Wow, two days in a row!

I just wanted to add a couple of books before I donate them to our library booksale: "Nine Lives Last Forever" by Rebecca Hale and "Murder on Gramercy Park" by Victoria Thompson. Now, Thompson's book has no cats, but it is a very intriguing historical mystery. Set in NY City at the turn of the last century, the main character is a widowed midwife who has a knack (as do all good heroines) for landing in the thick of things...oh, and she's from a well-to-do family who can't quite understand why she doesn't act more like a fragile flower of femininity. This is the second I've read in the series and I will definitely be looking for the others. As I'm sure you can tell from the title, Hale's book includes cats. This is the second in the series, and I'm looking forward to reading the first. Set in San Francisco, the story is filled with quirky characters and off-beat incidents, and is thoroughly charming.

Time is relative...and I'm relatively short on time!

I'm not sure why I haven't kept this up more faithfully. At least once a week I compose a blog post in my head. Too bad people can't just pluck the words from my brain directly!

Continuing on my quest for enjoyable cozy mysteries that involve cats, I read a Joe Grey mystery recently and became as instant fan. Don't know why I never picked on up before this, but I now need to go back and read the entire series. The one I read, "Cat Striking Back", made me very curious to find out how the series started, how the cats (and the humans!) discovered the cats could talk.

I'll admit, I was a bit wary when I started the book and realized that the cats--some of them at least--could talk. But I was soon caught up in the story, wondering whether the perpretrator would get his just desserts, and the interweaving of the cat and human persepctives was very well done. For me, it compares favorably with the Sneaky Pie Brown mysteries "co-written" by Rita Mae Brown, thouth to be fair, her animals don't talk to the humans.

I also came across another new series that has just about everything I could want--the main human character is a librarian, living in a small town near the shores of one of the Great Lakes (I think), remodeling a library, wine, homebaked goodies, and good friendships . The cats aren't talking so far, but they do have some unusual abilities. I'm only about a third of the way in, but the characters are nicely drawn and I'm definitely intrigues to see where the plot will lead. The title is "Curiosity thrilled the cat: a magical cats mystery" by Sofie Kelly. The cover also says it's the first book in a new series, so I hope to see the second and third soon! (Numner 2 is due out in September, according to Amazon.)

Austen reveries

http://misssylviadrake.livejournal.com/28594.html

I discovered a new blog today--new to me, at any rate, thanks to the Jane Austen listserv. The entry that was mentioned discusses Margaret Atwood's Lady Oracle. Among others, she draws comparisons to Northanger Abbey; it's w wonderfully informative piece that has me reaching for some Margaret Atwood books I haven't looked at in many years. She is actually comparing "The Convent", a gothic published when Jane Austen was a young girl. I'm looking forward to settling down to read it at more leisure sometime soon, and probably going back to check out her previous entries.

Summer daze...

Sometimes I wish that I could steal away to a mountaintop or deserted island, all by myself, for just a few days. My provisions would consist of bread, cheese, nuts, fruit, wine and chocolate, and a bag filled with some of the many books I want to read. Real life doesn't often allow for a surfeit of such pleasure, and I suppose I would not want that life I dream about. That's the difference between real life and fiction, I guess, at least sometimes.

I am still plugging way at "The elegant universe" by Brian Green. It's a little old--1992, or thereabout, so I'll have to read something newerto find out what the current thinking on the micro-universe might be. I find physics fascinating, though I don't pretend to have a complete grasp of every facet. I enjoy reading about the smallest bits of the universe much as I enjoy reading about the planets and stars and possibilities of outer space. My only problem is that I can't whiz through these books, because I have to take the time to digest what I'm reading.

One of my vacation eads this year was a slim volume from 1972 entitled "The language of Jane Austen", written in 1972 by Norman Page. Recently, I've been reading a great deal about Austen's use of language on Austen-L where I am a dedicated and long-time lurker. I'm constantly amazed how many layers of meaning are yet to be discovered in Austen's writings. I can remember my first few times through "Pride and Prejudice" and "Northanger Abbey", delighting in the new nuances and meanings I found each time. Page's work discusses ways in which the English of Austen's day differes from 20th century English. Sometimes the difference is subtle, sometimes major, so that a modern reader who did not know the 18th century context might form a wrong opinion--or miss the point of the exchange entirely!

Of course, vacation is also for relaxing reads. Lorna Barrett's "Bookplate Special" was a delicious follow-up to "Bookmarked for death". (See my comment to my previous post). "The cat, the professor and the poison" by Leann Sweeney was another perfect vacation read. Jillian Hart, the heroine, has a knack for becoming embroiled in murder and mayhem (isn't that the way with all good mystery heroines?). Of course, cats are involved! But, in this case, the first animal to go missing is a cow, and Jill can't help but try to solve the mystery--or to help out a kid who needs an adult to calm down his overprotective mother. These are all sidelights, though, because solving the mystery of the cow leads to a much bigger--can cat-filled--mystery. This book went perfectly with both coffee and iced tea--always an important consideration when I'm vacationing!

Now, I'm in the midst of another Sookie Stackhouse novel: I'm reading them totally out of order, but enjoying them completely nontheless. Currently, I'm reading "From dead to worse", and between moments of terror and moments that make me laugh out loud, I'm ready to race to the bookstore to pick up the ones I've not read yet. (No, I have not watched True Blood on HBO--I've currently reached my self-imposed limit on TV watching, so until I get htrough the DVD's in my to-be-watched pile, or until (heaven forbid!) one of my current series is cancelled, there will be no new viewing added.

Austentation?

One of the geat pleasures of going on a trip, especially one sans child (much as I dote on my one and only!) is the opportunity to enjoy some uninterrupted quality time with a book or two. I recently returned from a week of cruising the Western Caribbean with a good friend, and in between snorkeling, sightseeing, shopping, and (of course!) earing and drinking, I managed to make my way through several books and one carefully hoarded issue of Archaeology Magazine.

Magazine first: apparently I have well hidden from most of my acquantance my decades-old secret desire to be an archaeologist. I have of course devoured all of Elizabeth Peters Amelia Peabody novels, among others, but this is a desire for information that goes far beyoond the ability of novels to quench. I always save my newest issue of Archaeology for a time when I'm alone and have uninterrupted freedom to read and make notes of things I want to look up later. You can imagine the joy in not only having the magazine and the time, but the ability to read while soaking my feet in the beautiful turqoise waters of the Caribbean...while sipping a decadently delicious rum drink. And pondering: should we clone Neanderthals? What was revealed about Civil War tactics by digging the "burnt district" in Missouri? A touching love story from 16th century Korea...

One of my other interests, as I think many of my friends know (and share) is the writings of Jane Austen and the history of the time period in which she lived. I'm always willing to try the spin-offs, sequels, re-imaginings, and even embraced the entire genre of "Regency Romance" at its height...still look for them, truth be told. Anyway, my interest was piqued when Colleen McCullough took on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, fashioning an entire novel around Mary Bennet, the unfortunate middle sister, and in spite of some very lackluster reviews, I was determined to read it for myself.

Now, one person who read it, and who knows much more of Jane-related matters than I can ever hope to, said that she thought Ms. McCullough was putting us on. I'm willing to consider that possibility. I was even disposed to judge gently when she turned the plainest of the Bennet girls into a creature with "suporating spots" and a tooth that grew sideways. Heavens! And, of course, she had to have the requisite trials and tribulations, marked by heaving bosoms, torn clothing, evil kidnappers...I had hoped it might be great fun. Unfortunately, it left me flat. If she were trying to put on her readers, she could have done a better job of it.

Entering back into the world of light fiction, I read a cosy mystery that takes place in a bookstore, "Bookmarked for death" by Lorna Barrett. Set in a charming New England town--which is rapidly losing its charm thanks to the local Canada goose population, which is leaving messy droppings all over the main street--the sotry finds local bookstore owner Tricia Miles discovering a second corpse, much to the non-amusement of local law enforcment. Filled with charminly quicky character, it's just right for curling up on a deck chair with a lovely rum-laced drink. Or a cup of tea, I suppose...

Tom Shippey: The Road to Middle Earth--how J R R Tolkien created a new mythology

I mentioned this one earlier. I've been trying to read it for nearly six months; no fault of the author, I just have not had time to concentrate, and it's a book that needed concentration.

It sometimes seems that Tolkien has been done to death, and every reader I know brings his own ideas and perspectives, which is, to my mind, as it should be. One of the aspects of this book that made it interesting to me was the philological tack he took toward Tolkien's writings. In his afterword, the author points out that, while he published in the hope of widening the scope of criticism on Tolkien's works, in recent years the opposite has happened. Many readers and critics can't tell the difference between Old English, Old Norse, or Icelandic, and don't think that the difference matters; whereas to Tolkien, an eintire story can hinge on the origins of a word. As the author traced through some of the permutations that various parts of Tolkien's writings went through, including the changes he chose to make in various languages, one has a better sense of how deeply Tolkien was involved with the creation of Middle-Earth. It did not spring, full-grown, from his head, but rather was created in stages and evolved through those stages as well.

Next up, I will give myself over to the pleasures of Jane Austen in the several back issues of Persuasions that are sitting before me, an issue of Archaeology that will accompany me on a tropical vacation (okay, not everyone imagines the palm trees, white sand beaches, a hammock, cool tropical drink, and the latest news from the world of bone-diggers, but to each his own.)

I'm also trolling for some new romance series to exercise with, but nothing has caught my eye lately.

I may also be looking for a book on how to persuade cats to get along with each other...or perhaps I'll have to write one! With six cats currently in residence, we don't have nearly enough window sills or laps to keep everyone happy!

Vampire mania

OK, I'll admit it--I love Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" series, even though it goes contrary to the vampire lore I've devoured since my first reading of "Dracula". I love it in spite of being a confirmed Buffy-holic. I read all four books in the stretch of a little over a week, have watched both movies, and have participated in several discussions of the Edward vs. Jacob kind. However, I must also say that I am a little wary of the portrayal of teen obsessiveness that we have in Bella, and I have talked with my 10-year-old daughter, who is currently reading "Twilight" about some of the more unhealthy traits that Bella shows over the course of the series. (She wanted to read it after several of her friends did so, but I doubt I'll let her read the entire series right now.)

When I was looking for new reading fare to get through my workouts (I can bike 12.5 - 13 MPH while reading, and do a pretty good job on the elliptical machine as well), I came across a couple of series that I enjoyed as a change from my usual historical romances. One, "Undead and Unemployed" by MaryJanice Davidson, is a hoot. The recently-undead heroine is, to her utter dismay, queen of the vampires. She also has a major shoe addiction. I'm looking for the rest of the series next time I hit the bookstore.
Another one I thoroughly enjoyed--this time based on magic rather than blood-sucking--was "Secondhand Spirits" by Juliet Blackwell. A goblin who masquerades as a pot-bellied pig, spot-on descriptions of San Francisco, and a believable cast of characters kept me exercising longer than I thought--almost doubled my time a couple of days!
Madelyn Alt's " Bewitching mysteries" series is another that I will continue to read and look for more. The main character, Maggie O'Neill is as appealing a reluctant heroine as I've seen in a long time.