Book Addicts Anonymous

The bumph is so good I bought this twice. Then gave the second copy...when I realised what I had done, to one of the English teachers at school.
Anyway...yes..so good I bought it twice?
Well actually..it is another book that just wanted to be read!
Luciano is a street child, living by his wits. One day "the chef" catches him stealing a pomegranate, and instead of turning him in to the "authorities" he gives him a job in his kitchen. "The Chef" is chef to the Doge of Venice in a time where there is corruption everywhere. Many are searching for answers to various questions, such as eternal life, beating ageing, turning base metals into gold. "The chef" has a copy of "the book"....but what is contained within the pages is not what the searchers are looking for. However, they do not know this, and the Doge, the Pope, and several other influential persons initiate a search for "the book". This puts "the chef" and Luciano's life in danger.
If I say more I will spoil the plot. If what you have read has caught your interest...look for this book, set in 1498, prior to the mass production of printed matter...the masses were expected to follow whatever "priests" told the to follow......like sheep...this novel explores the beginnings of the masses thinking for themselves.

And here's a link to the author's site http://www.ellenewmark.com/book.php

Be warned, if you pick this book up and expect a "nice read" about a shipwreck, you won't get it. This is not a Swiss Family Robinson, or Robinson Crusoe for adults. The main character Jeronimus Cornelisz is a desperately flawed character, who in The Accomplice by Kathryn Hayman comes across as evil, and he doesn't come across any differently in this novel. However the novel is told from Cornelisz' viewpoint. He is a man given to sadistic pleasure, even from and early age, and he makes no excuse for it. In fact he sees his pleasures as entirely natural. This doesn't make him likable by any means, but the actions that he takes are entirely in keeping with his warped character. Having read The Accomplice, I knew what the book had in store, and wasn't horrified. I do wonder if the story may have inspired, in part William Golding's Lord of the Flies.
The Company is a good read, but not for those of a delicate constitution.
http://www.panmacmillan.com/displayPage.asp?PageID=2557

The extract above gives a potential reader an insight into the novel.

Isn't it funny how you pick up novels and don't want to put them down, but also every so often there seems to a be "theme", the last three I have read the main character(s) have travelled around, and the last two have been translations. I used to shy away from translations, but after reading "The 13 and 1/2 lives of Captain Bluebear" by Walter Moers, I stopped avoiding them.

Most people have seen at least one Zorro film. Bearing that in mind, the man who is revealed to be Zorro in this book doesn't ring the same, but I prefer to think that Zorro would be like Diego de la Vega in Allende's novel. What better way to put people off thinking a person is Zorro, than be an effeminate fop? Following Diego around in the story, from the New world, to the Old World, and back again, Allende fills in the background of Zorro, how he came to be the man he was in legend.
After reading this book, I would happily read another of Allende's books. For more about her, and some bumph about the book, click here.

I loved this book, but some may not do, as the book itself "talks" to the reader at intervals throughout the book. These passages are quite clearly the book talking, but I can appreciate it may un-nerve some.
The main character, Jennet Stearne is a very strong willed girl/woman, who has a grasp of many things that are usually the province of men at the time. I think the bumph probably tells it better than me.

Set in the 13th Century, Here Be Dragons is the story of King John and his England. A paradoxical man, he was charming, generous, clever -- and he was unstable and brutal. He was capable of great kindnesses, but he butchered child hostages. He was the youngest son and favorite of Henry Plantagenet, but he would betray his father in order to seize the throne of England. For centuries, history recorded him as a bad king, upon whom the Magna Carta was forced. Yet history also tells us he was intent on bringing a measure of justice to his realm in the face of his greedy barons' refusal to accept the law.

But Here Be Dragons is also the story of Llewelyn the Great of Wales. At 14, he began a civil war; by 21, he held all North Wales. He was John's vassal -- and most bitter enemy. His dream of a free and united Wales, unencumbered by English laws or lords, was to spur a lifelong crusade that left little time for peace or pleasure.

And, at its heart, Here Be Dragons is the story of Joanna: daughter to one, wife to the other. Bastard-born, hidden from her father until her embittered mother's death, then brought, a bewildered five-year-old, to John's court. He would cherish her, cosset her, and yet use her as a political pawn, marrying her off at fifteen to a wild Welsh prince She was terrified, but he was the father she adored and obeyed. Wife to Llewelyn, whom she came to love, daughter to John, whom she worshipped, Joanna was trapped in the crossfire of their implacable enmity.

After reading another of Penman's books - Time and Chance - I knew that I wanted to know more about the Welsh people. Prior to reading T&C, my knowledge of the Welsh was vague at best. Through members of the historical fiction forum I am a member of, I discovered Penman had written a Welsh trilogy. So I managed to buy the three books over the last 7 months and have finally gotten around to reading them.

Overall the book was a good read. Penman does well in her presentation, though I know of at least one other author who might say she portrayed Joanna in too good a light. I cannot argue the point as I'm not well versed in that era of English history, but I do not feel that misinterpreted portrayal takes away from the story. The core of the story is Joanna's struggle between loyalty to her father - who gave her a loving home when she lost her mother at five - and loyalty to her husband.

The only thing negative I can say about the book is something probably most would argue about. I was hoping for a story more focused on Wales. I realise that the history of Wales is inescapably tied to England, I feel that Penman is more than capable of pulling off a more Welsh-centric story than she has. I know she is capable of it because there are chunks of Time and Chance where one of her characters lives in Wales and though related to the monarch, knows little of what is going on outside of Wales.

Still, I would recommend this book to any Penman fan.

Why this book has sat unread on my bookcase for so long I really don't know.
On the front cover of my copy..it says "Three secrets, two women, one grail"
I really don't know if that encompasses the novel enough
Throughout the narrative is split between Alice in the 20th Century, and Alais in the late 13th century, the novel is not confusing in the slightest.
I found that I really couldn't put the book down, staying up late into the night to finish it.
I know Blue has also read this novel, pre-blog set up. I also know she enjoyed it as well, as she loves "grail" novels.

http://www.katemosse.com/content/labryrinth.asp?id=dsc

I will say that I am looking forward to reading Sepulchre soon.

I'm just going to muscle my way into Sea's post to add my own bit about this book. I read it several months ago, possibly even a year ago now, but never got around to blogging about it. *rolls eyes* I have enjoyed all of the various books I've read involving the Knights Templar and any of the related topics - such as this - and Labyrinth was no exception. I know others from HFO have wall-slammed the book for whatever reason, but I am one of the few who have truly enjoyed it.

As Sea stated above, it was not difficult to follow jumping back and forth between centuries because it was mostly broken up along chapter lines. This is one of those books which shed light more on the Cathars and how they came to be related with the Knights Templar. It's a very moving book about people who stood strong in their faith, which I think anyone should respect.

At dawn on Easter morning 1343, a marauding band of French raiders arrives by boat to ambush the coastal English village of Hookton. To brave young Thomas, the only survivor, the horror of the attack is epitomized in the casual savagery of a particular black-clad knight, whose flag -- three yellow hawks on a blue field -- presides over the bloody affair. As the killers sail away, Thomas vows to avenge the murder of his townspeople and to recapture a holy treasure that the black knight stole from the church.

To do this, Thomas of Hookton must first make his way to France; So in 1343 he joins the army of King Edward III as it is about to invade the continent -- the beginning of the Hundred Years War. A preternaturally gifted bowman, Thomas quickly becomes recognized as one of England's most deadly archers in King Edward's march across France. Yet he never stops scanning the horizon for his true enemy's flag.

When Thomas saves a young Frenchwoman from a bloodthirsty crowd, her father -- French nobleman Sir Guillaume d'Evecque -- rewards his bravery by joining him in the hunt for the mysterious dark knight and the stolen holy relic. What begins as a search for vengeance will soon prove the beginning of an even higher purpose: the quest for the Holy Grail itself.

As a pre-established fan of Bernard Cornwell, this is definitely a trilogy I looked forward to reading. If you are interested in reading it, though, and live in the US, you will find it released here as The Archer's Tale. Sea sent me her copy which, of course, is a UK print.

While I am a fan of Cornwell, I'm not interested in reading all that he has published. His massive Sharpe series has not piqued my interest at all. But this was one I wanted to read because I've read a lot of stories about the Knight's Templar and am interested in most anything related to them, as the Holy Grail has been linked to them.

I enjoyed this story first and foremost because Thomas is a reluctant hero. No matter how many times he's faced with someone prodding him to search for this relic or how often circumstances push him in that direction, he stubbornly refuses, insisting that all he wants to be is an archer for the King of England. This makes for a refreshing turn from the numerous stories where people have learnt of their 'destiny' to find the Grail and charged right into the unknown on blind faith.

As a teenager, Catalina of Aragon, daughter to Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabelle of Castille, is sent to England to marry the elder son of Henry VII, Arthur. Unfortunately, Arthur was a sickly young man and within a short time of their marriage, he died. After several years of living in uncertainty, a political pawn used by both her father and father-in-law, Katharine is married again, this time to Arthur's younger brother, the boy who would become King Henry VIII.

The marriage begins in an amicable way, but when Katharine is unable to produce a male heir, Henry's eye begins to wander. When an affair with Bessie Blount produces a boy, Henry believes Katharine is the sole reason why he has no legitimate male heir. He becomes more distant with the queen and sets his eyes on Anne Boleyn who rejects him because he is still married. Determined to have what is denied him, Henry sets in motion a plan which will ultimately sever England's ties to Rome and the Roman Catholic Church: divorce from Katharine.

After fifteen years of marriage, Henry declares himself not only the Head of England, but the Head of the Church in England and thereby grants himself a divorce.

-----

I bought this book out of a desire to learn more about Katharine of Aragon after watching a full season of The Tudors and feeling sympathetic toward Katharine. I knew, though, that as with all television/movie adaptations, there are liberties taken with the story. To that end, I decided to seek out books written about Katharine for a more realistic interpretation of her life. I chose this book by Jean Plaidy after enjoying the first book I read by her.

I will, however, admit disappointment in Plaidy's treatment of the story. She included too much of the story of Katharine's sister Juana the Mad in a book about Katarine.The entire first part of the book - it was divided into three parts - could've been condensed into something resembling a long prologue, which I've discovered Bernard Cornwell has done quite effectively. Once the story moved into the real meat of Katharine's life, her marriage to Henry, then the book became far more interesting.

I usually wait until I have finished a novel before I blog about it, but am going to make an exception with this one.
The story is a detective one, but this is not obvious at first, plus there is no actual detective. It is set in early restoration England. The plot revolves around the death of a Robert Grove, found dead in his chambers at Oxford. The story is related by four different people who were around at the time, and as is typical when four different people are asked to relate events leading up to something like this, each person has different priorities. It becomes obvious that Robert Grove has not died a natural death, although the Warden at his Oxford college tries to have him buried before any investigation starts.

I am currently about halfway through the second account, and it is very different from the first one. Iain Pears has shown ingenuity and adaptability in telling the story from different viewpoints. This book has been one of those that I'd bought but never got around to reading, and now I'm deeply into it, am asking myself why it has taken me so long to get around to reading it. It is not a book for those who like a quick read though as it is almost 700 pages long.

Ah! and here's a link to some more information about the book.

29th March 2009.
Now I have finished the third section of the novel, and what is becoming glaringly obvious to me is the fact that all three narrators to date are possibly unreliable narrators. All three have their own agenda to follow. However, this does not distract from the novel, but enhances it. Especially as the time the novel covers must have been one of uncertainty, so it echoes the thoughts of the time.
I am still enjoying the novel, and have just started the fourth account of events. I have never read a novel in this format before, it is very intriguing, and I am guessing it is meant to leave the reader guessing which is the true account of events when they have finished reading.

4th April 2009
I finished this on Thursday. The fourth section was the same story, but also different. Told by a historian from the time, [based on an actual historical figure from the time.] If I say too much about this account it WILL spoil the book, for those of you who want to read it.
On reflection I think the book worked very well, and in my eyes it has 3 unreliable records of the events at the time and one reliable one. As I read the fourth version I saw places where the others had misconstrued the information they had. You also have to bear in mind that the fourth account is written with knowledge that two of the others do not have, and the third one of them wishes to conceal for his own purposes.
Not a quick read, as it took me around 2 and 1/2 weeks to read, and when the narrator changes it is necessary to remind yourself that you are reading an account by a different narrator. The third account did irritate me at first, as it from the viewpoint of a doctor of divinity, and in helping establish this Pears uses quite a few bible quotes, to remind the reader that this account is by a member of the clergy. Luckily once this is established the bible quotes lessen.

Britain, 605 AD. The Roman Empire in the West has faded into memory, replaced by a colourful mosaic of competing kingdoms. A new world is being built out of the fragments of the past, shaped by the forces of warfare, marriage, alliance, diplomacy, blood-feud and revenge. Among the ever-shifting tides, it is oaths and personal loyalties that hold the world together. But the changing times bring great opportunities, and great dangers, that test the ties of loyalty to the limit.

Eadwine is the youngest son of the king of Deira, guardian of a neglected frontier and the faithful ally of his eldest brother and hero Eadric. His ambition is to be a worthy lord to the frontier district, a good husband to his betrothed, and a reliable second-in-command to his brother. All these hopes are swept away when Deira is invaded by its powerful and predatory neighbour Bernicia. Eadwine reaches the capital just ahead of the invaders, having fought a fierce rearguard action, only to find that Eadric is already dead, shamefully murdered by a unknown assassin.

Eadwine survives the subsequent disastrous defeat, and now finds himself on the run for his life. The fearsome King of Bernicia, Aethelferth, has sworn an oath to the gods to kill Eadwine as thanks for the victory, and no king will dare to defy Aethelferth by offering Eadwine refuge. Eadwine must evade Aethelferth's relentless pursuit, identify and take vengeance on his brother's murderer, and rescue his betrothed. Along the way, he will lose his heart to another woman and discover a shattering secret that challenges all the ideals he holds dear.

This is the first self-published book I've ever purchased. I did so because the author is a member of Historical Fiction Online and because she'd written about a time period bridging the gap between what I've read by Manda Scott and Jules Watson and more modern history.

The story itself is well written, though I had a difficult time warming up to the main character Eadwine. He was portrayed as truly an ungrateful ass, but I got beyond that thinking when I considered his age - 19 at most. After that, I really enjoyed the book.

The author's website can be found here: Carla Nayland

This yet another book that left me wondering why I hadn't read it sooner.
http://www.panmacmillan.com/titles/displayPage.asp?PageTitle=Individual%20Title&BookID=402251&Category=
Gives the bumph, same as on the back of my copy.
I love the way the murderer was not obvious, and even when I knew who it was, it took some raking back to remember the clues, that Sansom had put throughout the book.
I loved the fact the central character is a "flawed" person who is very aware of his own weaknesses, and not the perfect detective, although he is not technically a detective in Dissolution. The other characters in the book are well defined, and I felt myself feeling sorry for Brother Guy having to find a new home at the end of the book.

It is AD 60 and the flame of rebellion that has been smouldering for 20 years of Roman occupation has flared into a conflagration that will consume the land and all who live in it. There is no going back. Boudica has been flogged and her daughters raped, and her son has burned a Roman watchtower in an act of blatant insurgency.

This is the time to act: the Roman governor has marched his legions west to destroy the druidic stronghold of Mona, leaving his capital and a vital seaport hopelessly undefended in the face of twenty-thousand warriors aching for vengeance. But to crush the legions for all time, Boudica must do more than lead her army in the greatest rebellion Britain has ever known. She must find healing for herself, for the land, and for Graine, her 8-year-old daughter, who has taken refuge on Mona.

Is revenge worth it under any circumstances, or is the cost more than anyone can bear?

Colchester is burning and London is lost without hope. Amidst fire and bloody revolution – a battle that will change the face and spirituality of a nation for centuries to come – Boudica and those around her must find what matters most, now and for ever.

And so we come to the final book in the series about Britain's greatest Warrior Queen, the Boudica, Bringer of Victory. What an amazing journey it's been through the life of this woman. I say that, and yet, the series wasn't just about her. Manda Scott masterfully wove together the lives of everyone important to Breaca so that it's not so much a tale of one woman's fight against Rome, but a tale about a family's struggle to remain together despite Rome's presence and their combined struggle to join the tribes of Britain together to face the might of Rome.

When I reached the end of the story, tears welled up in my eyes. Not because of the unexpected nature of the ending; I knew that was the only way it could honestly end, but because of the beauty and tenderness portrayed regarding Breaca's daughter and lover and brother. It was moving beyond words. It's a series I highly recommend for anyone interested in Ancient Britain.

This book started very slowly, and to be honest I was beginning to wonder if I should have another book "on the go", however, the book got interesting . So this is definitely a "stick with it, it's worth it" book, in my eyes anyway.
Set in the 1700s we follow the life of Emilie Selden, through her own eyes. As always with a first person narrator, they disagree with other characters when they oppose them. After all it is only human nature, so Emilie is a good narrator from her point of view, but unreliable from the the reader's point of view.
Emilie is a very strong willed young woman in a time when the patriarchal society was strong. She could be said to be ahead of her time.

for a link to bumph from the book, etc
http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/HB-35524/The-Alchemist

I would be inclined to look for moreof Katherine McMahon's boooks

AD 57: Caradoc is lost for ever, betrayed to Rome and exiled in Gaul, leaving Boudica bereft, to lead the tribes of the west in an increasingly bloody resistance against Roman occupation.

Only if she can drive Rome from the land will she find the peace she needs and to do that she must once again raise the tribes of the east. But her people, the Eceni, languish in the shadow of the Legions, led by a man who proclaims himself king and yet allows slavers to trade freely in his lands.

Across the sea, Boudica's half-brother has been named traitor by both sides. He, too, seeks peace, on a journey that takes him from the dreaming tombs of the ancestors to the cave of a god he no longer serves.

Only if these two meet can their people - and all of Britannia - be saved. But the new Governor has been ordered to subdue the tribes or die in the attempt, and he has twenty thousand legionnaires ready to stop anyone, however determined, from bringing Britain to the edge of revolt...

Hailed as Boudica, the Bringer of Victory, Breaca now lead's her people's resistance against the occupying legions of Rome. Opposing her is Julius Valerius, an auxiliary cavalry officer whose increasing brutality in the service of his god and emperor cannot shield him from the ghosts of his past. Caught between them are two children, pawns in a game of unthinkable savagery, while in distant Rome, the emperor Claudius holds the balance of lives in his hands.

In this, the second book of the series that began with Dreaming the Eagle, we follow the life of Breaca's younger brother Ban who was captured and sold into slavery at the end of the first book. He is told that his family are all dead and so begins his life as a slave to Rome. After some time, he is allowed to become a citizen of Rome, taking the name Julius Valerius.

I have to admit, I had torn feelings regarding Ban's actions, which is what I'm sure Scott aims for. My off-the-cuff emotional response was intense dislike, but the logical side of me reminds me that believing his family dead, one can hardly blame him for joining 'the enemy'.

This is an excellent follow-up to the first book and I will certainly be diving into the third book soon.

Ok, I'll admit it, one of the reasons I decided to read this book is my kids, (well, they are getting older now, but still the same,) are pirate mad. And who didn't like "Pirates of the Caribbean", and "Muppet's Treasure Island" ?
The book is a possible "prequel" to R L Stevenson's classic "Treasure Island", but is for an adult readership, not children as Stevenson's classic is.
Drake has researched the history of the time and everything rings true, without the history being "in your face".
Drake has also asked himself questions, as he explains at the end of the book such as, "How Did Long John Silver lose his leg?" The answers he came up with are very credible ones.

‘Agricola turned to the east, where Rome lay. He had been kind and just, but like a primitive beast, Alba continued to bite the hand of friendship that his empire extended. Finally it was time for Alba to pay.’

For Rhiann – a Celtic priestess and queen in ancient Scotland – and her warrior husband, Eremon – an exiled Irish prince – the prospect of a peaceful and free future is wrecked by the threat of a Roman invasion into the north. Theirs was a political marriage, but from it has emerged a passionate love as well as a powerful public alliance. Now in them lies the hope of a nation. For there is a new Emperor in Rome, Domitian, and he has commanded Agricola, Governor of Britain, to crush the troublesome realm of Scottish Alba once and for all. The predestined day draws near: the armies of Alba and Rome will meet in an epic battle to decide the fate of a country. Rhiann searches for guidance in the spirit world, little realizing how big a part she will play in this endgame. Eremon knows only that he must risk – and sacrifice – many lives, perhaps even his own.


This second book in the Dalriada trilogy is just as epic as the first, but more gut wrenching by the end. While Rhiann continues the work of drawing the Alban tribes together, he husband, Eremon travels south to test the Roman waters and let them know what they're up against. In this story, as in the first, I felt like I was there among the Albans fighting for their land their homes and their lives. Jules Watson definitely has a knack for drawing you into the story.

As for the history itself, there were a few changes here and there, but mostly points that historians in general have disagreed on.

Author's website: Jules Watson

AD 79 and Agricola, the ruthless governor of Roman Britain, is turning his attentions to the last unconquered territory in Britain - Alba, Scotland. Rhiann is a courageous and beautiful Scottish princess and priestess scarred by her violent past. Of noble blood, she faces what for her is the ultimate sacrifice - a forced marriage - to protect the freedom of her people. Eremon is an enigmatic Irish prince, an exile, who must seek an alliance elsewhere to regain his throne. Will he prove himself the man who can unite the squabbling Celtic tribes against the more ominous threat of Rome? With war and chaos looming for her people, Rhiann finds herself drawn into an unexpected journey of the spirit and heart, which will reveal the true purpose of her life.

Though it's been a few months since I finished reading this beautiful epic tale, it's been difficult to find the right words to express my feelings about the book. I'm now only a fraction of the way into the second book, The Dawn Stag, and am enjoying it as much as the first.

Jules Watson does a masterful job of drawing you into the story and truly making you feel as though you are there. At least she did for me. At heart I am a first-rate Anglophile and want to devour every part of the history of this ancient land and this book opened up Scotland in a way I'd never dreamed possible.

While this story is not about a well-known historical figure, it is about a people who were very real and stood firm for what they believed in. They were one of the few who were able to stand against the mighty Roman Empire. If you want a glimpse into the lives of the Ancient Alban people, I highly recommend The White Mare as a good place to start.

You might also visit the author's website to learn more about her and her own passion for the history of Scotland. http://juleswatson.com/

The whole premise of this book was spoiled for me because it was in epistolary format. I have read other books in this format, however, it did not enhance the story, but merely served to confuse me. This meant that it took me quite a while to read the book. To me it would have been better in normal format, with an omniscient narrator. I spent more time trying to figure out who the letter was t and from, and how much of the action they were aware of, spending plenty of time turning back a page or two to remind who the current letter was to/from.
However, I didn't give up reading as the plot was intriguing, with a very surprising twist at the end of it, reminding me of the saying "revenge is a dish best served cold", or something like that.
This book is very good, but not for the easily defeated reader.
The link below sums up the plot nicely
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/philippa-stockley/factory-of-cunning.htm
There is an interview with Stockley at the link below;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/2005_07_fri_02.shtml

Although the book is classed as historical fiction, I would say there is little actual history in it, it is historically accurate, but just so that the settings, etc are accurate. It could quite have easily been set in the present day, apart from certain events towards the end, which would have led on to much deeper investigations.