The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.

For the past couple of years, I've seen this title around, I've heard people talking about it. Either love it or they just don't get the hoopla about its popularity. But I kept my distance...until recently. A few of my friends have been after me to read it, they wanted to have a group discussion. I checked at the library, but there was an absurd amount of people ahead of me that I just went out and bought myself a copy.

I found the first hundred pages or so slow. Don't get me wrong I was enjoying the story but I wanted the author to get to the point. And all of the sudden it just picked up and I felt like I was bombarded with tons of info and with all that information my emotions were all over the place. And I couldn't keep my hands off the book. I wanted and I needed to discover what or who was behind the mysterious disappearance. But there was also my curiosity about the secondary mystery of the story, the Wennerstrom issue, was Blomkvist set up or was he telling the truth.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed both Blomkvist and Salander. They are great characters, they both have their own issues to deal with, Blomkvist needing to put his life back together after the trial and Salander dealing with a creepy lawyer, and wanting a sense of normalcy. I think the author only scratched at the surface of Salander's personality and background. And I cannot wait to see more of her.

I loved this book! And I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book of the series, The Girl Who Played with Fire.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (5/5) Mystery/Thriller; Translated from the Swedish by Reg Keeland; New Author; Published: Penguin Group (2008); Series: # 1, Millennium Trilogy; Thriller & Suspense Challenge (7); Books 2010 (75);

Life of Pi

Pi Patel is an unusual boy. The son of a zookeeper, he has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal behavior, a fervent love of stories, and practices not only his native Hinduism, but also Christianity and Islam. When Pi is sixteen, his family emigrates from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship, along with their zoo animals bound for new homes.
The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with Richard Parker for 227 days lost at sea. When they finally reach the coast of Mexico, Richard Parker flees to the jungle, never to be seen again. The Japanese authorities who interrogate Pi refuse to believe his story and press him to tell them "the truth." After hours of coercion, Pi tells a second story, a story much less fantastical, much more conventional-but is it more true?

Life of Pi is at once a realistic, rousing adventure and a meta-tale of survival that explores the redemptive power of storytelling and the transformative nature of fiction. It's a story, as one character puts it, to make you believe in God.

I've been meaning to read this book for years. I've heard nothing but good things about it, and I've tried several times but I never managed to read past the first couple of chapters. Until I got over my moodiness and just sat down and read. And I'm so glad that I did. It was a wonderful book and I cannot believe it took me so long to actually pick it up and really give a try.

I loved the way the story is told by Pi (Piscine Molitor Patel) a sixteen year old from India. He's the second son of a zoo keeper/owner, he's curious about religion and their relationship with God, he loves animals and he wishes that he was more like his brother. A normal teenager. He's also the only survivor of a terrible shipwreck. Human survivor that is, there's Richard Parker, a Bengal tiger. This is their story. It's the story of their survival. But once he's safe and sound he's questioned about the facts of his ordeal. And until then you truly do not question his story. In the end I wasn't able to decide which story I liked the best. The story with the animals or the story with the people.

I only know that I loved the book.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel (5/5) General Fiction; Published: Knopf (9/2001); New Author; Canadian Reads; Canadian Book Challenge 4 (1); 1001 You Must Read (79); Books 2010 (74);

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake

A lady does not smoke cheroot. She does not ride astride. She does not fence or attend duels. She does not fire a pistol, and she never gambles at a gentlemen's club.

Lady Calpurnia Hartwell has always followed the rules, rules that have left her unmarried—and more than a little unsatisfied. And so she's vowed to break the rules and live the life of pleasure she's been missing.

But to dance every dance, to steal a midnight kiss—to do those things, Callie will need a willing partner. Someone who knows everything about rule-breaking. Someone like Gabriel St. John, the Marquess of Ralston—charming and devastatingly handsome, his wicked reputation matched only by his sinful smile.

If she's not careful, she'll break the most important rule of all—the one that says that pleasure-seekers should never fall hopelessly, desperately in love . . .

After ten years of being a wallflower and now considered a spinster, Callie wants to live. She is tired of leading a passive life, she wants excitement and adventure. So she creates a list. But she needs a little help with certain "to do items", she goes for help to the one person she knows will be able to provide her with the experience she needs. Gabriel, the Marquess of Ralston has a rakish reputation, but he is in need of help with his half-sister. So they device a plan: he will help her if she helps him introduce his sister into society. And so the adventure begins...

Here's a book a stayed up to the wee hours of the morning to finish reading. I couldn't help it, I was hooked right from the first chapter. I loved it all! The setting, the way the author describes the surround and the characters' feeling was simply amazing. Just the way described a certain material for a dress had me thinking of it, imagining it...I don't think I ever did that before.

The characters are amazing. The main characters, Callie and Ralston were so different from each, a wallflower and a rake, but they were perfect for each other. She craved adventure and passion and he needed tender loving care. They balanced each other out. Their chemistry was wonderful, and there certainly were a few very hot scenes.

Not only were the main ones interesting the secondary characters were nothing the sneeze at either, Ralston twin brother Nick who restores old statues and has a scar across his face (you just know there will be a story behind that!), their half-sister Juliana who grew up in Italy who has a strong personality but needs to be loved by her brothers, and then there's Benedick, Callie's brother, there wasn't too much of him in the book (in my opinion), but it seems to me that he's "hero" material.

I loved it! If you're looking for a heart warming, funny and steamy read you will love Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean.

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean (5/5) Historical Romance; Published: Avon (3/2010); Format: E-book for Kindle; New Author; Series: # 1, St. John; Favorite Reads 2010; Books 2010 (52);

The Brutal Telling

Chaos is coming, old son.

With those words the peace of Three Pines is shattered. As families prepare to head back to the city and children say goodbye to summer, a stranger is found murdered in the village bistro and antiques store. Once again, Chief Inspector Gamache and his team are called in to strip back layers of lies, exposing both treasures and rancid secrets buried in the wilderness.

No one admits to knowing the murdered man, but as secrets are revealed, chaos begins to close in on the beloved bistro owner, Olivier. How did he make such a spectacular success of his business? What past did he leave behind and why has he buried himself in this tiny village? And why does every lead in the investigation find its way back to him?

As Olivier grows more frantic, a trail of clues and treasures— from first editions of Charlotte’s Web and Jane Eyre to a spider web with the word “WOE” woven in it—lead the Chief Inspector deep into the woods and across the continent in search of the truth, and finally back to Three Pines as the little village braces for the truth and the final, brutal telling.

I cannot put into words how much I enjoyed this book.

I've enjoyed all the Armand Gamache books, but this one is by far my favorite. It was wonderful to see the usual characters of Three Pines, and the author also introduces new characters that are just as interesting and mysterious as the usual ones.

What I wasn't expecting was the involvement of one of my favorite characters...You think you know someone and bam everything you know is turned upside down. I wonder if there are fans out there angry with this twist? I found that it was well written into the story and it made sense. The character was more guilty in inflicting chaos and fear than any other crime, and lies were swallowing the character alive.

If you haven't read an Armand Gamache book by Louise Penny, what are you waiting for? I highly recommend this series.

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny (5/5) Mystery; Published: Minotaur Books (9/09); Series: # 5, Armand Gamache; Favorite Read 2010; Canadian Author; Thriller Suspense Reading Challenge (4); Canadian Book Challenge (11); Books 2010 (51);

The Day the Falls Stood Still

Steeped in the intriguing history of Niagara Falls, this epic love story is as rich, spellbinding, and majestic as the falls themselves.

1915. The dawn of the hydroelectric power era in Niagara Falls. Seventeen-year-old Bess Heath has led a sheltered existence as the youngest daughter of the director of the Niagara Power Company. After graduation day at her boarding school, she is impatient to return to her picturesque family home near Niagara Falls. But when she arrives, nothing is as she had left it. Her father has lost his job at the power company, her mother is reduced to taking in sewing from the society ladies she once entertained, and Isabel, her vivacious older sister, is a shadow of her former self. She has shut herself in her bedroom, barely eating--and harboring a secret.

The night of her return, Bess meets Tom Cole by chance on a trolley platform. She finds herself inexplicably drawn to him--against her family's strong objections. He is not from their world. Rough-hewn and fearless, he lives off what the river provides and has an uncanny ability to predict the whims of the falls. His daring river rescues render him a local hero and cast him as a threat to the power companies that seek to harness the power of the falls for themselves. As their lives become more fully entwined, Bess is forced to make a painful choice between what she wants and what is best for her family and her future.

Set against the tumultuous backdrop of Niagara Falls, at a time when daredevils shot the river rapids in barrels and great industrial fortunes were made and lost as quickly as lives disappeared, The Day the Falls Stood Still is an intoxicating debut novel.

I love discovering new authors, especially Canadian ones, and when I saw this book under the debut area I just had to have it. But what really caught my eye was the title, The Day the Falls Stood Still, the story is set in Niagara Falls during the years of 1915 to 1923. I live about an hour and half from the Falls...so it's basically in my backyard.

The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan is a love story. It's a love story between two people, Bess and Tom. But it is also a story about Tom's love for the Niagara River and the Falls. And it revolves around the beginning of the Hydro-Electric powerhouse and in the introduction of electricity to the public. There's also Bess and Tom's experience with WWI. Bess is a seventeen year old girl when she falls in love with Tom, a river man. Tom has an ability to understand the river and to predict dangerous events on the river, and if needed he rescues people. He also pulls out bodies when accidents happen. When a tragedy occurs in Bess's family she turns to Tom and by doing so she brings more hurt to her family. But Bess follows her heart.

I found it beautifully written and so compelling. It had me in tears several times, and I was truly amazed on how I felt the hurt, the fear and the anger of these characters. I highly recommend this book!

The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan (4.5/5) Historical Fiction; Published: Voice (8/09); New Author; Debut; Canadian Author; Year of the Historical (4); Canadian Book Challenge (9); Books 2010 (39);

H is for Harper, Karen

For the latest installment (the letter H) of The Alphabet in Historical Fiction which is hosted by the lovely ladies over at Historical Tapestry, I had a hard time figuring out what to read, so I went to my TBR pit and found Mistress Shakespeare by Karen Harper. I have a number of her historicals in my TBR pit but I never read them before...shame, shame...but I have read her contemporary suspense novels which I enjoy. I didn't know what to expect of her historicals, I have heard great things about them (considering a have number of them) but I was afraid that I wouldn't enjoy them.

Here's the blurb for Mistress Shakespeare:

In Mistress Shakespeare, Elizabethan beauty Anne Whateley reveals intimate details of her dangerous, daring life and her great love, William Shakespeare. As historical records show, Anne Whateley of Temple Grafton is betrothed to Will just days before he is forced to wed the pregnant Anne Hathaway of Shottery. The clandestine Whateley/Shakespeare match is a meeting of hearts and heads that no one—not even Queen Elizabeth or her spymasters—can destroy.

From rural Stratford-upon- Avon to teeming London, the passionate pair struggles to stay solvent and remain safe from Elizabeth I’s campaign to hunt down secret Catholics, of whom Shakespeare is rumored to be a part. Often at odds, always in love, the couple sells Will’s first plays and, as he climbs to theatrical power in Elizabeth’s England, they fend off fierce competition from rival London dramatists, ones as treacherous as they are talented. Persecution and plague, insurrection and inferno, friends and foes, even executions of those they hold dear, bring Anne’s heartrending story to life.

Spanning half a century of Elizabethan and Jacobean history and sweeping from the lowest reaches of society to the royal court, this richly textured novel tells the real story of Shakespeare in love.

I loved the story! I'm amazed that I enjoyed it so much, who would have thought....Let me explain, I enjoy Shakespeare as much as the next person, but during a class I took at University I had to dwell into his history, which there's isn't much, his life and works don't mesh together and there's a lot of historians that believe that Shakespeare the author was a completely different person. And let me say I do not know enough to have an opinion.

But that's the beauty of fiction, and this one really made me like the man, the actor, the poet, and the play write. Don't get me wrong I found him to be selfish, frustrating and often times an idiot, but he was human. He made mistakes and he tried to fix them. He was honorable in his own way. The true star of the book was Anne Whateley. She was a childhood friend, later his love and the one that he truly wanted to marry. She had no choice but to along with his marriage to the other Anne (Hathaway), I could understand her anger and sadness. She had to live with the decisions that were made for her and Will. She was a strong and independent woman in a time that you didn't see it often. She ran her father's business. And she was also a true admirer of Queen Elizabeth. But the one thing she wanted the most was to be recognized as the true Mistress Shakespeare.

Not only were the characters wonderfully written but the setting of the late 1500's and early 1600's London felt real. I'm not an historical expert but I felt like I was truly experiencing London in that era. She gave me a glimpse on how people lived, concerns about family life, property and social standing, and along the way I also experienced the fear of the plague.

Definitely a keeper!

Mistress Shakespeare by Karen Harper (4.5/5) Historical Fiction; Published: Putnam Adult (2/09); Year of the Historical (3); Alphabet Historical Challenge (8); Books 2010 (34);

E is for Eve

For my fifth installment of The Alphabet in Historical Fiction which is hosted by the lovely ladies over at Historical Tapestry, I read Eve: A Novel of the First Woman by Elissa Elliott.

Here's the blurb of the book (taken from Amazon):

It is the world’s oldest tale: the story of Eve, her husband, Adam, and the tragedy that would overcome her sons…. In this luminous debut novel, Elissa Elliott puts a powerful twist on biblical narrative, boldly reimagining Eve’s journey. At once intimate and universal, timely and timeless, this unique work of fiction blends biblical tradition with recorded history and dazzling storytelling. And as it does, Eve comes to life in a way religion and myth have never allowed—in a novel that explores the very essence of love, motherhood, faith, and humanity.

In their world they are alone…a family haunted by banishment, struggling for survival in a harsh new land. A woman who has borne and buried children, Eve sees danger shadowing those she loves, while her husband drifts further and further from the man he was in the Garden, blinded by his need to rebuild a life outside of Eden. One daughter, alluring, self-absorbed Naava, turns away from their beliefs. Another, crippled, ever-faithful Aya, harbors a fateful secret, while brothers Cain and Abel become adversaries, and Dara, the youngest, is chosen for a fate of her own.

In one hot, violent summer, by the shores of the muddy Euphrates, strangers arrive on their land. New gods challenge their own. And for Eve, a time of reckoning is at hand. The woman who once tasted the forbidden fruit of paradise sees her family unraveling—as brother turns on brother, culminating in a confrontation that will have far-reaching consequences for them all.

From a woman’s first awakening to a mother’s innermost hopes and fears, from moments of exquisite tenderness to a climax of shocking violence, Eve takes us on a breathtaking journey of the imagination. A novel that has it all—romantic love, lust, cruelty, heroism, envy, sacrifice, murder—Eve is a work of mesmerizing literary invention by a singular new voice in fiction.

If you search the reviews on Amazon about this book you'll find that it runs either hot or cold. Either you love it, or you dislike it, there's even one that calls this book blasphemous. And who can resist reading a book that is considered blasphemous? Ok, I'm making light of someone's opinion, but you're reading a fictionalized account of the first woman, and the main point is: it's fiction. There's no way for us to really know what happen then, but speculating cannot hurt any in my opinion.

It's not only Eve's voice in this narrative, you have the added perspective of her daughters. The beautiful Naava, the nurturing Aya and the inquisitive Dara. Each one of them brings light onto what actually triggered Cain and Abel's final fatal disagreement and how each of them were directly and indirectly involved in it.

I loved the way the author was able to bring out the characters emotions, the wonder, the confusion, the delight, the anger and the fear, were so believable and so tangible that it felt that I was right there experiencing them along with the women.

I found the novel very poetic and I'm seriously considering buying a copy for my shelves. I enjoyed it that much.

Eve: A Novel of the First Woman by Elissa Elliott (4.5/5) Historical Fiction: Biblical; Published: Delacorte Press (1/09); New Author; Year of the Historical (2); Alphabet Historical Challenge (5); Books 2010 (13);

The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy

I'm a sucker for Pride and Prejudice and anything remotely connected to the story and if the story is told in the present, I say: why the heck not!

I've been considering buying this book for the longest time and I finally broke down and bought it for my Kindle.

Here's the blurb for The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy by Sara Angelini:

A sexy, bold adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice that re-paints favorite characters in twenty-first century colors

Judge Fitzwilliam Darcy, a legal expert on both sides of the Atlantic, is ready to hang up his black robe and return to the life of a country gentleman—until he meets Elizabeth Bennet, a fresh-faced attorney with a hectic schedule and no time for the sexy but haughty judge.

Tempers and sparks fly in Judge Darcy's courtroom— and outside, in a series of chance encounters that give each of them pause—as the two match wits and try to fight their overwhelming attraction. When they meet up in England at an international law conference, they embark on a hot, heavy affair. Back in the States, though, ethical considerations intrude, and each is subjected to a torturous period of soul-searching before they can find their way back to each other...

I admit that the book started off a little slow and should I say boring. But I kept on reading, I had a feeling that it would only get better. And I'm happy that I did, because guess what, it did get better. Way better!

I enjoyed the modernization of Pride and Prejudice, and I liked the author didn't follow the format of the original story. Because it added originality to the book. I enjoyed seeing Darcy as a judge, and Elizabeth as a lawyer and I loved their sparing. And knowing that they would eventually make a sort of connection didn't take away from the story. They were certainly many laugh-out-moments but I was surprised that I got teary eyed several times during the reading.

And let me add, that this book was HOT! I loved that both Darcy and Elizabeth were very compatible in the chemistry department of the story. I had several fanning moments while reading, I think my kids were looking at me strangely whenever that happened.

Bottom line: It was a funny, emotional, and sexy read, even if it started out slow. It was well worth the price and I will definitely be keeping it. I'll be re-reading it.

The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy by Sara Angelini (4.5/5) Contemporary Romance; Re-telling of Pride & Prejudice; New Author; Published: Blue Scribe Press (11/07); Format: E-book; Favorite Reads 2010; Keeper; Books 2010 (7);

The Teahouse Fire

When I was nine in the city now called Kyoto, I changed my fate. I walked into the shrine through the red arch and struck the bell. I bowed twice. I clapped twice. I whispered to a foreign goddess and bowed twice. And then I heard the shouts and the fire. What I asked for? Any life but this one.

The story of two women whose lives intersect in late-nineteenth-century Japan, The Teahouse Fire is also a portrait of one of the most fascinating places and times in all history - Japan as it opens its doors to the West. It was a period when one's choice of kimono could make a political statement, when women stopped blackening their teeth to profess allegiance to Western ideas, and when Japan's most mysterious rite - the tea ceremony - became not just a sacramental meal, but a ritual battlefield.

We see it all through the eyes of Aurelia Bernard, an American orphan who has just turned her back on the only family she has left: the abusive missionary uncle who has brought her along on his mission to Christianize Japan. One night in 1866, fleeing both her uncle and a fire that sweeps the city, she takes shelter in Kyoto's beautiful and mysterious Baishian teahouse, a place that will open entirely new worlds to her - and bring her a new family.

It is there where she discovers the woman who will define the next several decades of her life, Shin Yukako, the daughter of Kyoto's most important tea master and one of the first women to openly to teach the sacred ceremony known as the Way of Tea. Taking Aurelia for abandoned daughter of a prostitute rather than a foreigner, the Shin family renames her Urako and adopts her as Yukako's attendant and surrogate younger sister. Yukako provides Aurelia with generosity, wisdom, and protection as she navigates a culture that is not always accepting of outsiders. From her privileged position at Yukako's side, Aurelia aids her in her crusade to preserve the tea ceremony as it starts to fall out of favor under pressure of intense Westernization. And Aurelia herself is embraced and rejected as modernizing Japan embraces and rejects an era of radical change.

An utterly absorbing story told in an enchanting and unforgettable voice, The Teahouse Fire, is a lovely, provocative, and lushly detailed historical novel of epic scope and compulsive readability.

What I can say after such a blurb? Well, let's see...It's wonderful novel, the story is beautiful and compelling, the history is interesting and thought provoking, and I have incredible desire to learn more about a culture and nation that never really interested me much before. It's not my first time reading a novel set in Japan, I read Memoirs of a Geisha, but this book really brings the culture to light in my opinion. It makes me want to learn more and to experience the tea ceremonies.

I loved experiencing Aurelia/Urako's growth and discoveries. I felt that her confusion and her need to be accepted as more than a servant to be utterly understandable and painful as well. I'm glad I had tissues handy while I was reading this book, I used them often.

Although the story was wonderful with all the little twists and turns, I find that the true star was the setting. Japan in the midst of Westernization was a time confusion and of radical ideas, and the author brought out those emotions beautifully.

I first saw this book over Opalescent Essence and I cannot thank Carrie C. enough for reviewing, you can her review here. I loved it! I highly recommend The Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery.

The Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery (5/5) Historical Fiction; Published: Riverhead Hardcover (12/06); Favorite Reads 2010; New Author; Year of the Historical (1); Books 2010 (6);