Officer Lord. I was surprised at first to realize A Night To Remember was filmed in black and white, but I soon understood why. By not using color, they were able to mix archival footage of the actual ship with the movie reels. So we see the Titanic being christened and sailing off from Southampton as it really happened. There was no such thing as CGI in 1958!

 For the best sense of what it might have been like to actually be on the Titanic, nothing can beat James Cameron's 1997 epic. Like the fictional love story or despise it, the special effects are overwhelming and incredible. In my opinion, it deserved the Oscar simply for being a monumental and innovative piece of moviemaking. And the musical score is both beautiful and haunting.

After reading A Night To Remember, I think I understand why the story of the Titanic still draws us. It was one of the greatest disasters of all time, and it changed maritime history (and law) forever. But at its heart, it's a very human story-- of arrogance and hubris, negligence, bad luck and denial, bravery and cowardice, indifference and sacrifice. A testament to the bad and the good to be found in human nature. And for that reason, it is a story that will live forever in human memory.

At the end of a recent documentary on the Titanic, James Cameron talks about the ship as a microcosm of 1912 society, with its class distinctions. He also sees the image of the unwieldy ship sailing into the iceberg as a metaphor for a continent about to go over a cliff and into one of the most destructive and unnecessary wars of all time. (WWI) And then he talked about how things are not much different now. We are headed for an iceberg called "global climate change" and it's too late to correct the system in time to prevent the crash.

If you haven't read this book, I do recommend it.

Linda

Don't forget to check out the rest of the Book Review Club June reads!

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Book Review Club: Crucible of Gold

CRUCIBLE OF GOLD
By Naomi Novik
Del Rey, March 2012
(Fantasy / Alternate History)

I'm a big fan of Novik's Temeraire series, so I pre-ordered the Kindle version and promptly forgot when the release date was. As a result, I was surprised and pleased when it popped up on my Home page on March 6.

This is the seventh book in the series about a marvelous talking dragon and Will Lawrence, an officer in the British Aerial Corp during the Napoleonic Wars. In order, the books are:

His Majesty's Dragon
Throne of Jade
Black Powder War
Empire of Ivory
Victory of Eagles
Tongues of Serpents

Crucible of Fire picks up where Tongues of Serpents left off, with Temeraire and Will still in Australia serving a seven-year sentence of transportation after Will committed treason at the end of Empire of Ivory. The new call to adventure starts when diplomat Arthur Hammond, from Throne of Jade, arrives with an offer to reinstate Will to duty. The catch is he will have to undertake a mission to South America to negotiate with the Tswama (an African tribe encountered in Empire of Ivory) to stop attacking the Portuguese colony in Brazil. After unintended events, Will and Temeraire find themselves attempting to stop Napoleon from forming an alliance with the Incan Empire. (Like I said. alternate history.)

Since Will never refuses to do his duty, and Temeraire never passes up a chance for adventure, they set out on a perilous sea voyage through the southern Pacific. Happily, at least to this reader, they are accompanied by two other dragons, including the unforgettable Isquierka, a Turkish fire-breathing dragon first encountered in Black Powder War. She is my second favorite dragon, after Temeraire, with a fiery temperament to match her fighting abilities. One never knows what Isqierka will do, sometimes with disastrous, sometimes hilarious consequences.

This is another delightful installment of the series. I won't say any more about what happens because I really do recommend this series, but think it should be read in order. There is more background about the series at Wikipedia, including descriptions of the various types of dragons. And the author's website has a video trailer and examples of lovely fan artwork.

And as always, don't forget to check the other monthly book reviews at Barrie's blog.

Linda

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