Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris

   Lily Bard is headed to her hometown of Bartley for her sister's wedding, but she just can't seem to leave trouble behind and always ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time.  On second thought, considering her sharp intuitions and extensive karate training, maybe it's the right place at the right time.  When she arrives in Bartley, she finds that two prominent members of the town have been brutally murdered, and on top of that, her private detective boyfriend has just informed her that he has chased an 8 year-old kidnapping case to the not-so-sleepy little town.  When Lily suspects that the murderer may be closely involved with her family, she works overtime to discover the true identity of the killer.

   This is the third book in the Lily Bard Mysteries series following amateur sleuth Lily Bard in her small town of Shakespeare, Arkansas.  While you don't necessarily have to read these books in order, Lily's personal story makes much more sense if you can at least read the first one in the series (The first book is Shakespeare's Landlord).  But that shouldn't be too hard to do considering that these books are around 200 pages each and very fast-paced.  Shakespeare's Christmas is light and entertaining but I must say, the Christmas theme is pretty weak.  Other than a few brief mentions of cold weather, town decorations and carols, Christmastime is not very apparent.  You really could read this book any time of year, which was a disappointment to me considering how much I love holiday/seasonal themes in literature.  But, Lily is not exactly a sentimental character, so the continuity is preserved with the lack of holiday cheer.  Still, this book is a quick and easy read, which is good for this busy time of year, and if you're familiar with Charlaine Harris's caliber of storytelling (The HBO show True Blood is based on her novels), then you know that she can weave together a very engaging plot with just enough sex, violence, and surprises to keep you on your toes!

More Holiday Gift Ideas!

 If my Holiday Gifts for Book Lovers post didn't give you enough ideas for this season (or if you're low on cash), here are some great DIY gift ideas courtesy of Huffington Post.  Now many of these exceed my level of craftiness, but a few of them I think I could actually make.

Some of these DIY crafts include homemade bookmarks, dust jackets, journals, and step-by-step instructions on how to bind your own books with pretty fabrics.  Most of the designs are geared toward teens, but some of them could work for any age group.

In Red by Magdalena Tulli

   In Red is not a book you want to read if you're looking for a linear plot - it's a book to read if you like lots of metaphors and descriptive imagery.  Magdalena Tulli tells the story of the fictional town of Stitchings in wartime Poland, and while the inhabitants of the town make appearances, In Red is more about the town of Stitchings itself.  The story is told through elements of folklore and fairy tales, but the implications are far from the realm of fantasy.

   These little vignettes about Stitchings sometimes seem as though they were written by the town - by the crumbling walls, the cobblestone streets, or the cold, unforgiving landscape.  The narrative style is observant and uninvolved, as if none of these characters ever knew that their stories were being absorbed into something much more permanent than their own brief lives.

   While In Red is not always engaging as far as the plot is concerned, the writing is incredibly beautiful and unique.  Even the simplest phrases resound with poignancy and careful grace.  Here is a passage from the last few pages of the novel:

The town of Stitchings survived the fire.  Stories are indestructible...They endured, sewn together any old how, so long as the thick threads held cause and effect in the right order.  Memory yields most easily to the shape of ready-made patterns.  Even if the decayed fabric has gotten overstretched and tears with a loud noise, never mind the rips, for they are not what the eye lingers upon. (p.157)

Magdalena Tulli has a way with words.  She can verbalize those translucent feelings and ideas that people have but can't explain.  It's like when you're trying to remember a dream and you can't recall anything specific other than the way it made you feel - Magdalena Tulli is remembering the dreams of Stitchings, yet she can turn these fleeting bursts of memory into words that manage to retain the integrity of their origins. 

   And for this wonderful writing we must also give credit to the translator, Bill Johnston, who obviously knows exactly what he is doing!

Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler

   Arthur Bryant and John May have worked together for 60 years as detectives for London's Peculiar Crimes Unit until a mysterious explosion abruptly ends Arthur's life.  John is heartbroken over the loss of his best friend and decides to personally investigate the strange and unexpected circumstances of his friend's death.  The clues he finds lead him back to the first case he investigated with Arthur Bryant - a string of murders in a London theatre in the throes of WWII.  It is a case that both Arthur and John had considered closed - until now - leading John to believe that something incredibly dangerous was overlooked 60 years ago.

   This book is like 2 mysteries for the price of 1!  As John relives his first investigation from the 1940s, he also begins to unravel the mystery of his partner's tragic death.  Christopher Fowler is a great writer and did a great job with the organization and juxtaposition of these two stories.  There are so many diverse elements in Full Dark House I can't imagine why it wouldn't appeal to everyone in some way or another.  It includes elements of mystery, history, botany, chemistry, Greek mythology, literature, and even a little bit of romance!  This may sound overwhelming, but Fowler weaves them all together perfectly, and then the story unravels in very unexpected and (dare I say) peculiar ways.  I read this book for my book club and I'm really looking forward to discussing it with the rest of the group later this week.

   Full Dark House is the first in the Bryant and May mystery series (a.k.a the Peculiar Crimes Unit mystery series).  So far there are 10 books in the series, and if you want to know more about the Bryant and May mysteries you can visit Christopher Fowler's blog.

Holiday Gifts for Book Lovers

Now that the Holiday season has officially begun, it's time to start thinking about buying presents. Gifts may not be the reason for the season but we all know how important the perfect gift is.  So here's my gift-giving advice for those of you who have serious book lovers on your list!

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

   Tristran Thorn is a young man in love, and young men in love often make crazy promises.  One night, Tristran and his beloved Victoria see a star fall from the sky, and Victoria says she will give Tristran anything he desires only if he can find the fallen star and bring it back to her.  The star has fallen in the land of Faerie, and Tristran sets off on a magical journey where he encounters an unexpected friend.  He does indeed find the star, which turns out to be a beautiful young woman.  Tristran is unprepared for this encounter and is unprepared for the fact that he is not the only person in pursuit of the fallen star.  The star needs his protection, but this strange land is new for Tristran so he can only rely on his instincts to bring them both to safety.

   I really like Neil Gaiman, but this just is not my favorite of his works.  I really liked the storyline and the imagery, but the plot seemed a little unbalanced to me.  It started very slowly, and then it seemed like all of the action was packed into the last 75 pages or so.  But this is really my only complaint.  It's hard not to be mesmerized by talking trees, unicorns, and evil witches.  I read this book out loud to my husband (who is a huge Sandman fan), and he was a little bored at the beginning too, but we both were believers in Faerie by the end.

   Stardust is a rather short book intended for ages 13 and up, so it's a pretty quick read (unless you're reading aloud...then it's a little longer), but just so you know, there is a fairly graphic sex scene in the first part of the novel, so it may not be appropriate for all teens.  Overall, though, I'd say Stardust is a shining star of a book (sorry...I couldn't help myself)!  :)

100 Notable Books from 2011

The New York Times just released their list of Notable Books of 2011.  Check it out to see if you've missed any of this year's "must reads."

Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

   

    Every year around the start of the holiday season I read at least one book from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House  series.  Something about the quiet domestic scenes and the description of the isolated landscape is calming for me.  Also, the holidays are all about memories and nostalgia...and there's nothing more nostalgic than reading a Laura Ingalls Wilder book.  However, if I were reading this book to a child, I would edit out some of the less than flattering portrayals of Native Americans and African Americans.  They are few and brief, but still...

   Usually I read The Long Winter, which is perfect for this time of year since the nights are getting colder and longer.  It just makes me want to snuggle up under the blankets with nothing but a hot brick and dwindling fire to keep me warm!  This year, I started with Little Town on the Prairie, which is the 7th book in the original Little House series (of which there are 9 books total).  According to wikipedia, Little Town on the Prairie takes place between 1881 and 1882, but was not published until 1941.  At this point in the series, Laura is 15-16 years old and living in the town of De Smet, South Dakota.  She has a job as a seamstress and is saving money to send her sister, Mary, to a school for the blind.  Laura also desperately wants to be a schoolteacher, so she studies very hard as well.  It is in this book that Laura begins her courtship with Almonzo Wilder, the man who would become her husband in 1885.

   Something about these books makes me long for simpler times, but honestly, I don't think I'd last a week of winter in South Dakota without electricity!  While much of these books are autobiographical for the Ingalls family, Laura did sweeten things a bit for her readers.  But overall, they are pretty accurate portrayals of the lives of early American pioneers.

Soul/Mate by Joyce Carol Oates (as Rosamond Smith)

A super creepy cover for a super creepy book!

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

   Anya is kind of a loner.  She doesn't have many friends at school and she longs for a change.  One day while walking in the woods, Anya accidentally falls down an abandoned well shaft.  It's the last place she expected to find a friend, but down at the bottom of the well, Anya meets a ghost named Emily.  When Anya is rescued from the well she brings Emily's ghost with her, and together they go to school, talk about boys, share secrets, and Emily becomes Anya's new "roommate."  But Anya soon realizes that Emily's story is more sinister than she could have imagined, and that her new "friend" isn't much of a friend at all.

   This story is written in graphic novel format, so it was a very quick read.  Vera Brosgol is the writer and illustrator for Anya's Ghost and she did an amazing job.  Neil Gaiman even gave it his stamp of approval.  This book provides a unique take on the lonely/outcast teen story as Anya learns important life lessons through her experience with death, and it's a great read for just about any age.