Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.


The Forgotten Garden is being published in softcover this month. It sounds just the sort of book I would love to read, mysterious, maybe a little creepy. Well, I don't know if it does have creepy elements but it sounds as if it could! From Kate Morton's website:


A lost child...

On the eve of the first world war, a little girl is found abandoned on a ship to Australia. A mysterious woman called the Authoress had promised to look after her - but the Authoress has disappeared without a trace.

A terrible secret...

On the night of her twenty-first birthday, Nell O'Connor learns a secret that will change her life forever. Decades later, she embarks upon a search for the truth that leads her to the windswept Cornish coast and the strange and beautiful Blackhurst Manor, once owned by the aristocratic Mountrachet family.

A mysterious inheritance...

On Nell's death, her grand-daughter, Cassandra, comes into an unexpected inheritance. Cliff Cottage and its forgotten garden are notorious amongst the Cornish locals for the secrets they hold - secrets about the doomed Mountrachet family and their ward Eliza Makepeace, a writer of dark Victorian fairytales. It is here that Cassandra will finally uncover the truth about the family, and solve the century-old mystery of a little girl lost.

Tuesday Teaser

Tuesday Teasers is hosted by Should Be Reading. The rules are as follows:


Grab your current read and let the book fall open to a random page. Share two sentences somewhere between lines 7 and 12 and the title of the book that you’re getting the teaser from. Please avoid spoilers! Read the official Tuesday Teaser Rules.


My teaser this week is more of a quote than anything else. But it so perfectly describes me and I suspect, more than a few other bloggers out there. This quote is taken from an out-of-print book titled Robert Blatchford's Calendar by Robert Williamson. I could not find a cover picture of the book anywhere and since the book belongs to a customer of our bookstore I can't post my own photo of it, but here's the quote:

"A book lover loves her books and covets the books of her neighbours. She likes to caress them. She likes to arrange them and rearrange them. She likes to stand in her treasure house and bathe in the pride of ownership. She likes to place her pets in lines upon shelves and read the title."

Mind, you the more I re-read it the more neurotic I sound!

Mailbox Monday

This meme is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page and Kristi at The Story Siren.




I received one book in the mail last week: The Language of Secrets by Diane Dixon

From the author's website:

Justin Fisher appears to have the perfect life—a beautiful wife, a baby son, a glamorous job as a luxury hotel manager, and the lavish spoils of his prosperous in-laws. But beneath this charmed existence, lies a dark secret: Justin’s past is a puzzle with missing pieces. His search for the truth begins with his attempt to reconnect with his parents: a visit to 822 Lima Street—the house where he was born—a place made unforgettable by a haunting song his mother sang to him when he was a child.

Justin is shocked to discover his mother and father are dead. But the real jolt comes when he visits their gravesite. There, he finds a weathered headstone bearing his name; and an inscription that says he died before his third birthday. And so begins Dixon’s intriguing tale spanning almost four decades and thousands of miles—from the lush shores of California to the coastal hamlets of Connecticut.

At the heart of the story is the woman Justin remembers as his mother: Caroline Fisher. In college, as the result of a bicycle accident, Caroline forges friendships with three, very different men—one becomes her husband, one a secret flame, and one her closest confidant. Years later, on Halloween, the lives of this foursome collide again. The collision occurs when they are balancing jobs and families; and leads to shocking betrayals, heartbreaking loss, shattered memories—and unexpected deaths.

The drama of the story has its roots in a startling and emotionally wrenching family tragedy. Caroline, who spends most of her adult life trying to obscure the details of that tragedy, finds herself lost in her own lies; realizing, with bewilderment and regret, “that she had unwittingly written her life into a language of secrets, into an indecipherable code riddled with questions.” In chapters that alternate between the past and present, Dixon reveals the damage family members can inflict upon one another in the name of love, and explores the devastating ways in which that damage echoes from one generation to the next.

Publication date is March 23, 2010.

I find the premise of this book to be very interesting. I know I'd be having a surreal moment if I went to visit my parent's grave site and found my own name on a tombstone!

A book Ive had on my wishlist for a long time is The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Walking around my bookstore last week I saw it on a table and grabbed it. My husband counter-grabbed. It was a horrible ;-). He took it from me and placed it back on the shelf where it will no doubt languish due to no fault of its own.

Ok, perhaps I am being a bit melodramatic but I really do want that book! One of the things though about owning a bookstore is that all the books in it are for sale whether I want them in my personal library or not. The good news is that the thousands of books I do own are mine to keep and not subject to the cold glare of bookstore customers. (I know, again the melodrama!) I'm going to have to come up with a plan to get hold of that book. A trade perhaps...another book that he wants to have in the store more than this one. As you can see, one must be clever and devious when dealing with wily bookstore owners! Now on to the book...


The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield is not a new book; it came out in 2006 and from what I gather, it was quite popular. I heard about it just last year and the cover when I saw it, attracted me immediately. Add to that the description from the publisher's website:

Sometimes, when you open the door to thepast, what you confront is your destiny.

Reclusive author Vida Winter, famous for her collection of twelve enchantingstories, has spent the past six decades penning a series of alternate livesfor herself. Now old and ailing, she is ready to reveal the truth about herextraordinary existence and the violent and tragic past she has kept secret forso long. Calling on Margaret Lea, a young biographer troubled by her ownpainful history, Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good. Margaret ismesmerized by the author's tale of gothic strangeness -- featuring the beautifuland willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess,a topiary garden and a devastating fire. Together, Margaret and Vida confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.

This is one of those books I just can't wait to read. The anticipation is driving me crazy - I just know I'm going to love it. Has anyone else read this book? If you have, what did you think of it?

Review: DROOD by Dan Simmons

Thanks very much to Hachette for providing a copy of this book to review!

When I finished this book I looked around on the web for reviews. I read those of the professional reviewers and the bloggers and some from non-bloggers as well and I can tell you there’s quite a range of opinions. Some thought it too long and could use a strong editorial hand. Others said that the author fell victim to the habit of giving too much detail about the particular time period (in Drood’s case, Victorian England) as though every detail the author discovered during his research needed to be put in the book. Still others felt there were too many incidental side stories that had nothing to do with plot and so slowed the book down considerably.

I did not feel this way. I enjoyed the descriptions of Dickens’ house parties, the relationship between Charles Dickens and various other characters, including those with his wife and son-in-law, Wilkie Collins’ brother, Charley. I got to know Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins and a host of other people. And then there was the London undertown! (Did this place really exist?) Had the book been any shorter, I would not have had the same sense of atmosphere that pervaded the whole work, nor would I have enjoyed the contrast between the everyday life of the upper class and the horrors faced by the ‘Charles Dickens’ poverty-stricken lower class. It was immensely fascinating to read about the laudanum-addicted Wilkie’s movements between undertown and Charles Dickens country getaway.

This book showed me what a great story-teller Dan Simmons is. Rich in period detail with the right amount of creepiness, Drood was brilliant. Now, I’m well aware that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I couldn’t get enough of it and found it highly entertaining from the first page. It reminded me somewhat of Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian, another book that many people thought should have been shorter but I was happy it wasn’t.

My only complaint with this book is the weight! The hardcover must weigh a good 3 pounds so think twice before taking it on the bus!

The Reagan Arthur Book Challenge

I heard about this challenge yesterday from a comment left by Kathy from Bermudaonion on my Mailbox Monday post about the book Black Hills, which is one of the challenge books. She suggested I check out this challenge and after thinking about it, I'm going to give it a shot. What's at stake? Well, the opportunity to read some really great books that are already on my TBR list! Best of all about this challenge: there is no end date to the challenge, so no pressure! For more information about the Reagan Arthur Book Challenge and to sign up click here.

Mailbox Monday

This meme is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page and Kristi at The Story Siren.




I am very much a fan of Dan Simmons after reading Drood so I'm very pleased to say that I received his latest book in the mail thanks to Hachette! It is called Black Hills and the description from Hachette's website reads:

When Paha Sapa, a young Sioux warrior, "counts coup" on General George Armstrong Custer as Custer lies dying on the battlefield at the Little Bighorn, the legendary general's ghost enters him - and his voice will speak to him for the rest of his event-filled life.

Seamlessly weaving together the stories of Paha Sapa, Custer, and the American West, Dan Simmons depicts a tumultuous time in the history of both Native and white Americans. Haunted by Custer's ghost, and also by his ability to see into the memories and futures of legendary men like Sioux war-chief Crazy Horse, Paha Sapa's long life is driven by a dramatic vision he experienced as a boy in his people's sacred Black Hills. In August of 1936, a dynamite worker on the massive Mount Rushmore project, Paha Sapa plans to silence his ghost forever and reclaim his people's legacy-on the very day FDR comes to Mount Rushmore to dedicate the Jefferson face.

Publication date for this book is February 24, 2010.

Books On My Shelves

This week I found a book on my bookstore shelves called Two Murders in My Double Life by Josef Skvorecky. I've never seen or heard of this book before and it's not a new book (published in 1999) but it sounds interesting.


From the publisher's website:

In Josef Škvorecký's first novel written in English, the narrator lives in two radically dissimilar worlds: the exile world of the post-Communist Czech Republic where old feuds, treacherous betrayals, and friendships persevere; and the comfortable, albeit bland world of middle-class Canada. Murder intrudes upon both worlds. One features a young female sleuth, a college beauty queen, jealousy in the world of academia, and a neat conclusion. The other is a tragedy caused by evil social forces and philosophies, in which a web of lies insidiously entangles Sidonia, the narrator's wife. A brilliantly stylish tour de force in which the bright, sarcastic comedy of one tale sharply contrasts with the dark, elegiac bitterness of the other,Two Murders in My Double Life confirms Škvorecký's reputation as a versatile and engaging writer.

I like the idea that this book has humour mixed in with the murder plots. I don't especially like the publisher's description of middle-class Canada though! ;=)

Review: REMARKABLE CREATURES by Tracy Chevalier

From Tracy Chevalier's website:

In 1810, a sister and brother uncover the fossilized skull of an unknown animal in the cliffs on the south coast of England. With its long snout and prominent teeth, it might be a crocodile – except that it has a huge, bulbous eye.

Remarkable Creatures is the story of Mary Anning, who has a talent for finding fossils, and whose discovery of ancient marine reptiles such as that ichthyosaur shakes the scientific community and leads to new ways of thinking about the creation of the world.

Working in an arena dominated by middle-class men, however, Mary finds herself out of step with her working-class background. In danger of being an outcast in her community, she takes solace in an unlikely friendship with Elizabeth Philpot, a prickly London spinster with her own passion for fossils.

The strong bond between Mary and Elizabeth sees them through struggles with poverty, rivalry and ostracism, as well as the physical dangers of their chosen obsession. It reminds us that friendship can outlast storms and landslides, anger and and jealousy.

My review:

Based on the true history of Mary Anning, a 19th century woman who became renowned as a 'fossilist', Remarkable Creatures recounts the story behind her discovery of fossils washed up on the shores of Lyme Regis, a village in England, and the friendship which develops between Mary and the spinster Elizabeth Philpot.

I enjoyed this book very much. The friendship between the two women showed how class structure and status, as well as gender, affected what a woman could and could not do in polite society during the 1800's. I could feel the frustration, along with the characters, of not being taken seriously by the established norms of the day. I also enjoyed following Mary as she made amazing discoveries along the beaches of Lyme Regis. Having majored in geology at university, I especially enjoyed recognizing the familiar names of some of the creatures Mary Anning picked up and was also taken aback when a very familiar name from the world of geology popped up on the page.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Sometimes I'm in the mood for something light yet still exciting. I noticed this book while browsing online and it fits the bill:



The description of Still Life on Joy Fielding's website reads:

Beautiful, happily married, and the owner of a successful interior design business, Casey Marshall couldn’t be more content with her life until a car slams into her at almost fifty miles an hour, breaking nearly every bone in her body, and plunging her into a coma. Lying in her hospital bed, Casey realizes that although she is unable to see or communicate, she can hear everything. She quickly discovers that her friends aren’t necessarily the people she thought them to be–and that her accident might not have been an accident at all. As she struggles to break free from her living death, she begins to wonder if what lies ahead could be even worse.

I enjoyed 'See Jane Run' by this author so I'm pretty sure I'll like this one too. It's coming out in paperback on January 26.