Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Latest guilty pleasures
Regency era British romance novels by Mary Balogh. Think Jane Austen but rated PG-13.
Ape House by Sara Gruen
This is a new book by the author of Water for Elephants. I haven't read that one yet, but it's being made into a movie with Robert Pattinson now. This book is about six bonobo apes who are "liberated" from their cushy life at a research center. They end up on a reality TV show run by a sleazy television mogul.
The book follows their former keeper (who was terribly injured during their escape/kidnapping) as she tries to find them and get them away from their new public life. She's helped by a newspaper reporter who wants to follow the story he started before it was stolen from him and her vegan activist assistant who may or may not have been involved with the liberation. There's also a pit bull named Booger and a stripper named Ivanka. Very interesting.
The book follows their former keeper (who was terribly injured during their escape/kidnapping) as she tries to find them and get them away from their new public life. She's helped by a newspaper reporter who wants to follow the story he started before it was stolen from him and her vegan activist assistant who may or may not have been involved with the liberation. There's also a pit bull named Booger and a stripper named Ivanka. Very interesting.
Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
The author is a Mississippi native and the title comes from how I (and countless other children)was taught to spell Mississippi: M-I-crooked letter-crooked letter-I-crooked letter-crooked letter-I-humpback-humpback-I. I found this book on the Lemuria Books blog and got it from the library. (This is the only one that the library had by the author but I hope they get more.)
The story takes place in the present but is heavily influenced by events of 30 years ago, when the main characters were in high school. Back then a teenage girl disappeared when she was supposed to be on a date with one of the protagonists, but was really with the other. To make things even more difficult, one was black and one was white. The girl was never found and all these years later another teenager has disappeared.
The white man has lived with the town's suspicion all this time and is accused once again. The black man is now the town's police officer and investigating the disappearance. It was fascinating. I loved the way the author writes dialogue - it's very natural and sounds like people really talk, especially in that part of the world.
The story takes place in the present but is heavily influenced by events of 30 years ago, when the main characters were in high school. Back then a teenage girl disappeared when she was supposed to be on a date with one of the protagonists, but was really with the other. To make things even more difficult, one was black and one was white. The girl was never found and all these years later another teenager has disappeared.
The white man has lived with the town's suspicion all this time and is accused once again. The black man is now the town's police officer and investigating the disappearance. It was fascinating. I loved the way the author writes dialogue - it's very natural and sounds like people really talk, especially in that part of the world.
The Royal Spyness mystery series - Rhys Bowen
I just read the fourth book in the Royal Spyness series - Royal Blood. (The earlier ones are Her Royal Spyness, A Royal Pain and Royal Flush.) The series is set in 1930s Britain and Europe. Lady Georgiana Rannoch is a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria and 34th in line for the throne. Her family is almost destitute except for their titles, Scottish castle and large house in London. Georgie is trapped in that while she has no money she can't go out and get a job due to social convention, not to mention the world-wide depression.
Over the four books, Queen Mary summons Georgie and asks her to do things for her, like spy on Wallis Simpson or entertain German princesses for the summer. All on a shoestring budget and with no way to refuse royal requests. The whole series is entertaining, fairly light and I like the era that it's set in. Nothing heavy here, just fun and interesting to see a world that I'd never really thought about.
Over the four books, Queen Mary summons Georgie and asks her to do things for her, like spy on Wallis Simpson or entertain German princesses for the summer. All on a shoestring budget and with no way to refuse royal requests. The whole series is entertaining, fairly light and I like the era that it's set in. Nothing heavy here, just fun and interesting to see a world that I'd never really thought about.
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