Talk about a tragic character......

   From time to time, I like to pull out a novel of classic literature and immerse myself in it.  I picked Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy.  Truth be told, I could not put it down.  Now I am not sure if it is because it was a beautifully written novel (which it is) or if it was a unforgettable story (which it is), but in all honesty, I really believe I kept reading to see if our heroine Tess ever caught a break!  Poor, poor girl was born in the wrong century that is for certain.
The story starts with Tess' drunk father on his way home when he discovers that he is descended from the wealthy to-do family The D'Urbervilles and throughout time their name changed to Durbeyfield.  Well, Mr. Durbeyfield heads home to his wife and 6 children....maybe 7....I lost count....to share this exciting news.
Tess is the oldest at 16, and she is picked to journey to the nearest D'Urberville resident to claim their fortune or at least come home married to a cousin.  Really?  Poor Tess...she just wants to continue with schooling and do some modest work. Anyway, she journeys to the residence because she is a good, kind girl....she is a pleaser.  She meets Alec D'Urberville....a good looking and charming fellow who is supposedly her cousin.  Alec is taken by Tess' beauty and naivete and begins to woo her...well...she is not immediately impressed by him.....
Let me stop here.  You will have to read the book to see where their relationship goes and whether Tess is able to find happiness.  I warn you...there are no happy endings in this book.   The book is quite a fascinating read, and the story twists and turns more than one could predict.  Very scandalous and a great argument for equal rights.

The Unseen by Katherine Webb

I really enjoyed this book....no, let me rephrase that...I was so totally caught up in this story that I actually felt myself living in this tiny English town in the year 1911.  I have always been a sucker for a historical novel that takes place across the seas.  I adore the mystique of a place I have never been nor a time I have not known.  And this story takes you deep into the story of a servant girl named Cat Morley who finds herself working at The Rectory for a young Reverend and his naive wife, Hester.  She joins the household just as Robin Durrant arrives on scene.  Robin Durrant is invited there by the Reverend who believes there are spirits living in the woods around him, and Robin Durrant is a self-proclaimed expert in this area.  The Reverend is enamored by this cunning, handsome and charming man, Hester becomes jealous and confused as her husband pulls away from her, and Cat Morley seems to be the only one who sees through it all.

  We are introduced to all these characters from present day 2011. Right away we meet, Leah who is a freelance writer.  She has been asked to write an article about a soldier whose body was found with no identification just a few letters sealed in a tin box.  These letters intrigue Leah and she begins to solve the mystery of the letters and the dead soldier.  Through her discoveries, the reader is taken on a richly woven tale of one summer in this quaint English town.  The characters are so well written...so well developed, and the story moves at a swift pace....this is one that I was sad when it ended.  Not sad of out disappointment, but sad because I was already missing the characters and the story and had to return to reality.

Here is my first nonfiction review book from William Morrow Publishing.  It is The Other Side of Normal: How Biology is Providing the Clues to Unlock the Secrets of Normal and Abnormal Behavior by Jordan Smoller.  I have been fascinated with psychology since I was a kid and remember watching the movie My Girl with Macaulay Culkin.  They found this old model of a human brain in the attic that was used to study Phrenology...the study of the bumps on your head....well, I was just intrigued by that and began my own mini research into personality and psychology.  So much so, most of my electives in college were either psychology or art history, weird?  Anyway, after college I went into the social work field and so on and so forth.  The point of my rambling is that I chose this book due to my interest in psychology.  Whew...that was unnecessary of me.
I like this book because it examines 3 major influences on our human behavior, so we are not merely stuck on an one-way track.  It looks at a person's genes, experiences and evolution are how these factors shape our emotional and social natures.  It looks at specific case studies throughout history.  Smoller has made of point of not writing an encyclopedia of psychology, and though there are times when the text is quite technical, I did not feel lost in it.  I recommend this book for anyone who is interesting in human psychology and behavior. 

Agatha Winning Author

This is the latest review book from Morrow Publishing.  It is A Faith Fairchild Mystery written by Katherine Hall Page.  She has written 19 novels in this series, and this is my first one.  It is titled: The Body in the Boudoir.   Since I have not read any of the previous ones, I was a bit leery about jumping right into a series and being lost and confused... I find myself lost and confused quite often in this crazy, wonderful life.  Fortunately, this mystery was presented in a flashback where our lady sleuth AKA caterer spins the tale of her engagement and the murders that surrounded it, so I was able to grab some background info on the characters.  This novel takes place in the months before New York born Faith is to marry Massachusetts native Tom Fairchild.  The wedding is to be held on Faith's wealthy uncle's estate.  Strange and bizarre things begin to happen as the nuptial preparations begin ....Faith finds herself the target of someone's wrongdoing.  Faith has the habit to be surrounded by mystery and has the instinct to sense things that others overlook.  The murder knows she is on to something and wants to put an end to her snooping.  The clues are cleverly hidden throughout and keeps you guessing....all the way to the reveal.
Fans of Diane Mott Davidson Goldy the Caterer series will enjoy this mystery series without feeling like it is more of the same. 

The Magic and Naughtiness of Art

I stayed up late (again) to finish this review book by Christopher Moore called Sacré Bleu A Comedy D’Art..  I have many loves, and art and art history is most definitely one of them....so much so I have a minor in art history just for my love of art not for any practical purpose.  As an artist, I am not.  I do not have that talent and envy others who do.  My boys seem to have a little of that love....Calvin is intrigued by architecture and Henry loves to paint while Nate loves to draw and draw and draw.  Not sure about Benny yet.
So when I received this book in the mail (hardback edition)....I could not wait to dive into it. This is my first Christopher Moore book, and I may now be an addict.  I was delighted by his writing…the wit, the intrigue and the naughtiness that kept me turning pages.  It begins in Auvers, France in 1890 on the day Vincent Van Gogh dies.  Was it suicide or murder?  Why would a man walk a mile with a gunshot wound to the chest to get help if he wanted to die?  Was he simply a mad man? Or is there more to it?  These are questions the author has left to Vincent’s friends to unravel. 
The story focuses on Paris in the 1890’s and the artist’s that get their inspiration from this city.  The story centers around the characters called The Colorman and his female friend.  The Colorman sells colors (paints) to artists since art supply stores have yet to be created. He makes the colors and peddles them from town to town on his donkey.   He has one unique color that the artists are attracted to….Ultramarine…the Sacré Bleu.  The mystery of this story is in the color. 
The reader joins Lucien Lessard (baker and artist)  as well as artists such as Monet, Manet, Renoir & Toulouse-Lautrec on their  journey as they begin to unravel the mystery of the Blue and the women they call their muses.  We get to live as these artist may have lived: drinking lots, taking opium and “bonking” many women as we travel through an amazing time in art history.

More Like Her by Liza Palmer

Ok....this is my first official review book from William Morrow Publishing!  I received it this week along with 2 others and read this one rather quickly.  I picked it to read first since it looked like something that would not require me to do more thinking than I wanted.  At school, I have been reading many books in order to select next year's Battle of the Books.  That is where my reading time was focused, so I didn't a potato chip book.  A potato chip book is what a friend of mine refers to as something that is tastes good for you without providing much nutrient....kind of like a Lifetime Movie...something we all crave every once in a while.  (though I must admit....it has been decades since I have watched a Lifetime movie).  Sorry, I digress.
This is a book that centers around Frances who is a teacher at a private school.  She is single due to a recent break-up and is still hurt from the experience.  Her best friend, Jill, also teaches at the school and the two of them quickly become bosom buddies (almost too quickly) with a new teacher, Lisa.    Nothing too complicated here...characters are not too complex, but entertaining...not to mention emotional.  And I don't mean I was emotional while reading it, the characters -mainly Frannie-- were crying and sobbing on almost every page.  Lifetime movie-like.  The story's climax is when the new Headmistress, Emma comes onto the scene.  She is perfect in every way...too perfect and a little stepford-ish.  She has a dark secret which is revealed in a violent tragedy at the school which will "kind of" change everyone involved.  After all, life does move on...I suppose.  There is not much information or time given to the dark secret which deals with domestic abuse.  I believe if there was more of a focus on this topic....I would have been more invested in the characters, but this was not the case.
Happy endings everywhere....one gets married, one gets pregnant, and one finds true love....Oh and the dog in the story (of course there is a cute, sad puppy dog)....he gets a happy ending as well. 
Not the best book I have read....certainly not the worst.  Happy to be reviewing books from Harper Collins...the next two should be good.  One is a reissued edition of a novel by John Irving....more on that later.

Here is another one that my friend Jill lent me, and I loved it!  It is called Sister by Rosamund Lupton.  (I love the name Rosamund).  It is a story of two sisters who have a close relationship...one that I would love to have with a sister, but sigh....I do not have a sister.  The older more responsible sister, Beatrice, lives in New York City while her younger sister, Tess lives in London.  Tess is a free-spirited who lives in the moment and sees beauty in everything.  One day, Beatrice receives a phone call that Tess has gone missing.  She grabs the first flight to London and begins to uncover just what has happened to her sister.  The police think she is crying wolf & refuse to take her seriously, her fiancee thinks she is overreacting & wants her to resume her "normal" life in NY, and her mother refuses to face reality.  Beatrice is alone and trying desperately to trace her sister's last known steps.  The story moves fast and always keeps you guessing....just when you think you have things figured out...you are lead down another carefully crafted path until the end.  I loved the characters of the sisters as well as their great names....Thanks again Jill...keep them coming!

Page Turner

  I stayed up .late last night to finish this book:  Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close A Novel  by Jonathan Safran Foer.  I was leery about this book in the beginning because it took some time for me to get comfortable with the writing style.  It starts from the voice of a unusually intelligent and mature 9 year-old Oskar.  He has lost his father on September 11th in the World Trade Center.  He has a secret he has kept since then and feels it is his burden to carry.  His father was the most important part of his life, and Oskar spends his days trying to keep this relationship alive by searching for a lock that can be opened by the key he found in his father's closet.  He embarks on a journey through New York City meeting all kinds of people who help him indirectly.  He discovers secrets that everyone around him hold onto in fear of letting the truth out.  Secrets his grandmother keeps locked inside, and  eventually, the reader, gains insight to Oskar and his father's family.  I was confused at times, but that is what drove my desire to keep reading.  I made guesses as to the outcome, and some I pieced together while others were craftly woven throughout to help make a complete and satisfying ending.  I am glad my husband bought me this book which I would never have read on my own.  

Henrietta and those cells

  Last night, I finished The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.  My good friend Jill lent me this book months ago, and I put it in my basket of books my friends think I should read.  Yes, I do have a pretty wicker basket in my library filled with books that all my wonderful friends think I would love.  And sometimes, I am a bit stubborn and ignore the fact that they are in there.  I was reluctant to read this one because it sounded so technical to me and a bit depressing.  I have been shying away from a lot of realistic depressing material later....depressing fantasy and dystopian books I will read like they are a dark chocolate Ritter bar for my brain. I picked this book up despite my worries, and I am glad I did.

This is the true story of Henrietta Lacks, a very poor African American women whose ancestors were slaves.  She worked as a tobacco farmer and married her first cousin.  They had five children together and made the most of their lives together....some good and some bad.  In the late 1940's, she got sick.  Cervical Cancer.  She was treated at Johns Hopkins in the "colored"  ward.  When the surgeon removed her tumor and some tissues, they saved it.  They used these cells for research.  Her cells turned out to be amazing cells....HeLa cells.  Still used today and responsible for the Polio Vaccine, Hep B Vaccine, and many more tremendous medical breakthroughs.  The conflict arises because Henrietta soon died in 1951 from the cancer.  She was buried in an unmarked grave, and her family was never told about her cells until 20 years later.  They never received notification of all the amazing things her cells were being used for. They went sent into space, used in studying the effects of atom bomb, and helped with advances in in vitro fertilization.  This is just a few things.

This is the story of the cells and Henrietta's family and the aftermath of the discovery of the cells.  The story of Henrietta's family with the focus being on her daughter Deborah is a fascinating yet sad story.  I read those chapters like mad.  The chapters are the history of the HeLa cells I read slower....trying to understand the topics of biological human materials, science and the law and research and cells.  It was incredible to me to learn all these topic....though I will admit I was lost a few times, but Rebecca Skloot did a great job getting me back on track of understanding.  A great read...and I, thank Jill for this recommendation.  Now I just have to return her book.  ; )