Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn

I has passed Sir Cedric's door and had almost reached the Tower Room when I felt a rush of air against my face. I opened my mouth to exclaim, but before I could do so, a strong hand clamped about my wrist and dragged me into the room. The door was closed behind me and I was pushed up against it, the hand now firmly pressed over my mouth. ~ Silent in the Sanctuary, page 262 ~

Fresh from a six-month sojourn in Italy, Lady Julia returns home to Sussex to find her father's estate crowded with family and friends - but dark deeds are afoot at the deconsecrated abbey, and a murderer roams the ancient cloisters.

I found this book every bit as intriguing and entertaining as Silent in the Grave. She spends more time setting up the murder, it takes places half way through the story instead of right at the start. Clues are cleverly hidden in plain sight and you must be skillful in determining what is useful and what is not. I didn't uncover the murderer until it was revealed in the story nor did I see another twist that was coming for her aunt. All the same characters from Silent in the Grave are here along with some new ones. The relationship between Lady Julia and Nicholas Brisbane is interesting as you "watch" the give and take between these two. I'm all for keeping them at a distance letting the charged atmosphere swirl around them.

If you enjoy murder mysteries set in historical England add this author to your reading list. Personally I'm looking forward to the next Lady Julia Grey mystery.

Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn

I dove after it, although I cannot imagine why. Did I think I would find scissors and glue pot secreted inside? Actually I rather liked the idea of Renard as villain. I had always found him distasteful, and the notion of dismissing him without either pay or character was wildly appealing. ~ Silent in the Grave, page 276 ~

Prepared to accept that Edward's death was due to a long-standing physical infirmity, Julia is outraged when Brisbane visits and suggests that Sir Edward has been murdered. It is a reaction she comes to regret when she discovers the damning paper for herself, and realizes the truth.

Determined to bring her husband's murderer to justice, Julia engages the enigmatic Brisbane to help her investigate Edward's demise. Dismissing his warnings that the investigation will be difficult, if not impossible, Julia presses forward, following a trail of clues that lead her to even more unpleasant truths, and ever closer to a killer who waits expectantly for her arrival.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has many twists and turns, taking you places you don't expect to go and revealing a killer you'd, almost, never suspect. If you suspect the least likely character you might be right but then again you might not. This book is populated with all sorts of interesting characters and family secrets. You have the outrageously eccentric requisite family members, the quiet unassuming widow, and the lead investigator who has his own dark history. Put all this together along with scandal and murder and you have quite a story. I was pulled in from the opening chapters and not let go until the last page. There's plenty going on the keep a reader interested and turning pages. I so enjoyed this book, 1st in a series, that I immediately started reading the 2nd one, Silent in the Sanctuary.

Nothing to Fear but Ferrets by Linda O. Johnston

I found myself aiming the Beamer down the San Diego Freeway towards Palms. And then cruising the street where Chad had lived. Why? Hell if I knew. But I was pretty frustrated that I couldn't just haul out some helpful facts and hand them to Noralles to get Charlotte off the hook. Maybe Yul, too. ~ Nothing to Fear but Ferrets, page 139 ~

Kendra knows that the furry ferrets her tenants keep are illegal, but she didn't realize they could be downright criminal. Nevertheless, when she finds a corpse in her renters' den, all clues point to the playful pets. The victim just happens to be dreamy Chad Chatsworth, the latest reality show sensation who has a lot of enemies both on - and off - camera. Kendra's pretty sure that all of his rivals were of the two-legged kind. Something smells funny about the supposed cause of death - and it isn't the ferrets...

This is series that I read for fun. I was a pet sitter for seven years so I identify with Kendra and her pet sitting escapades though thank heavens I haven't come across dead bodies. The book, 2nd in the series, is populated with fun, quirky, interesting characters. Kendra is forever stumbling in and out of trouble. I didn't figure who the murderer was until right before the revealing in the book. She does a respectable job of giving clues but not giving away the who done it. The books in this cozy mystery series are fun, breezy entertaining reads.

The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall

The wind snatched at his words and the night sky swallowed them. Around him he could hear swords being drawn and the hiss of sharp breath, but none dared approach too close, and a callused hand had the sense to seize the dog by the scruff. Chang felt the power of the movement. It rose in him like typhoon, racing through his veins and driving all fear before it. He must enjoy this moment, taste its sweetness. It could be his last. ~ The Russian Concubine, page 246 ~

Junchow, China, 1928. Perhaps it's her red hair, or her hard life. Whatever the reason, Lydia Ivanova has a fierce spirit. Nothing can dim it, not even the foul waters of the Peiho River. Into the river's grime bodies are tossed, those of thieves and Communists alike. So every time she steals some marketplace treasure, the sixteen-year-old take her life in her hands. Her mother, Valentina, numbered among the Russian elite until Bolsheviks rounded them up. They took her husband, but Valentina managed to buy back her child and bring her to China.

Now, though mother and daughter live in the whites-only International Settlement, no walls can keep Lydia in. She escapes to meet Chang An Lo, a handsome youth with fire in his eyes. He returns her love, but other dangers threaten him. Chiang Kai-shek's troops are headed toward Junchow to kill Reds like him - and in his possession are the priceless jewels of a dead tsarina, meant as a gift for the despot's wife. Their all-consuming love can only bring shame and peril upon the pair, from both sides. Those in power will do anything to quell it. But Lydia and Chang are powerless to end it...

For the most part I enjoyed this book. It was a pleasant read though not anything that grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I thought the last 100 pages were the best by far. It falls somewhere between so-so and recommended. I couldn't relate the book's title to the actual story line which I think is what threw me from really enjoying this book. I kept expecting one plot line when it was something totally different. I found myself most interested in the culture and history of the time period rather than the story itself.

I would give this author another try though she's not at the top of my "have to read" list.

Reading Journal ... Sunday, 3/23/08

Nothing to Fear but Ferrets, page 48

I finished The Russian Concubine yesterday. It falls somewhere between so-so and recommended. It was a pleasant read but nothing that really grabbed me. Definitely the last 100 pages were the best. The title doesn't appear to have much to do with the actual story so in a way was misleading. I'll be posting my official thoughts tomorrow under Book Reviews - 2008.

I've started Nothing to Fear but Ferrets. 2nd book in the Kendra Ballantyne, pet-sitter mystery series. I enjoyed the 1st book so I'm back for a second helping. I can associate with the lead character as I pet sat for a number of years. Luckily I never encountered any dead bodies, animals or human. The books are smartly written and filled with witty humor.

Reading Journal ... Thursday, 3/20/08

The Russian Concubine, page 180

I'm enjoying this book just not getting as much read as I'd like. It's not the book, it's life. I have two days off this week so hopefully I'll be able to devote some time to reading. Tonight is book club but we've invited the spouses to join us so there definitely won't be any book talk. That's Ok! I DNF'd it, Stef didn't read it and I'm not sure about Jill and Dana.

Well I spent my Borders book card and picked up books that won't, most likely, be converted to Kindle books. They're books in mystery series I'm currently involved in so no guilt "buying" these books. I also didn't want to waste my gift card just because I want a Kindle. I know it's adding to the TBR piles but they'll get read. I bought: Witches' Bane by Susan Wittig Albert; The Fright of the Iguana by Linda O. Johnston; Murder on Mulberry Bend & Murder on Marble Row by Victoria Thompson.

Reading Journal ... Wednesday, 3/19/08

The Russian Concubine, page 111

I'm back into historical fiction. I just can't seem to get away from it but that's most likely because my TRB piles are loaded with this genre and as I'm working my way through them I'll be reading a lot of it. This book is set in China in the early 19oos so it's another interesting cultural lesson. I just love reading about other cultures especially in earlier times.

Earlier this week I finished an absolutely wonderful book Beneath a Marble Sky. I was enchanted and captivated by the back story of the Taj Mahal. It is one of my top books so far this year and March hasn't been a great reading month. I was so taken with the book that I emailed the author. I actually heard back the same day! I've never done that before and it's a bit of rush to open email and see a response from an author.

I snagged an Early Reviewers book from the March batch at Librarything. It is Rosalind Laker's Venetian Mask. More historical fiction. Now I get to look forward to something in the mail besides junk!

Upcoming Book Club Selections

Upcoming titles for book club... in no particular order

Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst (Kindle)
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs (Kindle)
Alphabet Weekends by Elizabeth Noble (Kindle)
Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier (Kindle)
The Dowry Bride by Shobhan Bantwal ~ August 08
The Book of Loss by Julith Jedamus
Secrets of a Lady by Tracy Grant (Kindle)
The Mapmaker's Wife by Robert Whitaker ~ August 08
Blind Submission by Debra Ginsberg (Kindle)
The Scent of Rosa's Oil by Lina Simoni
Peony in Love by Lisa See (Kindle)
The Night Journal by Elizabeth Crook
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (Kindle)
Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe by Jennie Shortridge
Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson
The Film Club: A Memoir by David Gilmour
Enlightenment for Idiots by Anne Cushman
Identical Strangers: A Memoir of Twins Separated and Reunited by Elsye Schein & Paula Bernstein
Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife by Irene Spencer
The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton
The Pirate's Daughter by Margaret Cezair-Thompson
Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell (Kindle)
Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski
The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond
The Commoner by John Burnham Schwartz
Lottery by Patricia Wood
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club: Diary of a Sixtieth Year by Virginia Ironside
Around the World in 80 Dinners: The Ultimate Culinary Adventure by Bill Jamison and Cathy Alters Jamison

Reading Journal ... Monday, 3/17/08

Beneath a Marble Sky, page 282

This is a wonderful book. I love reading about other cultures and the author does a very good job providing a look into India in the 1600s. The descriptions are vivid without being bogged down in detail. The author draws you in and you "see" the people and the land. The Taj Mahal is one of those magical, mystical places on earth and now I want to go visit more than ever.

I'm not doing a very good job including more non-fiction in the reading diet. I did read A Sense of the World and now I'm back in to historical fiction. Next up is The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall. I was drawn to this book by the cover while standing in Target one day.

With each book I read I'm making progress through the TBR piles and getting one book closer to buying my Kindle.

Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors

As the months passed, thousands of slabs of marble were inlaid with semiprecious stones, set against structural bricks, and plastered into place. Elephants died, men succumbed to fever, and barges laden with supplies sank in storms. Despite these tragedies the mausoleum continued to rise. By now it was about half its intended height, and tales of its beauty spread throughout the Empire. Travelers - whether visiting nobles or pilgrims on their way to Mecca - always stopped to gaze at the Taj Mahal. Sometimes they even helped for a few days. In such cases, men left strangely content, as if awash in the knowledge that their hands had contributed, however slightly, to the creation of a legend. ~ Beneath a Marble Sky, page 176 ~

Princess Jahanara, the courageous daughter of the emperor and his wife, tells their mesmerizing tale, while sharing her own parallel story of forbidden love with the celebrated architect of the Taj Mahal. Set during a time of unimaginable wealth and power, murderous sibling rivalries, and cruel despotism, this impressive novel sweeps you away to a historical Hindustan brimming with with action and intrigue in an era when, alongside the brutalities of war and oppression, architecture and the art of love and passion reached a pinnacle of perfection.

I loved this book. It was moving and magical. The author writes wonderful descriptions of the time without going overboard and dragging down the story. I felt like I was right there beside Jahanara as she lived her life. I could smell the spices, see the Red Fort, the harem, the bazaars. I watched the Taj Mahal being built, 22 years in the making. I could see the sun set behind it and the moon rise above it. I was captured and taken on a wonderfully touching, sometimes heart breaking ride. I originally picked up the book because of the story behind the Taj Mahal: the love of a man for his wife. This book so much more and if I never get to visit, in person, at least I've been there and visited for a brief time through Beneath a Marble Sky. I highly recommend this book for lovers of historical fiction and those who enjoy moving love stories.