The Fisherman's Son by Michael Koepf

First sentence:

"In a life raft, in the night, pushed by wind, Neil Kruger drifts on."

Description:

"Drifting in a life raft off the northern California coast after a horrifying shipwreck, Neil Kruger retreats from his fear by recalling scenes from his childhood as the son of a commercial fisherman out of Half Moon Bay. Lost at sea, he finds his truest self in his vivid memories: his powerful attachment to his father, a man who can predict storms by looking at the stars; his painful estrangement from his mother, who works at the local cannery; his fascination with the hard lives and warm wit of a host of fellow fishermen. From its arresting first paragraphs to its shattering ending, this enthralling tale combines the lyrical storytelling of The English Patient with the muscular excitement of The Perfect Storm, Michael Koepf has created a triumphant novel about our lifelines to childhood and the pull of the sea." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

This was a gripping book about family and self-discovery. I liked how Neil learned that while his father had flaws, he still had important lessons to impart.

Date read: 3/17/2011
Book #: 12
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2011
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Fiction

ISBN-10: 0767902440
ISBN-13: 9780767902441
Publisher: Broadway Books
Year: 1998
# of pages: 289
Binding: Trade Paperback
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Knight of the Black Rose by James Lowder

First sentence:

"One name recorded here, in these scrolls that make up my history of Krynn, has become a byword for corruption and monumental evil throughout the continent of Ansalon: Lord Soth of Dargaard Keep."

Description:

"On the fabled world of Krynn, Lord Soth finally learns that there is a price to pay for his long history of evil deeds, a price even an undead warrior might find horrifying.

Dark powers transport Soth to Barovia, and there the death knight must face the dread minions of Count Strahd Von Zarovich, the vampire lord of the nightmare land. But with only a captive Vistani woman and an untrustworthy ghost for allies, Lord Soth soon discovers that he may have to join forces with the powerful vampire if he is ever to escape the realm of terror." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

I liked this dark fantasy in which even the evil Lord Soth can, at times, have some redeeming qualities. I look forward to reading the next book, The Spectre of the Dark Rose.


Date read: 3/6/2011
Book #: 11
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2011
Series: Terror of Lord Soth, #1
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Dark Fantasy

ISBN-10: 1560761563ISBN-13: 9781560761563
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Year: 1991
# of pages: 313
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Murder in E Minor by Robert Goldsborough

First sentence:
"Nero Wolfe and I have argued for years about whether the client who makes his first visit to us before or after noon is more likely to provide an interesting--and lucrative--case."

Description:

"When a maestro is murdered, Archie is flabbergasted when the gargantuan gourmet detective lifts himself out of retirement, amid a juicy public scandal. Wolfe and Archie feast on suspects yet starve for facts--until the scanty clues finally arrange themselves like notes on a score, and Wolfe recognizes a dark melody that only a murder virtuoso could perform." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

This was my first Nero Wolfe read, and it won't be the last. I enjoyed how Wolfe and Archie gradually solved the case and confronted the real killer.

Date read: 3/6/2011
Book #: 10
Series: Nero Wolfe, #48
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2011
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Mystery

ISBN-10: 0553261207

ISBN-13: 9780553261202

Publisher: Bantam Books
Year: 1986
# of pages: 196

Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Die Trying by Lee Child

First sentence:

Nathan Rubin died because he got brave.

Description:

"Jack Reacher is an innocent bystander -- in the wrong place at the wrong time -- when a woman is kidnapped. Now he's at the mercy of a group of men demanding an impossible ransom, for this mysterious woman is worth far more than Reacher ever suspected. And though she doesn't ask for his help, he's going to give it to her....

Because ex-military policeman Jack Reacher is a hero. He's used to saving lives. But this time he's going to take a few before he's through." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

This was a good suspenseful thriller. I liked the interaction between Reacher and Holly Johnson as they both try to escape and figure out who captured them and why. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Tripwire.

Date read: 3/1/2011
Book #: 7
Series: Jack Reacher, #2
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Thriller

ISBN-10: 0515125024
ISBN-13: 9780515125023
Publisher: Jove
Year: 1999
# of pages: 422
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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The Wizards of Odd edited by Peter Haining

First sentence:

"It was a fine summer morning, the kind to make a man happy to be alive."

Description:

"Wizards and wotsits, swords and sorcery, astronauts and aliens -- all the ingredients of humorous fantasy are packed into the pages of this unique collection.

Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams return to Discworld and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy respectively, with stories first seen in book form in this volume.

Other stars of the genre represented include Brian Aldiss, Isaac Asimov, Robert Bloch, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen Donaldson, Ursula K. Le Guin, Kurt Vonnegut, and H.G. Wells. Altogether, twenty-four writers have contributed their talents to create the best anthology of humorous fantasy ever published."

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this collection of humorous fantasy stories. Two of my favorites were "Doodad" by Ray Bradbury about a man who learns too late not to underestimate seemingly useless items and "The Rule of Names" by Ursula K. Le Guin about a mysterious wizard and a knight.

Date read: 2/26/2011
Book #: 6
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Fantasy

ISBN-10: 1857236351
ISBN-13: 9781857236354
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 1997
# of pages: 298
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Ubik by Philip K. Dick

First sentence:

"Friends, this is clean-up time and we're discounting all our silent, electric Ubiks by this much money."

Description:

"Squeaking in his metal-insect voice, Stanton Mick floated to the ceiling of the room, his arms protruding distendedly and rigidly. 'Mr. Runciter, don't let your thalamus overide your cerebral cortex. This matter calls for discretion, not haste; calm your people down and let's huddle together in an effort to mutually understand.' His rotund, colourful body bobbed about, twisting in a slow, transversal rotation.

'I've heard of this,' Runciter said to Joe Chip. 'It's a self-destruct humanoid bomb. Help me get everybody out of here. They just now put it on auto; that's why it floated upward.'

The bomb exploded...

From first page to last, UBIK is a searing exploration of time travel, telepathy and the human condition faced with adversity. Drawing on his boundless resources of creation, Dick produced in UBIK a winner of a novel--bizarre intrigue, vaulting imagination and an action-packed plot. SF at its very best..." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

I liked this science fiction novel of the past intruding into the present. I especially liked the scene where Joe sees an early twentieth-century elevator instead of the modern one that should be there.

Date read: 1/5/2011
Book #: 1
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: SF

ISBN-10: 0586037160
ISBN-13: 9780586037164
Publisher: Grafton
Year: 1969
# of pages: 224
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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2010 A-Z Challenge

2010 A-Z Challenge
January 1 - December 31, 2010

How does this reading challenge work? Choose the option that works best for you...

Authors -- Read alphabetically by author. Commit to 26 books.

Titles -- Read alphabetically by title. Commit to 26 books.

Authors & Titles -- Commit to reading 52 books

I will read 26 books alphabetically by author:

A: Boris Akunin. The Winter Queen -- finished 2/26/2010
B: Melissa Bank. The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing -- finished 3/16/2010
C: Ana Castillo. Peel My Love Like an Onion -- finished 4/14/2010
D
E: David and Leigh Eddings. The Redemption of Althalus -- finished 4/3/2010
F: Mark Frost. The List of Seven -- finished 3/10/2010
G: Bea Gonzalez. The Mapmaker's Opera -- finished 1/17/2010
H: Sophie Hannah. Hurting Distance -- finished 3/5/2010
I
J: Iris Johansen. Final Target -- finished 1/26/2010
K: Julie Kaewert. Unbound -- finished 2/5/2010
L: Kelly Link. Stranger Things Happen -- finished 2/11/2010
M: Elizabeth Moon. The Speed of Dark -- finished 3/10/2010
N: Larry Niven. Tales of Known Space -- finished 2/22/2010
O: Heather O'Neil. Lullabies for Little Criminals -- finished 2/23/2010
P: Sara Paretsky. Total Recall -- finished 6/10/2010
Q
R: J.D. Robb. Witness in Death -- finished 4/17/2010
S: Asne Seierstad. The Bookseller of Kabul -- finished 2/16/2010
T: Daniel Tammet. Born on a Blue Day -- finished 6/22/2010
U
V: Vernor Vinge. Marooned in Real Time -- finished 2/13/2010
W: Jincy Willett. Winner of the National Book Award -- finished 3/2/2010
X: Garth Nix. Mister Monday -- finished 12/23/2010
Y
Z

Mister Monday by Garth Nix

First sentence:

"They had tried to destroyed the Will, but that proved beyond their power."

Description:

"Arthur Penhaligon is not supposed to be a hero. He is supposed to die. But then he meets sinister Mister Monday and everything changes.

SEVEN DAYS. SEVEN KEYS. ONE MYSTERIOUS BOOK. ONE STRANGE HOUSE FILLED WITH SECRETS.

Dare Arthur enter and accept the fate that awaits him within? -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this first book of the Keys to the Kingdom series. Iliked how Arthur learned to believe in himself and how he interacted with Suzy and the Will. I look forward to reading the next book, Grim Tuesday.

Date read: 12/23/2010
Book #: 53
Series: Keys to the Kingdom, #1
Challenges: Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge; A-Z Challenge 2010
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Fantasy

ISBN-10: 0007175019
ISBN-13: 9780007175017
Publisher: Collins
Year: 2003
# of pages: 425
Binding: Trade Paperback
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TBR Challenge 2010!

It's time for me to post my list of books for the TBR Challenge 0f 2010! I selected 12 books for the challenge plus 12 alternates/extra credits.

Here they are (in no particular order):

• Damien Broderick. Matilda at the Speed of Light -- finished 1/6/2010 (substitute for The Knight of the Black Rose)
  
• Thomas Tryon. The Other -- finished 1/23/2010
• Iris Johansen. Final Target -- finished 1/26/2010
• Jincy Willett. Winner of the National Book Award -- finished 3/2/2010
• Ana Castillo. Peel My Love Like an Onion -- finished 4/14/2010
• David Wise. The Children's Game -- finished 4/27/2010
  
• Whitley Streiber. The Forbidden Zone -- finished 5/3/2010
  
• Eoin Colfer. The Wish List -- finished 5/5/2010 (substitute for All Tomorrow's Parties)
  
• Terry Brooks. The Sword of Shannara -- finished 5/22/2010
• Lorenza Caracaterra. Sleepers -- finished 6/5/2010 (substitute for Chosen Prey)
  
• David G. Hartwell. Year's Best Fantasy -- finished 6/30/2010
• Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Reliquary -- finished 7/21/2010 (substitute for The Dimension Riders)
  

Alternates/Extra Credit:

• Iain Banks. Excession -- read 11/7/2010
• Robert Tine. Desperate Measures
• Frederick Forsyth. Icon
• Douglas Clegg. Dark of the Eye
• Carl Hiassen. Native Tongue
• Michael Bishop. Unicorn Mountain
  
• John Ramsey Miller. Upside Down
• Michael Reaves. The Shattered World

What's in a Name ? 3 Challenge

What's in a Name? 3 Challenge
January 1 - December 3, 2010

Between January 1 and December 31, 2010, I will read one book in each of the following categories:

1. A book with a food in the title: Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris -- finished 3/6/2010
   
2. A book with a body of water in the title: Cane River by Lalita Tademy -- finished 10/25/2010
   
3. A book with a title (queen, president) in the title: The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin -- finished 2/26/2010
   
4. A book with a plant in the title: The Wood Wife by Terri Windling -- finished 3/2/2010
   
5. A book with a place name (city, country) in the title: The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad -- finished 2/16/2010
   
6. A book with a music term in the title: The Mapmaker's Opera by Béa Gonzalez -- finished 1/17/2010
   

The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks

First sentence:

'The sun was already sinking into the deep green of the hills to the west of the valley, the read and gray-pink of its shadows touching the corners of the land, when Flick Ohmsford began his descent."

Description:

"Long ago, the wars of ancient Evil had ruined the world and forced mankind to compete with many other races--gnomes, trolls, dwarfs, and elves. But in peaceful Shady Vale, half-elfin Shea Olmsford knew little of such troubles.

Then came the giant, forbidding Allanon, possessed of strange Druidic powers, to reveal that the supposedly dead Warlock Lord was plotting to destroy the world. The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness was the Sword of Shannara, which could only be used by a true heir of shannara. On Shea, last of the blood line, rested the hope of all races.

Soon a Skull Bearer, dread minion of evil, flew into the Vale, seeking to destroy Shea. To save the Vale, Shea flees, drawing the Skull Bearer after him.

Thus begins the seemingly hopeless quest of a simple man against the greatest power of evil the world has ever known." - from the back cover

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this epic fantasy. I especially liked the way Shea, Flick, Hendel, Balinor and others face trials in their quest to find the Sword of Shannara.

Date read: 5/22/2010
Book #: 34
Series: Shannara Trilogy, #1
Challenges: Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge, TBR Challenge 2010, 1st in a Series Challenge

ISBN-10: 0345314255
ISBN-13: 9780345314253
Publisher: Del Rey
Year: 1977
# of Pages: 726
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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The Forbidden Zone by Whitley Strieber

First sentence:

"To the middle of a perfect summer afternoon came a long, trembling scream."

Description:

"The mound, a quiet town gathering spot...until now. Now something undeniably evil is hiding beneath it. A powerful darkness, terror with unfathomable needs and desires, spreading its roots in secret, transforming all that the good townfolk love and cherish: their past, their hopes, their souls.

Courageous physicist Brian Kelley and his beautiful, very pregnant wife, must confront the horror. They will band together with their neighbors to battle a power transcending their worst imaginings. And only an impossible gamble will give them a chance to survive. The Forbidden one -- master storyteller Whitley Streiber's breakneck journey beyond the cutting edge of terrifying suspense." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

This was a suspenseful book with horror and surprises from unexpected directions. Just as I thought the characters would be ok, a new horror appeared and made things worse.

Date read: May 3, 2010
Book #: 30
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2010, Celebrate the Author Challenge 2010
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Horror

ISBN-10: 0451404874
ISBN-13: 9780451404879
Publisher: Onyx
Year: 1994
# of pages: 415
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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The Children's Game by David Wise

First sentence:

"The bears, as expected, had been excellent."

Description:

"William Danner, an ex-spy dragooned back into the CIA, must find the mole whose sabotage of the agency's covert operations threatens to destroy the CIA itself. Haunted by his past, investigating a tangled mix of intrigue, he finds himself simultaneously battling the KGB, a group of mysterious "old boys" fired by the CIA, and his own agency. When he uncovers a spine-chilling plot at the highest levels of government, he risks his life to stop it -- and to save his daughter and the beautiful woman he loves. In the process he discovers new truths about his own life as a man playing The Children's Game." - from the inside flap

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this espionage thriller with its many twists and turns. I especially liked how Danner figured out how to get an important disc from a rather unique hiding place.

Date read: 4/27/2010
Book #: 29
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2010
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Thriller

ISBN-10: 0312132425
ISBN-13: 9780312132422
Publisher: St. Martin's
Year: 1983
# of pages: 280
Binding: Hardcover
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Blood Magic by Matthew Cook

First sentence:

"For three days we run, and the Mor follow."

Description:

"When the inhuman Mor crawl up from the underground to torment the world above, Kirin joins the battle against them as scout and archer for the Imperial Army. The power of her blood magic, a dark sorcery even she does not understand, has given her the ability to raise grotesque creatures from souls and dead flesh -- loyal, lethal warriors that aid her in the fight to survive. She finds comfort in the arms of Sergeant Jazen Tor, but it is beautiful and gentle Lia Cho, a woman who can call lightning from the skies, who helps Kirin discover the truth about herself . . ." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

This was a good fantasy featuring Kirin, a young woman with powers she doesn't always understand. I liked how she gradually learned about the cost of her actions and I look forward to reading the sequel, Nights of Sin.

Date read: 4/22/2010
Book #: 28
Series: Kirin Widowmaker, #1
Challenge: Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Fantasy

ISBN-10: 0809572001
ISBN-13: 9780809572007
Publisher: Juno Books
Year: 2008
# of pages: 264
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Witness in Death by J.D. Robb

First sentence:

"There was always an audience for murder."

Description:

"Opening night at New York's New Globe Theater turns from stage scene to crime scene when the leading man is stabbed to death center stage. Now Eve Dallas has a high-profile, celebrity homicide on her hands. Not only is she lead detective, she's also a witness - and when the press discovers that her husband owns the theater, there's more media spotlight than either can handle. The only way out is to move fast. Question everyone and everything . . . and in the meantime, try to tell the difference between the truth - and really good acting. . ." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

This was a good mystery featuring Eve Dallas. I liked the mix of theater and crime and the way Eve figured out who the killer was.

Date read: 4/17/2010
Book #: 27
Challenge: A to Z Challenge 2010
Series: In Death, #10
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Mystery

ISBN-10: 0425173631
ISBN-13: 073042517363?
Publisher: Berkeley
Year: 2000
# of pages: 338
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Peel My Love Like an Onion by Ana Castillo

First sentence:

"I remember him dark."

Description:

"Peel My Love Like an Onion is the breakthrough novel from Ana Castillo, author of the wildly praised So Far from God -- a lyrical, steamy, and moving story of a love triangle set in the colorful world of flamenco dancing.

Carmen "La Coja" ("the cripple) Santos is a flamenco dancer of local renown in Chicago, despite the obstacle of a gimpy leg, the legacy of a childhood attack of polio. From the beginning of her professional career, she has carried on an affair with Agustin, the married director of her troupe -- a romance that is going stale from over-familiar lust and an absence of honesty. But when she begins a passionate liaison with the younger Manolo, Agustin's godson and a dancer of natural genius, an angry rivalry is sparked. Add to that the looming reassertion of her crippling disease and Carmen's vexed relations with her mother, one of the most exasperating parents in recent literature, and you have all the ingredients for a love story a la Ana Castillo -- equal parts soap opera, tragicomedy, and rhapsody. Laced with sarcastic asides and dead-on observations, Peel My Love Like an Onion is a universal work inbued with love's power to vex and exalt." -- from the inside flap

My thoughts:

This was a very good love story interlaced with music and dancing. I liked how Carmen learned to find her own voice and dignity.

Date read: 4/14/2010
Book #: 26
Challenges: A-Z Challenge 2010; TBR Challenge 2010
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Fiction

ISBN-10: 0385496761
ISBN-13: 9780375496766
Publisher: Doubleday
Year: 1999
# of pages: 213
Binding: Hardcover
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The Redemption of Althalus by David and Leigh Eddings

First sentence:

"Now before the Beginning, there was no Time, and all was Chaos and Darkness."

Description:

"Althalus is an unrepentant rogue and scoundrel. Yet of all men in the world, it is Althalus who will become the champion of humanity in its desperate struggle against the forces of an ancient god determined to return the universe to nothingness.

On this way to stealing The Book from the House at the End of the World Althalus collides head-on with his unique destiny-- and Dweia, a seductive goddess who just happens to be a cat. Dweia can manipulate time. Unfortunately, as can her evil brother. . . and he has been using his own dark magic to rewrite history itself. The only people who can stop him are Althalus and a ragtag group of men, women, and children. But they have no reason to trust Althalus -- or one another." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this fantasy adventure very much. I liked how Althalus and his friends learn to work together as they battle Daeva and the forces of darkness. I also like the use of "doors" to get from place to place (and from time to time).

Date read: 4/3/2010
Book #: 23
Challenge: A-Z Challenge 2010, Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge, Celebrate the Author Challenge 2010
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Fantasy

ISBN-10: 0345440781
ISBN-13: 9780345440785
Publisher: Dell Rey
Year: 2000
# of pages: 792
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank

First sentence:

"My brother's first serious girlfriend was eight years older–twenty-eight to his twenty."

Description:

"Generous-hearted, smartly comic, and wickedly insightful, The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing maps the progress of Jane Rosenal as she sets out on a personal and spirited expedition through the perilous terrain of sex, love, relationships and the treacherous waters of the workplace. What is love, she wonders, as she scrutinizes the wiles and ways of older, possibly wiser women; casts a questioning eye toward various species of couples; and holds out her wrists for a spritz of perfume from her beautiful boss . . . How do you find it (and keep it) -- and above all, who makes the rules?

In the throes of a budding romance, Jane repairs to the self-help shelves to take a sojourn with authors Bouncy Bonnie and Blown-Dry Faith who whisper in her ear and tell her what the rules are -- in their terms. 'Wear you hair long. . .Don't say 'I love you' first. . .Don't accept a date less than four days in advance. . .' and above all. 'Don't be funny! . . . Men like femininity," Faith says, crossing her legs. "Humor isn't feminine. . .'

When she is swept off her feet by an older man and into a Fitzgeraldesque world of cocktail parties, country houses and rules-that-were-made-to-be-broken, Jane learns what it means when her lover says he wants "to everything" with her, and the stakes become far too high.

A floating house in St. Croix (after a soul-stripping game of strip poker) has its own lesson to teach, as do a couple of sexy, come-and-go boyfriends, a drama around a Greenwich Village kitchen table, and a never-ending bloop-yatty-bloop wedding reception. Finally, when Jane has gone in all the wrong directions (but for all the right reasons), she learns not only when to fish and when to cut bait, but who really makes the rules." -- from the inside flap

My thoughts:

This was a somewhat quirky and interesting book about relationships. I liked how Jane learned how relying too much on other people's opinions isn't the right thing to do.

Date read: 3/16/2010
Book #: 22
Challenge: A-Z Challenge 2010
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Fiction

ISBN-10: 067088300x
ISBN-13: 978067088300?
Publisher: Viking
# of pages: 274
Binding: Hardcover
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The List of Seven by Mark Frost

First sentence:

"The envelope was vellum, cream."

Description:

"Christmas Day, 1884: a letter is slid under the door of a struggling young doctor and aspiring novelist, begging him to come to the aid of a mysterious woman, a victim of the black spiritual arts. . .

From the foggy streets of Victorian London to the wind-swept moors of Yorkshire, a demonic conspiracy begins to unfold. The List of Seven, a sinister brotherhood sworn to serve the Dark Lord, have conceived a diabolical plot that threatens not only the Royal Crown, but the very fabric of modern society.

Only two men stand in their way: the young Doctor Arthur Conan Doyle, and Jack Sparks, Queen Victoria's Special Agent, a man of formidable intellect and lethal skills. . ." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

This was a good mix of mystery, historical fiction and the supernatural. I liked how the characteristics of Holmes and Watson were displayed in Sparks and Doyle, respectively. While some scenes did get a bit clichéd, I enjoyed the book and look forward to the next book in the series, The Six Messiahs.

Date read: 3/10/2010
Book #: 21
Series: Jack Sparks, #1
Challenges: A-Z Challenge 2010; 1st in a Series Challenge, Celebrate the Author Challenge 2010
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction

ISBN-10: 0099305119
ISBN-13: 9780099305118
Publisher: Arrow Books
Year: 1994
# of pages: 426
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris

First sentence:

"When my mother died, she left the farm to my brother, Cassis, the fortune in the wine cellar to my sister, Reine-Claude, and to me the youngest, her album, and a two-liter jar containing a single black Perigord truffle, large as a tennis ball, suspended in sunflower oil, that, when uncorked, still releases the rich dank perfume of the forest floor."

Description:

"The novels of Joanne Harris are a literary feast for the senses. Five Quarters of the Orange represents Harris's most complex and sophisticated work yet -- a novel in which darkness and fierce joy come together to create an unforgettable story.

When Framboise Simon returns to a small village on the banks of the Loire, the locals do not recognize her as the daughter of the infamous Mirabelle Dartigen -- the woman they still hold responsible for a terrible tragedy that, look place during the German occupation decades before. Although Framboise hopes for a new beginning, she quickly discovers that past and present are inextricably intertwined. Nowhere is this truth more apparent than in the scrapbook of recipes site has inherited from her dead mother.

With this book, Framboise re-creates her mother's dishes, which she serves in her small creperie. And yet as she studies the scrapbook -- searching for clues to unlock the contradiction between her mother's sensuous love of food and often cruel demeanor -- she begins to recognize a deeper meaning behind Mirabelle's cryptic scribbles. Within the journal's tattered pages lies the key to what actually transpired the summer Framboise was nine years old.

Rich and dark. Fire Quarters of the Orange is a novel of mothers and daughters of the past and the present, of resisting, and succumbing, and an extraordinary work by a masterful writer." -- from the inside flap

My thoughts:

This was a good book about family and secrets. I liked how Framboise learned about her mother through the diary/recipe book and how she and others came to understand what happened years ago.


Date read: 3/5/2010
Book #: 19
Challenges: What's in a Name 3 Challenge
Series: Food Trilogy #3
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Fiction

ISBN-10: 0060198133
ISBN-13: 9780060198138
Publisher: HarperCollins
Year: 2001
# of pages: 307
Binding: Hardcover
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