Lowly’s Book Blog

Remember Red Gloves? Well, at the end of that book Evie was taken through a portal and disappears. White Star provides the explanation for that disappearance and lets the reader know what Evie got up to while she was away.

Evie was captured and imprisoned. The captain of the guard rescues her from the dungeon without explanation and is seen regularly in her company. Then word arrives that his Queen has been killed on the battlefield, and he and all his garrison are on their own. And the problem is? The Queen had raised an army of walking dead, and now that they are leaderless, there are problems.

Orin has to provide for his men, and yet he needs to return Evie to safety. He can safely assume that if he makes it to her home, he will be captured and executed as a war criminal. But Evie saves his life, gaining her exile and him a Herculean task.

When is a fantasy not a fantasy? When it is a romance novel dressed up in magic and adventure. Well White Star is certainly a romance novel, but I am not at all sure of the magic and adventure. This book spent far more time on the romantic relationship or lack of between Evie and Orin than anything else. Really it wasn’t worth the time required for the 250 pages

Cover says Chick Lit! (historical romance). Male author, and first time novelist. Hmmm…the signs are not good. But this novel was a delightful surprise.

The year is 1907, and Ralph Truitt a wealthy widower is tired of living alone. As the leading businessman in his Wisconsin town, there are no eligible women around so he decides to place an ad for a reliable wife. Catherine Land, innocent daughter of overseas missionaries replies, and is selected on the basis of her plain photo and genteel history.

However the Catherine Land who steps off the train is nothing like the photo. This woman is stunning, but still maintains that the rest of her story is true. They marry, and then begins this dark tale of deception and murder. Catherine actually intends to murder her new husband, take his money and set up a new life with her young lover.

But like reality, the story is never that simple. Catherine and Ralph both have deep sadness and regret from their past. Goolrick reveals the characters gradually, engaging the reader in their lives masterfully. This is a book that must be read in very few sittings because it will be very difficult to stop once you get halfway.

This is a brilliant first novel. The plot is well structured and the characters are complex. And the choice of a Wisconsin winter as a setting perfectly reflects the isolation and depression experienced by the protagonists.

First impressions can be very wrong. I am certainly looking forward to the next book from this author. 

Finally, I have reached the end of the series. And I am so glad that I waited to read the books until all four were available. Somehow the series seemed complete at the end of book 3. The love triangle was resolved, what more was there to say. I mean if she continued the series, Meyer may have to come up with an original plot. Is it possible?

Yes! The final book in the series is by far the most original and therefore interesting. The story opens with Bella and Edward’s wedding, honeymoon and other good stuff for the tween girls. But the plot takes a twist when the human Bella gets pregnant. How is it possible for a living human to carry and nurture a vampire baby? From here Meyer is in brand new territory which she handles with skill. 

I don’t want to go on much further because the summary will make absolutely no sense to anyone who has not read the first three books, and it will ruin the story for anyone still proceeding through the series.

Some Meyer fans have said that this book is just the publisher pushing Meyer to produce another best seller for purely financial reasons. They claim the book is boring and rambles on and on. I suspect they felt that way because the book is so refreshingly different. The story is much bigger than Edward and Bella. Not only is little Renessmee part of their lives, but suddenly the extended family and werewolf network is critically important. This book is much bigger than a simple love story, and I suspect the disappointed readers simply wanted more of the same.

Thank you Meyer for saving the best until last!

By now everyone knows that Meyer’s first book Twilight has been released as a movie, and hundreds of thousands of teens have rushed off to see it. But I wonder how many adult fans of the horror genre have been suckered in. I know one 50something who went along expecting a vampire horror movie! Maybe he should have read the book first.

Anyway now I am on book three of the series. The love triangle is complete, Bella loves Edward who loves Bella who also loves Jacob (as a brother/friend) who loves Bella. Edward is a vampire and Jacob is a werewolf; enemies for all time. Now their traditional battle is personal. But more than that, the bad vamps from the Twilight have found Bella and Edward and are sworn on revenge. 

But once again the popularity of this book cannot be based on the plot. This story has been told many times before. The popularity of this series is firmly based on the characters that simply jump off the page and wrap themselves around your heart. As a reader, you care about what happens. Is Bella going to live with Jacob, or die to be with Edward? And how will the loser in this triangle cope with the grief? Those questions keep the pages turning, not the veneer of adventure.

OK so this is modern pulp fiction. But I will admit, I thoroughly enjoyed it. There are not many books that will keep me awake until the wee hours of the morning just to find out what happens.

Ok, just for a few minutes I will pretend that there is someone in this world who hasn’t read this series, or seen the movie. But somehow I can’t believe it. 

I read this book a few weeks ago. I will even admit that in the midst of exams and all the rush for the end of the academic year, I spent several hours each day caught up in the Bella and Edward romance. And after that, how could I discipline the girl who sat through my chemistry class engrossed in the story rather than the fine details of dipole interactions.

Now for the plot summary, that is once again very easy. If Twilight was a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, this book comes from an even older tradition, the love triangle. Edward leaves town, for Bella’s own good. In her grief she turns to Jacob for friendship. This friendship rapidly becomes something much more, at least for Jacob. And then Edward returns…

OK, not original, but there is a reason the theme is so common. Readers love it! But once again Meyer brings in her own special interpretation of mythology and folklore. This time concerning werewolves. Instead of wild beasts that only appear on the full moon, Meyer’s werewolves can appear at any time in response to the presence of evil, especially vampires. It is a genetic trait handed down through the Native American tribes, but the genetic expression only takes place in times of need. With the Cullens living nearby, suddenly there is an explosion in the number of werewolves found in the tribe. Interesting interpretation that relates well to the American folklore.

If you have already read this, then I am not telling you anything you don’t already know. And if you haven’t read it, then get started. But you must start with Twilight. Don’t trust the movie to tell you everything you need to know.

I know this book has been around for a long time, and it seems very strange that I have just now found time to read it. My excuse is this, I don’t have to read books that are easily promoted by word of mouth, and even though I run a library, getting my hands on this series is difficult. Anyway, I was loaned this copy and made sure that I read it quickly.

I doubt anyone is going to need a summary of this plot. Forbidden love between a mortal and a vampire, how, why and what problems may arise. 

The story isn’t all that brilliantly original. Buffy ran for years on the theme of forbidden love with monsters. But Meyer’s interpretation of the vampire myths is original. The idea that their skin is cold and hard, the explanation of what direct sunlight does, and even the explanation of how one becomes a vampire is radically different from traditional lore, and worthy of careful consideration. 

This series of books has had a phenomenal response from young adults, and not just from the girls. With the release of the movie later this year, I would suggest that this book is not going to lose popularity anytime soon.

The Internet certainly has a lot to answer for, but one thing that it has done for writers is to open up a whole new way of writing about mistaken identity. This book is a classic, but funny example.

Frannie has a crush on Jeffrey, the hottest guy at school. But whenever she gets near him, her mouth and brain shut down and she can say nothing. However, she does join a chat room Jeffrey frequents. So far so good, but once again her brain shuts down and she can think of nothing to say. In desperation she turns to her best friend Marcus and asks him to write something. Once an easy solution is found, it is very difficult to find the right time and place to go to the hard solution, even if it is the right thing to do.

But Marcus is gay, and gradually he develops a real interest in Jeffrey. He knows he is probably doing the wrong thing when he starts corresponding with Jeffrey without Frannie’s knowledge. And the longer he goes on the more he becomes convinced that Jeffrey is falling for him. Problem…

This is another book that is certainly chick lit. The irridescent pink cover kind of shouts that out. But it is also witty and funny in an American sitcom kind of way. Certainly it is not the worst book I have read recently, but it is still a long way from the best. But still, it will find a market.

Every now and then the Buzz editor gives me a loser. This is the most recent. Once upon a time, I thought I knew and liked the genre Gothic Romance. But then I had only encountered it in books like Jane Eyre and Rebecca. I have now read my first schlock horror book, and hated it.

Plot first. Girl meets monster, girl meets boy, boy meets monster, girl meets boy again and they go to bed, boy meets monster and then finds girl and they go to bed, boy and girl go hunt monster’s mate, and then go to bed, monster goes and mates with a minor character in the story, boy and girl hunt monster and kill it and then go to bed. I am sure I have missed some going to bed in there, but you get the idea.

I am really hard pressed to find any redeeming quality in this book. So I went surfing to find out what I could about Cathy McDavid. It turns out she writes Harlequin romance books for a living. What more can I say?

OK, start a book in the middle. Go on from there, but every now and then time shift to before the start. Confused? You should be.

I’ll try to sort it all out for you. The first chapter describes Nick hurtling down a hill on his bicycle, no hands. Surprise, surprise, the second chapter finds Nick commencing his 5 weeks in traction at the hospital. The second last chapter provides the lead-up to the bike ride. In between, the reader learns that Nick wants to be a singer, but at 19 he had to work at something else. He never expected to fall for Jude or her rockabilly style. But he did, and he fell hard. He didn’t expect it to hurt so much.

One reviewer called this book a road novel, but all taking place in a bed in hospital. It really is. Nick has plenty of time to get to know his fellow warders and their visitors. He has plenty of time to think about Jude and analyse their relationship. He also has plenty of time to think about where he is going. Usually this thinking takes place on the road, often running away. Is Nick running away? Make up your own mind.

A very interesting book this one. I first read a review of it a last year, long before I read the book and I was very excited to see it come to the top of the reading list.

This book is about a year in the life of 3 young adults who have come to Alice Springs to start their lives of independence. Cathy was raised on a Queensland station, so she is familiar with life in the dry regions of Australia. But she wanted to make her own way and comes to Alice looking for a job until she sorts out what she is going to do with her life. She quickly finds a job working in the pub and soon she discovers she is very good at hospitality.

Jay has also come to the Alice for a job. He is a radio DJ looking for a change from Melbourne. His people are from the south, but for a while he is working at the local indigenous station doing the morning shift. But he is also looking for purpose and meaning in his life.

Margie has been Cathy’s best friend since school. But after school finished Margie qualified as a nurse. She can get a job anywhere, but it is her idea that Cathy and her share a flat in Alice Springs for a year. Margie is out to have a good time, as simple as that. Nothing is going to get in her way.

Cathy and Jay find each other. They seem to be soulmates, friends as well as lovers. But can this candle continue to burn?

This book is certainly for older secondary readers. Not only because of the sexual content, but also some maturity is needed before the reader can understand the motives of our various main characters.

I certainly enjoyed this book. Probably more than any other by Meme McDonald.