Darlene's Digest

I had a great time with my little Reading Pal today. She picked a new book to read, and as soon as I opened it I got all excited in an extremely geeky fashion. "Do you know what kind of book this is? No? I'm going to teach you a new word, a word a lot of grown ups don't know. Are you ready? The word is 'epistolary'."* We looked up 'epistolary' in the dictionary so she'd be able to read the definition for herself (we had to pull out the large, grown-up Webster's Collegiate for this one), and then I showed her how the publisher had typeset the book to highlight the different chapters. The novel is Dying to Meet You (43 Old Cemetery Road #1) by Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise. While I'm very tempted to keep reading this epistolary novel on my own, I'm behaving myself until my Reading Pal and I get together this week. Oh, and if you're wondering what an epistolary novel is, grab your dictionary! *I was speaking to my son a...

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater My rating: 4 of 5 stars I'd go for 4.5 stars if that were an option. The third book in the Raven Cycle won't make sense to people who haven't read the first two, but it's both deeply satisfying and yet unsatisfying with the cliffhanger ending to the fans of the series. The satisfying part is we get more of the internal and external goings-on of the Raven Boys and Blue, we learn more about what happened with Blue's mother and Mr. Gray and Mr. Gray's employer, and we gain some characters and lose others. It's the characters that make the story so solid. Even the henchmen have interesting stories, and secondary characters like Jesse make the tale that much more entertaining. Like the others, I'm anxiously awaiting book four. View all my reviews

I'm one of the participating authors being interviewed today at the Boskone blog, and you can check it out here: BoskoneBlog  Mini-Interviews. I've got my snow boots dusted off and I'm ready to brave Boston's weather to join fans and friends at the annual conference in February.

The Creole Affair: The Slave Rebellion That Led the U.S. and Great Britain to the Brink of War by Arthur T. Downey My rating: 4 of 5 stars Excellent, well written history of a little remembered, but very important, incident that strained US/UK relations to the point of war. Antebellum US was dealing with its "original sin", the slaves and slave states and territories of the Southern US. The British West Indies were emancipated by 1838, creating an opportunity for slaves to escape from the US to the islands, and that's exactly what the slaves aboard the US brig Creole did while they were being shipped to New Orleans. The writing is clear and accessible to the armchair historian as well as the serious scholar, and the personalities are fascinating. I enjoyed it very much. View all my reviews

A Rogue's Paradise: Crime and Punishment in Antebellum Florida, 1821-1861 by James M. Denham My rating: 4 of 5 stars Another outstanding history that kept me turning pages when I should have been doing other things. Denham's comprehensive and extremely well-documented overview of Antebellum Florida's law enforcement gives a clear view of the frontier society, where justice was often administered by lynch mobs, where the lack of prisons and law enforcement offices truly made it a "rogue's paradise" and where fear of slave insurrections kept the public paranoid and twitchy. This book is a valuable asset for anyone writing historical fiction about the Florida frontier, and of interest to all who like a glimpse into history that's more than kings, queens and huge battles. View all my reviews

I've given my winter wardrobe a once-over, so it must be time for Boskone 52 . As I've said before, you know it's special if I'm willing to drag my Florida self up to Boston in February. Here's a blurb explaining all: "Boskone is New England's longest running science fiction and fantasy convention. Join us for a weekend of fun at the Westin Waterfront Hotel in Boston, MA from February 13-15, 2015. Programming begins at 2:00 pm on Friday, February 13th and is free to the public from 2:00-6:00 pm. Memberships are required after 6:00 pm on Friday and throughout the duration of the convention. For more information, visit www.boskone.org " MY SCHEDULE: An (M) next to my name means I'm moderating that panel. Growing Up in "Game of Thrones" Friday 17:00 - 17:50 , Harbor I (Westin) The consequences of their parents’ plots sit squarely upon the shoulders of the Stark, Lannister, and Targaryen children. Their childhoods are gone...

Black London: Life Before Emancipation by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina My rating: 4 of 5 stars Excellent history. While we get a relatively small amount of African-American history in most public schools in the US, there's very little focus on African-Anglo life and how it affected attitudes here pre-emancipation. This book was enlightening and entertaining. View all my reviews

Forever in My Heart by Jo Goodman My rating: 3 of 5 stars I enjoyed this novel more than I thought I would. At first I found the plot contrived, but the more I read, the more it grew on me. The love story developed in an interesting and coherent fashion, and the secondary characters were great--even, or especially, The Other Woman. I'm glad I have the opportunity to catch up on some of Ms. Goodman's older Western romances in new ebook editions. Her new ones have been an autobuy for me for some time, so this is a treat. View all my reviews

The Burning Room by Michael Connelly My rating: 4 of 5 stars Very powerful, very satisfying chapter in the Harry Bosch saga. Harry's coming to the end of his time with the LAPD. He's still working cold cases, looking at crimes that remain unsolved. He's partnered with a hotshot young woman, Lucy Soto, who's a rising star in the department, there to be mentored by an old gumshoe like Harry. They're investigating two cases, one of which has a very personal connection to Lucy. Harry's not looking forward to retirement and wants to close as many cases as possible, but when they start turning over rocks to look at suspects, what they find could come back to bite them. Fans of the series will enjoy it with a touch of bittersweet feelings as Harry ages out of active police work. New fans are recommended to start with the first books to get the full flavor and enjoyment of Connelly's excellent writing. View all my reviews

Cleaning is usually at the very bottom of my "to do" list, somewhere after "sleep" and "invent flying car". However, I had the dictum "You don't put flowers on a dirty table!" drilled into me at an early age, so when I got a spiffy new pen display case, I knew I had to clean my desk before I could put my fountain pens in their new home. Once I cleaned my desk I realized I now had a floor to contend with, and bookshelves going gray and...well, you know how these things escalate. It's probably a good thing. I found books and notes under piles of other books and notes, the dust bunnies ran in terror from the corners of the office and the windows are letting in sufficient sunlight.  Here's a picture of my desktop with the new pen home. They seem very happy in their swanky surroundings. While 2014 was a difficult year because of the death of my elderly canine companion, it also saw a great deal of joy. My eldest son is engage...

The Kraken King by Meljean Brook My rating: 4 of 5 stars This novel was originally released as a serial, but it's now available in one volume. I liked it very much, but while the length of the story worked well for format used in serial segments, it was a bit unwieldy as a novel. Nonetheless, it's an excellent example of the best in steampunk romance and will be a hit with Brook's legion of fans. The characters in The Kraken King include some we've met previously (Zenobia Fox) and some new ones. It's also a fun departure from Eurocentric steampunk. I recommend starting with The Iron Duke to get the full flavor of the worldbuilding Brook's constructed with her Iron Seas stories. View all my reviews

A String of Beads by Thomas Perry My rating: 4 of 5 stars Jane Whitefield is one of my favorite heroines. She's not flashy, but she gets the job done.  In her case, "the job" is keeping people alive and getting them new identities when bad things happen. This time Jane is brought home, literally, when her Seneca tribal leaders task her with helping one of their own. Part of what I've enjoyed about the series is how Jane's methods have to evolve and change in a post-911 world. If you're new to the series, I recommend starting with the first book, but there's enough exposition in this one to bring new readers up to speed. View all my reviews

The Turning Season by Sharon Shinn My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed this, and it's my favorite (so far) of the Shifting Circle novels. The reason I liked it so much is Joe. I mean, how can you get a more ordinary hero name than "Joe"? And he is ordinary, and yet, exactly the kind of hero you want to marry. He's a keeper. Not uber-handsome (he's described as having a "round, baby-face" and has to work at keeping the weight off now that he's no longer 20). Joe's an ex-cop and has that old fashioned quality where he'd be described as a "mensch", a man you can count on to do the right thing, to help out, to stand by you. Not a billionaire Dom, not a SEAL, just a good guy. Can you tell I'm half-in love with him myself? Oh yeah, and Joe's completely human. But Karadel is not. She's a shifter trying to get her animal self under control, or at least to settle on one animal, preferably a housecat. She's shifted int...

"As soon as he saw Odysseus standing there, he dropped his ears and wagged his tail, but he could not get close up to his master. When Odysseus saw the dog on the other side of the yard, dashed a tear from his eyes without Eumaeus seeing it, and said:'Eumaeus, what a noble hound that is over yonder on the manure heap: his build is splendid; is he as fine a fellow as he looks, or is he only one of those dogs that come begging about a table, and are kept merely for show?'' This dog,' answered Eumaeus, 'belonged to him who has died in a far country. If he were what he was when Odysseus left for Troy, he would soon show you what he could do. There was not a wild beast in the forest that could get away from him when he was once on its tracks....' So saying he entered the well-built mansion, and made straight for the riotous pretenders in the hall. But Argos passed into the darkness of death, now that he had fulfilled his destiny of faith and seen his master...

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott My rating: 5 of 5 stars This book had me turning pages like I was reading a novel, anxious to see what happened next. The untold stories of women who serve in wartime, in all capacities, are being brought to light by talented authors like Abbott. I was especially taken by the tale of Elizabeth Van Lew, a Richmond abolitionist, and her free woman of color cohort, Mary Jane Bowser. Van Lew sent vital information to the Union, much of it gathered by Bowser. At great risk to her own life, Bowser was sent as a "slave" housemaid to the Confederate president's house, never letting on that she could not only read and write, but was gifted with an eidetic memory. As the author points out, women like Bowser were "below suspicion" as they cleaned and dusted around the papers on Jeff Davis' desk. I had a particular interest in the story of Emma Edmonds, who served with valor and zea...

Only Enchanting by Mary Balogh My rating: 4 of 5 stars The best, so far, of The Survivors' Club series by Balogh. She's always top-notch, but sometimes her books are truly a cut above. In Only Enchanting , the story of Flavian evolves slowly and carefully, with small clues along the way like marker stones along a path. Unlike some of the other Club members, Flavian's wounds aren't on the surface. Handsome, sophisticated, his war injuries only become obvious when he opens his mouth and his noticeable stammer emerges, a speech impediment brought about by head injuries and PTSD trauma. Flavian doesn't understand his attraction to the quiet, unassuming widow Agnes Keeping, but she can't help but fall-head-over-heels in love with him, something she thought would never happen, and it scares her to her core. There was a point where Ms. Balogh almost lost me, where a character was about to do something that would move the story into Stupid Plot Device territory, but ...

Gunpowder Alchemy by Jeannie Lin My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book has a lot going for it, and I really enjoyed it. It's a wonderful steampunk romance, but with a refreshing twist: Imperial China, Opium Wars, Non-European protagonists, Opium zombies and more. It's the first in a series, and is openended as a romance novel, but the crisp writing and wonderful evocation of place has me anxious for the next novel by Ms. Lin. View all my reviews

A Chosen Exile: A History of Racial Passing in America by Allyson Hobbs My rating: 4 of 5 stars Movies like "Imitation of Life" and "Pinky" opened up a new world to White Americans, the world of African-Americans who were "passing", living as white people and hiding their African roots. This fascinating history explores 200 years of passing in America, what it meant to the people who made these choices, their families, and to society as a whole. It's a sad and important story that's neglected in American history classes, and Hobbs' excellent book brings these tales to life for a generation that wishes to view itself, and the country, as post-racial. View all my reviews

Before we celebrated US style Thanksgiving in Florida (the Spaniards celebrated Thanksgiving at St. Augustine long before those latecomer Pilgrims set foot aboard ship) we had cane grinding in the autumn to share the work and feast with friends: From  SMUGGLER'S BRIDE :      As the shadows lengthened, the men began gathering around the tables like wasps drawn to sweet fruit, cozying up to their women, and trying to talk them out of some of the food before the feast officially began. Ma Ivey ruled her dirt yard like an empress and wasn't above slapping a reaching hand with a wooden spoon when they drew too close. Finally though, the last of the cane was put through the mill and the syrup cooked down, and as the night sky filled with stars the feast began to a chorus of tree frogs and crickets serenading the workers. They lined up before the platters of roast pig and venison, quails, turkey, and doves. Even a possum or two joined the potatoes in the smoldering coa...

Rogue Spy by Joanna Bourne My rating: 5 of 5 stars I loved this book so much, I hardly know where to begin. No, wait, I do know where to begin: Fluffy Aunts. Ms. Bourne's books are not only amazingly well written, and wonderfully entertaining, but she crafts secondary characters who could step off the page. They're not spearholders (though in the case of the Fluffy Aunts I wouldn't make any assumptions), they're people who are part of the story and you can imagine them with their own lives and concerns. Rogue Spy is Pax's story. We met him in previous books, and know he's secretly a French spy, but as is always the case with Bourne's novels of spycraft, it's much, much more complicated than Good Guys vs. Bad Guys. In fact, Camille Leyland is not only potentially one of the really Bad Guys (as well as Pax's love interest), she's deadlier and comes from a background that's prepared her well for a life of duplicity, intrigue and crime. Each ...