"Living with the Dead" by Kelley Armstrong

I've read and enjoyed most of the books in Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series.  Somehow I'd never gotten ahold of a copy of"Living with the Dead" though.

The 9th book in the series, "Living with the Dead" stars some familiar characters (chiefly half-demon Hope Adams and werewolf Karl Marsten), and introduces some new ones (so,e just for the purposes of the novel, but also some new characters that I hope will resurface in future books.  There's murder, mystery, supernaturals, romance...it's am interesting book that works well in the series.

If you like "Living with the Dead", I definitely recommend reading the rest of Armstrong's books.  (The Otherworld series starts with "Bitten".)  Click here for a list of books enjoyed by Armstrong fans.  I would also recommend books by P.C. Cast.

"The Silver Donkey" by Sonya Harnett

"The Silver Donkey" seems like a simple children's book at first.  It has a great, animal-related title with cover art that suggests a fairly young audience.  Within the book itself the main characters are primarily children, and the narrative is set up with a series of stories being told within the story (all related to a donkey).  It's a fairly simple storyline.  I think that I could read the book out loud to my five-year-old, and she would enjoy it.

If you dismiss this book as just a simple children's book, though, you'd be missing out.  I read and enjoyed it as an interesting approach to an important period in history (World War I).  The writing is simple, but charming.  I would highly recommend it, especially for children learning about the World Wars, but also for anyone who needs a piece of hope within difficult circumstances.

To find out more about Sonya Hartnett and her books, click here.

If you enjoy "The Silver Donkey", I recommend "Once" by Morris Gleitzman, "The Firefly Gate" by Linda Newbery, and "Remembrance" by Theresa Breslin.

"The True Darcy Spirit" by Elizabeth Aston

Yes, I probably read too much Austen fan fiction.  I read Jane Austen's novels and now I just can't seem to stop.

My most recent visit to the world of Austen was "The True Darcy Spirit" by Elizabeth Aston.  Set about twenty years after "Pride & Prejudice", the children of Austen's novel take center stage.  I read it because of the Austen tie-in, it works on its own as an interesting historical novel.

Click here to visit author Elizabeth Aston's official website.

If you enjoy "The True Darcy Spirit", I recommend reading Elizabeth Aston's five other novels related to the Darcy family.  Obviously fans of Aston will enjoy reading (or rereading) Jane Austen's classic novel.  Other Austen fan fiction novels include "Jane Austen Stole my Boyfriend", "Dancing with Mr. Darcy", and "Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict".

"Bloodline" by Kate Cary

Having recently read the vampire classic "Dracula", I was intrigued by "Bloodline."  Kate Cary's novel is a piece of fan fiction written as a sequel to "Dracula".  In it, about twenty years have passed since the end of "Dracula".  The main characters of "Bloodline" are the children of the former novels main characters.  (That's less confusing than it seems when I write it down.)

Mary is a young nurse during World War I.  When a new patient arrives from the front in the hospital, she helps care for him.  The more than she sees of this new patient, John, the more interested in him she becomes.  Not only is she intrigued by his past and the problems still haunting him, she begins to fall in love with him.  Is love enough to save him from the horrors he is reliving in his head?  And if he can recover, what will happen when he learns truths that he never imagined?

Meanwhile, Mary must face John's former commanding officer, Captain Harker.  Harker quickly seduces John's sister and seems to ingratiate himself with everyone he meets, but Mary always knows that there is something sinister about him.  Will she discover the truth about Captain Harker before it's too late?  As the group embark on an adventure across the continent, they'll discover dark truths about both the past and their present natures. 

Although the story line picks up from Stoker's "Dracula", the writing style is very different.  However, as a piece of fan fiction and a historical novel/vampire novel, I enjoyed it.

To visit author Kate Cary's official website, click here.  On the site you can find out about her other "Dracula" fan fiction novel.  "Reckoning" is the sequel to "Bloodline", and I'd like to read it.

If you enjoy "Dracula" and "Bloodline", I recommend reading other vampire fiction.  Some good places to start include novels by Katie MacAlister, P.C. Cast, Poppy Z. Brite, and Elizabeth Kostova.

"The Illustrated Man" by Ray Bradbury

"The Illustrated Man" is a collection of short stories masquerading as a novel.  Ray Bradbury is a master of short fiction, and "The Illustrated Man" plays to this strength.

There is a loose framework to the book.  The unnamed narrator meets an unusual man, the illustrated man, whose body is covered in tattoos.  These, however, are not ordinary tattoos.  These intricately detailed and vibrant tattoos change, come to life, and show the future.  Parts of his body might show you your own future, or you may see a story of the distant future.  As the illustrated man sleeps, the narrator watches his tattoos and the book is a collection of the sixteen stories that are shown during the night.

These short stories have little to connect them other than the future setting, and the sense of menace that permeates the book.  Whether it is diseased men banished to another planet, a city wreaking revenge on people, or children plotting the death of their parents, there is a deep and disturbing sense of dread throughout most of the book.  It is a representation of the future, and shows snippets of possibilities.  (Most stories seek some type of future plausibility and loosely fall in the genre of science fiction, although "The Playground" is a noticeable exception that relies on fantasy and a less logically explainable event.) 

These snippets of the future are clearly part of Bradbury's vision, and are closely related to his futuristic books like "The Martian Chronicles" and "Fahrenheit 451".  In fact, "The Other Foot" seems to carry on from a plot line introduced in "The Martian Chronicles."  These are related stories that all fit into Bradbury's unique vision of the future. 

Although it is fantastic to read, Bradbury's depiction of the future is also deeply troubling.  Although there are moments of redemption, it is a generally pessimistic view showing the atrocities (big and small) that people are capable of.

"Now and Forever" by Ray Bradbury

There's not really any rhyme or reason to my Ray Bradbury reading order.  Having decided to read all of his books, I'm just reading them as I happen to get ahold of a copy.  This time the library happened to have "Now and Forever" on the shelves.  (To anyone else in Hampshire trying to read Ray Bradbury books, I'm really sorry.  If you can't find them at the library, it's probably because they're at my house.)

"Now and Forever" is actually two unrelated stories published together.

The first is "Somewhere a Band is Playing".  This story has a feeling of timelessness which fits with the theme of the story.  Is it possible for people to stop aging?  If so, what would their lives be like?  It's a slow-paced, understated bit of writing, but I enjoyed it.

The second story is "Leviathon '99".  This story is Bradbury's scifi adaptation of "Moby Dick".  I don't regret reading it, but I'm honest enough to admit that this is my least favorite of Bradbury's work (at least that I've read so far).  I have a feeling Bradbury knew it wasn't his strongest piece as well because this story has been through a lot of different versions and revisions.  Rather than being satisfied with it, I feel like he just gave up and published it so that his time wouldn't be wasted.  As an author it's a little bit reassuring to realize that Bradbury has his off moments too, and that not every single thing he writes blows my socks off.  It makes me hope that in my very imperfect writings I'll still be able to create something meaningful and enjoyable.
Only 55 more Ray Bradbury books to go.

"Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury

What can I possibly say about Ray Bradbury's novel "Fahrenheit 451"?

If you haven't read it yet, stop whatever you're doing and go find a copy of it.  Then read.

There should be a reading list for life, and "Fahrenheit 451" should be on it.

This novel is sparse and in some ways simplistic, and yet that's part of it's power.  The futuristic world of "Fahrenheit 451" seems dramatic, and yet in many ways it's not that different from the way we live now.

"The Empress of Ice Cream" by Anthony Capella

I love to read (thus the book blog), and I love to eat (thus my other blog with lots of recipes).  It's not often that literature combines these two loves.  However, that is exactly what author Anthony Capella does.  He writes foodie novels.  They aren't just novels that mention food, or cookbooks that mention stories.  They are beautiful novels that are carefully crafted to make food an integral part of the novel.  There is always an intense relationship with food.  If you were to remove all of the parts related to food, then the little bits of the novel left just wouldn't make sense.

Capella's newest novel, "The Empress of Ice Cream" tells the story of an ice cream maker.  Not just an ice cream maker, but the first true maker of ice cream and a master of frozen desserts.  It spans from Italy to France to England in the days of King Louis the 14th (the "Sun King").  It is an interesting read with a good mix of history and invention, characters and food.

To read my review of Anthony Capella's "The Empress of Ice Cream", click here.

To visit Anthony Capella's official website and find out more about "The Empress of Ice Cream" or any of this other novels, click here.

"Goddess of the Rose" by P.C. Cast

If you're familiar with the "Goddess Summoning" series by P.C.Cast, then you'll know what to expect from "Goddess of the Rose".  Yes, it takes a strong modern woman and throws her into mythology and a passionate love story.  Yes, there is a conflict of how to resolve the two different worlds, and the initial struggles about whether they can accept love.  Then there's the inevitable happy ending.  If this is what you're expecting, then "Goddess of the Rose" delivers.  Yes, you know what to expect.  You also know what to expect when you buy a chocolate bar, but that doesn't stop you indulging, does it?

To read my book review of "Goddess of the Rose" by P.C. Cast, click here.
To visit P.C. Cast's official website, click here (or here for her blog).

"The Red Queen" by Philippa Gregory

"The Red Queen" is the second book in Gregory's "The Cousins' War" series (after "The White Queen").  The interesting thing about this series so far is that it takes many of the same events and shows them from differing perspectives.  It was an interesting book set during a period that is less often covered in historical novels than many other areas of English history.  Although it wasn't my favorite book of hers, Phillipa Gregory is the queen of historical novels set around the English court.

For my review of "The Red Queen", click here.