Review: The Black Moth

The Black Moth is Georgette Heyer's first novel, written while she was a teenager.  She uses updated versions of some of the characters in her more popular novel These Old Shades (which is where the title These Old Shades comes from).  In mid-1700s in England, an earl has passed away, and his eldest son must be found to impart the news.  The son, Jack Carstares, however, was disgraced six years ago when he accepted blame that should have been his younger brother's for cheating at cards.  After years abroad, John is now "working" as a highwayman in Surrey.  His younger brother Richard has aged unnaturally since the cheating incident and is married to a temperamental beauty who is likely to bankrupt him and possibly leave him for another man.

And then there is the dangerous and enigmatic Duke of Andover (known as "the Devil") who is pulling all the strings (particularly those attached to the purse).  He falls so deeply in love with the lovely young Diana Beauleigh that he attempts a kidnapping, only to be foiled by Jack Carstares.  This sets off a chain of events that changes everyone's lives in dramatic (and thoroughly entertaining) ways until everyone is sorted out and settled to live happily ever after.

Read more »

TSS: What's your fallback read?

  Last week, I was eagerly anticipating the arrival in my mailbox of the new Guy Gavriel Kay book, Under Heaven.  In it, Kay tackles Chinese history in what is sure to be a fantastical way.

As I eagerly waited for this book to arrive, I was faced with the quandary of deciding what to read in the meantime.  I didn't want to pick up a really big book that I would feel compelled to drop as soon as Under Heaven came to the door.  So there went all the doorstoppers patiently waiting for me to actually get the guts to pick them up.  I finally settled on a Lindsey Davis mystery and when I finished that, I went for a slim volume of essays on Jane Austen.

I realized that quite often, when I am in this "waiting" state in my reading, or when I just don't know what I want to read, I fall back to Lindsey Davis or Georgette Heyer.  I usually only read these authors at these moments because I know I'll be satisfied and happily settled into a world that makes me comfortable.  I also won't feel stressed out because the stories aren't overly long and aren't super-complicated.  They're light and fun and can almost always get me out of a reading slump.  And if I'm not in a slump, they're perfect for that "in-between" read while I anticipate another book coming to me.

What about you?  Do you have a fallback genre or author?  Ones that you can settle in with pretty quickly and know you'll enjoy when you're in between books or in a reading slump?  If so, what do you read?  If not, how do you pick an "in-between" book?

Review: Under Heaven

Guy Gavriel Kay's newest book, Under Heaven, is a fantasy novel set in an alternate 8th century China (called Kitai).  Tai is a young man who has just completed the required two years of mourning for his illustrious army general father.  Tai pays his respects by venturing to a far-off battlefield where tens of thousands of Kitan soldiers died while fighting the Tagurans.  He spends his two years burying these soldiers (from both sides) properly so that they can be at rest.

This earns him the gratitude of both the Kitan Emperor and the former Taguran enemies.  So much so that that the Taguran queen offers him 250 Sardian horses- the best horses ever and extremely valuable, particularly in a charged political climate- in gratitude for his service.  This gift is a curse as well, though, as it forces Tai to become an important player in a political game that is often over his head.

He must travel to Kitan's capital, Xinan to determine what to do with his gift.  But all is not well there.  The aging emperor has cast aside his wife for a very young, beautiful concubine.  The first minister and the most favored general despise each other and could cripple the whole empire.  And Tai's sister, Li-Mei, has been sent as an imperial bride to the nomads by their politically connected ambitious older brother.  Tai must find a way to stay alive and do what he thinks is right in a world that is increasingly complex and full of gray areas.

Read more »

With Reverent Hands: Bridge of Birds

I bring you with reverent hands / the books of my numberless dreams.

-WB Yeats, "A Poet To His Beloved"

 

Rosie's Riveters ended last week, after a run of sharing with us 28 women- real & imagined- who impacted the way we see females in stories.  Rosie did an excellent job of highlighting well-written women, be they heroines or villains, and I am so glad that people participated in the series.

But now it's time to move on.  Instead of highlighting one particular character who stands out to you, I'm asking you to highlight one book.  One book that you adore, that you prize, that changed your life, that you would save from a burning building, that you found serendipitously on a library shelf or at a used bookstore, looking lonely and ignored.  A book that thrills you but that, you have come to realize, no one else has really ever heard of, much less read.  With Reverent Hands is all about those books- the ones that deserve a wider audience than they are given and that you want everyone to go out and read, even if they are out of print.

If you would like to participate in With Reverent Hands, please comment on this post and I will send you a template!

So here we go- my first offering for you all, that I bring with reverent hands!  And a huge thank you to Jason, who made the badge above!

What book are you highlighting?

Bridge of Birds, by Barry Hughart

When did you first read it?

 I had this book on my shelf for years.  I don't even know how I first heard about it.  I think on a Yahoo! groups somewhere.  And then everywhere I searched, it got amazing reviews.  So I finally took it with me on my trip to India last summer after Heather recommended it to me and it was amazing.   Luckily for me, there are two sequels that I hope to get my hands on!

What is it about?  Please give a brief summary.

It's a fantasy novel that takes place in "an ancient China that never was."  It revolves around a young man, Number Ten Ox, who must save the children in his village from a wasting disease, and so goes to the city to get help from Master Kao Li, a sage with "a slight flaw in his character."  The two go off to find an antidote to the disease, traveling all over China, meeting wonderful characters, learning lessons of faith, generosity and friendship, and then return triumphantly home.

What makes the book stand out to you?  Why do you love it?

It is so funny.  Just a lovely light, almost ironic humor.  It proves that the author really understands his world, the people in it, and their foibles.  Like Blankets, he does not necessarily like the world and its inhabitants, but he never mocks them or treats them as being less than him, just because they are different.  And the gentle irony is, to me, very reminiscent of Jane Austen.

I love it because it manages to combine fantasy, adventure, friendship and a touching story all together in one excellent book.  It is small, but it packs a punch.  Also, I know so little about Ancient China, so it was wonderful to be taken there and introduced to its stories and folklore through this book.

Please finish this analogy:  If you liked _____________, you'll probably enjoy this book.

If you liked The Princess Bride, you will probably enjoy Bridge of Birds.

What sort of person would you recommend to read this book?

I think anyone who enjoys Terry Pratchett would like this book because of the humor in a fantasy world.  I think anyone who likes Jane Austen should read this book because of the irony employed in it.  Anyone who enjoys stories about the Far East would like it.  Anyone who enjoys historical fiction, particularly from several hundred years ago, not just a few hundred years.

Do you have any quotes you would like to share?

"Take a large bowl," I said.  "Fill it with equal measures of fact, fantasy, history, mythology, science, superstition, logic, and lunacy. Darken the mixture with bitter tears, brighten it with howls of laughter, toss in three thousand years of civilization, bellow kan pei - which means 'dry cup' - and drink to the dregs." 

Procopius stared at me.  "And I will be wiser?" he asked. 

"Better," I said.  "You will be Chinese."

The Spotlight Series is Here!!

Some time ago, Amy, Chris and I began chatting about how we can use our blogs to do good in the world of books (we're idealistic, I know).  We came up with the idea to start a Spotlight Series,.

On a rotating schedule, we will put the spotlight on a small press publisher that we feel sets a standard. We'll let you know the publisher several weeks (that's what I'm doing right now!) before the spotlight goes on so that you can browse the catalog and choose a book to read and review on your blog.

Then, over a two-week period, all participating bloggers will post their reviews of books by that publisher and word will spread from there!  Note that you do not have to be a blogger to participate in the Spotlight Series.  Anyone who wants to take part can, and if you want to write up a review of a bok and don't have a blog to post it on, we can put it on the Spotlight Series blog for you.

The Spotlight Series blog will serve as the HQ- it will have links to your reviews, information on the publisher, author and publisher interviews, contests, prizes and conversation.

Our first spotlight publisher is (drum roll, please)

UNBRIDLED BOOKS!  

Many bloggers are familiar with this publisher as it has lovely cover art on all its titles and publishes very popular books such as Cranioklepty, Last Prince of the Mexican Empire, and 31 Hours.  Last year was fantastic for Unbridled as so many of its books won recognition in print media and on blogosphere.

We are very excited to bring the spotlight to Unbridled Books and we hope that you will participate, too!  As this is a voluntary series, not done for profit, neither Unbridled nor the Spotlight Series will be able to provide you with copies of books to read.  Please look into libraries, bookstores, online outlets and friends to participate in the Spotlight Series!  We strongly believe that Unbridled Books publishes excellent works, and they are well worth the hunt to find.

The Spotlight on Unbridled Books will take place between March 14th and March 27th.  If you would like to participate and help bring attention to a fantastic publisher (and possibly discover one of your top reads of the year!), please sign up here.  Choose your book and we'll let you know in a few weeks when to post your review.  This is a great way to meet a lot of other bloggers and open up a relationship with an excellent publisher.  We hope to see you there!

You can also follow Spotlight Series on Twitter @spotlightsp.

And if you've already reviewed a book published by Unbridled, just link to it in the comments and we'll tweet about it :-)

Thanks again, everyone!