Still to Come....

I haven't been able to update much lately because of computer lacking... But, reviews still to come are:

The Forever King
Percival's Angel
The Kindness of Strangers: http://myreadingbooks.blogspot.com/2006/05/kindness-of-strangers-katrina-kittle.html
Phantom: http://myreadingbooks.blogspot.com/2006/05/phantom-susan-kay-may06.html
Angels and Demons

And some older ones that I appear to have skipped:
England, England
Forever Amber
Fires in the Mirror

Booking Through Thursday

Booking Through Thursday.

1. What are the last five books that you finished reading?
   1. Excavation - James Rollins
   2. Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
   3. Looking at the Moon - Kit Pearson
   4. The Girl With a Pearl Earring
   5. The Lake House - James Patterson


2. How long did it take you to read them?
   1. About a day
   2. 2 days
   3. Matter of hours
   4. A shift at work
   5. A shift at work


3. Did you enjoy reading these books? Why or why not?
   1. I love Rollins, best author! So, I can't see me ever hating anything that he wrote.
   2. I liked Gabaldon so much I have book 2 here and started already.
   3. This was a reread from junior high, decent for teen fiction.
   4. As wonderful as I heard it was!
   5. James Patterson isn't a stellar author, but the idea of genetic engineering is why I read it.

Dawn on a Distant Shore - Sara Donati [May/06]

This is actually the second novel in Donati's series about Elizabeth and Nathanial Bonner, but since I had just bought it the day I read it and was in my car, I decided to just go along with it and read the first one after. It seemed a fitting novel to read while I was discovering Gabaldon and my like for her, as Donati's novel have reviews done by Gabaldon on them, as well as other reviewers comparing Donati to Gabaldon. From the back of the book:

Elizabeth and Nathanial Bonner have settled into their life together at the edge of the New-York wilderness in the winter of 1794. But soon after Elizabeth gives birth to healthy twins, Nathanial learns that his father has been arrested in British Canada. Forced to leave Hidden Wolf Mountain to help his father in Montreal, Nathanial himself is imprisioned and in danger of being hanged as a spy. In a desperate bid to save her husband, Elizabeth bundles her infants and sets out through the snowy wilderness and across treacherous waterways on the dangerous trek to Canada. But she soon discovers that freeing her husband will take every ounce of her courage and inventiveness - and will threaten her with the loss of what she loves most: her children. Torn apart, the Bonners must embark on yet another perilous voyage, this time all the way across the ocean to the heart of Scotland, where a destiny they could never have imagined awaits them...

It is the late 18th-century, and with Donati as our guide, the reader is offered the chance to experience life in the United States and Canada at this time, as well as a later trip to Scotland later in the novel. It is marketed as a romance novel, but while Elizabeth and Nathanial have some hot scenes, there is much more going than just some good bed scenes. Recommended to me by another reader , this is a very worthwhile series. Elizabeth may be living in the 18th-century, but when her husband finds himself in trouble she wastes no time going to his rescue, even if that means bringing two young children along with her. She is a modern woman in a 18th-century world. Born to a life of priviledge, she turned it all aside for a life with the man that she loves.

Elizabeth finds herself facing a lot in this novel. She has just had her first children, twins, and life is a new experience for her. Then, in the blink of an eye everything that she knows has been taken from her and she finds herself fighting for what she knows is hers. Nathanial has found the perfect woman, hardly ever letting fear rule her, Elizabeth has helped this family accomplish much. This is a novel of love, adventure, but also one of acceptance. It seems that Nathanial's father is the descendant of a powerful man in Scotland, a man that will do anything to have an heir. Even if it means taking everything of importance from Nathanial and Elizabeth, be believes that his needs outdo their's. It takes strong will for them to get through this situation and get their family back together and on their way back home. This novel will have you cheering for the Bonner family.

4/5

When the Wind Blows - James Patterson [May/06]

This is only the fourth time a James Patterson novel that has appealed to me. He is not a writer of the literature I am generally drawn to, but this book, and its sequel, The Lake House had something appealing about them for whatever reason. I read these books backwards, of course, but I enjoyed them. This one states on the back:

Frannie O'Neil is a talented Colorado veterinarian haunted by her husband's murder. But the course of her life about to change again. After another bizarre killing, Kit Harrison, a troubled and unconventional FBI agent, arrives on her doorstep. And late one night Frannie stumbles upon a strange, astonishing phenomenon.

Her name is Max. Only eleven years old, she will lead Frannie and Kit to uncover one of the most diabolical and inhuman plots of modern science.

I gained info on this book when a new novel was released by this author about something along the same lines. Thinking it looked interesting, my friend lent me these two. I at first thought it was sort of a science fiction type novel, but is actually a very possible near future. For all anyone knows, something not so different than it can be occuring in today's world.

It is a novel of genetic manipulation and engineering. Max, and her friends, were born in the matter of science. Altered so as to be "superhumans", their parents were told they were dead and thought never to see their children again. In the meantime, these children were locked up in a School where they were tested constantly. If a child did not match up to the scientists and doctors ideals, they were put to sleep. Something that Max and her friends worry about constantly. But one night Max and her brother, Matthew, risk everything for a chance at freedom and drastically change their life as they know it.

It was an interesting novel, not just for how disturbing it is, but because these children are delightful. They have amazing intelligence, but at the same time they have lived such a sheltered life. Ever moment spent on the outside is one new experience for them. Just in case that doesn't appeal to you, they can fly.

3.5/5

The Lake House - James Patterson [May/06]

This novel is the sequel to When the Wind Blows. I borrowed this one, but the person that lent it to me was not aware that there was another book to go with it. She has it now. I read this one and then bought the other for really cheap. She collects Patterson, though, so I gave it to her to add to her collection.

This novel takes place after the children have been returned to their biological family. When "When the Wind Blows" finishes, the children are over-joyed about being returned to their parents, but now the reality of the situation has set in. This children may not have had much during their captivity, but they had each other and now they find themselves alone. They believe that in the world today where they are obviously different, it is time to be brought back together.

Their parents claim to love them, but you can safely see that they do not have the first idea how to raise "different" children. The youngest of the children are being pushed into acting careers, the press follows them everywhere they go, and the world pretends to understand while making fun of them at the same time. They believe that it is best for them that they end up with Kit and Frannie, the FBI and vet that saved them from the School in the first place, so they find themselves at court wishing that they are given what they want out of the world.

At the same time they are not completely safe from the world at large. Max was used at the School to do the work of some of the scientists because she could do it much quicker. Therefore, she knows a great deal that she was never supposed to be set free with. We find Max still frigtened of the idea that she will be put to sleep and trying to keep her "family" together. She had been ingrained with the idea that to tell meant death, but when once again her family is threatened she has to make the decision that will mean that everyone will be safe and they can be together as a family. A decision that goes against everything that she was taught in her dreaded School.

These novels are light reads with dark subject matter. The reviews on Amazon make them look like horrible novels, but Patterson gets the point across without being too hard to take. It is a couple hour read, but in a world where science is making advances, not a totally impossible novel.

3.5/5

Girl with a Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier [May/06]

This is one of those historical fiction novels that many people have read and loved, so I felt that it was about time that I took the time to read it. I own two other Chevalier novels, Falling Angels and The Lady and the Unicorn, but this is the one I decided to read first. It seemed only fitting after reading Susan Vreeland's novel earlier this month, as both novels follow a painting by Vermeer. Not the same painting, of course, but the same artist.

Taking place in the 1660's, Griet's father has lost the use of his eyes in an explosion and has been unable to work since. With no money coming in, the family is forced to look for employment for their oldest daughter. This comes in the shape of as a housekeeper for the painter Vermeer and his family. Very strict about how his workshop is kept, they are looking for a woman that can make the room look like it wasn't touched. Griet is used to that living with her father, because since he is blind she is always leaving things in certain places so he can easily locate them.

With this job comes a whole new life for the young woman. She is treated harshly by many of the family members, and has to learn to defend herself to keep her position at the house. Vermeer likes her, though. He has little to say to her at first, but in one brave moment she adjusts a prop set up for one of his paintings, an adjustment that he agrees with. Suddenly Griet is helping him create his paint, sitting in for patrons that are not available on particular days, and gaining the respect of a world-class painter. She also catches the eye of one of Vermeer's seductress patrons and before she knows it, she is being painted.

The oppurtunity could be a glamorous one, but Griet has a good head on her shoulders. When Vermeer tries to make her look like something she is not, she refuses and demands that housekeepers do not wear fancy clothes and strike fancy poses. As a result, he paints a simple woman, with the only added adornment a pair of pearl earrings. Earrings that lead to the hatred of the family getting to her, and ultimately causing her to leave her position and get married instead. But, for a time, she was considered Vermeer's muse. He did not paint a lot of paintings, but with her help he was painting quicker and created a world class piece of art. Even if he was one of those artists only really appreciated after he was dead.

I liked this novel. It was not a complicated read, but it was interesting to see the 1660's through the eyes of a housekeeper in the employment of Vermeer. It also takes place in Holland, a place that is not touched as much by novels, so you get to experience what life was like in this time and place. I think that Chevalier is a worth-while author to get interested in, and look forward to reading the other two novels I have by her.

4.5/5

Excavation - James Rollins [May/06]

One of my plans for the summer is to read all of my James Rollins novels. This month I read two of them, with three more waiting for me and a new novel due out soon. I look forward to his novels, though, but at the same time hate to rush through them. This novel was not as good as Amazonia. I found that one to be my favourite, but this one was still really interesting. On the back:

The South American Jungle Guards Many Secrets...
and a remarkable site nestled between two towering Andean peaks, hidden from human eyes for thousands of years.

Dig Deeper...
through layers of rock and mystery, through centuries of dark, forgotten legend.

Into Ancient Catacombs...
where ingenious traps have been laid to ensnare the careless and unsuspecting; where earth-shattering discoveries - and wealth beyond imagining - could be the reward for those with the courage to face the terrible unknown.

Something is Waiting...
here where the perilous journey ends, in the cold, shrouded heart of a breathtaking necropolis; something created by Man, yet not humanly possible. Something wonderous. Something terrifying.

For untold centuries, the secrets of life have been buried in a sacred, forbidden chamber.

Those who would disturb the chosen must now face the ultimate challenge: survival.

Rollins has a way of writing a novel that is based on historical civilizations and cultures, while at the same time making something impossible out of it. The novels generally take place in unexplored areas of the earth, so something near it could happen. In this particular novel they are exploring the rainforest on an archelogical dig and discover on secrets that were long hidden. I hate to reveal more because the mystery is the appeal of a Rollins novel.

4/5

Sandstorm - James Rollins [May/06]

It's that time again, I love James Rollins, so it was fun to read two books by him in the same month! I started this book earlier in the year, but I decided I wasn't ready for a Rollins novel yet. I liked Amazonia so much, I wasn't sure if any of his other novels were going to be able to compare. As the back of the book states:

Lady Kara Kensington's family paid a high price in money and blood to found the gallery that now lies in ruins. And her search for answers is about to lead Kara; her friend Safia al-Maaz, the gallery's brilliant and beautiful curator; and their guide, the international adventurer Omaha Dunn, into a world they never dreamed actually existed: a lost city buried beneath the Arabian desert, where something astonishing is waiting.

A covert government operative hunting a dangerous turncoat - his former partner - is being drawn there as well. But the many perils of a death-defying trek deep into the savage heart of the Arabian Peninsula pale before the nightmare to be unearthed at journey's end - an ageless power that lives and breathes, an awesome force that can create a utopia... or tear down everything humankind has built over millennia of civilization.

Once I decided that I was ready of a Rollins novel, I found that this one read just as well as others by him. It is one of his more later novels, having only came out in 2004. He used to take forever to come out with new books, but he had a new one out last year, Map of Bones, and he has another one coming out very soon Black Society. He keeps this up I will be able to read a book by him every year!

This book shows some evolution from his earlier novels. It is longer, for starters, but it also has more of a background provided for the characters. In his other novels there is a lot of concentration on what is happening at that moment and less time taken to show how the characters have developed into the people they are in the book. In this book, we know that Lady Kara Kensington lost her father while hunting in the desert. Well, that is the official cause for death, but Kensington finds out in the course of this novel that there is more to her past than meets the eye and her father's intentions might not always have been honourable. She funds this mission to learn the truth about her father, but she also gains something that she always had but never knew the truth behind.

Safia has a shaky past herself. There was a bombing where she used to work and she was the only survivor. This is something that she has never fully came to terms with, and is still battling with. She sets out on this mission to find the cause of the bombing at the museum, but what really happens is that develops a reconnection with herself and learns the secret to who she is. This means that she is able to reconnect with people from her past, and learn that not everything bad that happens is her fault. By the end of the novel she is at peace with herself.

I really enjoyed the setting for this novel. They go to an ancient town in the middle of the Arabian desert. A town that has never been understood, and has remained an archeological mystery. They solve this mystery, but not without many risks and adventures. In the end, though, the characters learn more about themselves and also answer questions that have been left unanswered for millenium. Another great Rollins read!

4/5

The Sky is Falling and Looking at the Moon - Kit Pearson

The Sky is Falling is a book that I bought for a reading assignment back in junior high. It is part of a trilogy with Looking at the Moon and another novel that I thought I had, but I don't. Kit Pearson was one of my early introductions to historical fiction. Taking place in Canada, it goes along with my interest in reading novels set during the World Wars. As the back of the book states:

It is the summer of 1940, and all of England fears an invasion by Hitler's army. Norah lies in bed listening to the anxious voices of her parents downstairs. She knows other parents are sending their children to safety overseas, but she is sure her own would never send her away.

Then Norah is told that she and her brother, Gavin, are being sent to Canada. The voyage across the ocean is exciting, but at the end of it Norah becomes more and more miserable. The rich woman in Toronto who takes them in prefers Gavin to her, the children at school taunt her, and as the news from England becomes worse, she is filled with numbign homesickness.

But as Christmas approaches and Norah begins to make friends, she discovers a surprising responsibility that helps her to accept her country.

Told through the eyes of a young girl, it is quite a different perspective on the experiences to World War II. Norah thought that the war was a big adventure, and actually felt like a coward when her parents made the decision to send her and her brother to Canada so that they will be safe. She wanted to stay in England, with them, and be a hero. But, as the war leads to bombing near her home, and the news fills with reports of death and destruction, Norah begins to understand what war is really about. She has a lot of adjusting to do, it is hard to take care of your little brother in a strange new house away from your parents. It is a lot of responsibility for such a little girl. It made her grow up much faster than need be, as the war did in many cases. She finds her place there, though, as this novel concludes and the next one starts.

3/5

Looking at the Moon takes place about two years after the first one. Norah and her brother are more settled in Canada. So much so that more often than not Gavin does not really remember his life back in England. He just understands his life in Canada as home. The back of the book for this one states:

Norah, an English "war guest" living with the wealthy Ogilvie family in Toronto can hardly wait for August. She'll spend it at the Ogilvies' lavish cottage in Muskoka - a whole month of freedom, swimming, adventures with her "cousins"...

But this isn't an ordinary summer. It's 1943, and the war is still going on. Sometimes, Norah can't even remember what her parents look like - she hasn't seen them in three years. And she has turned thirteen, which means life seems to be getting more complicated.

Then a distant Ogilvie cousin, Andrew, arrives. He is nineteen, handsome, intelligent, and Norah thinks she may be falling in love for the first time. But Andrew has his own problems: he doesn't want to fight in the war, and yet he knows it's what his family and friends expect of him.

This one is good, historically accurate for the time, but the war is not told in the same colours as it is in the first one. It is more like background noise because it has been so long since Norah and Gavin were in the midst of it. Pearson decides that instead of concentrating on their reaction to the war, she will insert a young man who is battling himself over whether or not he wishes to fight. His family thinks he should, because Norah's guardians son died in World War I and there is a lot of pressure for Andrew to follow in the same footsteps. Norah and Andrew are separated by age, but Norah's wisdom comes out as she guides Andrew down the road to what he wants to do for his country. The war is also winding down at this point, the Americans have entered, so it is just a matter of time before Norah and Gavin go home. I am keeping my eyes open for book 3.

3/5

Outlander - Diana Gabaldon

I first tried to read Outlander a couple years ago, and I found that for whatever reason I couldn't get into it. Then, people started talking about it all around me these last few months, so I decided to give it another go. I couldn't find my copy of it at first, so I had to borrow from my friend, but I have read it now. I don't know what was wrong with me last time I tried because I loved it this time around!

From the back of the book:

The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon - when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is Sassenach - an "outlander"- in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord... 1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life... and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire... and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

The novel starts out rather dull, so I can understand why I didn't like it the first time through. The man that Claire has married in 1945 is rather addicted to history, and gets so wrapped up in that there is very little action until Claire touches the stones that send her back into history. I must be honest, I like fantasy, so time-travel is not all that strange to me. It was the idea of time travel in a historical fiction novel that always makes me a little leery. The truth is, though, I think that the way that Gabaldon sends Claire back into time is believable because she uses something that people today do not understand. The rocks that stand, like Stonehenge, are a archealogical mystery, so who is to say if you are not standing there at a certain time during the year that you will not be sent back in time. Stranger things can happen.

When Claire goes back in time, she is obviously not sure what is going on around her. One minute she was picking an interesting flower, and the next time men in ancient uniforms are running around her. She is not dressed properly for the times, and the first people she runs into are the British army, specifically a man by the name of Jack Randall, her husbands many great, grandfather. A man that her husband respects and looks up to because history has painted a wonderful picture of him. We quickly learn, though, that history does not always tell the whole story. Jack Randall is a brute who is bent on anger and injury. He shows up many times throughout the novel, and never once does he show the sunny picture that Claire's husband painted him as.

Who would have imagined what would have happened if she had been left with this heartless man, but when Randall thought he had her a man comes out of now where and whisks her off on another adventure. These are Scottish men, men that Claire finds herself connected to for the time being. She shows them that she is not a hopeless woman when she saves one of their injured, James Fraser. It is nothing at the time, but before the novels end, James (Jamie) will become an important part of the novel. You see, Randall is not finished with Claire, and in an attempt to save her, a member of the MacKenzie clan sees to that she marries a Scottish man so that she does not fall under the category as being a English woman, and thus at Randall's beck and call. This Scottish man is none other than Jamie Randall.

This marriage opens interesting circumstances for the young heroine because she is determined to return to her own time, so how can she marry this Jamie person when her heart belongs to another man in another time. In the end, though, she values her life more than worrying about infidelity. This begins a whole new chapter in her life because this strange, young Scottish man genuinely loves her and she finds feelings for him developing. So, when the choice is presented to her that she go back to 1945 or stay here with him, she has a difficult choice to make.

As your read this novel you can really imagine that you are living in the 1700's, the picture that Gabaldon paints through Claire's eyes is that clear. You get to witness the clan fights, see deep dark secrets about history played out, and understand what it is like to go from having a comfortable existence to going back to a time where many modern (for 1945) luxuries do not exist. Gabaldon will have you hooked as you get going, and you will not want to stop experiencing this English woman's adventures through time with her young Scottish love.

5/5

What would I save?

The Ten Books One Would Save in a Fire (If One Could Only Save Ten):

1. My Madeleine L'Engle novels, hard to replace because most are out of print (that was a cheat)2. The Republic of Love or The Stone Diaries - Carol Shields
3. My Austen collection - they all match
4. Mists of Avalon - Marion Zimmer Bradley (it was a gift). Would like to save all my Bradley
5. The Laughing Corpse - Laurell K. Hamilton (only thing one of my friends has ever bought me, thus special)
6. My Jean Plaidy novels... they are harder to replace
7. My Sharon Penman novels

I will stick with 7 because I cheated so much. What I need is a fire safe box... a big box. At least for the harder to replace and the gifts. lol I suppose of all of them, 4 of Madeleine L'Engle's novels are the priority because they are out of print. Plaidy only sucks because the rereleases of her novels are not available in Canada, but I could order them in from the US if the need presented itself. What I really would like, is to save them all. I mean, I have the entire set of Nancy Drew hardcovers... would like to keep those. These sorts of questions are harder for me than they are meant to be. lol

Reading meme

Reading Memories

20 Years Ago: (age 1ish)
-- My first word was book
-- People read to me, I am sure, but not like I remember!

-- 10 Years Ago: (age 11)
-- I read a lot, was reading at levels above my age.
-- Got bored of Anne M. Martin and the other series my friends were reading
-- Won awards in reading, and more often than not, read more than anyone else in my class

5 Years Ago: (age 16)
-- I discovered Madeleine L'Engle around this time, who I still love.
-- Got told by my teacher that I wasn't allowed to follow reading levels because the ones I was supposed to be reading were too easy for me
-- Began my fantasy obsession stage and read the entire Anne of Green Gables series

3 Years ago: (age 18)
-- Went through my Tolkien stage, read LoTR and Hobbit, as well as attempted some of his other works.
-- Became very interested in novels set in or about Canada.
-- Began my attempt to read more classics... did get through a couple, still need to work on it.

Last Year: (age 20)
-- I discovered losts of exciting second hand book stores
-- I branched out in reading, even reading Oprah book club selections, something I wouldn't have ever done before.
-- I read about 150 novels, which was an impressive feat considering I am in university.
-- Reread Madeleine L'Engle

This Month: (age 21)
-- I discoverd that I don't mind ALL romancy novels by reading J.D. Robb
-- Discovered lots of new authors that I look forward to reading more of.
-- Have read 15 books so far this month.

Booking some more

3 Favorite Reading Locations:
-- porch swing
-- in bed before I go to sleep
-- in a comfy chair or my futon

3 Reading habits:
-- If I am at an interesting part in a book and someone harasses me to pay attention to them I can be quite cranky at the interruption, normally I tune everyone out.
-- I set limits for myself so as to not read too long and forget about the rest of the world-
- I cannot read with the television on. I get too distracted. If I'm reading during commercial breaks I mute the T.V.

3 Things that distract me:
-- Television
-- Loud people
-- My exchange students

3 Characters I'd love to be:
um, no one, just myself

3 Three Characters I despise:
Good question... I don't know.

3 Favorite Book Bevrages:
-- diet pepsi/pepsi
-- French vanilla cap
-- orange juice

3 Favorite bookmarks:
-- receipts, pieces of paper, etc
-- book store bookmarks
-- Any of the actual bookmarks that I happen to encounter

3 Dead Writers I'd love to meet:
-- Jean Plaidy (Eleanor Hibbert)
-- Lucy Maud Montgomery
-- Marion Zimmer Bradley

3 Alive Writers I'd love to meet:
-- James Rollins
-- Madeleine L'Engle
-- Laurell K. Hamilton

The Forever King - Molly Cochran and Warren Murphy [May/06]

I was in the second hand bookstore the other day, and I happened to spot a novel titled The Third Magic. It looked like it had never been read before and for some reason seemed to speak to me from the shelves that it was retelling of the Arthur story. Upon closer inspection I discovered that it was book three of a trilogy, with book two beside it. After a search of the older books in the store, I found The Forever King and that really made my shopping trip.

The Forever King was a very interesting read. All I had to go by when I bought it was what it said on the back:

In a darkened house not far from the place where Camelot may once have stood, a madman schemes, plotting toward the day when he will wrest the cup that men call the Holy Grail from the boy who is its guardian.

Arthur Blessing is no ordinary ten-year-old. The Grail is his by chance, this time, but the power to keep it - a power as ancient as time itself - is his by right. Now he must stay alive - battling foul sorcery and indefatigable assassins - long enough to use that power.

Arthur retellings are always books that I like to buy because the Arthurian legend has always been something that interested me. This one is very different from others that I have read, though, because it takes place in the 1990's... A.D. Not in the Medieval period. Taking a chance on this book was helped by the fact that Marion Zimmer Bradley, one of my favourite authors, reviewed it on the back. It is a very original take on Arthur, that is the plain and simple allure to this book.

In this novel, Arthur is a ten-year-old boy living with his aunt after the death of his parents. One day while down by the water he picks up a mysterious cup and suddenly his life is changed forever. There are men that have been searching for that cup for millenium, and they will stop at nothing to have it. There is one man in particular that has held on to that cup many times through the ages and is not about to let a meddlesome boy take it away from him forever. Suddenly, Arthur is introduced to his old mentor, Merlin, and a knight that would do anything for him, even die. In case you are missing this, this young boy has the memories of histories ancient Arthur and he has come again to rule Camelot. The only problem is that people will kill to keep that from happening, because wherever the Grail goes, trouble is sure to find it.

You have to be open-minded to read this book because it is not your general run of the mill fiction. It is fantasy in nature, but in many ways Arthur is just a regular boy blessed with a special right. To rule England once again, we shall see. I must read book two of this trilogy soon and see what further adventures Arthur has.

4/5

Naked in Death - JD Robb [May/06]

I finally back-tracked and read the first of the "In Death" romantic suspense novels from J.D. Robb. I don't know what it is with her. I have found many of the later novels in the series, but have yet to see anything between two and seven second-hand. I ended up buying book 2 new because I wanted to see how the story continued. Plan to read that book this weekend.

Anyways, this review is a little easier to write. With Seduction in Death it was later in the series, and I know someone reading this series from the beginning, so didn't want to give anything away.

This novel is described as:

Eve Dallas is a New York police lieutenant hunting for a ruthless killer. In more than ten years on the force, she's seen it all - and knows that her survival depends on her instincts. And she's going against every warning telling her not to get involved with Roarke, an Irish billionaire - and a suspect in Eve's muder investigation. But passion and seduction have rules of their own, and it's up to Eve to take a chance in the arms of a man she knows nothing about - except the addictive hunger of needing his touch.

Having known a bit about this series from reading a later novel first, I found it sort of interesting. A lot of the characters that Dallas meets in this first book as contacts are still present in the later novels. She had been a cop for ten years and she was only now working out a group of people to rely on. I found that a bit unbelievable, but Robb likely wanted to have Dallas as seasoned and then be able to introduce all the characters properly.

Roarke is a recurring character, though. I liked reading about him in the beginning, see where he came from and what he was like. He reminds me of Jean Claude, the head vampire in the Laurell Hamilton novels. Only Roarke is alive, while Jean Claude is the living dead. They just have similar mannerisms about them. Likely because they are both the lead romantic interests and have to be characters that female readers can believe in and fall for.

Anyways, in this book Eve is faced with the murder of the granddaughter of a powerful senator. In this world, as I mentioned in my other Robb review, guns are not used anymore. So when a 1980's gun is found at the scene as the murder weapon, it adds a new dimension to the investigation. Dallas is called in as the chief investigator, following a very disturbing case where a little girl was killed by her father. Dallas has violence in her background, so her last case is still giving her nightmares. Eve is a very determined investigator, even when the senator puts pressure on her and tries to limit her activities to save the family reputation she manages to get the job done. When other women are killed in the same manner and notes left to imply that there will be six victims by the time the killing is through, Dallas begins a race against the clock to insure that the killer does not make it to six.

It is interesting, so far in these novels the killer turns out to be a female hater or a man that believes that women should still be in a subordinate position in society. All of the murdered women in this novel are prostitutes, the man controls them and then he kills them. One of the victims even reveals that he likes to be called "Daddy", a very controlling form of seduction and then murder. The good thing about this murders, though, is that Roarke is believed to be a suspect because he collects rare guns and owns a large percent of the world, including some of the locations where the murders take place. If he hadn't been suspected, he would not have been added for the female readers enjoyment.

I like this series, I like how Dallas is not just your typical crime/suspense character. She has a past, it is not all about solving the cases that present themselves.

4/5

Percival's Angel - Anne Eliot Crompton [May/06]

From the back of the book:

Percival's Angel

Lili, an apprentice of the legendary Nimway, the Lady of the Lake, lives among the magical spirits of Fey Forest. Lili has magic in her soul and the knowledge of enchantment and spells. But there is one magic she cannot command - the magic of the Human Heart. Of all those in the world of Fey, there is but one boy who can help her...

Awed by the splendour of King Arthur's knights, seduced by tales of glory, Percival has a fantasy of his own. But to safely embark on a quest for the legendary Holy Grail he will need the help of an angel. Only Lili can take them far beyond the limits of their home, and closter to everything they cherish most. Yet to survive in the Human world it will take more that a passion for adventure, more tha desire to change their destiny, and more than the counsel of the shining giants of Arthur's court.

I bought this book because I like novels that retell the adventures of Arthur and his court, but this book really didn't do anything for me. According to the back of the book, some reviewers found it comparable to Marion Zimmer Bradley. Far from it! It does have an Avalon-like place, like Bradley's novels, but the adventures and the writing style do not hold up to her at all. Percival has been secluded from the rest of the world because his mother already lost her other sons and husband to battle, and does not want the same to happen to Percival. So, with the help of a member of her court, she takes her son and a girl that was like a daughter to her and hides them away from the outside world. She hopes this will be enough to save Percival, but alas you can only keep the outside out so long and then it manages to make itself known. Percival learns about the outside world, and suddenly he wants to see more of it, taking Lili with him.

The problem is that he is not very good, he has never had to know how to save himself, so he is a little lost and naive when he makes his way to the court. It is Lili that really wins the battles for him, and it is her that knows enough about the outside world to survive. She tries to help him, but in the end his head gets too big for his helmet and he decides he will be fine on his own. It is this moment that danger strikes, but in the meantime, this is supposed to be a novel about Arthur in some sense. He does make a couple of appearances, but not enough to make you understand what the point of this book is.

2.5/5

The Spanish Bride - Laurien Gardner [May/06]

This novel begins the series that will eventually include a look at the six women that would be the wives of Henry VIII. This first novel looks at Catherine of Aragon, his first wife. She was originally from Spain, thus why she was known as the "Spanish Bride". The first novel I ever read about her was The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory. So, I was interested to see how other novelists would portray a woman that genuinely loved her husband, but was set aside for a younger model and a hope for an heir. It of course did not work out, their daughter, Mary, would eventually take the throne but Henry was determined and took five other wives in the hopes of getting what he wanted.

The novel is not told from the point of view of Catherine, though. If it was entirely about her, it would not be very interesting. Most people who would bother with a novel based on the monarch are aware of her story, so Gardnier did a smart thing but including information that would offset the attention from Catherine alone.

On the back of the book:

Catherine of Aragon treasured the romantic ideal of the chivalic kinght in shining armor. Believing she'd married one, she surrendered her fate to a monarch whose treatment of his wives would make him notorious...

Estrella de Montoya is maid of honor to Catherine of Aragon, the Spanish princess betrothed to Arthur, Prince of Wales. Traveling away from home for the first time, Estrella shares her mistress's vision of England as a land of chivalric knights and courtly love. Her heart flutters at the bright prospects before them, as the English rejoice at Catherine's arrival.

Decades later, Estrella has learned from bitter experiences that poetic legends are not to be confused with real life. But Catherine, long married to Arthur's brother Henry, clings to her illusions - even when Henry, desperate for a male heir, seeks to set her aside for a younger woman. At great danger to herself, Estrella remains loyal to her lady, the true queen.

Through it all, Estrella remains uniquely postitioned to witness Catherine's triumphs and tragedies as they both risk everything against a king to whom human life - let alone chivalry - is nothing compared to his own personal desires...

I had wanted to read more novels about the queens that were the wives of Henry VIII. Whether people will like this book or not depends on your perspective. If you are reading it to learn more about Catherine, I found the information similar to things that I have heard or read before. It is more a novel to read to learn about court life and what it was like to be a lady in waiting for the displaced queen. It follows Catherine's life, of course, but at the same time you see the other sides to the court. This book better showed to me how Mary taked after her mother, they were both very strong in their religious ideals. They came out a great deal in this novel.

The novel has some crossing over, with Anne Boelyn's execution being one of the scenes at the end of the novel and also showing her as a member of Catherine's court. I was disappointed, though, by the lack of action in the novel. Things happened in it, but the central stages to the novel was Catherine waiting to be queen and then her confinement when she was displaced. It hardly looks at when she was actually the queen because the narrator, Estrella, was not present at the court during this time.

On average, it was a good novel, but like I stated above, it lacked action which made it rather dry and hard to get into. I have the next novel in the series, about Anne Boelyn, will be curious not only how they betray Anne but also if there is more action in the novel.

3.5/5

The Laughing Corpse - Laurell K. Hamilton [May/06]

This is the second novel in the Anita Blake, Vampire Huner series. It was a gift from a friend, a late birthday and Christmas present. It sucks to have finished it because while I have been finding lots of the later books second hand, I still have not tracked down books 3 and 4. Hamilton also wrote a series based around Faeries, I have not found book 1 to that series yet, so I am going to have to either Amazon or buy new in order to further enjoy this series. I might just read the ones I have and then backtrack, have to see.

I really enjoy this series, as I have mentioned in the entries to the other two novels I have read of it, this book was no exception. In this novel "a creature from beyond the grave is tearing a swath of muder through St. Louis" (Back of book). Anita Blake has been called in to determine what they are dealing with and find a way to take care of it. The bodies found in this book are gruesome to hear about, I must warn people, as there is not much left of them by the time they are found. The police need her help before the undead tracks down more helpless victims and leaves them in pieces.

At the same time, one of the richest men in the area has contacted Blake to raise a three-hundred-year-old corpse which would require a human sacrifice. The man believes he will hold the secret to a buried treaure that rightfully belongs to him and will stop at nothing to get Blake to agree to the rising. Even if his methods are not totally legal. Blake soon comes to see that these two seemingly unrelated incidents are not all that they appear to be. She also grasps the full understanding of her powers, which might have scary reprecussions in later novels.

If that isn't enough, she has Jean-Claude to worry about. The new Master of the City, who considers her his human slave, is pressuring Anita to compete the transformation. Anita is not someone to be told what to do, though, and so fights Jean-Claude at every turn. He will never totally go away, as my later reading of the series revealed.

I really enjoy this series. I cannot wait until I either have the next book or break down and read them out of order. I like to savour each one, so I hate to rush through the series, but it is interesting to witness the life that is Anita's.

4.5/5

The Kindness of Strangers - Katrina Kittle [May/06]

I was very stupid with this book. I have this thing about having the book near me when I write reviews, but for some odd reason I read this book and then gave it right back to the person I borrowed it from without writing a review first. The easiest thing to do is to write out what it says on the flap, it will refresh my memory:

On a quiet street in the suburban Midwest, a popular, seemingly stable family keeps a terrible, dark secret behind closed doors - a secret that will have life-changing consequences for all who know them.

Sarah Laden, a young widow and mother of two, struggles to keep her family together. Since the death of her husband, her high-school-age son, Nate, has developed a rebellious streak, constantly falling in and out of trouble. Her kindhearted younger son, Danny, though well behaved, struggles to pass his remedial classes. All the while, Sarah must make ends meet by running a catering business out of her home. But when a shocking and unbelievable revelation rips apart the family of her closest friend, Sarah finds herself welcoming yet another young boy into her already tumultuous life.

Jordan, a quiet and reclusive elementary-school boy and classmate of Danny's, has survived a terrible tragedy, leaving him without a family. When Sarah becomes Jordan's foster mother, a relationship develops that will force her to question the things of which she thought she was so sure. Yet Sarah is not the only one changed by this young boy, and as the delicate balance that holds her family together begins to falter, the Ladens will all face truths about themselves and one another - and discover the power of love to forgive and heal.

Having grown up in a small town, this novel made a lot of sense to me. The little things that happened in this novel became big things because that was the way that the town thrived, and the big things became something that the town was not sure how to grasp. The back of the book is very thought-provoking, but it does not fully prepare you for what you are about to find in this novel. Jordan has lived very harshly, and while he never knew another life but the one he is leading, it is a secret that will shatter the sleepy town. Part of Jordan knows that what has been happening to him is not right, but since that is the only thing he has ever had to deal with, he is not sure what to do about it. Everytime he thinks he should try and break away from the repeated cycle, he gets scared of what will happen. He is afraid of losing the only family that he ever really knew and not sure how to embrace this new world that is telling him that what happened to him was wrong.

This is a very dark novel, shrouded in family struggle and heart ache. There is not a character in this novel that you will not eventually come to love, but with that will come the characters you can not help but hate. I know I have alluded to possible scenerios for what will happen in this book, but at the same time I do not think it is something that can be revealed entirely and not destroy the book for those who choose to read it. It is a larger book and I read it in a day, I just had to know what happened to Jordan and the family that he was forced into. It was a poignant novel that you just can not help loving, but it is not for those that prefer cheerful reads. While there is happiness in the novel, for many of the pages it is the bad things that happen that get the most word use.

4/5

Lost in a Good Book - Jasper Fforde [May/06]

This is book 2 in the Thursday Next series, the adventures of a literary agent. This is another case where the back of the book really covers the story quite well:

Her adventures as a renowned Special Operative in literary detection have left Thursday Next yearning for a rest. But when the love of her life is eradicated by the corrupt multinational Goliath Corporation, Thursday must bite the bullet and moonlight as a Prose Resource Operative in the secret world of Jurisfiction, the police force inside books. There she is apprenticed to Miss Havisham, the famous man-hater from Dickens's Great Expectations, who teaches her to book-jump like a pro. If she retrieves a supposedly vanquished enemy from the pages of Poe's "The Raven", she thinks Goliath might return her lost love, Landen. But her latest mission is endlessly complicated. Not only are there side trips into the works of Kafka and Austen, and even Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Flopsy Bunnies, Thursday finds herself the target of a series of potentially lethal coincidences, the authenticator a newly discovered play by the Bard himself, and the only one who can prevent an unidentifiable pink sludge from engulfing all life on Earth.

It really was a tale order for such a small book. I think if anything I liked this one better than the first book in the series, The Eyre Affair. The only thing that made me sad was the ending made the book not able to be read on its own, while the first one cleaned up the loose ends. I have to read the third book to see what happens next, but I want to have the fourth one on hand before I attempt so that if I want to know what happens next it is available. Might have to order it off Amazon as I am not having much luck tracking it down. Some people call these books monotonous, but I enjoy her adventures through the literary worlds. It also makes me want to read the books that she travels through.

4.5/5

The History of Love - Nicole Krauss [May/06]

A reading group that I am familiar with read a novel by this woman's husband, so I had heard of this novel before but never found a pressing need to buy it. Then I saw it as part of a Mother's Day display at the bookstore and thought I would pick it up and read the back. It sounded so interesting by the back that I took a chance and bought it. I was not disappointed.

It is not a detailed description, all it says is:

Fourteen-year-old Alma Singer is trying to find a cure for her mother's loneliness. Believing that she might discover it in an old book her mother is lovingly translating, she sets out in search of its author. Across New York an old man named Leo Gursky is trying to survive a little bit longer. He spends his days dreaming of the love who, sixty years ago in Polnd inspired him to write a book. And although he doesn't know it yet, that book also survived: crossing oceans and generations, and changing lives...

Something about that appealed to me and I decided to see what the novel was all about. The novel is told through the eyes of bother Alma and Leo, with brief interludes of other characters interjecting their thoughts. Alma has just lost her father, something her mother has been having a hard time dealing with. When a strange man asks her to translate a book for her, she throws herself into it with the hopes of finding happiness again. This book had been important in their family. Her husband had bought it for her as a gift before they were married, and Alma is named after the main character. Every woman in the novel is based on a woman from the past.

Leo lost the love of his life because it took him a long time to follow his beloved from Poland to America. She had found out upon arrival that she was pregnant and married to save her reputation. Leo arrives in America with nothing, not even the chance to raise the child that was his. As a result he follows his sons career, as his son is a writer, and through this has a chance to be a part of something bigger than himself. With not much else to sustain him, he spends each day reaffirming that he is still alive.

The novel that binds these two characters is mysterious. The young author believes that the writer of this novel is his father, that is why he requests it to be translated. Alma seeks to find out why this novel is so important to her mother, imporant enough that she is named after the heroine. Leo gave his novel to a friend for safe-keeping, and never thought he would see it again. Fate, though, has a way of coming to call, in the form of a young boy that brings the conclusion that both lost souls need.

A very interesting novel. It is very lyrical and appealing to the heart.

3.5/5

Phantom of Manhattan - Fredrick Forsyth [May/06]

This novel looked very interesting when I saw it for the first time. It is an apparent sequel to the famous novel that was turned into a broadway play, and I thought it looked like an interesting conclusion when I read the back of the book:

More than two decades have passed since Antoinette Giry, the mistress of the corps de ballet at the Paris Opera, rescued a hideously disfigured boy named Erik from a carnival and brought him to live in the labyrinthine cellars of the opera house. Soon thereafter, his intense, unrequited love for a beautiful chorus girl set in motion a tragic string of events, forcing him to flee Paris forever. Now, as she lies dying in a convent, Madame Giry tells the untold story of the Phantom and his clandestine journey to New York City to start anew, where he would become a wealthy entrepreneur and build the glorious Manhattan Opera House... all so he could see his beloved, now a famous diva, once again. But the outcome of her visit would prove even more devastating than before - and yet, would allow the Phantom to know, for the first time in his brutal life, the true meaning of love...

See, sounds good. It was not, though. For starters, I thought it was going to be from the perspective of Madame Giry. She only has one chapter. Then, the novel is told from the perspective of random people that are not really essential to the novel. They are not the characters for the most part that people have come to know and appreciate, they are just random folk. The story presented in this second novel is good, but the method in which he chooses to present it did not attract me to the story.

3/5

Seduction in Death - J.D. Robb [May/06]

This is a very odd reading choice for me. For those that don't know, J.D. Robb is also known as Nora Roberts who is not someone that I would normally read. People on a forum I belong to were discussing her books, and when I learned they were set in the future, I was intrigued. This is book 13 in the series, but since it was available to read at my house, I decided to start with it and see if I liked it. I did, actually, so much so that I purchased more of the series at the second hand store the other day.

The novels follow the life of Lt. Dallas, a police officer in a world quite different than the one that we are living in now. While the books are only set about 50 years from now, technology has made many advances that I find myself wishing we had now. Guns have been outlawed, which I found very interesting. It is a gizmo age.

I think the thing that most attracts me to the novel is the character of Lt. Dallas. She had a rough childhood that has turned her into the character that we witness in these novels. She has a deep understanding of the degragation of women, having been sexually abused herself. As a result, many of her cases have a personal feel to them that makes them not just cases to her, but a chance to take down terrible men one at a time and slowly make the world a safer place. The added addition of her past makes the novel more than just a murder mystery, it is a personal experience.

In this particular part of the series, Dallas is investigating the murder of women who think they have found love in internet chatrooms. The man woos her and then he drugs her to death so that he is the last man to touch her. It is a disgusting idea, but these are men that have always gotten what they wanted out of life and have a deep hatred for women. Why this is becomes known as Dallas comes closer and closer to cracking the case. In this particular book, we know who the killers are. Robb has made it so that we see all sides of the case as opposed to being just as in the dark as Dallas. It makes it more interesting because we get to know all the central characters before the bad guys are brought down.

A really interesting series, I can't wait to read more about Dallas and her adventures.

4/5

Phantom - Susan Kay [May/06]

I read this book and then lent it to a friend, so I am afraid the novel is not as fresh in my head as I need it to be to write a good review. I should have wrote it before I gave it away, but I wasn't thinking at the time.

I will say, this is one of the best books I have ever read. Tracing the life of the man who would become "The Phantom of the Opera", Susan Kay has created an experience that to anyone who wants to better understand the Phantom, you will. She goes back to the very early days, when Erik was born and traces his life up to his death many years later. Unlike the earlier versions of the novel, this is not just about his romance with the opera singer, Christine, but captures the life that he led before she was even a part of the story, even not even born yet.

Broken into sections, the novel is told by Erik at some points, but it is also told by the people that he meets in the course of his life. The first narrator is Madeleine, his mother. Her husband has died and she has been left all alone to bring this child into the world. Used to beauty and always getting what she wanted, she was beside herself when she looked into the face of the boy who was her son. For many years, Erik went unloved. His mother tolerated him, but she was also disgusted by him. It was not until he decided to run off into the night that she learned that she loved him, but by then it was too late for her little boy.

The next narrator is Giovanni. When witnessing the famous play or reading the early novel, you are not always aware exactly how the Phantom got the architectural abilities that you witness in his downstairs lair. Simple. He had always had a taste for building things, but it was Giovanni that took a chance on the young boy and showed him how to make his interest into a life long skill. The Phantom might have been happy there, maybe even stayed to run the business when the older man died, but then the lady of the house came home. Giovanni's daughter was rather spoiled and was used to receiving whatever she wanted. What this girl wanted, though, was the Phantom. Unfortunately, what you think you want does not always work out the way you expect, and in this case it has disasterous consequences.

The next person that takes up the Phantom's story is Nadir. A man that works in a difficult area where he is at the beck and call of the Persian king. A man that is not used to receiving a no for an answer. Erik has made a name for himself as a magician and the King wants him brought in to entertain the court. If Erik refuses, it will be Nadir's head, so before you know it Erik finds himself at the court of the Persian king. There he finds his closest thing to a friend, Nadir, and in his own way helps Nadir deals with the death of his son and his struggle to be his own person while keeping his head. Like everything else that happens to Erik, though, he does not stay at court long.

Unlike the movie version about the Phantom, Erik lived quite a life after the circus and before the Opera house. That was the period directly after leaving home. Now, he finds himself preparing for the life in the opera house, but Susan has him build the Opera house that becomes his home and the stage upon which Erik sees Christine sing for the first time.

It is amazing, when I watch the movie I do feel a little sad for the Phantom, but when I read this book you almost wanted to cry for how terribly he was treated! You gain a better understanding of why he became the man that we see, but Susan also represents his relationship with Christine differently. It is all in all a very different take on the Phantom's life, and I would safely say that it is the better version of events. I can see me rereading this book again, I could easily read it right now!

5/5

The Gathering Place - Thomas Kinkade [May/06]

Thomas Kinkade is a world-famous painter, so you can imagine my surprise when I discovered he was also an author. The Gathering Place is not the first novel in the series of six books, but I have read other novels by him before. Of the six I am just missing the two Christmas novels, but I still have one more of the non-Christmas ones to read as I am mainly reading them out of order. They are harder to find than one might imagine, and the book store just started carrying them.

Anyways, it is best to just offer the blurb that comes with the book. I know everything that happens in the other two books I have read, as well as this one, so I don't want to give too much away. I think Thomas Kinkade novels are relaxing and fit the paintings that he so beautifully produces. The blurb:

A charming village on the New England coast, Cape Light is the kind of place where neighbours help each other and people take the time to appreciate the little things. Sometimes their lives are touched by hearbreak and disappointment, but there's something special about the folks in this tight-knit community - and their unforgettable stories reminds us of the extraordinary healing power of love.

Now that the Cape Light election is over, Mayor Emily Warwick can finally focus on her burgeoning relationship with Sara - the daughter she gave up for adoption twenty years ago. Seeing her after all these years has stirred up some conflicting feelings for Emily. While she is grateful to have Sara back in her life, she can't help but regret their years apart. Typicall she would turn to Reverand Ben for guidance, but turmoil within his own family has inspired a crisis of faith for the minister, making him question whether he is qualified to counsel his congregants. And there's the fact that Emily is slowly falling for newspaper publisher Dan Forbes, who'd been all set to leave for an extended sailing trip until an accident dashed his plans - giving him and Emily more time to develop their bond. But with two grown children of his own, would Dan ever want to start another family? Emily hopes so - because she's eager for a second chance at life...

I really couldn't have explained the novel better than that blurb. There is such a peace when you read these novels that you can not help being captured by them. They are all perfect for stand alone novels, but I like them and hope to get the Christmas ones soon. Once you plan a trip to Cape Light, you might not want to leave.

4/5

Marrying Mozart - Stephanie Cowell [May/06]

This is not a typical read for me. I am not a music fanatic, so reading a novel that centred on the life of Mozart was a new experience for me. I picked it up, actually, because it was a bargain novel at the bookstore because the softcover version had just become available. I was not disappointed.

The novel begins in Mannheim, Germany in 1777. Four sisters, the Weber girls, live in an apartment with their musical father and understanding mother. Every Thursday evening, some of the greatest musicians in the area travel up five flights of stairs for an evening of wonderful music and great food. It is a time when mothers are considered about prospects for their daughters, and so their mother keeps a notebook with all the names of the prospective men for her daughters. On one musical evening, twenty-one-year-old Wolfgang Mozart walks into their home and takes a permanent place in the sisters lives.

The novel is told from the perspective of the young daughter, Sophie. She is at the end of her life and a man has come to learn more about the sisters that influenced Mozart's music. She speaks of how "Mozart is entralled with the Weber sisters: Aloysia's beauty and talent captivate him; Josefa's rich voice inspires him; Sophie becomes his confidante; and Constanze comes to play a surprising role in his life" [Back of book]. These four women became the centre-point to many of Mozart's great works of music. He used his experiences with them to write the beautiful music that still touches the hearts of people today.

Music may have been Mozart's first love, but these sisters found a way to captivate him. They are all unique characters and the reader witnesses what it was like to grow up in eighteenth-century Europe. At its heart, this novel is a love story, but it is up to the reader to determine who the lover is. This was an interesting look at both Mozart and the world that he lived in. Told from the perspective of many of the characters, you get a sense of who this young man was and the family that was always close to his heart.

4/5