17. Natural Born Charmer

By Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Rated A+++

Chicago Stars quarterback Dean Robillard is driving to Tennessee when he spots a headless beaver walking down the side of the street.

Once again this author has come through for me in a big way. She is a genius of creating a comic situation and giving it depth and a touch of pathos. She has a talent for drawing the reader into the story so the reader feels emotionally invested in the outcome. There is far more than the relationship between the main characters. There is a broken family that tries to find its' way back. There is a child who finds her way back to her father and a man who has to find forgiveness in his heart for a mother that would never ask for it.

16. A Vision of Light

by Margaret Merkle Riley
Rated A+

From the blurb on back of book "An appealing novel about Margaret of Ashbury, a 14th-century Englishwoman, who is inspired in a ``vision of light'' to write her memoirs and tell a woman's story. Unable to write, she hires Brother Gregory to record her memories. He is contemptuous of her ambition, but hungry enough to accept her offer."

Gregory is a clerical scholar, who desparately wants a profound spiritual experience, intellectualizes constantly about it, whereas for Margaret, she simply lives it. He tries to control and force it, while for Margaret it is a gift of the ability to heal.

Margaret stays in hot water with her neighbors, her client's and eventually she attracts the notice of the church. She is saved by an rich and elderly merchant whom she marries. What started out as a marriage of convenience turns into a real love match and it is he who encourages Margaret to tell her story and also to learn to read and write. But when he dies Margaret has to face once again that a women without the protection of a husband during this period is extremely hazardous.

The book alternates between Margaret's and Gregory's clashes in their present and her telling of her past. I loved the medieval setting and where Margaret is describing life as a midwife in London. I really liked Brother Gregory because even from the beginning you knew that Margaret was going to poke holes in all his pet theories on the superiority of men and how inferior the minds of women were.

15. Fire From Heaven

by Mary Renault
Rated B-

Fire from Heaven is an historical novel of Alexander the Great's life from his birth through the death of his father when Alexander was a young man.

This novel deals only with the period before he became king. He grew up in one of history's great dysfunctional families. His father and mother did not see eye-to-eye. Part of the reason was that his mother was probably overly politically ambitious. She reminded me of the Queen in Dororthy Dunnett's Race of Scorpions, the one with no nose.

Also another part of the problem was that his father, Phillip was of the old spartan school of thought and engaged tutors for him that stressed harsh living conditions and semi starvation as a way of toughening up and building character in young men. His first teacher was the harsh Leonidas, a relative of Olympias, perhaps her uncle.

Leonidas was replaced with Lysimachus, who taught Alexander to play the lyre, and taught him an appreciation for the fine arts of music, poetry, and drama. Later on he studied under Aristotle.

Alexander was a sensitive and a slightly built and effeminate boy Alexander liked drama, the flute and the lyre, poetry and hunting. In order to survive this rough upbringing Alexander developed a tough shell and as he grew older independence of both of his parents. However he couldn't have been all that sissified because he was commanding troops in Byzantium at age 16 and was king at 18.

While Alexander was indisputably a great leader Renault's somewhat over the top depiction of him had me rolling my eyes in several places. You knew he had to be bright, probably precocious and must have been dripping with charisma in order to accomplish all the things he did as an adult. But I thought that Renault made him out to be just a little bit to perfect as a child. I personally would have liked him better if he had he taken time out from walking on water and spilled his milk or fell down and skinned his knees once in a while when growing up. It was interesting to read about what it might have been like to have had Aristotle as a tutor

14. Sharpes Tiger

by Bernard Cornwell
Rated B

In the year is 1799 in what I think is the first novel in this series and Richard Sharpe is just beginning his military career. An inexperienced young private in His Majesty's service, Sharpe becomes part of an expedition to India to push the ruthless Tippoo of Mysore from his throne and drive out his French allies. To penetrate the Tippoo's city and make contact with a Scottish spy being held prisoner there, Sharpe has to pose as a deserter. Success will make him a sergeant, but failure will turn him over to the Tippoo's brutal executioners -- or, worse -- his man-eating tigers. Picking his way through an exotic and alien world. Sharpe realizes that one slip will mean disaster. And when the furious British assault on the city finally begins, Sharpe must take up arms against his true comrades to preserve his false identity, risking death at their hands in order to avoid detection and thus to foil the Tippoo's well-set trap.

13. The Hamiltons : two novels

by Catherine Cookson, Rated A

When I spotted this book on my library's list of new books this month I thought that "gosh, this author must be at least 100 years old!" And I was right. Or at least I would have been right had she not died in 1998 at age 92. Her first book was published when I was 15 so let me just say that this author and I go back a long way.

Hamilton is the story of Maisie, a lonely little girl who was born with one arm considerably shorter than the other. Her Father left the family shortly after she was born and her Mother blamed Maisie and alternated between neglecting her or treating her with cruelty. Maisie invented an imaginary companion to whom she could pour her heart out. He first appeared to her when she was about seven years old while on a visit her doctor said to her "Let us use our horse sense" and at that moment Maisie saw a great horse galloping past him and all the time looking at her, its eyes full of knowledge and its lips drawn back as if in laughter. Soon after, Maisie adopted the name Hamilton for her new and secret companion. Of course, she couldn't talk about Hamilton to anyone -- but she could write about him. And write she did, with results that would eventually broaden her horizons far beyond the confines of the small town where she had spent her lonely girlhood. Hamilton would continue to play a supportive part in Maisie's life for years, as she deals with the adult problems of work, love,and marriage and builds a life for herself.

Goodbye Hamilton picks up where Hamilton leaves off. By the time Maisie reaches her early thirties, she's escaped a disastrous marriage and become a bestselling author with her very first book: all about Hamilton. This book begins when she's about to be married again, this time to a man loves and appreciates her for the person she is. And Hamilton, in turn, marks the occasion by taking a wife himself, an elegant (and equally imaginary) mare named Begonia.

But her life continues to have it's ups and downs but Maisie is a survivor and somehow finds the strength to overcome each tragedy and this book ends with Maisie once again reinventing herself and moving on.

12. Lords of the North

By Bernard Cornwell, Rated A+++++

"Lords of the North" is Cornwell's third and most dramatic volume in the Saxon Chronicles. A breathtaking adventure, this is the story of the creation of modern England, as the English and the Danes become one people by sharing language and fighting side-by-side.

In this book Utred has been released from Alfred's service and has returned to Cumbria to persue his blood fued with Ivar Ivarson, the man who killed his Foster Father and to claim the land that rightfully should be his from his birth Father whom was also murdered.

But Utred, never known for his tact, has made a lot of enemies. Soon he is up to his neck in plots and subplots by the newly proclaimed King of Cumbria and the priests who have their own agendas and finds himself betrayed and sold into slavery. Rescued by Alfred who needs Uhtred's services to solidify the Christian Saxons' hold on Britain, Uhtred once again finds himself at the frontlines of battle with the land-hungry Danes. This battle ends in a thrilling midnight raid on an impregnable Danish stronghold, thus establishing Saxon rule in the north, as well as the south.

It seemed to me like this book had a lot more funny moments and wry humor than The Last Kingdom or The Pale Rider. I continue to be amazed by the passion for relics that the church had during this time and the gullibility of the people who fell for i†. I especially enjoyed the Danish interpretation of some of the Christian beliefs and bible stories.

How wonderful that this is going to be a "series" instead of a "Trilogy" I am so not ready for the adventures of Utred to end.

11. A Rather Lovely Inheritance

by C. A. Belmond, Rated A

This is a lovely little piece of eye candy. The universal fantasy of a distant, elderly relative leaving a pile of money to a great niece who is a low paid historical researcher. There is a conflict regarding a greedy second cousin who wants to contest for a bigger piece of the pie, and another cousin that is tall, dark and handsome. Naturally that is the love interest.

This was a great fast, light and fluffy read and I highly recommend it as just that

10. Sharpe's Rifles

by Bernard Cornwell, Rated B+

I have been thinking about trying this series for a while and since Melinda mentioned that she had been reading them and obviously enjoying them I thought I'd give them a try.

Trying to find out where this series starts has been something of a challenge as it turns out that Cornell didn't write them in order. I thought I was pretty slick and found a prequel that he had written to the Sharpe's Rifles series but it seems that this is not really the beginning of the beginning of the Sharpe books. Sharpe's Tiger is really the beginning of the beginning and is set in India before Sharpe becomes an officer. Shaun is picking it up from the library for me today.

This "prequel" that I just read is the beginning of Sharpe's adventures in the Peninsula Wars against Napoleon and is set in January 1809 and has the new Lieutenant Sharpe trying to get his small English band away from the victorious French. Sharpe hopes to join the British outpost in Lisbon but is waylaid by a Spanish major of cavalry into helping him pull off a "miracle." The noble Major Vicar means to raise the flag of Spain's patron saint over Santiago de Compositely, now in French hands, as a sign that Spain will not be defeated. The battle scenes are thrilling and realistic and I learned something - a macho is a mule whose vocal chords have been cut so that it can't bray and warn the enemy. The subplots revolve around Sharpe's making the recalcitrant Harper a sergeant, winning the respect of his troops.

It was good enough that I intend to make it a 2007 project to track down and read the rest of the series, where ever and in whatever year they may be set and regardless of when they were written.

9. Reflections of the Past

by Aubrey Howard, Rated B

While poking around on the amazon uk site I discovered that one of my favorite authors Aubrey Howard has a new trilogy out. (1) Reflections of the Past,(2) Distant Images and (3) As the Night Ends that chart the lives and loves of the Goodwill family through the late 1800's to the end of the first world war. So I am treating myself and am ordering one each month. It's not too bad since this trilogy has been out long enough that the books are available from their used book sellers, some of whom ship to the US.

The story beings with Abby Murphy deprived, poor and beautiful being catapulted from a life of misery to one of great richness and a loveless marriage with Noah Goodwill - but love grows and blossoms and the birth of her twin daughters completes her life - albeit the babies have different fathers!

Stay tuned for episode two next month.

8. I Claudius

by, Robert Graves, rated B

The first sentence in this book tells the reader that 1) What the book is about and 2) that it's written in a very engaging, easy to read style:

Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus This-that-and-the-other (for
I shall not trouble you yet with all my titles) who was once, and not so long ago either, known to my friends and relatives and associates as "Claudius the Idiot", or "That Claudius", or "Claudius the Stammerer", or "Clau-Clau-Claudius" or at best as "Poor Uncle Claudius", am now about to write this strange history of my life; starting from my earliest childhood and continuing year by year until I reach the fateful point of change where, some eight years ago, at the age of fifty-one, I suddenly found myself caught in what I may call the "golden predicament" from which I have never since become disentangled.

In spite of a writing style that was engaging, wry and very readable these imperial Caesar's were a nasty and evil bunch of people. And while I enjoyed the book by the end I was truly sick and tired of them. At some point I will read Claudius the God but for right now I am thankful to be done with them and happy to move on.

7. The Tenent of Wildfell Hall

by Anne Bronte, Rated B

The story of Helen Graham, a headstrong and independent young woman, who marries against the advice of her family. She reminded me very much of my Granddaughter Emily. She is one of those who loves not wisely but too well. (think obsessively) Arthur is a selfish and irresponsible drunk and womanizer. Helen thinks that she can "save" Arthur who under her good influence will turn his life around. Arthur couldn't care less about changing one single thing about himself, and his drinking and adultery right under her nose eventually repels her to the point where she despises him as much as she once loved him. It is only when she sees him attempting to influence her young son to become a chip off the old block, that she realizes her responsibility as a mother to save her son from his father trumps her duty as a wife to stand by her husband. With the help of her brother, she runs away to a Wildfell Hall, a rather Gothic type crumbling mansion in small village. Here she meets Gilbert Markham, who falls in love with her, but realizes that their relationship has no future as long as her husband is alive. Arthur's ultimate death from alcoholism not only frees Helen from an abusive and degrading marriage, it also leaves her free to find happiness with Gilbert.

The blurb on the back of the book calls this the first popular novel to espouse feminism and I guess that in it's day it probably was. You could also say that this book was an ancestor of the 1970/80 style Gothic Romance novel. I found the writing very prosy and Victorian (duh) and thought that Helen was often preachy and sanctimonious to the point where I wanted to start skimming. But overall I really liked it and am surprised that given the popularity of her sisters this novel isn't better known.

6. Dr. Zhivago

by Boris Pasternak, Rated A++

This is going to be a long entry because this book made me think a lot so therefore I have a lot I want to write down.

This an epic story of Dr. Zhivago, his family, friends and acquaintances over the background of Russia's transition from Czarist rule to Bolshevism, passing through the First World War, Revolution and Civil War.

It’s really funny how much my perspective and feelings about this novel have changed since I first read it in 1969 or 1970. Back then I got all caught up in 1) the love story and 2) how much the Russian people suffered. The politics of it all sort of flew right past me. This time I have spent a lot of time thinking about this book and trying to figure out whether I saw the book as a historical novel that focused on the politics of the country at that time or as a story that put the spotlight on how the people of Russia survived them. I seem to remember that Pasternak got into a whole lot of trouble with the Soviets when he published this novel so presumably they saw it as a non flattering look at the politics. But I am going to stand by my original feeling that it is primarily a novel of survival. I sort of saw Yurii as a universal man, caught up in circumstances way beyond his control and trying in his way to point out the absurdities of war. A kind of poet journalist in a way.

And since this is my Journal and I can write anything I want I will stoop to cherry picking bits of Yurii's dialog and mention that some of Yurii's words ring true today:

"Don't they remember their own plans and measures, which long since turned life upside down? What kind of people are they to go on raving with this never cooling feverish ardor year in, year out on nonexistant, long vanished subjects, and to know nothing, to see nothing around them?",

The writing in the book is very lyrical but then Pasternak was primarily a poet so that is not surprising. But he did not do so well in plotting it in places. It bothered me how many coincidences there were in it. Russia is a vast country but yet the main secondary characters (I think I just did an oxymmoron) kept running into each other and crossing Zhivago's path. I really had to stretch a couple of times to shrug them off. But overall, a really marvelous book.