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 Young lute player Blondel recognizes his luck when he is conscripted to play for the princess Berengaria, even when he longs to get away. Soon, however, he falls in love with Berengaria, and his disabled rescuer Anna, duchess of Apieta, falls in love with him. But Berengaria loves Richard of England, and has longed for his hand in marriage ever since she saw him play in a tournament. She’s determined to marry him, and all the players in this novel must bow to her whims, and eventually to the whims of Richard the Lionhearted as he attempts to fulfill his life goal of crusading.
This book definitely fell victim to my recent avoidance of historical fiction. I still love medieval history, but it’s gotten to the point where I’ve read so much that I’ve really heard it all before, particularly with regard to the most popular periods in history. As I was reading this book, for example, I could hear my undergraduate professor telling me all about the crusades, about Saladin and Richard, and about Berengaria and how Eleanor of Aquitaine brought her across various countries just to get Richard to marry her. When I’m seeking something fresh and new, I don’t particularly want to read something where I know what’s going to happen. Of course I didn’t know all the details, but I’m just trying to express my own frustration so it doesn’t put others off reading these books.
And as medieval historical fiction goes, this isn’t a bad choice at all. Told through alternating viewpoints, the reader gets a full picture of a twelfth century crusade, as well as life in Spain and eventually England. The history is a little dated since the book came out in the 50′s, but I don’t think anyone else would really notice since most of the ideas are still the same, and her account of the crusade is surprisingly accurate. I was pretty sure that Richard had an illegitimate son, and Wikipedia agreed with me (with reliable sources), so perhaps no one had investigated that yet. The writing, however, doesn’t feel at all dated, and I could easily imagine this book coming out today as new. As ever, the crusade is the most interesting part of the book for its sheer oddity.
I found some of the characters defied belief somewhat; it’s impossible to imagine Berengaria actually attempting some of the things she does for a man she hadn’t ever spoken to, who was barely aware of her existence, for example. My favorite was Anna Apieta, typically the most fictional of them all, but she was a fascinating character. She is crippled from birth, but she’s been given advantages because she’s the illegitimate daughter of a king, and so she’s much more aware of the plight of the poorest people than any of the others, and she has a great deal of sympathy. I could never blame her for her bitterness and frustration towards Berengaria, because who wouldn’t struggle to be constantly in the presence of a beautiful half-sister? Her ability to stay with that half-sister through many trials is admirable and makes her by far the strongest character in the book.
Overall, if you do enjoy historical fiction set in the medieval period, I think you could hardly go wrong with The Lute Player.
I am an Amazon Associate. I received this book for free from the publisher for review.
 This is book 9 in the Sookie Stackhouse series (and thus completes the challenge for me. Yay!). For the first book in the series, see my review of Dead Until Dark.
The weres are finally coming out to the world, and Sookie stands by as her friend and boss Sam changes in front of all the bar patrons where Sookie works. Not everything about the reveal goes well; Sam’s stepfather shoots his mother when she tells him that she’s a were, for example. But even worse happens when Crystal, Sookie’s brother’s cheating pregnant wife, turns up crucified in the bar’s parking lot, with parts of her in panther form. Sookie wants to exonerate Jason, but she has other problems, namely that she’s caught in the middle of a fairy war, and half of them want to kill her.
As with all the books in the series, I enjoyed this book. I finally found it in the library (these books are very popular and they only have one copy) and dove right in, finishing it the same day. I do think it was better than book 8, which seemed sort of random. This one is put together more coherently and all the plot elements are, amazingly, related. Things change a lot in Sookie’s world, too. The outing of the weres is not particularly smooth, and the fairy war is difficult for Sookie to deal with given that no one believes in their existence except for supes.
For perhaps the first time the simple writing grated on me; even though I enjoyed the book, I wondered how often I really needed to hear about Sookie slicking up her ponytail or putting on her barmaid outfit or putting her purse in the spare drawer in Sam’s office. I think this is because I’d just finished the fantastic Kate Daniels series, which doesn’t really have any of that going on. And I noticed that even though violence happens, it’s hardly described, and doesn’t necessarily give off the same horrific feel. I think that’s why these are comfortable rather than scary given the subjects dealt with, and even though a lot of bad things happen, I wasn’t really that worried about the characters, though perhaps I should have been. I was also really disappointed that the tantalizing ending in book 8 just wasn’t at all expanded upon, and it’s like the author just dropped that plotline except for a short mention. And I was glad that Eric and Sookie seem to be having a relationship, but then Eric went and shared a whole lot of information about his past in the bar, which struck me as odd, and also that Sookie doesn’t even care that he’s now controlling her life. She’s more obsessed with the blood bond than trying to figure out why she likes him suddenly, and I was a little tired of hearing about that, too. Have to say I may have even liked Vampire Bill better in this book! He was given a lot of great lines and I think he’s gone very far in trying to prove himself.
In short, I can’t say Dead and Gone was the best installment in the series. I have to wonder if it’s ever going to end, because it certainly doesn’t seem to be heading for an ending, and ten books is a lot for a series. I will continue reading it through the library, though, and I look forward to the release of book 10 this year.
I am an Amazon Associate. I borrowed this book from my local library.
These are books 2 and 3 of the Kate Daniels series and these reviews may contain spoilers for the first book. See my Magic Bites review for book 1.
 Magic Burns
Normally, magic and tech waves alternate in Kate Daniels’ Atlanta. This time, however, a magic flare is coming, which means that every magical situation gets even more dangerous. Gods can walk the earth and magic users have more power than they imagined possible. Kate’s mission starts simply, with retrieving some stolen maps for the Pack, the weres. But then she finds a teenage girl whose mother is missing, a man who can disappear at will and regenerate body parts, and a strange hole in the ground. Kate discovers that two gods are struggling to take a place on earth, and she’s caught right in the middle.
As with the first one, I liked this book. The additional character of Julie was a great touch and allowed a softer side of Kate to be exposed. She’s a properly tough girl and it’s hard to get in to her real self, but Julie is clearly paving the way. I also thought the book had an appropriate dangerous feel, and it’s all very dark. Andrews doesn’t spare any details, unlike some other urban fantasy novelists, and the world gives off a feel of neglect and violence. A good addition to the series, I thought, and I wanted to pick up the next one immediately. I also like the sort-of growing relationship between Kate and Curran. It’s strange, but I was definitely curious as to where it was going.
 Magic Strikes
Kate now works for the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, and she’s been very busy as a consequence, not only working but avoiding werelion Curran. She can’t avoid the weres forever, though, especially when her friend Derek is discovered nearly dead, and no one knows if he’ll recover. Kate has to investigate the Midnight Games, a dangerous illegal operation, in an attempt to figure out what’s wrong with him. The game is much larger than that, and involves someone Kate wishes she’d never have to deal with again.
Whereas I liked the two previous books in this series, I loved this one and it may actually have become my favorite urban fantasy series in the space of one book. About halfway through, I realized I adored these characters. I love Kate’s blend of badass snark and wishing for something else that she’s convinced herself she can’t have. The interactions between all of the major players shine, and I now am a huge fan of the possibility between Kate and Curran. Their relationship has proceeded in such an out-of-the-ordinary way, but it’s exactly that which I like. And the story here was just so enthralling and for a 300 page book, had an amazingly epic feel, which of course is a huge draw for me. It’s desperate and violent but I was glued to the page, heart pounding. Kate’s backstory is revealed and a lot from the previous books starts to make sense, including her attitude. And with all of this is Kate’s trademark humor which had a smile on my face, even when she was hurt so badly she couldn’t move. It’s a perfect blend. I don’t know how I’m going to wait until May for Magic Bleeds but I’m so glad I started reading this series, and I have a feeling I’m going to read everything the husband and wife team of Ilona Andrews writes.
I am an Amazon Associate. I purchased these books.
 After Emily Benedict’s mother dies, she goes to live in Mullaby, North Carolina, the hometown that Dulcie Benedict left behind and never discussed, with the grandfather she never knew she had. Emily wants to learn more about her mother’s past, but in the process she finds a house where the wallpaper changes, where lights dash through the forest behind her house, and where some people have a “sweet sense” and can see cakes being baked. Emily’s neighbor, Julia, a former outcast, does her part to help Emily adjust to the knowledge of her mother’s past, but she has to face some demons of her own.
While I found Allen’s last offering, The Sugar Queen, to be a little too sweet, I thought this book found the perfect balance. I loved all the characters, even if they’d made mistakes in their past. Julia’s story in particular I found to be heart-wrenching, but she had me cheering for her throughout the entire book. She has a more mature story, knowing all the town’s secrets, while Emily has a lot to learn. There are two separate love stories in the book, but neither is really given much preference and both are wonderful.
I also really enjoyed the doses of magic spread throughout. They never seem out of place, but fit beautifully within the story and add to it, not at all taking away from the feelings or personalities of the characters. The Girl Who Chased the Moon never feels unrealistic or absurd. It is fairly light fiction but I loved it and I’m very much looking forward to further books from Sarah Addison Allen.
I am an Amazon Associate. I received this book for free from the Amazon Vine program.
 In the spirit of Sherlock Holmes, David Grann attempts to solve 12 mysteries that have stymied the public and even the police force. He also looks at the nature of obsession, traveling with a scientist who is determined to catch a giant squid, investigating the strange death of a Sherlock Holmes addict, and talking with a family all employed in building New York City’s newest aqueduct. The stories are wide-ranging but are joined by common themes of death, obsession, and madness.
This collection really runs the gamut of interest. Some of the mysteries were absolutely fascinating and occasionally heartbreaking. For example, the Sherlock Holmes obsessive is the first case featured in the book, and not only is the guy’s life story interesting, but his death is genuinely a mystery. And I had no idea about any of New York City’s water problems, let alone the men who actually risk their lives down there to build a new gigantic pipeline (with protests from the very people that this pipe is going to help, no less!). But some of the stories aren’t really mysteries. I had no interest in the white supremacy group that killed people in the prisons, and it didn’t seem like all that much of a mystery to me. Nor did Haiti’s “devil” Toto Constant – and that wasn’t a particularly interesting story, either.
Throughout, the writing is smooth and very readable. Some of the mysteries had me turning the pages quite rapidly to find out the truth. It helps that Grann went to talk to many of the people featured, and it’s clear that he’s been working on the stories in this book for a long time. He definitely brought their situations to life.
For some people, these stories might all be interesting, but I think for most this is a book to pick and choose from. If The Devil and Sherlock Holmes sounds interesting to you now, I guarantee you’ll enjoy several of these well-written accounts.
I am an Amazon Associate. I received this book for free from the Amazon Vine program.
 I had some big news this week. Namely, I actually got a full-time job! I know, it’s a little crazy to think about, and apologies to those who follow me on twitter because they know all this already. I didn’t mention the interview because I didn’t want to jinx anything this time. I’m starting on Monday, but because we’re relocating, I’ll be in a hotel all week while we attempt to find and rent a place for the foreseeable future. Things will still be a little tight while we are paying for two places (we own the place we live in and we still have to put it up for sale) but not nearly as bad as they’ve been. We might actually be able to save money in a few months. Hard to believe, isn’t it?
What does this mean for you, the person who reads this blog? (Thank you so much for that, by the way!) I hope not too much in the long run. I expect I’ll have far fewer reviews going up, since I can’t imagine I’ll keep up my reading pace in full-time employment. This is my first full-time job so I genuinely have no idea how it’s going to go, how stressed I’ll be, etc. But I’ll certainly be reading. Since we’re moving, we are probably not going to have internet for a few weeks, so I don’t think I’ll be able to comment much after this week until we have it at home. I expect I’ll still be getting blog posts up (especially since I have most of the next two weeks scheduled except for classics reviews), since my job involves the internet and I do have breaks, but I won’t have time to go through GR every day like I try to do now.
This week (and next week) I’ll be attempting to finish all of my current library books and also continue with my last two weeks of classics, so I’ll be reading:
- Virginia Woolf, by Hermione Lee
- Woman, by Natalie Angier
- Germinal, by Emile Zola (for a Classics Circuit tour in April)
- The Boat to Redemption, by Su Tong
- The Uninvited, by Geling Yan
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon
- East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
- Villette, by Charlotte Bronte
- Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore
- Barchester Towers, Anthony Trollope
And now I see how overambitious I am – hah! Can I still read five books a week while working full-time? I doubt it. I remember how stressed and tired all of my already-working friends were when they started, and I’ve had months of virtually no responsibility. I know it will be hard to get used to. Luckily three of these books are already in progress and I have a couple of lengthy car rides coming up. So wish me luck!
 On her search for a harpsichord, Madeline Goold comes across a square piano in an antique sale. While not playable, it’s in surprisingly good condition, and after taking note of its serial number, 10651, she sends it off for repair and decides to find out who owned it. Her search leads to a delightful and sometimes sad history of the Langshaw organists, father and son, as well as of Broadwood pianos in general and the effect the square piano had on music for the English public.
I didn’t expect much from this book, but it really was fascinating. Goold’s 1807 square piano leads her to a goldmine of information. I know very little about the history of the piano, and she comfortably filled in the blanks and provides a great bibliography for further information. I love it when historians use a small detail to examine the wider history, and that’s precisely what Goold does here. She links successfully the buyer of her square piano, Mr. John Langshaw, with the Broadwood family and their history of harpsichord and then piano making, and further expands to cover the transition from harpsichords to fortepianos and what it did to music. All of it was fascinating.
The most interesting section for me was about the Langshaw family. The elder Mr. Langshaw was disabled and thus forced to choose a different career than his father. He chose music and became a moderately successful organist, at least successful enough to educate his children, particularly his oldest son John. John followed in his father’s footsteps to become an organist, but he also had links with London and may have met the Broadwoods, from whom he commissions pianos for clients in his area. She uses copious quotes from letters to establish his history, and as such it’s almost as though I got a peek into his mind. Their family story is not always cheerful, and the piano was probably not even for them, but Goold speculates to some extent in this direction. She acknowledges that we’ll never know the answer because the relevant records have been destroyed, but her ideas are nonetheless intriguing and plausible.
Goold also links the history with well-known composers and even uses comparisons with Jane Austen to demonstrate the importance of the piano. Cheaper pianos meant newly emerging middle class families could buy the basic models, and piano playing became an important skill for young women, even if they were never permitted to play for public audiences. I loved the way she used the piano to explore the entire culture.
I suppose the only thing that keeps this book from being perfect are the few sections in which Goold attempts to fictionalize various aspects of the Langshaws’ life. She’s not a fiction writer and these few sections, italicized to separate them from the main body of the text, make that very clear. I have to say I skipped over them after the first few, because her regular writing is much smoother and the facts were much more interesting for me than her attempts to picture the scenes.
Mr. Langshaw’s Square Piano is a very interesting little book and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of music or Jane Austen’s England. I had a great time reading it.
I am an Amazon Associate. I received this book for free from a publicist for review.
 The Ramsay family travels to Skye, a small Scottish island, in the summers, their large house bursting with childish games and guests invited to stay. Towards the end of their stay, unfortunately, six-year-old James has still not been to visit the lighthouse, but the visit is promised for the next day. That promise is not fulfilled until ten years later, in the final stage of the novel, where the nearly-adult James finally gets his chance to see the long awaited lighthouse, when everything in his life is completely different.
On its own merits, I loved this book. I really like the way Virginia Woolf writes. Maybe because I’d never heard enough about her to be intimidated, I fell in love with her writing style in Mrs. Dalloway and clearly that hasn’t changed with the passing of a few years. It takes a little more effort, but I find her writing to just flow perfectly in line with my own thoughts. I think she captures the vagaries of the human mind better than any other writer I’ve ever read. And the characterization here was so interesting – in so few pages she builds genuine feelings from all these characters towards one another. And the middle section – the way time moves on no matter what happens in people’s lives – is masterful and awe-inspiring.
I found it even more interesting, though, when I started reading Hermione Lee’s biography of Woolf. Much of this novel can be read as autobiographical, and apparently the author and her sister interpreted it precisely that way. I’ll have a lot more to say about that biography when I finish it, but I immediately wanted to start this over and look at it from that way. I can already tell that this is a book which will only improve on re-reading, now that I can pick up nuances and already know what happens. But I suspect all of Woolf’s writing will be like that.
This is only a short review, but it’s impossible to put all I felt about To the Lighthouse into words, honestly. Her work just feels so true to me. I immediately wanted to read it again – and I would definitely recommend it to anyone with a little patience to get used to her style.
 Elena Deveraux is the best vampire hunter out there, but she begins to regret it when the angels come to her for help. Archangel Raphael, who has control over the United States, hires her to track a rogue Archangel, and in the process sets about seducing her. Despite her insistence that she can’t smell angels the way she can vampires, Elena is trapped in a dangerous mission, probably destined to die either on the impossible job or afterwards when she discovers too many of the angels’ secrets.
I actually really enjoyed this book and I feel like I’m getting a hint as to why Nalini Singh is so popular. I really liked Elena for the most part. She’s an interesting character with a backstory that relates to this novel and I loved her snarky, risk-taking attitude. I have to say her decision to sleep with Raphael made little sense, though; she’s frustrated so she appears to decide that she wants to sleep with him just to relieve stress. Yes, that is a great idea when your chosen lover is so powerful he can kill you with a thought, and probably would when the relationship was over.
Minor point, though, because for the most part I found their relationship sweet, a bright point in a darker book, and I suppose women are often drawn to power, especially when wrapped in an extremely attractive package, so maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise. Plus the romance often took a backseat to the more exciting plot, and I was happy for that a romance, the ending was not what I predicted! And the characters’ stories are carried on in the next book! I think that this might actually qualify the book as urban fantasy, but I’ll have to see where the series goes to decide which way it leans.
I loved the world, too, and I thought it was a fair amount darker than most of what’s out there in urban fantasy or paranormal romance. There is a lot of brutal killing and the characters themselves don’t escape the savagery. A lot of Elena’s growth is based upon the horrors in her past and her determination to stick up for herself and what’s right even when that means death. There isn’t all that much humor when people’s hearts are being ripped out of their chests. It all feels very serious. There are some gaps in the world-building, mostly because we know very little about what angels do. They control vampires and they fly around with pretty wings, and they obviously are in charge of the world, but aside from the councils of the most important angels we just don’t see that much. I suspect this will be elaborated on in the next one, though, given how this wraps up, and so I’m willing to let the gaps rest for the moment. The angels seem to have no connection to any modern day religious faith, which was appreciated.
Overall, I enjoyed Angels’ Blood. I’m glad that this series has been picked up by a UK publisher so I can follow it in a more timely fashion. And many thanks to Tasha for sending this book to me. I think I liked it more than she did!
I’m still an Amazon Associate.
At the beginning of Classics Month, Tasha at Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Books and I challenged each other to read a book from our specialities. For her I chose Gawain and the Green Knight, a fairly well-known classic of medieval literature. To check out my review of Nadja by Andre Breton, head on over to her blog.
The Hunt in the Forest by Paolo Uccello, c. 1470
I
Gather all and put much thought
to a tale of noble Camelot.
On New Year’s Eve the court did gather
With wine and beer and much blather
Ladies fair and knights bold
Plus Gweneviere and Arthur, we are told
When all at once, what should they see
But a walking, talking Christmas tree!
(Actually it’s a man)
Yes, ’twas a man, but green
hair green, skin green, tongue green
Of great stature and much mass
Even his horse was the color of grass
Everything green, but eyes that were red
Even an idiot could guess where this led
But not Arthur and his patriotic knights
Who thought the green man rather nice
(How stupid are they?)
The Christmas Tree spoke, and offered a game
To anyone brave enough to issue his name
Strike a blow against the green man, and when the time came
A year from the next day, the green man would do the same.
What’s in it for the knights, one might wonder
But Sir Gawain this did not ponder.
He accepted the ax, and the green man knelt
Then to his neck, a fatal blow Wawain dealt.
(He chopped the Christmas Tree’s head off)
The head rolled about, the court watching whence it should land
Dismissing the Green Man, and thinking the matter at an end
Green blood spurted out from the tree
And Gawain anticipated congratulations there’d be
But the Christmas Tree rose from where he sat
And calmly collected his body’s hat
Holding his head, he told Gawain the way to his home
To meet a year from then, and to come alone
After which he left.
II
Despite that Gawain was not too bright,
Even he knew to do what was right
Honor and chivalry demanded
He meet the Christmas Tree and be beheaded
Thus he set out in the morning
Uncertain about where he was going
A year later, and with much apprehension
For a view of reaching the Green Man’s mansion
(Which I’m guessing is in a forest)
But alas our knight knew not left from right
(re: none too bright)
Far and wide our hero did bumble
Searching for Green Man’s Green Chapel.
He was cold, and hungry, and sad to boot
When what should he spy: a moat!
Connected to a grand castle with turrets and flags
And the friendliest host Gawain’d ever had.
Almost TOO friendly.
The man himself was handsome and wealthy
With two others in residence: an old woman quite stealthy,
And a wife so beautiful she left Gawain nonplussed;
They took one look at each other and fell into lust.
Then with Gawain, a bargain the host assayed
That he would go hunting during the day
Upon his return, his catch he would giveth
And Gawain his daily claims would returneth.
Sounds like another sketchy deal to me.
But Gawain, like an idiot, pronounced his agreement
And into more trouble our hero descendeth.
But I shall say no more of Wawain’s toil
For fear that his tale I will spoil
At first I thought this story difficult to read
I did not comprehend the why of the characters’ deeds
But then Gawain met the lady, sorely tempting
And things got MUCH more entertaining.
But who doesn’t like a little romance, right?
Tis clear that this tale is all about pursuit:
of animals, women, and bravery to salute.
For while the host was hunting game,
The hostess was chasing down Gawain
Quite a dilemma for him to be thinking about
But of course not much thinking is done by that clout
Still, there’s a twist that I thought was grand
For in everything, a famous woman has a hand.
Highly recommended!
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